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Robb Armstrong

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Robb Armstrong
Born
Robbin Armstrong

(1962-03-04) March 4, 1962 (age 63)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
EducationSyracuse University
OccupationCartoonist
Notable workJump Start
SpouseCrystal D. Armstrong
Websitewww.robbarmstrong.com

Robb Armstrong is an African American cartoonist, best known for creating the comic strip Jump Start, as well as for some of his motivational speeches.[1][2] His comic strip Jump Start is the most widely syndicated daily strip by an African American in the world.[3][4]

Career

Armstrong studied advertising design at the College of Visual and Performing Arts and graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. He began submitting his comic Hector to The Daily Orange his freshman year and later became art director at the newspaper.[5]

Armstrong started drawing sketches of Charlie Brown at age five, and he lists Charles M. Schulz as one of his influences and heroes.[6][7] Schulz gave his Franklin, the Peanuts strip's Black character, the surname Armstrong, after Robb Armstrong.[6][7][8]

Jump Start, Armstrong's comic strip revolves around the trials and tribulations of a middle-class Black family in Philadelphia that is made up of Joseph "Joe" Cobb Sr., a city police officer, and Marcy Cobb, a nurse and their four children.[8][9] The family is named after the Cobbs Creek neighborhood located in West Philadelphia.[10] It is syndicated in over 300 newspapers throughout the United States, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, and the Boston Globe.[11] Since launching Jump Start in 1989, around 10,000 comics have been created. In 2020, Armstrong stated that he is working on a possible live action comedy television show based on Jump Start.[5][12][3]

In October 2010, Armstrong's work was featured in The Original Art of the Funny Papers exhibition at Syracuse university's XL Projects gallery in Armory Square.[13][14] On May 19, 2012, Armstrong received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris causa degree from Holy Family University in Pennsylvania.[15]

In 2016, Armstrong published a part self-help book, part memoir titled Fearless: A Cartoonist's Guide to Life.[3][10]

Personal life

Armstrong was born on March 4, 1962, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr.[10][16] Armstrong's mother, Dorothy was a seamstress. He had four siblings.[11] Armstrong has two children and is married to Crystal D. Armstrong, an events planner.[17] They reside in Burbank, California.[10]

Publications

  • Armstrong, Robb (1997). JumpStart. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 9780836236613. OCLC 37923054.
  • Armstrong, Robb (2016). Fearless: A Cartoonist's Guide to Life. New York: Readers Digest. ISBN 9781621452874. OCLC 990821669.

References

  1. ^ "Robb Armstrong". aalbc.com. African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. ^ ""Jump Start" Cartoonist Robb Armstrong". Salisbury University. 2002-01-22. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  3. ^ a b c Gibbs, Adrienne Samuels (23 July 2016). "Black Cartoonist Draws Lessons from Losses". EBONY. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ Sherkat, Mojgan (October 27, 2016). "Cartoonist Robb Armstrong to Speak at UC Riverside". UCR Today. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b Walker, Julia (14 October 2020). "Cartoonist Robb Armstrong reminisces time at SU, discusses new book". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b "'Peanuts' Character Franklin Turns 50". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  7. ^ a b Axelrod, Jim (August 2, 2018). "The surprising story behind Franklin, the first black "Peanuts" character". CBS News. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b Nelson, Connie (July 27, 2020). "'Jump Start,' one of the first comics about Black Americans, comes to the Sunday Star Tribune". Star Tribune. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  9. ^ Gitt, Tammie (February 5, 2018). "5 Questions: Cartoonist injects humor into serious messages". The Sentinel. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d Wellington, Elizabeth (April 26, 2016). "'Jump Start' Comic Strip Creator's New Book Part Memoir, Part Self-Help". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Armstrong: JumpStart's positive depiction of African American life is refreshing". Philly.com. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  12. ^ Hegarty, Tasha (23 November 2014). "Fox adapting Jump Start comic". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  13. ^ Seely, Hart (10 October 2010). "Syracuse University Exhibit Showcases Comic Strips". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Famous syndicated cartoons to be exhibited at XL Projects Oct. 6-31". Surface Repository. Syracuse University VPA. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Distinguished Alumni Award Presented to Robbin Armstrong '81 and Paolo Malabuyo '91 April 29, 2016". The Shipley School. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  16. ^ "Shipley School honors alumni, continues 125th Anniversary Celebration with special programming this spring". Main Line Media News (Press release). Lower Merion. May 21, 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Robb Armstrong (JumpStart)". GoComics. 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
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