Some gay and gay friendly comics fans may still recall the name of artist Mike S. Miller. Miller was known for sharing his traditional Christian beliefs about homosexuality in various online forums. As one of the suits for the defunct publisher Alias, Miller required and freelancer whose work appeared in Alias’ line of comics to sign a contract that included the terms he or she would not create comics with adult/ erotic content. Miller disappeared after Alias shuttered, though he may have been employed as a sales rep for Wowio or in another position. After a second vanishing act, Miller resurfaced in what seems to me the most unlikely of places, as a fill in artist on The Authority, home to Apollo and Midnighter. Hell did not freeze over nor was heaven rent asunder if only because the gay superhero couple weren’t in either issue, it was certainly a surprise to find Miller’s name attached to mainstream project.
While Miller didn’t have the opportunity to draw either Midnighter or Apollo, you might enjoy the following sample of his art from Authority #22 and #23. Mind, there were a fair number of similar instances with female characters, but you can look for the comics if you want to check that out.
A couple of old Rich Johnston’s Lying In The Gutters columns mentioning incidents involving Miller are still up. Read Pinklisted and Pinklasting .
Tags: Apollo, gay, Midnighter, Mike Miller, Wildstorm
Goodness, someone seems conflicted …
There is attention to detail, isn’t there? It surprised me.
Well, Joe, they say the guilty dog barks the loudest, right?
Anyway, I remember well the whole mess with Mike Miller’s homophobic statements. Like Chuck Dixon, he’s a comic book profesional who I think is skilled, but I can’t bring myself to buy their work anymore because the thought of supporting these homophobes is revolting to me.
James, I know what you mean! It’s been years since I’ve read any of Dixon’s stories, and skilled or not, I haven’t missed it. The only reason I have these Authority issues is I have to order comics two months in advance to get a very nice discount through my shop and I just wasn’t paying attention.
You guys are funny.
Thanks, Mike!
You bet, Joe. Long time, hope you’re well.
It has been a while. And yes, I am doing well, all things considered. Thank you. I hope you are also.
Yeah, been crazy busy. Have 5 kids now and my niece moved in with us, so it’s a hectic household. Doing some work for Wildstorm, as you noticed, but actually trying to get out of comics. Have a pretty steady gig doing video games, which pays a lot better, and I need the money with all these mouths to feed. haha.
I think you’ve done a fair-minded report here, Joe. Glad you appreciate my attempt to be anatomically accurate. I’m not aware of any of the characters in the book as having been eunuchs.
Kids take up an enormous amount of time — not that it isn’t deserved, because it is. It’s amazing in a good way.
I’d imagine pay for work in video games is better. There’s a game company in town, Volition, or part of its company is here. A couple years ago it ran an ad for game testers and was amazed at the pay for that position.
Yeah, I have a friend who used to do that, and supported I think 5 kids while doing so. He also inked comics at the same time, though, but he’s slow, so I don’t think that floated him. lol
Anyway, sorry I bailed on doing that interview a few years back. Was kind of busy, I guess.
Y’all obviously didn’t follow Mikey’s work in the interim. Most recently he’s drawn a webcomic called “Electronic Tigers,” wherein the half-Asian Mike drew and wrote a series of strips featuring the half-Asian Mika as a big-titty fantasy figure/Mary Sue that everyone drools over. Dude is conflicted as hell.
You’re right….I don’t follow Mike’s work as a rule. Took me a minute to find it, at least I think this is it. How’s this
http://comicstripclub.com/?p=201 and I guess this is Mika in this strip? http://comicstripclub.com/?p=206 I can’t yet find any link for Electronic Tigers.
It’s alright about the interview, Mike. It slipped my mind as well.
So if I were a white guy and drew a sexy white girl, would I still be ‘conflicted as hell’? lol
You seriously need to stop projecting. I drew ‘myself’ in the strips as Hapajap. Joe, please don’t take the ‘FAGGOT!’ strip out of context. ‘Trucker Tom’ was a troll from the message boards who kept calling me that, and I turned him/her into a character.
Electronic Tigers disappeared when we re-booted the website after some internal differences with the series co-creator, who some might have known as ‘El Gato Negro’. I never bothered re-upping the strips after we got the site running again, and really haven’t had time to make new material.
Mike, it’s too easy to take things out of context and I don’t want to do that here. As you mention, there’s back story to it, and since I wasn’t involved in it to begin with — and why should I have been? — I won’t go off half, well, you know, won’t jump to conclusions.
If you still live in the San Diego area and are planning on attending Comic Con and you want to talk about this or past stuff, then let me know. I’ve offered to help Carla Speed McNeil some at her table which I believe will be part of Haven Distributors/ Indy Island near DC’s area. Feel free to stop if I’m there or if you’d rather be more certain to talk then I can give you my cell phone number to make meeting easier.
I’d have replied sooner but my host’s network was down.
I’m debating how much I’ll be at con. I have a signing at the DC booth on Saturday, but I don’t like attending as a fan, and don’t have my own booth this year, so… kinda just playing it by ear. I have a lot of work to catch up on anyway.
I’d try to remember Haven Dist. while I’m there, though.
Okay, Mike. Maybe we’ll see each other then. Take care.