Denise "Deni" Loubert (born September 30, 1951) Miller, John Jackson
"Comics Industry Birthdays"
''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...

'', June 10, 2005. Accessed July 19, 2011
WebCitation archive
is a Canadian comics publisher, co-founder of

Aardvark-Vanaheim Aardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert and is best known for publishing Sim's ''Cerebus''. For a brief time, the company also published other titles, sometimes under the name ...

, and founder of Renegade Press. She is the ex-wife of

Dave Sim Dave Sim (born 17 May 1956) is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book '' Cerebus'', his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophical ...

, with whom she founded Aardvark-Vanaheim and published '' Cerebus'' from issues #1 to #77 (1977–1985). Loubert and Sim met in 1976 and were married from October 6, 1978 to August 20, 1983. The barbarian

aardvark The aardvark ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlik ...

Cerebus was sketched initially by Sim as a mascot to accompany Loubert's proposed

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...

, ''Cerebus,'' so titled when Loubert misspelled

Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the ...

, the name of the mythical dog guarding Hades. (The fanzine went unpublished.)Sim, Dave
"Memoir: WHY AN AARDVARK? Part Two,"
CerebusFanGirl. Accessed July 19, 2011.. Aardvark-Vanaheim, managed by Loubert, began publishing other comics besides ''Cerebus'', such as William Messner-Loebs' '' Journey'' and

Bob Burden Bob Burden is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''Flaming Carrot Comics'' and the '' Mystery Men''. Early life Burden was born the eldest of three siblings in Buffalo, New York. His father worked at Westi ...

's '' Flaming Carrot''. After Sim and Loubert's 1984 separation, Loubert started Renegade Press, which assumed publishing duties for all non-''Cerebus'' Aardvark-Vanaheim titles. Renegade Press operated from 1984 to 1989. Loubert's brother is Michael Loubert, who designed the original map used as the basis of Cerebus's world, Estarcion. Michael Loubert also wrote "The Aardvarkian Age" columns that appeared in early issues of ''Cerebus''.

Awards

In 1987, Loubert was presented with an Inkpot Award. In 2010, she was inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame.

Controversy

In 1987, Loubert accepted an Inkpot Award on

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

's behalf (Renegade had published ''Ditko's World'' in 1986). Ditko refused the award, phoning Loubert to say, "Awards bleed the artist and make us compete against each other. They are the most horrible things in the world. How dare you accept this on my behalf." At Ditko's behest, Loubert returned the award to the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

organizers.Bell, Blake. ''Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko'' (Fantagraphics Books, Seattle, Washington, 2008), pp. 165-166. .

Bibliography

* "A Case for Reading," ''The Comics Journal'' #102 (Sept. 1985), pp. 111–112 — editorial about literacy, illiteracy, the Business Council for Effective Literacy, and the Literacy Volunteers of America * "On the Edge" (art by Angela Bocage), in ''

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 ...

'' #14 ( Last Gasp, 1989), pp. 23–26 * "Hero Worship" (written with

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ...

), in ''Against the Wind'', edited by Richard Pini (New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1992) * "The Former Mrs. Viktor Davis," ''The Comics Journal'' #174 (Feb. 1995), pp. 116–118 * (ed.) ''How to Get Girls (into your Store): a Friends of Lulu Retailers Handbook'' (San Diego, CA: Friends of Lulu, 1997)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loubert, Deni Living people 1951 births Canadian publishers (people) Place of birth missing (living people) Canadian comics creators