Aaron Bartling live from Gotham City Limit: An interview about comic covers, Heavy metal, and TMNT: Last Ronin - The Short Box Podcats Ep. 480

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intro music plays 

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One and one, two, three. Yo, Short Box Nation. Hello again. Welcome back and thanks for pressing play today. And if you're brand new, welcome to the show. My name is Badr and this is the Short Box Podcast, the comic book talk show that brings you the best conversations about your favorite comics with the people that put their blood, sweat and tears into making them. And today I'm recording this episode from my favorite place in the world, my local comic shop, which is Gotham City Limit, where they are hosting.

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World famous comic cover artist, Aaron Bartling, who is a rising comic cover artist for the in-store appearance and signing. right. You know, Gotham City Limit loves doing their shop exclusive variants. They recently did one with Aaron Bartling for a cover of Final Boss Number One, which put out by Image Comics, written and drawn by Tyler Kirkham. Now, Aaron Bartling came on the scene blazing hot six years ago, his highly sought after  and extremely popular variant cover for TMNT, The Last Ronin Number One.

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Since then, he's had a very favorable career working with many publishers, which include DC Comics,  IEW, Image Comics, Boom Studios, and Dark Horse Comics. Aaron is here at Gotham City Limit, not only signing his exclusive variant cover, but he's also doing what he does best, right? He's creating art for us to enjoy, and he's kind enough to share some time to talk about his  career with me. So without further ado, Short Box Nation, let's welcome Aaron Bartling to the show. Thank you so much, man. Welcome. Appreciate it, man. Thank you. Awesome intro, man. Oh, thank you so much, man.

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Aaron, how is Jacksonville treating? How is Gotham City Limit treating? Oh, it's been amazing, man. mean, the shop is super cool. Ben is amazing, super hospitable. You don't even have to do much work. Ben will sell the comic for you. He might even sign him and play for you. He's the ultimate hype man, ultimate businessman.  He's just he's got it all, man.  Now, for the audio of yours, I'm going to try my best to describe this, but for video viewers  here live at Gotham City Limit, sitting with Aaron  at his table.

02:11
I'm holding up the cover to Final Boss, your exclusive Gotham City Limit shop variant.  I guess, could you give us the background about how you got this assignment?  Did you work with Ben to come up with a concept? I how did this come together? Yeah, we talked about a few different ideas, few different concepts. um And  he was like, I want something with  the characters fighting, something like that.  I did a few different,  usually I do like a few sketches,  just different concepts. And so I sent, I think I sent like two or three over.

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And that one was the one that he really liked. And I wanted something that was kind of, was like video game inspired. Or like a Capcom kind of feel to it. And it's actually, I'm forgetting right now what it was, but it was kind of an homage to a Spider-Man Wolverine cover. And I can't think of the cover right now, but it's in similar fashion to that. But yeah, so basically, it was just like have the two,

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know, main characters clashing and then have them kind of like their faces, like they're facing off in the background. So I think it's a perfect inspiration considering I think Tyler Kirkham's final boss is a giant love letter to fighting games, video games, Marvel's Capcom, that type of stuff. Yeah. So I think I definitely had that in the back of my head as I was designing it out so that it captured that feel and that look and aesthetic.

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I think you nailed it.  think also, you your artwork has a great sense of lighting. I think the colors are always like very harmonious and it always exudes like emotion. mean, you know, case in point being your TMNT Last Ronin cover. Thanks.  I'm curious about your favorite, I guess, tools and medium. Do you prefer more digital or, you know, inks and pencils? um Yeah, I I feel like I usually, I mean, for most of my stuff, it's all digital. um

04:05
Only in the last couple of years, I started working more traditionally with acrylics. um But  I just feel like digital is usually my go-to, just because it's quicker, faster, and kind of like the industry standard as a whole. Most people are using digital nowadays. But I think there's something to be said, too, about being able to paint traditionally, because you can offer an original, um and then it's just kind of more sought after kind of stuff. uh

04:32
Now I ended up learning on the topic of process and making, I ended up learning that you are self-taught. From what I read is that you had a decision between either going to school or going to self-taught, right? I guess what was the catalyst to go to self-taught, right? um Yeah, I mean, like I thought about doing school and I like, did a few like art classes here and there. um But I think ultimately, like I,  I followed a lot of different artists that were like, Hey, you know, you can make it through uh classes online or mentorships.

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um or just putting in the hard work and doing it yourself. um And so  I  just decided I'm gonna go the self-taught route because um I had heard so many stories of  artists that were spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on uh tuition for getting a bachelor's in illustration or something. And then a lot of times  they would get their degree and then they wouldn't get a job out of school.

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And then they have, you know, $200,000 in debt, you know? And so I was like, I don't want that, know? I'd rather spend like 20 grand in getting a mentorship and just going the self-taught route. Ultimately, that was kind of what I decided. When I think about self-taught artists, I always think about this interview Jim Lee did on Fat Man on Batman, where he talked about those early years and like settling, like, I'm going to be a comic artist. So he'd wake up.

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early in the morning and he would log in like eight hours shifts like it was a real job, just practicing and training. Could you talk a little bit about what the process was like for your self-taught training and,  you know,  what, what was that like learning the hard way and like on your own? Yeah, I mean, um, I think,  so it's like a two-sided coin with,  uh, learning on your own. It's, it's like you learn at your own pace, you know, as opposed to going to a school.  Um, which is nice is like, if you're just not feeling it,

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creatively one day, you if you're going to school, it's like you have to show up for class, you know, so you paid for it. Yeah, you paid for it. Like you got to go, you know, so like,  um, it's nice that like, can kind of pace yourself and go  how you want,  but I would say  the downside to,  um, being self taught is that you don't have someone over over your shoulder. So it's like, you're making motivation, yeah, yeah. It's like in the motivation and just the instruction, because if you're doing things wrong or you're, you're, uh

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you're training wrong, then it's like that, you you're, slowly building bad habits, basically, you know? And so if you're building those bad habits, it's really hard to undo them, especially if you're doing them for years, you know? And it's like, you don't have a professional over your shoulder to say, Hey, you know, you need to work on this, you need to work on that.  So I would say that this  is like the downside to being self-taught is like,  it's kind of not a guessing game, but you're kind of like, well, I hope I'm doing this right. You know? And then like,

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You know, that's why I really encourage em if you're going the self-taught route to have a mentor.  So I've always had like art mentors throughout the years.  And I think they're fantastic because it's like you,  you know, while they're not directly over your shoulder, you're sending your work to them, you know, and you're, meeting with them one-on-one. um And, you know, they're giving you the direct feedback to say like, Hey, you know, you could make this better. You make that better. um

07:48
So yeah, hopefully that answers that question. No, absolutely. And actually, it made me think of another question. Because I understand that you drove down from  North Carolina now. You drove down from North Carolina to be here this weekend. And when I think North Carolina, I think  of a  very rich comic book community. Not only is Heroes Con take place there.  Heroes aren't defined. But folks like Sanford Green are in area. think Jonathan Hickman is in the Carolinas as well.  Have you found community?

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in comic books now that you're in the industry, you're a professional, like who are some of the, I don't know, friends or colleagues or mentors that you have now? Yeah, I mean, like in regards to the community thing, I haven't really found it in North Carolina yet. I feel like we've only been there for a few years. So I'm still kind of, we're still like getting our roots, you know, or whatever. But, you know, it is cool to know that like there is a big community and a scene out there. I actually last year,

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I went to um HeroesCon for the first time, which was really cool. Yeah, it was an amazing show, super fun. um And so, uh yeah, but I feel like, yeah,  there's so many peers of mine that are just super cool in the industry.  When I went to uh Heroes, I sat next to Drew Zucker.  He's a good buddy of mine. he's, yeah, him and I talk pretty often. um So, but yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to think. ah

09:13
There's so many guys, know, Sajaj Shah, Ryan Kincaid, Tyler, know, a cool guy, Tatsu. Why you think about, let me ask you about your career before getting into comics. Cause I understand that not only were you a self taught artist, but you were working in the music industry for a little bit, working on, specifically, I think with what, in the heavy metal scene, working on album covers, merch and all of that. How did you get into that role?

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So I was like, I'm still super into the metal scene, you know, and I love that music.  what are some real quick? What are some bands or musicians that you've worked with? They're all like kind of  they're like smaller, that's probably one of the bigger ones is there's a death metal band called  Impending Doom  that I like a lot of  T-shirts for them and stuff. But yeah, no one that's like crazy, huge, you know, and and and like to that point, that was kind of the reason.

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why I transitioned out of that space is just because from a financial standpoint, it was just tough because it was like a lot of like smaller bands that I was working with. And a lot of times bands are like focused on trying to get money to record or whatever. So it's like they might not have extra cash to do t-shirts or to do their album art or whatever. I'll be honest, it sounds like you're describing the comic book industry. Everyone's scraping for every dollar. Yeah, everyone's scraping.

10:38
I don't know, a lot of your covers kind of give off like music, you know, album cover art  kind of as it is. And I was curious about  your approach. it, has it differed? Does it change much when considering like a music project versus a comic cover? Cause I mean, you know, when I think of it, it's almost like the same job, right? An album cover and a comic cover, both of their goal was to sell the thing inside, you know, to capture like the vibe, the message in one image. No, I mean, that's, that's like a  great point, honestly, man. Cause I, I, uh,

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I was doing, that's mostly what I did was album art. Like I would say, I would say 80 % of the work I was doing for bands was album art. And my buddy that referred me to, to get into this space, he was like, well, you're already doing album art. He's like, the only difference is the ratio. That's it. Like in terms of like size, you know, cause an album art is like a perfect square. 12 by 12. Yeah. And so he was like, you're already doing the same kind of stuff. It would just be obviously a comic geared stuff.

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So, and like, because I'm into metal, like, you know, I'm into kind of an edgier, darker feel with, you know, a lot of emotion, a lot of storytelling,  heavy emphasis on um contrast, on lighting, know, like uh punchy colors and, you know, stuff like that. So, yeah,  it was just kind of  a  natural progress to kind of get into that space, you know, or transition from the album art and the music scene.

12:04
into doing comic covers. For sure. Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. I definitely see a lot of those elements in your covers. There  is a level of effortless, cool, and emotion that you bring to it. ah And I think something about the lighting, too, reminds me a lot of like, uh you know, you've seen like the Frank Rizzetta album covers. There's just this sense of like, you know, just how dramatic those things can be. Yeah. What's your first comic book memory? Like when you think about the comic book, the first comic you got or the first one that made you a fan, what comes to mind?

12:34
Um, so this is actually a funny question because I like people ask like oh like what do you collect or what did you read or whatever like to be honest before 2020 like  I was like not into comics at all like I never Grew up reading comics like it wasn't like  something that I was like super interested in  now. I love comic characters like I like I always  Like as long as I can remember as a kid or whatever, um you know, I loved  all the MC

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MCU movies and DC movies or whatever um so I was never like super into comics, but  I would say I guess like because it was kind of the The catalyst or inception Title for me was probably last ronan, know,  just cuz I you know, I've always been a team and T fan  Even though I wasn't reading the comics. I've always loved TMNT  So to be able to work on that and then like see how big of a title that it became and was like it was just like super cool

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Interesting. So yeah, because, you know, I look at your artwork and it was hard for me to like pinpoint. I was like, you know, what if I had to like, you know, say this was something  what vibes does it give me? ah It was hard for me to, you know, choose. And I guess it makes sense considering that, like, you kind of brought your own style. You weren't like influenced per se by like a lot of like the traditional artists people would say. But I guess even, you know, whether it be comic artists or not, who are some artists that you're influenced by or, you know, you look towards for inspiration?

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uh So  two things  with that  storytelling and emotion. forgot. I think it was one of my old mentors  would tell me is like that's like that should be number one, you know, and then everything else is just kind of like the cherry on top. But,  you know, ultimately, like it's cool to make a cool looking cover, you know, but like  if you can sell the story and you can push emotion like that's that's what really like takes it to the next level, you know, like  and it resonates with people more. And I think that's why

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the last run and stuff like resonated so much with people because it hit like on  a deeper kind of like heart string level, know, instead of just being a cool image, which was what I was going for. It's a good compliment, I think to the story, you know, the story being about the last, you know, the last turtle. Yeah. And then you're covered kind of perfectly. It gives a good callback, you know, the ghost of, you know, the ghosts and all that, the brothers.  Yeah, I think you captured that emotion really well. Yeah. And then and then as far as like  like

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As I was kind of getting into the comic stuff and I was looking at different comic artists, one of the first people I saw,  you could probably see  kind of the influencer is uh Marco Djurkovic. Yeah. I mean, like I'm a huge, like he's probably one of my, he's one of my top five artists, favorite artists for sure. Like  all the stuff he's done for, you know, League of Legends and Six More Vodka, his studio, like  all his old Marvel work. His, his Marvel work is just like.

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There's just something about it, man. just I'm just in love with it. And I think his his lighting, his ability to storytell and sell emotion to like, think I am like as much of that that I can infuse into my work. Like I'll do it because I just I love his stuff. I guess if you don't mind asking, how did the opportunity to do a cover for TMNT come about? I guess for you, is it crazy how how you've cemented your place in comics like the fan? I mean, you've got people lined up to come see you like.

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all off of one cover, you and it's like you don't have a comic book background. How did the opportunity to do TMNT come about? Yeah, it was like, so end of 2019 was when I did my first published piece. It was a Deja Thoris cover for Unknown Comics. And then I think then I did a Red Sonja. And I think it was like right after that, I was contacted by a really small retailer. They were in, I think,

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Lancaster, California, like a very small shop called Line Breakers. So they, but they reached out cause they had seen that I had done some stuff and they were like, Hey, you know, there's this new title coming out called Last Ronin. I didn't know anything about it. Like, they were like, it's TMNT. So are you interested? I, know, little did I know it was going to be like, yeah, one of the biggest, not only for my career, but just like, just in general, one of the biggest titles in the comic industry.

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And so I was like, yeah, I was like,  and T  I'm down. That sounds cool.  And, uh it sounded more like a doll in its theme and in its  premise.  So yeah, I, I like, I got on board and, I guess kind of like, as you've been saying, talking about like going,  you know, I didn't have any influence and I was very like naive to everything. So I kind of just, I was like, well, I'm just going to do  what I want to do or how I want to do things. Like almost like a Todd McFarlane kind of thing, how he changed the game with like,

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you know, Spider-Man and all that stuff, because he was like, well, I'm just going to do what I want to do. You know, I didn't want to. I saw like some other people that their covers that had already gotten released.  And it was not that they were bad, of course, but like it was just like very kind of like the straightforward, like action pose, whatever. Very house style, very like running the comic covers. Yeah. So I was like, you know, I want to do something that's uh not  like flashy or sexy and do something that's just straight emotion and just storytelling. And that's it. You know?  And so I think.

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you if you look at all like kind of the, the, initial whole drop of variance, like  there's like a few, think that are more like the storytelling and emotion, you know, but it's only a few. And so I think like, it was like the right route to And  and I got, it was just a perfect storm. Yeah. Everyone else is going  right. went left, you know, a more subdued. Yeah, that's a great point. I like that.  I guess. All right. So, so being here today, uh, you know, you mentioned going to heroes con,  what's your favorite part of the, the art making process? Is it?

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seeing, is it, you know, being in the process, you know, making it, you know, the trial and error that comes with that, or is it seeing your cover, you know, printed, you know, somewhere in a shop, or is it like being here and having people ask, you know, like compliment you and ask you to sign these things? Like what's your favorite part of the art making process?  Yeah, definitely like  the, when it's done, when the dust is settled and doing the final, like when the final piece is sent in, that's really refreshing. But then  I think  ultimately,

18:45
The most rewarding part is just two parts.  The  online feedback when I post something online and then like, you see all the, and I try not to get too caught up in social media because it's like, that's a toxic, you know, like if relying on like, oh, just likes and comments and like that, and you're like your whole, you're revolving your life around is just like a dopamine hit in that way, you know, then it's like, that's not good, you know, so.

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I try not to get too caught up with that, but I would say the best feeling is just like kind of this experience is being at the shop and having  people pick up Final Boss and the GI Joes and coming over and like  showing their support and the fact that they like your work enough that they want to buy it. Like  that's just such a cool feeling.  Now that you've had, you you're finding success doing variant covers. ah Is there any intention to possibly get into doing like full on interior work? I mean, I know that's a whole different beast.

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But I mean, are you still, I guess, exploring where covers can take you? Or are you looking into maybe doing more interior work as well? Yeah, that's a good question. I've had a little bit of experience with interior work. I did some color work. And it was like, I just didn't really enjoy it. I wasn't really having fun doing it. And this is no bash or disrespect to, obviously, we have to.

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we have to have comic books and we have to have interior artists. know, that's just part of the  thing. uh But I just,  from  a financial standpoint too, I think uh there was more, it was more lucrative to go the cover route.  And  especially cause you know, I have a family, like, it's like, all I was just about to bring up the time factor problem. Yeah. Yeah. Like I had to look at like, okay,  like what's the wisest decision to make here? Like from a financial standpoint and, and just kind of like a

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Exposure notoriety and stuff and so I was like, you know, it cover cover seemed like the route to go. So Yeah, so I'll probably I mean maybe down the road, you know, I'll like delve a little bit into interior work You know, I'd like and it would be cool to do something where it's like all like a painted interior kind of look, know, which would be super cool I think like

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You know, think of like Clayton Crane, you know, it's like,  like, it's like they they're doing like their own comic stuff and they've done interior work and it's that same, like the same kind of aesthetic and look that they're doing their covers is the interior work, you know.  So I think it'd be pretty epic to do like something that's like, you know, really uh super rendered out interiors, you know, even if it takes longer, but they look  like, like, imagine like interior working  interior work looking as good as cover work, you know, that'd be pretty cool.

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Because usually, you know, sometimes like you look at a cover and then you look at the interiors and it's completely different. like the aesthetic and everything is so different. So I said at the time you've had an opportunity to work with what feels like every publisher under the sun, know, DC, IDW, Boom, etc, etc. A twofold question for you. What's it been like working with these publishers? Is there any publisher that really stands out in terms of like, you know, maybe getting the most experience, like learning completely something new or? Yeah, I guess like what publisher?

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has really kind of  helped you adapt to the comic book world and push your art. Is there any one that comes to mind? I would say,  well, IDW obviously has been amazing because of all the TMNT. I  have to give a shout out to the IDW crew. um They've been super awesome.

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um And then  I've  had so much fun working on Boom titles too,  especially the Something's Killing the Children stuff.  I love your cover for that one too, man. Yeah, I've done a few. I have a new one actually coming out in December.  Oh, Yeah, so like, but that's been like so fun working with them. um But I would say that the two that I've had the most fun with is probably Image,  just because I've loved a lot of their titles  to work on and  all their editors are like super cool.

22:45
And DC is amazing too. I think, obviously as a comic book artist, you're going to be favorable probably to the Marvel and DC stuff because it's all the characters that you  envision or wanted to work on. And I will say too um that  I'm, are you familiar with Marvel Snap? Yeah, absolutely. so I. uh

23:07
I've actually been working with Marvel Snap for the last year. Marvel Snap snatches, scoops up some of the best artists for like some amazing portraits, characters. mean, Maria Wolf comes to mind. She's done some great things. Yeah. Yeah. So like it's, that's been,  I would say, even though none of that work has been released, it's still all like NDA right now. So I would imagine 2026, a lot of my Marvel Snap work will start getting released. But that's been like so fun. Like, you know, I've done like Ghost Rider and Daredevil and Moon Knight  and you know,

23:35
Savor to that, you know, all these like epic characters that I've been just so fun to work on.  But yeah, but yeah, I would say ultimately um probably the big two have been the most the most fun. I'm glad that you are having such a positive experience in this space, you know, from the reception to your covers, you know, to being a, uh you know, fully respect like a newbie that is bringing a fresh perspective.  I think it's been interesting to watch your career blow up and do all these great things with, you know, local comic shop.

24:05
Speaking of which, we got a line forming. So I'm going ask you one more question. And this is for all the aspiring artists out there. Considering you're self-taught, you've got success going, and it seems that you've got a bunch more projects on the  horizon.  What piece of advice would you give to an aspiring artist that is like, I too want to go the self-taught route. That seems to be the best fit for me.  What advice would you give that you wish that maybe you would have gotten early on in your career? um That's an awesome question. I would say.

24:32
I would say first, first I wish I would have started younger because I'm like, if I would have  not that like, I was never a crazy like partier or anything, you know, but like, but you know, I definitely had my like,  just more fun lazy days and I wish I had more self discipline when I was in my twenties because I'm like, if I would have had the discipline in my early twenties or mid twenties, you know,  like I imagine now being in my mid thirties, like, okay, where would I be? You know, like skill level wise, notoriety. I asked myself that

25:01
Every day as a mid-32, I'm like, if only my 20s, was more focused. But you don't know that until you become You won't know. But I wish me looking back, I would have done that and grinded and put the time in. Because then, if you work hard or younger, then you get to play earlier. You get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Yeah. So I would say that. And then would say, secondly, work hard and don't be afraid to fail. Because I think a lot of artists, they're

25:30
they're scared, they're intimidated, especially with all the AI stuff, which is a huge topic right now.  So there's a lot of fear and I think people get hung up on that, where they're like, what? I  don't even want to give it a chance because  there's so much competition or what if I fail? But wouldn't you rather, even if you do fail, let's say you do,  wouldn't you have rather given it your all and tried? then  if you failed, then you could say at the end of the day, hey, I gave it my all and I tried.

25:58
and it didn't work out, at least I'll never have that what if, you know, and I never wanted to have that what if I wanted to say, I'm going to do this. I'm going to put 120 % into it and I will make it happen, you know, and I think if you have that mentality, then you'll, you will find success, know, so. Where's the live by? I'm glad you didn't let it just be a what if I'm glad that you're here. I got them city limit doing these signings and making this great art. With that being said, I'll wrap this interview up. Aaron, you've been great. I've links to everything to your socials and the show notes and all of that.

26:28
But best of luck at everything, Thank you for time. Appreciate it,