By: Billy Khang
Upper Deck recently released the Skybox The Boys Season 1&2 trading card set based off the Amazon Prime series with the same name.
The 250-card base set includes actor autos, 3-D lenticulars, suit memorabilia cards, themed inserts and more. One of those themed inserts features retro comic renditions of characters from the show with amazing artwork done by Tom Morgan.
Morgan has been a longtime artist who’s worked on past sets for Upper Deck.
We caught up with him to give collectors insight on his artistic process.
UD: Were you familiar with the graphic novel before the show premiered?
TM: “No. As a matter of fact, I hadn’t even seen the show when I received the offer to draw the cards. My wife was watching the show and suggested I draw the cards as she thought I would enjoy them. I’ve since seen every episode and I love it!
UD: Which characters were you most excited to sketch?
TM: “I think Billy Butcher was a favorite. Karl Urban is such a wonderful actor and his portrayal is just brutal, because the character is nuanced and yet still as subtle as a crowbar to the head.”
UD: What’s your artistic process like from start to finish?
TM: “The cards were traditional comic book line art with digital color. I roughed out the compositions, tweaked poses, finalized full pencils then inked them up. After that I digitally colored the cards. Of course, every stage was submitted to editorial for feedback and approval.”
UD: What style of artwork did you use for the Retro insert?
TM: “Classic comic book rendering, but with an eye for likenesses. I wanted heroic representations of the characters, even though some of them are pretty lewd and crude. My nature is to try to show glamour whenever possible.”
UD: What’s it like knowing fans will be adding cards you’ve personally worked on to their collection?
TM: “It’s pretty cool. People who know the show will know if the characters are off, so I hope I’ve done them justice. They were a (hell of a) lot of fun to draw!
Upper Deck wants to thank Tom for giving us a behind the scenes look of his experience working on the Boys Retro insert.
Skybox The Boys Season 1 & 2 is available now.
