Wikipedia

Sharon Rudahl

Sharon Rudahl (born 1947) is an American comic artist, illustrator and writer. She was one of the first female artists who contributed to the underground comix movement of the early 1970's.[1] In 1972, she was part of the women's collective that founded Wimmen's Comix, the first on-going comic drawn exclusively by women.

Sharon Rudahl
Born1947
NationalityAmerican
Known forcartoonist, graphic novels, illustrator, political activism
Movementunderground comix

Biography

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The first page of a four-page story from an early issue of Wimmen's Comix.

Sharon Rudahl was born in 1947. She grew up in Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland and has lived in Madison, Wisconsin and San Francisco, California.[2][3] She became aware of social inequalities at an early age both through racism she observed against African Americans and the segregation she experienced growing up as a Jewish American. In her teens, she began participating in civil rights marches.[4] The focus of her career is social and political activism,[5] primarily through the genre of comics. Early in her career, she contributed to several political publications including the underground paper Kaleidoscope, Takeover, and the San Francisco Express Times (later renamed Good Times).[6] She was also the art editor at Takeover during the 1970's.[7][8]

In the early 1970's, Rudahl was one of the founders of the feminist wing of the underground comix movement.[9][10] In response to the boy's club nature of the underground comix scene of the early 1970's, she joined the woman's collective that founded Wimmen's Comix, the first ongoing publication drawn exclusively by women.[11] During the underground comix era, her work was featured in Anarchy Comix, Comix Book (Marvel), Wimmen’s Comix, Tits & Clits Comix, and Rip Off Comix.

In 1980, Rudahl wrote her first comic book, Adventures of Crystal Night, which was later reprinted in Art in Time (2010).

 
Paul Robeson as Othello in Ballad of an American.
 
Cover of A Dangerous Woman.

She has written and illustrated two graphic novel biographies, both featuring political activists. The first, A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman (2007), explores the life of anarchist political activist and writer Emma Goldman.[12] The second, Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson (2020), is about the life of black activist Paul Robeson.[13]

Rudahl has also contributed to several non-fiction graphic anthologies edited by Paul Buhle, including Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World (co-edited by Nicole Schulman, 2005), Studs Terkel’s Working: A Graphic Adaptation (adapted by Harvey Pekar, edited by Buhle, 2009), Robin Hood: People's Outlaw and Forest Hero, A Graphic Guide (2011), Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land (co-edited with Harvey Pekar, 2011) and Bohemians: A Graphic History (co-edited by David Berger, 2014).[citation needed]

Selected bibliography

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  • Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson (Rutgers University Press, 2020) - writer and illustrator[14]
  • Bohemians: A Graphic History (Verso Books, 2014) - contributor[15]
  • Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land (Abrams Comicarts, 2011) - contributor[16]
  • Robin Hood: People's Outlaw and Forest Hero, A Graphic Guide (PM Press, 2011) - illustrator /contributor[17]
  • StudsTerkel’s Working: A Graphic Adaptation (The New Press, 2009) - contributor[18]
  • A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman (The New Press, 2007) - writer and illustrator[19][20]
  • Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World (Verso Books, 2005)[21]
  • Adventures of Crystal Night (Kitchen Sink Press, 1980) - writer and artist[22]
  • Anarchy Comix #3 (Last Gasp, 1981)[23]
  • Tits & Clits #6 (Nanny Goat Productions / Last Gasp, 1980) - contributor[24]
  • Tits & Clits #5 (Nanny Goat Productions / Last Gasp, 1979) - contributor[25]
  • Anarchy Comix #2 (Last Gasp, 1979)[26]
  • Wimmen's Comix #1 (Last Gasp, 1972)—founding member and contributor[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Sharon Rudahl". lambiek.net. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "Paul Robeson's Art and Politics". WORT 89.9 FM. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "An Oral History of Wimmen's Comix Part 1 |". March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Paul Robeson's Art and Politics". WORT 89.9 FM. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "Paul Robeson's Art and Politics". WORT 89.9 FM. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Wimmen's Studies – Comix Grrrlz" (in Polish). Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Verso". www.versobooks.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  8. ^ "An Oral History of Wimmen's Comix Part 1 |". March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Jenkins, Mark (August 23, 2012). "DCJCC showcases some wonder women of underground comics". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "Sharon Rudahl". YES! Magazine. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "Wimmen's Comix (1970 - 1991)". www.lambiek.net. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "Comics Grinder". Comics Grinder. July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "A Supreme Symbol of Hope: The Life of Paul Robeson". YES! Magazine. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "Paul Robeson's Art and Politics". WORT 89.9 FM. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  15. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Bohemians: A Graphic History|Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  16. ^ "Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land | IndieBound.org". www.indiebound.org. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  17. ^ "Robin Hood: People's Outlaw and Forest Hero, A Graphic Guide". pmpress.org. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "Studs Terkel's Working". The New Press. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  19. ^ Wolk, Douglas (December 2, 2007). "Comics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  20. ^ Leibovitz, Liel (September 19, 2007). "Red Emma in Black and White". The Forward. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Buhle, Paul; Schulman, Nicole, eds. (April 2005). Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World. Verso Books. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "Adventures of Crystal Night at Comixjoint.com". comixjoint.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  23. ^ "GCD :: Issue :: Anarchy Comics #3". www.comics.org. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  24. ^ "Tits & Clits #6". Last Gasp. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  25. ^ "Tits & Clits #5". Last Gasp. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  26. ^ "GCD :: Issue :: Anarchy Comics #2". www.comics.org. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  27. ^ "Wimmen's Comix (1970 - 1991)". www.lambiek.net. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.


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