G. Willow Wilson

Gwendolyn Willow Wilson (born August 31, 1982), known professionally as G. Willow Wilson, is an American comics writer, prose author, essayist, and journalist. Her first graphic novel, Cairo (published by Vertigo in 2007), was written after living for a time in Egypt, and was listed as a top graphic novel for teens. She is well known for relaunching the Ms. Marvel title for Marvel Comics starring a 16-year-old Muslim superhero named Kamala Khan.

G. Willow Wilson
G. Willow Wilson in 2020
BornGwendolyn Willow Wilson
(1982-08-31) August 31, 1982
New Jersey, United States
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, Artist
Notable works
Cairo, Air, Alif the Unseen, Ms. Marvel
AwardsHugo Award, World Fantasy Award
gwillowwilson.com

Early life

Wilson was born on August 31, 1982 in Morris County, New Jersey, and spent the first ten years of her life there.[1] Her parents were atheists and Wilson was not raised in a religious household. Wilson first encountered comics when she read an anti-smoking pamphlet featuring the X-Men in the fifth grade. The characters fascinated her and she began watching the cartoon X-Men every Saturday.[2] Two years later she and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado, where Wilson continued to pursue her interest in comics and other forms of popular culture such as tabletop role-playing games.

Conversion to Islam

Later in her life, Wilson attended Boston University to pursue a degree in history. During her sophomore year, Wilson began experiencing adrenal problems and the associated discomfort resulted in her studying a number of religions, including Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Wilson first considered converting to Judaism because she admired the idea of "the indivisible God who is one and whole", but "it was created for a single tribe of people." (This is taken from her memoir of her time in Egypt Butterfly Mosque) See also [3]) After studying Judaism she focused on Islam, which appealed to her because "to become a Muslim is sort of a deal between you and God."[4] The 9/11 terrorist attack set back her religious studies – fearing she had misjudged the religion – but she later resumed her studies.[2]

In 2003, shortly before her graduation, Wilson agreed to teach English in Cairo. During the plane journey, Wilson converted to Islam; claiming she "made peace with God. I called him Allah." According to Butterfly Mosque, upon arrival in Cairo, Wilson secretly practiced Islam but after becoming engaged to an Egyptian she practised it more openly. She and her roommate resided in Tura, a district in Cairo, Egypt, and they initially had a difficult time purchasing food in their new environment. The pair soon met a physics teacher named Omar who offered to show them around and act as a cultural guide. Months later, Wilson and Omar became engaged.[4] Later, the couple moved to the United States with Wilson returning to her writing career, and Omar becoming a legal advocate for refugees.[5]

Career

Wilson's writing career began from her work as a freelance music critic for DigBoston.[6] After moving to Cairo, she contributed articles to the Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, and the National Post.[7] 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.[8] 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.[6]

Her first graphic novel, Cairo, with art by M.K. Perker, was published by Vertigo in 2007,[7] and named one of the best graphic novels of 2007 by Publishers Weekly, The Edmonton Journal/CanWest News, and Comics Worth Reading.[9] 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.[10]

Her first ongoing comic series, Air, launched by Vertigo in 2008[11][12] reunited her with Perker, and was nominated for an Eisner Award for 'Best New Series' of 2009.[13] NPR named Air one of the top comics of 2009,[14] and it also received acclaim from the Fairfield Weekly, Comic Book Resources,[15] Marie Claire,[16] and Library Journal.[17] 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,[18][19][20] and The Outsiders.

Wilson then wrote Mystic (2011), 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.[21][22][23]

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.

In November 2018, Wilson began writing Wonder Woman from DC Comics. The character battles Ares in an arc entitled "The Just War."[24]

Her March 2019 novel, The Bird King,[25] tells the story of Fatima, a concubine in the royal court of Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker. Hassan has a secret: he can draw maps of places he’s never seen and bend the shape of reality.

In 2020, she is writing The Dreaming from DC Comics, with art by Nick Robles and starting with issue #19.[26] The series is part of The Sandman Universe.

Creating Kamala Khan

Wilson had already had a few forays into the comic book industry, having worked on titles such as Superman and Vixen previously.[27][28] She received an email for an interview with David Gabriel, a senior vice-president at Marvel Entertainment.[29] By that point Wilson was almost finished with her second novel, but she took the time to speak with him. Shortly thereafter she was offered to co-create a new version of Ms. Marvel named Kamala Khan alongside Sana Amanat, a director and editor at Marvel Entertainment. The process of crafting Kamala was detailed, both artists wished to create a teenage Muslim American girl. Before settling on her Pakistani heritage the two debated the idea of making her a Somali American girl.[30] While creating Kamala as a character the duo expected negativity, not just from people who were anti-Muslim, but also from Muslims who believed Kamala should be portrayed in a certain way.[31] The crafting also focused on smaller details, Wilson did not believe Kamala should have worn a hijab due to a majority of teenage Muslim American girls not wearing them.[30] Despite their initial fears, Kamala was received positively. Some sources described her as easy to relate to, even likening her to a modern day Peter Parker.[32][33] Others even viewed Kamala as a symbol for equality and representation among different religions.[34]

Authenticity and realism

In 2017 Marvel's Vice President of Print and Sales participated in an interview with online magazine ICv2 where he suggested that Marvel's sales were being hurt by the presence of diversity and female characters.[35] Following this, Wilson pushed back against the sentiment with her own perspective on the success and failure of "diverse" characters. She argued that the driving force behind Ms. Marvel's success was "authenticity and realism" instead of diversity; she proposed that diversity was not inherently additive to stories because it is not creating a new world but simply representative of the existing world, and that "diverse" properties that were successful were successful because of their "particularity" and "strong sense of place." Wilson cited Luke Cage, Black Panther, and Batgirl as additional examples.[36] Wilson later expanded on her vision of authenticity and realism by acknowledging the perspective that "photo-op diversity" did not actually address any institutional problems. As such, she claimed that "stories that focus on authenticity and specific experiences can be very successful because it’s not about box checking. It’s about reflecting — as closely as you can in pulp fiction — a real lived experience." Wilson stated that stories that can do that successfully tend to succeed with very solid fanbases, while those that don't tend to fail and as such their criticism "inevitably becomes about the diversity issue when the real cause may be diversity done poorly."[37]

Awards

Award wins
  • 2012 – Middle East Book Award—Youth Literature[38] – ALIF
  • 2013 – Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award—Regional Book[39] – ALIF
  • 2013 – World Fantasy Award—Novel[40] – ALIF
  • 2014 – Broken Frontier Awards 2014 – Best Writer, Mainstream[41]
  • 2015 – Hugo Awards – Best Graphic Story – Ms. Marvel[42]
  • 2016 – Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics – Ms. Marvel[43]

Nominations
  • 2009 – Eisner Awards: Best New Series, Air, by G. Willow Wilson and M. K. Perker (Vertigo/DC)[44] (nomination)
  • 2012 – Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize—First Novel[45] (Finalist) – ALIF
  • 2013 – Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction—Fiction[46] (Nominee) – ALIF
  • 2013 – John W. Campbell Memorial Award—Novel[47] (Third Place) – ALIF
  • 2013 – Locus Award—First Novel[48] (Nominee) – ALIF
  • 2015 – Eisner Awards: Best New Series – Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona (Marvel)[49] (nomination)
  • 2015 – Eisner Awards: Best Writer[49] (nomination)
  • 2015 – Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity – Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona (Marvel)[50] (nomination)
  • 2015 – Harvey Awards: Best Writer[51] (nomination)
  • 2015 – Harvey Awards: Best New Series – MS. MARVEL[51] (nomination)
  • 2016 – Eisner Awards: Best Writer[52]

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)

Dark Horse Comics/Berger Books
  • Invisible Kingdom #1–present (with Christian Ward, October 2019-ongoing)

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)
  • Wonder Woman #58-72, 74-81 (with Cary Nord, Alejandro Germánico, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Jesus Marino, 2018-2019)
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 #1-38 (November 2015 – April 2019)
    • Volume 5: Super Famous (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ISBN 0-7851-9611-0) collects:
      • "Super Famous" (with Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, in #1–3, 2015–2016)
      • "Army of One" (with Nico Leon, in #4–6, 2016)
    • Volume 6: Civil War II (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ISBN 0-7851-9612-9) collects:
      • "The Road to War" (with Adrian Alphona, in #7, 2016)
      • "Civil War II" (with Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona, in #8–11, 2016)
      • "The Road to War" (with Mirka Andolfo, in #12, 2016)
    • Volume 7: Damage Per Second (tpb, 136 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-3029-0305-5) collects:
      • "Election Day" (with Mirka Andolfo, in #13, 2016)
      • "Damage Per Second" (with Takeshi Miyazawa, in #14–17, 2017)
      • "Meanwhile in Wakanda" (with Francesco Gaston, in #18, 2017)
  • 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)
  • Generations: Ms. Marvel #1 (with Paolo Villanelli, September 2017) collected in Generations (hc, 328 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-3029-0847-2)

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)
  • The Bird King, (Grove Press, March 2019), ISBN 978-0-8021-2903-1

References
  1. "G. Willow Wilson's New MS. MARVEL – Teen, Muslim, Jersey Girl, Fangirl!". Newsarama. November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  2. Wilson, G. Willow (March 25, 2015). "Islam Sci-fi Interview of G. Willow Wilson (Part I)". Islam and Science Fiction (Interview). Interviewed by Rebecca Hankins. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  3. "The Writer Behind a Muslim Hero". www.newyorker.com. April 29, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  4. Wilson, G. Willow (June 20, 2010). "Beneath the veil". Boston.com (Interview). Interviewed by Ideas. Seattle. Written by Lisa Wangsness. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  5. Wilson, G. Willow (Fall 2010). "Heart and Soul". Bostonia (Interview). Interviewed by Bostonia. Seattle: Boston University (bu.edu). Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  6. "ACRL 2015 keynote speakers announced". American Library Association. September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  7. Newsarama.com
  8. "The Show-Me Sheikh". The Atlantic. November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  9. "Comicsworthreading.com". January 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  10. "2009 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association. 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  11. Newsarama
  12. "G. Willow Wilson talks "Air"". Comic Book Resources. July 7, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  13. "2009 Eisner Award Nominees Named". Newsarama.com. April 7, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  14. Glen Weldon (December 30, 2009). "2009: The Comics That Clung : Monkey See". NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  15. "Best 100 Comics of 2008: Master List". Comic Book Resources. January 4, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  16. Sturtz, Rachel (September 8, 2009). "Air by G. Willow Wilson – Graphic Novel Air Review". Marieclaire.com. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  17. "Libraryjournal.com". November 15, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  18. "VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #1". DC Comics. October 1, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  19. "Talking to G. Willow Wilson – Air, Vixen and More". Newsarama.com. August 21, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
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  21. "Wfc2013.org". Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
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  24. "A New Wonder Woman Wonders Whether War is Ever Worth It". Vogue. November 26, 2018.
  25. The Bird King | Grove Atlantic.
  26. "NYCC '19: G. Willow Wilson and Nick Robles take over THE DREAMING". The Beat. October 5, 2019.
  27. "Wilson Gets Grounded on "Superman" #704". CBR. October 19, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  28. "GCD :: Issue :: Vixen: Return of the Lion #1". www.comics.org. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  29. Tolentino, Jia (April 29, 2017). "The Writer Behind a Muslim Marvel Superhero on Her Faith in Comics". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  30. Wilson, G. Willow (November 14, 2016). "Interview: G. Willow Wilson on Ms. Marvel and the Muslim-American Experience". Comics Bulletin (Interview). Interviewed by Ardo Omer. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  31. Gustines, George Gene (November 5, 2013). "Marvel Comics Introducing a Muslim Girl Superhero". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  32. Berlatsky, Noah (March 20, 2014). "What Makes the Muslim Ms. Marvel Awesome: She's Just Like Everyone". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  33. Schedeen, Jesse (November 21, 2014). "Between the Panels: Why Ms. Marvel Is the New Spider-Man". IGN. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  34. "This Muslim-American superhero has become a real-world protest icon". Vox. February 2, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  35. Gabriel, David (March 30, 2017). "Marvel's David Gabriel on the 2016 Market Shift". icv2.com (Interview). Interviewed by ICv2. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  36. "So About That Whole Thing". G. Willow Wilson. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  37. Frequency, Feminist (May 26, 2017). "FREQ #15: G. Willow Wilson: Diversity is Realism". Medium. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
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  39. "2013 Pacific Northwest Book Awards Announced". Nwbooklovers.org. January 7, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  40. "World Fantasy Awards – Complete Listing". Worldfantasy.org. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  41. Hautain, Frederik (December 22, 2014). "Broken Frontier Awards 2014: Announcing the Winners, Women and Image Dominate – Broken Frontier". Brokenfrontier.com. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  42. Colin Dwyer (August 23, 2015). "Hugo Awards: Amid A Hubbub At The Hugos, 'Puppies' See Little Success : The Two-Way". NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  43. "EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: G. Willow Wilson accepts the second annual Dwayne McDuffie Diversity in Comics Award for MS. MARVEL". Comicsbeat.com (Video). February 21, 2016.
  44. "2009 Eisner Award Nominees Announced". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  45. "The Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize". Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  46. "BAILEYS Women's Prize for Fiction » WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION ANNOUNCES 2013 LONGLIST". Womensprizeforfiction.co.uk. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  47. "John W. Campbell Memorial Award 2013". sfadb. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  48. "Locus Online News » 2013 Locus Awards Finalists". Locusmag.com. May 8, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
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  50. "'Ms. Marvel,' 'Shaft' among Dwayne McDuffie Diversity Award finalists | Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture – Los Angeles Times". Herocomplex.latimes.com. February 18, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  51. "2015 Harvey Awards Nominees Announced". Comic Book Resources. July 14, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  52. "2016 Eisner Award Nominees". Comic-con.org. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016.
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