Sharon Rudahl (born 1947) is an American comic artist, illustrator and writer. She was one of the first female artists who contributed to 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 of the early 1970's. In 1972, she was part of the women's collective that founded ''

Wimmen's Comix ''Wimmen's Comix'', later titled ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused more than other an ...

'', the first on-going comic drawn exclusively by women.

Biography

Sharon Rudahl was born in 1947. She grew up in Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland and has lived in Madison, Wisconsin and San Francisco, California. She became aware of social inequalities at an early age both through racism she observed against African Americans and the segregation she experienced growing up as a Jewish American. In her teens, she began participating in civil rights marches. The focus of her career is social and political activism, primarily through the genre of comics. Early in her career, she contributed to several political publications including the underground paper ''

Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...

'', ''Takeover'', and the ''

San Francisco Express Times ''San Francisco Express Times'' was a counterculture tabloid underground newspaper edited by Marvin Garson and published weekly in San Francisco, California from January 24, 1968, to March 25, 1969, for a total of 62 issues, covering and promoting ...

'' (previously named ''Good Times''). She was also the art editor at ''Takeover'' during the 1970's. In the early 1970's, Rudahl was one of the founders of the feminist wing of the

movement. In response to the boy's club nature of the underground comix scene of the early 1970's, she joined the woman's collective that founded ''

'', the first ongoing publication drawn exclusively by women. In 1980, Rudahl wrote her first comic book ''Adventures of Crystal Night.'' She has also written and illustrated two graphic novel biographies, both featuring political activists. The first, ''A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman,'' explores the life of anarchist political activist and writer

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

. The second, ''Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson,'' is about the life of black activist

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...

. “I made the invaluable discovery that anyone can be powerful if they are indifferent to consequences.” ― Sharon Rudahl, A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman

Selected bibliography

* ''Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson'' (

Rutgers University Press Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University. History Rutgers University Press, a nonprofit academic publishing house operating in New B ...

, 2020) - writer and illustrator * ''A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman'' (

The New Press The New Press is an independent non-profit public-interest book publisher established in 1992 by André Schiffrin Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...

, 1980) - writer and artist * ''Anarchy Comix'' #3 (

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 ...

, 1981) * ''Anarchy Comix'' #2 (

, 1979) * ''

'' #1 (

, 1972)—founding member and contributor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudahl, Sharon 1947 births Living people American women cartoonists American cartoonists American female comics artists American political activists American women illustrators American graphic novelists Underground cartoonists Jewish women artists Jewish American artists 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women