Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, but immigrated to Canada at the age of 6.[1] He has said "In some ways I learned to read English by reading comic books. And of course, I copied all the drawings."[2] Before becoming a successful freelance artist, Cho graduated from Ontario College of Art & Design.[3]
Cho's artwork appears in a number of different genres. He has painted book covers forRandom House/Knopf[1] andPenguin Books.[4] His cover forWhite Noise has been called a "remarkable" design that "masterfully captures"[4] aspects of the novel. He is the creator of the webcomicPapercut,[5] has done illustrations forThe New York Times Book Review, and has created comics work forTaddle Creek literary magazine.[1]
His work retains classic comic book aspects and "evokes the pop art ofRoy Lichtenstein and aesthetics ofSilver andBronze age superhero comics in equal measure."[4] He has provided cover art for severalDC Comics reprint collections[6] and drew the 1940s variant cover forAction Comics #1000 (June 2018).[7] as well as the 1950s variant cover forDetective Comics #1000 (May 2019).[8] Many individuals know about all the work Cho has created for DC and their comics, but Cho has been also been asked to illustrate cover art for Marvel comics regarding characters and series such as Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and even Spider-man.[9] A few of his original comic book related artwork are currently being sold byAlbert Moy.
On September 2, 2014, Cho published his first graphic novel, Shoplifter.[10] Each illustration is done in two-colors. He states that he likes two-tone work because it allows him to focus on the mood and atmosphere.[11] To paint the tones, he used colored inks, and the rest was done with brushes, pens, and brush pens.[12]
Joe Biden's presidential campaign commissioned Michael Cho to design three comic images. The images were posted on their social medias.[13]
A few accomplishments he has earned are: Silver Canadian National Magazine Award in 2007, a Joe Shuster nomination and also had piece of work make it into the Best American Comics 2010.[14]
