Claudia Balboni
Italian comic artist known for her work on Killer Queens, Star Trek, and True Blood.
Born in Italy, Claudia Balboni began her career in 2005 working in animation studios as a storyboard artist and environment designer. This background in visual storytelling for animation gave her a unique understanding of pacing, character expression, and dynamic panel layouts—skills that would later define her comic work.
In 2009, Balboni shifted her focus to comics, bringing her cinematic eye to sequential art. Her early work included the True Blood miniseries “The French Quarter” for HBO/Simon & Schuster in 2011, where she captured the atmospheric, humid world of Bon Temp with remarkable detail.
In 2012, Balboni contributed to IDW’s Star Trek ongoing series, illustrating stories set in the beloved science fiction universe. Her ability to render both intimate character moments and expansive space sequences made her a natural fit for the franchise.
Her most prominent recent work is Killer Queens for Dark Horse Comics, where she partnered with writer David M. Booher and colorist Harry Saxon. The series—featuring reformed intergalactic assassins Max and Alex—required Balboni to balance action sequences with character-driven moments, all while creating distinctive alien worlds and designs. The series earned nominations for both Eisner and GLAAD Media Awards.
In 2019, Balboni teamed with writer Brian Schirmer for Fairlady at Image Comics—a gender-swapped Magnum, P.I. in a post-war fantasy world that earned praise for blending noir mystery with high fantasy. Previously, they collaborated on Black Jack Ketchum (2015), a weird Western that Newsarama called “9 out of 10.” Most recently, she illustrated Flow for Mad Cave Studios (2025), a feminist horror miniseries written by Paula Sevenbergen about a woman confronting her childhood tormentors.
Balboni’s art style combines clean, expressive linework with dynamic action choreography. Her animation background is evident in her ability to convey motion and emotion across panels, creating a reading experience that feels like watching animated storyboards.
Currently based in Italy, Balboni continues to work in comics while maintaining her presence on platforms like ArtStation and Instagram, where she shares her process and finished work.
Perfect for fans of dynamic linework, expressive character art, and comics that blend action with heart.
