Robert C. Harvey, is an American author, critic and cartoonist. He has written a number of books on the history and theory of cartooning, with special focus on the comic strip, and he has also worked as a freelance cartoonist.
Early life
Harvey describes himself as having drawn cartoons since age 7. He received a B.A. at the University of Colorado, where he submitted cartoons to the campus humor magazine, The Flatiron. Upon graduation in 1959, Harvey attempted to earn a living as a freelance cartoonist in New York, but was interrupted in his attempt by service in the U.S. Navy, 1960-1963. There he served as paymaster aboard the USS Saratoga.
Career
Upon his discharge, he became a high-school English teacher for five years before spending 30 years as a convention manager for the National Council of Teachers of English. He received a Master's Degree in English at New York University in 1968, and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Illinois in 1978. While at NCTE, he freelanced cartoons to magazines, 1978-1982. In 1973, Harvey began writing about comics and cartooning for The Menomonee Falls Gazette. In 1976, Harvey's columns began appearing in The Comics Journal, where he has a regular column to this day. The 1990s saw publication of Fantagraphics Books' Cartoons of the Roaring Twenties in two volumes, collected and edited by Harvey. Harvey was also a contributor to Oxford University Press' American National Biography, providing biographies of a couple dozen cartoonists. In 1994, Harvey's first work of comics scholarshipThe Art of the Funnies was published by the University Press of Mississippi with The Art of the Comic Book following in 1996. He served as an associate editor for the journal Inks: Cartoon and Comic Art Studies, taking responsibility for submissions related to the comic strip. In 1998, Harvey was guest curator for the Children of the Yellow Kid exhibition at the Frye Museum in Seattle, for which he also provided the catalogue. Harvey has written or collected and edited thirteen books on comics and cartooning, including his Milton Caniff: Conversations from the University Press of Mississippi, followed by a full biography of Caniff, Meanwhile... A Biography of Milton Caniff, Creator of Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon published by Fantagraphics. His most recent book is Insider Histories of Cartooning: Rediscovering Forgotten Famous Comics and Their Creators from UPM. A complete list of his books appears at his website. Harvey also interviewed cartoonists for the long-running quarterly magazine Cartoonist PROfiles, and he contributed a column for a brief time to the Comics Buyer's Guide. Harvey is a member of the National Cartoonists Society, as well as an associate member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. He has received the following awards: All-Navy Cartoonist, 1960; the AAEC Ink Bottle Award "in recognition of dedicated service to the Association and distinguished efforts to promote the art of editorial cartooning," 2013; the San Diego Comic-Con InternationalInkpot Award "for achievement in comic arts," 2018.
Personal life
Harvey married wife Linda nee Kubicek in 1971. They have twin daughters, Julia and Katherine, born in May 1975.
