BIO

GQ-esque profile photo

Born in the small, Midwestern town of Carmi, Illinois, Josh is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Film. He then spent several years successfully avoiding gainful employment until 2005 when Mail Order Ninja won the grand prize in Tokyopop’s Rising Stars of Manga contest.

The first volume of the Mail Order Ninja graphic novel series was released a year later to great acclaim from his close friends and immediate family. Someone else must have liked it too, as Mail Order Ninja was soon picked up as a syndicated comic strip in over 45 newspapers — including the LA Times, Denver Post and Boston Globe. The series has garnered rave reviews from numerous sources, including The Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago and The School Library Journal where it was named one of the 25 best graphic novels for children.

Josh’s other works include several issues of the DC Comics’ all-ages action/adventure title The Batman Strikes, the romantic comedy graphic novel Love Bytes for Platinum Studios and a trilogy of stories for the StarCraft: Frontline anthology series based on the best-selling videogame. He has also worked as an associate editor at the comic-centric magazine Wizard and currently writes graphic novel reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times.

When not writing, Josh serves as Director of Operations for Kids Love Comics, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy among using comics, graphic novels and manga. He heads up many of their major initiatives and gives numerous lectures and runs dozens of workshops each year at schools, libraries, literary festivals, conventions and universities all over the country on the group’s behalf.

Josh also recently took on the position of CEO of ComicFeast, a digital comics distribution solution and online marketplace set to launch in the summer of ‘09. As he rather boldly claims in his press release, “ComicFeast is the future of comics, and the future starts today.”

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Still, he takes the most pride in his position as Chief Awesomeness Officer of the American Awesomeness Association and ultimate arbiter of All Things Awesome. It is, as one might expect, quite awesome.

Josh lives in the small, Midwestern town of Chicago, Illinois and can be found online at www.joshelder.com.

ELDER’S FUN FACTS

• Josh has broken up subway brawls in two major American cities.
• Josh has been set on fire — twice!
• Josh has a Superman “S” tattooed on his right bicep.
• Josh has had dinner with Charlton Heston.
• Josh does an excellent Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation.
• His Christopher Walken isn’t half-bad either.
• Josh’s favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough.