Michael Cole grew up in Raleigh, where he studied graphic design at a community college after pursuing visual art and art history through high school. He then moved to Asheville in 2000 and continued an interest in cartooning and it’s growing exposure on the internet. Michael always wanted to pursue cartooning and Dragin was conceived in 2008 after a childhood of Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts and other newspaper comics. Michael went on to become a member of the southeast chapter of the National Cartoonist Society where he changed, improved, launched and then relaunched Dragin. This was the result of the inspiration and mentoring of many talented cartoonists and artists living in the south as well as the explosion of web comics on the internet. Michael still lives in Asheville where the life and beauty of the mountains continues to grow and inspire Dragin.