Comics diary for MYX (2006)
Menno Kooistra was born and raised in the north of The Netherlands, where he published his first monthly magazine containing work by himself and a friend. In 1993 a second magazine saw the light of day: Sédox, featuring morbid alternative comics by different artists. A little later he published his own work in the amateur magazines De Stripper and Impuls. In 1996 Menno moved to Amsterdam to study at the Film Academy, which was followed by an education in Film Science at the University. Finished as a Master of Arts in 2003, he started drawing cartoons and comics on his own website Mennomail and in magazines such as Myx Stripmagazine. He collaborated with Johan de Rooij on the comic strip 'Trui' (2007).
In March 2007 Menno edited and released 'Bloeddorst' ('Bloodthirst'), a Dutch horror anthology, featuring work by 30 Dutch and Belgian artists, who created an original comic on the horror theme. The book is a reference to seventies horror magazines Creepy and Eerie. Besides his own contribution, the book contains stories by Mattt Baay, Stephan Brusche, Wouter Diesveld, Jeroen Funke, Koen Hottentot, Laser 3.14, Floris Oudshoorn, Sander Out, Willem Ritsier, Peter Schuite, Schwantz, Erik Snelleman, Paul Stellingwerf, Pieter van Oudheusden, Martijn van Santen, Hendrik J. Vos, Peter Weijenberg, Scott Wenmakers, Chris Evenhuis, Peter Pontiac, Maarten Gerritsen, Maarten Janssens, Marcel Ruijters, Fred de Heij, Minck Oosterveer, Lamelos, Alice Kok and Erik Wielaert.
Menno Kooistra eventually moved away from comics, and shifted his focus to movies. He maintains the online film portal VoorDeFilm, for which he also makes movie mash-ups, and he works as online video editor for VPRO television. An avid fan of David Bowie, he also made a mash-up of Bowie songs with DJ Sandeman, which was widely picked up and even posted on Bowie's official website in 2012.
Since 2017 he is a member of the band Panama Paupers, together with fellow (former) comic artists Tonio van Vugt, Remco Lee Polman and Alex Wesselink.