Chris Ecker has had an over thirty year career in both the creative and retail ends of the comics industry, worked as a professional wrestling announcer, held journalist positions on two national magazines, and designed toys, children’s books, and national advertising campaigns.
Hired as the first full time employee of the Moondog’s Comics chain, Chris spent over fifteen years in management of ChicagoLand’s most prominent chain of comic book and pop culture stores.
He was also a mainstay at Gary Carlson’s MEGATON Comics, where he co-created and drew the independent b&w comic book RAMM with writer Lee Dolezal, as well as helping with lettering and production work on other titles.
His cartooning career included a short stint as assistant to Rick Fletcher, supplying lettering on the DICK TRACY syndicated comic strip and as a gag cartoonist, with work appearing in the Chicago Tribune Sunday comics.
He was one of the original founders of Chicago’s NOW Comics after the release of his self published EB’NN the Raven comic book in the 1980s drew the attention of entrepreneur Tony Caputo. With the third issue, EB’NN became one of the fledgling company’s tent pole titles. At Ecker’s suggestion, NOW Comics pursued such licensed titles as SPEED RACER and ASTRO BOY, eventually adding REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, TERMINATOR, Married With Children and other licensed properties to their publishing roster.
Chris also created and served as editor/writer on BATTLE-AXE MAGAZINE for Comics Interview, and worked as a freelance artist in advertising–supplying production art for Curious George and Cap’n Crunch, as well as producing art for comic books published by First Comics and Mirage Studios before co-creating BIG BANG COMICS with Gary Carlson.
Chris eventually moved into journalism as a writer/markets editor for Sendai publications HERO ILLUSTRATED magazine and HERO ON-LINE where he reported on the market trends in the burgeoning direct market comic business of the 1990s.
He also worked with Marvel/DC artist and pro wrestler P.D. “Dark Angel” Gabrielle as a ring and on air announcer for CIWA Pro Wrestling and on the POWERSLAM Pro wrestling TV show.
After a three year stay in the motorcycling industry as an advertising artist for a chain of Harley-Davidson dealerships, Ecker became the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Moose International, the parent organization for the Loyal Order of Moose Fraternity, serving as Associate Editor of the international Moose Magazine. He also designed the Tommy Moose plush toy and a wrote and drew a children’s book featuring the character for the organization.
Ecker is currently producing the Knight Watchman Digital Comic Strip released online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and which will soon be written by legendary comic book writer Roger McKenzie, and inked by Matthew Hansel.
Gary Carlson wrote and published the independent comic book MEGATON during the 1980s, which helped usher in the do-it-yourself black & white comics boom of that decade.
