About
Mark Badger’s art combines political activism and comic books and the web into one. He drew comics for Marvel and DC working on such prominent characters as Spiderman, Batman, the X-Men and even Greenberg the Vampire Marvel Comics only Jewish vampire. The super heroes were often confronted by unusual issues such as jazz and racism, gentrification, sweat shops, and unions along with confronting the more usual threats of giant robots, dastardly villains and monsters.
Mark worked as a volunteer with The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, (CISPES). Over time, he chaired the new Jersey chapter, president of the steering committee for The Bay Area, fundraising , demonstration organizer, banner painter and large dinner planning.
His work with non-profits includes drawing comics for The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, The Fellowship of Reconciliation, Washington States Legal Aid (a book on pesticide prevention). As one of the first comic artists working digitally he became the lead production artist for Marvel Comics partnership with AOL producing some of the first online comics.
He spent over five years as volunteer and paid organizer for the Graphic Artists Guild, tripling it’s size and creating a political force which changed tax law for artists in California. He has developed websites with his wife Martha Breen for the California Federation of Teachers and The Alexander Foundation for women’s health among others.
He currently teaches Programming, comic books and web development at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He has found that teaching combines both storytelling for education and motivating large groups of people just like political organizing. He works with a diverse international group of students. His students have won The New Media award from Siggraph the most prestigious computer arts show in the country the last three years. His students continually evaluate him as one of the best teachers in the department.
He continues to draw entertainment comics published by Boom Studios,a story for the ACLU, and is working on a graphic novel on Nonviolent Communication with Dian Killian of Brooklyn Nonviolent Communication. He lives in Oakland Ca. with his wife and his son a budding comics artist.