| Joel Christian Gill | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gill at Dink Comics and Art Expo 2016 | |
| Born | (1975-01-15) January 15, 1975 (age 49) Roanoke, Virginia |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | |
| joelchristiangill | |
Joel Christian Gill (born 15 January 1975 in Roanoke, Virginia) is an American cartoonist, educator, and author of a number of graphic novels from Fulcrum Publishing: Strange Fruit Vol I : Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth No.1, and Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 2, Strange Fruit Vol II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, a picture book "Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride" from Lion Forge and Fights: One Boys Triumph Over Violence a memoir about how children deal with trauma and abuse from Oni Press. He has taught studio art, Illustration and comics while serving as Chair of the Comic Arts and Foundations programs at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. In the Fall of 2019 he accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. In 2020 he began work on an adaptation of Dr. Ibram X Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning a Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America for Ten Speed Press.
Early life
Gill earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art from Roanoke College and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Boston University in 2004.
Career
Owing to the success of his ongoing series of graphic novels highlighting little known and uncelebrated historical African-Americans and the contributions they made to American history, Gill is frequently profiled in print and interviewed on television and radio. He is also asked to speak at comic arts conventions and college campuses across the U.S.
He has also contributed to the Huffington Post advocating for the end to Black History Month and for the incorporation of the achievements of African-Americans into the larger narrative of American history. Gill is also a member of the Boston Comics Roundtable.
Awards and honors
In 2016, Gill was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University.
| Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 2 | Great Graphic Novels for Teens | Selection | |
| 2019 | Strange Fruit, Volume II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History | Great Graphic Novels for Teens | Selection | |
| 2021 | Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence | Great Graphic Novels for Teens | Top 10 |
Publications
Standalone books
- Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride (2019)
- Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence (2020)
- Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America (2023)
Strange Fruit duology
- Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History (2014)
- Strange Fruit, Volume II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History (2018)
Tales of the Talented Tenth trilogy
- Bass Reeves (2014)
- Bessie Stringfield (2016)
- Robert Smalls (2021)
References
- Sheena C. Howard, Encyclopedia of Black Comics, Fulcrum Publishing, 2017, p. 83.
- "Surviving Violence: PW Talks with Joel Christian Gill". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-29. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
- "Joel Gill - Linkedin Profile". Linkedin.
- "Joel Christian Gill's Strange Fruit Volume 1". www.nhmagazine.com. 20 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- "Forgotten African American Stories, Told in Comic Books | BU Today | Boston University". BU Today. Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- "'Strange Fruit' Shares Uncelebrated, Quintessentially American Stories". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- WGBHForum (2017-03-02), Joel Christian Gill On Gender And Color In Comics, archived from the original on 2023-04-11, retrieved 2017-08-09
- "Joel Christian Gill - Convention Scene". www.conventionscene.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- Gill, Joel Christian (2015-02-10). "Let's Get Rid of Black History Month". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- CBS Boston (2017-08-02), The Secret Worlds of Boston Comic Con: Taking On Real World Issues, archived from the original on 2023-04-11, retrieved 2017-08-21
- "Announcing the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Awards | College of Fine Arts". www.bu.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- "2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2018-02-14. Archived from the original on 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- "2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2019-01-17. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- "2021 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-05. Archived from the original on 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-04-11.