Jason Lutes (born December 7, 1967) at Comic Creator is an American comics creator. His work is mainly historical fiction, but he also works in traditional fiction. He is best-known for his ''
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
'' series, which he wrote and drew over 22 years. He has also written a handful of other
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
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 college#United States, two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novels
.
Biography
Lutes was born in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, but his family soon relocated to
Missoula, Montana
Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork Ri ...
. In his early years, Lutes liked superhero comics, but a trip to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
exposed him to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
an comics like ''
The Adventures of Tintin
''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European com ...
'' and ''
Asterix
''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a '' bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Repub ...
'', 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 the ...
, 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 the erotic Eros Comix imprint.
History
Founding
Fantagraphics was fou ...
, 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
Jason Lutes (born December 7, 1967) at Comic Creator is an American
Jar of Fools''. After two years of research, in 1996 Lutes embarked on the ambitious comic book series ''
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
'', an ongoing 22-chapter story set in the twilight years of Germany's
Weimar Republic
The German Reich, commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic,, was a historical period of Germany from 9 November 1918 to 23 March 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is also r ...
Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly 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 content, ...
took over the series.
Lutes subsequently moved to Asheville, North Carolina, 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, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
.
In 2007,
Hyperion
Hyperion may refer to:
Greek mythology
* Hyperion (Titan), one of the twelve Titans
* ''Hyperion'', a byname of the Sun, Helios
* Hyperion of Troy or Yperion, son of King Priam
Science
* Hyperion (moon), a moon of the planet Saturn
* ''Hyp ...
published the graphic novel ''Houdini: The Handcuff King,'' written by Lutes and illustrated by Nick Bertozzi.
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 college#United States, two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novels
; he is now an adjunct professor there.Morrow, Julina "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>
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
'' (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
''Nickelodeon 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 ma ...
'', 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 ''
Nickelodeon Magazine
''Nickelodeon 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 ma ...
'', 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 ...
) (2001)
* ''Houdini: The Handcuff King'' (words; pictures by Nick Bertozzi, 2007) (2007,
Hyperion
Hyperion may refer to:
Greek mythology
* Hyperion (Titan), one of the twelve Titans
* ''Hyperion'', a byname of the Sun, Helios
* Hyperion of Troy or Yperion, son of King Priam
Science
* Hyperion (moon), a moon of the planet Saturn
* ''Hyp ...
Dark Horse Presents
''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by American company Dark Horse Comics from 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, ...
'' #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 where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...
,'' ''
The Books of Magic
''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has ...
'', ''
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 chocolates ...
'' #2, pp. 35–42, 1998)
* “Rules to Live By” (in ''AutobioGraphix'', by
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, 2003).
* “Small Explosions” (in ''Rosetta'' #2, 2004)
Paul Krugman
Paul Robin Krugman ( ; born February 28, 1953) is an American economist, who is Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and a columnist for ''The New York Times''. In 2008, Krugman was t ...
, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''.
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 ''
Nickelodeon Magazine
''Nickelodeon 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 ma ...
'', written by
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 ...
(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, designed by Australian-American developer David White and first released in June 2003. In ''Wesnoth'', the player attempts to build ...
City of Heroes
''City of Heroes'' (''CoH'') was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game which was developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSOFT. The game was launched in North America on April 28, 2004, and in Europe by NCsoft Europe on Febru ...