Archer Prewitt (born 1963 in

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat, seat of Franklin County, Kentucky, Franklin County in the Upland Sou ...

) is an American musician and

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 comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

associated with the independent music scene in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Biography

Music

Prewitt enrolled in the

Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. The institute ...

and began drumming in the band Tunnel Dogs and then Mudhead. Archer also played bass in Kansas City local favorites the Bangtails. A song by the Bangtails appears on the 2020 compilation ''Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987''. He then co-founded

The Coctails The Coctails were a musical group from Chicago, who formed while its members were attending the Kansas City Art Institute. The band was active from about 1988 to 1995, with reunions in 2000 as the last band to play on stage at Lounge Ax before ...

, who moved from Kansas City to Chicago after their first album (1989) and went on to release six albums in all by the time they played their last show on New Year's Eve 1995/96. By then Prewitt had also been involved with a new project,

The Sea and Cake The Sea and Cake is an American indie rock band based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. As part of the Chicago school of post-rock, the group formed in the mid-1990s from members of The Coctails (Archer Prewitt), Shrimp Boat (Sam Prekop ...

, who have released several critically acclaimed albums. Concomitant with his work in The Sea and Cake, Prewitt produced several solo releases.

Comics and illustration

In addition to his music, Prewitt is a freelance illustrator, cartoonist, and comic book

colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

. His first professional illustrations were for the ''Kansas City Star'' while he still lived there. In 1992, he started drawing and self-publishing his ''Sof' Boy''

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& ...

, while also working as a colorist for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. ''Sof' Boy'' has subsequently been published by

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 ...

and

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...

. Another Prewitt character is Funny Bunny, who has made several appearances in diverse publications, including Mome. Prewitt's work has appeared in '' Zero Zero'', ''

Drawn & Quarterly Drawn & Quarterly (D+Q) 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 con ...

'', ''

Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'' is an American literary journal, founded in 1998, typically containing short stories, reportage, and illustrations. Some issues also include poetry, comic strips, and novellas. ''The Quarterly Concern'' ...

'', and '' BLAB!''. Prewitt was nominated for a 1998

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Colorist for the 1997 publication of ''Sof' Boy and Friends #1,'' published by Drawn & Quarterly.

Discography

*''In the Sun'' (Carrot Top Records /

Hi-Ball Records A highball glass is a glass tumbler that can contain . It is used to serve highball cocktails and other mixed drinks. An example size is diameter by in height. A highball glass is taller than an old fashioned glass (lowball), and shorter and ...

, 1997) *''White Sky'' (Carrot Top Records, 1999) *''Gerroa Songs'' EP (Carrot Top Records, 2000) *''Three'' (

Thrill Jockey Thrill Jockey is an American independent record label established by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards and based in Chicago. History Richards started the label in 1992 with $35,000 of family and personal capital, while ...

, 2002) *''Wilderness'' (Thrill Jockey, 2005)

Bibliography

* "The City That Never Sleeps" (art only), ''Duplex Planet Illustrated'' #2 (Fantagraphics, April 1993) * "Sof' Boy," ''Drawn & Quarterly'' #4 (Drawn & Quarterly, December 1995) * ''Zero Zero'' #7, 8, 14 (Fantagraphics, 1996–1997) * ''BLAB!'' #9 (Fantagraphics, 1997) * ''BLAB!'' #10 (Fantagraphics, 1998) * ''Sof' Boy & Friends'' #1–3 (Fantagraphics, 1997–2004) * ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'' #13: "An Assorted Sampler of North American Comic Drawings, Strips, and Illustrated Stories, &c." (McSweeney's, spring 2004)

References

External links

* *

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

at Allmusic.com
Prewitt bio at Lambiek's Comiclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prewitt, Archer 1963 births Living people American comics artists Comics colorists Musicians from Chicago Artists from Chicago People from Frankfort, Kentucky Alternative cartoonists Kansas City Art Institute alumni Thrill Jockey artists Rock musicians from Kentucky The Sea and Cake members