Rutu Modan is an Israeli illustrator and comic book artist. She is a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, and former editor of the Hebrew edition of MAD magazine. She, and former MAD colleague Yirmi Pinkus, founded Actus Tragicus, a publishing collective of Israeli comic book artists in 1995. She is also the recipient of multiple artistic awards, including the Israel Museum's "Young Artist of the Year" (1997) and "Best Illustrated Children's Book" (1998, 2000, 2002) prizes, the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation's designated "Outstanding Artist" (2005), and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for her book Exit Wounds in 2008. In 2012, she released Maya Makes a Mess with TOON Books, the first children's book she both wrote and illustrated. Her most recent comic, "The Property," was released by Drawn and Quarterly in May 2013.