Gary Leib
Encyclopedia
Gary Leib is an American underground
cartoonist
, animator
, and musician
. Best known for the comic book
Idiotland (a two-man anthology produced with Leib's long-time collaborator, Doug Allen
), Leib's work has also appeared in The New Yorker
, The New York Times, Musician Magazine, The New York Observer, RAW
, BLAB! and as weekly features in New York Press
for many years. Leib also designed a popular line of promotional toys for The Hershey Company
.
Along with Allen, Leib was also a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Rubber Rodeo
, which recorded two album
s for Mercury Records
. He has created original music for independent and feature films, including the critically acclaimed Ironweed
.
Idiotland, which ran for seven issues in 1993–1994, was nominated for a 1994 Harvey Award
for Best New Series. In addition to Idiotland, Leib and Allen collaborated on a number of stories in the fund-raising anthology comic Legal Action Comics
volume 1, published in 2001.
Leib created his animation studio Twinkle in 1993; Twinkle has produced animation and titles for film, TV series, music videos, and websites. Since 1993, Leib has created a series of short animations, accompanied by jazz
, about New York City
, which are hosted on the New York Times website, a network ID for MTV
, and a documenatry for PBS.
Leib is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design
and has taught in the graduate computer animation program at the School of Visual Arts
in Manhattan
.
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Best known for the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Idiotland (a two-man anthology produced with Leib's long-time collaborator, Doug Allen
Doug Allen
Doug Allen is an American underground cartoonist, illustrator, and musician. Best known for his long-running comic strip Steven, Allen has over the years collaborated with long-time friend Gary Leib on music, animation, fine art, and comics, including the two-man Fantagraphics anthology...
), Leib's work has also appeared in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, The New York Times, Musician Magazine, The New York Observer, RAW
RAW (magazine)
RAW was a comics anthology edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly and published by Mouly from 1980 to 1991. It was a flagship publication of the 1980s alternative comics movement, serving as a more intellectual counterpoint to Robert Crumb's visceral Weirdo, which followed squarely in the...
, BLAB! and as weekly features in New York Press
New York Press
New York Press was a free alternative weekly in New York City, that was published from 1988 to 2011. During its lifetime, it was the main competitor to the Village Voice...
for many years. Leib also designed a popular line of promotional toys for The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
.
Along with Allen, Leib was also a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Rubber Rodeo
Rubber Rodeo
Rubber Rodeo was a Boston-based band active in the 1980s. The band fused Roxy Music-influenced new wave music with country and western influences, and dressed in 1950's-vintage country & western clothing...
, which recorded two album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. He has created original music for independent and feature films, including the critically acclaimed Ironweed
Ironweed (film)
Ironweed is a 1987 film directed by Argentine-born Brazilian Héctor Babenco.The picture is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by William Kennedy and concerns the relationship of a homeless couple: Francis, an alcoholic, and Helen, a terminally ill woman during the Great...
.
Idiotland, which ran for seven issues in 1993–1994, was nominated for a 1994 Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
for Best New Series. In addition to Idiotland, Leib and Allen collaborated on a number of stories in the fund-raising anthology comic Legal Action Comics
Legal Action Comics
Legal Action Comics is a series of comics anthologies edited by illustrator Danny Hellman which features work from many alternative comics artists.The first volume in the series was published in 2001, and the second followed in 2003...
volume 1, published in 2001.
Leib created his animation studio Twinkle in 1993; Twinkle has produced animation and titles for film, TV series, music videos, and websites. Since 1993, Leib has created a series of short animations, accompanied by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, about New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which are hosted on the New York Times website, a network ID for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and a documenatry for PBS.
Leib is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
and has taught in the graduate computer animation program at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
External links
- Twinkle animation studio
- "Concrete Jumble: Meatpacking District" — Concrete Jumble episode #1