R.L. Black

Artist, Musician, Author

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"Eyes. Lungs. Pancreas. So many snacks, so little time."

Illustration of the character Venom from Marvel Comics done in a retro comic book style with distressed inks and dot patterns. Drawn with physical pencils, inked in Clip Studio Paint, and colored in Photoshop. 

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“There shall never be another dawn…”

Illustration of the demon character “Darkness” from the movie “Legend” in a retro comic style. Drawn with physical pencils, inked in Clip Studio Paint, and colored in Photoshop. 

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“The master will kill you for this! But not fast. Slowly! Oh, so slowly!”

Vampire illustration from “Fright Night” in retro comic style. Created with physical pencils, inked in Clip Studio Paint, and colored in Photoshop. 

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“You have to leave now, and never come back here.”

A retro-style illustration of a character from The Fly as he transforms from human into a human-fly hybrid. He is deformed and disgusting. The illustration features dot patterns and distressed inks reminiscent of an old comic book. Created in Clip Studio Paint and colored in Photoshop. Enjoy! 

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"Every utterance of Doom must be recorded for posterity!"

This is “Zen Doom.” Available as a limited edition print on my website. Dr. Doom is one of my favorite villains of all time. Pompous. Evil. Self absorbed. Powerful. A potent mix. A chunk of the 30 available prints have been purchased already. Supplies are running out. If you’d like to pick one up, head to my website (link in bio). Once they are gone, they are gone for-ev-ahhh.

Shop the drop now: https://www.rlblack.ink/shop/may-2026-print-drop

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“So I was wondering if... you would be my girl…”

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“My love will consume you.”

I did a pen and ink drawing a while back and wanted to do some digital color on it, just to finish it up. I also touched it up a little in Clip Studio paint. I enjoy doing these dark fantasy romance pieces. They are a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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“What’s wrong? Don’t you want me anymore?”

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“And you can tell all your scum friends that things are going to change in this town. I’m not just another pretty face.”

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Masters of the Universe today! Yes, I am super pumped about the He-Man movie. I am a child of the 80s to some extent and the prospect of a hilarious homage to one of the pillars of my youth is enticing. It’s hard to image it being fulfilling but I am going in with rock-bottom expectations, so there’s nowhere to go but up. Hopefully I don’t get fist-oh’d by this movie. God help me. So, today I am sharing some of my Matsers artwork along with a smattering of my fantasy artwork. Enjoy!

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“You don’t have to worry; she says we don’t need to change!”

If you’ve seen it, you know. If you haven’t seen it, you should. This movie was absolutely amazing, unnerving, frightening, mesmerizing. I ended up watching it twice this weekend. Once with my sons, and then I dragged my wife to see it. She loved it as well. It’s so exciting to be alive during this horror renaissance. There wave been so many amazing horror movies this year and more to come. I am on board for all of it. Anyway, this is my tribute. I couldn’t wait to post this. This entire concept and character has haunted me since I first witnessed it. It has inspired me to expand my own work. I hope you enjoy this homage to one of my “movies of the year.” #backrooms

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Neon skulls, exposed circuitry, and retro-futurist horror vibes. 💀

“Awake Cyborg” is available now as part of the May 2026 R.L. Black print drop. Signed, numbered, dated, and limited to 30 total prints.

Grab it here: https://www.rlblack.ink/shop/p/awake-cyborg-art-print

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Batman: Year 300

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Darth Vader is one of my favorite villains of all time.

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“I'm not like other guys.”

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Morbid Fantasy Returns — February

Finally, Morbid Fantasy will be relaunching on Kickstarter in February with more artwork, more promotion, and a much bigger campaign overall. This magazine is something I truly believe in, and I'm excited to finally get it off the ground in a big way. Specific dates will be announced very soon.

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“Dead by Dawn!”

This piece is another tribute to Evil Dead 2—a film that perfectly blends horror, comedy, and chaos. This is easily one of my favorite films. Created in Clip Studio Paint with some traditional pencils as a base. Colored in Photoshop.