JEREMY MEGERT keeps moving forward with THE STRIDER

Austin Allen Hamblin is back with Comic Book Yeti to chat with Jeremy Megert over his ongoing title, The Strider. You can check out the Kickstarter campaign now through Friday, August 1st.

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COMIC BOOK YETI: Welcome, Jeremy! We met a few years ago, and we hit it off. Our readers may know you as the artist for Working Class Wizards from Band of Bards. For those who may not know your work yet, what is The Strider is about?

JEREMY MEGERT: The Strider was given tremendous power at the cost of memory. Now he’s stranded on a hostile planet ruled by warlords while carrying a shapeshifting weapon that everyone is after.

CBY: To me, The Strider feels like it draws inspiration from wild west movies, Star Wars, and manga. How far off am I?

JM: That’s pretty accurate even though I don’t watch many traditional westerns. It’s funny that you mentioned manga. I only recently got into it. I love the character motion and the page pacing. I wanted to combine that with some Western comics page design aesthetics. 

CBY: In a way, this feels like Grendel. It could go on for a long time. Is this a story you could tell forever?

JM: I will have to admit to having not read Grendel. Heh. I could definitely do a lot of stories with The Strider. The plan is to do enemy of the week style issues while telling an overarching story. Plus I love mystery characters. Peeling back layers very gradually is something I personally enjoy.

CBY: How did you come to comics as a reader?

JM: As a kid my parents would buy me Spider-Man comics at bookstores. Love the old school spinner racks. In high school I wanted to learn to draw people and decided to get some comics to help. I was digging through a box of Wolverine comics and came across issue #75 drawn by Adam Kubert. That hooked me as a reader.

CBY: What made you want to create them?

JM: I love the idea of creating a tactile story that people can hold in their hands. It’s one of the only visual art mediums that you consume while it’s between your fingers. It’s not a painting on a wall or a picture projected on a big screen. Especially now that everything is digital there is something almost visceral about holding a comic. 

CBY: What advice would you give to a new comic creator?

JM: If you want to make comics learn the fundamentals of storytelling on a comic page. It’s super helpful in visually telling a coherent story and it applies to both writers and artists.

CBY: How can people follow your work?

JM: My newsletter, “Art Between Your Fingers” is a good way. You can also find me on Bluesky, Twitter and TikTok. Thanks for the chat!

CBY: This was Austin Allen Hamblin from Comic Book Yeti, signing off with another interview from the Yeti Cave. Be excellent, everyone! https://linktr.ee/austinallenhamblin

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