Ben Katchor

Ben Katchor, born on November 19, 1951, is an American cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his comic strip titled Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer.

Katchor has shared his comics and drawings in well-known publications such as The Forward, The New Yorker, Metropolis, and various weekly newspapers across the United States.

Katchor's work has earned him prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. Author Michael Chabon praised him, calling him "the creator of the last great American comic strip." His unique style and storytelling make him an important figure in the world of comics and illustration.

Career

Ben Katchor is an American cartoonist and illustrator. He started by drawing for The Kingsman, the student newspaper of Brooklyn College. He was also one of the first artists to work on RAW.

In 1993, The New Yorker featured his work. His comics have been translated into many languages, like French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Katchor has written for Slate, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Book Review. He was the guest editor of the 2017 edition of Best American Comics.

Katchor made many comic strips. One is Julius Knipl, which shows a made-up version of New York City. Another is The Cardboard Valise, about a traveler named Emile Delilah. He also created Hotel & Farm, Shoehorn Technique, and a series for Metropolis and has taught at Parsons The New School since 2007. There, he gives illustrated talks and leads a meeting about comics and picture stories.

Awards

Ben Katchor got an Obie Award for his work with Bang on a Can on The Carbon Copy Building, a special "comic book opera" from 1999. That same year, a documentary about him called Pleasures of Urban Decay was made by a filmmaker from San Francisco. Katchor was the first cartoonist to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. He also earned a Guggenheim Fellowship and became a fellow of the American Academy in Berlin.