Dave Kellett
| Dave Kellett | |
|---|---|
 Kellett in June 2011 | |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist, Writer, Penciller, Inker, Publisher |
Notable works | |
| Collaborators | Brad Guigar, ComicLab podcast |
| Awards | Silver Reuben Award, Online Comics: Short Form |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Calderon Kellett (2001–present) |
| University of Notre Dame ('96) University of California, San Diego ('97) University of Kent at Canterbury ('99) | |
| http://www.sheldoncomics.com http://www.drivecomic.com/ | |
Dave Kellett is the cartoonist of Drive and Sheldon, and co-director of the documentary Stripped. He is a co-host of the podcast ComicLab and the The Wrong Way… show on YouTube. He has been nominated for various Eisners and Harveys, and won a Reuben Award.
Early years and education
[edit]Kellett is a southern California native. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish. While there, he produced the daily comic strip Four Food Groups of the Apocalypse for the student newspaper The Observer.[1][2] He earned a master's degree from University of California, San Diego in Literature with his thesis, To draw in the crowd : the cartoon and the 'public sphere' of eighteenth-century England.[3] He received the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship,[4] to attend the University of Kent at Canterbury in England (within the Centre for Cartooning and Caricature Studies). There, he earned a master's degree in History of cartoon art propaganda with his thesis, Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War.[5][6][7]
Career
[edit]Dave Kellett is the creator behind the successful webcomics: Sheldon about a 10-year-old computer genius billionaire, and the sci-fi strip Drive. The author of twelve comic books, and the co-author of the Harvey-Award-nominated book How To Make Webcomics, Kellett regularly speaks around the country on the subject of cartooning in new media.
In 2014, Kellet released the comics documentary Stripped, produced with twice-Sundance-nominated cinematographer, Fred Schroeder.[8] He has been a guest speaker at Savannah College of Art & Design, the Society of Illustrators, Ohio State’s triennial Festival of Cartoon Art, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum, Loyola Marymount University, South by Southwest (SXSW), San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con and more. His cartoons have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and dozens of others.
Kellett holds two master's degrees in the art and history of cartooning: First, at the University of California, San Diego; and then at the University of Kent, at its Centre for Cartoon and Caricature Studies, on a full academic scholarship from The Rotary Foundation. After working for Mattel Toys as the head writer and a senior toy designer for 8 years, Kellett pursued cartooning full-time in 2007. He started Sheldon in 1998 and Drive in 2009.[9]
Awards
[edit]Eisners
[edit]- 2020: Nominated, Eisner Award, Best Humor Publication — Anatomy of Authors[10]
- 2012: Nominated, Eisner Award, Best Humor Publication — Coffee: It's What's for Dinner[11]
- 2011: Nominated, Eisner Award, Best Humor Publication — Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against TV Since 1953[12][13]
Reubens
[edit]- 2022: Nominated, Silver Reuben Award, Online Comics: Long Form — Drive[14]
- 2015: Won, Silver Reuben Award, Online Comics: Short Form — Sheldon[15][16]
- 2015: Nominated, Silver Reuben Award, Online Comics: Long Form — Drive[17]
Harveys
[edit]- 2013: Nominated, Harvey Award, Best Online Comics Work — Sheldon[18]
- 2009: Nominated, Harvey Award, Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation — How to Make Webcomics[19]
CCI Film Fest
[edit]- 2014: Won, Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, Best Documentary — Stripped[20]
Additional Honors
[edit]- 1997: Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar[21][22]
- 1996: Finalist, Scripps Howard College Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz Award[23][24]
Bibliography
[edit]Kellett has authored the following book series.
- A Well Balanced Meal: The Very Best of: Four Food Groups of the Apocalypse (1996) ISBN 0-9655060-0-2
Sheldon Comics
[edit]The Sheldon comics series chronologically-collected include:
- Get It Together, Pickles: A Sheldon Collection (2024) ISBN 978-1-7331266-6-3
- Pal Times for Pals: The Tenth Sheldon Collection (2020) ISBN 978-1-7331266-2-5
- In It to Swim It: The Ninth Sheldon Collection (2020) ISBN 978-1-7331266-1-8
- Delightful Jokes for High-Class Folks: The Eighth Sheldon Collection (2010) ISBN 978-0-9844190-1-2
- Still Got It: The Seventh Sheldon Collection (2009) ISBN 978-0-9655060-9-0
- Living Dangerously With Saturated Fats: The Sixth Sheldon Collection (2009) ISBN 978-0-9655060-8-3
- Nerds On Parade: The Fifth Sheldon Collection (2008) ISBN 978-0-9655060-7-6
- A Blizzard of Lizards: The Fourth Sheldon Collection (2007) ISBN 978-0-9655060-5-2
- 62% More Awesome: The Third Sheldon Collection (2007) ISBN 978-0-9655060-4-5
- The Good, The Bad & The Pugly: The Second Sheldon Collection (2007) ISBN 978-0-9655060-3-8
- Pure Ducky Goodness: The First Sheldon Collection (2005) ISBN 0-9655060-1-0
Sheldon Comics (Themed)
[edit]Collections of Sheldon comics curated by theme include:
- Pop Culture (2019) ISBN 978-0-9844190-8-1
- Pugs Unleashed (2018) ISBN 978-0-9844190-6-7
- Pugs: They Think They're People (…Old, Retired People) (2012) ISBN 978-0-9844190-1-2
- Coffee: It's What's For Dinner (2011) ISBN 978-0-9844190-2-9
- Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against TV Since 1953 (2010) ISBN 978-0-9844190-0-5
- Pugs: God's Little Weirdos (2008) ISBN 978-0-9655060-6-9
Drive Comic
[edit]- Drive: Act 4 (2024) ISBN 978-1-7331266-7-0
- Drive: Act 3 (2021) ISBN 978-1-7331266-3-2
- Drive: Act 2 (2018) ISBN 978-0-9844190-7-4
- Drive: Act 1 (2017) ISBN 978-0-9844190-3-6
Anatomy of Books
[edit]- Anatomy of Dogs (2025) ISBN 978-1-7331266-9-4
- Anatomy of Dinosaurs (2022) ISBN 978-1-7331266-5-6
- Anatomy of Authors (2019) ISBN 978-1-7331266-0-1
- Anatomy of Animals (2017) ISBN 978-0-9844190-5-0
He also co-authored the book How to Make Webcomics[25] (2008) with Brad Guigar, Scott Kurtz, and Kris Straub. Around the same time, the quartet hosted the podcast Webcomics Weekly[26] (2007–2011). Kellett deliberately self-publishes many of his books under the publishing name Small Fish Studios. The editions are financed with great success through Kickstarter.[27]
Acting and other projects
[edit]Kellett was a part of the sketch comedy group And Donkey Makes Five from Los Angeles, California.[28] He also performed in Comedy Central's South Beach Comedy Festival in Miami in 2009.[29] Kellett has performed on stage in Skirts and Flirts in New York[30] and in Los Angeles.[31] He also performed in Der Inka von Peru at the George Wood Theatre in London.
ComicLab
[edit]Since 2018 Kellett has co-hosted the podcast ComicLab with fellow cartoonist Brad Guigar. It's aimed at comic professionals and semi-professionals, marketed as a show "about making comics — and making a living from comics!"[32] As of August 2024 there are 350 episodes of ComicLab available on Spotify with a rating of 4.9.[33]
References
[edit]- ^ "Forum on Sheldon Comics". Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "Starting the Next Course by KC Kenney". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ ‘’To draw in the crowd : the cartoon and the "public sphere" of eighteenth-century England’’ by Dave Kellett
- ^ Rotary Foundation article
- ^ "Archive "Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War"". Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ "Thesis "Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War"". Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ Thesis ‘’Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War[permanent dead link]
- ^ Reidy, Jamie (Spring 2014). "The business and art of the funnies". Notre Dame Magazine. Notre Dame.
- ^ "Dave Kellett – Cartoonist of 'Sheldon' & 'Drive' – filmmaker of 'Stripped' – Interview" (video). youtube.com. Sideshow Collectibles. Jan 21, 2019.
- ^ "2020 Eisner Nominees: The Complete List". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "2012 Eisner Nominees Announced". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "The 2011 Eisner Awards: Nominees Announced – Nominations Span Full Range of Works". Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
- ^ "2011 Eisner Award Nominees". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Finalists announced for 2022 NCS Divisional Awards". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Reubens Division Awards". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Reuben Award Winners 2016". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "REUBEN FINALISTS 2023". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "The 2013 Harvey Award Nominees". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Publishers Weekly 2009 Harvey Award Winners". Archived from the original on 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "2014 Comic-Con Film Fest Award Recipients". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Kellett Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ Article on Kellett by Rotary Foundation
- ^ "Winners of the 1996 Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Awards". Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Comix Talk". Archived from the original on 2011-12-25. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "Drawn.ca review of How To Make Webcomics". Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "Webcomics Weekly". Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "League of Comic Geeks". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ And Donkey Makes Five
- ^ "South Beach Comedy Festival". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ Skirts and Flirts in New York
- ^ Skirts and Flirts in Los Angeles
- ^ "Simple Cast". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ "Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 2024-08-31.