G. Willow Wilson

G. Willow Wilson
G. Willow Wilson in 2009
Born	Gwendolyn Willow Wilson (1982-08-31) August 31, 1982 New Jersey, United States
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Artist
Notable works	Cairo, Air, The Butterfly Mosque, Alif the Unseen, Ms. Marvel
gwillowwilson.com

Gwendolyn Willow Wilson (born August 31, 1982), known professionally as G. Willow Wilson, is an American comics writer, prose author, essayist, and journalist. She lived in Egypt during her early twenties; her first graphic novel, Cairo (Vertigo, 2007), was based there and was listed as a top graphic novel for teens by both the American Library Association and the School Library Journal. Her comic series Air was nominated for the Eisner Award, and her first novel, Alif the Unseen, won the 2013 World Fantasy Award.

Wilson is herself Muslim, and writes Ms. Marvel, a comic series starring a 16-year-old Muslim shapeshifter superhero named Kamala Khan.

Career

After converting to Islam while attending Boston University, Wilson moved to Cairo, where she contributed articles to the Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and the National Post.^[1] She was also a regular contributor to the now-defunct Egyptian opposition weekly Cairo Magazine. Wilson was the first Western journalist to be granted a private interview with Ali Gomaa after his promotion to the position of Grand Mufti of Egypt.^[2] Additionally, Wilson released a memoir titled The Butterfly Mosque about life in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, which was named a Seattle Times Best Book of 2010.^[3]

Wilson's writing career began from her work as a freelance music critic for DigBoston.^[3] Her first graphic novel, Cairo, with art by M.K. Perker, was published by Vertigo in 2007,^[1] and named one of the best graphic novels of 2007 by Publishers Weekly, The Edmonton Journal/CanWest News, and Comics Worth Reading.^[4] The paperback edition of Cairo was named one of Best Graphic Novels for High School Students in 2008 by School Library Journal, and one of 2009's Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens by the American Library Association.^[5]

Her first ongoing comic series, Air, launched by Vertigo in 2008^[6][7] reunited her with Perker, and was nominated for an Eisner Award for 'Best New Series' of 2009.^[8] NPR named Air one of the top comics of 2009,^[9] and it also received acclaim from the Fairfield Weekly, Comic Book Resources,^[10] Marie Claire,^[11] and Library Journal.^[12] Other works for DC include fill-in issues #704 and 706 of Superman, the five-issue mini-series Vixen: Return of the Lion, starring the Justice League member Vixen with art by CAFU,^[13][14][15] and The Outsiders.

Wilson then wrote Mystic, a four-issue miniseries for Marvel Comics with art by David Lopez. Although a CrossGen revival, Willow's Mystic bears little resemblance to its previous incarnation.

Her debut novel Alif the Unseen (Grove/Atlantic) won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for best novel.^[16][17][18]

In 2014, Marvel debuted a new Ms. Marvel series written by Wilson. The book stars Kamala Khan, a Muslim teenager living in Jersey City, New Jersey, who takes up the mantle after the previous Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, took up the name Captain Marvel.

Awards

Award Wins

• 2012 - Middle East Book Award -- Youth Literature^[19] - ALIF
• 2013 - Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award -- Regional Book^[20] - ALIF
• 2013 - World Fantasy Award -- Novel^[21] - ALIF
• 2014 - Broken Frontier Awards 2014 – Best Writer, Mainstream^[22]
• 2015 - Hugo Awards - Best Graphic Story^[23]
• 2016 - Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity - Ms. Marvel^[24]

Nominations

• 2009 - Eisner Awards: Best New Series, Air, by. G. Willow Wilson and M. K. Perker (Vertigo/DC)^[25] (nomination)
• 2012 - Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize -- First Novel^[26] (Finalist) - ALIF
• 2013 - Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction -- Fiction^[27] (Nominee) - ALIF
• 2013 - John W. Campbell Memorial Award -- Novel^[28] (Third Place) - ALIF
• 2013 - Locus Award -- First Novel^[29] (Nominee) - ALIF
• 2015 - Eisner Awards: Best New Series - Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona (Marvel)^[30] (nomination)
• 2015 - Eisner Awards: Best Writer^[30] (nomination)
• 2015 - Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity - Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona (Marvel)^[31] (nomination)
• 2015 - Harvey Awards: Best Writer ^[32] (nomination)
• 2015 - Harvey Awards: Best New Series - MS. MARVEL ^[32] (nomination)
• 2016 - Eisner Awards: Best Writer^[33]

Bibliography

Comics

AiT/Planet Lar

• Negative Burn vol. 2 #7–10, "Aces" (with Shannon Eric Denton and Curtis Square-Briggs collected in Aces: Curse Of The Red Baron (tpb, 112 pages, 2008 ISBN 1-932051-52-X)

DC Comics

• The Outsiders: Five of a Kind – Metamorpho/Aquaman #1, "Rogue Elements" (with Joshua Middleton, August 2007) collected in Outsiders: Five of a Kind (tpb, 160 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1672-2)
• Vixen: Return of the Lion (limited series) (October 2008–February 2009)
  • Vixen: Return of the Lion (tpb, 128 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2512-8) collects:
    • "Predators" (with CAFU, in #1, 2008)
    • "Prey" (with CAFU, in #2, 2008)
    • "Sanctuary" (with CAFU, in #3, 2008)
    • "Risen" (with CAFU, in #4, 2009)
    • "Idols" (with CAFU, in #5, 2009)
• Superman #704, 706 (with Leandro Oliveira and Amilcar Pinna, 2010) collected in Superman: Grounded Vol. 1 (hc, 168 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3075-X)

Vertigo

• Cairo (graphic novel, with M.K. Perker, hc, 160 pages, November 2007 ISBN 1-4012-1140-2)
• Air (August 2008 – August 2010)
  • Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries (tpb, 144 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2153-X) collects:
    • "Letters from Lost Countries" (with M.K. Perker, in #1–3, 2008)
    • "Masks and Other Memories" (with M.K. Perker, in #4, 2008)
    • "The Engine Room" (with M.K. Perker, in #5, 2008)
  • Volume 2: Flying Machine (tpb, 128 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2483-0) collects:
    • "The Secret Life of Maps" (with M.K. Perker, in #6, 2009)
    • "The Picture of Zayn al Harrani" (with M.K. Perker, in #7, 2009)
    • "Her Own Devices" (with M.K. Perker, in #8, 2009)
    • "Mass Transit" (with M.K. Perker, in #9, 2009)
    • "Place of the Egrets" (with M.K. Perker, in #10, 2009)
  • Volume 3: Pureland (tpb, 168 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2706-6) collects:
    • "Sweet as the Tongue" (with M.K. Perker, in #11, 2009)
    • "Pureland" (with M.K. Perker, in #12–14, 2009)
    • "Air Heart" (with M.K. Perker, in #15, 2009)
    • "Infinite Shades" (with M.K. Perker, in #16, 2009)
    • "The Picture of Blythe Alice Cameron" (with M.K. Perker, in #17, 2010)
  • Volume 4: A History of the Future (tpb, 168 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-2983-2) collects:
    • "Reveille" (with M.K. Perker, in #18, 2010)
    • "A History of the Future" (with M.K. Perker, in #19–21, 2010)
    • "Wild Blue Yonder" (with M.K. Perker, in #22, 2010)
    • "Dogfight!" (with M.K. Perker, in #23, 2010)
    • "The Last Horizon" (with M.K. Perker, in #24, 2010)
• The Unexpected vol. 2, "Dogs" (anthology, with Robbi Rodríguez, October 2011) collected in The Unexpected (tpb, 160 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-4394-0)

Marvel Comics

• Girl Comics vol. 2 #1, "Moritat" (with Ming Doyle, March 2010)
• Women of Marvel #1, "Thrones" (with Peter Nguyen, November 2010)
• Mystic vol. 2 (4-issue limited series, with David López, August–November 2011, collected in The Tenth Apprentice, tpb, 96 pages, 2012, ISBN 0-7851-5608-9)
• Ms. Marvel vol. 3 #1-19 (with Adrian Alphona, February 2014–October 2015)
  • Volume 1: No Normal (tpb, 120 pages, 2014, ISBN 0-7851-9021-X) collects:
    • "Garden State of Mind" (with Adrian Alphona, in All-New Marvel NOW! Point One #1.NOW, 2014)
    • "Meta Morphosis" (with Adrian Alphona, in #1, 2014)
    • "All Mankind" (with Adrian Alphona, in #2, 2014)
    • "Side Entrance" (with Adrian Alphona, in #3, 2014)
    • "Past Curfew" (with Adrian Alphona, in #4, 2014)
    • "Urban Legend" (with Adrian Alphona, in #5, 2014)
  • Volume 2: Generation Why (tpb, 136 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9022-8) collects:
    • "Healing Factor" (with Jake Wyatt, in #6–7, 2014)
    • "Generation Why" (with Adrian Alphona, in #8–11, 2014-2015)
  • Volume 3: Crushed (tpb, 112 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9227-1) collects:
    • "Loki in Love" (with Elmo Bondoc, in #12, 2015)
    • "Crushed" (with Takeshi Miyazawa, in #13-15, 2015)
  • Volume 4: Last Days (tpb, 120 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9736-2) collects:
    • "Last Days" (with Adrian Alphona, in #16-19, 2015)
• Ms. Marvel vol. 4 #1-... (November 2015-present)
  • Volume 5: Super Famous (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ISBN 0-7851-9611-0)
    • "Super Famous" (with Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, in #1-3, 2015-2016)
    • "Army of One" (with Nico Leon, in #4-6, 2016)
• X-Men vol. 4 #23-26 (January 2015–April 2015)
  • Volume 5: The Burning World (tpb, 96 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9726-5) collects:
    • "The Burning World" (with Roland Boschi, Javi Fernandez, in #23-26, 2015)
• A-Force vol. 1 (5-issue limited series with Marguerite Bennett and Jorge Molina, May-October 2015, collected in Volume 0: Warzones!, tpb, 112 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9861-X)
• A-Force vol. 2, #1-4 (January-April 2016)
  • Volume 1: Hypertime #1-4, Avengers #0 (with Jorge Molina and Kelly Thompson, tpb, 146 pages, 2016, ISBN 0-7851-9605-6)
• All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual #1, "Internet Randos" (with Mahmud Asrar, August 2016)

Novels

• The Butterfly Mosque (memoir, Grove Press, hardcover, June 2010, ISBN 1-84354-828-3; paperback, June 2011, ISBN 0-8021-4533-7)
• Alif the Unseen, (Grove/Atlantic, July 2012)

References

External links

• Official website
• G. Willow Wilson at the Comic Book DB