Ivan Velez, Jr.
| Ivan Velez, Jr. | |
|---|---|
|
Velez at a February 28, 2014 signing at Jim Hanley's Universe in Manhattan for Qu33r, an LGBT comics anthology. | |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Editor |
Ivan Velez, Jr. is a Xeric Grant-winning American writer of comic books.
Raised in the South Bronx, and one of the first cartoonists to create interventions for gay, lesbian and transgender youth, he was trained at the Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth (now Hetrick-Martin) and Syracuse University's Illustration Program. Tales Of The Closet was created to be part of the multi-cultural initiatives of the 1980s and was used by many school systems as a teaching tool. His work for Gay Men's Health Crisis included videos and literature targeted towards AIDS awareness and greater understanding of sexual orientation and bias. Later, TOTC garnered him enough attention to be considered for work in the mainstream.
He was recruited by Milestone Media, and helped further develop characters for Milestone's line of books, which included his writing and character design for Blood Syndicate, Holocaust and Static. For them, he had created such characters as Kwai, Aquamaria, Boogieman, Dogg, and Iota. Later, he became only the second Latino writer to have worked for Marvel Comics (preceded by George Perez). His work includes Gay Comix for Bob Ross, Blood Syndicate and Static for Milestone Comics, Ghost Rider, Venom and Abominations for Marvel Comics, Extreme Justice for DC Comics, Flinch for Vertigo, Power Puff Girls for DC's Johnny DC imprint,[1] and Tales from the Closet, created in affiliation with the Hetrick-Martin Institute.[2] He has also edited graphic novels for Dutton Books (Dead High Yearbook), earning an award from the American Library Association.[3]
He is now a teaching artist for the New York Public Library Systems, the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Queens Public Library, as well as the owner of his own imprint, Planet Bronx Productions. He is also the host of several cultural events such as MR. PAPO'S POP UP ART SHOW AND DRINK-N-DRAW, and OSO ORO. He has recently won a 2015 Creative Capital grant that will enable him to publish a small line of comic books under his Planet Bronx imprint. More info can be found on his website: http://www.planetbronx.com
References
- ↑ My Creations, at PlanetBronx.com; by Ivan Velez Jr.; retrieved June 24 2011
- ↑ NYU Pride Month Brings Two Comics Events! at Prism Comics, October 21 2009
- ↑ Your Brain on Latino Comics: From Gus Arriola to Los Bros Hernandez, by Frederick Luis Aldama, page 279-291, University of Texas Press, 2009. (via Google Books)
External links
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