The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, commonly known as The Kubert School or Joe Kubert School, is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
for-profit
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit."
A business entity is not necessari ...
art school
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...
focused on cartooning and graphic art located in Madison, New Jersey. It teaches the principles of
sequential art
In comics studies, sequential art is a term proposed by comics artist Will Eisner Will Eisner, '' Comics and Sequential Art'', Poorhouse Press, 1990 (1st ed.: 1985), p. 5. to describe art forms that use images deployed in a specific order for the ...
and the particular craft of the
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 ...
industry as well as commercial
illustration
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...
.
The school's instructors are professional writers, artists, colorists, and letterers working in the comic book and commercial art field, many of them graduates of the school themselves. Instruction is hands-on and practical.
History
The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art was founded in September 1976 by
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
Joe Kubert
Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawk ...
and his wife Muriel in the old Baker mansion at 45 Lehigh Street in Dover; Its first graduating class of
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
included
Stephen R. Bissette,
Thomas Yeates
Thomas Yeates (born January 19, 1955) is an American comic strip and comic book artist best known for illustrating the comic strips ''Prince Valiant'' and ''Zorro'' and for working on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Career
Thomas Yea ...
, and
Rick Veitch
Richard Veitch (; born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground comics, underground, and alternative comics.
Biography
Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One ...
.
By 1980, the school offered a three-year program in Cartoon Illustration, Graphic Arts, and Cinematic Animation. Approved by the
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...
, the Kubert School advertised itself to veterans and "
non-resident alien
In law, an alien is generally any person (including an organization) who is not a citizen or a national of a specific country, although definitions and terminology differ across legal systems.
Lexicology
The term "alien" is derived from the ...
" students.
In 1984 the school moved into Dover's former high school at 37 Myrtle Avenue.
Founder and instructor Joe Kubert kept his own studio in the school, later joined by his sons
Adam
Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam).
According to Christianity, Adam ...
and
Andy, who are also comic book professionals and who taught at the school.
In May of 2025 the school moved from its former home in Dover to a new location at 27 Main St.
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 16,937, an increase of 1,092 (+6.9%) from the 2010 United ...
.
Programs
Cartoon Graphis - Three year full time program - In-person and remote.
Online Studies - Offered four times a year, these classes meet once a week over the course of six weeks
Advanced Studies - January - May
Summer Intensive - One month program held in July
Kid's Summer Session - Offered in July and August
Adult Summer Session - Offered in July and August
Kid's Saturday Classes - Saturdays throughout the year
Campus and student body

The school is located in Madison, New Jersey a small suburban community in Morris County. It is 20 miles west of New York City with a New Jersey Transit train station offering access to Manhattan. The school offers in-person and remote learning to a relatively small student body of between 50 and 80 students.
Scholarship Opportunities
There are a number of scholarship opportunities to both incoming and matriculating students. The Joe Kubert Memorial Scholarship and the Max Gray Memorial Scholarship are open to incoming first year students. A Wave Blue World Scholarship, Muriel Kubert Memorial Scholarship, Norman Maurer Memorial Scholarship, Dewey's Comic City Scholarship, Dave Cockrum Memorial Scholarship, Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship and the Dave Monahan Memorial Scholarship are available to second and third year students.
Alumni
The school's alumni work in a wide variety of jobs in the fields of animation, comic books, commercial art and illustration. Noteworthy alumni include:
Stephen R. Bissette,
Rick Veitch
Richard Veitch (; born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground comics, underground, and alternative comics.
Biography
Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One ...
,
Jan Duursema
Jan Duursema (; born October 27, 1954) is an American comics artist known for her work on the ''Star Wars'' comics franchise. She is the creator of Denin and Vila from Naldar, the Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura and the Kiffar Jedi Quinlan Vos.
Car ...
,
John Totleben
John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books.
Biography
After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year. He then spent several years working ...
,
Tom Mandrake
Tom Mandrake (born 1956) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his collaborations with writer John Ostrander on several series, including ''Grimjack'' (from First Comics) and ''Firestorm (comics), Firestorm'', ''The Spectre (DC Comi ...
,
Thomas Yeates
Thomas Yeates (born January 19, 1955) is an American comic strip and comic book artist best known for illustrating the comic strips ''Prince Valiant'' and ''Zorro'' and for working on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Career
Thomas Yea ...
,
Timothy Truman
Timothy Truman (born February 9, 1956) is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on '' Grimjack'' (with John Ostrander), ''Scout'', and the ...
,
Ron Randall
Ron Randall (born November 22, 1956) is an American comic book artist best known as the creator of the character Trekker.
Career
A graduate of The Kubert School, Ron Randall's first published comic book work was a two-page backup story titled ...
,
Dan Parent
Dan Parent is an American comic book artist and writer best known for his work for Archie Comics.
He has illustrated Love Showdown, Felix the Cat, Barbie, Disney Adventures, and with Fernando Ruiz, created the comic series '' Die Kitty Die''.
Bi ...
,
Amanda Conner
Amanda Conner is an American comics artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' '' Soulsearchers and Company'' and Ha ...
,
Lee Weeks
Lee Weeks (born October 21 1962) is an American comics artist known for his work on such titles as '' Daredevil''.
Career
Lee Weeks attended The Kubert School and made his professional comics debut penciling, inking, and lettering a short st ...
,
Eric Shanower
Eric James Shanower (born October 23, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his ''List of Oz books, Oz'' novels and comics, and for the ongoing retelling of the Trojan War as ''Age of Bronze (comics), Age of Bronze''.
Early life
Eric S ...
,
Andy Price
Andy Price is a British television and film composer. He has scored more than 50 films for television and more than 25 productions for theatres around the country, including the Bristol Old Vic, National Youth Theatre and the RSC.
Price has comp ...
,
Bjørn Ousland
Bjørn Ousland (born 14 May 1959) is a Norwegian illustrator, children's writer and comics writer. His breakthrough was the album series ''Solruns saga'' from 1988 to 1993. Among his later albums are ''Mumle Gåsegg'' from 1999, ''Soria Moria ...
,
Ed Piskor,
Alec Stevens
Alec Preston Stevens (born 22 February 1965) is an American author, illustrator and musician.
Biography
Alec Stevens was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil where his father, a USAF officer stationed in various parts of the world, was on military a ...
,
Steve Lieber
Steve Lieber (born May 19, 1967) is an American comic book illustrator known for his work on books such as ''Detective Comics'' and ''Hawkman'', and the critically acclaimed miniseries ''Whiteout (Oni Press), Whiteout'', which was adapted into a W ...
,
Scott Kolins
Scott Kolins (born 1968) is an American illustrator, writer, and creator of multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits ...
,
Brandon Vietti
Brandon Vietti (born 1974) is an American animator, director, and producer.
Early life
Vietti attended The Kubert School.
Career
Vietti developed and co-produces the animated television show ''Young Justice'' with Greg Weisman. He has also ...
,
Shane Davis
Shane Davis is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Superman and Batman for DC Comics.
Career
Shane Davis attended The Kubert School in his hometown of Dover, New Jersey. He entered the comics industry in 2003 at DC Comics ...
,
Damion Scott
Damion Scott (born 1976) is a comic book artist and writer, known for his work on books such as ''Batman'', '' Robin'', and ''Batgirl'', ''Web of Spider-Man'', and '' Duppy''. He splits his time between New York and Tokyo, where he founded an a ...
,
Kevin Altieri,
Keith Champagne
Keith Champagne (born August 4, 1970) is an American comic artist, who has also moved into writing, and is known for his work at DC Comics.
Biography
Champagne graduated from Montville High School in Oakdale, Connecticut in 1988, and from t ...
,
Bart Sears
Bart Whitman Sears (born 1963) is an American comics artist, toy and packaging designer and author, known for his work on such books as ''Justice League Europe'', '' Legends of the Dark Knight'', ''X-O Manowar'', ''Turok'', '' Violator'', ''The He ...
,
Sergio Cariello
Sergio Cariello (born April 23, 1964) is a Brazilian-American comic book artist. He has done work for many major comic publishers through his career, including Marvel Comics and DC Comics, as well as popular independent companies like CrossGen ...
,
Matt Hollingsworth
Matt Hollingsworth (born 1968, in California) is an American comic book colorist. As of 2023, he was continuing to color comics for Marvel including such notable titles as Guardian of the Galaxy, Punisher and Doctor Strange. He lives in Croatia.
...
and Cliff Rathburn as well as many other professional comic book
penciler
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations.
In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...
s and
inker
The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production.
After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...
s.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kubert School, The
1976 establishments in New Jersey
Art schools in New Jersey
Comics-related organizations
Dover, New Jersey
Educational institutions established in 1976
Universities and colleges in Morris County, New Jersey
Private universities and colleges in New Jersey