Each month we’ll be shining the spotlight on a Silverline creator and sharing their secret origin story, learning what makes them tick, and giving you the scoop on how they came up in the comics world.
Up this time is Jeremy Kahn, a comic book artist who has worked for such titles as The Pink Panther, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff…as well as his work for Silverline Comics, of course.
Now, without further ado, we present to you…
12 Questions with … Jeremy Kahn
SILVERLINE: So, who are you and where do you hail from?
The name’s Jeremy Kahn.. I hail from Poughkeepsie, NY.
SILVERLINE: What would you say it is you do here at Silverline?
I mainly color comic pages for Silverline (at least that is what I’d say I do if asked)
SILVERLINE: Where might Silverline readers have seen your work previously?
Previously, I have done coloring work for American Mythology on a number of their kid titles such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Pink Panther, and The Ant and the Aardvark among other titles.
SILVERLINE: When you’re not making great Silverline comics, what do you do in your spare time? What are your hobbies?
I love reading, especially Japanese light novels. One of my favorite series I’m reading right now is Ascendance of a Bookworm. I’m always anticipating the next chapter release for that series. I even got a timer set on my phone for Monday when the new chapter goes live on J-Novel. Aside from reading, I also enjoy playing video games (mostly on my computer and Switch). I also collect style guides. I got a pretty large collection of them ranging from 60s Hanna-Barbera to late 2000’s Pokemon. Just recently I obtained a style guide for the manga Bleach and the animated series Tiny Toons.
SILVERLINE: Many creators at Silverline have been in the comics industry for years — what’s kept YOU plugging away at comics?
I’ve loved comics since I was very young and I love getting to contribute to a medium that has brought me such joy for such a long time. I was introduced to comics through my father and have had many interesting conversations with him through the years. I like being able to share that interest in as many ways as possible with as many people as possible.
SILVERLINE: What was the first comic you remember reading that made you think, “Hey, I could do this!”
My very first comic was Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog #33. It was both my first comic and the first thing to spark my interest in learning more about comics in general. It helped that my dad was a big comic collector as well. So, through him I got introduced to tons of other comics and learned of other genres and styles (he even was the one who introduced me to manga). My interest just kept growing till I decided I wanted to give it a go as well.
SILVERLINE: What’s on your playlist? Who/what music do you listen to, and do you listen to it while you work?
Anisong and Broadway soundtracks make up my playlists mostly. I also like artists from videogames like Crush 40. I also subscribe to an artist on Patreon, AmaLee, who sings English covers of anime openings and closings.
Aside from music I also listen to a few podcasts like Talking Simpsons and Retronauts.
SILVERLINE: Who were some of your earliest influences on your art ?
This first one I actually got to know personally, David Tanguay. He did a lot of coloring work on DC kid titles like Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, PowerPuff Girls among others. These were comics released back when digital coloring was new and was first being tried out at major publications. So, you’d see some interesting color choices being made as colorist were getting the hang of this new technology.
I also have a lot of respect for Barry Grossman. He colored comics ranging from Archie and Hanna-Barbera to DC and Marvel titles. A very versatile colorist.
Later on Ben Huzenker was a big influence for me, too. I was actually lucky to get a one on one skype lesson with him at one point. He set up a Go Fund Me page to acquire funds for some new equipment and one of the tiers was a skype coloring lesson. That was hard to pass up.
SILVERLINE: What was the first comic you ever worked on professionally?
Well, the first one I rather not mention as the publisher owes me money for that (they actually owe a number of artists money, but that’s a whole other thing in itself). So, I’ll skip ahead to a comic I colored called The Undead. It was a one-shot comic done as a tie in to an indie horror film.
SILVERLINE: Can you still read that comic today without wincing?
Lol. I don’t think I made it a year. It is amazing how much you can improve in a short time when you dedicate yourself to practicing and honing your craft.
SILVERLINE: What are some non-Silverline independent comics you would recommend to readers?
That’s a toughie. My first thought is to say something like Lucky Luke or Asterix, but that is too obvious. I could mention a weird one like Keiichi Arawi’s City or a more job related one like Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun. But, I think I’ll throw caution to the wind and just recommend Yuri is My Job.
SILVERLINE: If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice that would help them better navigate the comics industry, what would it be?
So, this question I really wanted to make a joke about telling myself to give up and go pursue that path in Paleontology instead. But, that kinda sidesteps the question a bit too much, I think. So, for some serious advice I’d say look at what interests you and try to incorporate that into your art when you practice. When you work with something you like you can get more motivated. Early on, the more motivated you can get, the more you can get a grasp on the basics and build off of there.
SILVERLINE: After you die, would you rather your memory be memorialized with an overpass or a parking lot?
I’d say overpass. When the world floods, the parking lots will be first to sink. The overpasses will at least hang around in view a bit longer.
Silverline: You can find Jeremy’s work in Silverline’s Bloodline and Krey.