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WEBSITE: https://www.marktatulli.com/
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 362
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PERSONAL
Born 1963; married; wife’s name Donna; children: Lexa.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Cartoonist, filmmaker, and animator. Center City Film and Video, Philadelphia, PA, executive director.
AWARDS:Best Comic Strip Award, National Cartoonists Society, 2009, and Max and Moritz Award nomination (Germany), 2010, both for “Liō;” three Emmy awards for television production design.
WRITINGS
Contributor of comics to Burlington County Times. Creator of syndicated comic “Bend Halos,” beginning 1994.
The “Liō” comics series has been optioned for television.
SIDELIGHTS
Although he is best known as a cartoonist, Mark Tatulli began his career in television, serving as an animator and post-production producer for popular cable reality series Trading Spaces and A Wedding Story. Tatulli’s name recognition grew exponentially when he shifted his focus to creating comics, and his syndicated series “Heart of the City” and “Līo” have run in hundreds of newspapers in the United States as well as internationally. Because his comics feature children, it was only a matter of time before he gravitated to children’s books, and becoming a father aided in that process. In addition to his “Desmond Pucket” graphic novels for middle graders, Tatulli is the author of several self-illustrated picture books as well as the highly praised comic-style autobiography Short & Skinny, all which feature curious and creative young characters.
Raised in Willingboro Township, New Jersey, Tatulli began drawing comics during grade school, and by middle school he was an avid fan of Mad magazine as well as syndicated comic strips such as “Bloom County,” “Calvin and Hobbes,” and “Doonesbury.” His first original strip, “Bent Halos,” appeared in select newspapers in 1994 and ran for several years; his mega-popular follow up, “Heart of the City,” was introduced in 1998, and “Liō” began syndication in 2006. In 2020 Tatulli transferred authorship of “Heart of the City” to another artist in order to concentrate on children’s books.
In Short & Skinny, Tatulli transports readers to his New Jersey hometown circa 1977, when his seventh-grade self was a common target of bullies and overshadowed by athletically talented siblings on both sides. For middle-child Mark, the immediate goal is to be noticed by cute classmate Lisa, and the advertisements published in the back pages of his favorite comic books promise guaranteed ways to become buff and manly. When Star Wars arrives at a local movie theatre, however, Mark’s attention quickly shifts to film making. Inspired by the George Lucas-scripted mega-summer blockbuster film, he decides to create a parody short film titled Star Bores.
Praising Short & Skinny for its “easy appeal” among “fans of coming-of-age adventures and Star Wars,” a Kirkus Reviews writer cited its “positive message about … overcoming obstacles through imagination and creativity.” A Publishers Weekly critic praised Tatulli’s “dynamic” and “cinematic” cartoon illustrations here and recommended Short & Skinny for introducing “expressive characters” whose “authentic emotions” help “drive the gag-filled story at a quick clip.”
Geared for elementary graders, The Big Break focuses on middle-grade friends Andrew and Russ. Convinced that a creature known as the Jersey Devil is living in their New Jersey hometown, the boys decide to enter a video contest and create a horror film based on the local legend. When Russ begins dating talented musician and artist Tara and involves her in the project, Andrew grows resentful, and his jealousy causes Russ and Tara to make their own movie. A camping trip is now organized by a local librarian, who wants to substantiate several new sightings of the Jersey Devil, and while joining their friends on this trip, the two friends come to terms with their changing relationship.
Noting that the plot of The Big Break addresses a theme common to middle-grade fiction, a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that Tatulli’s story captures “the perspectives and feelings of boys with a good balance of humor and pathos.” Citing the “signature … style” of Tatulli’s cartoon art, a Publishers Weekly contributor went on to praise the “nuance cast” of the illustrated novel, which is “capped off with a quirky, strangely sweet resolution.” The author/illustrator exhibits an “intuitive understanding of children’s angst and insecurities,” noted Beronica Ruhr in her appraisal of The Big Break in School Library Journal, and his friendship story “will resonate strongly” among its intended ‘tween audience.
In Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic, the first installment in his “Desmond Pucket” graphic novels for middle graders, Tatulli introduces a sixth grader who loves monsters and has a reputation for pulling pranks at Cloverfield Memorial Junior High. When his behavior threatens to keep him from joining his classmates on an end-of-year trip to an amusement park, Desmond decides to avoid school disciplinary officer Mr. Needles, but this proves harder than it sounds. The trip to Crab Shell Pier is only days away when Desmond returns in Desmond Pucket and the Mountain Full of Monsters, and his hope now is that classmate Tina Schimsky will join him on his favorite roller coaster, Mountain Full of Monsters. Hailed as a hero in Desmond Pucket and the Coverfield Junior High Carnival of Horrors, the lad decides to create a scary amusement of his own, joined by several of his monster-crazed friends. A Kirkus Reviews critic praised Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic and predicted that Tatulli’s “target audience will snap this up and beg for more.” Reviewing the third “Desmond Pucket” story, another Kirkus Reviews writer recommended it as “a funny and cheerfully gross tale of perseverance and friendship.”
Inspired by the antics of his young daughter Lexa, Tatulli’s “Heart of the City” strips were eventually collected in a single volume, and his popular wordless “Liō” comic strips have been collected in several anthologies, among them Liō: Happiness Is a Squishy Cephalopod, There’s Corpses Everywhere: Yet another Liō Collection, and Zombies Need Love Too: and Still Another Liō Collection. Although intended for adult readers, “Liōo” was inspired by the work of British illustrator Edward Gorey, and it channels the worldview Tatulli had as a child. The artist gathered several child-appropriate comics from the strip’s first years and collects them in the books Liō: Making Friends and Liō: There’s a Monster in My Socks. Describing Liō as a “cute-but-creepy protagonist” who encounters monsters as part of everyday life, Andrea Lipinski noted in School Library Journal that the strip’s artwork “skillfully evokes a mix of cuteness and gruesomeness.” Despite its “somewhat macabre” tone, There’s a Monster in My Socks is “suitable and nonthreatening for elementary-school readers,” asserted Booklist contributor Kat Kan, and in School Library Journal, Paula Willey recommended the same collection to “a wide variety of kids—smart kids, kids who think they are weird, … and kids who sometimes get in trouble.”
“Every kid starts out as a cartoonist,” Tatulli asserted on his website. “It’s just a matter of being observant and saying things people can relate to or find clever and fun. Note that I said, ‘saying things.’ Cartooning is mostly writing! You don’t even have to be able to draw well, as long as the artwork has a purpose in the storytelling and the style fits the attitude of what you are saying.” His advice to budding cartoonists? “Don’t try to please anyone except yourself: that’s the only way you will be able to consistently draw and write on a daily basis.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2012, Kat Kan, review of Liō: There’s a Monster in My Socks, p. 38; August 1, 2018, John Peters, review of They Came, p. 92.
Horn Book, November-December, 2016, Patrick Gall, review of Daydreaming, p. 65.
Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2013, review of Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic; July 1, 2014, review of Desmond Pucket and the Mountain Full of Monsters; May 15, 2018, review of They Came; August 15, 2018, review of Short & Skinny; March 15, 2020, review of The Big Break.
Publishers Weekly, May 14, 2012, review of There’s a Monster in My Socks, p. 71; July 18, 2016, review of Daydreaming, p. 208; September 3, 2018, review of Short & Skinny, p. 98; February 10, 2020, review of The Big Break, p. 72.
School Library Journal, November, 2012, Paula Willey, review of There’s a Monster in My Socks, p. 128; July, 2013, Andrea Lipinski, review of Liō: Making Friends, p. 105; January, 2020, Beronica Ruhr, review of The Big Break, p. 76.
ONLINE
Daily Cartoonist, https://www.daily cartoonist/ (March 31, 2020), author interview.
L’Idea, http://lideamagazine.com/ (August 3, 2014), Tiziano Thomas, author interview.
Mark Tatulli website, https://www.marktatulli.com (September 10, 2020).
NJ.com, https://www.nj.com/ (January 18, 2019), Kelly Roncace, “Washington Township Cartoonist Mark Tatulli to Hold Book Signing for His Latest Release.”*
Mark Tatulli is an internationally syndicated cartoonist, best known for his popular comic strips HEART OF THE CITY and LIO, which appear in 400 newspapers all over the world.
LIO has been nominated for Germany’s 2010 MAX AND MORITZ award and multiple times for the National Cartoonists Society’s Best Comic Strip, winning in 2009. Mark has also been nominated numerous times for cartoonist of the year by the NCS. A LIO animated television series is currently in the works.
Mark has now expanded his cartooning and writing into middle grade kids’ books, making the illustrated novel series DESMOND PUCKET for Andrews McMeel publishing. He also wrote and illustrated two picture books, DAYDREAMING and THEY CAME, for Roaring Brook Press, a Macmillan company. He is currently working on two graphic novels for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The first gn, SHORT AND SKINNY, a memoir of Mark’s life in the summer of 1977, lands in bookstores in September 2018.
In addition to his cartooning experience, Tatulli is also an accomplished filmmaker and animator, and is the recipient of three Emmy awards for his prior work in television.
Mark lives in a Spielbergian development in New Jersey with his wife Donna and several nefarious cats.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did you come up with the name LIO?
mark tatulli, author, book, cartoonist, they came
I wanted a simple name to go with the simple, wordless concept. Just three letters.
I wanted something that almost looked foreign and out-of-place on the comics page.
There’s a famously weird alphabet poem by Edward Gorey called THE GNASHLYCRUMB TINIES, which records the dark deaths of fictional children. “L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks”. I liked the name and just switched up the letters. This is also where I found the name “Desmond”. Check out THE GNASHLY CRUMB TINIES if you get a chance. It’s really cool!
Where do you get your ideas?
Potential gags and story ideas are all around us, everywhere. Go out into the world. The grocery store, the mall, the city, the woods, the library. Everywhere there are seeds waiting for an active imagination. One thing I can tell you: nothing is discovered or created by staring at a blank sheet of paper. That’s a dead end. I’d rather flip through the phone book.
How can I become a cartoonist?
I think every kid starts out as a cartoonist. It’s just a matter of being observant and saying things people can relate to or find clever and fun. Note that I said, “saying things”. Cartooning is mostly writing! You don’t even have to be able to draw well, as long as the artwork has a purpose in the storytelling and the style fits the attitude of what you are saying. And with the internet, there are so many ways to get your creations in front of eyeballs. I wouldn’t recommend pursuing a career in newspaper comics…not because I think newspapers are going away, no, sir, I know comics in the papers will always be with us! But it’s not growing, and fewer syndicates are putting new comics in newspapers. Using the internet is a great way to test your art and build an audience and find your own voice. Don’t try to please anyone except yourself…that’s the only way you will be able to consistently draw and write on a daily basis.
Is HEART in HEART OF THE CITY based on anyone?
HEART was inspired by my daughter Lexa. One day I was sitting in my living room thinking about ideas, and Lexa came bounding down the stairs. She had come back for ballet practice some hours before and was still wearing her pink practice tutu. She had a hole in the knee of her ballet stockings, and her hair was tied up in a dancer’s bun that had started to become unruly. I took one look at her and knew, this is my next character! And the ideas and gags just started flowing.
Is LIO going to be an animated TV show?
Working on something! As soon as I know more I’ll let you know!
Why are you making graphic novels now?
I always like to challenge myself creatively, especially with different ways of telling stories with words and pictures. And doing graphic novels is definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done! Tons of work, but very satisfying when I create something that I like and flows the way I expect. Hopefully readers will like what they see!
Are there going to be any more LIO or HEART OF THE CITY books coming out?
Currently nothing is planned, and I’m so busy on other projects to give that the thought it deserves. But that doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen! We’ll see what the future holds. This is the first place you’ll see any announcement of upcoming books, so please keep checking in!
How did you come up with the concept for LIO?
I always wanted to do a dark, wordless comic strip. And since I already was doing a girl-centric comic strip, it just made sense to create a boy character. LIO is largely based on my own childhood wonders and fears. Growing up, nuclear war and monsters were big fears of my. LIO embraces that stuff and invites it in. I guess that’s my own way of processing those fears. Making fun of stuff that scares me takes the edge off, and LIO is pretty brave in the face of horror.
I also wanted to do a strip that was completely different from what was currently on the comics page. Every day would be something weird or dark or monster-y. The most important thing to me is having fun, and telling the story with only drawings is challenging and exciting!
What’s next for Mark Tatulli?
Well, you got me! Right now my world is tied up in graphic novels and daily/Sunday comic strips. It keeps me so busy that I rarely have time to think of what’s next. But there’s always something new and unexpected to keep life exciting and as soon as that new thing starts to happen, you’ll hear about it here!
Tatulli, Mark THE EXPETS Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (Children's None) $14.99 4, 30 ISBN: 9781665914871
After all the kittens in the world are abducted, it's domesticated animal superheroes to the rescue!
Reluctantly recruited into the eXpets after driving two would-be burglars into nauseated submission with superpowered blasts of doggy gas from both ends, peaceable Bosco finds himself renamed Stanky Dog. Soon, he's headed on a rescue mission to the moon with tiny but fierce Ginormous Gerbil, Wonder Guppy, and like stars of the S&SCU, or Simon & Schuster Comics Universe (not to be confused with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if you please). With the innuendo extending even into chapter heads ("Doggie Don't or Doggie Do?"), Tatulli's loudly hued panes fill up with frenetic action and rapid-fire repartee as the heroes struggle to prevent archnemesis the Skunk and his tentacled minion, Captain Calamari, from digging up the ancient Collar of Power that would force all humans to become pets and vice versa. Can the furry fighters save the day--not to mention an ocean of wide-eyed, intensely cute kitties who were kidnapped to do lunar excavation? ("It's actually a giant ball of kitty litter! And who knows more about digging through kitty litter than--kitties?") Cue the slogan--"eXpets exceed expectations!"--on the way to a triumphant finish featuring a round of parties and parades back on Earth, plus a twist or two to set up future episodes.
Plenty of silly hijinks to keep the pages turning; readers will find this a gas. (Graphic adventure. 7-10)
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"Tatulli, Mark: THE EXPETS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238344/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7edc6835. Accessed 6 May 2024.