Michael Davis (born April 29, 1958) is an American

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary a ...

, writer, and one of the co-founders of Milestone Media.

Career

Davis wrote an advice column for the ''

Comic Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publi ...

'' in the late 1980s. He founded Bad Boy Studios to mentor younger creators. In 1989, he collaborated as an artist with Tim Conrad on the series ''Etc.'' for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Piranha Press Piranha Press, an imprint of DC Comics from 1989 to 1994, was a response by DC to the growing interest in alternative comics. The imprint was edited by Mark Nevelow, who instead of developing comics with the established names in the alternative co ...

. In 1992, he co-founded Milestone Media with

Dwayne McDuffie Dwayne Glenn McDuffie (February 20, 1962February 21, 2011) was an American writer of comic books and television, known for producing and writing the animated series '' Static Shock'', '' Damage Control'', ''Justice League Unlimited'' and '' Ben ...

Denys Cowan Denys B. Cowan (born January 30, 1961) is an American comics artist, television producer, media executive and one of the co-founders of Milestone Media. Early life Denys Cowan was first inspired by superheroes as a child from reruns of the 1950s ...

, and Derek T. Dingle, contributing to the creation of characters including Hardware,

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static (DC Comics), Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the W ...

Icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

, and the

Blood Syndicate The Blood Syndicate is a fictional multicultural vigilante gang of superhumans created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''Blood Syndicate'' #1 (April 1993), and was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Vele ...

, but focusing more on the business side of the venture, with Dingle. After leaving Milestone, he launched Motown Machine Works, where he was joined by Cowan. He served as president/CEO of Motown Animation & Filmworks but left in 1996. He was also President of Animation for Magic Johnson Entertainment. In 2006 he created ''The Guardian Line'' comic for

Urban Ministries Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) is an independent, African American-owned and operated Christian media company founded in 1970. UMI publishes Christian resources, including Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curricula, books, movies, and websites ...

. He has written regular columns for the website ComicMix and "From the Edge" for Bleeding Cool. Davis was inducted into The Harvey Awards Hall Of Fame

The Black Panel

Michael Davis started the Black Panel, at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

in 1997. The Black Panel is a mix of Black and often non-Black entertainment industry movers, shakers, and newcomers. Comics are an essential part but far from being the only component of the panel. Black content from all areas of the entertainment arena is fair game in the dialogue. Black culture is youth culture in America, and the Black Panel attempts to bring insight, information, and access to its vast, diverse audience.

References

African-American comics creators American comics artists American comics creators Inkpot Award winners Living people 1958 births 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people {{US-comics-creator-stub