Nick Bertozzi

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Nick Bertozzi
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Bertozzi at the Stata Center at MIT in 2006
BornNicholas Urban Bertozzi
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Queens, New York, U.S.
DiedScript error: No such module "person date".
AreaTemplate:Pluralize from textCartoonist, Writer, Artist
PseudonymTemplate:Pluralize from textNUB
Notable works
The Salon
Rubber Necker
Lewis & Clark
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey
ACT-I-VATE founding member[1]
AwardsXeric Grant, 2000
Ignatz Award, 2000
Emerging Talent of the Year (The Comics Journal), 2002
Harvey Award, 2003
nickbertozzi.com

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Nick Bertozzi (born May 26, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist, as well as a commercial illustrator and teacher of cartooning. His series Rubber Necker from Alternative Comics won the 2003 Harvey Awards for best new talent and best new series.[2] He has published more than a dozen graphic novels, with about half of them collaborations and the rest written and drawn by Bertozzi.

Early life and education

Nick Bertozzi was born in a naval hospital in Queens. He grew up on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, and in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and got his B.A., in Spanish Literature, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[1]

Bertozzi's artistic influences include Hergé's Tintin, Classics Illustrated, Jack Kirby's Kamandi, Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury, and Daniel Clowes' Eightball; as well as films like Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.[1]

He has lived in Madrid, Philadelphia (where he was a manager at Fat Jack's Comicrypt),[1] and New York City.[3]

Career

Bertozzi's graphic novel, The Salon (published by St. Martin's Press in 2007), examines the creation of cubism in 1907 Paris in the context of a fictional murder mystery. The work was first serialized online in 2002 on serializer.net, a digital platform for original weekly comics.[4]

A revised excerpt later appeared in Alternative Comics #2 (2004), which was distributed nationwide as part of Free Comic Book Day. Shortly afterward, a Georgia comics retailer was arrested after giving away Alternative Comics #2, in which the excerpt from The Salon depicted a nude Picasso, leading to charges of distributing obscene material to a minor. The case, supported by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, saw most charges eventually dropped or reduced, but it drew national attention as a significant free-expression controversy in the comics industry.[4]

The complete, substantially reworked edition of The Salon — expanded by about 40 pages and streamlined in plot — was ultimately published in 2007 by St. Martin’s Griffin.[4] John Hodgman, reviewing the book for The New York Times, wrote, "I’ve never understood Cubism as well as when Bertozzi's Braque and Picasso are first discussing it on a train, with Braque theorizing about simultaneous points of view and Picasso protesting that he was merely drawing the reflection in the train window."[5]

Bertozzi illustrated Houdini: The Handcuff King (published by Hyperion in 2007), which was written by Jason Lutes.[6] Bertozzi's art was praised for maintaining "a nice balance between showboating caricature and gritty realism."[7]

Bertozzi also published two webcomics, Persimmon Cup and Pecan Sandy, as part of the ACT-I-VATE comics blog.[8]

Bertozzi's first solo graphic novel after The Salon was Lewis & Clark (First Second, 2011). The graphic novel was widely praised for its engaging and informative portrayal of the historic expedition. The Forward commended the graphic novel as "a great piece of graphic nonfiction and one of the best examples of the genre available to readers today," highlighting Bertozzi's ability to capture the epic journey with wit and aplomb.[9] Kirkus Reviews lauded the book's innovative approach, noting Bertozzi's masterful command in depicting the explorers' arduous trek through rough terrain and encounters with often unwelcoming natives.[10] Publishers Weekly described it as "perfect for history buffs," emphasizing Bertozzi's skill in combining history lesson and character study through strong, gripping drawings[11] Graphic Classroom also recommended it as a "wonderful accompaniment to any classroom unit on exploration and the West," underscoring its educational value.[12]

Bertozzi wrote and laid out Becoming Andy Warhol (2016), a graphic biography illustrated by Pierce Hargan. Rather than covering Andy Warhol's entire life, the book focuses on his early struggles to move beyond illustration and achieve recognition as a serious artist, including his failed New York gallery efforts and his first solo show in Los Angeles featuring the Campbell's Soup Cans. Opening with a timeline of Warhol's major life events, the work presents a subjective but well-researched account, told with minimal narration and strong visual pacing. The book's use of a purple spot color was praised for its resonance with the story's tone, and reviewers such as Vice highlighted the book as a standout example of the biographical comics form.[13]

In 2014, Bertozzi published Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey, a graphic novel that recounts Ernest Shackleton's failed but celebrated expedition to the South Pole. While the crew ultimately survived, the sled dogs did not, underscoring the harsh realities of Antarctic exploration. The book emphasizes Shackleton's leadership, portraying his devotion to his men as both a weakness and a strength, and presents the journey with brisk pacing reminiscent of mid-20th-century youth history books,(particularly the Landmark Books series). The work was praised for Bertozzi’s inventive panel layouts, economical storytelling, and stark visual style, which together capture both the brutal environment and the expedition’s collective resilience.[14][15]

His illustration clients include Nickelodeon Magazine, Spin, The New York Times, New York Press, Gourmet, Backstage,[16] Abercrombie & Fitch, and WFMU.

He teaches cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.[17]

Awards

  • 2000 Xeric Grant for Boswash (2000)[1]
  • 2000 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent[18]
  • 2002:
  • 2003:
    • Harvey Award for Best New Series (Rubber Necker)[20]
    • Harvey Award for Best New Talent[20]
    • Ignatz Award for Outstanding Comic, for Rubber Necker #2[21]
    • (nomination) Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic, for The Salon[21]
  • 2004:
    • (nomination) Ignatz Award for Outstanding Story, for "The Little Things", Rubber Necker #3[22]
    • (nomination) Ignatz Award for Outstanding Series, for Rubber Necker[22]
  • 2007: (nomination) Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic, for Persimmon Cup[23]
  • 2010: (nomination) Eisner Award for Best Short Story, for "How and Why to Bale Hay" in Syncopated (Villard Books)[24]

Selected bibliography

Solo projects

Collaborations

Anthologies

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rhode, Mike (February 23, 2011). "Meet a Visiting Cartoonist: A Chat With Nick Bertozzi". Washington City Paper.
  2. ^ Price, Matthew (August 8, 2003). "Comic book awards presented; Reprint of 'Krazy Kat' series recognized". Daily Oklahoman, p. D11
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rosenbaum, S. I. (February 8, 2003). "Nick Bertozzi finds comic inspiration in R.I. roots". The Providence Journal. p. D1.
  4. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gustines, George Gene (May 6, 2007). "When Picasso Went Down to Georgia". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hodgman, John (June 3, 2007). "Comics". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lodge, Sally (February 19, 2007). "Children's Books for Spring: H - I". Publishers Weekly. p. 87.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jha, Aditya Mani (September 13, 2015). "Five biographies in graphic novel form that you must read". GRAPHIC NOVELS. Scroll.in.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Elkin, Toby (March 12, 2007). "Art — Comic timing". Centre Daily Times.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Baker, Bill (January–February 2011). "Lewis & Clark". The Foreword.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Lewis & Clark". Kirkus Reviews. December 29, 2010.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Lewis & Clark". Publishers Weekly. February 21, 2011.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Neibauer, Adrian (February 4, 2012). "LEWIS & CLARK". Graphic Classroom. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gazin, Nick (April 6, 2017). "Nick Gazin's Comic Book Love-In #116". Vice.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brown, Hillary (June 12, 2014). "Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi". Paste.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Smith, Sarah Harrison (June 18, 2014). "Daring Deeds". Children's Books. The New York Times.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Liroff, Marci (April 20, 2023). "How to Replenish Your Self-Confidence". Backstage.
  17. ^ "What's in Store". Visual Arts Journal. Fall 2011. School of Visual Arts. Page 19
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."News: Ignatz Awards 2000". The Comics Reporter. September 30, 2000.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.CBR STAFF (April 9, 2002). "2002 Eisner Award Nominees Announces [sic]". CBR.
  20. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."HARVEY AWARDS ANNOUNCED IN NYC: 'LXG,' 'Rubber Necker,' Krazy and Ignatz' Multiple Award Winners". ICv2. August 3, 2003.
  21. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SPX 2003 stuff". Copacetic Comics Company. 2003.
  22. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SPX 2004 Bonanza of Comics!". The Copacetic Comics Company. October 26, 2004.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Year in Awards". Publishers Weekly. December 31, 2007.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.MacDonald, Heidi (April 8, 2010). "2010 Eisner Award nominations announced". The Beat. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brown, Hillary (April 17, 2013). "Jerusalem: A Family Portrait by Boaz Yakin & Nick Bertozzi". Paste.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Disney Brings "Be More Chill" From Broadway/West End To Graphic Novel". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Grunenwald, Joe (January 24, 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Read an excerpt from Steve Sheinkin & Nick Bertozzi's BOMB". The Beat.

References

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