Noelle Stevenson
Noelle Stevenson (born December 31, 1991) is an American cartoonist and animation producer. She is known for the fantasy comic Nimona and the comics series Lumberjanes, and has won an Eisner Award for both of them. She is also the creator, showrunner and executive producer of the animated television series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
Noelle Stevenson | |
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Stevenson at the 2019 WonderCon for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. | |
Born | [1][2] | December 31, 1991
Alma mater | Maryland Institute College of Art |
Occupation | Cartoonist |
Known for |
|
Spouse(s) |
Education
Stevenson attended the Maryland Institute College of Art.[4] During her junior year, she created her soon-to-be popular character Nimona as part of an assignment in one of her classes. In summer 2012, Stevenson began creating a webcomic around the character, and soon signed with a literary agent who found the webcomic online.[5] Nimona's adventurous story would later double as Stevenson's senior thesis in 2012.[4] In an interview with Paper Magazine, Stevenson stated that the ability to create comics on her own and create Nimona was what got her a "writing job in animation," bringing her into the animation world.[6]
Career
Comics and cartoons
While attending MICA, Stevenson gained fame as a fan artist, under the name "gingerhaze", for her "hipster Lord of the Rings" characters.[7] She also created cover art for Rainbow Rowell's novel Fangirl. In the summer of 2012, Stevenson interned at BOOM! Studios, a comic publishing house in Los Angeles. After her graduation from MICA in 2013, Stevenson returned to BOOM! to help develop, and eventually write, Lumberjanes.[8] Lumberjanes was recognized as Best New Series and Best Publication for Teens in the 2015 Eisner Awards.[9]
Besides Lumberjanes, Stevenson also gained fame as the creator of Nimona, a webcomic about a supervillain's shape-shifting sidekick. In 2012, soon after posting the first few installments of Nimona online, Stevenson signed with a literary agent who helped Stevenson sign with HarperCollins to publish Nimona as a graphic novel.[5] For her work on Nimona, Stevenson won Slate Magazine's 2012 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic of the Year[10] and the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint.[5] Stevenson was also named a 2015 National Book Award Finalist for the graphic novel version of Nimona.[5]
Since 2015, she worked as a writer for Marvel Comics on the comics Thor Annual[11][12] and Runaways.[13]
Animation
Stevenson was part of the writing team of Disney's animated TV series Wander Over Yonder, beginning with Season 2 in 2015.[14]
Stevenson also served as creator and executive producer of DreamWorks Animation Television's rebooted She-Ra and the Princesses of Power animated television series on Netflix, the first season of which was released on 13 November 2018.[15] Its fifth and final season was released on May 15, 2020.[16]
Other work
Stevenson did freelance illustration for Random House, St. Martin's Press, and Label Magazine. She also worked with Ryan North on his Kickstarter-funded book To Be or Not to Be, a choose-your-own-adventure-book based on Shakespeare's Hamlet.[8]
Their autobiographical collection of drawings and journals, The Fire Never Goes Out, was published in March 2020. The New Yorker's review described it as "a memoir of sorts (...), a coming-out story, a love story, a tale of disorientingly rapid professional triumph, and a story about mental health and illness, showing the young artist figuring out what she must do—first to make art and then to get well."[17]
Personal life
Stevenson married fellow cartoonist Molly Ostertag in September 2019. [18] She identifies as non-binary and uses any personal pronouns.[19]
Bibliography
Graphic novels
- Nimona (w/a, HarperCollins, 2015)
BOOM! Studios
- "The Sweater Bandit" (w/a, in Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake #1, January 2013, collected in Volume 1: Mathemagical Edition, tpb, 160 pages, 2013)
- "Desert Treasure" (w/a, in Adventure Time 2013 Summer Special, July 2013)
- Lumberjanes #1–17 (April 2014–August 2015)
- Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy (collects #1–4, w, with Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen, tpb, 128 pages, 2015)
- Volume 2: Friendship to the Max (collects #5–8, w, with Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen, tpb, 112 pages, 2015)
- Volume 3: A Terrible Plan (collects #9–12, w, with Shannon Watters and Carolyn Nowak, tpb, 112 pages, 2016)
- Sleepy Hollow 4 #1–4 (4-issue limited series, backup stories, November 2014–January 2015)
- Sleepy Hollow: Volume 1 (tpb, 112 pages, 2015) collects:
- "Movie Night" (w/a, in #1, 2014)
- "At the Fair" (w/a, in #2, 4, 2014)
- "Shopping" (w/a, in #3, 2015)
- Sleepy Hollow: Volume 1 (tpb, 112 pages, 2015) collects:
Marvel Comics
- Runaways vol. 4 #1–4 (4-issue limited series, August–November 2015)
- Battleworld (tpb, 120 pages, 2015) collects:
- "Doomed Youth" (w, with Sanford Greene, in #1–4, 2015)
- Battleworld (tpb, 120 pages, 2015) collects:
- "Thor" (w, with Marguerite Sauvage, in Thor Annual #1, April 2015, collected in Volume 2: Who Holds the Hammer?, hc, 136 pages, 2015)
DC Comics
- "Wonder World" (a, with James Tynion IV, in Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #23–24, February 2015, collected in Volume 2, tpb, 144 pages, 2015)
Filmography
Title | Year | Credited as | Role | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Writer | Executive Producer | Animation/Art department | ||||
Bravest Warriors | 2014 | Yes | No | No | ||
Wander Over Yonder | 2015–2016 | Yes | No | Yes | background painter | |
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure | 2017 | Yes | No | No | ||
Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | 2017 | Yes | No | No | ||
DuckTales | 2017 | Yes | No | No | ||
Critical Role | 2017–2018 | No | No | No | Herself/Tova/Peter Pan | web series, 4 episodes |
Big Hero 6: The Series | 2018 | Yes | No | No | ||
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | 2018–2020 | Yes | Yes | No | Spinnerella (voice) | creator |
Episodic writing credits
Title | Season | Episode | Name | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bravest Warriors | 2 | 9 | "The Dimension Garden" | ||
Wander Over Yonder | 2 | ||||
2 | a | "The Big Day | Story only | ||
4 | b | The Axe" | Story only | ||
5 | a | "The Loose Screw | Story only | ||
b | The It" | Story only | |||
6 | a | "The Cool Guy | Story only | ||
b | The Catastrophe" | ||||
7 | a | "The Rager | Story only | ||
b | The Good Bad Guy" | Story only | |||
8 | "The Battle Royale" | Story only | |||
9 | a | "The Matchmaker | Story only | ||
b | The New Toy" | Story only | |||
10 | a | "The Black Cube | Story only | ||
b | The Eye on the Skullship" | Story only | |||
11 | a | "The Secret Planet | |||
b | The Bad Hatter" | Story only | |||
12 | a | "The Hole...Lotta Nuthin' | Story only | ||
b | The Show Stopper" | Story only | |||
13 | a | "The Cartoon | Story only | ||
b | The Bot" | ||||
14 | a | "The Family Reunion | Story only | ||
b | The Rival" | ||||
15 | "My Fair Hatey" | Story only | |||
16 | a | "The Legend | Story only | ||
b | The Bad Neighbors" | Story only | |||
17 | a | "The Party Poopers | Story only | ||
b | The Waste of Time" | Story only | |||
18 | a | "The Hot Shot | Story only | ||
b | The Night Out" | ||||
19 | a | "The Search for Captain Tim | Story only | ||
b | The Heebie Jeebies" | Story only | |||
20 | a | "The Sick Day | |||
b | The Sky Guy" | Story only | |||
21 | a | "The Robomechabotatron | Story only | ||
b | The Flower" | Story only | |||
22 | "The End of the Galaxy" | Story only | |||
Shorts | 1 | "The First Take | |||
2 | The Smile" | ||||
3 | "The Killjoy | ||||
4 | The Theme Song" | ||||
5 | "The Bathroom Break | ||||
6 | The Planetary Conqueror" | ||||
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure | 1 | 2 | "Rapunzel's Enemy" | Story only | |
Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | 2 | 4 | "The Embersteel Blade" | ||
DuckTales | 1 | 1 | "Woo-oo!" | Story only | |
3 | "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" | Story only | |||
Big Hero 6: The Series | 1 | 5 | "Food Fight" | ||
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | 1 | 1 | "The Sword" (Part 1) | ||
2 | "The Sword" (Part 2) | ||||
3 | "Razz" | ||||
11 | "Promise" | ||||
13 | "The Battle of Bright Moon" | ||||
3 | 5 | "Remember" | |||
4 | 9 | "Hero" | |||
5 | 5 | "Save the Cat" | |||
13 | "Heart" (Part 2) | ||||
Awards and nominations
Year | Organization | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Center for Cartoon Studies / Slate | Cartoonist Studio Prize | Best Web Comic of the Year | Nimona | Won | [10] |
2015 | SFWA | Nebula Award | Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy | Nimona | Nominated | [20] |
2015 | San Diego Comic-Con | Eisner Award | Best New Series | Lumberjanes | Won (with Shannon Waters, Grace Ellis, and Brooklyn A. Allen) |
[21] |
2015 | San Diego Comic-Con | Eisner Award | Best Publication for Teens | Lumberjanes | Won (with Shannon Waters, Grace Ellis, and Brooklyn A. Allen) |
[21] |
2015 | San Diego Comic-Con | Eisner Award | Best Digital/Webcomic | Nimona | Nominated | [22] |
2015 | National Book Foundation | National Book Award | Young People's Literature | Nimona | Finalist | [23] |
2016 | Harvey Awards Executive Committee | Harvey Award | Best Original Graphic Publication for Young Readers | Lumberjanes | Won (with Shannon Waters and Grace Ellis) |
[24] |
2016 | GLAAD | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Comic Book | Lumberjanes | Won (with Shannon Waters and Kat Leyh) |
[25] |
2016 | San Diego Comic-Con | Eisner Award | Best Graphic Album: Reprint | Nimona | Won | [21] |
References
- Noelle Stevenson [@Gingerhazing] (December 31, 2018). "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
- Molly Ostertag [@MollyOstertag] (December 31, 2018). "Happy 27th birthday to my fiancée @Gingerhazing, who is my very favorite person!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
- "Columbia native Noelle Stevenson shares experience of swift rise in comics field - ColaDaily.com - You need the news, not the paper". May 5, 2015.
- "She Changed Comics: Modern Age and Manga | Comic Book Legal Defense Fund". cbldf.org. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- Cavna, Michael; Cavna, Michael (October 15, 2015). "From idea born at MICA, Noelle Stevenson is the youngest 2015 National Book Award finalist". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- Moen, Matt (August 5, 2020). "In Conversation: Rebecca Sugar and Noelle Stevenson". Paper Magazine. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- Woerner, Meredith (June 28, 2011). "Hipster Lord of the Rings, where the Nazgul ride fixies!". Io9.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- Art, Maryland Institute College of. "Noelle Stevenson | MICA". www.mica.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- Wheeler, Andrew (July 11, 2015). "2015 Eisner Award Winners: Was This The Best Ever Year for the Eisners? (Hint: We Won An Award)". ComicsAlliance.
- "Announcing the Winners of the Cartoonist Studio Prize". Slate. March 1, 2013. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- "Noelle Stevenson Makes Hers Marvel with Thor Annual". Marvel.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- Schedeen, Jesse (November 11, 2014). "CM Punk and Noelle Stevenson to Write Thor Comics in 2015". IGN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- Maggs, Sam (February 27, 2015). "SOMEONE HOLD ME: Lumberjanes' Noelle Stevenson Is Reviving Runaways for Marvel". TheMarySue.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- Kahn, Juliet (September 3, 2014). "An Interview With The Creators of 'Lumberjanes'". Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- "'She-Ra' Scores Netflix Reboot Through DreamWorks Animation". December 12, 2017.
- Holub, Christian (March 17, 2020). "Exclusive: She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson reveals season 5 will be its last". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- Burt, Stephanie. "How Noelle Stevenson Drew Her Life in Comics". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- Molly Ostertag [@MollyOstertag] (September 23, 2019). "Thank you @mynameiskeely for officiating our wedding and surprising us with a mini D&D session, truly it was perfect" (Tweet). Retrieved September 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
- Stevenson, Noelle. "my first time celebrating #NonBinaryDay! I am nonbinary, or something like it, and I use any pronouns!". Twitter. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- "Noelle Stevenson - The Nebula Awards". The Nebula Awards. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- "2010-Present". Comic-Con International: San Diego. December 2, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- "2015 Eisner Award Nominations Announced". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- "Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson, 2015 National Book Award Finalist, Young People's Literature". www.nationalbook.org. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- "2016 Harvey Award Winners Announced". Comicbook.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ":ist of Award Recipients: 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles The Beverly Hilton, April 2, 2016". GLAAD. April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2017.