Me Then...1981

       I first met Dave Manak back in 1986 when I was freelancing for Marvel Comics’ STAR imprint. The many titles, under the supervision of veteran editor Sid Jacobson, were made for children. I had recently begun writing and sometimes penciling a comic book well suited to my rather warped sense of humor, MADBALLS. While visiting the Marvel office one day, Sid informed me that I had accidentally been overpaid for Issue #3 because the lead story was written by Dave Manak, who also happened to be there. Dave and I exchanged pleasantries and I wrote him a check for his story, little realizing that this was, to quote Bogart, “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” As STAR Comics kept going, I wrote the rest of the MADBALLS run as well as other titles like HEATHCLIFF and CARE BEARS while Dave did great work on STAR WARS DROIDS and BULLWINKLE & ROCKY.
Soon, Marvel gained the rights to publish ALF, based on the hugely successful NBC television series. Sid decided to pair up Dave and I as penciler and writer with Marie Severin and Jacqueline Roettcher inking. It became the most successful STAR title ever; fifty issues, three Annuals, two Christmas Specials and one Spring Special. Early on in its run, ALF was the best selling newsstand comic book in the country. Over the four years ALF was published, Dave and I wrote and drew every issue with the exception of a few backup stories. The comic book even outlasted the TV show. This intense collaboration drew us together in ways that only a creative endeavor can. We quickly developed mutual admiration and trust in each others talents which rapidly evolved into a deep, abiding fellowship that endures to this day. Best of all, the end of the ALF comic was just the beginning for us.
Not long after ALF, I was hired by Archie Comics to write a new title that was based on a video game from SEGA. They literally caught lightning in a bottle as SONIC THE HEDGEHOG made his blue debut and went on to become the longest running children’s comic book in history. I wrote the first several comics with artwork by Scott Shaw! who left after the initial four issues and was replaced by Dave. I was delighted to be re-united with him and although many other writers and artists eventually worked on SONIC (including us), Dave and I enjoyed a short run together. We also had a lot of fun with the long lived letter column feature that we created for the SONIC and KNUCKLES titles called OFF-PANEL. Thanks to senior editor Victor Gorelick, our reputation as a reliable team soon led us to another Archie comic book.  
SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH had been a well known title at Archie for many years. With the  arrival of an animated TV series featuring an adolescent version of her called SABRINA, Archie began producing a comic book based on the show in 2000. Once again, Dave and I were paired up along with inker Jon D’Agostino for another three year collaboration.
Over time as our friendship grew, we tried to market several independent projects on our own; comic strips, graphic novels, comic books, and more. While many of our concepts  were well received, we didn’t manage to sell any of them.
In the meantime, Dave and I teamed up for a super hero adventure in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS featuring Daredevil and The Impossible Man. We also created stories for the Looney Tunes characters when DC published their BUGS BUNNY & THE LOONEY TUNES MAGAZINE. And we furnished one article for MAD together. Dave’s final episode of SPY vs. SPY for the magazine was the first of many that I wrote for the iconic feature. We’re both proud to be members of “The Usual Gang of Idiots.” These days, we’re continuing to develop a graphic novel that we have high hopes for.
Looking back on 35+ years of working together, I am very proud of all the material we co-produced and the ongoing personal relationship we’ve maintained. Dave is a dedicated professional and his art is consistently delightful, whether it’s cartoons, comics, illustrations, paintings, pastels, or his spot-on caricatures. I encourage anyone visiting this website to spend time looking at (and hopefully purchasing) examples of his remarkably diverse abilities.

-Michael Gallagher
P.S. I almost forgot the shameless plug for my own website; michaelgallagherart.com