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Kay O'Neill

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Kay O'Neill
O'Neill in 2019
O'Neill in 2019
OccupationIllustrator and writer
NationalityNew Zealand
Notable awards

Kay O'Neill (also known as K. O'Neill, and who has published under the name Katie O'Neill[1]) is an illustrator and writer from New Zealand.[2]

Biography

[edit]

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]

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

Awards

[edit]
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

[edit]
  • 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]
  • The Tea Dragon Tapestry (2021)
  • The Moth Keeper (2023)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ O'Neill, Katie (7 September 2016). Princess Princess Ever After. Oni Press. ISBN 978-1-62010-341-8.
  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. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. 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 (8 September 2016). "[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 💚"". Twitter.
  15. ^ "2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees". Comic-Con International: San Diego. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". Hollywood Reporter. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  18. ^ "2018 DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AWARDS FOR KIDS' COMICS Nominees". Newsarama. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics 2018". File 770. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Eleven Awards Handed Out at the 30th Anniversary Celebration During ReedPOP's New York Comic Con". Harvey Awards. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  21. ^ "2016 Finalists: Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels". CYBILS Awards. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  22. ^ "Drawn to Comics' One-Year Anniversary Presents The First Annual Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards". Autostraddle. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  23. ^ "Counting Stars - Full Comic by strangelykatie on DeviantArt". www.deviantart.com. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Comics | Strangely Katie". 6 August 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  25. ^ a b c d "Katie O'Neill". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  26. ^ a b "Comics | Strangely Katie". 1 April 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  27. ^ "Don't Let Go | Strangely Katie". 4 February 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  28. ^ Let's Read Don't Let Go, 7 January 2017, retrieved 8 September 2019
  29. ^ "Depression and Webcomics: How a Comic About Mushrooms Taught Me to Love Myself". WWAC. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  30. ^ O'Neill, Katie (2016). Princess princess ever after. Oni Press. ISBN 9781620103401.
  31. ^ O'Neill, Katie (2017). The Tea Dragon Society. Oni Press. ISBN 9781620104415.
  32. ^ O'Neill, Katie (2018). Aquicorn Cove. Oni Press. ISBN 9781620105290.
  33. ^ "Comic-Con News: Katie O'Neill Announces 'Dewdrop' — Good Comics for Kids". blogs.slj.com. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  34. ^ O'Neill, Katie (2020). Dewdrop. Oni Press. ISBN 978-1620106891.
  35. ^ Tapas. "How To Date Your Dragon | Tapas". tapas.io. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
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