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The 10 Cartoonists Who Influenced CK Gormally

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Alan Gardner Published: September 24, 2026 Updated: September 24, 2026 4 minutes 0 comments

There’s a good chance that when CK Gormally walks into a room of cartoonists, CK is the smartest one. Cartoonists, stereotypically, are the ones in the back of the classroom doodling—not in front teaching. CK entered their cartoonist era while in grad school pursuing a Ph.D. in Biology Education & Plant Biology. They are currently a professor at Gallaudet University specializing in science literacy and diversifying the STEM fields.

As a cartoonist, CK focuses on nonfiction comics, often autobiographical, about social and science issues. For Mutha Magazine CK’s comics delved into both the science and process of becoming pregnant via IVF. CK had a series of comics in Spiralbound discussing motherhood and raising children. In 2023, the Washington Post published CK’s comic about tonic immobility, a biological response to a traumatic event, and how understanding it, they were able to resolve a difficult question about surviving sexual assault—why they couldn’t stop it.

Last year, in addition to writing grants, peer-review articles, CK published their debut graphic memoir Everything is Fine, I’ll Just work Harder. The book, in their own words, “tells the story of living with the aftermath of trauma until I couldn’t, when a trigger reawakened that traumatic experience and my coping strategies failed. The book interweaves research which reflects my nerdy love of research deep dives, the research that saved me and helped me to know myself in more informed ways. And it’s a memoir about my journey through therapy to heal.” Publisher’s Weekly called it, “a cathartic deep dive into an all-too-common experience that will appeal to readers of graphic medicine.”

Cover and sample pages from Everything is Fine, I’ll Just work Harder. © CK Gormally

Currently, CK is working on an early middle grade graphic novel trilogy called The Unlikely Animal Friends saga. The series is about “the power of unexpected friendships, belonging, and misadventures in finding one’s way home.” If that wasn’t enough, they are also working on a series of comics essays about emotional inheritance.

Now that you know who CK is, here are the…

The 10 Cartoonists that Influenced CK Gromally

Adrian Tomine

“In grad school I was introduced to comics by my friend Suzy. She had a lovely collection of comics. Tomine’s work, his series Optic Nerve, resonated with me the most. His work has these line drawings that I deeply admire. So much emotion is contained with so little verbiage. There’s so much in his work about belonging as well as the process of making art, topics that continually captivate me.”

Lucy Knisley

“Knisley’s books were formative for me in becoming a cartoonist. Kid Gloves helped me to see how comics could tackle tough subjects. I love that she’s got such a range–from travel memoir, to graphic memoir, to middle grades books and beyond–that’s aspirational for me as a cartoonist.”

Alison Bechdel

“You might expect me to say Fun Home blew my mind but really it was Are you my mother? I felt so seen in that book. I’m fascinated by how Bechdel can tell stories within stories and how she braids together multiple narratives.”

Julia Wertz

“Julia’s early graphic memoirs were some of the first graphic memoirs that really hooked me in. Between Gabrielle Bell, Julia Wertz, and Julie Delaporte’s work in the 2000s–my mind was blown about what graphic memoir could tackle–I loved that there was such a focus on the emotionality of the mundane, of everyday life. And then, Julia’s graphic memoir tackled her journey with alcohol with depth and vulnerability.”

Teresa Wong

“Wong’s memoir about postpartum depression hit me hard. The drawings were so simple and captivating. The way she crafted the story as a letter to her daughter pulled me–I loved the story structure. I loved her most recent memoir with its themes about belonging and connection, too.”

MK Czerwiec

“When I dove deeper into drawing while trying to conceive, I discovered graphic medicine– MK’s work, Brian Fies, Ellen Forney, Sacha Mardou, and others. MK’s work was one of my earliest introductions to the field of graphic medicine. I loved how MK interwoven medicine and narrative so seamlessly. And I admire MK’s bravery in tackling challenging subjects using comics. “

Kristen Radtke

“There’s an interesting segment of cartoonists working on projects that fall in some venn diagram of memoir, non-fiction, and researched comics—for example work by Sarah Firth and Kristen Radtke. I admire Kristen’s interweaving of non-fiction and memoir. I’ve enjoyed her books tremendously and they’ve served as models for my work.”

Cece Bell

“When I first started drawing my book, in 2021, I initially thought I’d use animals as characters, a la Maus. I’d really enjoyed Cece’s El Deafo and loved the idea of using animals to communicate characteristics and qualities. I also appreciated that animal characters could offer some distance and privacy as a graphic memoirist telling my own story. Ultimately, I didn’t use animal characters, but I spent a few fun months playing with animal protagonists. “

Dav Pilkey

“Again, like Bechdel, Dav is known for his Dogman empire, which as a parent, I’ve read the entire series aloud to my kid. But the series-within-a-series that I found delightful was Cat Kid Comics Club. Comics within a comic? Yes! Sign me up! So many great story devices are showcased in this book.”

Lynda Barry

“I want to say everything I’ve learned about teaching and drawing I’ve learned from Lynda Barry—and that’s almost true. I still reach for Lynda Barry’s Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor when I need a community-building activity for my class. Her books helped me to understand that I could draw, and that anybody can draw.”

Bonus: The 3 Cartoonists CK Gormally Admires

Chanel Miller

“Chanel Miller is inspirational on so many levels–for her incredible vulnerability in sharing her story in Know My Name, to her whimsical illustrations. I adore her recent kids’ books and appreciate how her illustrations contribute to the story.”

Shay Mirk

“I love how Shay Mirk’s work brings me back to basics in the best way. Shay thinks about how pages convey emotion–and I’ll never stop thinking about whether I gave each feeling enough space on the page after taking a memoir class with them. Shay’s zine making also brings me back to what I love about comics–you don’t need much to dive into creating–and making a tiny zine book is so satisfying.”

Sarah Leavitt

“Sarah Leavitt’s memoir about the grief of losing her partner, Something, Not Nothing, blew my mind. I’m not sure I’d seen comics like this before–comics that were visual but visual in a whole different realm. Like poems in some way. Colors and shapes and emotions rendered in ways that felt more foundational and from the gut and heart–emotions rendered into color and panels that told an emotional story.”

Thank you CK for sharing with us your list of influences and those they admire along with such detailed notes about each artist. You can follow CK on Instagram, Substack, of course their website.