Michael Bartolo

Colorist

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
I was born in Manila, Philippines. I grew up in Pasay city just south of Manila.

How about your schooling? Had you gone under any art training?
I took up Fine Arts Major in Advertising. Still an undergraduate though.

How long have you been working professionally in comics?
Working since 2001.

What things — both in art and otherwise — have you worked on, besides comics? Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?

I worked as a Graphic artist at a T-shirt company. I also take freelancing job as a photographer. Comics is a full-time gig for me.

Talk about how you broke into the business –was it easy? Hard? Ups? Downs ? Any interesting anecdotes? When you held your first published work in your hands, how did you feel?

Well it’s hard to break into the comic business you got the constant feeling of hoping “landing-on-a-Job”. I trained for 1 and half year under Gilbert Monsanto & Whilce Portacio.

How did you settle on the style(s) you’re currently using? If you have multiple styles how did you develop them?
Most of my styles are inspired from the works of Christian Litchner.

How did your parents take to the idea of working in comics?
At first my mother thought comics is just a hobby for the rich kids. She believed that there’s no money on it. But when she saw my first paycheck. She never doubted comics again.

How would you describe your work space? Is it part of your home, or do you go “to the studio”?
I work at home. Sometimes when my computer breaks down I go to the GHG studio to finish my work.

What job are you the proudest of?
I think the Taleweaver mini series published by Wildstorm. Because I’m part of the creative team that conceptualized the whole story of that series. Proud to worked with the rest of the crew, Philip Tan (pencils), Leonard Banaag (script), Gary Mayoralgo (inks). An all Filipino art production.

Talk about your family: Parents, siblings, home situation.
A typical Filipino family. I got 5 siblings, 4 sisters & 1 brother.

What projects do you hope to work on in the future?
My own self published comic.

Where do you see yourself in five years? ten?
Old! Hopefully married. Still in comics I guess.

What is the interest in comics where you live? Do friends and neighbors know you draw comics for a living? How do they react?
Yeah. My friends know that I work in comics and they think I’m filthy rich.

What’s 1 thing you’ll always find in your refrigerator?
Pineapple juice.

What’s your favorite food?
French Fries, Kare-Kare (a Filipino dish).

What are your favorite interests –Movies? Music? TV? Any hobbies? Sports?
I love movies. Mostly sci-fi and war epics. I play a lot of miniture games and trading card games as a hobby.

Have you ever thought of writing your own stories?
All the time.

What’s an average day in your life like?  Walk us through a typical day.
Mostly I sleep by the day and work at night.

If you weren’t a comic-book artist today, what would you be?
A Graphic Artist.

Warmachine: Dark Reign  #10, 11, 12
Captain America
Taleweaver
Iron-Man
Cable
Aria: Soul Market
Everquest: Transformation
The Hood
Alpha Flight
SpyCraft Collectible card game
Dogeaters #1/ #2
Rostam: Tales from the Shahnameh
Feedback
11th Hour #1 (Trepidation Comics)
Echoes of Dawn #0, 4 5, 7 (Trepidation Comics)
Contagion #1, 2, 3 (Trepidation Comics)
Star Wars: Crimson Empire III #0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Dark Horse comics)

Gallery

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