Jim Borgman
Encyclopedia
James Mark Borgman is an American
cartoonist
. He is known for his political cartoons and his nationally syndicated comic strip Zits
.
, Ohio
to James and Marian Borgman, where he began his career in journalism as a student at Elder High School
. He then attended Ohio's Kenyon College
where he started as an English major, then switched to being an art major. He graduated in 1976 with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
Borgman met his first wife Lynn Goodwin during his senior year of college at a class called "Jesus and the Gospels". They had two children named Dylan and Chelsea. Lynn died in 1999 from a blood clot following a surgery to ease chronic neck and shoulder pain. In 2003 he married Suzanne Soled, an educational psychologist and professor at Northern Kentucky University.
Since 1980, his editorial cartoons have been nationally syndicated, at first by King Features Syndicate
. In 2007, Universal Press Syndicate
took over the distribution of his editorial cartoons.
. A surreal send-up of inside-the-beltway mores during the administration of Bill Clinton
, many of the cartoons featured a cat involved in behind-the-scenes political skullduggery.
, Borgman met up with fellow cartoonist, Jerry Scott
. Scott pitched the idea of a cartoon about a teenager and thus the comic strip "Zits" was born, debuting in July, 1997, with Borgman cartooning and Scott writing.
"Zits" is syndicated in over 1500 newspapers around the world and is translated into eight languages, including German
, Chinese
, Swedish
, Norwegian
, Spanish
, Dutch
, Portuguese
, and Finnish
.
. He has also won the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award for 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, and 2006, their Newspaper Comic Strip for 1997, their Newspaper Comic Strip (with Jerry Scott
) in 1998 and 1999 for Zits, and their Reuben Award in 1993. Borgman also won the Reuben Award for editorial cartooning in 2006, and has achieved a great deal of recognition for his work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
. He is known for his political cartoons and his nationally syndicated comic strip Zits
Zits (comic strip)
Zits is a comic strip written by cartoonist Jerry Scott and illustrated by Jim Borgman about the life of Jeremy Duncan, a 16-year-old high school sophomore . The comic debuted in July 1997 in over 200 newspapers and has since become popular worldwide and received multiple awards...
.
Personal
Borgman was born in CincinnatiCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
to James and Marian Borgman, where he began his career in journalism as a student at Elder High School
Elder High School
Elder High School is a parochial all-male, college-preparatory high school in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The high school has been in existence for over 85 years and is a parochial high school within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati...
. He then attended Ohio's Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
where he started as an English major, then switched to being an art major. He graduated in 1976 with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
Borgman met his first wife Lynn Goodwin during his senior year of college at a class called "Jesus and the Gospels". They had two children named Dylan and Chelsea. Lynn died in 1999 from a blood clot following a surgery to ease chronic neck and shoulder pain. In 2003 he married Suzanne Soled, an educational psychologist and professor at Northern Kentucky University.
Career
At Kenyon College, Borgman drew editorial cartoons for the Kenyon Collegian.Since 1980, his editorial cartoons have been nationally syndicated, at first by King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
. In 2007, Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, is the world's largest independent press syndicate. It distributes lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebert and News of the Weird...
took over the distribution of his editorial cartoons.
Wonk City
His body of work has included the weekly comic strip "Wonk City," which ran from 1994 to 1996 on the editorial pages of The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. A surreal send-up of inside-the-beltway mores during the administration of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, many of the cartoons featured a cat involved in behind-the-scenes political skullduggery.
Zits
While on vacation in Sedona, ArizonaSedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
, Borgman met up with fellow cartoonist, Jerry Scott
Jerry Scott
Jerry Scott in South Bend, Indiana. He is an American cartoonist, co-creator of Baby Blues and co-creator of Zits.-Career:...
. Scott pitched the idea of a cartoon about a teenager and thus the comic strip "Zits" was born, debuting in July, 1997, with Borgman cartooning and Scott writing.
"Zits" is syndicated in over 1500 newspapers around the world and is translated into eight languages, including German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
Awards
In 1991, when Borgman was 37 years old, he won the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
. He has also won the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award for 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, and 2006, their Newspaper Comic Strip for 1997, their Newspaper Comic Strip (with Jerry Scott
Jerry Scott
Jerry Scott in South Bend, Indiana. He is an American cartoonist, co-creator of Baby Blues and co-creator of Zits.-Career:...
) in 1998 and 1999 for Zits, and their Reuben Award in 1993. Borgman also won the Reuben Award for editorial cartooning in 2006, and has achieved a great deal of recognition for his work.