Michael Watson began his career in comics by creating one character, Hotshot. His superhero could fly, had super strength, and, living up to his namesake, was able to shoot heat blasts from his hands. Watson knew that his character would have to have a secret identity, so Michael made Mike, a normal college student. His character not only needed to get his schoolwork done and navigate his relationship with his girlfriend, but learn how to use his new found power to defend Columbus from the evil Void.
After enrolling in Columbus College of Art and Design, Michael met talented writer Victor Dandridge Jr. Together, they took Hotshot from being a character in Michael’s sketchbook to starring in his own self-titled first issue. This was the beginning of Watson’s own imprint, Freestyle Komics.
As Michael started to come into his own as a creator, he signed a publishing deal with Legacy Rising Publications. His line of titles had grown from one to four including Heroes International, a superhero group, Vigilance, another breakout hero in the Hotshot universe, and Emerald Quest, a fantasy comic. After his relationship with Legacy Rising Publications soured, he found a new home for Hotshot and its growing cast of characters by partnering with Short Fuse Media Group.
Short Fuse encouraged Michael to increase his social media presence so he started livestreaming and launched two web shows. On “Chat and Draw”, he livestreams himself drawing various characters while having conversations with his friends and guests. His other show is “Agents of the Nerdy” (formerly known as The Good The Bad and The Nerdy) where he discusses movies, video games, comics, and geek culture with co-creator and host, Katie Mae.
With the renewed momentum and a growing fanbase, Watson successfully funded his own Kickstarter campaign in 2018 which allowed him to improve the initial issues with remastered artwork, and another in 2021, this time for a Chat and Draw Art comic book.
Despite his success, Watson acknowledges that his journey in comics hasn’t been easy. “It’s not for everyone,” Michael said. “We’ve had some complete and utter failures. I’ve just been lucky to have some super, super supportive people that have stuck with me.” Some of those people include Danny Cooper, now the Editor in Chief of Freestyle Komics, and Associate Editor Veronica Smith. Both of whom have been on this journey with Michael since the beginning.
You can catch up on the entire catalog of Michael Watson’s work through shortfusemediagroup.com or you can pick up issues at Krazzy Comics in northeast Columbus. Catch one of his shows on his YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/MostEpicArt.