Mariko Tamaki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mariko Tamaki
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Tamaki in 2018
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| Born | 1975 (age 49–50) Toronto, Canada |
| Occupation | Graphic novel writer, performance artist |
| Period | 2000s–present |
| Notable works | Skim, This One Summer |
Mariko Tamaki (born in 1975) is a talented Canadian writer and artist. She is famous for her amazing graphic novels like Skim and This One Summer. In 2016, she started writing for big comic book companies such as Marvel and DC Comics. Mariko Tamaki has also been recognized with many awards for her creative work.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mariko Tamaki was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her family has roots in both Japan and the Jewish community.
She went to Havergal College, which is a school just for girls. Later, she studied English literature at McGill University and finished her degree in 1994.
Mariko Tamaki's Creative Career
Mariko Tamaki started her writing journey by publishing a novel called Cover Me in 2000.
Graphic Novels and Collaborations
In 2008, Mariko worked with her cousin, Jillian Tamaki, on the graphic novel Skim. This story is about a young person going through big changes in life. It explores how we sometimes want to fit in but also want to be ourselves. Mariko said she wanted to show the many different and sometimes strange experiences young people have. The book uses beautiful black and white drawings to tell the story with simple words.
Her second graphic novel, Emiko Superstar, came out in 2008. It was drawn by Steve Rolston. This book is about a young woman who feels stuck in her quiet suburban life. She finds inspiration in performance art and starts to discover her own voice and true self.
Mariko teamed up with Jillian Tamaki again in 2014 for the graphic novel This One Summer. This book also explores growing up and the experiences of young people during a summer.
In 2019, Mariko released Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me with artist Rosemary Valero-O'Connell. It's a story about a young person dealing with a difficult relationship and learning about friendships.
Her graphic novel Roaming, also with Jillian Tamaki, was released in 2023.
Writing for Major Comic Companies
In 2016, Mariko Tamaki began writing for some of the biggest names in comics. She started a new series called Hulk for Marvel Comics, featuring She-Hulk. She also wrote the mini-series Supergirl: Being Super for DC Comics.
She continued her work with Marvel by writing a four-part mini-series called Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble in 2019.
Mariko also wrote for the main Wonder Woman comic series. Her stories were collected in a book called Lords and Liars.
In 2021, she wrote I Am Not Starfire for DC Comics. This graphic novel is about Mandy Koriand'r, the daughter of the superhero Starfire. Mandy wants to live her own life away from her famous family.
She also worked on the Dark Detective series for DC's Future State event in 2021. Later, she became the main writer for Detective Comics, which features Batman. Mariko Tamaki made history as the first female lead writer for this long-running comic series.
Other Projects
Since 2017, Mariko has been writing novel versions of the popular Lumberjanes comic series. These books bring the beloved characters and their adventures to a new format.
Mariko has also performed at art festivals, showing her creative side beyond writing.
Awards and Recognition
Mariko Tamaki's work has won many important awards:
- Skim won an Ignatz Award, a Joe Shuster Award, and a Doug Wright Award in 2009. It was also nominated for a Governor General's Award.
- In 2012, she received an Honour of Distinction from the Dayne Ogilvie Prize, which celebrates Canadian writers who explore diverse experiences in their work.
- This One Summer won several awards in 2014 and 2015, including an Ignatz Award, an Eisner Award, the Michael L. Printz Award, and a Caldecott Honor.
- In 2019, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel and the Best Children's or Young Adult Book Award from the Harvey Awards. It also won the Walter Award and another Eisner Award.
- That same year, Mariko won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for her work on Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, and Archie.
- Her 2023 graphic novel Roaming was nominated for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics and won the 2024 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album—New. Mariko also won the 2024 Eisner for Best Writer for Roaming.
Works by Mariko Tamaki
- Cover Me (2000)
- True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (2002)
- Fake ID (2005)
- Skim, with Jillian Tamaki (2008)
- Emiko Superstar, with Steve Rolston (2008)
- (You) Set Me on Fire (2012)
- This One Summer, with Jillian Tamaki (2014)
- Tomb Raider II (2016-2017)
- Saving Montgomery Sole (2016)
- Supergirl: Being Super (2016-2017)
- X-23 (2018)
- Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (2019)
- Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, illustrated by Steve Pugh (2019)
- Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble (2020)
- Wonder Woman, #759-769 (2020)
- Thor & Loki: Double Trouble (2021)
- Dark Detective, #1-4, illustrated by Dan Mora (2021)
- I am Not Starfire, illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani (2021)
- Detective Comics, #1034-1061 (2021-2022)
- Anne of Greenville (2022)
- Roaming, with Jillian Tamaki (2023)
Lumberjanes novels, all illustrated by Brooklyn Allen
- Unicorn Power! (2017)
- The Moon is Up (2018)
- The Good Egg (2018)
- Ghost Cabin (2019)
- Volume 1: Deconstructed, illustrated by Nico Leon and Dalibor Talajic (2017)
- Volume 2: Let Them Eat Cake, illustrated by Georges Duarte, Bachan, Julian Lopez, and Francesco Gaston (2018)
- Volume 3: Jen Walters Must Die, illustrated by Jahnoy Lindsay and Diego Olortegui (2018)
Images for kids
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Mariko Tamaki in 2018
