Steven Appleby, born in 1956 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, is a British-Canadian comic artist, cartoonist, illustrator and visual artist known for his absurdist humour and gnarly expressive drawing style. He studied graphic design at Newcastle Polytechnic from 1978 to 1981 and illustration at the Royal College of Art in London from 1981 to 1984. His first projects after graduation included commissioned work, including book and record cover designs and merchandise, for example for the band Duran Duran. In 1987, Appleby’s cartoon \u00bbRockets Passing Overhead \u2013 the Annals of Captain Star\u00ab first appeared in the \u00bbNew Musical Express\u00ab. It was also printed in the magazine \u00bbDie Zeit\u00ab in the early 1990s, later adapted for an animated series, and broadcast internationally under the title \u00bbCaptain Star\u00ab from 1997 to 1998, including in Germany. His cartoons have appeared in a variety of print publications, including \u00bbThe Guardian\u00ab, \u00bbThe Times\u00ab, and \u00bbThe Observer\u00ab. In the early 2000s, \u00bbFAZ\u00ab published a German translation of his comic strip \u00bbSteve Appleby’s Normal Life\u00ab over a period of eight months. The newspaper described the piece as \u00bba witty play with motifs from science, psychology and everyday life\u00ab (\u00bbFAZ\u00ab).<\/p>\n
With over twenty publications to date, Appleby is extremely prolific. His works include: \u00bbNormal Sex\u00ab (1993), \u00bbAlien Invasion: Steven Appleby\u02bcs Guide to Having Children\u00ab (1999), \u00bbEncyclopedia of Personal Problems\u00ab (2000), \u00bbThe Little Book of Farts\u00ab (2006), and \u00bbThe Coffee Table Book Of Doom\u00ab (2011). \u00bbDragman\u00ab (2020) is Appleby’s most ambitious graphic novel to date. London is teeming with chauvinistic superheroes, and August Crimp, Appleby’s hero, has discovered that he can fly while wearing women’s clothes. Out of shame and fear of the consequences, he hides his true self; not even his wife knows. One day, hundreds of people watch as he rescues a young girl. His secret is revealed, and Crimp must fend off macho superheroes and a serial killer. Appleby tells his story with the help of long passages and interlaced flashbacks and knows how to lead the reader through his touching and funny superhero universe with great ease. The \u00bbFAZ\u00ab calls it \u00bbA stroke of genius.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Appleby has been living as a trans woman since 2007 and continues to call himself Steve. His family has supported him from the beginning; unlike his protagonist, he has not had to hide. And so, he makes it clear in the afterword to \u00bbDragman\u00ab: \u00bbI am not August Crimp.\u00ab<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14584,"template":"","jct-role":[1080],"jct-origin":[491],"jct-ilb-years":[615],"class_list":["post-41379","authors","type-authors","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","jct-role-author","jct-origin-united-kingdom","jct-ilb-years-2021-en"],"yoast_head":"\n