Nat Gertler is an award-winning writer with experience in books, magazines, web, TV, and comics.
In comics, he has been a writer and an entrepreneur. He has written and spoken extensively about the artform. In addition to his general comics knowledge, he is a specialist in the works of Charles M. Schulz, creator of "Peanuts".
He also works as the publisher of the About Comics line, an editor, and provides freelance comic book services. He is the creator and a star of the podcast sitcom Invisible Zeppelin.
He can be found online on Mastodon as socel.net/@natgertler, as nat.gertler on Facebook, and (rarely now) as @natgertler on Hive, Post, Twitter.)
the founder and publisher of About Comics, an independent comics publishing and packaging firm, which has over the course of a quarter century produced a diverse mixture of reprints of works by some of the most respected comics creators and original works.
the writer of over 100 comic book stories for many publishers.
the founder of 24 Hour Comics Day, the annual worldwide celebration of comics creation. Each year, over a thousand cartoonists, professional and amateur, gather in locations around the globe and create over 10,000 pages of original art as each tries to create a 24 page comic (normally months of work) in 24 straight hours.
co-author (with Steve Lieber) of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel, an acclaimed volume which went through more than ten printings across two editions.
an Eisner Award-winning writer about comics (for Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects), an Eisner Award-nominated comics creator (category: Talent Deserving Wider Recognition) and an Eisner Award-nominated comics editor (for 24 Hour Comics Day Highlights 2005)
a guest speaker on comics creation at University of California - Santa Barbara, California Lutheran University, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and various other schools.
a former cartoonist-in-residence at the Charles M. Schulz Museum (Santa Rosa, CA), February 2008.
Nat has written hundreds of stories for publishers big and small
His stories have been published by DC, Image, IDW, Archie, and others
His published work includes superhero, horror, science fiction, humor, funny animal, and straight drama
The first of Nat's Eisner Award nominations was for writing (Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, 1999)
PUBLISHED COMICS
3-D Zone
3-D Heavy Metal Monsters 1, "The Endless Thrash", art by Chris Swanberg.
About Comics
96, art by Nat Gertler
The Factor 1-4, art by Joe Staton, Matt Feazell, Carla Speed McNeil, Rusty Haller,and others.
Licensable BearTM issues 1-4, art by Mark Lewis, Rusty Haller, Tone Rodriguez, and others.
Many Happy Returns one-shot
"Licensable BearTM Goes to a Comic Shop", "Licensable BearTM Rolls Out", and "Licensable BearTM Satisfies a Customer", art by Rusty Haller.
"Licensable BearTM Defends Himself", art by Ryan Estrada.
Raoul Berglin one-shot. Art by Jim MacQuarrie.
Wild About Comics one-shot, art by Rusty Haller.
Archie Comics
Flintstones
Issue 17, "Star-Crossed", art by Carzon.
Issue 18, "Strip Strike", art by White.
Published outside US: "Baby on Board"
Published outside US: "Fireman Fred"
Published outside US: "Raiders of the Last Rock"
Yogi Bear 1, "Bear Truth", artist unknown. Archie Comics
Accent Comics
Burrito 4, "Burrito-ito", art by Nat Gertler.
Boom! Studios
Peanuts volume 2, Kaboom imprint
Issue 7, "Bank Notes", art by Stephanie Gladden and Justin Thompson.
Issue 8, "Missing Peace", art by Vicki Scott and Paige Braddock.
Issue 9, "Write & Wrong", co-written by Alexander E. Fajardo, art by Stephanie Gladden and Paige Braddock.
Issue 10, "Twinkle Thinkle", art by Jeff Shultz.
Issue 12, "Movie Time", art by Andy Hirsch.
Issue 15, "Joe Stockcar", art by Andy Hirsch; and "Press Here", art by Jeff Shultz.
Issue 16, "New Shoe Zoom", art by Robert Pope.
Issue 18, "Steep Grade Ahead", art by Robert Pope; and "In the Shadows", art by Stephanie Gladden and Justin Thompson.
Caliber Press
Negative Burn
Issue 29, art by Adam Rex and Paul Whitehead.
issue 30, art by Janine Johnston.
issue 31, art by Alex Grecian.
DC Comics
Blood Syndicate 18, "Silent Vigil", art by Humberto Ramos. Milestone
Entity Comics
Young Zen Giant Sized 1, "City of Death", art by Nigel Tully & Kevin Mackenzie.
Zen Intergalactic Ninja Video Warrior one-shot, art by Raff Ienco.
First Comics
GrimJack 57, "Munden's Bar: The Visit", art by George Booker.
Fol
Fol 8, "Degeneration", art by Steve Lieber, translated by Faruk Ulay (Turkish)
Hamilton Comics
Dread of Night
Issue 1, "Upgrade", art by Howard Bender
Issue 2, "Monsters 101", art by Batton Lash
Eek! The Cat 3, "Invasion of the Martian Space Bunnies from Venus", art by Rusty Haller.
Grave Tales
Issue 1, "Wanna-be", art by Batton Lash .
Issue 2, "Deadly Developments", art by Sparky Moore.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers volume 2
Issue 1, "Unstoppable Force", art by Sparky Moore
Issue 3, "Gray Skies", art by Sparky Moore
Heroic Publishing
Liberty Comics issue 2, "Licensable BearTM Corrects the Press", art by Rusty Haller
Image Comics
Big Bang 8, "Mister U.S.: Fifty Forgotten Years", art by Mark Lewis.
Ultiman Giant-Sized Annual 1, "The Cavity Crusade", art by Mark Lewis.
Kitchen Sink Press
Images of Omaha 1, "Believe It Or Don't...", art by Mike Bannon.
Now Comics
Speed Racer 21-22, "The Last Lap", art by Mike Ebert.
Headbanger one-shot, art by Thad Rhodes & Mike Bannon.
Mightily Murdered Power Ringers one-shot, written under pseudonym "Nigel Ng", art by Tatsuya Ishida.
Monkey Business
Issue 1, "I'm Alone", art by Joe Paradise.
Issue 2, "Wonderful Life II: Attack of the Robonator", art by John Stinsman.
Issue 2, "A Shirty Story", art by Bill Maus.
Issue 3, "Dramaticula", art by Ed Quimby.
Quantum Creep one-shot, art by Ted Slampyak.
Silly Surfer one-shot, art by John Hathwaway.
Slave Labor Comics
Everwind 4, "The Creme-Filled Conspiracy", art by Steve Peters.
TSR
Intruder
Issues 7-8, "Mamma's Boy", art by Joe Staton.
Issue 9, "Crumbs", art by Darick Robertson.
R.I.P.
Issue 3, "Power User", art by Simon Coleby.
Issue 5, "11 Stories", art by Jeff Newman.
Issues 7-8, "Junkyard Dogs", art by Kent Burles.
Vortex
The Daytona 500 Story one-shot, co-written by J.J. Gertler, art by Herb Trimpe.
Legends of NASCAR
Issue 10, "Talladega", co-written by J.J. Gertler, art by Dan Spiegle .
Issue 12, "Richard Petty Salutes His Fans", art by Mike Esposito.
NASCAR Adventures 3, "Darlington"-co-written by JJ Gertler, art by Michael Barsky.
NASCAR Christmas Special, "Blitzen's on the Frizz", art by Paul Abrams.
Warp Graphics
ElfQuest: New Blood
Issue 1, "A Troll's Tale", art by Ken Mitchroney.
Issue 6, "The Voluntary Chain", art by Paul Bonanno.
ElfQuest: New Blood Summer Special, "How not to write ElfQuest", art by Brian Buniak.
Also, scripts for Comic Zone, for international distribution by Hanna-Barbera (Flintstones, Jetsons), unreleased works for DC Comics, Malibu Graphics, Parody Press, and Platinum Press. Some works listed above have been reprinted by different publishers, including About Comics, DC Comics, and IDW.
Host of the AAUGH Blog Podcast, a weekly podcast focusing on Peanuts books, 60 episodes, 2017-2019.
Author of The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip, published by Little, Brown in October 2010. $35 interactive slipcased hardcover, print run of 70,000, coverage on The Today Show, and a Christian Science Monitor "top pick".
Author of Classic Peanuts: Great Moments, published by Sterling Publishing in September 2014.
Author of Be More Snoopy, DK Publishing, September 2020 and Be More Charlie Brown, DK Publishing, June 2022.
Co-author of Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects (with Benjamin L. Clark; The Schulz Museum, November, 2022), winner of the 2024 Eisner Award in the category Best Comics-Related Book.
Publisher of six books of Charles M. Schulz's non-Peanuts cartoons (It's Only a Game, Schulz's Youth, Bridge Mix, Spares, The Zipper On My Bible is Stuck, and God's Children) and the Schulz-illustrated Dear President Johnson.
Lead curator of The Complete Peanuts volume 26, a collection of Peanuts material that Schulz created outside the newspaper strip, fall 2016. (Fantagraphics Books)
Conceived and prepared the book Charlie Brown's Christmas Stocking (Fantagraphics Books)
Contributor of articles on Peanuts to American Heritage, Comics Buyer's Guide, and Hogan's Alley.
Writer on Peanuts comic book published by Boom! Studios, various stories in issues 7-10, 12, 15-16, and 18.
Dialogue writer for unreleased Peanuts video game from Infogrames.
Speaker at The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Santa Rosa, California, during their opening month, and Cartoonist In Residence at the museum in February 2008.
"Talking head" on the DVD extras for editions of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown; You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown; and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown.
"Talking head" on the TV documentary Peanuts: The Global Phenomenon.
Moderated the 50th Anniversary Peanuts panel in the big room of the San Diego Comic-Con.
Credited for providing assistance or input on various volumes of The Complete Peanuts (Fantagraphics Books), Chip Kidd’s Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz (Pantheon), and The Peanuts Book (DK Publishing)
Cited for Peanuts insight by Investor's Business Daily, Associated Press, KPCC's Airtime, and Snopes.com.
Nat is the author or co-author of about two dozen how-to and non-fiction books, including various volumes in the popular Complete Idiot’s Guide series.
He also created a brief Internet sensation in May, 2005 when he reverse-engineered Amazon.com’s powerful image processing system, and posted a guide to tricking Amazon into creating interesting product images through the use of ornate URLs.
Nat’s guide was featured on major blogs like BoingBoing, cited in programming texts, and even used within Amazon's offices.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Complete Idiot's Guide series (published variously by Que Books and Alpha Books)
Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel (co-author)
Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel: Second Edition (co-author)
Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Millions on the Internet (co-author)
Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft FrontPage (co-author)
Complete Idiot's Guide to MP3: Music on the Internet (co-author)
Complete Idiot's Guide to Paint Shop Pro
Complete Idiot's Guide to PowerPoint 97
Complete Idiot's Guide to PowerPoint 2000
The Easy series (published by Que Books)
Easy Microsoft Network
Easy PCs: Fifth edition (all new, retains no material from previous editions)
Easy PCs: Sixth edition
Easy Works for Windows 95
The Illustrated series (published by Que Books)
Computers Illustrated
Multimedia Illustrated
The Project series (published by Delmar/Thompson Learning; created series format and wrote all volumes in series)
Project Dreamweaver MX
Project Flash
Project Flash MX
Project Illustrator
Project Photoshop
Project Photoshop 7
Project QuarkXPress 5
Other books
Netscape Navigator 6-in-1 (co-author) - Que Books
The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip - Little, Brown, and Company
Classic Peanuts: Great Moments - Sterling Innovation
The Snoopy Treasures: an Illustrated Celebration of the World Famous Beagle - Thunder Bay Press
Using PowerPoint 97: second edition - Que Books
Ghosting: two books as uncredited co-author
Articles
"Quarterly Planet"/"Irregular Planet" - column in every issue of Hogan's Alley for more than a decade.
Articles for Techcitement, Refer-It.com, Comics Buyer's Guide, Wizard Magazine, Comic Relief Revue, Breaking In, Comics Career Newsletter, & others
Introductions for The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History Illustrated, Everybody Gets It Wrong! And Other Stories, Malaysian 24 Hour Comics Day.
Television
"Freedom of Screech", animated TV episode, Stunt Dawgs, DiC Entertainment
Original prose short stories
"Lexica", The Crunge (1996 edition). Bill Vaughn
"Restin' Piece", Fear the Fever: Hot Blood 7. Pocket Books
"Mercenary Blues", Zen Intergalactic Ninja Novella issue 2. Entity
Born at an early age, Nat turned quickly to reading (the earliest book he can recall is a Peanuts comic strip collection, which certainly portends and may be the root cause of much that is to come) and writing (his first story? “Fat Nat sat on a cat, and Lassie saw a rat. Boo!”) His earlier years were spent in Cinnaminson, NJ; Simsbury, CT; and Riverton, NJ, where he stayed long enough to consider it his hometown. There with the help of supportive parents and teachers, he sped through school, skipping 4th grade, and was soon shuttling between the grade school and the high school for math and science classes. On his bar mitzvah, his first home computer arrived, a Commodore PET for which he and his family had paid extra to get the full 8 kilobytes or RAM. At age 14, he went off to attend Simon’s Rock of Bard College, where he obtained his BA four years later.
While comic strips and humorous kiddie comics like Little Archie and Richie Rich had made up a portion of his regular reading in his early years, it was in college that he got exposed to - and fell in love with - the full array of what American comics had to offer, at a time when the field was going through a marked creative growth. A chance encounter with Marvel Two-in-One artist Ron Wilson on a bus made him realize that comics really could be a career.
Following college, Nat went to work for New Jersey’s Avant-Garde Computing, writing in his spare time. He broke into comics with scripts for GrimJack and Speed Racer. Leaving Avant-Garde after several years and far too many lines of Z-80 assembly language code, Nat came across Que Publishing, a computer book publisher who was looking for comic book writers to create visually-oriented computer books. Computers Illustrated would be his first of many reader-friendly computer books.
Moving to the greater Los Angeles area, Nat continued to work in both comics and computer books. Around this time, he also became a commercial sperm donor, primarily for female couples. His efforts helped in generating around twenty offspring.
While being frequently published by a variety of publishers, Nat desired to spend more of his effort on original creations rather than spending time pitching concepts for the Power Rangers and Yogi Bear. To this end, he founded the publishing line About Comics; the first issue About published, The Factor issue 0, would bring Nat his first Eisner Award nomination. About would eventually publish not only Nat’s work, but both new and reprint work by over a hundred talented creators, and expand well beyond comics.
Meanwhile, Nat’s lifelong affection for the Peanuts comic strip had fed a collecting urge for the books, which in turn lead to Nat creating collector’s guides to Peanuts books and distributing them online. This all came to Nat launching AAUGH.com, an information and catalogue site for Peanuts book fans. The site’s blog did much to launch what Nat calls his "Professional Peanuts Nerd" career, writing and conceiving books about Peanuts for other publishers and writing new Peanuts stories for the comic books, among other efforts. His book The Snoopy Treasures (Thunder Bay Press, 2015) won the Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Best Coffee Table Book, and Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects (The Schulz Museum, 2022), which he co-wrote with Schulz Museum curator Benjamin L. Clark, won the Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book in 2023.
Nat lives in Camarillo, California with his wife Dr. Lara Gertler and their two kids.
For those looking for the Gertler family in general:
The parents:
Gene was an engineer, executive, and entrepreneur who passed on in 2022. You can learn more about him here. He and his widow Poco (
), a retired schoolteacher, built a successful business together before they retired.
Jeremiah (
) is the Congressional Research Service's expert on military aviation; his wife Judy Bradt is the principal of Summit Insight, helping those who want to make contracts with the U.S. government.
Chess master Dave (
) is married to emergency room pediatrician Dr. Sue Kost, and their children are Aaron, Sarah, and Eli.
Nat the writing-and-comics guy is married to environmental engineer Dr. Lara Gertler. Together they are raising Allison and Ben.
Brie, a philosophy professor and vice provost at the University of Virginia, is married to Marty Porush.