Curtis

A landmark career retrospective celebrating Ray Billingsley, the cartooning powerhouse behind Curtis, America’s longest-running syndicated comic strip about middle-class Black life.

This is a must-have collector's item with never-before-seen art and ephemera

For almost 40 years, Ray Billingsley has written about the life of Curtis Wilkins and his family in the longest running Black-created comic strip. Beginning his professional career at age 12, Billingsley was determined to write about a life he knew growing up in Harlem and bring that to Black Americans everywhere. 

Always funny but willing to tackle real subjects like bullying, gentrification, and the dangers of smoking, Curtis centers on Black middle-class city life and Ray’s stand-in Curtis as he chases his love Michelle, runs from superfan Chutney, and spars with his little brother Barry. As a peer of Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse), Billingsley was the first Black cartoonist to win the prestigious Reuben Award.

This volume includes an extensive biography from new interviews, a large selection of great Curtis strips from the first 20 years of the syndicated run, as well as art and ephemera from the years leading up to Billingsley launching this classic strip.

Ray Billingsley has been selling cartoons professionally for more than 45 years. Born 1957 in the South and raised in Harlem. He won his first cartooning award at age eight, became a staff artist for KIDS magazine at 12. Attended the La Guardia High School of Music & Art , and received a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts. After a short stint at Disney, Billingsley created a nationally syndicated strip titled Lookin' Fine at age 21 from 1980-1982 under United Features Syndicate. Afterwards King Features Syndicate launched Curtis in 1988, making its daily debut in 250 newspapers and digital platforms. It’s made its way to 325 outlets worldwide. Billingsley is the first Cartoonist of Color to ever win the prestigious Reuben Award in its history.

• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
  
• Publish Date: February 9, 2027
  
• Pages: 300
  
• Language: English
  
• Type: Hardcover
  
• EAN/UPC: 9781770468986
• Dimensions: 8.4 in H | 10.5 in W | 1.3 lb Wt
  
• BISAC Categories: Kids