Karl Stevens is a graphic novelist and painter. His first book, Guilty, was published in 2004 with a grant from the Xeric Foundation. He is also the author of Whatever (2008), The Lodger (LA Times Book Prize Finalist 2010), and Failure (2013). His comic strips appeared in The Boston Phoenix between 2005 and 2012 until an incident with an advertiser resulted in the strip's cancellation. The realist comic artist has also co-produced the Phoenix comic "Succe$$" with Gustavo Turner. In 2016 the Village Voice began running his cat comic strip "Penny". Stevens's work appears in select art galleries.