Jamar Nicholas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jamar Nicholas
Born	(1973-03-18) March 18, 1973 (age 52) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Cartoonist, Writer, Artist
Notable works	Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun Detective Boogaloo: Hip-Hop Cop Leon: Protector of the Playground
Awards	See list

Jamar Nicholas (born March 18, 1973) is an African American cartoonist, graphic novelist, and teacher. He lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jamar is famous for his original graphic novel, Leon: Protector of the Playground. He also created a graphic novel version of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun. This book was a true story written by Geoffrey Canada in 1995. Jamar's work often talks about important topics. These include bullying and violence. He also shows positive images of black characters.

Jamar Nicholas: Comic Creator Extraordinaire

Growing Up with Comics

Jamar Nicholas grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a kid, he loved watching Spider-Man cartoons on Saturdays. He also carefully studied comic strips. Some of his favorites were Peanuts, Andy Capp, and Blondie. He went to the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He graduated from there in 1990.

His Amazing Career

Creating Comics and Graphic Novels

Jamar started studying animation in 1991. This was at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia). In 1993, he created a comic strip with his friend, Patrick White. It was called The Adventures of Jamar & Patrick. This comic appeared weekly in a college newspaper.

In 1997, Jamar began his professional career. He published his own comic books called The Jamar Chronicles. Later, in 2002, he created Detective Boogaloo: Hip-Hop Cop. This was a weekly comic strip that appeared online. From 2003 to 2006, Jamar also drew cartoons for the Philadelphia Tribune. This is a very old newspaper for African Americans.

In 2010, Jamar illustrated a graphic novel version of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun. This book tells the true story of Geoffrey Canada's childhood. Jamar used his own experiences growing up in Philadelphia to draw the book. He hoped the graphic novel would help people understand young men in tough neighborhoods. This graphic novel won several awards. These included the Glyph Comics Awards for Story of the Year in 2011.

Detective Boogaloo returned as a daily comic strip in 2015. It appeared in newspapers in Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Jamar calls this comic his "love letter to hip hop" music. Detective Boogaloo was nominated for an award in 2016.

Jamar's artwork is also shown in special books. These books celebrate the work of African American comic artists. They are called Black Comix (2010) and Black Comix Returns (2018).

In 2017, Jamar launched his own original graphic novel. It was called Leon: Protector of the Playground. This book won the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics. Jamar also won the 2018 Glyph Comics Award for Best Writer for this book.

In 2022, Scholastic published "Leon the Extraordinary." This is a new graphic novel by Jamar. It received many positive reviews from critics.

Teaching and Sharing Stories

Jamar Nicholas has also taught at several universities. He has taught subjects like storytelling, animation, and creative writing. He has hosted the Glyph Comic Awards for almost ten years. These awards celebrate great comics by and about black people.

Jamar also writes a column for Draw! Magazine. This magazine teaches people how to make comics. He interviews other comic creators. He also reviews art supplies. Jamar used to host a podcast called Comic Book Diner. It focused on the business side of making comics.

Awards and Recognitions