Visual Art

UW-Stout Prof Illustrates Ghostbusters Comic

Emily Kinzel |

BUSTING MAKES THEM FEEL GOOD. Erik Evensen, an assistant professor in UW-Stout’s School  of Art and Design, recently illustrated a story for the Ghostbusters comic book annual.
BUSTING MAKES THEM FEEL GOOD. Erik Evensen, an assistant professor in UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design, recently illustrated a story for the Ghostbusters comic book annual.

Bumps in the night, spooky shadows, and unexplainable voices are nothing new to comic book artist Erik Evensen. His vibrant and narrative illustrations depict characters engaged in fighting off the paranormal. Evensen’s work on the Ghostbusters comic book series, based on the beloved ’80s classic, was recently released.

Erik Evensen
Erik Evensen

“In this story, I’m illustrating the Chicago Ghostbusters, a group I have some experience with. They’re investigating a haunting at a glamorous hotel on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile,” says Evensen, who illustrated an eight-page story in the annual Ghostbusters anthology published Feb. 1.

Drawing for the Ghostbusters comic wasn’t a fluke for Evensen. Last fall, he acted as a fill-in for Dan Schoening, the regular illustrator for Ghostbusters, on part of the main series story arc. (I’m sure Bill Murray would be proud.)

Each page is drawn with careful detail, which vivify intense action, emotion, and movement. One look at Ghostbusters and you will be sent on a ghostly adventure, battling lost spirits and utilizing your proton pack for the good of humanity.

The anthology was published by IDW, which has published countless stories for readers of all ages as part of comic titles such as G.I. Joe, Star Trek, Transformers, and X-Files.

Evensen’s artistic abilities are shared in UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design,  specifically in the realms of drawing, illustration, and graphic design. He is an assistant professor harboring a whole lot of experience in the comic book zone.

On top of his most recent work, Evensen also has produced his own award-winning graphic novel, Gods of Asgard. However, his accomplishments don’t stop there. Evensen has designed for major businesses such as Coca-Cola, published two other comic books, The Beast of Wolfe’s Bay and Super-Power Word Study, and illustrated several comics with inspiration drawn from Back to the Future to mystical beasts and superheroes.

Ghostbusters has created quite a hubbub stemming from the original movies and spiraling off into an elaborate list of paranormal paraphernalia including Lego Ghostbusters, video games, and the 2016 female-fronted film reboot. Having Evensen become part of this worldwide phenomenon is both a credit to his talent and to UW-Stout.

Learn more about the artist at erik-evensen.com.