John Kovalic (born
Robert John Kovalic, Jr. on November 24, 1962, in Manchester, England) is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer.
Kovalic is best known for his
Dork Tower comic book, comic strip and webcomic, and other humorous work set in and about the fantasy role-playing game genre, such as
The Unspeakable Oaf. He has illustrated board and card games for several companies, including Steve Jackson Games (the
Munchkin card game plus several expansions, the
Munchkin Roleplaying Game,
The Munchkin's Guide to Powergaming,
Chez Geek,
Chez Goth, and
Chez Dork), Cumberland Games & Diversions (
Pokéthulhu), and Fantasy Flight Games (
Mag-Blast 3rd Edition). He was also the sole illustrator for the "Super Deluxx" edition of
Kobolds Ate My Baby!, and since doing so, he has occasionally featured supplemental
KAMB material in the
Dork Tower comic book.
He is a co-founder and co-owner of Out of the Box Publishing where he is the company's art director and designer of the 2003 trivia party game
Whad'Ya Know?, based on
Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?, as well as the illustrator of
Apples to Apples.
Kovalic is an award-winning editorial cartoonist for the
Wisconsin State Journal. His work has appeared in the
New York Times and
Washington Post and he has worked for CARtoons Magazine. He is also the writer of the comic
Doctor Blink Superhero Shrink, which is penciled and inked by Christopher Jones and colored and lettered by Melissa Kaercher.
Kovalic has thrice been a guest of honor at the science, science fiction, and fantasy convention, CONvergence.
Kovalic has provided illustrations for large number of games, including:
- 10 Days in Africa
- 10 Days in the USA
- 10 Days in Asia
- 10 Days In Europe
- aBRIDGEd
- Apples to Apples Party Box/Crate
- Apples to Apples Expansion Box 1
- Apples to Apples Expansion Box 2
- Apples to Apples Jr.
- Apples to Apples Jr 8+
- Backseat Drawing
- Blink
- Bosworth
- Button Men: Dork Victory
- Chain Game
- Chez Dork
- Chez Geek
- Chez Geek II
- Chez Geek III
- Chez Goth
- Chez Greek
- Chez Grunt
- Cineplexity
- Cloud 9
- Cover Up
- Creatures and Cultists
- Creepyfreaks
- Dead and Breakfast (Dragon Magazine)
- Dork 20
- Dork Tower: The Boardgame
- Dungeonville
- Easy Come, Easy Go
- Escape From Elba
- Fish Eat Fish
- Gold Digger
- Illuminati: New World Order
- INWO: Assassins
- Kobolds Ate My Baby
- Kobolds Ate My Baby Super Deluxx Edition
- Letter Flip
- Letter Roll
- Mag*Blast 3rd Edition
- Mix Up
- Munchkin
- Munchkin II
- Munchkin III
- Munchkin IV
- Munchkin V
- Munchkin VI
- Munchkin Bites
- Munchkin Bites II
- Munchkin Blender
- Munchkin Booty
- Munchkin Cthulhu
- Munchkin Cthulhu II
- Munchkin Cursed Deck Demo
- Munchkin D20
- Munchkin Dice
- Munchkin Impossible
- Munchkin Stacked Deck Demo
- Munchkin, Star
- Munchkin, Star II
- Munchkin, Super
- Munchkin, Super II
- Munchkin, The Good The Bad and
- Munchkin Quest
- My Dwarfs Fly
- My Word!
- Ninja Versus Ninja
- Nutty Cups
- Party Pooper
- Pepper
- PokeTHULHU RPG
- Quitch
- Rock
- Shape Up
- ShipWrecked
- Snorta
- Squint
- Tutankhamen
- Wallamoppi
- Warhamster Rally
- Whad'Ya Know
- Wheedle
- ZenBenders - Dragon
- ZenBenders - Dog
- ZenBenders - Racetrack