Kay O'Neill

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O’Neill in 2019

Kay O'Neill (also known as Katie O'Neill and K. O'Neill[1]) is an illustrator and writer from New Zealand.[2]

Biography[]

O'Neill is a self-taught artist[3] who has produced several comics and graphic novels. They initially built a fan base by publishing comics on their Tumblr page,[2] such as Princess Princess, which was later published as a book by Oni Press as Princess Princess Ever After.[4][5] O'Neill notes "a different kind of accessibility and visibility that comes with a book, particularly one that is in easy reach of kids’ hands in school and public libraries".[4]

Their graphic novels cover fantasy, slice-of-life stories which are intended for all ages.[6] These have won multiple awards, with The Tea Dragon Society in particular winning two Eisner Awards, a Harvey Award, and a Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics. The Tea Dragon Society also led to a card game and plushies,[2] and another Tea Dragon book was published in 2019.[7][8] When not working on a book, O'Neill is a fulltime freelance illustrator.[9]

O'Neil's work often includes LGBT+ characters and positive messages; they consider inclusiveness to be important, and that media "should reflect the diversity of the world around us." To this end they portray different identities in their stories.[4][10] The Tea Dragon Society was included in the American Library Association's Rainbow Book List for 2018.[11] Princess Princess Ever After was also on the Rainbow Book List in 2017, making its top ten,[12] and was awarded Autostraddle's Favourite Graphic Novel/Book in 2014.[13] Autostraddle writer Mey said that Princess Princess Ever After "has characters of different races and body types. It has two princesses who are their own heroes and don’t need to change who they are to save themselves and the day. It has a really cute queer couple. And all of this is in an all-ages comic." O'Neill has said that "with consciousness of a new generation I would like to try to make books that inspire kindness, self-acceptance and social responsibility."[6]

On an Twitter post of 18 December 2020, O'Neill said that they prefer to be known as Kay and that they use they/them pronouns.[14]

Awards[]

Year Nominated work Category Result Notes
2019 Aquicorn Cove Eisner Award: Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12) Nominated [15][16]
2018 The Tea Dragon Society Eisner Award: Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12) Won [17]
2018 The Tea Dragon Society Eisner Award: Best Webcomic Won [17]
2018 The Tea Dragon Society Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids’ Comics Won [18][19]
2018 The Tea Dragon Society Harvey Award: Best Children or Young Adult Book Won Co-winner with The Prince and the Dressmaker[20]
2014 Princess Princess Ever After Cybils Award Nominated [21]
2014 Princess Princess Ever After Autostraddle: Favorite Graphic Novel/Book Won [22]

Works[]

  • Counting Stars (2012), webcomic[3][23]
  • Song of the Wheel (2012), webcomic[24]
  • The Girl from Hell City (2013), webcomic[24]
  • The Girl With Eyes Like a Cat (2013), webcomic[25][26]
  • Don't Let Go (2013), webcomic[25][27][28]
  • Below the Waves (2014), webcomic[25][26]
  • Mushrooms (2014), webcomic[25][29]
  • Princess Princess Ever After (2016), published by Oni Press[30] (first version published as a 2014 webcomic titled Princess Princess)[4][5]
  • The Tea Dragon Society (2017), published by Oni Press[31]
  • Aquicorn Cove (2018), published by Oni Press[32]
  • The Tea Dragon Festival (2019), published by Oni Press[8]
  • Dewdrop (2020), published by Oni Press[33][34]
  • How to Date Your Dragon (2020) webcomic[35]

References[]

  1. ^ "Dewdrop". Oni Press. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Horne, Karama (16 November 2018). "Indie Comics Spotlight: Eisner Winner Katie O'Neill on Tea Dragons, Princesses, and saving all the animals". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b Alfonso III, Fernando (14 February 2012). "Wishes really do come true when you count stars". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Jusino, Teresa. "[UPDATED] Exclusive Interview: Comic Creator Katie O'Neill Talks About Her Work, Announces Next Project With Oni Press". www.themarysue.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Katie O'Neill". Character Design References. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Interview with Katie O'Neill". my.christchurchcitylibraries.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  7. ^ O'Neill, Katie. "The Tea Dragon Festival – Illustration by Katie O'Neill". ktoneill.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  8. ^ a b O'Neill, Katie; O'Neill (2019). The Tea Dragon Festival. Oni Press. ISBN 9781620106556.
  9. ^ "ComicFest 2019 – 5 minutes with Katie O'Neill – Library News". Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Interview: Katie O'Neill and THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY". Comicosity. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  11. ^ "2018 Rainbow List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  12. ^ "2017 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Drawn to Comics' One-Year Anniversary Presents The First Annual Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards". Autostraddle. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  14. ^ O'Neill, Kay (18 December 2020). ""hi all, just notifying of a small change! I prefer to be known as Kay, with they/them pronouns. thank you, and take care