1)  Can you tell us about your background?

Richard Starkings was born in Liverpool and grew up in Yorkshire in the sixties and seventies.  He is an English graduate and after college he lived and worked in the London area where he got his first staff job in comics in 1984.  He's worked in the industry as a writer, colorist, editor, production manager, T-shirt designer, color separator (long before computer separations!) and cartoonist, although he's primarily known for his work as a lettering artist and graphic designer.  He pioneered digital comic book lettering beginning in 1992 and, since 1995, his LA based company, Comicraft, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, has moved into the business of publishing comic book fonts.  More recently they’ve announced their plans to publish a series featuring the character he created to promote the fonts, Hip Flask.

Related items: A discussion with Richard Starkings.