Harmony Becker

Last updated

Harmony Becker is an American graphic novelist and illustrator, known for illustrating George Takei's memoir They Called Us Enemy , as well as for writing and illustrating the graphic novel Himawari House.

Contents

Biography

Harmony Becker was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. [1] Her mother is Japanese, and she describes growing up in a multicultural household. [1] [2] [3] [4]

After high school, Becker spent time volunteering and studying Korean in Washington, D.C., and South Korea. [5] She briefly attended art school in Columbus, Ohio, before dropping out and instead pursuing comics while working as a waitress. [1] [5] Her first professional comics job was illustrating George Takei's 2019 graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy , which shares Takei's experiences of internment as a Japanese American during World War II. [1] [5] They Called Us Enemy won an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, a Silver Reuben Award, an American Book Award, and an Eisner Award, among other honors. [4] [6] [7] [8]

In 2021, Becker published her first solo graphic novel, Himawari House , which deals with a Japanese American girl reconnecting with her heritage at a shared house in Japan. [1] [2] [9] [10] It was based on her webcomic Himawari Share on the Tapas webtoon site. [2] [5] [9] [10] The following year, Himawari House won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature. [11]

In 2025, she worked with Takei again to illustrate his second graphic memoir, It Rhymes with Takei, which shares his life story and his process of coming out. [12] [13]

She has also created the webcomics Love Potion and Anemone & Catharus. [4] [6]

Becker cites Studio Ghibli as her greatest creative influence. [1] She is currently based in Mexico City. [1] [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kirichanskaya, Michele (2022-07-27). "Interview with Graphic Novelist Harmony Becker". Geeks OUT. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  2. 1 2 3 Aquino, Gilcy (2021-11-11). "Four Questions for Harmony Becker". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  3. Rosenberg, Scott A. (2019-08-12). "Artist Harmony Becker discusses working on 'They Called Us Enemy' with George Takei". amNewYork. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  4. 1 2 3 4 DeHart, Jason D. (2022-11-01). "'I wanted to bring readers outside of the English experience': An interview with Harmony Becker". Studies in Comics. 13 (1–2): 145–151. doi:10.1386/stic_00079_7. ISSN   2040-3232.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Simeon, Laura (2021-10-21). "An Award-Winning Artist Debuts Her Graphic Novel". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  6. 1 2 "Himawari House By Harmony Becker" (PDF). State Library of Ohio. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  7. Degg, D.D. (2020-09-12). "74th Annual Reuben Awards – Divisional Winners". The Daily Cartoonist. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  8. Saka, Rasheeda (2020-09-14). "Here are the winners of the 2020 American Book Awards". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  9. 1 2 Leong, Samantha (2021-11-08). "Q&A With Harmony Becker, Himawari House". We Need Diverse Books. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08.
  10. 1 2 Alverson, Brigid (2021-11-04). "Q&A: Harmony Becker on "Himawari House"". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  11. "'Himawari House' Wins 2022 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature". School Library Journal. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  12. Dar, Taimur (2024-10-30). "THEY CALLED US ENEMY creative team reunites for new George Takei graphic novel memoir". The Beat. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  13. Schlichenmeyer, Terri (2025-03-15). "Bookstores full of LGBTQ-themed new releases". The Washington Blade. Retrieved 2025-04-03.