Joel Christian Gill


Joel Christian Gill is an American cartoonist, educator, and author of a number of graphic novels from Fulcrum Publishing: Strange Fruit Vol I : Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth No.1, and Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 2, Strange Fruit Vol II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, and one picture book "Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride" from Lion Forge. He has taught art Illustration and comics for a number of years serving as Chair of the and Foundations programs at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. In the Fall of 2019 he accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Early life

Gill earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art from Roanoke College and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Boston University in 2004.

Career

Owing to the success of his ongoing series of graphic novels highlighting little known and uncelebrated historical African-Americans and the contributions they made to American history, Gill is frequently profiled in print and interviewed on television and radio. He is also asked to speak at comic arts conventions and college campuses across the U.S. and in 2016 was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University.
He has also contributed to the Huffington Post advocating for the end to Black History Month and for the incorporation of the achievements of African-Americans into the larger narrative of American history. Gill is also a member of the Boston Comics Roundtable.