Julian Lawrence

Julian Lawrence is a Canadian cartoonist. He was born in England and raised in Quebec. He is an instructor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and part of the musical group July Fourth Toilet. Lawrence was awarded a Xeric Grant in 2000.

Crucial Fiction
In the early 1990s, Lawrence published three issues of a series called Crucial Fiction for Fantagraphics. The comic was biographical in nature, and documented the stories of Pope Joan and John R. Brinkley.

Drippytown Comics
In spring of 1999, Lawrence worked with Robert Dayton to start the Drippy Gazette – a monthly, two-color newspaper featuring comics from Vancouver artists. The series was published September 1999 through September 2000, featuring 12 issues total. Lawrence subsequently won a grant from the Xeric Foundation to help publish Drippytown Comics, which grew out from the Gazette. The publication has featured a character shaped like a drop of water on many of its covers. The series is an anthology and is used to showcase pieces that represent each contributing artist. Notable artists have included Colin Upton and Jason Turner. Drippytown was inspired by Lawrence's earlier work on another local cartoon publication, Cartoon Party. Lawrence also used Drippytown to serialize a comic based on American author Stephen Crane's George's Mother. Lawrence emulated Crane's literary style by drawing very detailed artwork, and using dialogue filled with slang.

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam
In 2007, Lawrence contributed artwork to The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, a graphic novel documenting the life of a famous Chinese vaudeville performer. The book was named on the American Library Association's Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens.