Andy Park is a comic book artist, illustrator, and concept artist who has been portraying Lara Croft in comics since the late 1990s. He illustrated Lara Croft in Rise of the Tomb Raider, featuring a redesigned Antarctica outfit from Tomb Raider III for the franchise's 20th anniversary. As part of Tomb Raider’s 25th-anniversary celebrations, Andy painted his interpretation of the cover for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

His portrayal of Lara Croft is widely regarded as a favorite among fans, with some artists in the community drawing inspiration from his work—incorporating details like Lara’s red nail polish into their own creations.

In celebration of the upcoming release of the Tomb Raider Colossal Collection by Dark Horse, we interviewed Andy about his favorite Tomb Raider covers.

Q: Which of the covers you’ve designed are your personal favorites, and what makes them stand out to you?

Andy: It’s always tough to pick favorites that are so near and dear to me. I spent over 2 years and almost 20 issues dedicated to helping tell the stories of Lara Croft. But I’d have to say the Tomb Raider #1 cover that was the gold-foiled version, which was also used for the initial poster I was signing and giving away at the San Diego Comic Con prior to the series release in 1999. That cover encapsulated the character in her pose, smile, strength, and environment she was crouched down on. Marc Silvestri art directed that piece and gave me great advice in creating that illustration. I was honored to learn from one of my comic book heroes. I also love that cover because my favorite inker, and one of my best friends, Jon Sibal inked it. And then the amazing Richard Isanove, one of my favorite colorists, poured his magic onto it to finalize the illustration.

The main cover to Tomb Raider issue #1 with the purple background is also near and dear to me. I tried to get a similar feel as the previous cover/poster image I mentioned above, but with a slightly edgier mood with it being at night and all. I will always remember getting my hands on the actual comic book when it finally was published in November of 1999. I was on a Tomb Raider European signing tour traveling from Netherlands to Germany to Belgium to France when I was handed a copy of the issue. It was a special moment knowing how big a deal that was. And then the fact that that first issue became the #1 highest selling comic in the industry that year was mind blowing. It was a special experience.

The other cover that really stands out to me is Tomb Raider issue #9 (Dynamic Forces edition) with her fighting a crocodile. I just like how I was able to execute that one artistically. I like the composition, the moment, and how it kind of feels like it could be turned into a cool statue. I’m a big fan of toys and statues and how they capture iconic characters and moments. So I felt like this cover image had that feeling.

I have to mention the covers and illustrations I was so honored to do many years later after I left the Tomb Raider comic book series. That original series run was from 1999- 2002. Years later I’ve been contacted by the good folks at Crystal Dynamics to take part in several collaborations from the 15 year anniversary, to the 20 year and 25 year anniversary, the rebooted video games, and the rebooted Dark Horse comic book series. Each time I got to illustrate a poster type image or a cover was like coming home again. So I’ve illustrated Lara throughout my professional career for over 25 years. I’ll never get tired of being a small part of her legacy.

Q: What were some of the things about the character of Lara Croft that you wanted to make sure you captured in your art?

Andy: From the very beginning I knew I wanted to bring a reality to the character. I was aware that Lara was already an icon at that point. But I was also aware that she would very well be portrayed in ways that to me seemed one sided. I wanted to make her multi-faceted, a fully realized and complex character. Of course, working alongside Dan Jurgens on this project made all that possible. He could have easily wrote her as generic and simplistic. But I love that he brought a depth to her that I had so much fun trying to convey through my art.

A big aspect I was trying to convey through my art was to give her a strength, of course in character, but also physically. While I wanted to make her as visually appealing as possible, I also wanted to give her a physical strength that would make her a believable person capable of all these amazing physical feats. So that was always on my mind while drawing her physical actions and movements. I wanted to give her a confidence that’s even cocky when appropriate, but also a vulnerability that made her real. So I always tried to keep all this in mind during my time on the Tomb Raider comic book.

Q: How did you go about choosing poses and compositions for these covers?

Andy: For the comic books, I always tried to keep the story in mind all while trying to capture her as the icon she is. So poses and compositions were always very important. I often had her looking right at you, the viewer, but not always. I think that was to mimic all the early video game box art covers. She always seemed to be looking right at you rather than looking elsewhere at some action off screen. I think that is a very Lara Croft thing to do. She’s engaging, intense, full of charisma, and always ready for whatever is about to come her way. She always looks prepared to take on any challenge.

Discover more from Andy Park:

• https://www.andyparkart.com/

• ArtStation

• YouTube

• Instagram

Collaborations

Dark Horse