Milton Knight facts for kids

Milton Knight Jr. (born May 12, 1962) is an American artist who does many things. He is a cartoonist, an animator, a comic book artist, a writer, and a painter. He also creates storyboards and layouts for cartoons. Milton Knight has directed animation for popular shows like Cool World, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. He is famous for his unique cartooning style, which looks like the cartoons from the 1930s, known as the Golden Age of comics.

About Milton Knight

Early Life and Art

Milton Knight Jr. was born on May 12, 1962, in Mineola, New York. He started drawing, painting, and making his own comic books and animations when he was only two years old! As a child, Milton collected many things that inspired him. These included Chinese watercolors, poster art, Charlie Brown comics, and cartoons from Terrytoons.

When he visited museums and art galleries in New York, he loved how pop artists mixed comic strips with fine art. Milton Knight's goal in art is not to copy real life. Instead, he loves to create new shapes and ideas, giving them their own special life.

Working as an Illustrator

Starting in 1979, Milton Knight began illustrating for many national magazines and newspapers. Some of these included The Village Voice, Family Weekly, Nickelodeon Magazine, The Electric Company Magazine, National Lampoon, High Times, and Heavy Metal.

He has also designed many other things. These include comic books, covers for music records, posters, candy wrappers, and T-shirts.

Creating Comics

Around 1982, Milton Knight met Kim Thompson and Gary Groth. They worked for a company called Fantagraphics that publishes graphic novels. They knew about Milton Knight's comic called Hugo. In 1982, Fantagraphics published Hugo as a special one-shot comic. It was described as "fairy tales for adults."

Later, Fantagraphics brought Hugo back as a three-issue series from 1984 to 1985. They then collected all the issues into one book. Milton Knight also wrote and drew a ten-issue Marvel Comics series called Mighty Mouse. This comic was based on the cartoon project The New Adventures by Ralph Bakshi.

Animation Work

In 1991, Milton Knight moved to California. There, he started working as an animator for TV cartoons. His first directing job was on The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. He helped create the art, characters, props, backgrounds, storyboards, and colors for many animated cartoons.

He worked for big companies like Disney TV, MGM TV, Saban, Rhythm & Hues, Warner Bros. Animation, and HBO. Some of his most famous animation projects include Ralph Bakshi's Cool World, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.

Milton Knight also teaches art at The Colonnade Art Gallery and Studio in Pasadena, California. He volunteers for the International Animated Film Association, helping with their animation archives.

In 2021, it was announced that Milton Knight would provide commentary for the Blu-Ray release of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. This Blu-Ray included all 65 episodes of the show. The collection was released in February 2022, and it features Milton Knight's commentary.