Interview: Artist Tyler Kirkham - Kickstarting Clover Press's The Marvel Art Of Tyler Kirkham

By Chad Burdette

on June 13, 2025

Whether its Spider-Man swinging through New York or the Mandalorian in a galaxy far far away, artist Tyler Kirkham has touched every corner of the Marvel universe.

Clover Press is collecting Kirkham’s most beloved Marvel artwork in The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham, currently available for pre-order via Kickstarter.

This is the latest edition in Clover Press’s The Marvel Art of… line, which has featured legendary artists including Mike Allred, Russell Dauterman, David Mack, and more. The high end coffee table art book is an unforgettable celebration of Kirkham’s unique, eye-catching artwork.

With a distinctive style that combines intricate linework and vibrant action sequences, Tyler Kirkham’s work has garnered widespread acclaim across the comic book industry. Kirkham’s interior art on series like Mike Carey’s Ultimate Fantastic Four, Greg Pak’s X-Men: Phoenix Warsong, and Stuart Moore’s New Avengers/Transformers brings beloved comic book characters to life.

And his iconic covers for series like Nick Spencer and Marcelo Ferreira’s Amazing Spider-Man, Charles Soule and Steven Cummings’s Star Wars: Crimson Reign, and Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s Venom, defines them with striking and iconic cover illustrations that set the tone for fan-favorite stories.

In a press release from Clover Press, Kirkham said:

“I am extremely excited to announce my official art book with Marvel comics and Clover Press. It represents a comprehensive collection of my artwork for Marvel over the years, encompassing hundreds of covers and interior pages. I’m honored to have a book of this scale and quality coming out and I can’t wait for people to see it!”

Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz added:

“I’ve been a fan of Tyler’s work since our days at DC, and have marveled at what he’s accomplished in the years since,” says “He continues to top himself with his ‘Battle Damage’ covers and more recently his homage pieces. THE MARVEL ART OF TYLER KIRKHAM tracks his growth as an artist, and collects so many pieces in one volume – not to be missed by any Tyler Kirkham collector!”

Comic Watch also had the opportunity to chat with Kirkham via an email interview:

Comic Watch: Tell me about your Comic Book journey as a reader and creator.

Kirkham: Well early on my brother was into Spider-man and that was my first interaction with comic books. I thought they were really cool and wanted to check out more and really loved Wolverine and the X-men.

The 90’s cartoon really helped with that too! Image comics sent me into fully wanting to make comics my career! As for drawing comics, I got lucky and started when I was young. Pretty fresh out of high school actually. I already had some professional paying art gigs under my belt. I was drawing cartoons for a local newspaper. I showed my art around at conventions and eventually got a small gig on a book called The Gift. After that I interned at Top cow and that led to Marvel and DC work!

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Comic Watch: Describe your style and your approach to a project be it a cover or interiors, is there a different way that you approach these different types of projects?

Kirkham: I hope I have a very dynamic, jump off the page style. That is what I’m going for anyway. I am heavily influenced by guys like Marc Silvestri and Joe Madureira. So somewhere in there. I’m always messing with my style though, so I’m not sure where I fall. I’m always trying to learn.

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Comic Watch: How have you adapted your style or approach over the years to keep things fresh and exciting?

Kirkham: Well a few years ago when I started inking my own pencils it completely changed my art I feel. I’m not saying for the better but just the look and feel. I have been able to work with some of the best inkers in the industry but when I started inking my own stuff it just gave me more control and more time on each piece. For a moment I was even coloring my own covers but realized it wasn’t the best decision for me.

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Comic Watch: How does it feel to have your work spotlighted by Clover Press and how did you go about choosing which works to feature in the book.

Kirkham: It’s an honor to be a part of the creators that have a Clover Press art book. I feel like they know what they are doing and have a proven track record of amazing and successful books! I’m happy to be one of the artists on their ever growing list!

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Comic Watch: Which artists inspire you and have influences your work and career

Kirkham: Definitely Marc Silvesri and Joe Mad as stated above. Also Michael Turner, Jim Lee, Dave Finch to name a few. My earliest inspiration was Mark Texeira on Wolverine and I tried to mimic his style for a long time. It was an honor to get a Final Boss cover from him!

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Comic Watch: What is your creating process and how do you prefer to work (Traditional, digital, hybrid)

Kirkham: I am 10-20% digital now. I work out loose sketches and stuff on my Ipad and also do post production work in Photoshop. I have done full pieces and even full issues digitally though but it’s only when I’m on the road or if it’s a pressing deadline. It’s not the norm. There is still nothing like drawing on bristol board!

In a world of AI I think now more than ever it’s important to keep some sort of traditional roots.

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Comic Watch: What’s the best advice you ever received about writing comics (and who was it if you remember) and what advice would you, if possible, tell your younger self ?

Kirkham: I am an artist first and it wasn’t until like 15 years in the industry did I even try writing. I still consider myself an amature writer. I have written my creator owned series and children’s books though. As for art and just overall advice I would tell my younger self. I’d say never get comfortable, never stop growing. It can cause you to become lazy and stagnant. Or never rush through work. Always do your best on every piece. Keep perfecting the craft and you will never truly stop learning as long as you are putting forth the effort.

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Comic Watch: Which character(s) do you find the most intriguing and enjoy drawing, and conversely is there any that you prefer not to do?

Kirkham: I get this question a lot and it’s an easy one for me. I loved masked characters like Deadpool, Deathstroke, Batman and Wolverine. Big muscled out characters are the most fun to draw. Or organic characters like Venom, Carnage or really any monster. They come easier to me than drawing females, or technical characters like the Transformers. Even though I have done it all and enjoyed the challenge!

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In addition to the stunning 200-page 9″ x 12″ art book, The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham Kickstarter campaign will feature collectible 11″ x 17″ prints, stickers, and more to celebrate Kirkham’s prolific career, featuring some of Kirkham’s classic covers and comic pages alongside rare and never-before seen pieces.

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