Creator Spotlight: Todd Klein on Lettering and Logos
Todd Klein has been lettering comics and designing logos since 1977, as he puts it on his own site. His letters run through Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Bill Willingham's Fables and Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line, Promethea included. He has won eighteen Eisner Awards, and in 2025 he was voted into the Eisner Hall of Fame.
These days he writes about lettering and comics history on his blog, including his Logo Studies series. We asked him about favorite logos, the loudest page he's lettered, how you credit a logo nobody signed, and what he's reading now.
For anyone who doesn't know your work yet, how would you describe what you do?
I am mostly retired now, but from 1977 on I was a DC Comics production worker, a freelance letterer and logo designer, occasionally a comics writer and colorist, more recently a blogger about lettering and comics history.
You counted 1,188 logos in My Logos A-Z. Do you have a favorite?
This is like asking a father if they have a favorite child, so I don't. Some of my favorites are on my website at these two links:
What are you reading right now, comics or otherwise?
I rarely read comics now unless it's one I'm working on, and there haven't been any of those this year so far. I read current comic strips on the Comics Kingdom and GoComics websites, and am currently rereading the Pogo comic strip paperbacks published by Simon & Schuster. Other reading is largely rereading books in my library before I sell them on eBay, I review those on my blog.
Is there a comic shop or bookshop you like to go to?
Haven't been to one in decades, there are none close to me now as far as I know.
What's coming up on the blog?
I don't have any new projects planned, the last big one about Al Allard, designer of the Fawcett logos, was prompted by new information provided by fellow logo designer and comics historian Alex Jay. I'm continuing to watch and review all the Disney features, just to entertain myself.
One of the Fawcett logos you wrote about in June gets by on just yellow, red and black. Do older logos do something newer ones don't?
No, I think older logos were generally limited by processes available at the time, digital production allowed new things like metallic shine, but that was overused in the 1990s. Logos that use just color and no black are certainly possible now.
You once called lettering the soundtrack of a comic. What's the loudest page you've ever lettered?
Again, hard to say with a track record of about 76,000 pages lettered (including covers), but one that does come to mind is when Captain Marvel shouts SHAZAM! in Kingdom Come #4 because it's such a contrast to the rest of the series. Loudness is about contrast.
How do you work out who designed a logo when nobody got credit for it?
Often it can't be done, I can only use information Alex Jay or I can find and then my own observational abilities to find similarities of style. Over the decades I've gotten to know many logo designers that were still active when I was, and learned from them what they did, but before that it's tough, as usually no records were kept, and no one there at the time remembers.
What's one thing about lettering that most readers never notice?
Everything, usually, and that's okay, though I'm not a proponent of "lettering should be invisible." Lettering should enhance the story, and if that sometimes means drawing attention, that's okay.
Connect with Todd
Thanks to Todd for the time.
About the author
Hey, I'm Michael! As the creator and developer behind VerseDB, I get to combine my love for building software with a serious comic book habit. While I enjoy collecting, I'm ultimately in it for the stories they tell. For me, it's all about getting lost in a great narrative and appreciating the artwork. I built this platform to give readers and collectors a clean, organized place to catalog the issues, runs, and art that mean the most to them. Log your favorites and welcome to the community!
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