- Mike Curtis (writer)
-
Mike Curtis is an American writer who scripts the Dick Tracy comic strip with Joe Staton as artist. He has been working professionally in comic books as a writer since the mid-1980s. He has also been a newspaper editor, deputy sheriff, comic book publisher, movie theater manager, TV horror movie host, Santa Claus for 39 years in the family tradition and is a Baptist minister.
Curtis is currently best known for Dick Tracy, but he is also the third largest collector of Superman memorabilia in the United States. He has been exhibiting and writing about Superman since 1973. In the 1970s he was a horror movie TV Host on Channel 6 in Jackson, Tennessee, as Count Basil on Shock Theater. He brought back the character in 2010 as horror host guest at the SIVADS OF MARCH[1] event in Memphis, Tennessee honoring that city's horror host.
In the 1980s, Curtis entered the comic book field by writing Richie Rich, Casper The Friendly Ghost and New Kids on the Block for Harvey Comics. While there, he also designed the Harvey Enchanted Forest map (based on Irish Bayou in Louisiana) and scripted several pilots for Casper TV series and specials.
In the 1990s, Curtis teamed up with artist Mike Sagara to produce his own comic, Shanda the Panda, an anthropomorphic or "furry" comic about a theater manager. With the first comic published by MU Press, the title moved to Antarctic Press for the second issue. There it ran for 14 issues, while Curtis' wife Carole produced a Native American cat adventure comic called Katmandu with artist Terrie Smith.
Later the Curtises took their titles to Vision Comics, while also beginning their own imprint, Shanda Fantasy Arts. Eventually. both flagship titles were reclaimed under the SFA Banner. SFA has published dozens of comic series and specials, including Extinctioners, Albedo and the non-furry LAST KISS.
Curtis and Staton were selected by Tribune Media Services to continue the Dick Tracy comic strip, now in its 80th year as of January 2011.[2] They are only the fifth team to ever do so. Shelley Pleger, inker, who has worked as an artist for Disney, and Shane Fisher, Sunday colorist and an extremely talented graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning, round out the team.
Shanda and Katmandu are still being published by the Curtises, but both series will end in 2011. They expect to publish an occasional comic or comic story, but the main focus is now on Dick Tracy.
When not at conventions, the Curtises live on a farm in Greenbrier, Arkansas. Mrs. Curtis makes jewelry, does costume work and is active in the local Society for Creative Anachronism. Curtis is now working on several novels and other projects with various projected print dates.
On May 2, 2011, the Tennessee Senate passed Resolution 30, congratulating Curtis and Staton on their professional accomplishments.
References
- ^ "Sivads of March". Guerrillamonster.com. 2005-03-23. http://www.guerrillamonster.com/memphis/SIVADS/index.html. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ^ "Case closed: Dick Tracy artist retires from long-running detective comic strip". Chicago Tribune. 2011-02-20. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-dick-tracy-cartoon-20110220,0,2798546.story. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
External links
Categories:- American comics writers
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