Josh Neufeld

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Josh Neufeld

Neufeld at his drawing table.
Birth name Joshua Michael Rosler Neufeld
Born August 9, 1967
New York, NY
Nationality American
Area(s) Artist, Writer
Pseudonym(s) Josh
Notable works A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, A Few Perfect Hours, The Vagabonds, Titans of Finance, Keyhole, American Splendor
Awards 2004 Xeric Award

Josh Neufeld (b. 1967 in New York City) is an alternative cartoonist and commercial illustrator known for his fact-based comics on subjects like Hurricane Katrina, international travel and finance, as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and David Greenberger.

Contents

[edit] Biography and Career Highlights

Neufeld graduated from the High School of Music & Art in 1985 and Oberlin College with a B.A. in Art History in 1989. After living in such far-flung locales as Vancouver and Halifax, Canada; London, England; Prague, the Czech Republic; San Diego and San Francisco, California; Oberlin, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; and Provincetown, Massachusetts; he currently resides with his wife, writer Sari Wilson, and their daughter, in Brooklyn, N.Y.

[edit] Influences

As a child, Neufeld's influences were Belgian cartoonist Hergé's Tintin, Goscinny & Uderzo's Asterix, and the Curt Swan-Murphy Anderson issues of Action Comics and Superman. Later in life, as he gravitated toward alternative comics, Neufeld was inspired by the writing and work of Scott McCloud, Chris Ware, and Dan Clowes; and the real-life stories of Joe Sacco, Harvey Pekar, and David Greenberger.

[edit] Creator-Owned Titles

Neufeld was awarded a 2004 grant from the Xeric Foundation for his graphic novel, A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories From Southeast Asia & Central Europe), a collection of real-life stories about his travel experiences. He is the creator of the comic book series The Vagabonds (published by Alternative Comics), and co-creator (with Dean Haspiel) of Keyhole (Top Shelf Productions) and (with R. Walker) Titans of Finance: True Tales of Money and Business (Alternative Comics). Neufeld is one of the founding members of the online comics collective, ([1])ACT-I-VATE.

[edit] Hurricane Katrina

In 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, Neufeld spent three weeks as an American Red Cross volunteer in Biloxi, Mississippi. The blog he kept about that experience turned into a self-published book, Katrina Came Calling (2006). Later, Neufeld was asked to write the introduction to a book called Signs of Life: Surviving Katrina, a collection of photos of the hand-made signs that appeared in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. Profits from sales of the book went two organizations still working in the area: Common Ground Relief and Hands On Network.

In 2007, Neufeld began writing and drawing ([2])A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, an online graphic novel serialized on SMITH Magazine. A.D. tells the real stories of five New Orleans residents and their experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina. A.D. has received extensive press coverage, including in such venues as the Los Angeles Times[1], the New Orleans Times-Picayune[2], the Atlanta Journal-Constitution[3], Rolling Stone, Wired.com[4], BoingBoing[5], the Toronto Star[6], and National Public Radio's "News & Notes". In May 2008, it was announced that a four-color hardcover edition of A.D. would be published by Pantheon Graphic Novels. The book will include additional and augmented material from the webcomic version. [7]

[edit] Other Publications

His comics have also been published in World War 3 Illustrated, FSB, mMode magazine, ReadyMade, The Village Voice, The Chicago Reader, In These Times, and many other venues. Neufeld's illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nickelodeon Magazine, the Austin American-Statesman, the Washington City Paper, New York Press, ShuttleSheet, and many other publications.

[edit] Collaboration

Neufeld is a long-time artist for Pekar’s American Splendor, and has collaborated with many writers from outside the comics world, including poets, memoirists, and theatre groups. Other comics writers Neufeld has illustrated stories for include Pekar's wife Joyce Brabner (in American Splendor), and Greenberger in Duplex Planet Illustrated (published by Fantagraphics), R. Walker (in Titans of Finance), and Peter Ross (in a self-published mini-comic called Mortgage Your Soul).

Neufeld's collaborations with writers from outside the traditional comics world tend to be formalist and experimental in spirit. He has adapted a number of poet Nick Flynn's pieces into comics, which have appeared in various literary journals and websites. Neufeld is an Associate Artist with the New York-based theatre collective The Civilians, and has adapted portions of a number of their plays into comic book form. He has also collaborated with writer Eileen Myles, and Neufeld's mother, artist Martha Rosler. A special issue (subtitled "Of Two Minds") of Neufeld's solo comic The Vagabonds was dedicated to his many collaborations.

[edit] Bibliography

The cover for Josh Neufeld's nonfiction graphic novel A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories From Southeast Asia & Central Europe).
The cover for Josh Neufeld's nonfiction graphic novel A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories From Southeast Asia & Central Europe).

[edit] Comics & Graphic Novels

[edit] Creator Series

  • A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (2007) serialized on SMITH Magazine. Forthcoming from Pantheon (2009).
  • A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories From Southeast Asia & Central Europe) (2004) self-published through a grant from the Xeric Foundation ISBN 1-891867-79-2
  • The Vagabonds 1-2 (2003) for Alternative Comics
  • Titans of Finance #1 with writer R. Walker (2001) for Alternative Comics ISBN 1891867059
  • Keyhole with cartoonist Dean Haspiel 1-4 (1996) for Millennium/Modern; 5-6 (1997) for Top Shelf Productions

[edit] Stories Elsewhere

  • 4-pp. story with Harvey Pekar in American Splendor #3 (2008) for Vertigo
  • 4-pp. story with Harvey Pekar in American Splendor #2 (2008) for Vertigo
  • 4-pp. story with Harvey Pekar in American Splendor #3 (2006) for Vertigo
  • 3-pp. story in Alternative Comics Presents Free Comic Book Day 2005 (2005) for Alternative Comics
  • six stories with writer Harvey Pekar in The Best of American Splendor (2005) for Ballantine Books
  • 12-page story with writer Joyce Brabner in The Best of American Splendor (2005) for Ballantine Books
  • two stories (translated into French) in Mococo: Modern Cool Comix (2005) for La Boite d'Aluminium
  • 2-pp. story in Alternative Comics #2 (2004), for Alternative Comics
  • 1-page story in WarBurger (2003) for Stripburger
  • 6-page story in SPX 2003 (2003) for The Expo
  • 2-pp. story in Spark Generators II (2003)
  • 1-p. story in Top Shelf Asks the Big Questions (2003), for Top Shelf Productions
  • 2-pp. story in Alternative Comics #1 (2003) for Alternative Comics
  • 4-pp. story with writer Joyce Brabner in SPX2002 (2002) for The Expo
  • 2-pp. story in Madburger (2002), for Stripburger
  • 4-pp. story with writer R. Walker in Drawn Bits (2002)
  • 2-pp. story with poet Nick Flynn in World War 3 Illustrated (2002)
  • 3-pp. story in 9-11: Emergency Relief (2002) for Alternative Comics
  • 1-p. story with writer Harvey Pekar in Opposable Thumbs (2001) for Alternative Comics
  • 3-pp. story with writer Harvey Pekar in American Splendor: Portrait of the Artist in His Declining Years (2001) for Dark Horse Comics
  • 7-pp. story with writer R. Walker in EXPO 2000 (2000) for Small Press Expo
  • 1-p. story with writer Harvey Pekar in American Splendor: Bedtime Stories (1999) for Dark Horse Comics
  • 3-pp. story with writer R. Walker in SPX'99: The Comic (1999), for Small Press Expo
  • 4-pp. story in Murder by Crowquill (1999), for Amazing Montage
  • 2-pp. story with writer Jeff Mason in SPX'98 (1998), for Small Press Expo
  • 2-pp. story with writer Harvey Pekar in American Splendor: Odds And Ends (1997), for Dark Horse Comics
  • 3-pp. story with writer R. Walker in SPX'97 (1997), for Small Press Expo
  • 1-p. story with writer Harvey Pekar in American Splendor: Comic Con Comics (1996), for Dark Horse Comics
  • 1-p. story with writer Dean Haspiel in Negative Burn #28 (1996), for Caliber Comics
  • 12-pp. story with writer Joyce Brabner in American Splendor: Windfall #2 (1995), for Dark Horse Comics
  • three stories with writer Harvey Pekar for American Splendor: Windfall #1 (1995), for Dark Horse Comics
  • 2-pp. story with writer David Greenberger in Duplex Planet Illustrated #12 (1995), for Fantagraphics
  • 3-pp. story with writer David Greenberger in Duplex Planet Illustrated #10 (1995), for Fantagraphics
  • 1-p. story with writer Andy Helfer in The Big Book of Urban Legends (1994), for Paradox Press/DC Comics
  • 10-pp. story with writers Fred Schiller and Wayne Hollander in The Verdict #1 (1987), for Eternity

[edit] Uncollected

  • 2-pp. story with Martha Rosler in System Error: War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning (2007) for Silvana Editoriale
  • two stories in System Error: War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning (2007) for Silvana Editoriale
  • 2-pp. story with poet Nick Flynn in World Literature Today (2007)
  • 2-pp. story with poet Nick Flynn in The Common Review (Fall 2004)
  • 1-p. story in mMode magazine (Fall 2003)
  • 1-p. story with writer Jeff Salamon in the Austin American-Statesman (June 20, 2003)
  • 2-pp. story with poet Nick Flynn in The Chicago Reader (December 28, 2001)
  • 2-pp. story with poet Nick Flynn in CrossRoads: The Journal of the Poetry Society of America (Fall 2001)
  • 1-p. story in Chain 8: Comics (2001)
  • 1-p. story with writer Rob Walker in Chain 8: Comics (2001)
  • story with poet Eileen Myles in Provincetown Arts (2001)
  • strip in the Austin American-Statesman (January 23, 2000)
  • 1-p. story with writer Harvey Pekar in Green (Winter 2000)
  • two stories with writer Sari Wilson in Maxine #3-4 (1997)
  • story with writer Kristen in WNET's Overboard, "Back Page Comix", later published in Close to Home Comix (1998), for Thirteen/WNET
  • strip in In These Times (January 6-18, 1997)
  • 2-pp. story with writer David Greenberger in Lumpen vol. 5, #5 (1996)
  • 1-p. story from an interview with Martha Rosler in Maxine #2 (1996)
  • story with writer Harvey Pekar in The Village Voice (1996)
  • album cover for Let it Beast, the dj BC album by the fictional band The Beastles (2006)

[edit] Strips

  • Fortune Small Business (May 2002–June 2003)
  • "Titans of Finance" with writer R. Walker in TheStreet.com (2000)
  • "West Town Story" in The Manhattan Mirror and The New York Hangover (1996–1997)
  • "Giant Drunk Guy" with writers Dominick Tracy and Ben Sullivan in Prognosis (1993)

[edit] Awards

  • Xeric Award winner for A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories from Southeast Asia & Central Europe) (2004)
  • Ignatz Award nomination for Outstanding Comic (Keyhole) (1997)
  • CAAP (Chicago Arts Assistance Program) Grant, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (1996)

[edit] References

Sourced consulted
Endnotes
  1. ^ Boucher, Geoff (August 27, 2007). "A flood of emotions in a Katrina comics serial." Los Angeles Times
  2. ^ MacCash, Doug (August 27, 2007). "Comic-book Katrina." New Orleans Times-Picayune
  3. ^ Rajagopalan, Megha (August 25, 2007). "Words and Pictures: Online strips will make you think." Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  4. ^ Jatras, Todd (May 1, 2007). "Following New Orleans After the Deluge." Wired.com
  5. ^ Frauenfelder, Mark (June 7, 2007). "Webcomic about Hurricane Katrina." BoingBoing
  6. ^ Mudhar, Raju (August 19, 2007). "Katrina captured on the computer screen." Toronto Star
  7. ^ "Pantheon to Publish A.D.:New Orleans After the Deluge: Josh Neufeld's Real-Life Saga," ICv2, May 8, 2008. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.

[edit] External links