Sabrina Jones (born on October 6th, 1960, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

) is an American painter and comic book artist, writer, illustrator, and editor. In addition to her own

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s, she is associated with artist/activist collectives such as Carnival Knowledge and

underground comics 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, ...

such as ''GirlTalk'' and ''

World War 3 Illustrated ''World War 3 Illustrated'' is an American comics anthology magazine with a left-wing political focus, founded in 1979 (though the first issue was published in 1980) by New York City comic book artists Peter Kuper and Seth Tobocman,Neil Gaiman, ed ...

''.

Biography

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Jones moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to study painting at Pratt Institute. She began writing and illustrating comics in the 1980s, inspired by the societal tumult of the Reagan era and the revived conservative focus on repealing abortion and other reproductive rights.Kelly, Kim
"The amazing life of Margaret Sanger, 'Our Lady of Birth Control': 'I was intrigued that such a great do-gooder was also quite a bad girl in private': Salon talks to Sabrina Jones about her new graphic novel about past and present fights for contraception,"
''Salon'' (July 30, 2016). She joined a group of

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...

activist artists called Carnival Knowledge. ''World War 3 Illustrated'' co-founder Seth Tobocman convinced Jones to create her first comic strip for the magazine. She went on to edit and contribute to many issues of ''World War 3 Illustrated'', including "Bitchcraft," "Female Complaints," and "Life During Wartime." In the mid-1990s Jones co-founded (with Isabella Bannerman and Ann Decker) ''Girltalk'', a four-issue

comics anthology A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...

of women's

autobiographical comics An autobiographical comic (also autobio, graphic memoir, or autobiocomic) is an autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comix movement and has since become more widespread. It is c ...

published by

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 founde ...

. In 1997, ''GirlTalk'' was nominated for "Lulu of the Year" by

Friends of Lulu Friends of Lulu was a non-profit, national charitable organization in the United States, which operated from 1994–2011 to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry. Membership was op ...

(losing out to ''The Great Women Superheroes'', by

Trina Robbins Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...

). In 2002, Jones' work was included in the exhibition ''"She Draws Comics: Trina Robbins and 27 Women Cartoonists"'', curated by

, shown at the Secession Gallery,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria; the exhibition toured to the

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is a not-for-profit arts organization and former museum in New York City devoted to comic books, comic strips and other forms of cartoon art. MoCCA sponsored events ranging from book openings to educat ...

(New York City) in 2006. Jones created her first historical comics for ''Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World'', published by

Verso Books Verso Books (formerly New Left Books) is a left-wing publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of '' New Left Review''. Renaming, new brand and logo Verso Books was originally known as New Left Books. The ...

in 2005. Her work on ''The Real Cost of Prisons Comix'' inspired her to create ''Mixed Signals'', a counter-recruitment tool in comic book form. Her first long-form graphic novel was ''

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, who performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in ...

: a Graphic Biography'', published in 2008 by

Hill & Wang Hill & Wang is an American book publishing company focused on American history, world history, and politics. It is a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Hill & Wang was founded as an independent publishing house in 1956 by Arthur Wang (1917/ ...

. 2010 saw one of Jones' first collaborations with a writer —

Paul Buhle Paul Merlyn Buhle (born September 27, 1944) is a (retired) Senior Lecturer at Brown University, author or editor of 35 volumes including histories of radicalism in the United States and the Caribbean, studies of popular culture, and a series ...

. Buhle wrote the text for ''FDR and the New Deal for Beginners'', which was illustrated entirely by Jones. The mixture of a graphic novel and a history book by Buhle and Jones was the latest in the long line of For Beginners books. Jones' artwork was noted by one reviewer for its "thick, darkened contours . . . – like film noir invaded by grainy

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

footage in a Brechtian landscape." In 2013 Jones wrote and drew ''Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling'', an adaptation of Marc Mauer's book on America's exploding imprisonment rate. In 2016,

Soft Skull Press Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company distributed by Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Avalon Publishing Group's Shoemaker & Hoard and the independent S ...

published Jones' graphic novel ''Our Lady of Birth Control: A Cartoonist's Encounter with Margaret Sanger'', which told Sanger's biography through the lens of Jones' own experiences during the sexual revolution.Leone, Nicki
"The Legacy of Margaret Sanger: On Sabrina Jones’s ‘Our Lady of Birth Control’,"
''The Millions'' (October 19, 2016). In addition to being a fine art painter, Jones has worked consistently as a scenic artist since 1990, painting scenery for film, theater, and television. In 1994, as a new member of

United Scenic Artists United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, formerly known as United Scenic Artists of America (USAA), is an American labor union. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It organizes designe ...

Local 829 Jones began weekly work for ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'''s broadcasts, a practice that continues to this day. Jones was awarded MacDowell residences in 1995, 1997, and 2004.Jones bio
MacDowell website. Retrieved Nov. 5, 2022. She completed an MFA from 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 New York City in 2003.

Personal life

Jones lives in

Brooklyn 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 ...

, New York.

Bibliography

Solo projects

* ''Mixed Signals'' (self-published one-shot, 2006) * ''Isadora Duncan: a Graphic Biography'' (

, 2008) * ''Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling'' (

The New Press The New Press is an independent non-profit public-interest book publisher established in 1992 by André SchiffrinMarc Mauer's book * ''Our Lady of Birth Control: A Cartoonist's Encounter with Margaret Sanger'' (

, 2016)

Anthologies

* ''

'' (many issues, 1984–2004) — regular contributor, occasional editor * ''

Real Girl ''Real Girl'' is the debut and only album by British singer Mutya Buena. It was released on 4 June 2007 via Universal Records, following her departure from UK girl group the Sugababes in December 2005. Singles " Real Girl", the album's lead ...

'' #4 (

, Sept. 1992) — contributor; edited by Angela Bocage * ''GirlTalk'' (4 issues, Fantagraphics, 1995–1996) — co-editor and contributor * ''Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World'' (

, 2005) — contributing cartoonist; edited by

and Nicole Schulman * ''Nature Comics'' #3 (Nature, 2008) — contributed the story "Good Wolf / Bad Wolf" * ''The Real Cost of Prisons Comix'' ( PM Press, 2008) — contributed the story "Prisoners of the War on Drugs"

Illustrator

* ''FDR for Beginners'' ( For Beginners, 2010) — with writer

* ''Radical Jesus: A Graphic History of Faith'' (Herald Press, 2013) — illustrated the cover as well as the section "Radical Gospel;" with writer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sabrina 1960 births American artists American female comics artists Artists from Philadelphia Living people MacDowell Colony fellows School of Visual Arts alumni