|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
Contact
Mke Royer
|
|
From spring of 1965 to late spring 1979 Mike worked in the comic book/strip fields. Eighty-five percent of his assignments were inking and lettering, beginning as assistant to Russ Manning on Magnus, Robot Righter and Tarzan comic books (at the end of their working relationship he lettered and inked the last 6 months of the Tarzan and Sunday syndicated strip and the first 4 months of the Daily and Sunday syndicated Star Wars comic strip in the late 1970s). He inked such west coast artists as Mel Keefer, Paul Norris, Mike Arens, Hi Mankin, Sparky Moore and Doug Wildey.
For east coast publishers he inked such artists as Don Heck, Steve Ditko, Ramona Fraden, Chic Stone, Keith Giffin, etc., but Mike is best known to comic fans for his decade plus period as Letterer/Inker for Jack Kirby, first at National and then at Marvel Comics.
The remainder of Mike’s assignments during this 14 year period consisted of penciling and inking his own work for Western Publishing Company (Gold Key Comics) such as Tarzan, Space Ghost, The Herculoids, a Batman Super Friends coloring book, etc. Early in this freelance period, he also did layout work on 3 network animation series: Spider-man, Three Musketeers segments of the Banana Splits, Hot Wheels, and did artwork and inking for the syndicated Marvel Super Heroes. At James Warren Publishing, Mike contributed to Creepy, Eerie, and Vamperella Magazines. While at Gold Key, he also wrote/adapted and drew for Speed Buggy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, Tarzan and Magnus and designed and executed covers for HB TV Adventure Heroes and HB Super TV Heroes. In 1969, he began creating record/CD album comic book panel covers (2 dozen to date) for the Crusin’ series over half of which he scripted.
From late spring 1979 to mid 1993 Mike spent 14 years on staff with the Walt Disney Company in the creative resources department of consumer products/licensing. For his last 4 1/2 years his title, Character Art Manager involved working with several outside art services.
At Disney Mike performed in the areas of book publishing, comic strips and comic books, and all forms of Disney theme park and licensed merchandise. Among other things, he functioned as an idea man, concept artist, and pencil artist/inker.
When time allowed, as a freelancer, Mike contributed to National Lampoon and Cracked Magazines, D.C. and Marvel comics. He also worked with art services in Southern California doing art for Disney related projects, while continuing the saga of Peg and Eddie on Crusin’ album covers.
At Disney, Mike designed, laid out, and art directed the Dick Tracy and 3-D Bulleteer comic book read-alongs produced by the Disney Music Division. Near the end of his staff tenure, he created the “new look” for Winnie the Pooh that initially launched the massive Pooh licensing program in 1993. He was featured in a 43 minute video “How to draw Pooh” sent to over 40 licensees. Mike takes no small amount of pride in the fact that Disney Pooh soon (and still) outsold Mickey Mouse worldwide.
In mid 1993 Mike left his staff position at Disney because too much of his time was being spent at meetings. He remained at Disney to freelance primarily as a character artist/product designer for the creative department at the Disney Stores till spring 2000. During this period, if time permitted, he worked with clients such as Graphic Designers Inc. and Vaccarrd and Associates (2 long time Disney art services), Hanna-Barbera Consumer Products, Warner Bros. Licensing, Mattel among others. Spring 2000 to Spring 2001 saw Mike functioning as a freelance art service specializing in pencil work for various clients such as Al White Studio (Disney projects) and Heavy Iron Studios where he created character orthographic turns and environment “floor plans” used by computer game animators to construct their 3D virtual realities and actors. He also did work for Saban, Fox Family Channel and Fox Kids Network on such projects as Digimon consumer product art and “onscreen icons” and character designs.
In spring 2001, Mike and his wife Laurie, his idea collaborator on Disney Store concepts, returned to his birth state of Oregon, settling in Medford.
In the process of “reinventing” himself, Mike has even returned to his career roots… inking comic pages. He also continues to do recreations and “new” inks (something he began doing in early 2000) for collectors of Kirby/Royer art. Interesting enough, his first recreations in the mid 1980s were about a dozen classic Disney 1930s cartoon movie posters done for/as limited addition stereographs sold through the circle galleries. No one knew they weren’t shot from the lost originals done in the 30’s.
Back home in Oregon, Mike strongly believes that his passion, attention to detail and accuracy, and his commitment to integrity will keep him at the board, a reliable and talented resource for those looking for these qualities in a professional art service.