Michael Manning is the artist/writer/creator of the graphic novels The Spider Garden (1995/NBM), Hydrophidian (1996/NBM), In A Metal Web (2003/NBM), and In A Metal Web II (2003/NBM) - a continuing series about sexual intrigues and gender-bending in a futuristic society. He has also collaborated with tattooist/illustrator Patrick Conlon on Tranceptor (1998/NBM) the story of a dominatrix’s adventures in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Born in Queens NYC and raised on Massachusetts’ North Shore, Manning went on to study film and animation at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He began self-publishing his black & white erotic comix in 1987 while working as an animator and director of short films, commercials, and music videos.

A move to the West Coast in 1991 coincided with his decision to focus on comix and erotic illustration full-time. Manning continued to self-publish and produce work for San Francisco’s emerging SM/sex-zine community while his artwork and stage/costume design for multi-media performances appeared regularly at local music venues and fetish events. Much of his graphic work from this period has been can be seen in Lumenagerie (1996/NBM) and Cathexis (1997/NBM). His most recent publication is Inamorata: The Erotic Art of Michael Manning (2005/Last Gasp) which collects over a decade's worth of erotic portraits produced for gallery shows and private commissions.

Manning is currently working in collaboration with comix artist/tattooist Patrick Conlon on Iron Gauge the second installment of their Tranceptor series and on Arcana, his first full-color graphic novel (both from NBM Publishing). His artwork has been exhibited in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Milan. The Spider Garden has been translated into French, German, and Italian. In 2002, mural-sized reproductions of panels from his In A Metal Web graphic novel were featured as part of a special installation at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center For the Arts comix-themed exhibition "Fantastic! Comics and the Art of Illusion".

Early exposure to Japanese animation, fairy tale book illustration, American and European comix, and mythology of many cultures has contributed to the formation of Manning’s style. He is a great admirer of the Symbolist and Pre-Raphaelite art movements as well as the classical ukiyo-e prints of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Unagawa Kuniyoshi and modern manga artists such as Yukito Kishiro and Hiroyuki Utatane.

Manning currently lives in downtown Los Angeles where he shares a loft space with his partner, photographer/filmmaker Lyn Gaza, and a large collection of art books and electronic/psychedelic music. He can often be seen locally riding his bicycle - usually to the book or hardware store.


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