Jump to content

Hazel Newlevant

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Newlevant speaks at Small Press Expo 2020

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]

Career

[edit]

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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hazel_Newlevant&oldid=1247534221"