Welcome to Our Newest Edition of Creator Spotlight!
Our recurring feature that shines a light on comic creators selling original art on the Raremarq marketplace, offering fans an inside look at their journeys and contributions to the industry.
Today, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on Cedric Poulat, an exciting rising star in the world of comic book cover art. Known for his bold pin-up style, Poulat has brought his unmistakable touch to publishers like Zenescope, Dynamite, and Image Comics, quickly earning recognition for his phenomenal skills. Fans especially know him for his striking renditions of iconic characters such as Vampirella, Baroness, and Red Sonja, each brought to life with his trademark blend of beauty, strength, and bombshell energy.
Poulat’s portfolio is as versatile as it is eye-catching, ranging from Archie Comics variants on Betty and Veronica to exclusive retailer covers with 616 Comics for fan-favorite series like Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Vampirella. With a signature style that fuses classic pin-up artistry with expert cover composition, Cedric Poulat continues to cement his place as one of today’s most compelling cover artists.
Tell us about yourself and what got you interested in drawing
Well, I am French and I started drawing—let's say "seriously"—around the age of 7, with the aim of creating comics. Like many artists, it's because I was quite solitary and probably preferred creating things that interested me rather than facing the real world, which I absolutely do not care about! The advantage of drawing is that you create your own reality, you create what you like! And when you're a kid, it's an excellent escape and it stimulates your creativity.
I always aimed to write and draw comics, but over time things turned out a bit differently. It turned out to be easier to make a living from illustration. It's much more complicated to be accepted as an author, but I haven't given up hope of one day making a living from my creations! And yes, when I was young, I mainly drew guys! I couldn't draw a girl that looked like anything!! So I had to practice to improve a bit, and strangely, people started to take more interest in my drawings. Naturally, one thing led to another and that's how I ended up more or less known as a pin-up artist for the audience!
Who were some of your early inspirations?
As far as I remember, Todd McFarlane, Mark Bagley, and Tom Lyle, then Michael Turner, Marc Silvestri. After that, I leaned more towards the clean line style of Adam Hughes and Frank Cho. I've always followed J. Scott Campbell and his evolution, so he's probably my biggest influence.
Outside of comics: Ashley Wood, Rick Berry, John Watkiss, Alphonse Mucha. I'm also a huge fan of Jose Gonzalez!
Annnnnnnnnd many others, but yup, here you get the big guns.
What are some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?
I had a lot of fun working on covers for Archie Comics. It took me a bit out of the "standard" pin-up style I usually do, and their covers often require more storytelling, which is great!
I also love homage or parody covers; they require a good balance between the reference and what you bring to it!
Overall, I prefer projects where I'm not constantly censored or asked for modifications over and over, stuff I'm trusted with are obviously better! I really enjoyed making covers for The Escort, TMNT, the G.I. Joe "propaganda series" I did with the Baroness and Vampirella is always cool too!
Favorite character(s) to draw?
So, I guess I should mainly mention the characters that fall into the "comics" category?
Definitely Zatanna and Mary Marvel at DC. Psylocke, Phoenix, and Kitty Pryde at Marvel.
On the "Bad Girls" team, Vampi, and Lady Death for sure.
For the rest, a quick look at my Instagram account will show the recurring characters I work on :)
What are you currently working on?
Honestly, it’s always hard to say what we’re working on, since we’re not supposed to talk about it!
So I’ll focus on my most recent projects. Besides my work at Zenescope, which continues with new series featuring different variants of their characters, I keep doing "retailers exclusive" covers, and will also have some new one availables the regular way; so that is great!
Looking ahead, it would be great to maybe tackle some Marvel characters. My dream job is definitely doing covers for Zatanna! I’d also love to do more non-exclusive covers, like the standard ones you find by default. I know I might not fit perfectly into that category, but it would definitely open other doors!
Where can fans find you?
Instagram: cedric.poulat.comics — I’ll only mention this one, since I’m most active/reactive there!
Check out Cedric's current listing for his Lulu Final Fantasy X original now up for auction!
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own an original piece by the acclaimed Zenescope, Dynamite, and Image Comics artist.
If you'd like to follow Cedric on Raremarq, you can visit his profile here.
If you're interested in selling on Raremarq, visit www.raremarq.com/seller
