Meet the Artist: Ryan Drost

By Kelli Comer

Local comic book author Ryan Drost combined his two greatest loves to bring to life Stealth Hammer, a superhero inspired by his wife, Jami, and his deep love for the comic book genre.

“Jami is a graphic designer and throughout her career she gained the nicknames, ‘Stealth’ and ‘Hammer.’ She put them together to be ‘Stealth Hammer’ and the nickname stuck,” Ryan smiles. “We always joked that it would make a great superhero name.”

Stealth Hammer enters the world of a college student who finds herself with incredible powers as the result of a lab accident and a bit of destiny. She discovers that she is part of a legacy of protectors in a world of high-tech gadgetry and supernatural mythology. At the core of Stealth Hammer is a story about family and never giving up, no matter the odds.

Ryan’s stories start with the characters, inspired by Jami, mythology from around the world, video games, comic books, TV shows and the people in his life. Once the characters are imagined, Ryan fully develops who they are, from their past to their future, their personality and their outward appearance. Once a script is completed, Ryan sends it to an illustrator and a colorist who really breathe life into the images.

“I have been drawing as a hobby for most of my life,” Ryan says. “I took several writing courses in high school and college that helped me develop my creative writing through learning pacing and character development.”

“I have always wanted to be a storyteller, and I have had a deep love for comics most of my life,” Ryan comments. “To create my very own comic and hopefully have it be a launching pad for much more to come has been a dream come true.”

To reach Ryan, you can email him at stealthhammercomic@gmail.com. To learn more, find behind-the-scenes information and keep up on the latest news on the project, be sure to like and follow Stealth Hammer on Facebook @StealthHammer. To purchase the Stealth Hammer comic, you can direct message Ryan on the Facebook page.