Comic art fans have come to know Clover Press as a publisher that caters to their tastes and sensibilities through a number of different offerings, from classic material like Terry and the Pirates and Dick Tracy to their popular Marvel Art Of series.
Speaking of their Marvel Art Of series, the latest Kickstarter campaign from Clover Press for The Marvel Art of Michael Allred is already off to a successful start on Kickstarter, so we thought it might be time to speak to Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz about Allred’s current art book and all of their exciting new projects.
How did you become the publisher of Clover Press?
Hank Kanalz: It’s a tale filled with drama and intrigue that would make for an amazing movie. But in reality, I’ve known Ted Adams for many years. We would grab lunch once in a while when I was managing the WildStorm for DC (in San Diego), and would find ways to work together between DC and IDW. When I was available and looking for my next adventure, I reached out to Ted, as he always hears about opportunities in our crazy industry. Turned out that opportunity would be with Clover. I drove down to San Diego and met with him and co-owner Robbie Robbins, and discovered we had a lot of ideas in common as to what we all wanted to see and do with an eclectic boutique publishing house. And here I am!
In recent years, Clover Press has published a number of Marvel art books focusing on the work of specific artists. How did this arrangement materialize and why have they been so successful for Clover Press?
Kanalz: Art books were the first thing on my list that we discussed my wanting to do. Clover was wrapping up their 2nd art book, The Fantastic Illustrations of Timothy Truman, and I knew there was room and interest for more. So I set about putting more of those together, and in my outreach to rights holders, we received an enthusiastic response from Marvel. I’m biased, but I think our books stand out because of the quality of the product. We work closely with the artist, as this is their art book – this is what represents them and their work, and we want them to be as proud of their book as we are. And it shows in the final product.
The Kickstarter platform has been a very successful one for Clover Press. How do you craft an effective campaign?
Kanalz: It’s a team effort, with each of us taking an element of the campaign. We try to present our campaigns with clarity, but also have fun with it. We’ve been experimenting with different add-ons that folks have shown interest in. We think there are different kinds of backers – those that just want the basic book offered, and those who want everything, all the bells and whistles! And there are backers in between, of course.
I think a key element is getting the word out, too – via publicity with our partners at Superfan, our followers on Kickstarter and our social feeds, and our own curated mailing list. I’m so grateful for the support we’ve found in this community. I’m always pleasantly surprised by returning customers who back a campaign because it’s a Clover campaign. I expect that with a line like our Marvel Art Of books, but the data and feedback shows folks buying beyond the one line of books, which is fantastic.
Michael Allred’s Art of Marvel is your latest campaign. What goes into assembling a book like this and how involved are the artists like Alllred in the process?
Kanalz: Every artist has taken a different approach with our books, but they all have been hands on, and Mike is no exception. He’s working closely with editor Chris Stevens in curating the pieces used in the book. While we can’t include every single piece he’s done over the decades, it’s important to Mike to have representative pieces for his various runs. But he’s also done some interesting comics-adjacent pieces for Marvel, and as private commissions, many of which we’re including in this book. It’s an amazing collection of art.
Original art is always a very popular perk on Kickstarter. Is this a focus in Clover Press campaigns to appeal to comic art collectors?
Kanalz: It’s an element, but not always a focus. It’s a great way to pull traffic over to the campaign and provides an opportunity for fans to obtain an original that they may not otherwise have an opportunity to obtain. Not everyone can make a convention or store appearance, but this is a way for them to connect with their favorite artist. The challenge with this item is that the artist has to actually draw these pieces, so there’s a limit to how many can be sold, so this becomes the more scarce addition to the campaign, rather than the focus.
Upcoming projects?
Kanalz: So many! We have a new Dick Tracy project coming up in early 2025 – more on that as we get closer. And we have most of our 2025 lined up for Marvel art books – we think a wide variety of artists who each have appeal to a fan base. We have a few more imported art books to come, this time from Japan (our first two imported art books covered artists from Taiwan and Korea). And we have some more original graphic novels coming up in the first quarter.
The Marvel Art of Michael Allred is currently available to back on Kickstarter until November 15. You can also check out the Clover Press website to learn more about their current and upcoming releases.
