Koren Shadmi (born 1981) is an Israeli-American illustrator and cartoonist.
Career
In 1998, at age 17, Shadmi released his first graphic novel in Israel, ''Profile 107'', a collaboration with mentor cartoonist
Uri Fink. In 2002 Shadmi relocated to New York to study at the
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
, where he now teaches illustration.
Shadmi's first English book, ''
In The Flesh In the Flesh may refer to:
Books
* ''In the Flesh'' (2009 graphic novel), a collection of stories by Koren Shadmi
Film and TV
* ''In the Flesh'' (1998 film), an American gay-themed murder mystery film
* ''In the Flesh'' (2003 film), an Indian ...
'', - a collection of comics dealing with relationships - was published by
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
in 2009. His short story "Antoinette" was selected for the
Best American Comics 2009 anthology edited by
Charles Burns.
He is the creator of the mystery webcomic ''The Abaddon'', loosely based on
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...
’s existential play ''
No Exit
''No Exit'' (french: Huis clos, links=no, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play begins with three characters who find themselves waiting ...
''. ''The Abaddon'' was published in book form by Z2 Comics in 2015 to critical acclaim.
In 2015 Shadmi illustrated the book ''Mike's Place: A True Story of Love, Blues, and Terror in Tel Aviv'' published by
First Second Comics.
In 2016, Shadmi’s semi-autobiographical comic ''Love Addict: Confessions of a Serial Dater'' was published by
Top Shelf. The book deals with the perils of online dating.
In 2017 Shadmi began collaborated with author
David Kushner
David Kushner is a writer who has contributed to many publications, including ''Wired'', ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', SPIN, ''IEEE Spectrum'' and ''Salon''.
Career
From 1994 to 1996, Kushner worked as a senior producer and writer ...
. Their first book was ''Rise of the Dungeon Master -'' A graphic novel based on a
Wired (magazine)
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fr ...
article written by the award-winning Kushner, profiling
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
, the founder of the
tabletop role-playing game
A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participa ...
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
. Kushner and Shadmi collaborated again in 2020 on 'A For Anonymous' which tracks the origins of the hacktivist group. And once more in 2022 on 'Easy To Learn, Difficult To Master' chronicling the stories of
Ralph H. Baer and
Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Kay Bushnell (born February 5, 1943) is an American businessman and electrical engineer. He established Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre chain. He has been inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consu ...
and their groundbreaking work during the early days of Video Games.
In 2019 Shadmi wrote and drew 'The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television' published by Humanoids. The book visualizes the life story of TV mavrick
Rod Serling. The book garnered positive reviews including features in
The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...
and
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
.
In 2021 Humanoids released a follow up book by Shadmi about the horror legend
Bela Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...
- 'Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula' - which was nominated for the
Eisner Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
in 2022.
Shadmi's illustration clients include: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Mother Jones, Playboy, BusinessWeek, The Village Voice, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Wired, Spin, ESPN the Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Random House, W.W Norton, The Weinstein Company, The New Yorker, and many others.
Personal life
Shadmi currently lives and works in Queens, New York.
Awards
*Albert Dorne Award, Society of Illustrators (2006)
*Gran Guinigi Award, Lucca Comics and Games Festival, Italy (2008)
*"Antoinette" (short story) was selected for the anthology ''Best American Comics 2009'', edited by Charles Burns (2009)
*Gold Medal in the 'Uncommissioned' category, Society of Illustrators (2011)
*
National Endowment Of The Arts 'Our Town' Grant with Ideas X Lab (2015)
*Rudolph Dirks Award in the 'Mature/Erotic' category,
German Comic Con (2016)
*
Ignatz Award
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 ...
: nominated in two categories (Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Graphic Novel) for ''Highwayman'', 2019
*
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Best Graphic Novel (2022)
*
Eisner Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
: Nominated 'Best Reality-Based Work' (2022)
References
External links
*
Interview at Comics Foundry MagazineQ&A with Koren Shadmi at Robot 6
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadmi, Koren
Living people
Israeli illustrators
Graphic novelists
School of Visual Arts alumni
1981 births