Raina Telgemeier
Encyclopedia
Raina Telgemeier is an American cartoonist
whose works include the autobiographic
webcomic
Smile (A Dental Drama), which was published by Scholastic Press
's Graphix imprint as a full-color graphic novel
in February, 2010.
and orthodontic surgery, (which is described in her 2010 graphic novel
Smile
). She was viciously teased by her friends because of this medical treatment, prompting her to partially withdraw into her love of drawing until she lost her patience with the abuse when they publicly humiliated her. She eventually found new friends of better character in high school who appreciated her artistic talent, increasing her confidence. With that encouragement, she studied illustration at New York's School of Visual Arts
, and currently lives in Queens, New York. She lists Jeff Smith
, Lynn Johnston
and Adrian Tomine
among her influences. She is married to Dave Roman
, who is also a cartoonist.
, a short story in Volume 4 of the Flight
anthology,and four graphic novel adaptations of Ann M. Martin's The Baby-sitters Club
series for Scholastic/Graphix: Kristy's Great Idea,The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day and Claudia and Mean Janine.
In August 2009, Del Rey Manga
released X-Men: Misfits, which Telgemeier co-authored with her husband, Dave Roman
.
for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, and the 2003 Ignatz Award in the categories of Promising New Talent and Outstanding Mini-comic. She was awarded Friends of Lulu
's Kimberly Yale
Award for Best New Talent in 2003. She has twice been nominated for the Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for Outstanding Slice-of-Life webcomic, for her webcomic Smile (A Dental Drama)
.
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel Kristy's Great Idea was picked by YALSA for their 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, as well as ALA
’s Booklist 2007 Top Ten Graphic Novels for Youth list.
Smile
, her graphic novel based on her webcomic is a 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
Honor title. This is the first time a graphic novel has been nominated for or won this award. Smile was a 2010 New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, a Kirkus Reviews
Best Book of 2010, a 2011 ALA Notable Children's Book, a 2011 YALSA Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens pick, and a Children's Choice Book Award Finalist. In 2011, the book won the Eisner Award
for Best Publication for Teens.
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
whose works include the autobiographic
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
Smile (A Dental Drama), which was published by Scholastic Press
Scholastic Press
Scholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...
's Graphix imprint as a full-color graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
in February, 2010.
Personal life
Telgemeier was born May 26, 1977 in San Francisco. In her pre-teen years, Telgemeier suffered a serious mouth injury that required several years of dentalDentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
and orthodontic surgery, (which is described in her 2010 graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
Smile
Smile (graphic novel)
Smile is an autobiographical graphic novel written by Raina Telgemeier. It gives an account of the author's life from sixth grade to high school. The book is based on Telgemeier's webcomic, Smile .-Summary:...
). She was viciously teased by her friends because of this medical treatment, prompting her to partially withdraw into her love of drawing until she lost her patience with the abuse when they publicly humiliated her. She eventually found new friends of better character in high school who appreciated her artistic talent, increasing her confidence. With that encouragement, she studied illustration at New York's School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
, and currently lives in Queens, New York. She lists Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith (cartoonist)
Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone. His current series, RASL, focuses on an art thief who hops through dimensional barriers, hiding out on various parallel worlds.-Early life and education:Jeff Smith was born in McKees...
, Lynn Johnston
Lynn Johnston
Lynn Johnston, CM, OM is a Canadian cartoonist, well known for her comic strip For Better or For Worse, and was the first woman and first Canadian to win the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award.-Early life:...
and Adrian Tomine
Adrian Tomine
Adrian Tomine , a popular contemporary cartoonist, is best known for his ongoing comic book series Optic Nerve and his periodical illustrations in The New Yorker.- Biography :...
among her influences. She is married to Dave Roman
Dave Roman
-Career:Roman is the co-creator of Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden , a Harvey Award-nominated webcomic. He also co-created Teen Boat , an Ignatz Award-winning webcomic. Both were with artist John Green....
, who is also a cartoonist.
Career
Telgemeier's works include a series of self-published mini-comics called Take-Out, a short story in Bizarro World for DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, a short story in Volume 4 of the Flight
Flight (comic)
Flight is a comics anthology series edited by Kazu Kibuishi, showcasing young and innovative artists and writers. According to Volume One's Afterword by "Scott McCloud's Brain", the average age of its contributors was 24 years, although Volume Two features one or two older contributors. Image...
anthology,and four graphic novel adaptations of Ann M. Martin's The Baby-sitters Club
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Baby-sitters Club is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 17 milllon copies. Many of the novels were ghostwritten, including 43 by Peter Lerangis. However, Ann Martin wrote the first 35 novels.The series is about a group of...
series for Scholastic/Graphix: Kristy's Great Idea,The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day and Claudia and Mean Janine.
In August 2009, Del Rey Manga
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
released X-Men: Misfits, which Telgemeier co-authored with her husband, Dave Roman
Dave Roman
-Career:Roman is the co-creator of Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden , a Harvey Award-nominated webcomic. He also co-created Teen Boat , an Ignatz Award-winning webcomic. Both were with artist John Green....
.
Acclaim
Telgemeier was nominated for the 2005 Eisner AwardEisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, and the 2003 Ignatz Award in the categories of Promising New Talent and Outstanding Mini-comic. She was awarded Friends of Lulu
Friends of Lulu
Friends of Lulu was a non-profit, national charitable organization in the United States, founded in 1994 to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry...
's Kimberly Yale
Kim Yale
Kim Yale was an American writer and editor of comic books for multiple comic book companies, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, First Comics and Warp Graphics....
Award for Best New Talent in 2003. She has twice been nominated for the Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for Outstanding Slice-of-Life webcomic, for her webcomic Smile (A Dental Drama)
.
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel Kristy's Great Idea was picked by YALSA for their 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, as well as ALA
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
’s Booklist 2007 Top Ten Graphic Novels for Youth list.
Smile
Smile (graphic novel)
Smile is an autobiographical graphic novel written by Raina Telgemeier. It gives an account of the author's life from sixth grade to high school. The book is based on Telgemeier's webcomic, Smile .-Summary:...
, her graphic novel based on her webcomic is a 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
Honor title. This is the first time a graphic novel has been nominated for or won this award. Smile was a 2010 New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, a Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
Best Book of 2010, a 2011 ALA Notable Children's Book, a 2011 YALSA Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens pick, and a Children's Choice Book Award Finalist. In 2011, the book won the Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for Best Publication for Teens.
External links
- Raina's homepage
- Raina's LiveJournal
- An interview with Raina Telgemeier at The Daily Cross Hatch, from April 4, 2007
- Marvel, Del Rey Join to Produce OEL Manga With X-Men & Wolverine Newsarama, December 9, 2007
- 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards The Horn Book, June 8, 2010