Brian Ralph (born 1973) is an American

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

. His illustrations have appeared in ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' and the ''

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''. His debut graphic novel, ''Cave-In'', was nominated for three

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

s, one

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

, and listed as one of the ''

Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

'''s "five best comics of 1999". His second graphic novel, ''Climbing Out'', was awarded a

Xeric Grant Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

in 2001. His third graphic novel, ''Daybreak'', was published by

Drawn & Quarterly Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...

in September 2011.

Biography

Ralph grew up in

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...

and graduated from

Metuchen High School Metuchen High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Metuchen Scho ...

in 1992.Muscavage, Nick
"Netflix series ''Daybreak'' an adaptation of Metuchen man's graphic novel"
''

Courier News The ''Courier News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Somerville, New Jersey, that serves Somerset County and other areas of Central Jersey. The paper has been owned by Gannett since 1927. Notable employees * John Curley, former pre ...

'', February 10, 2020. Accessed February 13, 2020. "Brian Ralph didn't have a label when he attended Metuchen High School. The 1992 graduate played on the football and golf teams, enjoyed skateboarding and loved art.... Ralph, who grew up on New York Avenue in Metuchen, has lived in Savannah, Georgia, for 11 years." He graduated from the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

in 1996, where he first began publishing his

mini-comic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...

''Fireball''. He is a member of the underground art collective known as

Fort Thunder Fort Thunder (1995–2001) was a warehouse on the second floor of a pre-Civil War former textile factory in the Olneyville district of Providence, Rhode Island. From 1995 through 2001, the space was used as a venue for underground music and events ...

. During the 2003–2004 school year, he taught at

The Key School The Key School is an independent coeducational school, located in the neighborhood of Hillsmere Shores in Annapolis, Maryland. The Key School was established by a group of tutors from St. John's College in 1958. Key is a member of the National ...

. Ralph was an adjunct professor in the Illustration department at the

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a private art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the oldest art colleges in the U ...

, where he taught Sequential Art, Character Development, Narrative Illustration, and Illustration Concepts. Ralph currently teaches Sequential Art at

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...

. Ralph lives in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, with his children.

Bibliography

* 1999: ''Cave-In'' (

Highwater Books Highwater Books was a small but influential independent comic book publisher based in Somerville, Massachusetts, noted for its arty editorial direction and production values under publisher Tom Devlin. Highwater began in 1997 and folded in Novembe ...

) - graphic novel * 2002: ''Climbing Out'' (Fireball Comics) - graphic novel, Xeric Award * 2006: ''Daybreak vol. 1'' (Bodega Distribution) - graphic novel * 2007: ''Daybreak vol. 2'' (Bodega Distribution) - graphic novel * 2008: ''Daybreak vol. 3'' (Bodega Distribution) - graphic novel * 2011: ''Daybreak'' (

) - graphic novel

Sources

Comiclopedia Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

Brian Ralph notice
(last updated 2005). *

Xeric Foundation The Xeric Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation based in Northampton, Massachusetts, which for twenty years awarded self-publishing grants to comic book creators, as well as qualified charitable and nonprofit organizations. The Xeric Fou ...

Xeric grants for 2001
1973 births Living people American cartoonists Savannah College of Art and Design faculty Alternative cartoonists Artists from Baltimore Artists from New Jersey Metuchen High School alumni People from Metuchen, New Jersey Rhode Island School of Design alumni {{US-cartoonist-stub