Wikipedia

Hazel Newlevant

Hazel Newlevant is an American cartoonist and editor known for creating and editing comics about queer history, bisexuality, polyamory, and reproductive rights.[1][2][3] Raised in Portland, Oregon, Newlevant lives in Queens, New York.[4]

Newlevant speaks at Small Press Expo 2020

Career

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Newlevant's thesis project for the School of Visual Arts was a comic about Harlem Renaissance blues singer and drag performer Gladys Bently called If This Be Sin.[5] The comic won the 2013 Queer Press Grant from Prism Comics.[6]

In 2016, Newlevant edited and self-published the comics anthology Chainmail Bikini, which collects experiences of female and nonbinary gamers.[7][8] The name of the collection refers to the "chainmail bikini" trope, criticizing to the over-sexualization of female character design in video games.[9] In 2017, they co-edited (with Whit Taylor and OK Fox) reproductive rights anthology Comics For Choice, a collection of 42 comics about abortion, gender, and reproductive rights.[10][11][12] Critic Catherine Baker described the collection, which won the 2018 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology, as "a remarkable set of testimonies that are both collective and personal."[13] Publishers Weekly praised the book, saying, "The book is at once a rallying cry, a tender lament, and song of liberation that will resonate long after the final page is turned."[14]

In 2017, Newlevant wrote and drew Sugar Town, a polyamorous queer romance published by Alternative Comics. The comic received positive reviews for its tender approach to relationships.[15][16][17] Kirkus Reviews described Sugar Town as a "lushly illustrated comic that explores bisexuality, queer culture, and unconventional sex."[18] Critic Tegan O'Neil of The Comics Journal reviewed Sugar Town saying, "Emotional honesty, more than anything else, that elevates Sugar Town beyond the reader’s expectations. It’s a book that deals frankly with some very tender feelings – deep vulnerability, yes, but also embarrassment, passion, anxiety, and finally genuine love."[19]

At Oni Press, Newlevant co-edited the comics anthology Puerto Rico Strong, a collection of comics about Puerto Rican history and identity which raised money for Hurricane Maria recovery efforts.[20] The book won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best Anthology.[21]

In 2019, Lion Forge published Newlevant's memoir No Ivy League, a coming-of-age story that examines queer identity, male privilege, and white privilege.[22][23][24][25][26] Critics noted Newlevant's "sensitive brushwork and attention to body language" and their ability to combine "sheer talent with the supple versatility of an adroit graphical storyteller."[27][28]

Recognition and awards

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References

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  1. ^ Lehoczky, Etelka (2019-09-06). "The Graphic Memoir 'No Ivy League' Dares You To Think About Feelings". NPR. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  2. ^ Kaplan, Avery (2020-04-09). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  3. ^ Newlevant, Hazel. "Badass Bisexual Women In History You Should Know". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  4. ^ "Excitement Builds for "No Ivy League," Graphic Memoir by Portland-raised Talent Hazel Newlevant". NW Book Lovers. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  5. ^ "Hazel Newlevant Is Here To Draw Cool Comics, Win Prestigious Grants". Autostraddle. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  6. ^ "Prism Comics announces Queer Press Grant recipient". us2.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  7. ^ Johanna (2016-06-19). "Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  8. ^ avi. "Silver Sprocket to Distribute Award-Winning Hazel Newlevant Comics". Silver Sprocket. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  9. ^ "Comics Book Review: Chainmail Bikini by Edited by Hazel Newlevant. Alternative (Consortium, dist.), $20 (204p) ISBN 978-1-5136-0012-3". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  10. ^ "A Compendium of Resistance: Comics for Choice Fights for Reproductive Justice". WWAC. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  11. ^ "Review: Comics for Choice Anthology". Graphic Policy. 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  12. ^ "Comics for Choice: Illustrated Abortion Stories, History, and Politics". Graphic Medicine. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  13. ^ "A Compendium of Resistance: Comics for Choice Fights for Reproductive Justice". WWAC. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  14. ^ "Comics Book Review: Comics for Choice by Edited by Hazel Newlevant and Whit Taylor. Alternative Comics, $25 (300p) ISBN 978-1-68148-598-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  15. ^ "Sugar Town Is The Sweetest". WWAC. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  16. ^ Kaplan, Avery (2020-04-09). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  17. ^ "Comics Book Review: Sugar Town by Hazel Newlevant. Alternative, $10 trade paper (56p) ISBN 978-1-68148-587-4". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  18. ^ Sugar Town | Kirkus Reviews.
  19. ^ O'Neil, Tegan (January 5, 2018). "Sugar Town". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  20. ^ Dillon, Barbra. "Fanbase Press Interviews the Creative Team of the Eisner Award-Winning 'Puerto Rico Strong' Anthology". fanbasepress.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  21. ^ McMillan, Graeme (2019-07-20). "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  22. ^ Kaplan, Avery (2019-07-10). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  23. ^ Seven, John (2019-08-26). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  24. ^ "Hazel Newlevant's No Ivy League is a Challenging Read". WWAC. 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  25. ^ Alverson, Brigid (2015-09-28). "Interview | Hazel Newlevant on 'No Ivy League'". Good Comics for Kids. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  26. ^ "The Hidden Fortress: No Ivy League and Legacies of Whiteness". The Middle Spaces. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  27. ^ Lehoczky, Etelka (2019-09-06). "The Graphic Memoir 'No Ivy League' Dares You To Think About Feelings". NPR. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  28. ^ Clough, Rob (2020-01-27). "The Examined Life: Hazel Newlevant's No Ivy League". SOLRAD. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  29. ^ McMillan, Graeme (2019-07-20). "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  30. ^ Shannon, Hannah Means (2018-09-16). "The Ignatz Awards 2018 Winners In Full". Comicon. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  31. ^ Johanna (2017-09-17). "2017 Ignatz Award Winners". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  32. ^ "Queer Press Grant". Prism Comics. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  33. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2012-07-05). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
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