Viktor Kalvachev is one of the most exciting figures in comics today. I love his art, which reminds me of the great paperback book illustrators of the 1960s. He's the creator of Blue Estate, a hardboiled crime series that takes place in modern day Los Angeles. It’s got a sleazy action hero actor with a passing resemblance to Steven Seagal, the Russian Mafia, the Italian Mafia, a geeky fanboy private eye in his 40s, a B-movie actress, drugs, alcohol, strippers, hookers, and seedy establishments. It’s dirty and gritty and a lot of fun, in an LA Confidential way.
Viktor now has a Kickstarter for an art book called Inspire: The Art of Viktor Kalvachev, which I just learned about and backed immediately.
Here are some exclusive sample pages from the book:
Here's a recent interview with Viktor:
Viktor was born in Bulgaria and now lives in France. He is known for being a "visual storyteller", and his career has taken him across the globe. In this interview he talks with Bobby about his new exciting book "Inspire" which is up on Kickstarter, and his journey within the art world. Although Viktor isn't an artist full-time, he shares his decisions that have taken him along the career path that he has today, and some incredible advice on his process.
