Kraig Rasmussen

Kraig Rasmussen draws the kind of science fiction that feels like it was inked on the bridge of a rocket ship — dense, handmade pen-and-ink worlds with real weight and wonder. A freelance illustrator, graphic novelist, and self-publisher based in Phoenix, Arizona, Rasmussen has been building his own corner of the indie comics universe since 2004, when he launched his Monkeygong imprint with the scrappy spy comic Mothspy. His influences read like a Mount Rushmore of classic adventure cartooning — Moebius, Richard Corben, Al Williamson, and Wally Wood — and his work wears that lineage proudly. Perfect for fans of weird sci-fi, classic pen-and-ink adventure, and creators who build entire universes by hand.

The Monkeygong Universe

Rasmussen’s signature work lives on his own label, Monkeygong. Sojourners is a swashbuckling space adventure about super-intelligent, genetically engineered monkeys from humanity’s future who race back in time to avert climate catastrophe — equal parts pulpy space opera and sharp social commentary. Technopolis follows “the sad jetpack kid” through a gleaming, melancholy future, while The Adventures of Dr. Cotton Hickox rounds out a catalog that proves Rasmussen can land both laughs and chills. Fans can support his ongoing output through the Monkey Gong Comics Club, a subscription club he discussed in depth on the AIPT Comics Podcast, or the Mental Sequential Patreon, where he shares original comics, art, and commentary.

Odds & Ends: Lost Tales, Found

In January 2023, Rasmussen brought his most ambitious project to the crowdfunding platform Zoop: Odds & Ends, Books I & II, a two-volume graphic novel collection of “lost & found tales” — stories originally created for film and TV pitches, small press publications, and experiments that had been shelved or gone out of print. As The Beat reported, the collection gave those orphaned science fiction and humor stories “new life in gorgeous graphic novel packaging.”

Beyond Self-Publishing

Rasmussen’s pen-and-ink talents have landed him work well beyond his own imprint. He wrote and illustrated the story “Trenchfoot” for Boris Karloff’s Gold Key Mysteries #2 from Gold Key Comics (February 2024). He’s provided cover art for The First Americans at Critical Entertainment and covers for BOOM! Studios including BRZRKR: The Bleeding Tide and Power Rangers: Green. He also contributed art to Horror Not Hate, the 200-page charity anthology of horror stories against fascism and hate — organized by Slow Feet Comics with proceeds split between CHIRLA and Lambda Legal — alongside fellow indie creators like Rich Douek, David M. Booher, and Jonathan Hedrick.

The Community Builder

When he’s not at the drawing board, Rasmussen is a tireless advocate for indie comics. He hosts the Storycraft and Repeat Viewing podcasts, coaches emerging artists through one-on-one art and storytelling instruction, volunteers at San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum, and can be found behind a table at conventions from Tucson to Rose City to Los Angeles. He’s a working example of the DIY ethos done right: build your own label, publish your own worlds, and lift up the community around you.

Follow his latest work on X, Instagram, and Bluesky, or browse the full catalog of print comics at monkeygong.com.