Shing Yin Khor | |
---|---|
![]() Kor reads from The Legend of Auntie Poe in 2021 | |
Occupation | Artist and cartoonist |
Nationality | Malaysian-American |
Notable awards |
|
Website | |
shingkhor |
Shing Yin Khor is a Malaysian-American artist and cartoonist. They are the creator of the comics The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66, The Center for Otherworld Science and Say it with Noodles, the last of which won them an Ignatz Award. Khor's middle grade graphic novel, The Legend of Auntie Po, earned an Eisner Award [1] [2] and was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. [3]
Khor is Malaysian Chinese, grew up in the Philippines, and moved to the United States at age 16. [4] They are now a naturalized citizen of the United States. [4] [5]
Khor is bisexual and has indicated that their work, regardless of what they do, is political because they are doing it. [6] In a 2017 interview with HuffPost , they said, "I do believe that the personal is political, and have always felt that writing about myself ― as a brown, immigrant woman ― is by default a political gesture because our voices are incredibly underrepresented in all creative fields." [6] However, they also noticed their work became more political following the election of former President Donald Trump. [6]
Shing Yin Khor is the creator of the webcomic The Center for Otherworld Science, in which scientists are experimenting on flora and fauna of a place called the Otherworld. These experiments have led to advances, such as eradicating Sickle cell anemia, but are morally dubious. After an incident leads to the death of one worker, the survivors must deal with the fallout of the accident and face the emotional and existential consequences. [7]
A review of the webcomic for The Beat said that it "combines otherworldly creatures and fantastic settings with the mundane details of working in a professional setting and the small moments shared between three coworkers. The result is a comic that feels both familiar and ethereal simultaneously, a sense that is only underscored by the simple and extremely effective art. [7]
Say it with Noodles: On Learning to Speak the Language of Food was a standalone comic about Khor's relationship with their grandmother and how cooking for someone can be a love language. It won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Minicomic in 2018. [8]
The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66:Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Men, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito is an autobiographical graphic novel by Shing Yin Khor. It described a road trip they took along U.S. Route 66, in part to discover themselves and the other America (outside of their home of Los Angeles) they knew little about. The novel covers the history of Route 66 and the boom and bust its populations have faced, while visiting and drawing kitschy tourist traps, giant sculptures and abandoned roadside attractions. [5] [9]
A reviewer for The A.V. Club said of the novel, "If not for Khor's art, the book might have still been a bit of a dry read. But rich with water colors and visible sketch lines under finished shapes, it feels organic and alive. It's rich with texture and soft shapes, smiling faces that are simple without being overly cartoonish. There are several double-page spreads that capture the incredible vistas and remarkable secrets Route 66 holds for travelers... Khor's awe and frustration and joy as they encounter new things are all palpable. It makes clear how Khor's own experiences and needs shaped their trip and the book itself, which leads gracefully into exploration of Khor's complicated relationship with America as an immigrant... It's a journey made up of the weird and wonderful, as well as the deeply concerning ways that people leave their mark on the world." [9] Kirkus Reviews said, "Through bright, expressive watercolor illustrations, Khor portrays the memorable locations they pass through... They detail both the amusing (going to the bathroom outdoors) and emotional (loneliness and exhaustion) challenges of being a traveler. Khor's pilgrimage is as much an exploration of themself as it is of nostalgic Americana. Their travels inspire them to share insights into their path to atheism, their anger with xenophobia and racism—which are provoked when they find a motel labeled "American owned"—and the meaning of "home." Many of Khor's observations will resonate with those who have questioned national identity and the sense of belonging." [10]
Khor is the co-designer on the narrative journaling game Field Guide to Memory (2021) with Jeeyon Shim. [11] Field Guide to Memory won the 2021 IndieCade Award in the best live game category. [11] [12] The Verge highlighted that "the pair defined keepsake games as both a genre and a useful shorthand for their work". [13] Khor also designed the solo storytelling role-playing game A Mending (2021); the player follows prompts and stitches their journey on a pre-made cloth map. [14] [15]
Khor has produced work for HuffPost, The Nib and The Toast. [16] They also contributed to the comics anthology Elements: Earth. [17] They have created installation art and sculpture, [7] [16] and received coverage from the Smithsonian for recreating other artworks in Animal Crossing: New Horizons . [18]
In 2023, they worked as an adjunct lecturer at University of Southern California. [19]
Kirkus Reviews named The Legend of Auntie Po one of the best books of 2021. [20]
Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Say It With Noodles | Ignatz Award for Outstanding Minicomic | Winner | [21] |
2021 | The Legend of Auntie Po | ALA Best Graphic Novels for Kids | Selection | [22] |
2021 | The Legend of Auntie Po | National Book Award for Young People's Literature | Finalist | [23] [24] [25] |
2022 | The Legend of Auntie Po | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection | [26] |
2022 | The Legend of Auntie Po | Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens | Winner | [27] [28] |
2022 | Remember August | Indiecade Award for Best Tabletop Game | Winner | [19] [11] |
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, referred to as the comics industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the comics industry. They are named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner, who was a regular participant in the award ceremony until his death in 2005. The Eisner Awards include the Comic Industry's Hall of Fame.
Carla Speed McNeil is an American science fiction writer, cartoonist, and illustrator of comics, best known for the science fiction comic book series Finder.
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.
The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping a year in 2001 due to the show's cancellation after the September 11 attacks. As of 2014 SPX has been held in either Bethesda, North Bethesda, or Silver Spring, Maryland.
Craig Matthew Thompson is an American graphic novelist best known for his books Good-bye, Chunky Rice (1999), Blankets (2003), Carnet de Voyage (2004), Habibi (2011), and Space Dumplins (2015). Thompson has received four Harvey Awards, three Eisner Awards, and two Ignatz Awards. In 2007, his cover design for the Menomena album Friend and Foe received a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package.
Kathryn Moira Beaton is a Canadian comics artist best known as the creator of the comic strip Hark! A Vagrant, which ran from 2007 to 2018. Her other major works include the children's books The Princess and the Pony and King Baby, published in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The former was made into an Apple TV+ series called Pinecone & Pony released in 2022 on which Beaton worked as an executive producer. Also in 2022, Beaton released a memoir in graphic novel form, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, about her experience working in the Alberta oil sands. Publishers Weekly named Ducks one of their top ten books of the year.
Mariko Tamaki is a Canadian artist and writer. She is known for her graphic novels Skim, Emiko Superstar, and This One Summer, and for several prose works of fiction and non-fiction. In 2016 she began writing for both Marvel and DC Comics. She has twice been named a runner-up for the Michael L. Printz Award.
Koren Shadmi is an American-Israeli illustrator and cartoonist.
The Nib was an American online daily comics publication focused on political cartoons, graphic journalism, essays and memoir about current affairs. Founded by cartoonist Matt Bors in September 2013, The Nib was an independent member-supported publisher that ceased operating in September 2023.
Notable events of 2008 in webcomics.
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, making her the state's youngest-ever Cartoonist Laureate.
Rosemary Valero-O'Connell is an American illustrator and cartoonist. She is known for her work with DC Comics and BOOM! Studios.
Notable events of 2019 in webcomics.
Ben Passmore is an American comics artist and political cartoonist.
The Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens is an award for "creative achievement" in American comic books.
Hazel Newlevant is an American cartoonist and editor known for creating and editing comics about queer history, bisexuality, polyamory, and reproductive rights. Raised in Portland, Oregon, Newlevant lives in Queens, New York.
Jeeyon Shim is a second generation Korean American game designer and writer. A former outdoor educator, her body of work is strongly influenced by themes of connection to the natural world. Playing Shim's narrative games often involves creating a keepsake artifact.
Notable events of 2021 in webcomics.
Field Guide to Memory is a one-player, narrative, pen-and-paper journaling, indie role-playing game by Shing Yin Khor and Jeeyon Shim about the mentee of a missing cryptozoologist traveling across the United States in search of information about their missing mentor.