Sabrina Jones

Last updated

Sabrina Jones
Born1960 (age 63–64)

Sabrina Jones (born on October 6, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American painter and comic book artist, writer, illustrator, and editor. [1] In addition to her own graphic novels, she is associated with artist/activist collectives such as Carnival Knowledge and underground comics such as GirlTalk and World War 3 Illustrated .

Contents

Biography

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Jones moved to New York City to study painting at Pratt Institute. [2] She began writing and illustrating comics in the 1980s, inspired by the societal tumult of the Reagan era and the revived conservative focus on repealing abortion and other reproductive rights. [3] She joined a group of pro-choice activist artists called Carnival Knowledge. [3] World War 3 Illustrated co-founder Seth Tobocman convinced Jones to create her first comic strip for the magazine.[ citation needed ] She went on to edit and contribute to many issues of World War 3 Illustrated, including "Bitchcraft," [4] "Female Complaints," [5] and "Life During Wartime." [6]

In the mid-1990s Jones co-founded (with Isabella Bannerman and Ann Decker) Girltalk, a four-issue comics anthology of women's autobiographical comics published by Fantagraphics. [7] In 1997, GirlTalk was nominated for "Lulu of the Year" by Friends of Lulu (losing out to The Great Women Superheroes, by Trina Robbins).

In 2002, Jones' work was included in the exhibition "She Draws Comics: Trina Robbins and 27 Women Cartoonists", curated by Trina Robbins, shown at the Secession Gallery, Vienna, Austria; the exhibition toured to the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (New York City) in 2006. [8]

Jones created her first historical comics for Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World, published by Verso Books in 2005. Her work on The Real Cost of Prisons Comix inspired her to create Mixed Signals,[ citation needed ] a counter-recruitment tool in comic book form. Her first long-form graphic novel was Isadora Duncan: a Graphic Biography, published in 2008 by Hill & Wang.

2010 saw one of Jones' first collaborations with a writer — Paul Buhle. Buhle wrote the text for FDR and the New Deal for Beginners, which was illustrated entirely by Jones. The mixture of a graphic novel and a history book by Buhle and Jones was the latest in the long line of For Beginners books. Jones' artwork was noted by one reviewer for its "thick, darkened contours . . . – like film noir invaded by grainy newsreel footage in a Brechtian landscape." [9]

In 2013 Jones wrote and drew Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling, an adaptation of Marc Mauer's book on America's exploding imprisonment rate. [10] [11]

In 2016, Soft Skull Press published Jones' graphic novel Our Lady of Birth Control: A Cartoonist's Encounter with Margaret Sanger , which told Sanger's biography through the lens of Jones' own experiences during the sexual revolution. [12] [3]

In addition to being a fine art painter, Jones has worked consistently as a scenic artist since 1990, painting scenery for film, theater, and television. [13] In 1994, as a new member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 [13] Jones began weekly work for Saturday Night Live 's broadcasts, [10] a practice that continues to this day. [13]

Jones was awarded MacDowell residences in 1995, 1997, and 2004. [13] She completed an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2003. [13]

Personal life

Jones lives in Brooklyn, New York. [13]

Bibliography

Solo projects

Anthologies

Illustrator

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underground comix</span> Comics genre

Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality, and violence. They were most popular in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s, and in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melinda Gebbie</span> American comics artist and writer

Melinda Gebbie is an American comics artist and writer, known for her participation in the underground comix movement. She is also known for creating the controversial work Fresca Zizis and her contributions to Wimmen's Comix, as well as her work with her husband Alan Moore on the three-volume graphic novel Lost Girls and the Tomorrow Stories anthology series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Deitch</span> American cartoonist

Kim Deitch is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in the underground comix movement of the 1960s, remaining active in the decades that followed with a variety of books and comics, sometimes using the pseudonym Fowlton Means.

Manuel Rodriguez, better known as Spain or Spain Rodriguez, was an American underground cartoonist who created the character Trashman.

Roberta Gregory is an American comic book writer and artist best known for the character Bitchy Bitch from her Fantagraphics Books series Naughty Bits. She is a prolific contributor to many feminist and underground anthologies, such as Wimmen's Comix and Gay Comix.

<i>Wimmens Comix</i> All-female underground comics anthology

Wimmen's Comix, later retitled (respelled) as Wimmin's Comix, is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, Wimmen's Comix focused more than other anthologies of the time on feminist concerns, homosexuality, sex and politics in general, and autobiographical comics. Wimmen's Comix was a launching pad for many cartoonists' careers, and it inspired other small-press and self-published titles like Twisted Sisters, Dyke Shorts, and Dynamite Damsels.

<i>World War 3 Illustrated</i> American comics anthology magazine

World War 3 Illustrated is an American comics anthology magazine with a left-wing political focus, founded in 1979 by New York City comic book artists Peter Kuper and Seth Tobocman, and painter Christof Kohlhofer, and subsequently produced by a collective with a rotating editorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trina Robbins</span> American cartoonist and writer (1938–2024)

Trina Robbins was an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first women in the movement. She co-produced the 1970 underground comic It Ain't Me, Babe, which was the first comic book entirely created by women. She co-founded the Wimmen's Comix collective, wrote for Wonder Woman, and produced adaptations of Dope and The Silver Metal Lover. She was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2013 and received Eisner Awards in 2017 and 2021.

Ruth Atkinson Ford, née Ruth Atkinson and a.k.a. R. Atkinson, was an American cartoonist and pioneering female comic book writer-artist who created the long-running Marvel Comics character Millie the Model and co-created Patsy Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Marrs</span> American cartoonist and animator

Lee Marrs is an American cartoonist and animator, and one of the first female underground comix creators. She is best known for her comic book series The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp, which lasted from 1973 to 1977.

Mary Wings was an American cartoonist, writer, and artist. She was known for highlighting lesbian themes in her work. In 1973, she made history by releasing Come Out Comix, the first lesbian comic book. She also wrote a series of detective novels featuring lesbian heroine Emma Victor. Divine Victim, Wings' only Gothic novel, won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery in 1994.

Robert Triptow is an American writer and artist. He is known primarily for creating gay- and bisexual-themed comics and for editing Gay Comix in the 1980s, and he was identified by underground comix pioneer Lee Marrs as "the last of the underground cartoonists."

<i>Tits & Clits Comix</i> All-female underground comics anthology

Tits & Clits Comix is an all-female underground comics anthology put together by Joyce Farmer and Lyn Chevli, published from 1972 to 1987. In addition to Farmer and Chevli, contributors to Tits & Clits included Roberta Gregory, Lee Marrs, and Trina Robbins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Piskor</span> American alternative comics artist (1982–2024)

Edward R. Piskor Jr. was an American alternative comics cartoonist. Piskor was known primarily for his work on Hip Hop Family Tree, X-Men: Grand Design, and the Red Room trilogy. Piskor also co-hosted the YouTube channel Cartoonist Kayfabe with fellow Pittsburgh native cartoonist Jim Rugg. In March 2024, Piskor was accused via social media of sexual misconduct. Piskor died on April 1, 2024, at the age of 41, hours after posting a suicide note via social media, defending himself against the allegations leveled against him.

Isabella Bannerman is an American cartoonist known for her role as one of the contributors to the syndicated comic strip Six Chix.

Joan Hilty is an American cartoonist, educator, and comic book editor. She was a Senior Editor for mainstream publisher DC Comics and currently works for Nickelodeon as Editorial Director for graphic novels, comics, and legacy properties. Hilty works independently as both a writer-artist and editor.

Barbara "Willy" Mendes is an American cartoonist, fine artist, and member of the underground comix movement. She is best known for her work alongside Trina Robbins on It Ain't Me Babe and All Girl Thrills. Although Mendes first created art under the name Willy, she later transitioned to the name Barbara.

Ann Brewster was an American cartoonist and illustrator during the Golden Age of comics. She provided art for many different publishers, including Ace Magazines, Fiction House, and Atlas Comics. Brewster is most notable for illustrating romance comics. After a career as penciller and inker for comics, she transitioned to illustrating novels and children's magazines before retiring in 1980.

Angela Bocage is a bisexual comics creator who published mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. Bocage was active in the queer comics community during these decades, publishing in collections like Gay Comix,Strip AIDS USA, and Wimmen's Comix. Bocage also created, edited, and contributed comics to Real Girl, a comics anthology published by Fantagraphics.

<i>California Girls</i> (comic) American comic book series

California Girls is a creator-owned American comedy-romance comic series created by Trina Robbins. Published by Eclipse Comics between 1987 and 1988, the series chronicled the adventures of identical twin high school students Max and Mo in the fictional Californian town of Hollyhock. It was one of the few comics aimed at a primarily female audience published at the time.

References

  1. ↑ "Sabrina Jones". Soft Skull Press. November 19, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Visual Arts Department’s 'Visiting Artist Series' kicks-off with a Visit from Graphic Artist Sabrina Jones," Brooklyn Friends website (January 15, 2014).
  3. 1 2 3 Kelly, Kim. "The amazing life of Margaret Sanger, 'Our Lady of Birth Control': 'I was intrigued that such a great do-gooder was also quite a bad girl in private': Salon talks to Sabrina Jones about her new graphic novel about past and present fights for contraception," Salon (July 30, 2016).
  4. ↑ World War 3 Illustrated #30 (2000), Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Nov. 5, 2022.
  5. ↑ World War 3 Illustrated #28 (1998), Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Nov. 5, 2022.
  6. ↑ World War 3 Illustrated #35 (2004), Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Nov. 5, 2022.
  7. ↑ Girl Talk entry, Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Nov. 17, 2022.
  8. ↑ Gardner, Alan. "SHE DRAWS COMICS EXHIBIT TO OPEN AT MOCCA," Daily Cartoonist (March 17, 2006).
  9. ↑ Pietaro, John. "FDR and the New Deal for Beginners," People's World (July 20, 2010).
  10. 1 2 MacDonald, Heidi (March 8, 2013). "On the Scene: World War 3 Illustrated, A New York Institution". The Beat.
  11. ↑ Mann, Brian. "A graphic account of America's love affair with prisons," North Country Public Radio (July 31, 2014).
  12. ↑ Leone, Nicki. "The Legacy of Margaret Sanger: On Sabrina Jones’s ‘Our Lady of Birth Control’," The Millions (October 19, 2016).
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jones bio, MacDowell website. Retrieved Nov. 5, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.