CROM - London-based Illustrator - Birdking

Multifaceted London artist hiding his identity behind a skull mask, Crom showcases his talent in the fields of publishing, gaming, tattooing, and even graphic "necromancy."

Biography & Journey

His passion for comics takes root in childhood with the adventures of Ducktails, pushing him to create his own imaginary publishing structure by the age of ten. After a course in illustration, he builds his experience through online self-publishing before achieving international success with Dark Horse Comics with the title Raiders, followed by the mystical epic Birdking.

Influence and Universe

His universe, deeply rooted in pop culture, merges the aesthetics of dark chivalry with marked Japanese influences. Nourished by games of Dungeons & Dragons, the tales of Tolkien, and the visceral world of Dark Souls, he also cites Kentaro Miura (Berserk) and Akira Kurosawa among his visual mentors. This playful and cinematic culture has become so inseparable from his style that he admits he can no longer escape it. His close collaboration with writer Daniel Freedman reflects a rare symbiosis: while Raiders was originally Freedman's story, Birdking was born from a personal sketch by Crom, transformed into an epic fresco through their ongoing creative dialogue.

Technically, Crom favors an instinctive and organic approach. He places great importance on the expressiveness of gazes and the integration of onomatopoeias as full graphic elements. His work, notably done for Wizards of the Coast, is distinguished by a striking contrast: a blend of clean shapes and harmonious color blocks, suddenly pierced by bursts of gore violence inherited from 90s anime. It is in this balance between the "cute" and the macabre, particularly visible in the pages of Birdking, that the essence of his artistic identity resides.

Crom comes for the first time to the BD pole at Trolls & Légendes.

Come get your albums signed!

Exclusive Info

Birking - Book 3 is among the nominees for the Troll d'Or in the graphic novel category for its unique style, but here's the story...

Focus on Birdking

Bianca and her master have been betrayed after reforging the spectral blade of Aduren for the necromancer king Aghul...
In a world plunged into darkness and dominated by war, Bianca, a young apprentice blacksmith, is forced to flee her country in search of Atlas, a legendary land. She is accompanied by Birdking, a guardian spirit whose mystery she must unravel, at the cost of many battles.