Jason Lutes (born December 7, 1967)
at Comic Creator is an American

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

creator. His work is mainly historical fiction, but he also works in traditional fiction. He is best-known for his ''

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

'' series, which he wrote and drew over 22 years. He has also written a handful of other

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s, as well as many short pieces for anthologies and compilations. He now teaches comics at the

Center for Cartoon Studies The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is a two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novels.New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, but his family soon relocated to

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

. In his early years, Lutes liked

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comics, but a trip to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

exposed him to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an comics like ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' ( ) is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. By 2007, a c ...

'' and ''

Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...

'', which he says greatly affected his style of drawing.Jason Lutes
profile at Read Yourself RAW Lutes went to college at the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991. He moved to Seattle after graduation, where he found work for the alternative comics publisher

Fantagraphics 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 ...

, and eventually became art director of the alternative weekly '' The Stranger''. During this period, Lutes began writing and self-publishing his own comic work with Penny Dreadful Press. In 1993 Lutes began serializing a strip for ''The Stranger'', which was collected in 1996 in the critically acclaimed graphic novel '' Jar of Fools''. After two years of research, in 1996 Lutes embarked on the ambitious comic book series ''

'', an ongoing 22-chapter story set in the twilight years of Germany's

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

. When ''Berlins original publisher

Black Eye Productions Black Eye Books (formerly called Black Eye Productions) is a small but influential Canadian comic book publishing company founded by Michel Vrana. Under the auspices of Vrana, Black Eye was known as a publisher of artfully designed alternative com ...

closed in 1998,

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 ...

took over the series. Lutes subsequently moved to

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, in October 2002; this move forms the subject of his autobiographical ''Rules to Live By,'' collected in ''AutobioGraphix'' by

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 2007, Hyperion published the graphic novel ''Houdini: The Handcuff King,'' written by Lutes and illustrated by

Nick Bertozzi Nick Bertozzi (born May 26, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist, as well as a commercial illustrator and teacher of cartooning. His series ''Rubber Necker'' from Alternative Comics won the 2003 Harvey Awards for best new talent an ...

. Starting in the spring of 2008, he became part of the faculty of the

Center for Cartoon Studies The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is a two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novels."15 Questions,"
''Sequential Highway'' (Nov. 8, 2012).

Personal life

Lutes has two sons, Clem (born 2006) and Max, with his partner Becka Warren.

Bibliography

Lutes has published work in a variety of forms.Coyote vs. Wolf (Lutes's blog)
Bibliography
/ref>

Series

* '' Jar of Fools'' (1994) * ''

'' (1996–2018, ) ** ''Berlin'' Book One: ''City of Stones'' (2000, ) ** ''Berlin'' Book Two: ''City of Smoke'' (2008, ) ** ''Berlin'' Book Three: ''City of Light'' (2018, )

Children's series

* “The Secret Three” (with Jake Austen, in ''

Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nick Magazine'' is a defunct American children's magazine inspired by the children's television network Nickelodeon. Its first incarnation appeared in 1990 and was distributed at participating Pizza Hut restaurants; the version of the magazine ...

'', 1997–1999) * “Sam Shade” (with

Paul Karasik Paul Karasik ( ; born 1956)Kartalopoulos, Bill''Indy'' magazine (Spring 2004). is an American cartoonist, editor, and teacher, notable for his contributions to such works as '' City of Glass: The Graphic Novel'', ''The Ride Together: A Memoir of ...

, in ''

'', 2002–2005)

Graphic novels

* ''The Fall'' (with

Ed Brubaker Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...

) (2001) * ''Houdini: The Handcuff King'' (words; pictures by

, 2007) (2007, Hyperion), (2008, Disney–Hyperion)

Short work

* (inks) '' Rock & Roll High School'' #1–2 (with Bob Fingerman and

Shane Oakley Shane Oakley is a British illustrator and comic book artist from Stoke-on-Trent, England. Biography Oakley began his career contributing to the alternative comics review ''Deadline Magazine'' in the 1980s, where he created '' Fatal Charm'' with ...

) (

Roger Corman's Cosmic Comics Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

, 1995) * “Side Trip” (in ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

'' #125, pp. 23–28, 1997) * “Late Summer Sun” (in ''Drawn & Quarterly: A Picture Story Book'' (Volume 2, number 6), pp. 31–38, 1997 June, ) * “We Three Things” (pictures only, script by Peter Gross; in ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

,'' ''

The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...

'', ''

Winter's Edge Winter's is a popular Peruvian brand of chocolates and other food products owned by Compañía Nacional de Chocolates de Perú S.A. History The brand was started in 1997 by Lima-based Good Foods S.A., the largest Peruvian exporter of chocolate ...

'' #2, pp. 35–42, 1998) * “Rules to Live By” (in ''AutobioGraphix'', by

, 2003). * “Small Explosions” (in ''Rosetta'' #2, 2004)

Illustrations

Occasional illustrations: * Album cover for ''

Troubled by the Fire ''Troubled by the Fire'' is the third studio album by Laura Veirs Laura Pauline Veirs (born October 24, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk and alternative country records and live per ...

'' (2003),

Laura Veirs Laura Pauline Veirs (born October 24, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk and alternative country records and live performances as well as her collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang o ...

* Illustrations for
How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?
,

Paul Krugman Paul Robin Krugman ( ; born February 28, 1953) is an American New Keynesian economics, New Keynesian economist who is the Distinguished Professor of Economics at the CUNY Graduate Center, Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He ...

, ''

The 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 ...

''.

Unpublished work

Unpublished work includes: * 1-page biography of J. R. R. Tolkien for ''The Stranger'' (1997) * "Which Witch is Witch?", 3-page story for "Sam Shade" in ''

'', written by

(2003) * short Charles Atlas parody for ''The Stranger'' (2004)

Other work

Lutes has done some game work,Coyote vs. Wolf (Lutes's blog)
Game Work
/ref> such as unit portraits for the open-source video game

Battle for Wesnoth ''The Battle for Wesnoth'' is a free and open-source turn-based strategy video game with a high fantasy setting (similar to J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium), designed by Australian-American developer David White and first released in June 2003. ...

(2006), a map for '' Dominions 3: The Awakening'' (2006), and website illustration for ''

City of Heroes ''City of Heroes'' (''CoH'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game originally created by Cryptic Studios prior to the IP’s acquisition by NCSoft. Previously developed by the now-defunct Paragon Studios, it is currently developed ...

'' (2005).