BIOGRAPHY:

Lynda Barry (1956- ) was raised with her two younger brothers in a working class and racially mixed Seattle neighborhood and was known as the class cartoonist at school. Studying for her degree in fine art from Evergreen State College in Washington , she began drawing comic strips compulsively after her boyfriend left her for another girl. In 1977, her schoolmate Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) first published her strips in the school paper under the title Ernie Pook's Comeek. Her comic strips have appeared in over 50 newspapers (mainly free alternative papers) throughout America and she has also drawn comic strips for Esquire and Mother Jones magazines, written two books and the script for the stage play of her novel The Good Times Are Killing Me, which played off-Broadway to rave reviews. Her two recent graphic novels (One! Hundred! Demons! and The! Greatest! Of! Marlys!) have been named as Comics Of The Year by The Comics Journal.

Interviews:
The Onion (1999)
The Comics Journal #132 (1989)

Resources:
Marlys Magazine

Reviews:
Time.com: One! Hundred! Demons!

One! Hundred! Demons!
Sasquatch Books, 2002
Winner of the 2003 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, One! Hundred! Demons! is a collection of semi-autobiographical comic strip stories, in which Barry wrestles with some of her own demons in her signature, quirky, irrepressible voice. Funky boyfriends, innocence betrayed, and small cruelties we perpetuate on others. As she delves into the delights and sorrows of adolescence, family, identity, and love, the tales are at once hilarious and heartbreaking.

"One! Hundred! Demons! is the secret diary as illuminated text... It is a journal of 'things', a jewel box containing memories, rationalizations, aspirations and exorcisms both partial and complete. Its affectionate voice - as close as an old acquaintance - is clearer, stronger and more genuine that ever."
Best Comics of 2002, The Comics Journal #250

The! Greatest! Of! Marlys!
Sasquatch Books, 2000
Named by The Comics Journal as one of the best comics of 2000, The! Greatest! Of! Marlys! features the life and times of the most beloved character in Barry's nationally syndicated comic strip, Ernie Pook's Comeek. It presents the long strange journey through puberty and life of Marlys, her groovy teenage sister Maybonne, and her sensitive and strange little brother Freddie.

"Lynda Barry's flawed and chunky language, and corresponding unsmooth drawing style have, in the opinion of many reviewers lifted her right out of the realm of comics and dropped her square into the lap of literature... Barry is a genius, there is no getting around it, and her dear darling sweetheart character Marlys is the perfect vehicle for the underlying 'the world is so dang groovy sometimes it breaks your heart' message."
The Comics Journal #231

The Good Times Are Killing Me
Sasquatch Books, 1988
"Good Times is a story about the loss of innocence, how adults are responsible for their actions but children aren't. The minute you understand racism, you're responsible for being racist. It's like eating from the tree of knowledge. I'm attempting to get people to wake up, to understand the kind of damage certain power structures can do."
Lynda Barry, Newsday

"Contains some extended passages that are extraordinarily vital and exciting... Best of all is the unique voice she has achieved."
Rob Rodi, The Comics Journal #127

Cartoon Strip Collections:
One! Hundred! Demons! (2002)
The! Greatest! Of Marlys! (2000)
The Freddie Stories (1999)
Its So Magic (1994)
My Perfect Life (1992)
Come Over, Come Over (1990)
Down The Street (1989)
The Fun House (1987)
Everything in The World (1986)
Naked Ladies! Naked Ladies! Naked Ladies! (1984)
Big Ideas (1983)
Girls & Boys (1981)

Novels:
Cruddy (1999)
The Good Times Are Killing Me (1988)