Creator Spotlight: Liana Kangas
Liana Kangas has drawn for Star Wars, Star Trek, and Archie Horror, contributed to the Eisner-winning Godzilla: 70th Anniversary anthology, and had their art appear in HBO's Peabody-winning Fantasmas. Alongside the licensed work, they co-created the dark comedy TRVE KVLT at IDW, the Hugo-longlisted Know Your Station at BOOM! Studios, and the space opera She Said Destroy at Vault. Their first published comic was a benefit story in a 2018 anthology.
We caught up with Liana to talk about playing in someone else's sandbox, the Greg Pak advice they still work by, what they'd tell their younger self about finding a style, and why a DM means more than a like.
For readers who might not know your work yet, how would you describe what you do?
HELLO new folks! I'm Liana, an award winning comic artist and creator, specializing in sci-fi, noir, music and horror. Alongside drawing comics for IPs like Star Wars and Star Trek, I love creating new independent worlds and stories, as well as illustrating for all of my favorite brands, bands and stories!
And by the way, thank you for having me!
You spent time at Famous Faces & Funnies in Florida as a teenager. How much did that shop shape you before you drew professionally?
Weirdly that shop wasn't what taught me anything art wise! I actually attribute a lot of that to my grandfather who was a professional artist who raised me part time. He was very supportive of my creative exploration (even in my obsessive manga phases) and taught me as many skillsets as he could before I went to school and college.
Your first pro work was a benefit story for Pat Shand's Mine! anthology in 2018, which came out of a Facebook group. How did that first job come together?
I feel like this level of knowledge is Sean Evans level research for an interview!!! I forget exactly what facebook group I was in, but I had just moved to New Jersey when I decided that storytelling/drawing comics were a trajectory that I wanted to pursue professionally, not just for fun. I think the support of the community in that book is what allowed me to make my way through what would have taken years of learning how to navigate the industry, and was such an incredible treat to see the first book I ever worked on get nominated for so many accolades.
You've worked across Star Wars, Star Trek, Archie Horror, and the Eisner-winning Godzilla anthology. How does drawing inside someone else's universe differ from something fully yours, like Know Your Station or She Said Destroy?
I always love the term "sandbox" because I literally get to play with someone's action figures when I draw new stories for franchises that I love. While that is something I will always love to do, I remember this piece of advice I got from Greg Pak one day at a signing, which was "to fuel what you do, remember to do one for them, and one for you," and that's meaning, every time he would work on a piece of property he didn't own, the intent was always to equally allow yourself your own time to develop things for yourself.
I have been lucky in that a lot of my collaborative relationships with not just writers, but the entire team, were so synchronous and allowed me to not only experiment and have fun with NO RULES on my own series (especially one like TRVE KVLT,) but to utilize that as a creative outlet to recharge me on other projects. A lot of my storytelling in creator owned stories often have a lot different themes and hidden meanings than my licensed work.
What was it like seeing your work included in Fantasmas, a Peabody-winning show?
That was the first time I had worked in film or TV! To answer your question: I have NO idea how that project was presented to me, (like! Who even recommended me! HOW DID THEY FIND ME?!) but, since then, I have worked a lot in the industry and my takeaway was always "well, I have no idea if this will come out or not!"
I actually wasn't sure where or what episode it might have been in, so it was such a fun way to experience the show, find more of Julio's work than I was already aware of, and get to really revel in the surprise when it debuted. HBO posted the clip a ton of times, and I remember I had watched it a day after it aired in the morning over coffee, and sobbing like a baby.
And that's BEFORE the Peabody!
Early on, you said you stressed over finding your "art style." What do you know now that you wish you'd known then?
I thought about this fairly recently again, coming across my old work while I was packing up for a move. I used to overcomplicate and stress that everything had to be cohesive, look like I drew it, and oftentimes would procrastinate allowing myself the joy of just drawing because of it. I think I was hard on myself, and now realizing I was comparing my work to creators who had been working in the industry for decade(s) without the knowledge that it truly just TAKES TIME, and a lot of self exploration and experimenting. If I could use a time machine, I would take it back then to tell myself I just wasted precious time I could have been drawing MUCH MUCH MORE, no matter the quality or use of it.
What have you been reading lately, comics or otherwise?
Right now, I am reading Something is Killing the Children to try and gear up for issue 50. I had just finished a haul over of re-reading The Walking Dead for the series of covers I just completed (issues 139-141) -I just picked up Chip's compilation of Zdarsky news to read, and still have my East of West hardcovers GLARING at me from across the room. Years ago I had a lot more time to read comics, but right now, I am reading a lot of Star Wars prose for research, and horror fiction like BUTTER by Asako Yuzuki.
You've mentioned Y: The Last Man as a book that changed how you saw indie comics. Is there anything more recent that's hit you the same way?
My favorite one to mention is PHONOGRAM! It's the extreme deep cut I wish every vinyl collector, music nerd and indie scene person has at least read once. It's by far one of the most unique stories at the time when I was picking up series for NCBDs.
Any books or resources you point newer artists toward?
My all time favorite list is: Framed Ink, Morpho books, Color and Light (a deep cut from working at The Labyrinth across from Sheridan the animation college,) How to Think When You Draw (ALL VOLUMES!) and a special mention for How to Draw manga books from the early 2000's.
What's your local comic shop, and what does that relationship look like?
MY NEW LOCAL SHOP is actually Challengers in Chicago! I have had a long term adoration for this shop, been so thankful to have done signings, became friends with everyone there, and in general had loved to shop there prior to moving, so I won't SAY it's why I moved here, but it definitely isn't beating the allegations. HAHA.
My previous shop, Comics and Collectibles in Memphis, was one of the coolest relationships I've had with an entire staff who often would host all of my colleagues from out of town for their convention every year. It's what Southern Hospitality looked like on paper, but done 10x cooler and in COMICS.
What's the best way for readers to actually support artists whose work they love, beyond buying the issue?
Weirdly, I would typically answer the regular "like share comment" but my best and favorite interactions have been emails, DMs about the stories they'd read of mine they liked, and just general community involvement on my Patreon/discord (there's FREE TIERS!)
It's nice to have a space where folks feel comfortable to have an in depth talk about their favorite things or ask me questions about it without leaving the comfort of their routine/space and it makes me feel very supported!
What are you working on right now that you can talk about?
My last project is being announced at SDCC and my new graphic novel is hopefully being announced at NYCC!
In the meantime, I've been working on a ton of covers and licensed work, but slowly working on a personal series that Scott Bryan Wilson and I have hinted at over the last year or two.
What should readers be watching for next?
The best way to keep updated is to follow me on Patreon or my instagram! I post a lot of my mail club work, my behind the scenes work on WFH projects, and general drawing outside of work, as well as revisiting my old work and trying new projects out like fun merch and more!
Connect with Liana
Thanks to Liana for the time and the enthusiasm.
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About the author
I started VerseDB because I wanted a better tool for myself and the comic community.
New Jersey. 550 issues deep and still buying. X-Men 2099, the Ultimate line, The Walking Dead, and any Captain America run I can get. Lately it's DC's Absolute books. A buddy handed me Berserk and said I had no choice, so that's my first manga. He was right.
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