Tag Archives: christina stewart

Cartoonist Christina ‘Steenz’ Stewart: From the Library to the Heart of the City

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“I want to show that the people behind the desk can look like me, “– Christina ‘Steenz’ Stewart is a St. Louis based cartoonist, editor, and professor. She’s the cartoonist on the syndicated comic strip ‘Heart Of The City’, the co-creator of Dwayne McDuffie Award winning Graphic Novel Archival Quality, and is featured in short story anthologies such as Eisner and Ignatz Award-Winning Elements: Fire, Mine!, and Dead Beats. Steenz launched and edited the popular RPG periodical Rolled & Told. She participates in and creates community building comics related programming, and is a frequent panelist at comic cons. Steenz currently teaches cartooning at Webster University while editing titles from Mad Cave Studios.

She’s  https://www.oheysteenz.com/ and https://twitter.com/oheysteenz

Music and Horror Join Forces in Dead Beats from A Wave Blue World

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Indie comic publisher A Wave Blue World has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Dead Beats, a horror anthology inspired by SyFy’s Haunted Collector and CBS’s Twilight Zone, incorporating music themes to bring an additional edge.  

Dead Beats, curated by Eric Palicki and Joe Corallo, will be feature a diverse group of industry-shaping storytellers and artists, including recently announced Dwayne McDuffie Award winners Ivy Noelle Weir and Christina “Steenz” Stewart, GLAAD Nominated Magdalene Visaggio, Emmy-nominated writer of Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s Daniel Kibblesmith, Doom Patrol’s Rachel Pollack and Richard Case, Suicide Squad’s Vita Ayala, Women in Comics Collective International co-founder Regene Sawyer, and more.

This music-themed horror anthology centers around the proprietor of a music store that contains a number of unusual artifacts. As the “shoppe keeper” guides readers through the shop, each creator will weave a haunting tale revealing the origin of these mysterious items.

A Wave Blue World is asking readers to be involved and to support Dead Beats’ Kickstarter Campaign by preordering Dead Beats, selecting Exclusive awards offered including original art by artists like Jen Hickman and an one-on-one portfolio review with Joe Illidge, A Wave Blue World’s Editorial Director, formerly editor at DC Comics, Lionforge, and Valiant, or simply just pledging to be included in the backers page.

Dead Beats

Archival Quality Wins the 2019 Dwayne McDuffie Award!

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Archival Qualityby Ivy Noelle Weir and Christina “Steenz” Stewart has won the 5th Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics! Both former librarians, Weir and Steenz joined forces last year with this hauntingly amazing Oni Press debut which hit shelves early last March. The award was presented last weekend in Long Beach, CA during the Long Beach Comic Expo.

After losing her job at the library, Celeste Walden starts working at the haunting Logan Museum as an archivist. But the job may not be the second chance she was hoping for, and she finds herself confronting her mental health, her relationships, and before long, her grasp on reality as she begins to dream of a young woman she’s never met, but feels strangely drawn to. As Cel attempts to learn more about the woman, she begins losing time, misplacing things, passing out—the job is becoming dangerous, but she can’t let go of this mysterious woman. Who is she? Why is she so fixated on Cel? And does Cel have the power to save her when she’s still trying to save herself?

Philadelphia-based writer Ivy Noelle Weir and St. Louis-based illustrator Steenz have collaborated on numerous comics projects together, including a short for the series Princeless. Steenz’s artwork has been featured in the critically acclaimed and award-winning anthology Elements: Fire, as well as Ham4Pamphlet, a collaborative illustration project inspired by the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, while Weir has written numerous articles for Women Write About Comics, American Librariesmagazine, and NoveList in addition to her fiction writing.

Archival Quality

Finalists for the 5th Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics Announced

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Dwayne McDuffie

The five finalists for this year’s Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics have been announced. The selection committee consisted of nine comics and animation professionals who personally knew and worked with Mr. McDuffie and/or have demonstrated a serious commitment to his vision of excellence and inclusiveness on the page and behind the scenes, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Jennier de Guzman, Joan Hilty, Jamal Igle, Mikki Kendall, Heidi MacDonald, Kevin Rubio, Geoffrey Thorne, and Will J. Watkins.

The winner will be announced live at an awards ceremony at the Long Beach Convention Center on Friday, February 15 at 7:30pm PT and serving as the closing ceremony of the 2019 C3: Comic Creator Conference. Phil LaMarr will return as the Master of Ceremonies.

Below are this year’s nominees. Congrats to all:

Oni Press’ Draw Out the Vote is Here

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Why rock the vote, when you can draw it? Oni Press has launched Draw Out the Vote, a free state by state comics voting guide to view, download, print, and share, available now! Join creators Kiku Hughes (ELEMENTS: Fire – A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color), Jarrett Williams (Super Pro K.O.!), Bianca Xunise (The Nib), Shamus Beyale (Ghetto Klown), Melanie Gillman (As The Crow Files), Christina “Steenz” Stewart (Archival Quality), Natalie Riess (Space Battle Lunchtime), Arigon Starr (Super Indian), Terry Blas (Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom), Rashad Doucet (Alabaster Shadows), and more, discussing a variety of topics centered around the act of voting.

Fifty-two different artists explore what voting, politics, and living in American mean to them in this collection of black-and-white comics. Cartoonists from each state (plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico) were invited to contribute to the project, which Oni hopes will increase voter awareness and encourage comics readers to vote in the November midterm elections. Included with each comic are instructions on how to register to vote in each state—as well as what to do to actually vote, and other things to note that may affect your ability to vote. (Can you wear a campaign shirt to the polls? Can you vote if you have a felony conviction?) Voting is our civic duty, and Oni Press wants to make it as easy as possible for people to register and vote in 2018.

“Arizona” by Meredith McClaren
“Idaho” by Terry Blas
“Kansas” by Syd Sanders
“Maine” by Liz Prince
“Missouri” by Christina Stewart
“Oregon” by Joamette Gil
“Washington” by Kiku Hughes
“Wyoming” by Seaerra Miller

Lion Forge’s Christina “Steenz” Stewart Moves from Social Media & Community Manager to Associate Editor

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Lion Forge has announced a transition with valued staffer, Christina “Steenz” Stewart moving from Social Media & Community Manager to Associate Editor.

Steenz had been an admin of the Valkyries and its sister organization Valkyries Valhalla, an elite group of women in comic shops, bookstores, and libraries around the world. Upon joining the St. Louis-based publisher in late 2016, she further established the voice and following of the company, making Lion Forge one of the most vocal and active comic book publishers across social media platforms.

Christina ‘Steenz’ Stewart is also a St. Louis based cartoonist. She has illustrated Archival Quality from Oni Press among other short stories in anthologies such as Elements: Fire and Mine!. Steenz has a history of creating and running comics related programming from her time as a comic shop manager at an Eisner-winning retailer and a comics-focused librarian. She runs Comics University and represents the Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts at local colleges.

Congratulations to Christina “Steenz” Stewart in her newly appointed position at Lion Forge Comics, and the next step in her career in publishing.

Junior Library Guild 2018 Selection ‘Archival Quality’ Coming This March!

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Former librarians and members of The Valkyries, Ivy Noelle Weir and Christina “Steenz” Stewart, have joined forces to create their debut Oni Press graphic novel, Archival Quality, which was recently named a Junior Library Guild selection.

After losing her job at the library, Celeste Walden starts working at the haunting Logan Museum as an archivist. But the job may not be the second chance she was hoping for, and she finds herself confronting her mental health, her relationships, and before long, her grasp on reality as she begins to dream of a young woman she’s never met, but feels strangely drawn to. As Cel attempts to learn more about the woman, she begins losing time, misplacing things, passing out—the job is becoming dangerous, but she can’t let go of this mysterious woman. Who is she? Why is she so fixated on Cel? And does Cel have the power to save her when she’s still trying to save herself?

Philadelphia-based writer Ivy Noelle Weir and St. Louis-based illustrator Steenz have collaborated on numerous comics projects together including a short for the series Princeless. Steenz’s artwork has been featured in the critically acclaimed and award-winning anthology Elements: Fire, as well as Ham4Pamphlet, a collaborative illustration project inspired by the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, while Weir has written numerous articles for Women Write About Comics, American Libraries magazine, and NoveList in addition to her fiction writing.