Professor spotlight: Professor Raichton graphic storytelling, movies, writing

Before becoming a professor at SUNY Oswego, Professor Michael Raicht was an editor for comic studios such as Marvel, DC Comics, IDW, and Dynamite. With experience in comic editing along with his own series of graphic novels, “The Stuff of Legend,” becoming a professor was not originally his plan, but it is one he is happy to be a part of.

“They have such a great creative writing program here,” said Professor Raicht.

When Raicht was a student at LeMoyne College, he never planned on creative writing as a full time career. He originally planned on getting a job in sports writing, focusing on English and Journalism classes.

“One of my professors pulled me aside and told me the thing I had been working on was really strong. I had missed so many classes that he was going to fail me, so he turned it into ‘if you do this internship, I won’t fail you,’” explained Raicht.

He began to write for local newspapers in the Syracuse area, focusing on sports but also beginning to dabble in creative writing. When graduating from LeMoyne, Raicht won an award for his fiction writing. He then got into Long Island University for graduate school, where he earned an MFA in fiction writing.

“While I was there, I got my internship at Marvel. That’s kind of how I got into comic books” Raicht said, reminiscing on the difference between applying for jobs in the 1990’s versus the present day. “I kind of just went into the city, knocked on the door and got an internship. It’s much different now.”

Raicht began his career in 1999 working as an editor for Marvel Comics. He left in 2004 to work full-time as a comic and graphic novel writer, where he wrote for over a decade, writing both original work and comic work for other major publishers. 

Raicht became a professor after he was invited by LeMoyne College to do a lecture, where he previously earned his BA. He continued to write as he taught, where he published the award winning graphic novel series The Stuff of Legend, which initially landed the #2 spot on the New York Times Graphic novel list.

“Professor Giglio actually contacted me about the Living Writers series and invited me to be a guest. After that, Lee Wilson, who was the chair at the time, invited me to come teach modern culture in media” said Raicht.

Initially beginning his career at SUNY Oswego with only one class, he quickly became a professor for multiple classes, helping to start the graphic storytelling program, which began in 2020. “It’s a cool ‘nother thing in the SUNY Oswego cap, you know, for creative writing. I’ve been really lucky to start that program here.”

Along with teaching classes in screenwriting and the horror genre, Raicht also founded a new club for the students of SUNY Oswego, the Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Club, where he hosts meetings every Wednesday night from 5-7 p.m. in Marano Campus Center room 132.

“I’ve always wanted to do something that students can talk without it being in class. I love horror and science fiction movies, and really a lot of people love those things, so it’s an ‘easy in’ for people to enter it.” Raicht said. He invites students to join even if they aren’t fans of horror movies. “It’s a club that doesn’t really require much besides showing up, having a slice of pizza and watching a movie.”

After being a published writer and professor for decades, Raicht encourages all students to give writing a try, stressing its importance in our everyday lives. “All walks of life want people that can communicate and write, to tell stories and connect with people. Creative writing does that really well.”