Inzana, Ryan (J.)

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INZANA, Ryan (J.)

PERSONAL:

Male. Education: Pratt Institute, B.F.A. (communication design).

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o NBM Publishing, 555 Eighth Ave., Suite 1202, New York, NY 10018. E-mail—rinzana@aol.com.

CAREER:

Political cartoonist, illustrator, and graphic novelist.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Top ten graphic novels of 2004, Booklist, for Johnny Jihad; recipient of award nominations from Society of Illustrators.

WRITINGS:

(And illustrator) Johnny Jihad (graphic novel), additional design by Jack Aguirre, ComicsLit (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor of illustrations to numerous magazines and periodicals, including the Wall Street Journal, Nation, New York Times, Slate, and Progressive.

SIDELIGHTS:

Political cartoonist Ryan Inzana grew up in New Jersey and attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, graduating with a B.F.A. in communication design. His primary work is in political cartoons and illustrations, contributing to prestigious publications such as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Inzana shared his affinity for political illustrations with a reporter for Newsarama, an online comic book news bulletin: "If it's not a story about an issue or politics and society, I can't sit down and work on it. It's really hard for me to get into things when I don't really feel the cause. I need something that will push me forward. Things … that I truly believe in and have an interest in, will get me to sit down and work on a graphic novel or comic."

Johnny Jihad is Inzana's first graphic novel. It follows the story of American teenager John Sendel, who becomes entrenched in a radical Muslim sect and travels to Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban. Although the story parallels that of real-life Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, Inzana chose to portray Sendel as a disaffected youth from a typical American family: Lindh's story "wasn't the story I wanted to tell because I thought there was a better story to be told that is playing itself out in America time and time again.…We're looking for terrorists in certain places and disregarding home."

Although some reviewers found fault with the writing in Johnny Jihad, Inzana garnered overwhelming praise for his powerful graphics and realistic depiction of Sendel's self-destruction. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly stated that "Inzana offers a moody tale of emotional emptiness" and commended the novel's art as "a striking vehicle" for the story. A Booklist reviewer remarked that "John's story … is alarmingly convincing" and applauded the graphics as "powerfully drawn."