 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 3 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 4,579 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
Janelle Blarg | |
|---|---|
| Born | Janelle Hessig February 2, 1975 |
| Known for | Cartoonist, publisher, writer, animator, drummer |
| Notable work | Tales of Blarg, The Cruising Diaries, Big Punk |
Janelle Hessig (born 1975), known by the pen name Janelle Blarg, is an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, and independent publisher based in Oakland, California. She is notable for creating Tales of Blarg, a highly influential underground fanzine and comic series that helped define the 1990s East Bay punk subculture.[1] Beyond her illustration work, she was a prominent figure in the riot grrrl and punk rock movements, serving as a roadie for Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, and inspiring the title track of their seminal 1994 EP, The Real Janelle.[2][3]
Early Life
editHessig was born in Contra Costa County, California and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.[4] In 1990, while attending high school, she bypassed a standard crafts class assignment to self-publish the first installment of Tales of Blarg.[5] Her early exposure to alternative cartoonists like Peter Bagge shaped her raw, loopy ink-drawing aesthetic and her focus on autobiographical, lowbrow humor.
Hessig became a notable muse within the 1990s indie rock and punk communities, serving as a lyrical focal point in a famous cross-country independent music dialogue. Following a critical caricature song titled "Janelle" written by Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel (and recorded by the political hardcore band Born Against), the riot grrrl band Bratmobile responded directly with their 1994 anthem "The Real Janelle." Reclaiming Hessig's identity, the song and its corresponding EP became a foundational statement of feminist punk autonomy. Hessig was also featured on the iconic cover photograph of the Kill Rock Stars release.
Career
editTales of Blarg and Zine Publishing
editInitially featuring feminist essays and pop culture collages, Tales of Blarg quickly evolved into a primary vehicle for Hessig's slice-of-life comic illustrations. The zine ran for over two decades and regularly integrated contributions from notable figures in the punk rock and literary underground, including Aaron Cometbus, Larry Livermore, and Brontez Purnell. Her narratives focused heavily on the chaotic, absurd, and disastrous elements of the local DIY punk house scene.
In addition to her self-published works, Hessig's comics and journalism have been featured by Vice, KQED, Popula, and Maximumrocknroll, for which she served as a guest editor for its first all-comics issue (#371) in 2014.
Gimme Action and Professional Work
editIn 2014, Hessig founded the independent publishing imprint Gimme Action. The press's debut release was The Cruising Diaries, an underground graphic memoir written by author and musician Brontez Purnell and illustrated by Hessig.[6] In 2020, the independent publisher Silver Sprocket released her humorous mini-comic Big Punk, which details a punk protagonist's romance with a Bigfoot after leaving a gentrified "Fog City."[7]
Hessig also spent years working within the professional independent publishing sector, notably serving as the long-time marketing director for the historic San Francisco counterculture publisher Last Gasp.
Music and Animation
editHessig has actively participated in the underground music scene as a touring punk drummer. She has also worked in film and animation, directing and animating music videos for the garage-punk band Hunx and his Punx. She is also known as the long-term illustrator and art director for Mosswood Meltdown, an annual punk festival hosted by John Waters.
Selected bibliography
edit- Tales of Blarg (Vols. 1–9, self-published, 1990–present)
- The Cruising Diaries (2014, Gimme Action) – Illustrator; written by Brontez Purnell
- Big Punk (2020, Silver Sprocket) – Writer and illustrator
- Too Tough to Die (2021, Birdcage Bottom Books) – Contributor
References
edit- ↑ "Second Saturday Cartoonist: Janelle Blarg". Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- ↑ "TrouserPress.com :: Bratmobile". www.trouserpress.com.
- ↑ "Bratmobile interview". Furious.com. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ↑ Hessig, Janelle (August 1, 2015). "The Diary of a Teenage Girl: Discovery, Channeled". Eat Drink Films. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Janelle Hessig Crew Profile". Silver Sprocket. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- ↑ Jones, Kevin L. (October 2014). "Gimme Action: Bay Area Comic Artist Janelle Hessig Publishes First Book". KQED Arts. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- ↑ ""Big Punk" is a Hilarious and Wonderfully Drawn Mini-Comic". The Newest Rant. January 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2026.