Bianca Xunise

Bianca Xunise is an American cartoonist, illustrator, and self-described "goth of color". Her work is nationally syndicated through the Six Chix comic strip collaborative.[1]

Bianca Xunise
Born
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[1]
EducationBFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago[2]
Occupation(s)Cartoonist, illustrator, adjunct professor at DePaul University[2]
Notable workSix Chix
Awards2018 Ignatz Award for "Promising New Talent"[2]
Websitebiancaxunise.com

Early life

Xunise was born in Chicago to artistic parents; her mother was a fashion designer.[1][3] Her family has Creole roots.[3] She started as a fashion blogger, but quit "because they didn't want to indict George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case and after that I realized I [didn't] care what I'm wearing anymore."[4]

Career

Xunise's influences include Finnish artist Tove Jansson, Austrian children's book illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans, and Japanese manga artist Naoko Takeuchi.[3] She credits her professional start in comics to online community for women Hello Giggles, which gave her a column in 2015.[5] Xunise had been featured in the Nib and Shondaland when King Features Syndicate asked her to create a Popeye tribute strip.[6] In 2018 she won the Ignatz Award for "Promising New Talent" for her self-published "Say Her Name", which deals with the anxiety of being black in America.[7]

In 2020, she became the second Black woman contributing to a nationally syndicated strip, when she became one of the Six Chix.[5][6] She was preceded in this distinction by Barbara Brandon-Croft, whose daily strip Where I'm Coming From was nationally syndicated from 1991 to 2005. With her Six Chix debut, Xunise also became the first Black nonbinary cartoonist to be nationally syndicated.

References
  1. Nittle, Nadra (23 Oct 2017). "Meet the Black Girls of Goth". Vox. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. Arrant, Chris (2 Jan 2020). "BIANCA XUNISE Teaching 'Making Comics' Course at Chicago's DePAUL UNIVERSITY". Newsarama. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. Gore, Sydney. "BIANCA XUNISE MAKES '60S-INSPIRED COMICS FOR MODERN TIMES". Biana Xunise makes '60s-inspired comics for modern times. Nylon Magazine.
  4. Haparimwi, Charlene (8 Dec 2016). "Finding a New Voice: Bianca Xunise". Hooligan Mag. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. Rockett, Darcell (24 Feb 2020). "Lincoln Square's Bianca Xunise becomes first black cartoonist for 'Six Chix' comic strip; Southland native to visit C2E2". Chicago Tribune.
  6. Michael, Cavna (20 Apr 2020). "Newspaper comics hardly ever feature black women as artists. But two new voices have arrived". Washington Post. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  7. Cavna, Michael. "SPX Ignatz Award nominees: Books tackling bigotry top 'the Spirit Awards of comics'". 17 Aug 2017. Washington Post. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
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