Andrea Natalie (born 1958) is an American cartoonist. She is the creator of the ''Stonewall Riots'' collections and founded the Lesbian Cartoonists' Network.

Biography

Andrea Natalie spent her childhood in Arizona and moved to New York to attend school at Cornell University. She worked in Los Angeles for several years as a waitress, cab driver, and janitor. She was 22 when she moved to New York City and came out as a lesbian. Shortly after, Natalie became involved in radical lesbian feminist politics and was the media representative for Sonia Johnson's presidential campaign. She also ran a lesbian adventure social club called Women About. Natalie wanted to become a playwright, but ultimately turned to comics in 1989.

Career

Andrea Natalie's cartoons follow a single-panel style. In addition to the three collections she published, Natalie's works have been syndicated in many gay and lesbian newspapers across the United States. Her cartoons cover a wide variety of subjects but primarily center around themes of politics, feminism, and queer culture in the late 80s and early 90s.

Works and contributions

* Natalie, Andrea. ''Stonewall Riots,'' Venus Press, 1990. * Triptow, Robert. ''

Gay Comix ''Gay Comix'' (later ''Gay Comics'') is an underground comics series published from 1980 to 1998 featuring cartoons by and for gay men and lesbians. The comic books had the tagline "Lesbians and Gay Men Put It On Paper!" Much of the early con ...

#13,'' Bob Ross, 1991. * Jones, Gerard. ''Real Girl #2,'' Fantagraphics, 1991. * Mangels, Andy. ''Gay Comix #14,'' Bob Ross, 1991. * Leschen, Caryn. '' Wimmin's Comix #17,'' Rip Off Press, 1992. * Mangels, Andy. ''Gay Comics #15,'' Bob Ross, 1992. * Mangels, Andy. ''Gay Comics #16,'' Bob Ross, 1992. * Natalie, Andrea. ''The Night Audrey's Vibrator Spoke: A Stonewall Riots Collection,'' Cleis Press, 1992. * Mangels, Andy. ''Gay Comics #18,'' Bob Ross, 1993. * Natalie, Andrea. ''Rubyfruit Mountain: A Stonewall Riots Collection,'' Cleis Press, 1993. * Gregory, Roberta. ''Dyke's Delight #2,'' Cath Tate & Carol Bennett, 1994. * Mangels, Andy. ''Gay Comics #25,'' Bob Ross, 1998. * Hall, Justin. '' No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics,'' Fantagraphics, 2012.

Reception

Natalie's cartoons were popular among the lesbian and feminist communities. She received several positive reviews for her collections in feminist newspapers like ''Sojourner: the Women's Forum.'' Other lesbian cartoonists also supported and commended Natalie's work such as

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her Graphic novel, graphic memoir ''Fun ...

, Roz Warren, and Kris Kovick.

Awards and recognition

* 1991 ''Hot Wire'' Reader's Choice recipient * 1991

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In ...

for ''Stonewall Riots (1990)'' * 1993 Lambda Literary Award

for ''The Night Audrey's Vibrator Spoke: A Stonewall Riots Collection (1992)''

Lesbian Cartoonists' Network

Natalie created the Lesbian Cartoonists' Network as a way for queer, feminist artists to connect and get support from one another. She founded the newsletter because she did not have anyone to look up to and speak with when she was starting out. The newsletter was written mostly by cartoonists and discussed how to get work published and syndicated and what art supplies are useful for beginners. The free newsletter was sent to members quarterly. Natalie recruited people to join the network by asking members for their contacts, finding cartoonists that were printed in obscure lesbian newspapers, contacting mainstream cartoonists, and putting notices about the LCN in 500 queer papers. Cartoonists who joined the network said that the LCN helped them feel more visible and informed as artists.

Artist influences

As a child, Natalie only had access to two cartoonists:

Charles Addams Charles Samuel Addams (January 7, 1912 – September 29, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for his darkly humorous and macabre characters. Some of his recurring characters became known as the Addams Family, and were subsequently populari ...

and

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Awards, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for book ...

. She inherited her feminist beliefs from her mother who guided Natalie to read

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan (; February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book '' The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the s ...

. Artistically, Natalie primarily drew influence from

Gary Larson Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist who created ''The Far Side'', a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to more than 1,900 newspapers for fifteen years. The series ended on January 1, 1995, ...

who also drew in a single-panel style. She also read Alison Bechdel's comics as a beginner and stated her admiration for Roz Warren.

Personal life

Drawing cartoons was not enough for Natalie to make a living. She earned money working as a waitress and dancer at a topless bar. Natalie found this work environment boring and not inspirational. She continued in this line of work because she could earn a large amount of money in a small amount of time, which left her more time to work on her cartoons. As of her last recorded interviews, Natalie was planning on attending nursing school as a financial alternative to the topless bar. Over the duration of her years as an active cartoonist, Natalie mentioned she was living with an unnamed partner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Natalie, Andrea 1958 births Living people American female comics artists American comics artists American female comics writers American comics writers Cornell University alumni LGBTQ comics creators 21st-century American women