Alumni
The Center for Cartoon Studies alumni have created comics for publishers big and small and self-publish their work. They’ve won prestigious grants, awards and fellowships. And they work across comic and non-comic industries. Support your local bookshop, or visit bookshop.org/shop/cartoonstudies to buy alumni trade-published books.
Are you listening? (FirstSecond) by Tillie Walden ’16
Wash Day by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith ’17
OUR ALUMNI ARE PUBLISHED EVERYWHERE
Many CCS alumni are published by large and small comics publishers such as Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, First Second, Abrams, AdHouse Books, Random House Graphic, Harper Alley, Avery Hill, Conundrum, Koyama Press, Secret Acres, Nobrow, as well as mainstream publishers like Hyperion, McSweeneys, Roaring Brook/Macmillan, Scholastic, Chronicle Books, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster.
Support your local bookshop or visit Bookshop.org to purchase many of CCS alumni trade-published titles.
ALUMNI AWARDS AND MORE
Others work in comics and non-comics publishing in design, production, editorial, distribution and marketing, at companies such as Barefoot Books, BOOM!, DC, Fantagraphics, Hachette, Kensington, Macmillan, and Penguin.
Accolades include Ignatz Awards, Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, Ringo Awards, Lambda Literary Awards, Stonewall Honor Book, LA Times Book Prize, Golden Kite Award, and starred reviews in Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly among numerous best-of lists.
How to be an Elephant (David Macaulay Studio) by Katherine Roy ′10.
Rust Belt by Sean Knickerbocker ’12.
TRAINED IN DESIGN AND PUBLISHING
Our alumni are trained in graphic design and publishing industry standards, and many have pursued graphic design and production work, including at Charles M Schulz Creative Associates and Comixology. They are doing design and illustration for companies as varied as Target, Fantasy Flight Games, and b2 Interactive, and many have established successful freelance careers for prestigious publications, companies and organizations.
Alumni have pursued teaching, offering classes and workshops for K-12, and several are faculty at the college level at schools like School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Lesley University, Champlain College, California College of Art, Missouri State University, Stanford and more.
A DEDICATED COMICS COMMUNITY
CCS alumni work at libraries and bookstores. They work day jobs. They self publish and attend conventions or sell work online or through mini comics distributors. They start their own small presses, printing companies, publications and anthologies.
Overall a very high percentage of alumni remain in comics in one way or another, and the quality of CCS artists is recognized by industry leaders, the comics press and reviewers, and their fellow comics creators.
ON A SUNBEAM (FirstSecond) by Tillie Walden ’16.
TEOTFW (Fantagraphics) by Charles Forsman ’08.
House of Women (Fantagraphics) by alumni Sophie Goldstein.
Velour Issue 3, by alumni Sasha Velour.
Making Nonfiction Comics by Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris ’14
Hooray for Craft Beer! By alumni Em Sauter.
ORBITING by alumni Penina Gal ’08.
Kid Gloves (First Second) by Lucy Knisley ’08.
As The Crow Flies by (Iron Circus) Melanie Gillman ’12.
Self-esteem and the end of the world (Nobrow) by Luke Healy ’14.
Maker Comics: Draw a Comic! First Second by JP Coover ’08.
The Weight Melissa Mendes ′10.
