Introducing Erick Marshall, the Saturday Morning Cards artist

Jermayn Parker
Aug 31
4 min read

Have you got your Phantom Saturday Morning Cards in your collection yet? We are huge phans of these collector cards with a great snazzy collectors case and the art is simply outstanding. The artwork has caught our attention so much that we had to connect with the artist and learn more about him and his work. We introduce you to the artist behind the cards, Erick Marshall.

Jermayn Parker: Welcome, thank you for your time. Can you start off by you telling us where are you from?

Erick Marshall: I’m from Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.

JP: Did you study art and or design?

EM: Interestingly, I didn’t study art or design. I studied communication (focused on media, film, radio, and TV). The little or much I know about art has come from books, comics, and advice from fellow artists over the years.

JP: Oh Wow! Did you read comics as a child? What was your favourite? And of course, what about the Phantom?

EM: Of course! As a kid, I enjoyed looking at comic art more than reading the stories. My Dad would read them to me while I’d appreciate the art.

My first favorites were “The Death of Superman” and “The Return of Superman”. I loved the parts drawn by Jon Bogdanove and Tom Grummett. My favorite character from that story was Superboy.

The Phantom is now one of my favorites. The Phantom has always been famous in Latin America, and while I knew of the character, I wasn’t heavily into him. However, when Daniel (from SMC) gave me the opportunity to work on the project, l became a bit obsessed with the Phantom, which is great.

I became especially obsessed with Phantom 2040 - the opening song is epic, and the story is too. I even bought a replica of the ring! It’s an honor to be part of the character’s official history and have phans recognize my art.

JP: How did you get into designing trading cards?

EM: I started drawing sketch cards at 15 years old thanks to Puis Calzada (Metallica’s current official artist), who encouraged me to create sketch cards for Upper Deck. The first set I drew for them was Spider-Man. Since then, l’ve worked on multiple sets for various companies and studios, including Perna Studios, Thwip, RRParks Cards, Brailinz, Upper Deck, Iconic Creations, and, of course Saturday Morning Cards.

JP: How did you get to work for Saturday Morning Cards?

EM: Dan messaged me on Instagram DM, offering me to draw sketch cards for a Winnie the Pooh and Rocketeer set, which I accepted. Interestingly, I hadn’t been drawing many cards at that time, as I thought the sketch card business was dying out.

I think Saturday Morning Cards are bringing back sketch cards and card collecting in a fresh and new way, and it’s great how they present each set, the boxes, the art and the cases. Being part of it excites me a lot. And Dan giving me the opportunity to be one of his designers is something I’ll always be grateful for.

JP: What about the Phantom that appeals to you?

EM: What draws me to the Phantom is, of course, his costume. I’ve always liked characters who wear masks. The way artists draw the Phantom is visually appealing, and I love his story. The rings he wears are awesome. I think Billy Zane was born to play the character! I still can’t believe the Phantom was the first to have a futuristic version (Phantom 2040).

JP: Can you tell us about your process for the phantom designs?

EM: Dan was looking for an artist who could emulate the 1990’s drawing style, so I mustered up the courage and sent him a message. I wasn’t sure what he needed an artist for, but when he told me it was about the Phantom, my mind exploded - I couldn’t believe it.

I had to study artists like Jim Lee, Mike Manley, and of course, the classic Phantom artists. I think the ring card and the portrait card are a 100% my vision of the character. If you notice, the mask is drawn slightly differently than how it’s presented in the comics.

You can see a lot of influence from characters like Robin in the way I draw the mask, with two large white triangles. I think that’s my main contribution to my version of the Phantom, and I’d love to take it to comics.

I’d love to be the artist on one of his official books now. I hope I can do it someday, because designing the box, cases, and cards was amazing and fun.

JP: We know you drew the main cards but did you draw any sketch cards for the Phantom set?

EM: Of course, I made 9 color pieces and one pencil sketch hoping it would be a 1/1 variant.