Mike Manley (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Manley |
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Manley in April 2016
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| Born | Michael Manley October 19, 1961 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller, Inker |
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Notable works
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Darkhawk, The Phantom and Judge Parker |
Michael Manley, born on October 19, 1961, is an American artist. He is famous for drawing comic strips and comic books. He works as both an inker (adding ink lines) and a penciller (drawing the initial pencil lines). Currently, Manley draws two popular comic strips: Judge Parker and The Phantom. He also helped create the Marvel Comics character Darkhawk.
Contents
About Mike Manley
Early Life and Inspiration
Mike Manley was born in Detroit, Michigan. His grandfather was an artist too. This showed Mike that drawing could be a real job. He always loved comics and cartoons. He was amazed when he saw how animation artists worked.
As a kid in Michigan, Mike visited a comic book store every day. He became a serious collector and reader. By the time he was a teenager, he knew he wanted to be a comic book artist. He also thought about being an animator or an illustrator.
Mike looked up to artist Frank Frazetta. Frazetta could do many types of art. Mike said Frazetta influenced many artists. Mike also found inspiration from artists like Alex Raymond and Al Williamson. Later, Mike even got to work with Al Williamson for a short time.
Education and First Steps
In high school, Mike took a commercial art class. This helped him build a portfolio of his artwork. He started working in commercial printing at age fifteen. He went to Washtenaw Community College. However, he felt the art classes there were not what he needed.
At age twenty-one, Mike became the art director for the Detroit Metro Times. Two years later, he got his first comic book art job. This was with DC Comics. Today, Mike Manley lives in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. This town is just outside Philadelphia.
Mike Manley's Creative Work
Comic Book Artist
Mike Manley has drawn for big comic book companies. These include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Dark Horse Comics. In 1991, Mike helped create the Darkhawk series for Marvel. He drew the first half of this series.
He also worked on many other comic books. Some of these include Batman, Quasar, and Captain America. He drew Batman #500, where Azrael became Batman. He also worked on the "KnightsEnd" story and the Zero Hour: Crisis in Time event.
In 1995, Mike started his own company, Action Planet Inc. He used it to publish his own comics. His first comic was Action Planet Comics, which featured his character Monsterman. In 1996, he launched ActionPlanet.com. This website has his award-winning online comic, G.I.R.L. Patrol.
In 2007, Mike drew a new Secret Agent Corrigan story. This was for a Swedish publisher called Egmont Publishing. His mentor, Al Williamson, had also drawn this character.
Book Illustrator
While working on comics, Mike also illustrated children's books. This was between 1985 and 1990. He drew books for Macmillan Publishing in their Raggedy Ann and Andy series.
For Golden Books and Western Publishing, he worked on fun activity books. These books featured popular characters. Some of them were Barbie, He-Man, Tiny Toons, and the Muppets. In 1989, Mike also worked on Star Wars role-playing game books for West End Games.
Animation Artist
In 1996, Mike Manley started working in animation. He became a storyboard artist for Superman: The Animated Series. He worked on seven episodes. One episode featured Lobo and was called "The Main Man, Part 2". He also worked on three episodes of The New Batman Adventures.
Throughout the 2000s, Mike created storyboards for many TV cartoons. These include Samurai Jack, Kim Possible, and The Fairly OddParents. He also worked on The Venture Brothers and The Secret Saturdays. Other projects included Spawn for HBO and Clerks: The Animated Series.
From 1998 to 2001, Mike was a background key designer for Superman: The Animated Series. He then became a background designer for Batman Beyond. He also worked as a character designer for Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Art Teacher
While working in comics and animation, Mike Manley created Draw! Magazine. This magazine teaches artists how to draw. It shows step-by-step guides and articles about artists. Mike also helped create a "how-to" DVD. It is called How to Create Comics from Script to Print.
In 2000, Mike started teaching art. He taught animation at the Delaware College of Art and Design until 2009. He then became a senior lecturer at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He also studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Comic Strip Artist
In 2010, Mike Manley was asked to draw the newspaper comic strip Judge Parker. He filled in for the regular artist, Eduardo Barreto, for four weeks. Mike was then offered the full-time job. He draws the strip seven days a week.
In 2016, Mike was chosen to draw The Phantom daily strips. He took over after the previous artist, Paul Ryan, passed away. Mike's work on The Phantom started on May 30, 2016. Mike noted that he and Paul Ryan are among a small group of artists who have drawn both Batman and The Phantom.
Many people praised the choice of Mike for The Phantom. One reviewer said he could keep details in his art. This was important as comic strips were getting smaller in print.
