The Kubert School

The Kubert School, formerly the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art and Joe Kubert School, is a private for-profit art school focused on cartooning and located in Dover, New Jersey. It teaches the principles of sequential art and the particular craft of the comics industry as well as commercial illustration. It is the only accredited school devoted entirely to cartooning.

The school's instructors are full-time professionals working in the industry, many of them graduates of the school themselves, and the instruction is hands-on and practical. The school has a reputation for demanding and intensive coursework. Its alumni include Amanda Conner, Lee Weeks, Andy Price, Ed Piskor, and Alex Maleev, as well as many other comics pencilers and inkers.

History
The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art was founded in September 1976 by cartoonist Joe Kubert and his wife Muriel in the old Baker mansion on 45 Lehigh Street in Dover; then, from 1984 onwards, Dover's former high school, whose tall windows offered optimal lighting. Its first graduating class of 1978 included Stephen R. Bissette, Thomas Yeates, and Rick Veitch.

By 1984, the school offered a three-year program in Cartoon Illustration, Graphic Arts, and Cinematic Animation, accredited by the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools. Approved by the New Jersey Department of Education, the Kubert School advertised itself to veterans and "non-resident alien" students.

In 1993, Dark Horse Comics announced it would begin funding the "Jack Kirby Scholarship" at the school.

Founder and teacher Kubert kept his own studio in the school, later joined by his sons Adam and Andy, who are also comic book professionals and who teach at the school. (In addition to The Kubert School, in the late 1990s, Joe Kubert was offering "Joe Kubert's World of Cartooning" correspondence courses to prospective students.)

Campus and student body
The school houses the Kubert Art Store, which sells art supplies needed for assignments, such as books and drafting tables.

There are usually no more than 150 students attending the school at any time. As well as regular weekday classes, the school also holds a weekly class every Saturday, which is available for people who are not enrolled in the main program. The class is on basic lessons in cartooning, and is taught by various alumni.

The school attracts students from countries such as Japan and Malaysia, in addition to students from the local area. Kubert expressed the school's philosophy in a 2003 profile: There's no other way to learn this stuff, except through other people in the business. ... 80 to 90 percent of the students get jobs in related fields, but they really have to work. The average student is drawing 8 to 10 hours a day, 6 to 7 days a week. ... You get a complete and total dedication from these students. ... This is their lifeline out. A chance to make a livelihood at something they love to do.

Criticism
A 2003 article in The Comics Journal criticized the school for turning out "hack" artists with no individual character. Similarly, Kubert alum Ed Piskor (who only attended the school for one year) criticized the school for its hackneyed approach and outmoded techniques.