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Svetlana Chmakova (russian: Светлана Шмакова) (b. October 7, 1979) is a Russian-Canadian comic book artist. She is best known for '' Dramacon'', an original English-language (OEL) manga spanning three volumes and published in North America by
Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed ...
. Her other original work includes '' Nightschool'' and '' Awkward'' for
Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
. She has been nominated for an
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 ...
twice. Previously, she created ''The Adventures of CG'' for '' CosmoGIRL!'' magazine and the
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...
''Chasing Rainbows'' for
Girlamatic Girlamatic (sometimes stylized as GirlAMatic or Girl-A-Matic) was a webcomic subscription service launched by Joey Manley and Lea Hernandez in March 2003. It was the third online magazine Manley established as part of his Modern Tales family of ...
.


Early life and education

Chmakova was born in Russia where she was first exposed to comics after she found ElfQuest at a Moscow book stand. After she emigrated to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...
at the age of 16, she graduated from the
Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west-Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Founded in ...
Classical Animation program in 2002. She then began to publish her manga on the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
.


Career

'' Dramacon'' is Chmakova's first full-length
comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
, telling the story of Christie Leroux, an aspiring teenage
comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
writer, and her experiences at her first anime convention. She attends the convention with her artist boyfriend Derek Hollman, but soon finds herself attracted to a mysterious, sun-glassed
cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, a ...
er named Matt Green. Other works by Chmakova include ''The Adventures of CG'' for '' CosmoGIRL!'' magazine and the ''Chasing Rainbows'' and ''Night Silver'' webcomics. Her art also appears in ''Mangaka America'' and ''
Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can ...
. On February 24, 2007 at
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a f ...
,
Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
announced that they would be publishing ''Nightschool'', a new original manga by Chmakova. At New York Comic Con on October 10, 2014,
Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
announced that they would be publishing ''Awkward'', a new original comic by Chmakova. ''Brave'', a sequel to ''Awkward'', was announced on April 25, 2016. ''Crush'', the third book in the series, was released in 2017, and received the 2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award in the Middle Grade Category.On September 22, 2022, the next book in the series, ''Enemies,'' was released in the US and Canada


Critical reaction

The ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' described ''Dramacon'' as "surprisingly true-to-life (and occasionally harrowing) emotional drama and humor ... Creator Svetlana Chmakova doesn't skimp on character development or plot progression. Her art is top-notch as well, outstripping even many of her Japanese inspirations with clear storytelling and polished technique." ''Dramacon'' was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2007. ''Nightschool'' won the Dragon Award for Kids Comics at the Shuster Awards in 2010. ''Awkward'' was named as one of
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
's Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2015. It was also named by
YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
on their list of the 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. Amanda M. Vail of
The Mary Sue Daniel Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is an American media entrepreneur, television host, legal commentator, and author. He is currently the host of the prime-time show ''Dan Abrams Live'' on NewsNation, ''On Patrol: Live'' on Reelz and ''The Dan A ...
said "it needs to be on the shelves of every school and public library." ''Awkward'' won the 2nd Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics, Dragon Award for Kids Comics at the 2016 Shuster Awards, and was nominated for an Eisner Award. ''Brave'' has received largely positive reviews by book critics. ''Good Comics for Kids'', a blog hosted by ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' called it "a surefire hit" with magnificent artwork. ''Brave'' was later named as one of the ''School Library Journal'' Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2017. It was also nominated to the
YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
list of the Great Graphic Novels for Teens, included on Amazon.com's list of Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2017, and
ICv2 ''ICv2'' is an online trade magazine that covers geek culture for retailers. ''ICv2s main areas of focus are comic books, anime, gaming, and show business products. The site offers news, reviews, analysis, and sales information for retailers a ...
's Top 10 Kids Graphic Novels of 2017. Brigid Alverson named it one of her top 10 graphic novels for kids in 2017. ''The Weirn Books: Be Wary of the Silent Woods'' was nominated for the 2021 Joe Shuster Awards.


Bibliography


References

* Memmott, Carol (July 6, 2005). "Japanese manga takes humongous step". ''USA TODAY'', Pg. 4D. *
Article about Chmakova


External links


Svetlana Chmakova's official siteSvetlana Chmakova's official Twitter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chmakova, Svetlana Canadian comics artists Russian women artists Canadian female comics artists Russian female comics artists Canadian webcomic creators 1979 births Living people Sheridan College animation program alumni Russian emigrants to Canada Canadian women artists Female comics writers