MotU Creator Spotlight: Letterers Feature

In this special edition of the creator spotlight series, we’re talking to three letterers from the Museum of the Uncanny anthology, which you can find on Kickstarter. Letterers Marin, J. Valerin and Tom Lynott share their experiences working on the different comics in this anthology. We couldn’t make this book without them!

Which story did you contribute to in the anthology?

Marin: I’m part of “The Vial of Egeria”, “The Ballad of Martin”, and “The Normal Quesadilla Maker that Definitely Can’t Talk”. (I assure you it can’t talk!)

J. Valerin: “The Oracle”, “The Weight of a Soul”, “Little Moments”, and “The Endless Inkwell”. [“The Weight of a Soul” is in this volume on Kickstarter!]

Tom Lynott: “Spooky Action at a Distance”.

How long have you been creating comics or working in your role?

M: I’ve been lettering and typesetting comics for the past 5 years.

JV: I have been lettering for over 8ish years, I started working on comics around 3 years ago.

TL: Five years.

Who or what are some of your creative influences?

M: I’ve got two favorite letterers who inspire me to keep pushing my work forward: Lucas Gattoni and Clayton Cowles.

JV: I take inspiration from the Japanese manga artist/letterers, I love all the emotion they transmit with the bubbles/fonts.

TL: Nate Piekos, Hassan Ostmane-Elhaou, Tom Orzachowski.

What drew you to working on indie comics in particular?

M: I used to work typesetting manga and comic book translations, but–I won’t lie–Reddit got me into indie comic book lettering. I found so many awesome projects, and saw the love and teamwork that goes into making them.

JV: I have always loved comics and found myself interest in indie comics more often than not, I loved all the creativity and the stories in indie comics.

TL: I like the collaborative effort when I work with indie comics creators.

What did you enjoy most about making this story?

JV: As a letterer, I never know what to expect when first assigned to a story. I love reading the story as I add the text and surprising myself with just how incredible the story is! To me, lettering is like reading a new book and seeing it come to life right in front of my eyes. Choosing the fonts, choosing an specific speech bubble that can show the feelings of the character, it’s always so much fun!

TL: I learned some fancy tricks in Illustrator from the artist, Johanna Taylor, to help my lettering look really good in the story. I think it looks really good anyways and I hope my creative team does too!

If the object in your story were real, would you want to see it in the museum—or avoid it at all costs?

M: I’d love to see the three of them!

JV: I would absolutely love to see them in person!

TL: Hell yeah! Put it in the museum.

What are some other comics or projects you’ve worked on (past or current)?

M: The most mainstream comics I’ve worked on are from Valiant–titles like Faith Returns, Ninjak vs Roku, and Bloodshot Unleashed Reloaded. But I’ve also had the chance to work on some awesome indie pieces, like Jameson Pandarai’s Curious Universe, Apeiros World Odyssey, The Yearbook Club, and lots of short stories! Right now, I’m working on a couple of projects for VBC, as well as some other stories that will soon see the light, like By Appointment Only, Princess Royale, and The Tale of Butt (so keep an eye out for these!)

JV: I have worked on the Fairytales from Mars anthology, Modern Medicine, and the short story “Cuckoo” to name a few!

TL: Current projects:

Night of the Chihuahuas – Pork Chop Press
Blood Valkyrie in Vegas – Fugitive Poems
Various projects – Lightningworks
Dog Years – Jeff Kronenfield

Which project are you proudest of, and why?

JV: Not including my contributions to this anthology, I would say Modern Medicine and “Cuckoo”. I was able to do so many new things in those two! From experimenting with new styles and fonts that I have never used before, to creating intricate designs. I’m really proud of them!

TL: Shentu #1 and #2 – Tortoise + Hair Press. Allen Wu (writer, publisher) is one of the nicest people I have ever worked with in comics. I got to letter over some amazing art and I did a good job. I don’t THINK I did a good job, I KNOW I did a job.

Are you working on anything exciting right now that you’d like to share?

M: Ohhh boi, as a letterer, I’m part of a lot of projects I’m really excited about right now! I’m having a great time working on MotU, and I’d also love to share By Appointment Only – it’s just getting started and is still live on Kickstarter too!

JV: At the moment I’m working on 4 stories for this anthology and I cannot wait for you all to see them!

TL: See above.

How can we find you online and learn more about your work?

JV:

ArtStation: https://deirus05.artstation.com/

TL:

Website: https://tomlynottcomiclettering.myportfolio.com/
Twitter: @TJLynot
Bluesky: @lynotttj.bsky.social

We love our letterers and appreciate their contributions to our anthology. Find Museum of the Uncanny here on Kickstarter and support our entire creative team!