Gerry Shamray
- September 25, 2023
- 66 years
About Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray, 66, American comic book artist (American Splendor).
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Full Biography
|Gerald James Shamray (February 19, 1957 – September 25, 2023) was an American comic book artist known for his work on Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic book series American Splendor and the syndicated comic strip John Darling.
Biography
The son of Edward and Roselyn Shamray, Shamray attended Cuyahoga Community College from 1975 to 1977, and the Cooper School of Art from 1977 to 1980 (when he graduated). While at the Cooper School, Shamray was contacted by Pekar about illustrating his work. Shamray illustrated stories in every issue of American Splendor from 1979 to 1983, as well as a few later stories. In an introduction to a compilation of Pekar's work, Robert Crumb stated that Shamray "went all the way, taking hundreds of photos of Pekar, his wife, his apartment, the streets of his neighborhood, and so on, and drew from the photos."
During the period he was working on American Splendor, Shamray drew caricatures of notable Clevelanders for the comic strip Cleveland, which appeared in the Cleveland Press.
From 1985 to 1989, Shamray was the artist of the Tom Batiuk-created comic strip, John Darling, replacing original artist Tom Armstrong. (He had previously illustrated a few weeks of Batiuk's strip Funky Winkerbean).
Beginning in 1988, Shamray was on staff as a graphics editor at the Sun Newspapers in the Greater Cleveland area for more than 20 years. While there, he developed, designed, and edited the chain's weekly entertainment supplement, Weekend.
In later years, Shamray was an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Gerry Shamray died on September 25, 2023, at the age of 66.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Shamray
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Gerry Shamray's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date did Gerry Shamray pass away?
- A.February 19, 2023
- B.September 25, 2023correct
- C.October 25, 2023
- D.September 25, 1980
Gerry Shamray died on September 25, 2023.
Source: biography section
2.What is the title of the piece in which Gerry Shamray reminisces about Harvey Pekar?
- A.Cleveland Press
- B.American Splendor
- C.Weekend Supplement
- D.Harvey and Mecorrect
The external links list a piece titled "Harvey and Me" where Gerry Shamray reminisces about Harvey Pekar.
Source: external links
3.What was the name of the entertainment supplement that Gerry Shamray designed and edited?
- A.American Splendor
- B.Clevelanders
- C.Sun Life
- D.Weekendcorrect
At the Sun Newspapers, Gerry Shamray developed, designed, and edited the weekly entertainment supplement titled Weekend.
Source: biography section
4.How long was Gerry Shamray on staff at the Sun Newspapers?
- A.More than 15 years
- B.Exactly 25 years
- C.More than 20 yearscorrect
- D.More than 10 years
Gerry Shamray worked as a graphics editor at the Sun Newspapers for more than 20 years.
Source: biography section
5.In his later years, at which institution was Gerry Shamray an adjunct professor?
- A.Cleveland Institute of Artcorrect
- B.Cuyahoga Community College
- C.Sun Newspaper Academy
- D.Cooper School of Art
In his later years, Gerry Shamray served as an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Source: biography section
6.How old was Gerry Shamray when he died?
- A.68
- B.65
- C.60
- D.66correct
Gerry Shamray died on September 25, 2023, at the age of 66.
Source: biography section
7.On what date was Gerry Shamray born?
- A.March 25, 1957
- B.February 19, 1957correct
- C.September 25, 1957
- D.February 19, 1950
Gerry Shamray was born on February 19, 1957.
Source: biography header
8.What were the names of Gerry Shamray's parents?
- A.Tom and Mary Shamray
- B.Edward and Roselyn Shamraycorrect
- C.Harvey and Linda Shamray
- D.Robert and Joyce Shamray
Gerry Shamray was the son of Edward and Roselyn Shamray.
Source: biography section
9.Which institution did Gerry Shamray attend from 1975 to 1977?
- A.Cuyahoga Community Collegecorrect
- B.Cleveland Institute of Art
- C.Sun Newspapers Academy
- D.Cooper School of Art
Gerry Shamray attended Cuyahoga Community College between 1975 and 1977.
Source: biography section
10.In what year did Gerry Shamray graduate from the Cooper School of Art?
- A.1977
- B.1980correct
- C.1979
- D.1983
Gerry Shamray attended the Cooper School of Art from 1977 until his graduation in 1980.
Source: biography section
11.Between which years did Gerry Shamray illustrate stories for American Splendor?
- A.1979 to 1983correct
- B.1988 to 2008
- C.1975 to 1980
- D.1985 to 1989
Gerry Shamray illustrated stories in every issue of American Splendor from 1979 to 1983.
Source: biography section
12.According to Robert Crumb, what technique did Gerry Shamray use to draw for American Splendor?
- A.Using vintage postcards of the Cleveland area
- B.Sketching live models at the Cooper School
- C.Drawing from memory based on Harvey Pekar's verbal descriptions
- D.Taking hundreds of photos and drawing from themcorrect
Robert Crumb stated that Gerry Shamray took hundreds of photos of Harvey Pekar and his environment to draw from.
Source: biography section
13.For which publication did Gerry Shamray draw caricatures of notable Clevelanders?
- A.Sun Newspapers
- B.Weekend supplement
- C.Cleveland Presscorrect
- D.American Splendor
During his time on American Splendor, Gerry Shamray drew caricatures for the strip Cleveland in the Cleveland Press.
Source: biography section
14.Who was the original artist of the comic strip John Darling whom Gerry Shamray replaced?
- A.Tom Armstrongcorrect
- B.Tom Batiuk
- C.Harvey Pekar
- D.Robert Crumb
Gerry Shamray replaced the original artist of John Darling, Tom Armstrong, in 1985.
Source: biography section
15.Which comic strip by Tom Batiuk did Gerry Shamray illustrate for a few weeks?
- A.Cleveland
- B.American Splendor
- C.Funky Winkerbeancorrect
- D.John Darling
Before his work on John Darling, Gerry Shamray illustrated a few weeks of Tom Batiuk's strip Funky Winkerbean.
Source: biography section
16.What role did Gerry Shamray hold at Sun Newspapers starting in 1988?
- A.Adjunct professor
- B.Graphics editorcorrect
- C.Entertainment reporter
- D.Political cartoonist
Gerry Shamray was on staff as a graphics editor at the Sun Newspapers beginning in 1988.
Source: biography section
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