Hello friends, readers, bystanders, fans... I love Rich Koslowski. I interviewed him in 2007, reviewed his works and seriously enjoyed them, and think he was a similar soul, baseball, comics, growing up in the Wisconsin, land of the Enchanted Cheese and Wurst. Bart Starr and Football for me as well. However, Rich escaped the midwest and launched himself on a journey to California, and we kind of dealt with family and our works.
He did the art upon one chapter of my book, A Life of Ravens. It was stunning. So readers, please enjoy and dig in to the life and work and philosophy of Rich Koslowski.
All art, creative writing and published works are copyright Rich Koslowski 2025©. My use is based upon fair usage. No abridgement or assertation of ownership by me is claimed.
Hi Rich, it's been a long time since we chatted about comics and your glorious achievements in the world of those Comics, graphic novels, tpbs and sequential storytelling. What comic work have you released recently? Are you still inking many publisher works?
Rich: Hi Alex, yes, it has been too long! It's always great hearing from you.
Well, it's a good and exciting time to ask. Just this past week my newest graphic novel hit the stores. It is called, F.A.R.M. SYSTEM: RAGE, a sequel to my 2022 release, F.A.R.M. SYSTEM, from Top Shelf productions/IDW Publishing. It's another massive book--this one clocked in at 188 pages--so it took me the better part of a year and a half to write, pencil, ink, color and letter it, and another 6-8 months for the editing and construction crew at IDW to put the whole package together, do their marketing, slotting, and pre-press stuff. It's a whole thing putting these things together. Hence the 3-year gap between books.
But it turned out great! Couldn't be happier and it's already received a sweet review from the fine folks over at The Slings & Arrow site. And those guys can be pretty tough!
And just two weeks back the new FLASH GORDON ADVENTURES Anthology hit the stores! It's an "All Ages" book series published by Papercutz and it is a whole lot of fun. I was especially thrilled when I was invited to contribute a couple stories because I am a lifelong Flash fan. When I was a wee lad my brother and I would watch the old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies on Friday nights and they were always followed by the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon serialized episodes. I just loved those cheesy sparkler effects that shot out of the flying spacecraft!
And, yes, I still do the occasional "inking gig" for Archie. This past summer I was the Inker on the ARCHIE MEETS JAY & SILENT BOB one-shot written by Kevin Smith and brilliantly penciled by my friend, Fernando Ruiz. That comic broke some serious barriers with Archie and the gang!
Alex: For new readers, perhaps those who haven't read your works, such as the King, 3 Geeks, F.A.R.M, 3 Fingers, are you an artist primarily, or a writer with the mutant ability to do both? Or is it something different entirely that moves your pens and typewriter?
Rich: Ha! Yes, the "mutant ability to do both," or stubbornness and a need for control. I have worked for publishers and editors, because they had established characters with established... expectations... I found the experiences somewhat constricted. I knew in my heart of hearts that my way was, perhaps, more interesting and, possibly, better than what they wanted. I don't want to sound like a pompous jerk when I say that, but editors are sometimes, themselves, handcuffed by their bosses. I'm too impatient and anxious to handle the whole Chain of Command sometimes. I just want to get in there and Do It! I've never done well with sitting around and waiting on others.
Hence, my stories like Three Fingers, The King and the F.A.R.M. System graphic novels and prior to that my The 3 Geeks series. They're all me, all original characters and stories with no preconceived restrictions or handcuffs. And, hence, why I do the all the writing and art chores myself.
Alex: I've asked this of many creative people, but I think it's important, does where you have lived influence your work? I know that it seems that your time in California seems to have had less influence than your roots in Wisconsin... Was the time in California wonderful but short, moving but too different from your own outlook? Is Milwaukee a place you'd still enjoy?
Rich: Born and raised in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and it has greatly influenced me, of course. It's a Blue Collar town and I was raised by two very Blue Collar parents. Their work-ethics were ridiculous and shaped my work-ethic as well. My dad started as a butcher's apprentice in war-torn Germany after WW2. He starved as a child and took the job because they paid him with food!
When he was 19 he came to America, worked his butt off, and eventually owned and operated his very own, very successful, grocery store. He was the hardest working human being I have ever seen! The man never took a break. As a result he won just about every award you can imagine on his sausage recipes.
His motto was simple, and pre-dated Nike--"Just do it!" He did not waste even seconds on business decisions or approaches. He just went at it, full-steam ahead!
I got this from him and I am so grateful.
California is much more relaxed. At least the area we lived in, along the coast near Santa Cruz. A beautiful place with the Pacific ocean on one side and Redwood forests and mountains on the other! Absolutely stunning! Great wine country too. I fell in love with Pinto Noir there and spent a year working at a world class winery called Windy Oaks. We met and befriended many excellent people out there!
But if a repairman says they'll be there at noon, they mean 5pm. Or next week! There's a bit less follow through and a bit more apathy with a certain segment of the population. For me it was sometimes frustrating and infuriating. And the cost of living was rough. Right before Covid hit we moved back to Wisconsin. It was a pretty sweet 11 years out there though! No snow was certainly a huge bonus.
Alex: I tend to like the works from Top Shelf, in general and I think Chris Staros is a genius, (and honestly. I think that of you too.) But why is Top Shelf the publisher for you? Is it that your works ring true for them, or they are best at bringing different works forward?
Rich: Yeah, Chris Staros is/was the key to my approach and staying with Top Shelf for the five books I've done with them. He really trusts the creators he calls on board and lets us do our thing. I was super nervous when I handed in the finished Three Fingers files. I expected a lot of revisions and re-writes and was fully prepared for that. He called me the day after receiving the files and shook me to my very core when he said, and I'll never forget these words, "You are a f$#@ing brilliant writer! I'm not changing a single word." When you hear something like that, from a publisher you really admire...it's life-changing. Why the hell would I go anywhere else? By the way, I do like to remind him of his saying that sometimes. He just gives a wry southern smile.
With my second book, The King, a book about Elvis Presley, he was a bit more "hands on" because Chris is, maybe, the biggest Elvis fan on planet earth. I kid you not. And I knew this going in. It's why I pitched an Elvis book to him in the first place. It went exactly like this... Me: "Hey, Chris, I hear you're an Elvis fan. What if I pitched an Elvis book to you?" Chris: Eyes lit up WIDE: "You write an Elvis book and I will publish it!" I thought to myself, "Jesus, this is too easy...It's not supposed to be this easy."
On that book he did step in with just a few minor tweaks. Mostly on dialogue, correcting a few sentences because "Elvis wouldn't use those particular words." The way Elvis died was also a concern. I needed to portray it accurately but be as respectful as possible.
This is why I love working with Top Shelf and Chris. The freedom to create the stories the way the artist envisions them. The Trust!
Alex: Tell us about your last two works at Top Shelf looking at a world with farm teams and general acceptance of the superhero world, both in parody and satire, or is it more straight up hero tales? What has compelled you to tell this story?
Rich: In addition to being a lifelong comic book nerd I
am also a lifelong baseball fan. It's my favorite sport to watch and to
play. At 58 I still get out there every spring and summer and play
softball.
Some years back (at least 20 now) the idea occurred to me that "if super-heroes really existed there would have to be a farm system like Major League Baseball has." A system where raw, young talent is nurtured, trained and coached up on how to be the best possible player--or in this case, Super-hero--that they could possibly be. It also occurred to me that not every person in the farm systems of MLB "make The Big Leagues."
In fact, most do NOT. More often than not they bust their asses but never get "the call." They flounder for years before they either give up on their dream, or their minor league contracts expire. It's sad. It sucks. And those are the stories I wanted to tell!
I have skeevy Agents, desperate would-be heroes, underhanded deals and contracts, PEDs, and court cases...all the dirty, seedy, underbelly shit that I find interesting! It's fun stuff!!!
Alex: From your earliest work to that of the present, has the comic market maturation helped in the rise of independent publishers more than the big two, since there is less attention towards continuity, company deadlines or story content to fit possible adaptation to screen?
Rich: Boy...Yes, it has changed a lot in the 33 years I've been working in the comic book industry. Back in 1996 I started self-publishing my series The 3 Geeks. It was fun! Everything was "grass roots." Just hitting the road, doing comic conventions, shaking hands and kissing babies! There were no internet review sites or digital downloads. It was simpler time, indeed. And I did well with it. I was one of the "Big Fish in the Small Pond." And it was kind of cool.
Of course I also wanted to be the "Big Fish in the BIG Pond!" That hasn't quite happened yet.
Some years back (at least 20 now) the idea occurred to me that "if super-heroes really existed there would have to be a farm system like Major League Baseball has." A system where raw, young talent is nurtured, trained and coached up on how to be the best possible player--or in this case, Super-hero--that they could possibly be. It also occurred to me that not every person in the farm systems of MLB "make The Big Leagues."
In fact, most do NOT. More often than not they bust their asses but never get "the call." They flounder for years before they either give up on their dream, or their minor league contracts expire. It's sad. It sucks. And those are the stories I wanted to tell!
I have skeevy Agents, desperate would-be heroes, underhanded deals and contracts, PEDs, and court cases...all the dirty, seedy, underbelly shit that I find interesting! It's fun stuff!!!
Alex: From your earliest work to that of the present, has the comic market maturation helped in the rise of independent publishers more than the big two, since there is less attention towards continuity, company deadlines or story content to fit possible adaptation to screen?
Rich: Boy...Yes, it has changed a lot in the 33 years I've been working in the comic book industry. Back in 1996 I started self-publishing my series The 3 Geeks. It was fun! Everything was "grass roots." Just hitting the road, doing comic conventions, shaking hands and kissing babies! There were no internet review sites or digital downloads. It was simpler time, indeed. And I did well with it. I was one of the "Big Fish in the Small Pond." And it was kind of cool.
Of course I also wanted to be the "Big Fish in the BIG Pond!" That hasn't quite happened yet.
Indy Publishers felt red hot for awhile back in the mid-90s to mid-2000s. Then it felt like they cooled off as Marvel and DC got back on track after a very rough 1990s patch. Now, it seems like Marvel and DC are in a massive rut again. Too many titles! I mean, just how many Batman or Avengers titles are there each month now?! I can't keep it straight! I can't keep up! And I certainly can't afford it! And I think most fans feel the same. And, as a result, it seems like there's a shift back to Indy titles and original graphic novels.
You buy a title like Something is Killing the Children or one of my graphic novels and you know you don't have to take out a loan to buy all the connecting titles to have the story make sense. One and done!That's what I like these days.
I still buy Marvel and DC books but just back issues or collected TPBs of the older stuff--especially the 70s and 80s era. Back when there was one Avengers title a month, one X-Men title a month. Those stories remain the absolute best!
So, yeah, I do like when the fine folks in Hollywoodland recognize the Indy books and adapt them to film. The Big Two seem to have run out of a bit of steam with their properties, so seeing something new and fresh like The Kingsman or Locke & Key is a breath of fresh air and evidence that the smaller publishers are a gold mine of great ideas! I would also have to believe that these stories are easier to navigate for the studios as they don't have 75 years, and thousands of different iterations, and history, behind them to have to filter and sift through.
Alex: The world has seen a new bubble in comics bursting, as the more or less common theme of Marvel and DC leading the way is not so true any more. Where do you see the comics market in 10 years? Do you think movies helped the balloon form, or will it be that comics require more money and time, but movies scratch the itch and then they are done? Or ... is it something else?
Rich: We're experiencing a definite exhaustion when it comes to Marvel and DC these days. Again, over-saturation of the product. When Marvel Studios started with Iron Man and all the way through Avengers: Endgame, it was "Gimme MORE!!! YESSSS!!!!" Then...not so much. There was too much of a good thing and they got greedy. "More Avengers titles! More Deadpool titles! More crossover events! MORE MORE MORE!!! Milk it, Baby!!!" And the movies became hit or miss (BIG miss with Thor: Love and Blunder. Barf!). But they didn't slow down the machine, did they? And we now see the exhaustion of it all.
Movies certainly filled the bubble, and it was fantastic for a long time, but, yes, it has burst. That bubble burst HARD. I think we're all eager for a reboot. Of it all; the comics and the movies. The new Superman and FF movies were just okay. That was supposed to be the big reboot/reset of better things to come and they both fell kind of flat.
So, I don't know if there's going to be a bounce back for the Big Two anytime soon? I'm definitely over them. They've run their course for me but it was a very long and happy run for me while it lasted. For 40 solid years I enjoyed both companies works immensely.
My personal "itch" was scratched very well for a very long time with both the comics and the movies. It had to end sometime. As the great Ookla The Mok (the band, not the cartoon character) put to song, "Everything turns to crap, eventually."
And, again, that is why I have looked elsewhere to satisfy my itch for the wonderful form of sequential storytelling--the independent market. It is a treasure trove!
Alex: What would you tell an artist or writer as advice to get their works noticed in the comics market, or to the publishers who still look at unsolicited pitches?
Rich: It's tight right now. Now more than ever it seems publishers are cinching their belts. I don't think it's the most fertile time right now to find work, sadly. We seem to be in a valley, not a peak, as an industry right now. But we can't give up, can we? I find that my creative spigot cannot be turned off no matter how frustrated I might personally get sometimes. I have so many stories I still think need to be told so I won't stop. I'll keep knocking on doors. Someone's gotta be home, and willing to invite me in, eventually, right?
Publishers like Image Comics or Boom! still seem to be eagerly and constantly turning out new, exciting books, so I would recommend approaching them over a Marvel or DC.
And I'm still a big advocate of self-publishing. That's how I started out and it worked for me. It got me noticed by Top Shelf. In other words... Just Do It!!
Thanks Rich for your time and great answers!
FIND RICH's Work and Social Media...
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RICH KOSLOWSKI.COM
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