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Matt Busch
American artist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Matthew Stuart "Matt" Busch (born September 22, 1972) is an American artist, illustrator, and filmmaker, mostly known for his work with the Star Wars media franchise.[2] He has also illustrated projects for popular IPs such as Stranger things, Indiana Jones, and Lord of the Rings, as well as music acts such as Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe, and Ozzy Osbourne.[3]
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Early life
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Busch was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania on September 22, 1972, to Frederick and Peggy Busch. He grew up in the northern suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, embracing all of the arts, from drawing his own comic books, playing several music instruments, and creating short films with his parents' VHS camcorder. Busch has claimed that his early years playing in a rock band inspired grassroots marketing as a visual artist when starting his career.[4] In 1993, he won an award from the Library of Congress for his copyright achievements.[5]
After getting an associate degree from Macomb Community College, he moved to Pasadena, California, where he attended the Los Angeles Art Academy, and received a bachelor's degree from the Art Center College of Design, studying illustration, film, and entertainment design. There, Busch was classmates with other notable alumni such as Justin Bua, Chris Do, and LeUyen Pham, and studied under notable professors, including Burne Hogath.[6]
Busch began working in Hollywood illustrating concept art and storyboards for films like Con Air and The Matrix.[7] After living in Los Angeles for nearly a decade, Busch eventually returned to the Northern Detroit area in the early 2000s where he set up his company, Kaleidoscope Koi Entertainment, LLC, and continues to work on Hollywood projects, via new technology.[8]
He found more notoriety in the areas of licensing and publishing, becoming well known in many different circles of pop culture and fandom as an entertainment illustrator. Busch was often referred in news articles as the rock star of illustration,[9] and mostly known for his Star Wars work, where he provided numerous covers, posters, and other illustrative material for the franchise.[10]
Busch has produced art for companies such as Columbia Tristar Pictures, Disney, Ford Motor Company, Fox Television, Hundai, K-Swiss Shoes, Larry Flynt Publications, Lucasfilm, Ltd., Mazda, Netflix, Nissan, Paramount Pictures, Sony Entertainment, Team Disney, Touchstone Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Viacom, and more.[11] Later in his career he dove into the world of independent filmmaking, creating the Aladdin 3477 trilogy of movies, and has taught media arts college courses at a number of higher education schools.[12]
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Career
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Star Wars illustrator
Since 1994, Matt Busch has provided art for official Star Wars books, posters, magazines, and other products. George Lucas himself has purchased nearly 400 of Busch's drawings and paintings for his own collection, many of which are on display at Lucasfilm's headquarters and Skywalker Ranch.[10]
Early in his career, Busch started illustrating books and playing cards for the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. He was the first to illustrate what an R7 series Astromech Droid looks like, which has since become a popular series of action figures from Hasbro.[13]
In 1997, Busch illustrated the cover of Star Wars: Tales from the Empire from Bantam Dell, which became a New York Times Best Seller.[14] He also began writing and illustrating monthly articles for both the Star Wars Insider and Star Wars Kids magazines.[15]
In 2006, Busch was hired by Lucasfilm to illustrated the well-known Style D One Sheet movie poster for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which was designed to be a bookend piece top the original Star Wars "circus poster" illustrated by Drew Struzan and Charles White III. That same year, Busch was the 2nd artist to be inducted as an Honorary Member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers.[16]
In 2007, the You Can Draw Star Wars book from DK Publishing was released, to which Busch produced over 300 illustrations for. The book went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. Busch is perhaps best known for his outspoken antics in the You Can Draw Star Wars video series, which is based on the book.[17] The video series was first released on StarWars.com and later released on DVD.[18] Following that, the videos found even more success when they were released on MySpace.com, and shot straight to number one on their charts before being released on YouTube.[19] Volumes Two and Three of the same tutorial series were also released on DVD in subsequent years.[20]
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In 2008, Hasbro released a droid action figure named MB-RA-7, which was named after Matt Busch, based on articles he had written for Star Wars Kids magazines.[21][22] Also that year, Busch became the first Honorary Member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers to become an official member with his own TK Stormtrooper armor.[23][24] His TK number, 3477, is leet for "Matt" written sideways, and later became the year his Aladdin 3477 film trilogy would take place.[7]
In 2009, Lucasfilm solicited Busch to re-illustrate the existing 6 Star Wars film movie posters with a zombie twist, in an effort to help promote the first Star Wars horror novel. He titled the parody series Zombie Wars, and he created Episode I: The Zombie Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Undead, Episode III: Revenge of the Zombies, Episode IV: A New Epidemic, Episode V: The Living Dead Strike Back, and Episode VI: Return from the Grave.[25] The series did so well, Busch continued 'zombifying' classic movie posters in a series titled Hollywood is Dead, eventually collecting hundreds of the parody zombie posters into a coffee table art book. The initial Zombie Wars series later became licensed by Fright Rags as popular T shirts.[26]
Soon after, Zazzle, Disney parks, Gap Kids, and Kohl's department stores started releasing T-shirts featuring Busch's Star Wars art.[27]
In 2013, Busch illustrated the CD cover of the original Star Wars Radio Dramas. Based on the source material, Busch also illustrated dozens of trading cards for Topps, including special inserts for Star Wars Insider magazine. Also that year, Busch and Artist Lin Zy created an animated mashup parody combining Star Wars and Powerpuff Girls. The animated videos titled Power of the Force Girls went viral with millions of views on YouTube. The following year, Busch illustrated nearly 60 images for the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Illustrated trading cards, including a series of character cards.[28]
Busch became a staple of large Star Wars events like the Star Wars Celebrations, JediCon and Empire Con, producing exclusive limited edition prints for each show. Busch's art was also featured in the 2016 Star Wars Calendar.[29]
In 2021, Disney unveiled a new limited edition print of The Mandalorian, illustrated by Busch.[2] That same year, he was one of 12 Star Wars Artists to exhibit in a Star Wars art show at the Galactic Gallery in Dallas.[30]
In 2023, Busch illustrated a 10th anniversary commemorative coin for the Peter Mayhew Foundation. That same year, the foundation supported Busch's Aladdin 3477 Kickstarter at the Executive Producer level, so the late Peter Mayhew (who was always a big supporter of Busch's work) could have his name live on in the credits of the film.[31]
In 2024, to celebrate 30 years of illustrating official Star Wars art, Busch exhibited 101 drawings and paintings in the Sparkasse Pyramide Gallery in Heilbronn, Germany. That same year, Busch released a new series of tutorial videos on Youtube titled Illustrating Star Wars.[32]
In 2025, Busch was a guest of honor in a Star Wars art show which was held in a medieval German castle, Schloss Hohenstein in Coberg.[33]
Pop artist
Busch has contributed to notable comic book, poster, and trading card projects, having worked on such properties as 24, Afterburn, Age of Empires, Alizarin's Journal, Battlestar Galactica, Bruce Lee, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Crow, Daria Jontak, Farscape, G.I. Joe, Heroes, The Hobbit Trilogy, Hulk, Indiana Jones, Lady Death, Legend of the Five Rings, Lexx, Lord of the Rings,[3] Lost, Medieval Witchblade, Night of the Living Dead, Poltergeist, Reservoir Dogs, Robocop, Scream, Shi, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stargate SG-1, Stranger Things, Vampirella, The Walking Dead, and Witchblade.[34]
He has also created art for numerous bands and music acts like .38 Special, Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys, The Beatles, Beck, Billy Joel, Black Sabbath, Bret Michaels, Celldweller, Cinderella, Foo Fighters,[9] Garbage, Gene Simmons, Jessica Simpson, Kid Rock, L.L. Cool J, Megadeth, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, and Poison, Rockett Mafia, and Ted Nugent.[3]
One of Busch's earliest jobs in comic books was illustrating Coven 13, which was written by Rikki Rockett, drummer of the rock band Poison. The two became friends and have worked on a number of projects together, including an animated parody series titled Toke'mon for KNAC Radio in Los Angeles. Busch also created art for Poison's concert screen animations, as well as concert merch like T shirts and bandanas.[35] Rikki Rockett also wrote the introduction to Busch's first hardcover artbook, Fantastic Visions: The Art of Matt Busch, from Avatar Press.
Busch's second art book, Pucker: The Seductive Art of Matt Busch from SQP Publishing has a written introduction from another well-known drummer, John Dolmayan from the nü metal band System of a Down.[36]
In 2008, Busch was a Featured Special Guest at Comic-Con International in San Diego, joining other notable visionaries celebrated, including Bernie Wrightson, Al Jaffe, Sergio Aragones, Jim Lee, Ray Bradbury, Joe Hill, and Dean Koontz.[37]
In 2009, Busch was hand-selected to illustrate President Obama for the cover of the DVD documentary, Becoming Barack: Evolution of a Leader. Busch also produced a video bonus feature on the DVD.[38]
In 2011, the Indiana Jones World Map was released, a project which Busch spent 3 years researching and Illustrating. The map details all of the locations Indiana Jones has acquired archeological treasures from the films, Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV shows, the novels, the comics, the video games, and the Disney Theme Park attractions.[39]
Busch has co-developed Apple iPhone and iPad apps with his brother Ian, such as Interactive Sketchbook and How to Draw (with Artist Matt Busch).[2]
In 2025, the film Afterburn will be released, based on the Red 5 comic book series that Busch illustrated all of the covers for. The film stars Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson.[40]
Filmmaker
Having worked behind-the-scenes for years in many aspects of corporate studio film productions, Busch eventually gravitated into the world of independent films. In 2006, his first feature-length movie, Conjure, was released straight-to-DVD; a project that he wrote, directed, starred in, and even composed the music for. It was also one of the first horror films available on Netflix.[41] The movie gained critical acclaim and broke records in the Horror Genre.[42]
In 2009, Busch released a DVD titled Illustration Nation, a documentary of audacious travel adventures ranging from Hollywood to London to Tokyo.[43]
Busch's magnum opus is writing and directing a trilogy of Aladdin 3477 films based on the classic Arabian Nights tale Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp.[2] The movies are set in Asia 1,500 years in the future.[44] The first film, Aladdin 3477- I: The Jinn of Wisdom was released January 3rd, 2025 on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.[7]
Professor
Matt Busch has instructed college-level courses at art schools such as the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Currently, he is a professor of Media and Communication Arts and faculty advisor of Creative Imaging and Illustration at Macomb Community College. He teaches a range of courses including painted illustration, figure illustration, and previz storyboarding for film and animation.[45]
Busch has also given guest lectures and panel workshops at such venues as the Animation Academy in Burbank, California, the Art Institute of Pittsburg, the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival, Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, Schloss Hohenstien in Coberg, Germany, Sparkasse in Heilbronn, Germany, Star Wars Celebrations around the world, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and numerous Wizard World Conventions across the US.[11]
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Personal life
Busch was married to Lin Zy (née Selestow) in 2011, but divorced in 2019.[46] He later married Novelist Casey McGrath, in 2024 at the historic Emerald Theatre in Downtown Mount Clemens, Michigan. Busch resides in a multi-faceted home studio in Macomb Township, Michigan with his wife Casey, their son Beaux, and dog Kyp.[7]
Filmography
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Published books
- The Art of Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom, published by Kaleidoscope Koi Entertainment, LLC (2025) (ISBN 9780971789074)
- The Star Wars Poster Book, published by Chronicle Books (2025) (ISBN 9780811848831)
- Aladdin 3477: Official Collector's Edition, published by Kaleidoscope Koi Entertainment, LLC (April 2023) (ISBN 9780971789067)
- Afterburn (1) Graphic Novel, published by Red 5 Comics (2021) (ISBN 9781732797628)
- Stranger Things: Visions from the Upside Down, published by Del Rey / Random House (2019) (ISBN 9781984821126)
- The Cyberpunk Nexus, published by Sequart (2018) (ISBN 9781940589183)
- The Art of Film: Star Wars - Volume 2, published by Future Publishing (2017) (ISBN 2907484078 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum)
- Star Wars - Legends: Tales from the Empire, published by Del Rey / Random House (2017) (ISBN 9780553578768)
- The Art of Painted Comics, published by Dynamite Entertainment (June 2016) (ISBN 9781606903537)
- The Art of Film: Star Wars, published by Future Publishing (2015) (ISBN 0290748407 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum)
- Hollywood is Dead, published by Planetmatt Entertainment (2014) (ISBN 9780971789036)
- Star Wars Art: Illustration, published by Abrams Books (October 2012) (ISBN 9781419704307)
- The Zombook, published by Graffito Books (2012) (ISBN 9780956028457)
- Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, published by Boom Entertainment (2011) (ISBN 9781936393367)
- Matt Busch's Sketchbook (Now With 90% More Bad-Ass!), published by Planetmatt Entertainment (December 2010) (ISBN 9780971789036)
- Star Wars: 1000 Collectibles, published by Harry N. Abrams (October 2009) (ISBN 9780810972919)
- The Worlds of Matt Busch, published by Hermes Press (April 2008) (ISBN 9781932563009)
- Gene Simmons House of Horrors, published by IDW Publishing (February 2008) (ISBN 9781600101366)
- Walt Disney: The American Dreamer, published by Tomart Publications (2008) (ISBN 978091429361-3)
- You Can Draw Star Wars, published by DK Publishing (January 2007) (ISBN 9780756623432)
- Pucker: The Seductive Art of Matt Busch, published by SQP Publishing (September 2006) (ISBN 9780865621442)
- Aprodisia II - Art of the Female Form, published by Aristata Publishing (2006) (ISBN 0975491237)
- Vader: The Ultimate Guide, published by Simon & Schuster (2005) (ISBN 9781847376657)
- Battlestar Galactica: Paradis, published by Simon & Schuster (2004) (ISBN 0743498348)
- Crisis - an Illustrated Screenplay, published by Accomplished Productions (April 2002) (ISBN 0971789002)
- Star Wars: Secrets of Naboo, published by Wizards of the Coast (2001) (ISBN 0786917946)
- Fantastic Visions: The Art of Matt Busch, published by Avatar Press (September 2001) (ISBN 9780970678416)
- Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection, published by Simon & Schuster (2001) (ISBN 0743413261)
- How to Draw Peanuts, published by Scholastic (1999) (ISBN 9780816772476)
- Star Wars Classic Adventures - Volume Four, published by West End Games (1997) (ISBN 0874312922)
- Star Wars: Platt's Smugglers Guide, published by West End Games (1997) (ISBN 0874315085)
- Star Wars: Instant Adventures, published by West End Games (1997) (ISBN 0874315107)
- Star Wars: Tales from the Empire, Published by Bantam Books (1997) (ISBN 0553578766)
- Star Wars: Alliance Intelligence Reports, published by West End Games (1995) (ISBN 0874312604)
- Star Wars: Heroes & Rogues, published by West End Games (1995) (ISBN 0874312582)
- Star Wars: Fantastic Technology, published by West End Games (1995) (ISBN 0874312159)
- Star Wars Adventure Journal Volume 1 No.5-14, published by West End Games (1995) (ISBN 9780874314069)
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