Dorri Partain
Contributor

Fans of horror and fantasy comics may recognize the work of creator Kyle Strahn, who has called Northeast home for the past five years.

Strahm will be meeting fans and previewing a new comic series this weekend at Kansas City’s annual Planet Comicon convention, beginning Friday, Aug. 20 at Bartle Hall.

“It’s great to meet fans; you see a lot of the same people as in past years,” Strahm said. “They stop to chat about the series and preview the new materials we’ve been working on, and you meet other creators, build relationships, collaborate on ideas for new series.”

Strahm’s first appearance at the Comicon was in 2003, when he booked a table in the Artist’s Alley to showcase his work. Now, he’s billed as Creator, with numerous series that he’s either written or illustrated, in collaboration with other local artists.

“Spread,” which was published by Image Comics from 2014 to 2018, found Strahm illustrating a story line by Justin Jordan, while Felipe Sobreiro provided the color. A series that debuted in 2019, “Unearth” was written by Strahm and Cullen Bunn, while the art was drawn by Baldemar Rivas.

For “Horrium,” a collaboration with many local artists, Strahm worked with Matthew Mitchell to write the story, with art provided by Jake Smith, Kristofer Harris and others.

As Strahm explained, the process for naming the series starts with a list of words that can describe the story line, “then we cross them off until we all agree on the best title, just something catchy, really.”

While Strahm has a small studio space in the home he shares with wife and ceramicist Eve Englezos, he prefers to work with other creators in shared spaces in the West Bottoms and Overland Park.

“Working from home is okay, but I do prefer working in the same space as others,” Strahm said. “It’s easier to collaborate when you’re working on a series together, and just to get out of the house also.”

At the Overland Park studio, Strahm works along with Skottie Young to produce their latest series, “Twig,” which will make its preview at the Comicon this weekend. Fans will be able to purchase and have their copy signed by Strahm, who did the illustrations. Young wrote the storyline, while Jean-Francois Beaulieu provided the color.

When he’s not appearing at conventions in other cities or working on the latest series, Strahm teaches seniors at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he also attended as he honed his artistic style.

As for his connection to Northeast, Strahm likes that his home is close to downtown.

“We like the friendly neighbors, the affordable housing,” Strahm said. “The aroma from Gates [BBQ] is tempting, but we’re doing better at resisting it now.”