Glenn Head (born May 14, 1958 in

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming one ...

) is an American

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 ...

and

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

editor living in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. His cartooning has a strong

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

bent and is heavily influenced by 1960s

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, ...

. Much of his work has appeared in comix anthologies, starting with ''Bad News 1, 2 and 3'' (editors

Paul Karasik Paul Karasik ( ; born 1956)Kartalopoulos, Bill''Indy'' magazine (Spring 2004). is an American cartoonist, editor, and teacher, notable for his contributions to such works as ''City of Glass: The Graphic Novel'', ''The Ride Together: A Memoir of A ...

and

Mark Newgarden Mark Newgarden (born August 1, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American underground cartoonist. His work has appeared widely, and his influential shape-shifting weekly feature ''Newgarden'', which appeared in alternative weekly newspapers like ...

) and R. Crumb’s '' Weirdo'' magazine (#25). Head was a frequent contributor to the

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

quarterly comix anthology '' Zero Zero''. His strip “Skateboard Mayhem” was featured in the

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

anthology ''Mind Riot: Coming of Age in Comix''. Glenn Head’s comics and illustrations have appeared in a wide variety of publications, from ''The

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' to ''

Screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

''. Magazines and newspapers that have published his work include ''The New York Times'', ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'', ''New Republic'', ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'', '' Pulse Magazine'', ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mul ...

'', ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

'', ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', ''and

Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nickelodeon Magazine'' is a defunct American children's magazine inspired by the children's television network Nickelodeon. Its first incarnation appeared in 1990 and was distributed at participating Pizza Hut restaurants; the version of the ma ...

.'' Head's solo work includes ''Avenue D'', comix about life on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

; two issues of ''Guttersnipe'' comix, which combine grunge, surrealism, and autobiography; and a self-published sketchbook character study, ''Head Shots''. From 2005 to 2010 Head edited and contributed to the

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

- and

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 ...

-nominated anthology ''HOTWIRE Comics'' (three issues). From 2009 to 2015 he created his graphic epic, ''Chicago''. This coming-of-age memoir centers around a starry-eyed 19-year-old with dreams of underground comics glory as he encounters his heroes, faces homelessness, despair, insanity, and somehow survives. A student of

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...

at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in the early ‘80s (in the environment that created ''

RAW Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

''), Head learned how to put comic books together. Head edited and contributed to three issues of ''Snake Eyes'' (with co-editor Kaz) and the pulp-crime

anthology ''Hotwire Comix & Capers'' (numbers 1, 2 and 3).

Awards

His work as an editor garnered the following attention: * 1992

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 ...

nomination for Best Anthology for ''Snake Eyes #2'' * 2007

Eisner Award for Best Anthology The Eisner Award for Best Anthology Shot is an award for "creative achievement" in American comic books. It has been given out every year since 1992. Winners and nominees Notes References {{American Comic Book Industry Awards Category ...

nomination for ''Hotwire Comix'' * 2007 Harvey Award for Best Anthology nomination for ''Hotwire Comix''

Exhibitions

Head's fine art has been exhibited in New York and across the country: * 1993 ''"Comic Power"'' (

Exit Art Exit Art was a non-profit cultural center that ran from 1982 to 2012 that exhibited contemporary visual art, installation, video, theater, and performance in New York City, United States. In its last location in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, it was a ...

, New York City) traveling show * 1997 ''"Art and Provocation: Images from Rebels"'' (

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

Museum of Contemporary Art)Paglia, Michael
"Not the Funnies,"
''

Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue cir ...

'' (Sept. 18, 1997). * 2000 ''"New York Press Illustrators Show"'' (CB’s 313 Gallery) Head’s editorial cartooning appeared in the ''"Inx"'' show at

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

Bibliography

* “How I Spent My Summer on Avenue B” in ''Bad News #1'', 1983, self-published, ASIN: B00H6YCUSS — ''Bad News'' was a 1983–1988 comix anthology put together by

’s SVA independent study class. * “The Bugs” in ''Bad News #2'', 1984, self-published, ASIN: B004EL5XK8 * “Belinda’s Topless Go-Go Lounge” in ''Bad News'' #3, 1988, edited by

and

, Bad News Press/Fantagraphics, ASIN: B004X2X8D2. * '' Weirdo #25'', 1988, Last Gasp, edited by

R. 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 ...

* ''Glenn Head’s Avenue D: Comics & Stories'', 1986, self-published, ASIN: B000727IGK * ''Avenue D'', 1991,

, ASIN: B00396SY4G * ''Snake Eyes'', 1990, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B009E04P3K, , * ''Snake Eyes'' #2, 1992, Fantagraphics, , * ''Snake Eyes'' #3, 2001, Fantagraphics, , * '' Zero Zero #1'', 1995, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B002ZD5IGG * ''Zero Zero'' #2, 1995, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B002ZDAYOW * ''Zero Zero'' #3, 1995, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B002ZDBD6A * ''Zero Zero'' #6, 1995, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B002ZDECJU * ''Zero Zero'' #14, 1997, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B00DCHV0OI * ''Zero Zero'' #19, August 1997, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B002ZF17RI * ''Zero Zero'' #20, September/October 1997, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B002ZF8ZX2 * ''Guttersnipe Comics'' #1, 1994, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B000PBP9OQ * ''Guttersnipe Comix'' #2, 1996, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B006071WFE * “Skateboard Mayhem!” in ''Mind Riot: Coming of Age in Comix'', 1997, edited by Karen D. Hirsch , * ''Dirty Stories Vol. 3'', 2002, Fantagraphics, edited by Eric Reynolds * ''True Porn'' #2, 2005, edited by Robyn Chapman * ''Best Erotic Comics'', 2008,

Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...

, * ''Best Erotic Comics'', 2009, Last Gasp, * ''Hotwire Comix and Capers Vol. 1'', 2006, Fantagraphics, , * ''Hotwire Comics, Vol. 2'', 2008, Fantagraphics, , * ''Hotwire, Vol. 3'', 2010, Fantagraphics, , * ''Chicago, A Comix Memoir By Glenn Head,'' 2015, Fantagraphics, ASIN: B014VDFSL2,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Head, Glenn 1958 births Living people American cartoonists School of Visual Arts alumni Artists from New Jersey