Delilah Dirk

Last updated
Delilah Dirk
Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling, book cover.png
Cover of the second graphic novel, Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling.
Author(s)Tony Cliff
Website http://www.delilahdirk.com/

Delilah Dirk is a series of action adventure graphic novels following adventures of the titular character, Delilah Dirk. [1] Written and illustrated by Tony Cliff, Delilah Dirk started as a webcomic, [2] and now consists of three full graphic novels and one shorter story.

Contents

Creation

Writer and illustrator Tony Cliff is a Canadian cartoonist and animator also known for his contributions to the Flight anthology series. [3] He started working on Delilah Dirk as a 30-page comic inspired by the Napoleonic Wars, Indiana Jones, and James Bond. Cliff combined this initial comic with a short story from the Flight anthology with another hundred pages to create the first complete published story, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. [4]

Cliff has also cited Horatio Hornblower and the Sharpe series, as well as the histories of the Elgin Marbles and the Venus de Milo as inspirations. He describes himself as "enthusiastic for historical elements" but adds that "if I feel like some historical accuracy is putting a speed bump in an otherwise smooth story, I'd like to think I'd favor the story over the accuracy". [4] He has also stated that part of the inspiration for the series was to contrast with the humorless depiction of women in late '90s superhero comics. [5]

Works

Delilah Dirk is an action adventure comic set in the 19th century. The main character is a trained sword fighter who fights pirates while travelling the world on her flying boat. [1]

Delilah Dirk and the Treasure of Constantinople

The first publication of a Delilah Dirk adventure was a 28-page comic made in 2007. It would later become chapter 1 of Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. [6]

Delilah Dirk and the Aqueduct

The next publication of a Delilah Dirk adventure was in Flight Volume 5. Flight was an anthology series, and volume 5 was published in 2008. The pages and plot from this short story would later become chapter 3 of the longer work Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. [4] [6]

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

The first book of the series is set in Turkey in 1807. Dirk escapes a Turkish prison while befriending a mild-mannered Janissary officer named Selim who becomes her sidekick. [1] Dirk then plots to steal treasure from the pirate Zakul. [7]

Delilah Dirk and the Seeds of Good Fortune

This shorter story, written between The Turkish Lieutenant and The King's Shilling, is 36 pages and is in black and white rather than color like the full graphic novels. Dirk needs to obtain a signature from a corrupt chieftain of a small Greek town, but her plan unravels due to the greedy manipulations of a local merchant. [8]

Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling

The second graphic novel was released in 2016. [2] In it, Dirk and Selim are accused of espionage against the British crown, and must clear their names. [9] This book was originally tentatively titled Delilah Dirk and the Blades of England. [10]

Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules

The third graphic novel was released in 2018. It is set in central Asia and relates to the location of the legendary third pillar of Hercules. [11]

Publication history

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant was first published online, starting on May 28, 2011. [12] [13] [14] By December 2011 it was in its fourth chapter [15] and it was fully published online by February 2012. [16] Tony Cliff stated that had always intended The Turkish Lieutenant to become a printed graphic novel, and he serialized the book online to gauge public interest. [4] Delilah Dirk first appeared in print in French, published by Éditions Akileos in 2011. [17] An English print book, which added around a dozen pages to the web version and edited some of its text, [4] was published by First Second Books in 2013. [2] First Second Books has published the subsequent books as well. [1]

The second book in the series, Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling, was partially published online before the release of the book. The first 90 of the 160 pages were published online serially and for free before the book's release. [9] Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules similarly had about 100 pages released online prior to the print publication of the entire story. [18]

Reception

The Turkish Lieutenant received many positive reviews. Reviewers for Comic Alliance wrote that "Delilah Dirk reminds me of the best aspects of classic Disney movies, but skews towards a much more mature audience without being "adult" in a way that could turn off some readers" [15] and "sassy lady protagonists are my jam so it's unsurprising that I really enjoy Delilah Dirk. Tony Cliff is an excellent storyteller who keeps the action constantly moving. But most importantly for a book about a sassy lady, he pulls off excellent body language and facial expressions". [19] Reviewing the Turkish Lieutenant, a CBR.com reviewer called it "a charming story, saying that "Cliff really makes the friendship between Dirk and Selim feel real... These are two fascinating characters who have good chemistry with each other, and the fact that Cliff's writing is so often funny as well as insightful makes this an even more delightful read". [7] It also received positive comments from Boing Boing, io9, and Wired. [10]

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant was a New York Times bestseller in 2013. It was named both A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013 and Best Teen Book of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews. [1] It was also nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic in 2012 [20] [3] and also received Shuster and Harvey nominations. [21] [5] Delilah Dirk: Practical Defence Against Piracy was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Webcomic in 2023. [22]

Adaptations

In 2016, Walt Disney Pictures announced a live-action adaptation of Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. [1] [23] Roy Lee was named as one of the producers. As of late 2019 there was no further information on the status of the project.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott McCloud</span> American cartoonist (born 1960)

Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: Understanding Comics (1993), Reinventing Comics (2000), and Making Comics (2006), all of which also use the medium of comics.

An autobiographical comic is an autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comix movement and has since become more widespread. It is currently most popular in Canadian, American and French comics; all artists listed below are from the U.S. unless otherwise specified.

<i>Moms Cancer</i> Webcomic by Brian Fies

Mom's Cancer is an autobiographical graphic medicine webcomic by Brian Fies which describes his mother's fight against metastatic lung cancer, as well as his family's reactions to it. Mom's Cancer was the first webcomic to win an Eisner Award, winning in 2005. Its print collection, published in 2006, won a Harvey Award and a Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan North</span> Canadian writer

Ryan North is a Canadian writer and computer programmer.

Svetlana Chmakova is a Russian-Canadian comic book artist. She is best known for Dramacon, an original English-language (OEL) manga spanning three volumes and published in North America by Tokyopop. Her other original work includes Nightschool and Awkward for Yen Press. She has been nominated for an Eisner Award twice. Previously, she created The Adventures of CG for CosmoGIRL! magazine and the webcomic Chasing Rainbows for Girlamatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raina Telgemeier</span> American cartoonist, illustrator, and writer

Raina Telgemeier is an American cartoonist. Her works include the autobiographical webcomic Smile, which was published as a full-color middle grade graphic novel in February 2010, and the follow-up Sisters and the fiction graphic novel Drama, all of which have been on The New York Times Best Seller lists. She has also written and illustrated the graphic novels Ghosts and Guts as well as four graphic novels adapted from The Baby-Sitters Club stories by Ann M. Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goran Sudžuka</span> Croatian comic book artist (born 1969)

Goran Sudžuka is a Croatian comic book artist, known for his work on books such as Y: The Last Man, Hellblazer: Lady Constantine and Ghosted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becky Cloonan</span> American comic book creator

Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Erin Hicks</span> Canadian cartoonist

Faith Erin Hicks is a Canadian cartoonist and animator living in Vancouver, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Stewart</span> Canadian comic book creator

Cameron Stewart is a Canadian comic book creator. He first came to prominence when he collaborated as an illustrator with writer Grant Morrison, and he went on to illustrate Catwoman and co-write Batgirl. He won Eisner and Shuster Awards for his self-published mystery web comic Sin Titulo, and received an Eisner nomination for The Other Side. In 2020, he was the subject of numerous sexual misconduct accusations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Kindt</span> American comic book writer, cartoonist, and graphic designer

Matt Kindt is an American comic book writer, cartoonist, and graphic designer. His early creator-owned works were spy fiction, and their success led to mainstream work for hire projects in superhero fiction and other genres. His work has been nominated for Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards. In the comic industry, he is best known for his work on MIND MGMT, the Valiant Entertainment superhero universe, and BRZRKR, the first issue of which is the highest-selling single issue of the 21st century.

Brian Fies is an American cartoonist. He is the creator of Mom's Cancer, which was the first webcomic to receive an Eisner Award. Fies won the Eisner in 2005 under the newly created category "Best Digital Comic". Mom's Cancer also won Fies a Harvey Award, in the Best New Talent category, as well as the Lulu Blooker Prize in its Comics category. The German edition of the graphic novel received the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in the Non-Fiction category. Mom's Cancer was also nominated for a Quill Award and two further Eisner Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Andersen</span> American cartoonist, illustrator and author

Sarah Andersen is an American cartoonist and illustrator, and the author of the webcomic Sarah's Scribbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Colden</span> American comic book writer and artist

Kevin Colden is an American comic book writer and artist, as well as a webcomic artist. His work has been published in print by Zuda Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Alternative Comics, and Top Shelf Productions.

Comics has developed specialized terminology. Several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is under dispute, so this page will list and describe the most common terms used in comics.

Koren Shadmi is an Israeli-American illustrator and cartoonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Carroll</span> Canadian comics author

Emily Carroll is a comics author from Ontario, Canada. Carroll started making comics in 2010, and her horror webcomic His Face All Red went viral around Halloween of 2010. Since then, Carroll has published two books of her own work, created comics for various comics anthologies, and provided illustrations for other works. Carroll has won several awards, including an Ignatz and two Eisners.

Notable events of 2011 in webcomics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tillie Walden</span> American cartoonist and author

Tillie Walden is an American cartoonist who has published five graphic novels and a webcomic. Walden won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for her graphic novel Spinning, making her one of the youngest Eisner Award winners ever. She was named Vermont's Cartoonist Laureate for the years 2023 - 2026.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Busch, Anita (2016-05-26). "'Delilah Dirk And The Turkish Lieutenant' Bought By Disney". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Ching, Albert (2016-03-08). "Delilah Dirk Returns in First Second's "The Pillar of Hercules"". CBR. Archived from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  3. 1 2 "Tony Cliff Dives Into "Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant"". CBR. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mautner, Chris (12 September 2013). "Delilah Dirk and the dedicated cartoonist: a chat with Tony Cliff". www.cbr.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  5. 1 2 Towers, Andrea. "First-Second announces new 'Delilah Dirk' graphic novel". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  6. 1 2 Burton, Ryan (Aug 27, 2013). "Tony Cliff Creates Proper Adventure in "Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant"". Comic Book Resources .
  7. 1 2 "Review time! with Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant". www.cbr.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  8. ↑ "Delilah Dirk and the Seeds of Good Fortune: Preview". www.delilahdirk.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  9. 1 2 Sims, Chris. "Tony Cliff's Next 'Delilah Dirk' Adventure Serialized Online". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  10. 1 2 Gagliano, Gina (2013-09-04). "Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant: The Sequel!". First Second Books. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  11. ↑ "Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules (Delilah Dirk, #3)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  12. ↑ "Start Reading Now | Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant". www.cbr.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  13. ↑ Cliff, Tony [@TangoCharlie] (May 19, 2011). "Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant: 4-6 colorful new comic-book pages each Saturday morning starting May 28th. Free as in beer!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant: A free online graphic novel". www.delilahdirk.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07.
  15. 1 2 Colter, Aaron. "Best Webcomics Ever (This Week) 12.11.11". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  16. ↑ "Delilah Dirk and Friends With Boys wrap up their online runs". www.cbr.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  17. ↑ Edidin, Rachel (2013-08-13). "Read 12 Pages of the Swashbuckling Comic Adventures of Delilah Dirk". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  18. ↑ "Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules | Introduction". www.delilahdirk.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  19. ↑ Asselin, Janelle. "Best Sequential Art Ever (This Week): 12-27-13". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  20. ↑ Johnston, Rich (2012-04-04). "Eisner Awards 2012 Nomination List Released". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  21. ↑ "Disney Developing "Delilah Dirk And The Turkish Lieutenant" Live-Action Movie". CBR. 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  22. ↑ Beat Staff (2023-07-22). "SDCC '23: The 2023 Eisner Awards Winners". The Beat. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  23. ↑ "Justice League Confirms A Returning Villain". Gizmodo Australia. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.