Reid Kikuo Johnson (born in 1981) is an American illustrator and cartoonist. He is known for illustrating several covers of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' in addition to the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s ''Night Fisher, The Shark King,'' and ''No One Else.'' In 2023 he became the first graphic novelist to receive the Whiting Award for fiction.

Early life

Johnson was born and raised on the island of Maui. He studied illustration at the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

under cartoonist

David Mazzucchelli David John Mazzucchelli (; born September 21, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer, known for his work on seminal superhero comic book storylines '' Daredevil: Born Again'' and '' Batman: Year One'', as well as for graphic novels in other ...

Career

Johnson began working on his first graphic novel, ''Night Fisher'', while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. Released in 2005, the semi-autobiographical coming of age story set on Maui won the 2006

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

for Best New Talent as well as the

Russ Manning Award The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award is an American award presented to a comic book artist whose first professional work appeared within the previous two years. It was named after comic book artist Russ Manning. The winner is chosen from ...

at the 2006 Eisner Awards. Johnson regularly works in commercial illustration. His artwork first appeared in the pages of ''The New Yorker'' in 2006 and on the cover of the magazine in 2016. Several of his illustrations and prints have been acquired by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. Johnson's

all-ages A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...

graphic novel, ''The Shark King,'' was published in 2012 by

Toon Books Toon Books is a publisher of hardcover comic book early readers founded by Françoise Mouly. With titles by such creators as Geoffrey Hayes, Jay Lynch, Dean Haspiel, Eleanor Davis, and Mouly's collaborator and husband, Art Spiegelman, Toon Books pr ...

, and is based on the Hawaiian legend of Nanaue, son of

Kāmohoaliʻi In Hawaiian religion, Kamohoaliʻi is a shark god and a brother of Kāne Milohaʻi, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka, and Hiʻiaka. He is also the father of Nanaue. Kamohoaliʻi swam in the area around the islands of Maui and Kahoolawe. When a ship was lo ...

. ''No One Else'', a graphic novella, was published in 2021 by

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was founde ...

. It was called "note-perfect" by the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

and was included on multiple "best of 2021" lists from major publications. The book won multiple awards including the 2021 LA Times Book Prize, the

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 ...

for outstanding graphic novel, the

Lucca Comics Award Lucca Comics & Games is an annual comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, Italy, traditionally held at the end of October, in conjunction with All Saints' Day. It is the largest comics festival in Europe, and the second biggest in the world a ...

for Best Script, and it was named a 2022 Lynd Ward Prize honor book.

Teaching

Johnson teaches a comics creation class at the Rhode Island School of Design which he began teaching in 2009.

Works

Graphic novels

''Night Fisher'' (Fantagraphics books, 2005, ) ''The Shark King'' (

, 2012, } ''No One Else'' (Fantagraphics books, 2021, )

Selected short comics stories

"Thrustman" (in ''Project: Superior,'' 2005 ) "Cher Shimura" (in '' Mome Vol. 3'', 2005 ) "John James Audubon in Pursuit of the Golden Eagle" (in ''The Believer'', Feb 1, 2006) "Conditioning" (in ''The New York Times,'' August 3, 2007) "Anything But Retail" (in ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...

'', Marvel Comics, December, 2009) "Body and Soul" (in ''The New Yorker,'' April 3, 2017) "Uncharted Maui" (in ''The New Yorker,'' July 26, 2021) "Hawaiian Snow" (in ''The New York Times,'' Jan 7, 2022)

Awards

2023 Whiting Award for fiction. 2022

Outstanding Graphic Novel for ''No One Else'' 2022

Gran Giungi Miglior est Scriptfor ''Nessun Altro o One Else' 2022

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital ...

Best Cover Winner in the "News and Politics" category for ''The New Yorker'' cover, "Delayed" 2022 Lynd Ward Prize Honor for ''No One Else'' 2021 LA Times Book Prize Winner Graphic Novel/Comics for ''No One Else'' 2021

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

gold medal in the Editorial category for ''The New Yorker'' cover, "Delayed" 2018

gold medal in the Editorial category for ''The New Yorker'' cover, "Safe Travels" 2017 American Society of Magazine Editors Best Cover Winner in the "Brainiest" category for ''The New Yorker'' cover, "Commencement" 2013 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, for ''The Shark King'' 2006 Harvey Award, Best New Talent, for ''Night Fisher'' 2006 Russ Manning Award, for ''Night Fisher''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Reid Rhode Island School of Design alumni Alternative cartoonists American comics artists American illustrators The New Yorker cartoonists 21st-century American artists 1981 births Living people People from Maui