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Noah Van Sciver (born July 7, 1984) is an independent American cartoonist who resides in Columbia, South Carolina.

Noah Van Sciver
Born (1984-07-07) July 7, 1984 (age 40)
Merchantville, New Jersey, U.S.
Notable works
  • Blammo
  • 4 Questions
  • The Hypo
  • St. Cole
  • Fante Bukowski
  • My Hot Date

Early life

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Van Sciver grew up in a large family in New Jersey.[1] A self-taught artist,[2] he was influenced by many comics, including Ralph Snart Adventures and comics by Joe Matt and R. Crumb.[3] He and his family were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), but he is no longer a member.[4][5] His brother Ethan[6] is a comic book artist and an internet personality.

Comics

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Van Sciver began producing his one-person anthology Blammo in 2006, originally selling them for one dollar.[4] His 4 Questions strip in Denver's alternative weekly, Westword, helped publicize his work when he started publishing it in 2007.[7][4] After four issues of Blammo, Kilgore Books & Comics published subsequent issues.[4]

In 2010, he briefly campaigned to write and draw Howard the Duck as part of Marvel's Strange Tales series, but was turned down.[8]

His short story "Abby's Road," which originally appeared in Blammo #6, was selected for the Best American Comics 2012 anthology. Van Sciver's work has appeared in Mad magazine,[9] and has been featured in The Comics Journal, Mome, and Mineshaft.

In October 2012, Fantagraphics Books published The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, a narrative biography of Abraham Lincoln that spans the years 1837–1842. The Hypo, Van Sciver's first full-length graphic novel, earned positive critical praise, and made it onto several "best-of" lists for 2012, including MTV Geek (#3),[10] Boing Boing (tied #3),[11] Publishers Weekly Critic's Poll (#4),[12] and was ranked as one of the Best Graphic Novels of 2012 by the Library Journal.[13]

In 2015, Fantagraphics released two Van Sciver graphic novels, St. Cole and Fante Bukowski. [14] Van Sciver stated in an interview that he based the character Fante Bukowski's experiences partially on his own experiences.[5] The character Fante Bukowski is an aspiring writer hungry for recognition, and his name is a combination of the surnames of John Fante and Charles Bukowski.[15] In a 2018 interview, Van Sciver said that he did not have plans to draw more Fante Bukowski books.[3]

Also in 2015, Kilgore Books released Van Sciver's autobiographical mini comic My Hot Date, which won the 'Best Story' Ignatz Award at the Small Press Expo.[14]

For the 2015–2016 school year, Van Sciver was a fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT.[16] He stopped publishing 4 Questions in 2015.[7]

In Van Sciver's autobiographical comic, One Dirty Tree (2018), he examined his childhood. He reported that his family was not happy with the comic, and Van Sciver felt bad for making his father a villain, when his father suffers from mental illness.[3] John Wenzel at The Know described the comic's imagery as "uncanny, [and] deceptively casual."[17]

Van Sciver drew the artwork for the graphic novel Grateful Dead Origins, which was written by Chris Miskiewicz. The book tells the story of the early days of the rock band the Grateful Dead. It was published by Z2 Comics in 2020.[18]

Van Sciver uses Photoshop along with traditional media like radiograph pens, Higgins inks, colored pencils and watercolors.[2] He keeps regular hours drawing, working each day from 9am until 5pm. He has used social media like Patreon and Twitter in the past to get immediate feedback on his work.[3] He moved to Columbia, South Carolina, in 2018.[3]

Awards

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Van Sciver won the 2016 Ignatz award for Outstanding Story with the one-shot stand alone comic My Hot Date. He has been nominated for an Ignatz award many times:

2010 Outstanding Comic - Blammo #6 (Kilgore)
2012 Outstanding Minicomic - The Death of Elijah Lovejoy (2D Cloud)
2014 Outstanding Comic - Blammo #8 (Kilgore), 2015 Outstanding Graphic Novel - Saint Cole (Fantagraphics)
2015 Outstanding Artist - Saint Cole (Fantagraphics)
2015 Outstanding Graphic Novel - Saint Cole (Fantagraphics)
2016 Outstanding Artist - Disquiet (Fantagraphics)
2016 Outstanding Story - My Hot Date (Kilgore)
2020 Outstanding Collection - The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski (Fantagraphics)

In 2016, his graphic novel Fante Bukowski was nominee for a Best Writer/Artist Eisner Award.[19]

Van Sciver has been shortlisted for two AML Awards from the Association for Mormon Letters: in 2015 for My Hot Date and 2018 for One Dirty Tree.[20][21] He received the AML Award for One Dirty Tree.[22]

Bibliography

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The following is a mostly complete list of comics which contain solely content by Van Sciver. Collaborations, anthologies, and collections are listed in the table that follows.

COMIC YEAR PUBLISHER NOTES
The War 1989 Self-published Features Spider-Man, Ziggy, and Gumby.
Blammo Funnies 2006-2007 Self-published 1 (2006) & 2 (2007). Forerunner to Blammo.
Blammo 2007-2018 Self-published & Kilgore Books Comics Self-published: 1 (2007), 2 (2008), 3 (2009), 4 (2009), 7.5 (2011). Kilgore Books & Comics: 5 (2009), 6 (2010), 7 (2011), 8 (2013),8 1/2 (2014), 9 (2016), 10 (2018).
Various Self-Published one-shot mini-comics 2007-2019 Self-published Chicken Strips (2007), Hep (2007), The Work of Young, Unfed, and Unknown Cartoonist (2008), More Work from an Unknown Cartoonist (2008), The Limited and Very Rare Noah Van Sciver mini-comic (2009), Chapbook (2009), Judgments (2009), I want to be special to you (2010), Dueling (2011), The Hypo mini promo (2011), More Mundane (2013), In the Thick of It (2019)
Complaints 2010 Poopsheet Foundation Included in Treasury of Mini Comics Vol. 1. According to the Poopsheet foundation website: "Print run is 50 even though it says 100 on back cover."
Noah novella 2010 Grimalkin Press "The People's History of Noah Van Sciver. A selection of autobiographical comics" Includes stories Pair of Pants, My First Date, Being Skinny, My Life in Quotations, I am a Rotten Hateful Bastard, The Worst Winter, Process, The Incident, Fame, Complaints, Christmas as a Third Wheel, and Eight Things I Hate.
The Death of Elijah Lovejoy 2011 2dcloud B&W. Deleted chapter from The Hypo. Reprinted in color in Disquiet.
1999 2012 Retrofit Comics Self-published bootleg in 2013, and Re-published in Youth is Wasted
Noah Van Sciver in Conversation With Charles Forsman 2012 Oily Comics
The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln 2012 Fantagraphics
Who Is Dead in the White House? mini 2012 Fantagraphics
St. Cole promo mini 2013 Kilgore Books & Comics
Weekend Alone 2013 Tinto Press LLC Sketchbook
Weekend For Two 2014 Tinto Press LLC Sketchbook
Youth Is Wasted 2014 Adhouse Books Contains unpublished and previous published work. Excerpts from BLAMMO #s 6, 7, & 8 as well as 1999 minicomic, and stories originally published in Illustrated Journal of Humor Vol. 1, Alternative Comics #4, and MOME #22.
I Don't Hate Your Guts 2014 2D Cloud
The Lizard Laughed 2014 Oily Comics Reprinted in Disquiet, self-published and reprinted as stand-alone one shot in 2021
Cheer Up 2014 Hic & Hoc Publications 500 copies printed, rarest fully produced Van Sciver book
Slow Graffiti 2014-2017 Alternative Comics (#1 only) & Self-published 1 (2014), 2 (2016), 3 (2017)
St. Cole 2015 Fantagraphics
My Hot Date 2015 Kilgore Books & Comics Reprinted in 2021 as My Hot Date (and other embarrassments). Includes new intro strip "The Power of the Force" and bonus strip "Holly Hill"
Fante Bukowski 2015 Fantagraphics
Disquiet 2016 Fantagraphics Contains unpublished and previous published work. Includes The Lizard Laughed, The Cow's Head, Down in a Hole, Punks V. Lizards, Death of Elijah Lovejoy (in color), previously published Christmas story from unnamed mini-comic, and previously unpublished art & stories.
Fante Bukowski Two 2017 Fantagraphics
His Last Comic (mini-kuš #60) 2017 kuš!
One Dirty Tree 2018 Uncivilized Books
Fante Bukowski 3: A Perfect Failure 2018 Fantagraphics
Constant Companion 2018 Fantagraphics Sketchbook, part of "Fantagraphics Underground Series"
For Art's Sake 2020 self-published Includes a broader story around some strips published in The Introvert's Club weekly strip
The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski 2020 Fantagraphics Collects Fante Bukowski 1–3 with bonus material
Please Don't Step on my JNCO Jeans 2020 Fantagraphics Reprints from weekly strip "The Introvert's Club" as published in Columbus Alive.
Boring 2021 Self-published Autobiographical one-shot floppy
Blammo Issues 1-5 2021 Kilgore Books & Comics Collection of Blammo Issues 1-5 plus bonus strips: Process, Christmas as a 3rd Wheel, Dueling, Day in the Life of My Father, The Van Sciver Factory, Pair of Pants, My First Date, Embarrassing Story, This Comic Should Be Read in Slow Motion, My Life in Quotations, Winter is a Time to..., Fontano the Chicago Sub, Cowtown Comix Fest, and assorted sketches and notes.
Joseph Smith and the Mormons 2022 Abrams ComicArts
Maple Terrace 1-3 2023 Uncivilized Comics Autobiographical three issue floppy

The following is a list of collaborations, anthologies, and collections that feature Van Sciver's work.

COMIC/MAGAZINE YEAR PUBLISHER NOTES
4 Questions 2007-2015 The Denver Westword Weekly feature in free weekly paper. Mostly interviews with bands but also cartoonists such as Gary Panter and Joseph Remnant. Also included Denver-themed and autobiographical strips.
Mineshaft 2008-2019 Mineshaft Magazine #23 One page story, #32 Rich Dad, Poor Dad, #33 One page sketch: My last shift at Kilgore Books, #34 One page story: Cabin Fever, #36 1/2 page story: Moonchild, #37 Columbia, #38 One page story: The Self (adaptation of Herman Hesse text)
The Comics Journal 2008–2009, 2020 Fantagraphics Series of seven three-page cartoon interviews conducted and drawn by Van Sciver. #293 Joe Matt, #295, Liz Prince, #296 Johnny Ryan, #297 Frank Stack, #298 Peter Bagge, #299 John Porcellino, #300 Gary Groth. Also, issue #305 contains a two part tribute to Clare Briggs. 15 full page Clare Briggs comics colored by Van Sciver plus one page comic "A Tribute to Clare Briggs."
Not My Small Diary 2008 Self-published by Delaine Derry Green Two different issues: #14 Part Two Story: My First Date (Tells the story of the date later revised and expanded to become My Hot Date), #16 Story: I Don't Drive. Reprinted in The Portable Not My Small Diary (2014)
MOME 2009 Fantagraphics Two different issues: Summer 2009 (#15) Story: The True Tale of the Denver Spider-Man, Fall 2011 (#22), Story: Roommates (later collected in Youth Is Wasted)
Apartment 307 2009 Self-published by Josh Blair Also contains stories by Josh Blair, Pete Borrebach, and Nick Marino
side b: the music lover's comic anthology 2009 Poseur Ink Story: My Bohemian Dream
Apartment 307: One Year Later 2010 Self-published by Josh Blair Also contains stories by Josh Blair, Pete Borrebach, and Nick Marino
Khaki Shorts #26 2010 Braw Books Scottish anthology. Cover and story: Process. Also collected in The Khollected Khaki Shorts (2015).
Hive 5 2010 Grimalkin Press Contains excerpt from The Hypo
Sunstone 2010 Sunstone Education Foundation Three different issues: #360 Special Comics Issue. Story: Fame, #363 Van Sciver's Book of Mormon Origins. Black & White, #364 Van Sciver's Book of Mormon. Full color.
K.B.C. #2 2010 Self-published mini comic anthology
Wulvereen vs Star Trekk 2010 self-published Collaboration with John Porcellino made at a superhero convention. Parody of superhero and geek culture.
Bound & Gagged 2010 IWDY Comics Comic: Hell. Anthology of one-page comics
The Best American Comics 2011 2011 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Story: Abby's Road from Blammo #6
So Buttons 2011-2019 Alchemy Comix Four issues and two compilations. #4 Story: So...Loyal (art only). Also collected in So Buttons: Man of, Like, a Dozen Faces, Story: Noah Van Sciver Tells All (story and art), #5 Story: So...Escalated (art only). Also collected in So Buttons: Man of, Like, a Dozen Faces, #8 Van Sciver did the cover art (Homage to Crumb's cover of American Splendor #4) and the art for story: So...One Halloween. Story also included in So Buttons: Man of, Like, A Dozen Faces, #9 Story: So...Carl (art only), and So Buttons: Slice of Cake (2nd compilation)
š! #10 "Sea Stories" 2012 kuš!
Little Heart: A comic anthology for marriage equality 2012 2dCloud Story: Loving
Devastator #6 2012 Devastator Press Story: Scenes from a New and Used Bookstore
MAD Magazine 2012-2017 DC Comics #s 516, 518, 520, 542-545
Digestate: A Food & Eating Themed Anthology 2012 Birdcage Bottom Books Story: 3 Bowls of Raisin Bran, also published in birdy #14
Swayback, Double Four Time 2012 LGL Records Front and back cover art
Suspect Device 2012-2014 IAMWAR #s 2-4
Deep In The Woods 2013 2dCloud "Double header" split comic with Nicholas Breutzman on oversized newsprint. Story: The Cow's Head. Reprinted in Disquiet
Treasury of Mini Comics Volume One 2013 Fantagraphics includes Complaints mini comic
Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever #4 2013 Microcosm/IWDY Comics Story: Henry & Glen V. Lizards. Also collected in Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever.
Scene But Not Heard 2013 Top Shelf Productions/Alternative Comics Collection of wordless comics by Sam Henderson. Van Sciver wrote & drew a 2-page introduction explaining Henderson's impact on his career.
Unknown Origins & Untimely Ends 2013 Hic & Hoc Publications Story: Meat Shower
Alternative Comics #4 2013 Alternative Comix Story: Hallelujah!
Real Good Stuff #1 and #2 2013 Poochie Press Publications Story: Eligibility (Writing by Dennis Eichhorn)
Short Arms, Long Pockets 2014 Oily Comics An Oily Comics sampler made for free comic book day 2014. Contains 3 page excerpt from The Lizard Laughed.
Pratfall 2014 Self-published zine by Robert Kirby Anthology featuring "The lighter side of accidents, pain, blood and humiliation."
Cringe: An Anthology of Embarrassment 2014 Birdcage Bottom Books Illustration: Punk Chasing Wig
The Graphic Canon of Children's Literature: The World's Greatest Kids' Lit as Comics and Visuals 2014 Seven Stories Press Two stories: Star Dollars and The Water Sprite, both by Brothers Grimm
Subcultures 2014 Ninth Art Press Story: What is a Juggalo?
Kilgore Quarterly 2014-2017 Kilgore Books #5, #6, #7 Interior title page sketch
birdy. 2014-2021 Birdy magazine Contributions to nine different issues: #9 Cover art, #13 Four page interview with various reprinted artwork, #14 Story: 3 Bowls of Rain Bran, also published in Digestate: A Food & Eating Themed Anthology, #21 Cover art, #22 Story: The Floating Head with Bad Breath, #37 Back cover art: Cats, #48 Back cover art: Holiday, #67 Front cover art: Color, #85 1/2 page color art: El Gato (series)
A City of Whiskey & Fire 2015 Red Earth Trace Story by Daniel Landes, art by Van Sciver. Reprinted in Disquiet.
The Fantastic Four No.9 Project 2015 Self-published by Jason Young Given away at S.P.A.C.E. 2015. Jason commissioned a different artist to re-draw one page of FF #9. Van Sciver did page 2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures #2 2015 IDW Backup story, also collected in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 TPB
The Hic & Hoc Illustrated Journal of Humor 2015 Alternative Comics
Schmuck 2015 Alternative Comics Story: Night at the Museum (art only)
Cinema Sewer Volume Five 2015 Fab Press Illustrations for story "Rosario 1930: The vintage porno journalism of Curt Moreck"
Taddle Creek #36 2015 Vitalis Publishing Story: Home
Extra Good Stuff 2015 Last Gasp Story: Gold Dust Twins (art only)
Hip Hop Family Tree, Volume 4 Treasury Edition 2015 Fantagraphics Pinup of rap group Gravediggaz
Smoke Signal #23 Fall 2015 Desert Island Story: Dress Up
Study Group Magazine #4 2016 Study Group Standard and Deluxe editions. Story: Star Fights (Star Wars parody)
Guido Crepax Valentina Tribute Art 2016 Fantagraphics One-page pinup, limited to 150 numbered copies
The Introvert's Club 2017-2019 Columbus Alive Weekly feature in Columbus alt-weekly newspaper and website. Some of the strips were eventually republished as Please Don't Step on my JNCO Jeans and For Art's Sake
NOW: The New Comics Anthology 2017-2020 Fantagraphics Five issues: #1 Story: Wall of Shame, #3 Story: Wolf Nerd, #7 Story: I'm Punk Now, #8 Story: Saint Cole, #9 Story: Spacehawk
Galago #126 2017 Ordfront Story: White River Junction, Vermont (Story is in Swedish)
Johnny Appleseed 2017 Fantagraphics Written by Paul Buhle
Bottoms Up! True Tales of Hitting Rock Bottom 2017 Birdcage Bottom Books Story: Marigold
Taddle Creek #40 2017 Vitalis Publishing Story: Cool Comics Club (Of Ohio)
World's Greatest Cartoonists 2017 Fantagraphics Free Comic Book Day. Cover by Van Sciver. Also includes deleted scene from Fante Bukowski book 2.
Suspect Press 2017-2019 Suspect Press Four issues: #14 Story: Letter from 1998, #17 Story: Mark Twain Lecture on Artemus Ward (Also printed in Blammo #10), #21 Story:Introvert, #22 cover only
Blind Justice #2 2018 Fantagraphics Van Sciver did pencils. Three different covers. Also collected in All Time Comics Season 1 TPB
Kramers Ergot 10 2019 Fantagraphics Story: Lakewoood, Colorado
Eugene V. Debs: A Graphic Biography 2019 Fantagraphics Written by Paul Buhle & Steve Max
Full Bleed: The Comics & Culture Quarterly, Vol. 3 2019 IDW Publishing
Stripburger #74 2019 Stripburger Contains reprint of Artemus Ward (His travels) Among the Mormons from Blammo #10.
Broken Frontier 2020 A Wave Blue World Inc Story: "Down in a Hole". Reprinted in Disquiet.
Grateful Dead Origins 2020 Z2 Comics Written by Chris Miskiewicz. Deluxe edition includes LP record.
Peace for Pepe 2020 Dale Zine Shop One page illustration of Matt Furie's Pepe The Frog
Oh Man! By Clare Briggs 2021 self-published Collection of prohibition-era comics by Clare Briggs, compiled, published, and with an introduction from Van Sciver.
Freaky #8 2022 Freaky Reprint of The Floating Head story from birdie. #22
Cheech And Chong's Chronicles: A Brief History of Weed 2022 Z2 Comics Anthology and collaboration though the majority of pages are drawn by Van Sciver.
Longform 2022 2022 Penguin Books "An Anthology of Graphic Narratives" Story: Holly Hill (Reprint from 2021 reprint of My Hot Date)
Paul Bunyan:The Invention of an American Legend 2023 TOON Books

The following is a list of webcomics and illustrations published online.

COMIC YEAR WEBSITE NOTES
Who are you, Jesus 2010 Top Shelf 2.0 Reprint story from Blammo #7
Abraham Lincoln 2010 Top Shelf 2.0 Reprints 7 pages from The Hypo with slightly different coloring
The End of an Artist's Career 2010 Top Shelf 2.0
Six different classic comic covers redrawn by Van Sciver 2009-2011 Covered Blog
St. Cole webcomic 2012-2014 Archived version of The Expositor Comics Collaborative website with Joseph Remnant
Noah Van Sciver's Diary Comics 2012 and 2015 The Comics Journal Two different five-day diary comics for tcj.com. First in 2012, then in 2015

References

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  1. ^ Enrico, Robin (3 September 2018). "One Dirty Tree - Noah Van Sciver's Family Saga Cements His Status as One of the Foremost Cartoonists Working Today". Broken Frontier.
  2. ^ a b McDonnell, Chris (6 September 2017). "Artist of the Day: Noah Van Sciver". Cartoon Brew.
  3. ^ a b c d e Botzakis, Stergios; Royal, Derek (11 December 2018). "Comics Alternative Interviews: Back with Noah Van Sciver".
  4. ^ a b c d Casciato, Cory (10 March 2011). "Noah Van Sciver". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b McGurk, Caitlin (24 May 2017). "An Interview with Noah Van Sciver | The Comics Journal". The Comics Journal.
  6. ^ Van Sciver entry, Lambiek's Comiclopedia.
  7. ^ a b "Noah Van Sciver". DINK. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Noah van Sciver wants to draw Howard the Duck for Marvel". 21 September 2010.
  9. ^ Mad issue #512 (Dec. 2012).
  10. ^ MTV Geek – MTV Geek's Best Graphic Novels Of 2012
  11. ^ The Return of the Best Damn Comics of the Year - Boing Boing Edition - Boing Boing
  12. ^ Ware's 'Building Stories' Tops PW Comics World's 2012 Graphic Novel Critics' Poll
  13. ^ "Best Books 2012: Graphic Novels". Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  14. ^ a b "2016 IGNATZ AWARD Winners (Full List)". Newsarama. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  15. ^ Kane, Tyler R. (23 July 2015). "Noah Van Sciver Gets Laughs at Expense of Drunk Writers in Fante Bukowski". pastemagazine.com. Paste Magazine.
  16. ^ "Noah Van Sciver Named CCS Ten Year Anniversary Fellow". The Center for Cartoon Studies. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  17. ^ Wenzel, John (23 October 2018). "Review: Noah Van Sciver's "One Dirty Tree" a masterful, bittersweet comics memoir". The Know. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  18. ^ Klaehn, Jeffery (May 22, 2020). "Talking Comics with Ignatz Award-Winning Cartoonist Noah Van Sciver". Boing Boing. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  19. ^ "2016 Eisner Award Nominees". Comic-Con International: San Diego. 2016-04-18. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  20. ^ Hall, Andrew (5 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #5: Drama, Comics, and Criticism". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  21. ^ "2018 AML Award Finalists #4: Comics and Film." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 14 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
  22. ^ "2018 AML Award Winners". Dawning of a Brighter Day. 31 March 2019.

Sources consulted

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Interviews

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