Ben Passmore

Ben Passmore is an Ignatz and Eisner Award-winning political cartoonist and graphic novelist. His work is known for its wildly expressive visual storytelling, biting political humor, and unflinching engagement with Black history, racial justice, and systemic oppression.

His earlier work includes Sports Is Hell, Your Black Friend and Other Strangers, and other critically acclaimed shorter works. His most ambitious work to date is Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance (Pantheon, 2025), a graphic history that follows a semi-fictionalized version of the author as he is guided through 125 years of Black resistance — from the 1900 New Orleans uprising of Robert Charles through Marcus Garvey, the Black Panthers, and the 2020 George Floyd protests. The book received a Publishers Weekly starred review and was described as "as much a call to action as it is an unflinching record of individuals who refused to surrender their dignity or their lives."

In 2026, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards celebrated its most diverse nominee class in the 38-year history of the awards, with a historic number of Black creators nominated across categories. Passmore received a 2026 Eisner nomination for Best Reality-Based Work for Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance (Pantheon).