Comic Relief

Neil Richard Gaiman was born November 10, 1960 in Portchester, England to David Bernard the director of a company and Sheila Gaiman a pharmacist (Neil). Neil Gaiman grew up in an upper middle-class home in England where he developed an impassioned and almost unquenchable love of reading. One of the many things that Neil loves to read is comic books (Contemporary, 3). A member of many clubs which support and keep the lesser appreciated arts such as comic books afloat. One of such foundations is Comic Book Legal Defense Fund where Neil serves on the board of directors (Contemporary, 3). As a youth Neil was advised by his teachers to not read comic books. His teachers were worried that he would not give the more scholarly works the attention they needed to make Neil a well balanced student (Contemporary, 3). This thought really irritated Neil and has been quoted on the topic saying "Why are comics going to stop me reading?" Interestingly enough, Neil really proved his teachers wrong by reading the whole children's library in about three years time (Contemporary, 3). After reading the whole children’s library, Neil quickly moved to the adult library where he made it to about the letter "L". Neil was often rejected and after many rejections he decided to delve into the publishing world (Contemporary, 3). Later, Neil created a series of comic books named "The Books of Magic." These comic books tell the tale of a 13 year old boy who is told he has the ability to be the greatest wizard in the world (Contemporary, 3). Incredibly enough these comic's predate J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" showing how ahead of his time Neil really is.

Works Cited

Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2010. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2010. <http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/BioRC>.

"Neil Gaiman." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 82. Gale, 2010.Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2010. <http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/BioRC>.