Brian Bram (born May 9, 1955, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

), raised in

Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a north shore suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion extending into Cook County, Illinois. The population was 19,196 at the 2020 census. Deerfield is home to the headquarters of Walgreens Boo ...

, played a minor role in the

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

movement with his contributions to ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interva ...

'', the comic book series written and published by

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...

Biography

Bram's first paid illustration job was a logo for a local rock band. At 17 he began contributing to ''Triad'', a Chicago-based alternative magazine that published work by

Skip Williamson Mervyn "Skip" Williamson (August 19, 1944 – March 16, 2017) was an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Williamson's art was published in the '' National Lampoon'', ''High Times'', ''the Realis ...

and others. At 18 Bram served briefly as art director for the magazine. Bram moved to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in 1975 to major in design and illustration at the

Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at firs ...

. According to the Comiclopedia, underground cartoonist

Jay Lynch Jay Patrick Lynch (January 7, 1945 – March 5, 2017) was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his ''Bijou Funnies'' and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip ''Nard n' Pat'' and the r ...

introduced him to Pekar who hired him to illustrate stories in the first issue of ''American Splendor''. Splash_Panel,_

Bram contributed to the first two issues of ''American Splendor'', along with artists

Gary Dumm Gary G. Dumm (b. c. 1947)Dumm entry
Who's Who of American Comic Boo ...

Greg Budgett Greg Budgett (b. c. 1952)Budgett entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.'' ...

, and

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

. He provided the art for "Remembering Be-Ins" in ''American Splendor'' #1 (1976) and "Rollins on Mars," "May 4–5, 1970," and "Zoology" in ''American Splendor'' #2 (1977). In 1980 he moved to

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, to study film and animation at the

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...

. In 1983 Bram produced and hosted an all-night movie program on

WUHF WUHF (channel 31) is a television station in Rochester, New York, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to dual ABC/ CW affiliate WHAM-TV (channel 13) under a lo ...

(Channel 31; then an independent station; now part of the Fox network). In addition to movies, the program was a forum for local bands including Personal Effects, The Degrads, and Cousin Al and the Relatives. Since 1987 Bram has been living in Boston, Massachusetts and working as a creative director in the interactive industry.

References

External links

*
Triad Radio air check, 1972

Complete list of Harvey Pekar's artists

Bram at Linked In
* Underground artists Alternative cartoonists Underground cartoonists 1955 births Living people Rochester Institute of Technology alumni People from Deerfield, Illinois American Splendor artists {{US-comics-artist-stub

Biography

Further reading

References

External links