FROM ST. FRED'S TO 'SPAWN'

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June 17, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

A childhood spent reading and a high school full of inspiration lift St. Frederick alum into a high-flying career full of storytelling and art. 

From his childhood in southeast Michigan to the creative studios of Hollywood, St. Frederick High School alum Mike Vosburg (Class of 1965) has lived a life shaped by hard work, persistence and a vivid imagination. A self-taught artist and storyteller, Vosburg’s artistic journey has taken him from drawing fanzines in his bedroom to earning an Emmy and working alongside some of the biggest names in comics, animation and film.

Early inspirations: A world without TV, but not without wonder

Growing up in a modest household — his father a janitor, his mother a well-read disciplinarian — Vosburg learned early the value of education and the power of belief.

“My dad never made more than $150 a week, but still put four kids through college,” Vosburg said recently from his home in California. “My mother was a very intelligent and literate woman who instilled a sense of discipline in all of us. There was never a word of discouragement in whatever we attempted.”

Without a television in the home until he was twelve, a young Vosburg instead immersed himself in books and comic books, his first encounters with narrative art. Funny animals, westerns, horror stories, superheroes — he consumed them all — and then graduated to authors like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, and renowned illustrators like N.C. Wyeth.

“Reading was my major source of entertainment, and those reading skills certainly paid off with study habits when I was in high school. And they were a big help years later when I was looking for professional work,” he said.

St. Frederick High School: Where comics met craft

St. Fred’s wasn’t just where Vosburg hit the books — it’s where he found a kindred spirit. A pivotal friendship with fellow student Fred Jackson sparked a creative collaboration in comic book making. Together they created and swapped homemade comics, cultivating a hands-on understanding of both storytelling and visual composition.

It was also during this time that Vosburg became involved in the early days of “comic fandom.” He connected with Jerry Bails, a professor at Wayne State University and one of the founding fathers of comic fandom, who encouraged Vosburg to produce his own fanzine. The result: a small publication, Masquerader, that reached a few hundred readers by mail — laying the groundwork for what would become a lifelong career.

“In fact, most of the people I would eventually work with in the comics industry I met or came in contact with while I was still in high school,” Vosburg said.

College years at Oakland University: Lessons beyond the classroom

Following high school, Vosburg attended Oakland University — remarking that it was actually a shorter commute than St. Fred’s had been. There, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. But while his academic focus was important, much of his learning took place outside of lecture halls.

“I didn’t make too many friends at O.U. outside of folks I played basketball with at the gym,” he admitted. “It was very different from high school.”

He became a regular at Oakland’s courts, honing a love for basketball that would eventually lead to a short stint in coaching. “While I was the worst player on a really terrible basketball team at St. Fred’s, I was obsessed with the game,” he recalled.

Vosburg also worked part-time during college, primarily at the Pontiac city library — a job that sharpened his research skills and complemented his growing artistic sensibility. “Being a library page helped me learn how to research, which turned out to be very useful later on in storyboard work and art direction,” he said.

Life lessons from teaching and coaching

After graduation, Vosburg spent several years teaching elementary school in the Pontiac area, including St. Michael and St. Benedict schools. At the same time, he took on coaching roles, including basketball and even golf.

“Mel Larsen, who was a former principal and football coach at Pontiac Catholic — and later a state legislator — talked me into coaching since I was always screaming at the coaches during games,” Vosburg joked. “I also was a scout for the team that went to the Class C semifinals.”

Though his time as an educator was rewarding, it also helped solidify his decision to pursue cartooning full time. “After three years of teaching, I decided there had to be an easier way to make a living,” he said. “So I started to focus on working as a cartoonist, which I’d been involved in since I was a kid.”

Hollywood calling: Comics, covers and cinematic success

In 1984, Mike and his wife, Anna, moved to Los Angeles, where he took a leap of faith into the world of professional visual storytelling. He’d already gained traction as a comic book artist, having worked for both Marvel and DC Comics during the 1980s, but L.A. opened the door to a wider array of creative opportunities.

Vosburg went on to storyboard for music videos by top artists like Eminem, Marilyn Manson, and Gwen Stefani. He illustrated all of the cover inserts for HBO’s "Tales from the Crypt" and directed animated segments for HBO’s "Spawn,"which earned him an Emmy Award. His film credits include storyboarding for directors such as John Frankenheimer and Robert Zemeckis, and on major Hollywood projects such as "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,""Prince Caspian,""The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,"and "Journey to the Center of the Earth."

“While I had no formal art training, I knew a good bit about storytelling from doing my own stories,” Vosburg said. “Virtually every artist I worked with became a ‘teacher,’ and since I worked with some exceptional artists, I received excellent practical training.”

Reflections from Los Angeles

Now comfortably established in Los Angeles, Vosburg enjoys the vibrant culture of the city as well as its sunny climate. “I love both the city and the weather. . .and that we have such a racial and cultural diversity. It’s a great place to call home,” he said.

Still, his heart retains a special place for his roots in Michigan and especially at St. Fred’s for which he reserves a corner of his drawing board. “Going to St. Fred's was a great experience that shaped me for much of my later life,” he said. 

Vosburg recently designed the program and organized a Zoom call with some of his high school classmates who couldn't make the Class of 1965's 60th reunion this year.

The enduring legacy of a visual storyteller

From a comic-loving kid trading fanzines with his best friend in Pontiac to an Emmy-winning director working on iconic projects, Mike Vosburg’s story is proof that talent, hard work and passion — backed by a supportive community and family — can take you just about anywhere.

“Storytelling was a religion to me, and I wanted to be one of its high priests,” Vosburg said. And by all accounts, he still is.

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.