MEET THE ECHELON GRAPHIC NOVELS TEAM

Head Writer and Co-Founder

Ethan grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina being raised by every 80's icon from Indiana Jones to Marty McFly. He studied Media Arts and Design at James Madison University with a concentration in creative writing. He honed his craft in writing by working with various small comic companies. Ethan’s goal is to make anyone who reads a comic from Echelon feel like they’re experiencing a 2-dimensional movie.

Editor and Co-Founder

Susan was born with a unique superpower - the ability to find fault. Early on, she was chastised for using this power and so, to avoid becoming a supervillain, she kept it under wraps for decades. Until one day she met Ethan and learned a great secret - finding fault is the PERFECT skill for an editor! She loves using these superpowers for good, sweeping through multiple scripts looking for misspellings and continuity errors. Her goal - to help make the comic PERFECT so that all you see is the story.

Writer and Voice Actor

Sam was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She’s an LA based performer and creator in multiple mediums. She’s an award-winning writer of films and plays that’s looking forward to taking her skills to the world of comics and graphic novels. As a kid, her go-to Halloween costume was Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) because, "she was the only action hero without high heels!" Her work reflects deep moral messages with an emphasis on bringing goodness into storytelling and society as a whole.

Writer and Editor

Kaori was born in California but raised in Tennessee yet spends most of her time living it up in Vegas. Dr. Kaori Knight is currently getting her second doctorate for Astrophysics all while juggling the study of numerous languages. Not to mention her recent acceptance into the prestigious LA Film School. She is a published author that has been honing her craft since the third grade. She eats, breathes and lives for all things horror and will never let you forget it.

Writer and Content Creator

Keith Stanley is an army Vet with a passion for all things esoteric. His love for fantasy and nature propelled him toward a career of writing. When he isn’t working on the latest installment in the Briarverse he’s taking care of his chickens and spending time with his wife and black lab Beni. His hobbies include gaming, martial arts and hiking.

Writer and Story Consultant

Eric is a writer and award winning actor who has been obsessed with comic books since he was a small child in Olympia, Washington. At 6'7" Eric was never actually a "small child" but begs forgiveness for his artistic license. He’s fluent in virtually every form of tabletop role-playing game and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the last 30 years of graphic novels. Despite being a friend to all, Eric’s one true nemesis is the water chestnut.

Writer and Editor

Jeremy hails from the suburbs of Chicago where he grew up with a strong love of science fiction, comedy, comic books, and movies. He received a film degree from Columbia College Chicago before moving to Los Angeles. His films have been playing in film festivals for years. Most recently his film “The Call” won Best in Fest and Best Director of a short film at the 2025 Hollywood Horrorfest. Jeremy loves collaborating with people to make art. Especially genre pieces that use high concept stories as a way of telling deeper truths about human nature.

Illustrator and Inker

Gustavo is a São Paulo–born designer/illustrator and founding member of Ethereal Flame Studios, where he led art direction for Spaceship Overdrive, winner of Brazil Game Awards 2015 – Best Mobile Game. Since 2017 he’s designed video and graphics with ALAVANCA, serving brands like Instituto Natura, Undime, Hospital das Clínicas, GE, UNICEF, and Coca-Cola. In 2019 he worked on the graphic novel A Cabana, which won Best Indie Publishing at the 36th Angelo Agostini Award.

Illustrator and Inker

Eder Messias is the 35 year old Brazilian sensation known in nearly every artistic circle. He started a professional career in comic books in 2011 with the graphic novel “Assassin” and “Son”. In 2012 he added several web comics to his portfolio and worked for indy comic labels all over the world. Yet despite all his hours in the studio, he still has time to raise his four beautiful daughters.

Illustrator and Inker

Giulia Gualazzi is a comic artist and illustrator from Milan, Italy, with nearly a decade of experience bringing stories to life through her art. She has collaborated with both independent creators and major publishers such as Dark Horse and Marvel, contributing to titles like Maskerade, Women of Marvel #1, and Reaper. A graduate of NABA – New Academy of Fine Arts and the School of Comics, Giulia also taught art during her master’s program. Her work blends expressive storytelling with striking visual style, reflecting her deep passion for the comic medium.

Illustrator, Inker, and Colorist

Erin is a freelance digital artist, illustrator, and comic book inker and colorist based in New Hampshire. With a B.A. in Animation and Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue University, they blend digital skill with traditional media, including watercolor, acrylic, oil, and resin. Erin also teaches painting and is passionate about uplifting LGBTQ youth, telling queer stories, and promoting diverse representation in media. When not creating, they’re usually reading comics, gaming, vending at cons, or hanging out with their two energetic rescue pups.

Illustrator and Inker

Luigi is a freelance artist based out of the Philippines. He’s wanted to be a professional artist since his early childhood. He loves collaborating with other creative people to tell a story with images as well as words. His favorite comic books are the ones that inspire his own art the most. He loves pretty much all superhero and fantasy movies.

Illustrator, Animator and Colorist

Cameron is a Brooklyn-born illustrator and cartoonist whose lifelong love of anime and cartoons sparked his passion for storytelling through art. He honed his craft with a BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts, building on a strong foundation in traditional art. Growing up in some of the most diverse schools in the country inspired his deep appreciation for different perspectives, which he channels into creating authentic, expressive work. Through his art, Cameron strives to communicate ideas—his own and others’—with honesty and heart. When he’s not drawing, he enjoys gaming, watching anime, and spending time with friends.

Illustrator and Inker

Zach grew up in the quiet suburbs of Pennsylvania with one goal in mind—to make comics. His love for storytelling began as early as third grade and was fueled by countless hours watching Dragon Ball and exploring fantastical worlds. After earning his Bachelor’s in Fine Art from the Tyler School of Art, he set out to turn that passion into a professional career in comics. Today, he continues to create with the same drive that started it all. When he’s not at his drawing board, Zach enjoys playing guitar, cooking, gaming, and spending time with his family.

Head Colorist and Co-Creator

Veronica has loved to draw ever since she can remember. She drew on everything, literally. Her childhood home had an old tv with a wood grain veneer that was peeling near the bottom. She simply helped it along and used the raw surface underneath as a canvas of sorts. Her earliest memory of comic books is when she was about 10 years old. Her mom saw a “Veronica” comic in the grocery store spinner rack and brought it home because it had her daughter's name on it. Those “Veronica” and “Betty and Veronica” books were the first comic books Veronica read and collected.

Inker, Colorist, and Illustrator

Carlos Eduardo, known professionally as “Ki Hap!”, is an illustrator, colorist, 3D modeler, animator, game developer, and writer from Santos, Brazil. A self-taught artist from an early age, Carlos began teaching comic creation to children at just 15. By 16, he had already won the HQ Mix Award in the Core Art category, the Anima Mundi Award, and contributed to the Brazilian release of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight (Batman) in 2002. Years later, he founded AMKH Studio, where he continues to create across multiple disciplines, blending storytelling, design, and innovation in every project.

Colorist and Illustrator

Jen is a Californian illustrator and colorist. She graduated from SCAD's Sequential Art master's program in 2012 and has been working in comics and illustration ever since! Hilariously enough, when she’s not drawing for work, she'll often sit down and sketch just for herself. She also does a fair amount of gaming with horror and stealth as her favorites.

Colorist and Illustrator

Character art and design are Jesse’s favorite subjects while inking and coloring are his favorite parts of the process. He started drawing as a senior in high school after being struck with inspiration while watching one of his favorite web shows. He drew one piece of fanart and was hooked. After that, he became a mixture of self-taught and college educated. He started in community college and eventually attended Laguna College of Art and Design. Jesse loves comics/manga and anime with a sweet spot for sci-fi and fantasy. His favorite series and inspiration is “BLAME!” by Tsutomu Nihei.

Pin-Up Artist and Graphic Designer

James Peay is a Virginia native that grew up reading action comics and watching superhero cartoons. Receiving his bachelors degree at Pratt Institute for illustration and design, he has continued to build a career as an illustrator working in comics, entertainment and fashion.

Pin-up Artist and Illustrator

Adam Fields is the owner and lead illustrator/graphic designer at Midnight27 Studios and the creator of the hit comic series PROWL. Raised in Eaton, Ohio, he’s been passionate about art and storytelling from a young age. After studying at multiple art centers to stay current with design trends, Adam now teaches at those same institutions, inspiring elementary and middle school students to develop their artistic skills. His professional work spans concept art, book covers, logos, full comic books, and officially licensed sketch cards for Upper Deck and Marvel.

Cover Artist and Character Designer

Moishe grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles. He’s a teacher at Otis College of Art and Design and works as a concept artist/storyboard artist.
He has a strong passion for stories related to the human experience, and his happiness stems from connecting with others through tabletop RPGs and board games. His goal in life is to create stories that inspire while providing space for people to come together for food, movies, and games.

Cover and Pin-up Artist

Varun is a freestyle illustrator from India with over eight years of professional experience in the art and illustration industry. Specializing in anime, comics, gaming covers, and manga, he’s built a reputation for versatility and precision. A self-taught artist, Varun embraces constant growth, adapting his style to match each client’s vision. With more than 1,000 commissioned works and collaborations with brands like TPT Music Company, Madduck, and Animeniacs.shop, he continues to transform ideas into striking, customized artwork.

Digital Artist and Video Editor

Mick began experimenting with advanced digital visual effects when he was hired by Echelon Graphic Novels to create a promotional trailer for the series Slate & Ashe. Since then, he has created a variety of promotional videos for creators throughout the the independent comic book industry. Currently working on new promotional videos for Echelon, Mick continues to broaden his techniques of bringing motion to illustrations.

Graphic Designer and Letterer

Alex was born and raised in San Diego, the mecca of the comic book community. A film school graduate, AJ views comic book production like making a movie. “When the writer (director), the artist (the cinematographer), and the letterer (composer) work in-sync, something beautiful is created.” He loves to write and create his own worlds, but also enjoys creating the voices for other peoples characters.

Voice Over Actor and Audio Engineer

Nathan was born and raised on the banks of the Youghiogheny River outside of Pittsburgh, PA. Almost 20 years ago he moved to Virginia to pursue...something. Quite frankly he can't remember. Instead, he attended the University of Virginia since it was right there and he didn't have anything else to do. After Nathan graduated he got married, had a couple kids, and started his career as a voice actor and author. While continuing those lofty pursuits he produces, edits, and cohosts the Creativity in Progress podcast with Ethan Murphy.

Editor and Media Engineer

Charlie was born and raised in the heart of the south. He grew up as the eldest son in a military family in Georgia. Charlie created and co-hosts the acclaimed series, “The Then & Now Podcast.” He also works tirelessly to help run a lot of behind the scenes business for numerous YouTube channels and websites. As a self-proclaimed, blerd aka “black nerd”, Charlie loves all things comics, anime and videogames. The “Mass Effect” series is his favorite video game franchise and he believes Quentin Tarantino’s film “Django Unchained” is a masterpiece.

Head of Public Relation

Christopher Miles is from Chesterfield, Virginia where he graduated from Lloyd C. Bird Highschool. After high school, Chris pursued acting and appeared in many major films, independent productions and even some documentaries. This ultimately lead him to his passion for producing and creating content in social media: Including Marvel Comic campaigns and working alongside radio/TV personality Charlamagne. In his spare time, Chris likes to write and watch anime with his girlfriend.

Head of Marketing

Otis is a Chicago native whose lifelong love of basketball and nerd culture fuels everything he does. A marketing graduate with honors, he’s the co-founder and Chief Executive of Nerds With Melanin, an organization dedicated to amplifying content created by People of Color around the world. Driven by a passion for representation, Otis strives to provide platforms where creators of all backgrounds can share their voices freely and confidently. Outside of work, he’s an avid gamer, lifelong basketball fan, and enthusiastic lover of anime, comics, movies, and podcasting.

Brand & Creative Strategist

Olivia Satterfield is a multidisciplinary creative, brand strategist, and storyteller based in Indianapolis. A self-taught entrepreneur and founder of The Branding Maven LLC, she blends creativity, psychology, and technology to help others bring their visions to life. Beyond her work, Olivia is a mother of two, an advocate for community empowerment, and a writer exploring themes of resilience, identity, and transformation. Her journey reflects her belief that growth is both deeply personal and profoundly communal.