| Mike Dawson (cartoonist) | |
|---|---|
Dawson at the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival. |
|
| Born | 1975 Scotland |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Artist, Writer |
| Notable works | Freddie & Me Ace-Face Gabagool! |
| Official website | |
Mike Dawson (born 1975) is a British-American cartoonist, known for his work on books such as Freddie & Me,Ace-Face and Gabagool!
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Dawson was born in Scotland, but his family moved to Leighton Buzzard, England when he was still an infant. They then emigrated to the United States in 1986, where his family settled in Red Bank, New Jersey. He studied painting at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Between 1995 and 1998 Dawson wrote and drew a daily comic strip for his college newspaper The Daily Targum. He worked with multiple collaborators, and the strip went through a number of incarnations: Dave & Pissa, Dave & Co, and Dave’s Family.
From 2002 – 2004 he self-published the humor series Gabagool!, with co-writer Chris Radtke.
His first graphic novel, Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody, was published in 2008. In it, Dawson presents a memoir of his younger days as an obsessive fan of the rock group Queen and of the band's flamboyant, charismatic, and vocally gifted lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Dawson explores how the music of Queen corresponds to significant events and meaningful time periods in his life, particularly in his youth.
A collection of short stories entitled Ace-Face: The Mod With the Metal Arms was published in 2009 by AdHouse Books.
His second graphic novel, Troop 142, was published in 2011 by Secret Acres.
Dawson is also the co-host of The Ink Panthers Show!, a weekly podcast with Alex Robinson. Guests have included Tony Consiglio,Josh Flanagan, Andy Runton, Dylan Horrocks, and Matt Fraction.
Dawson hosts a second podcast, TCJ Talkies, which appears on The Comics Journal website biweekly.