Mike Bullock

Mike Bullock is an award-winning writer of poetry and creative fiction, a published lyricist, and an accomplished non-fiction writer. He has been writing creatively for over twenty years and has nearly two decades of promotional experience in the music and comic industries. He is best known as the creator of Lions, Tigers and Bears for Image Comics, and as the regular writer of legendary superhero The Phantom from Moonstone Books.

Overview

Mike Bullock first began his music career at the age of seventeen. By his twenty-first birthday, he'd joined his first professional band, recorded his first album for Restless Records and gone on his first tour. During this time, he wrote for and served as editor of the fanzine Schematix. By his twenty fifth birthday, UCLA's Campus Circle magazine relied on Bullock for their music columns and band interviews.

Soon after, Bullock launched Mainframe Music, an artist development company aimed at steering the careers of younger musicians.

Bullock attended Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, studying journalism and computer science. He later studied both fiction and non-fiction writing for children and young adults at the Institute of Children's Literature.

At the age of thirty, he walked away from the music industry and soon embraced writing full-time.

Bullock joined the staff of the online comic magazine Broken Frontier in February 2003. During his time with the magazine, Bullock was the Review Editor. In addition to reviews, Bullock also became one of the longest tenured staff writers; his Industrial Evolution column arrived weekly for two years and was joined by the occasional Lowdown article. He later went on to become the President and founder of Runemaster Studios.

His first published fiction work, Lions, Tigers and Bears brought him acclaim that rivaled his music career and validated his new choice in creative outlets.

Comic book works

In late 2002, Dabel Brothers Productions approached Bullock and offered to let him head up their Promotions Department.

During his one year stint with Dabel Brothers Productions, Bullock performed the duties of PR Director, as well as Editor on DBPro's original series, Imperial Dragons, and Dreamwave's Warlands. In addition, Bullock developed the second Imperial Dragons series for Dabel Brothers, entitled Imperial Dragons: Road of Honor.

Bullock soon developed several of his original properties, the first of which to see publication is the critically acclaimed Image Comic Lions, Tigers and Bears, a charming all-ages tale reviewers have called " Monsters Inc. meets The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe ". Lions, Tigers and Bears was created by Bullock, then developed with series artist, Jack Lawrence. Bullock's second series, The Gimoles [1], has also achieved a high level of praise from readers and critics alike, featuring artwork from UK artist Theo Bain [2]and newcomer Michael Metcalf with colors by Bob Pedroza. The second Lions, Tigers and Bears series, also authored by Bullock, began in April of 2006. Lions Tigers and Bears Volume 3 is slated for release some time in 2009. His newest creator-owned series, Timothy and the Transgalactic Towel [3] debuted in September of 2009.

In late 2005, Bullock was handed the reins of Moonstone Books' comic series starring, and named after, The Phantom [4], originally created by Lee Falk. His involvement with the character has spawned huge interest from fans and general comic book buyers alike. Mike contributed a short story featuring the character in Moonstone's Phantom prose anthology, released in the summer of 2007. Mike's regular artists on the Phantom are Silvestre Szilagyi and Bob Pedroza. He's also worked with Gabriel Rearte, Carlos Magno, EricJ, Zeu and Fernando Peniche. Bullock took over the book from writers Ben Raab, Chuck Dixon, and Rafael Nieves. Bullock given the duties of Phantom Group Editor in early '09.

Awards

• Discovery Youth Prize (Prix Jeunesse 7-8 ans) at the 2007 Angoulême International Comics Festival
• Paper Screen Gem Award for All-Ages Comics, Broken Frontier, 2005
• Golden Poet Award, International Poetry Society, 1989

Music credits

• Ironchrist - lead vocals
• Indestroy - lead vocals, manager
• Eulogy - lead vocals, manager
• Delirium - backing vocals, producer
• Wretched - lead vocals
• Inner Fear - lead vocals, manager, producer
• Scab - lead vocals, guitar, manager, producer
• .357 - lead vocals, guitar, manager, producer

Bibliography

Alias Comics

• Gimoles #1 (creator, writer) (2005)

Arcana Studio

• Grunts War is Hell (writer) (2008)

Archie

• SONIC X #21 starring Sonic the Hedgehog (writer) (2006)

Image Comics

• Lions, Tigers and Bears volume I (creator, writer) (2005)
• Lions, Tigers and Bears volume II (creator, writer) (2006)
• Lions, Tigers and Bears volume III (creator, writer) (2009)
• Secrets of the Seasons: The Gimoles [5] volume I (creator, writer) (2008)
• POPGUN volume I: Tiger-Man (creator, writer) (2008)

Moonstone Books

• The Phantom #12-26, Annual 1 & 2 (writer) (2005-2008)
• The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks #1+, (writer) (2009-present)
• The Phantom Chronicles White Knight (writer) (2007)
• The Phantom Chronicles Bad Medicine (story/plot by Ed Rhoades) (2007)
• Zorro Enemy of my Enemy (co-writer with Matthew Baugh) (2008)
• The Phantom: Generations #8 (writer) (2009)

Silverline Books

• Timothy and the Transgalactic Towel [6] (creator, writer) (2009)

Ronin Studios

• Tigerman (creator, writer) (2005)
• Gimoles: Where The River Flows (creator, writer) (2005)

External links

• Runemaster Studios, Inc.
• Image Comics
• Moonstone Books
• An article about the Phantom written by Mike Bullock
• Interview with Mike from Phantom fansite The Chronicle Chamber
• Comprehensive Article on Runemaster Studios, Inc.
• Interview with Mike on The Comic Bloc online magazine
• Mike Bullock's ComicSpace
• Mike Bullock's Myspace