Dan E. Burr (born November 14, 1951)
''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed Jan. 16, 2014. is an American

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

artist best known for his collaborations with writer James Vance on '' Kings in Disguise'' and ''On the Ropes'', both set during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. He is known for the meticulous research that goes into his artwork. Burr started out in commercial illustration before turning to comics in the mid-1980s. Most of Burr's early work in the field was done for small press publishers like

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 ...

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book store, comic book specialty stor ...

, and

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

. In 1988, Burr and writer James Vance created the six-issue limited series '' Kings in Disguise'' for Kitchen Sink. The series was a multiple Harvey and

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 ...

s winner, and is now considered one of the hundred best comic book stories of all time. It has been hailed by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ...

, and

Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...

. In addition to ''Kings in Disguise'', Burr worked on ''

Death Rattle A death rattle is noisy breathing that often occurs in someone near death. Accumulation of fluids such as saliva and bronchial secretions in the throat and upper airways is the cause. Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow and may ...

'', '' Grateful Dead Comix'', the

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

series, and various trading cards for Kitchen Sink. In the 1990s, Burr worked for publishers like

Paradox Press Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andy Helfer, Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton, the imprint was renamed. Paradox was best known for pu ...

(on ''

The Big Book Of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel comics anthology, anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint (trade name), imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just o ...

'' series) and

Mojo Press Mojo Press was a small press which primarily published science fiction, horror fiction, horror, and Western (genre), western books and graphic novels between 1994 and 1999. History Mojo Press was founded in 1994 by publisher Ben Ostrander and man ...

. In 2012, Burr collaborated with writer Michael Goodwin on ''Economix: How our Economy Works (And Doesn't Work) In Words and Pictures'', published by

Abrams Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mar ...

. ''Economix'' was a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' bestseller, and received praise from, among others, ''

Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', and '' Mother Jones''."About,"
Dan Burr's official website. Accessed Jan. 17, 2014. In 2013, 24 years after ''Kings in Disguise'',

W. W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly '' The Norton ...

released its sequel, ''On the Ropes'', also done by the team of Vance and Burr. ''On the Ropes'' was positively reviewed by, among others, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', ''

'',"On the Ropes,"
''Publishers Weekly'' (Aug. 27, 2012). and writer

. In addition to his work in comics, Burr also does editorial illustration, caricatures, portraiture, and art for children's books. (He is not to be confused with American children's book illustrator Dan Burr, born in 1960.) Burr lives in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, with his wife and art partner Debbie Freiberg."About the Author,"
Economix website. Accessed Jan. 17, 2014.

Awards

* 1988

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 ...

Best Single Issue/Story — ''Kings in Disguise'' #1 * 1988 Eisner Award Best New Series * 1989

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

Best New Series

Bibliography

* '' Kings in Disguise'' (Kitchen Sink Press, 1990; reissued by W. W. Norton, 2006) — with writer James Vance * ''Economix: How our Economy Works (And Doesn't Work) In Words and Pictures'' (Abrams Books, 2012) — with writer Michael Goodwin * ''On the Ropes'' (W. W. Norton, 2013) — with writer James Vance *''Presidential Misadventures: Poems That Poke Fun at the Man in Charge'' (Roaring Brook Press, 2015) — with writer Bob Raczka.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burr, Dan American comics artists Harvey Award winners Eisner Award winners Living people 1951 births Artists from Milwaukee Place of birth missing (living people)