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 entertainment properties 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] In more recent years, he has become a media arts professor and independent filmmaker, known for the ambitious Aladdin 3477 movie trilogy.[4]
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 many arts, from drawing his own comic books, playing several music instruments, and creating short films with his parents' VHS camcorder. Busch has claimed his early years playing in a rock band inspired his unique grassroots marketing as a visual artist when starting his career.[5] In 1993, he won an award from the Library of Congress for his copyright achievements.[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 to 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]
Later in his career, Busch dove into the world of independent filmmaking, eventually writing and directing the Aladdin 3477 trilogy of movies. He has taught media arts college courses at a number of higher education schools.[12]
Career
Matt Busch has illustrated numerous official Star Wars posters, books, apparel, and other products since 1994.
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]
Matt Busch at a book signing in Disney World Hollywood Studios, 2008.
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]
Matt Busch illustrates a remarque sketch of BB-8 on an art print at Star Wars Celebration in London, 2016.
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]
Busch giving a guest lecture at Barnes & Noble in Indianapolis, 2008.
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]
Guests admire Busch's artwork at a Star Wars art show held in Heilbronn, Germany (2024).
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]
Busch has illustrated licensed art for other notable pop culture brands, including Stranger Things for Netflix.
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 merchandise like T shirts and bandanas.[35] Rikki Rockett also wrote the introduction to Busch's first hardcover art book, Fantastic Visions: The Art of Matt Busch, from Avatar Press.
John Dolmayan, drummer of the band System of a Down, wrote the introduction to Busch's art book Pucker: The Seductive Art of Matt Busch.
Busch's second art book, Pucker: The Seductive Art of Matt Busch from SQP Publishing featured a written introduction from another well-known drummer, John Dolmayan from the nü metal band System of a Down.[36]
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]
Another property Busch has often illustrated is Indiana Jones.
In 2011, the Indiana Jones World Map was released, a project which Busch spent 3 years working with Lucasfilm to authorize, research and Illustrate. 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 AppleiPhone and iPad apps with his brother Ian, such as Interactive Sketchbook and How to Draw (with Artist Matt Busch).[2]
Actress Christi Perovski and Busch at the release of Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom, 2025.
In 2025, the film Afterburn will be released, based on the Red 5 comic book series which 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]
Busch's magnum opus is a trilogy of live action films, Aladdin 3477, which he has written and directed.
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]
Matt Busch does a live demonstration on stage, drawing Darth Vader at a Star Wars art show in Germany (2024).
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]
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