Hazel Newlevant

Hazel Newlevant is an American cartoonist and editor known for creating and editing comics about queer history, bisexuality, polyamory, and reproductive rights.^[1][2][3] Raised in Portland, Oregon, Newlevant lives in Queens, New York.^[4]

Newlevant speaks at Small Press Expo 2020

Career

Newlevant's thesis project for the School of Visual Arts was a comic about Harlem Renaissance blues singer and drag performer Gladys Bently called If This Be Sin.^[5] The comic won the 2013 Queer Press Grant from Prism Comics.^[6]

In 2016, Newlevant edited and self-published the comics anthology Chainmail Bikini, which collects experiences of female and nonbinary gamers.^[7][8] The name of the collection refers to the "chainmail bikini" trope, criticizing to the over-sexualization of female character design in video games.^[9] In 2017, they co-edited (with Whit Taylor and OK Fox) reproductive rights anthology Comics For Choice, a collection of 42 comics about abortion, gender, and reproductive rights.^[10][11][12] Critic Catherine Baker described the collection, which won the 2018 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology, as "a remarkable set of testimonies that are both collective and personal."^[13] Publishers Weekly praised the book, saying, "The book is at once a rallying cry, a tender lament, and song of liberation that will resonate long after the final page is turned."^[14]

In 2017, Newlevant wrote and drew Sugar Town, a polyamorous queer romance published by Alternative Comics. The comic received positive reviews for its tender approach to relationships.^[15][16][17] Kirkus Reviews described Sugar Town as a "lushly illustrated comic that explores bisexuality, queer culture, and unconventional sex."^[18] Critic Tegan O'Neil of The Comics Journal reviewed Sugar Town saying, "Emotional honesty, more than anything else, that elevates Sugar Town beyond the reader’s expectations. It’s a book that deals frankly with some very tender feelings – deep vulnerability, yes, but also embarrassment, passion, anxiety, and finally genuine love."^[19]

At Oni Press, Newlevant co-edited the comics anthology Puerto Rico Strong, a collection of comics about Puerto Rican history and identity which raised money for Hurricane Maria recovery efforts.^[20] The book won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best Anthology.^[21]

In 2019, Lion Forge published Newlevant's memoir No Ivy League, a coming-of-age story that examines queer identity, male privilege, and white privilege.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Critics noted Newlevant's "sensitive brushwork and attention to body language" and their ability to combine "sheer talent with the supple versatility of an adroit graphical storyteller."^[27][28]

Recognition and awards

• 2019 Eisner Award "Best Anthology" for Puerto Rico Strong ^[29]
• 2018 Ignatz Award "Outstanding Anthology" for Comics for Choice^[30]
• 2017 Ignatz Award "Outstanding Mini-Comic" for Tender-Hearted^[31]
• 2013 Prism Comics Queer Press Grant for If This Be Sin^[32]
• 2012 Xeric Grant for Ci Vediamo^[33]

References

1. Lehoczky, Etelka (2019-09-06). "The Graphic Memoir 'No Ivy League' Dares You To Think About Feelings". NPR. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
2. Kaplan, Avery (2020-04-09). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
3. Newlevant, Hazel. "Badass Bisexual Women In History You Should Know". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
4. "Excitement Builds for "No Ivy League," Graphic Memoir by Portland-raised Talent Hazel Newlevant". NW Book Lovers. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
5. "Hazel Newlevant Is Here To Draw Cool Comics, Win Prestigious Grants". Autostraddle. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
6. "Prism Comics announces Queer Press Grant recipient". us2.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
7. Johanna (2016-06-19). "Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
8. avi. "Silver Sprocket to Distribute Award-Winning Hazel Newlevant Comics". Silver Sprocket. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
9. "Comics Book Review: Chainmail Bikini by Edited by Hazel Newlevant. Alternative (Consortium, dist.), $20 (204p) ISBN 978-1-5136-0012-3". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
10. "A Compendium of Resistance: Comics for Choice Fights for Reproductive Justice". WWAC. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
11. "Review: Comics for Choice Anthology". Graphic Policy. 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
12. "Comics for Choice: Illustrated Abortion Stories, History, and Politics". Graphic Medicine. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
13. "A Compendium of Resistance: Comics for Choice Fights for Reproductive Justice". WWAC. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
14. "Comics Book Review: Comics for Choice by Edited by Hazel Newlevant and Whit Taylor. Alternative Comics, $25 (300p) ISBN 978-1-68148-598-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
15. "Sugar Town Is The Sweetest". WWAC. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
16. Kaplan, Avery (2020-04-09). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
17. "Comics Book Review: Sugar Town by Hazel Newlevant. lternative, $10 trade paper (56p) ISBN 978-1-68148-587-4". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
18. Sugar Town | Kirkus Reviews.
19. O'Neil, Tegan (January 5, 2018). "Sugar Town". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
20. Dillon, Barbra. "Fanbase Press Interviews the Creative Team of the Eisner Award-Winning 'Puerto Rico Strong' Anthology". fanbasepress.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
21. McMillan, Graeme (2019-07-20). "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
22. Kaplan, Avery (2019-07-10). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
23. Seven, John (2019-08-26). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
24. "Hazel Newlevant's No Ivy League is a Challenging Read". WWAC. 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
25. Alverson, Brigid (2015-09-28). "Interview | Hazel Newlevant on 'No Ivy League'". Good Comics for Kids. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
26. "The Hidden Fortress: No Ivy League and Legacies of Whiteness". The Middle Spaces. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
27. Lehoczky, Etelka (2019-09-06). "The Graphic Memoir 'No Ivy League' Dares You To Think About Feelings". NPR. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
28. Clough, Rob (2020-01-27). "The Examined Life: Hazel Newlevant's No Ivy League". SOLRAD. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
29. McMillan, Graeme (2019-07-20). "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
30. Shannon, Hannah Means (2018-09-16). "The Ignatz Awards 2018 Winners In Full". Comicon. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
31. Johanna (2017-09-17). "2017 Ignatz Award Winners". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
32. "Queer Press Grant". Prism Comics. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
33. MacDonald, Heidi (2012-07-05). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-03-13.

External links

• Official website