Frank Santoro

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Frank Santoro
Born (1972-05-14) May 14, 1972 (age 53)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Cartoonist, painter, writer
Notable workStoreyville, Pompeii, Pittsburgh

Frank Santoro (born May 14, 1972) is an American cartoonist, painter, and comics critic. [1] He is best known for his graphic novels Storeyville (1995), Pompeii (2013), and Pittsburgh (2019), as well as for his contributions to comics criticism and education. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Santoro was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1972. He studied painting and drawing before turning to comics in the late 1980s. [3] He has described his upbringing in Pittsburgh as a major influence on his later autobiographical work Pittsburgh. [3]

Career

Santoro's first major work was Storeyville (1995), originally published in tabloid format and later reissued in hardcover. [4] His historical graphic novel Pompeii was published by PictureBox in 2013 to critical acclaim. [4] In 2019, New York Review Comics released Pittsburgh, a memoir exploring family, memory, and the city's industrial landscape. [5]

His comics have appeared in anthologies such as Kramers Ergot, Mome, and The Ganzfeld. [2] Santoro has exhibited work at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. [5]

Criticism and teaching

Santoro co-founded the comics criticism magazine ComicsComics and has been a regular columnist for The Comics Journal . [2] In 2011 he launched the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers, an educational program for aspiring cartoonists. [2]

References

  1. Jaquette, Brianne (2020-04-26). "Fence Jumping: An Interview with Frank Santoro". Los Angeles Review of Books . Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Nieves · Frank Santoro". www.nieves.ch. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  3. 1 2 3 "Inside the Illustrated World of Cartoonist Frank Santoro". Carnegie Museum of Art. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  4. 1 2 Romberger |, James. "Frank Santoro's Timeless Lovers, Lines and Ashes". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  5. 1 2 McGurk, Caitlin. "Researcher Spotlight: Frank Santoro | Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Blog" . Retrieved 2025-11-28.