Kalman Andrasofszky and I beat the lunch rush at Ramen Isshin. He made a great choice for our lunch chin wag, catching up over lost years and planning our upcoming collaboration.

We walked over from his den of creativity, a bohemian-esque shared studio space that’s burgeoning with skills and creativity. And what’s great is how down to earth Kalman is. He’s an old soul with youthful charm and wild talents.

Kalman created an original portrait of Viper for my upcoming The Wrath of Atticus Kickstarter. I’m absolutely thrilled with the results!

Get to Know Kalman!

Lesley: Describe your journey to being an artist/writer.

Kalman: As a child of divorce, I had a weekend dad who didn’t quite know what to do with me. We randomly bought a comic off the rack in a variety store one weekend (X-men –chosen because I recognized no one) and he read it to me since I was too young to know how myself. We went back the following month, and so on. My Dad is from Budapest and he’s got an accent, so for years, I thought it was ‘Volverine’ and ‘shnikt.”

Many years later I was drawing for Marvel.

Lesley: Who are your biggest influences?

Kalman: As I was learning how to draw, I went through four key phases. Art Adams. Travis Charest. Adam Hughes. These are the guys in my drawing DNA.

Lesley: What’s been your favourite project?

Kalman: Captain Canuck, hands down. Because I created, rebooted, devised and designed the whole shebang, even though I only drew two issues and a bunch of covers, I feel like there’s more of me in it than everything else I’ve worked on put together.

Lesley: Who would you love to work with?

Kalman: As an artist (so writers) Brian Bendis, Matt Fraction, Carla Speed McNeil and Jon Hickman. I’m mostly focused on writing and covers these days, but if any of these guys hit me up, and be out of retirement like a gunshot.

As a writer (so artists) This one’s tricky because I’m actively negotiating with a few artists on a few different projects, so obviously, all of them, whom I cannot name. But blue sky- Stuart Immonen or Alan Davis.

Lesley: What’s the biggest challenge you face in the industry?

Kalman: Me personally? If I’m honest it’s the omni-present looming deadline. Douglas Adams famously said: “I love deadlines! I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by!”
Adams is my patronus.

Lesley: If you could meet one fictional character, who would it be and why?

Kalman: I’d booty-call the Wicked Queen from Snow White.*

[as an aside, I can’t stop laughing after reading Kalman’s footnotes]

Lesley: Who are your fave creators?

Kalman: Since there’s already an extensive collaborator wish list up there, I’ll list some people in other media: William Gibson, Der-Shing Helmer, and Dan Harmon.

Lesley: What’s next for you?
Currently at work on a series of character illustrations for a new RPG project. I got my start doing illustration for

Kalman: Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons and Dragons, back in the day, so feels good to flex those muscles again.

*Pre-transformation**

**Apologies to my wife***

***Babe, if you think about it–fictional characters really are the best Get-out-of-jail-free-cards.

 

I love Kalman’s work on Captain Canuck and I’m thrilled that Kalman joined my Kickstarter for The Wrath of Atticus. If you haven’t looked into Canada’s red and white superhero, you’re missing out! Start with the webisodes, then keep going.

Plus, he knows great places to eat.

Find Kalman’s work online at https://iamkalman.carbonmade.com or http://iamkalman.tumblr.com.

Watch this space because you can have a working lunch with Kalman and I as one of my awesome Kickstarter rewards! Details coming after Easter.