“Michael Davis Is One of the World Greatest Illustrators, Comic Book Artists and Graphic Who Is Helping Create the Gaurdian Line Comic Universe That Teaches Biblical Principles” by Ralph Zuranski
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“Michael Davis Is One of the World Greatest Illustrators, Comic Book Artists and Graphic Designers Who Has Invested Thousands of Hours Over Many Years In His Artwork to Create Valuable Graphical Content for His Own Projects and Those of His Clients, Especially Urban Ministries, Who He Is Working With To Create A Faith-Based Comic Book Series, Called The Guardian Line, That Teaches Value Principles Based On God’s Wisdom Contained in the Bible”
For his entire adult life, Michael Davis has made a living off of his imagination. As the creator of groundbreaking comic books, television shows and reading programs, he has constructed multiple cities, devised dozens of intriguing characters and introduced the kind of stories that leave audiences longing for more. Michael is well known as the co-creator of Static Shock!, the Emmy award-winning WB & Cartoon Network show about his life. His many clients have been as diverse as the multicultural casts he has created. He is an entrepreneur, teacher and mentor who snaps up opportunities to give others a chance at success.
When Michael was a fourth grader in Queens, NY, he was reading on only a second grade level. That summer his mother gave him some comic books to read “to keep him out of trouble.” This one wise act tipped the scales of Michael’s life toward success. When he didn’t understand a word, she pointed him toward the dictionary and wished him luck as he figured things out on his own. By the time the next school year started, Michael was a fifth grade comic book fanatic reading at a ninth grade level. His love of comics motivated him to pursue training as an illustrator at the High School of Art and Design and the Pratt Institute. In 1987 Michael’s talent and creative potential attracted the attention of Piranha Press, an imprint of the world’s largest comic book publisher, DC Comics. He was chosen to illustrate ETC, the very first book project from Piranha. ETC established new frontiers in the business of comic book art.
Michael founded his media company, Bad Boy Studios, that same year (yes, before P. Diddy!). The studio’s most notable achievement was its mentor program, another of Michael’s creations inspired by his childhood experiences. “I am every poor black kid in America,” he says. “I grew up fatherless, and both my grandmother and my sister were taken by violence. If my mother and my cousin William hadn’t been there tomentor me, I would either be in jail or be dead today.” Michael’s desire to provide that same support for other inner-city kids has produced a nationally recognized mentor program in which 100% of alumni have built careers in the media industry. In 1997, Mentor Magazine named Michael “Mentor of the Year.”
Michael’s position on the crest of big company comics’ freshest wave launched his next unique venture, Milestone Media. Michael and three partners founded Milestone in 1992. Milestone did the biggest joint venture deal in the history of comics when they cut a distribution deal with Time Warner, the first ever between the media giant and a Black-owned company. Milestone was a comic book revolution that spawned a full-scale multicultural universe of heroes and villains and good stories well told. The new universe of characters was distributed alongside Time Warner’s DC Comics. Since its debut in 1993, Milestone has sold well over 10 million copies worldwide, establishing itself as the biggest Black comic book publisher in the world.
In 1994 Michael was approached by Motown Records to run its new animation and film division. As president and CEO of Motown Animation and Filmworks, Michael created and placed into development television shows at Disney, ABC, WB and Fox. Static Shock! began its highly successful run in 2000 and is currently the highest rated animated show on the Cartoon Network. It’s the first and only Saturday morning cartoon show to feature a teenage African American superhero.
Reading comic books was key to Michael’s academic success. Inspired to motivate students who struggle with literacy, he created The Action Files (Simon and Schuster), the only comics based curriculum/reading program taught in any school system. Michael recognizes that if a child doesn’t learn to read, opportunities for that child’s success vanish. His passion for literacy prompted the creation of the Magic Media reading program, a joint venture with Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the co-founding of The Comic Arts Festival, an annual event in Los Angeles that promotes literacy.
Michael describes his latest project as “by far the greatest thing I’ve ever done—this is my dream job.” Since 1996, when he was at Motown, Michael has dreamed of creating a positive, faith-based comics series. That moment has finally arrived. Michael has conceived a new universe of characters and content for the Black mega publisher Urban Ministries, Inc, a company with nearly forty years of experience in the African American church market. Set to debut in September 2006, The Guardian Line will include all the hallmarks of a Michael Davis creation: strong African American characters, a multicultural cast and a guy named Larry. In February 2006 UMI named Michael VP of their new media division. His partnership with UMI is a joining of two market leaders in their respective industries. The Guardian Line will be the biggest launch in comics’ history for African American content—eclipsing even Michael’s own Milestone Media!
Michael was twice named to Hero Illustrated’s “100 Most Powerful People in Comics.” He has been profiled in Black Enterprise, the New York Daily News, the New York Times, CNN, BET, MTV, The Today Show, Mentor Magazine and the Comics Buyers Guide, to name a few. In May 2004 Michael was awarded his PhD from the Hollywood International Institute. He is also a highly entertaining and much-requested lecturer who has served as a keynote speaker for The New York United Federation of Art Teachers, The Partnership for a Drug Free America, the Urban League and the FBI.
Prepare to Witness the Dawn of a Comic Book Revolution!
The joining of two publishing superpowers promises to create a new concept in comic book development that appeals to more young readers than ever before.
Chicago, IL—UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc), the largest independent African American media firm providing positive content for the urban market, announces one of the biggest launches in comics history for the young multicultural audience—The Guardian Line. This series is the superbly styled result of the combined resources of UMI and creator of The Guardian Line Michael Davis.
“We have been developing this concept for two years, committing all the necessary time and resources to perfecting it. We are releasing a product designed to connect with a large and diverse audience,” states president of UMI, Carl Jeffrey Wright. “This series of comics will invite young readers to become part of a universe filled with memorable and inspiring characters who look just like them. Teenagers and kids in America face daily choices between good and evil. As The Guardian Line keeps them highly entertained and coming back for more, it will nudge them toward the good.”
Michael Davis is the co-creator of the Emmy winning animated show Static Shock! and one of the founders of the Black comic publishing phenomenon, Milestone Media. Davis has been looking for the perfect opportunity to produce a positive, multicultural comics series for ten years. He first conceived the idea in 1996 while serving as president and CEO of Motown Animation and Filmworks.
“American youth culture is an expression of Black culture,” Davis states. “Black culture determines trends in clothing, music and language for young people from every cultural background in this country and worldwide. These comics are not just for black kids. They are universally appealing, both to urban readers who will recognize the realistic portrayal of their world and to affluent suburban hip-hop fans who haven’t experienced that world but are nevertheless drawn to the trends it creates.”
For over 35 years UMI has been the trusted source for teaching materials and inspirational book titles in the African American church market and is the exclusive or semi-exclusive publisher for several different church denominations. They are poised to reach a network of 40,000 churches and 1,500 bookstores with The Guardian Line—a larger audience than that of even Michael’s own Milestone Media. The Guardian Line will be available to the general market through Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of English-language comics and related merchandise.
The Guardian Line includes four separate series (Joe and Max, The Seekers, Genesis 5, and Code) targeting specific age groups. All the stories take place in the fictional New Hope City and feature the three essentials fans have come to expect in a Michael Davis universe: strong African American characters, a multicultural cast (some with extraordinary powers) and a guy named Larry. The focus of each series is the battle between characters chosen to fight evil, in the form of New Hope City’s nefarious nemesis, Steven Dark. While UMI wields its considerable experience to tailor the positive content to fit the needs of its market, Michael and a team of experienced A-list comic creators have crafted a comic universe that will surpass the expectations of seasoned comic readers who may be skeptical of a faith-based series. UMI’s recruiting of the best talent in the comic industry infuses The Guardian Line with the hip legitimacy necessary to connect with young readers and is in character with the company’s reputation for producing graphically superior, relevant content.
The unveiling of The Guardian Line is scheduled for September, 2006. The first series released, targeting the teen segment, will be Joe and Max, based on Michael’s experiences in elementary school. Well, Michael didn’t exactly fight evil billionaires or have a big, buff Guardian Angel to keep him out of trouble, but it would have been really cool if he did. Additional titles will release weekly. The comics will then be released bi-monthly for a total of six issues of each series per year.
The Guardian Line
Launching September 2006
$2.99 per issue
www.TheGuardianLine.com
www.urbanministries.com