Bryan Lee O'Malley (born February 21, 1979)
is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
, best known for the ''
Scott Pilgrim
''Scott Pilgrim'' is a series of graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O'Malley. The series is about Scott Pilgrim, a slacker and part-time musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario, and plays bass in a band. He fal ...
'' series. He also performs as a musician under the alias Kupek.
Career
Bryan Lee O'Malley attended
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in London, Ontario, Canada. He went on to start in Film Studies at the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...
, but dropped out before completing.
Prior to having his own material published, O'Malley illustrated the
Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Grou ...
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
''
Hopeless Savages: Ground Zero'', written by
Jen Van Meter
Jennifer Van Meter is an American comic book writer best known for her Oni Press series ''Hopeless Savages''.
Early life and education
Van Meter was born and raised in Fresno, California. She graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Art ...
. He also
lettered
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
many Oni comics, including the majority of
Chynna Clugston
Chynna Clugston Flores (born August 19, 1975) is a freelance American comic book creator known for her manga-influenced teen comedy series '' Blue Monday''. Based in Coarsegold, Clugston Flores has been drawing comics since 1994 and has worked w ...
's output between 2002 and 2005.
His first original
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 ...
was ''Lost at Sea'', released by Oni Press in 2003. ''Lost at Sea'' is a
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
story about a shy 18-year-old girl named Raleigh, who believes her soul was stolen by a cat, and the road trip she takes across the United States with several teens from her school that she barely knows.
From 2004 to 2010, O'Malley worked on the six-volume ''
Scott Pilgrim
''Scott Pilgrim'' is a series of graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O'Malley. The series is about Scott Pilgrim, a slacker and part-time musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario, and plays bass in a band. He fal ...
'' series, published by Oni Press in
digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...
black and white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
books. The series was a critical and commercial success, spawning a full-color re-release, a 2010 film adaptation, ''
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'',
a
video game adaptation
An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another.
Some common examples are:
* Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography ...
, and a
number of official soundtracks.
O'Malley created the cover art work for the 2012 video game ''
Fez
Fez most often refers to:
* Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire
* Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco
Fez or FEZ may also refer to:
Media
* ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
''. In July 2014, his graphic novel ''
Seconds
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
'' was released by
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...
. In mid 2016, O'Malley revealed the title of his next major graphic novel ''Worst World'', which currently has no release date. He is also the co-creator of the ongoing comic book ''
Snotgirl'' with Leslie Hung. He is officially billed as its writer.
Personal life
O'Malley is half
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
and half
French-Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
. In 2004, O'Malley married fellow cartoonist
Hope Larson
Hope Raue Larson (born 1982) is an American illustrator and cartoonist. Her main field is comic books.
Biography
Larson grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and attended Carolina Day School.Anne Fitten Glenn"Graphic Insight" ''Mountain Xpress'' ...
. They lived together in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in 2004,
Halifax in 2005,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
from 2008 to 2010, and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. They divorced in 2014.
Awards
*2005
Doug Wright Award
The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (established in December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually since 2005 during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to Canadian cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics) ...
for Best Emerging Talent
[2005 Doug Wright Awards Nominees]
*2005
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 were ...
nominations for Best New Talent, Best Cartoonist, and Best Graphic Album of Original Work
*2005
Eagle Awards
The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by United Kingdom, UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's ''Eagle (British comics), Eagle'' comic, they were l ...
nomination for Favourite Comics Writer/Artist; ''Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' nominated for Favourite Graphic Novel
[The Eagle Awards - Results]
/ref>
*2005 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
nomination for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
*2006 Eisner Award
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 ...
nomination for Best Writer/Artist: Humor
*2006 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
*2006 ''Scott Pilgrim Volume 2'' nominated for Doug Wright Award
The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (established in December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually since 2005 during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to Canadian cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics) ...
for Best Book[2006 Doug Wright Awards Nominees]
*2007 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 were ...
nomination for Best Cartoonist
*2007 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 were ...
nomination for Best Original Graphic Novel
*2007 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
nomination for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
* 2007 National Cartoonists Society Division Awards
The Silver Reuben Award is an award for cartoonists organized by the National Cartoonists Society. Until 2015, the awards was known as the National Cartoonists Society Division Awards.
Current categories
Advertising Illustration Award
From its in ...
nomination for Comic Books Award
* 2008 ''Scott Pilgrim Volume 3'' nominated for Doug Wright Award
The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (established in December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually since 2005 during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to Canadian cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics) ...
for Best Book
* 2008 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 were ...
nomination for Best Cartoonist
* 2008 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 were ...
nomination for Special Award for Humor in Comics
*2008 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
nomination for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
*2010 ''Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe'' Eisner Award
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 ...
for Best Humor Publication
*2010 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 were ...
Special Award for Humor in Comics
*2010 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
nomination for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
* 2011 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 were ...
nomination for Special Award for Humor in Comics
* 2011 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 were ...
nomination for Best Original Graphic Novel
*2011 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
nomination for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
*2015 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 were ...
nomination for Best Original Graphic Album
*2015 Eisner Award
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 ...
nomination for Best Graphic Album—New
*2015 Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadian comics, Canadi ...
for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
Bibliography
Graphic novels
* ''Lost at Sea'' (2003, )
* '' Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life'' (2004, )
* '' Scott Pilgrim vs. The World'' (2005, )
* '' Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness'' (2006, )
* '' Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together'' (2007, )
* '' Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe'' (2009, )
* '' Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour'' (2010, )
* ''Seconds
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
'' (2014, )
* ''Worst World'' (TBA)
Comic books
* '' Hopeless Savages: Ground Zero'' (drawn) ()
* ''Sex Criminals
''Sex Criminals'' is a comic book series published by American company Image Comics. It is written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Chip Zdarsky. The first issue was published on September 25, 2013. Since publication, the series has continuousl ...
'' #11 (variant cover art)
* ''Young Avengers
The Young Avengers are the names of two fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first team, created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, features numerous adolescent characters who typically have ...
'' #1 (variant cover art)
* ''Sacrifice'' #5 (variant cover art)
* ''The Wicked + The Divine
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' #1 (variant cover art)
* ''Kaijumax'' #1 (variant cover art)
* ''Jonesy'' #1 (variant cover art)
* ''Snotgirl'' (written)
*'' Street Angel'' (pinup art)
Short stories
* "Lost At Sea", a two-page full-color comic in the ''Oni Press Color Special 2002''
* "Monica Beetle" in ''Project: Superior'' ()
* "Smiling Is Something That Other People Do", in ''The SPX 2003 Anthology'' ()
Music
O'Malley is also a songwriter and musician (as Kupek) and was formerly in several short-lived Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
bands such as Imperial Otter and Honey Dear.
* ''This is Intolerable'' (2002)
* ''Nameless, Faceless Compilation'' (2004)
* ''Awkward Songz'' (2005 (split album w/ Faux Photos))
* ''Before the Beginning and After the End'' (2006)
* ''B is for Bupek: Miscellany by Kupek'' (2007)
* ''Tries Again'' (2008)
* ''Good Time Singles Club'' (2009)
References
External links
*
Kupek
at PureVolume
PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omalley, Bryan Lee
1979 births
Living people
Artists from London, Ontario
Canadian cartoonists
Canadian expatriate writers in the United States
Canadian graphic novelists
Canadian people of French descent
Canadian people of Korean descent
Doug Wright Award winners for Best Emerging Talent
Franco-Ontarian people
Joe Shuster Award winners for Outstanding Cartoonist
Scott Pilgrim
University of Western Ontario alumni
Writers from London, Ontario