SelfMadeHero

SelfMadeHero is an independent publishing house which specialises in adapting works of literature, as well as producing ground-breaking original fiction in the graphic novel medium.

For the French film, see A Self-Made Hero.

SelfMadeHero
Parent companyMetro Media Ltd
Founded2007
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters locationLondon
DistributionAbrams Books (US)
Canadian Manda Group (Canada)
Abrams & Chronicle Books (UK)
Thames & Hudson (Australia)[1]
Key peopleEmma Hayley
Fiction genresGraphic novels
ImprintsManga Shakespeare
Eye Classics
Crime Classics
Graphic Biography
Official websitewww.selfmadehero.com

SelfMadeHero's books are distributed in the UK by Abrams & Chronicle Books and in the U.S. by Abrams Books.

History

SelfMadeHero was founded in February 2007 by Emma Hayley, and launched with two lines: Manga Shakespeare,[2][3] featuring works based on the Bard but with different settings – mainly Japan in the past and future, and Eye Classics, which are adaptations of great classic works, such as those of Poe and Kafka.

In 2008 Emma Hayley was named UK Young Publishing Entrepreneur of the Year as part of the British Book Awards.

In 2009 SelfMadeHero expanded to include graphic adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, including Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet, and later several works by H.P. Lovecraft, including the anthology LOVECRAFT by I.N.J. Culbard. It also began publishing the Graphic Biography series with Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness, which has further expanded to tell the fascinating life stories of era-defining pop-culture icons such as Hunter S. Thompson and Nick Cave.

Since 2010 SelfMadeHero has been publishing original material, notably Glyn Dillon's The Nao of Brown, The Motherless Oven trilogy by Rob Davis. In 2011 the company received the Kitschies Black Tentacle award.[4]

Graphic Anthology Programme (GAP) and Catalyst

With support from Arts Council England SelfMadeHero launched the Graphic Anthology Programme (GAP) in February 2021.[5] The GAP was a free, public programme that eventually selected 7 applicants for “an intensive 12 weeks of comics mentoring and masterclasses.”[6] This resulted in the anthology Catalyst being published in October 2021, which featured 11 short stories, including the works produced by the 7 chosen GAP participants.[7] The Cartoon Museum also hosted a temporary digital exhibition promoting Catalyst in 2022, titled Catalyst – the Online Exhibition,[8] and Arts Council England also host an online exhibition titled Comics as a catalyst for change.[9]

As well as its central theme of "catalyst", the GAP and the published anthology have both received recognition and praise for the diversity of the creators involved.[10]

2023 First Graphic Novel Award

In June 2023, entries opened for the 2023 First Graphic Novel Award.[11] The award was originally founded by Myriad Editions in 2012, and is now described as :

[...]a partnership between the Cartoon Museum, the publisher SelfMadeHero, and independent graphic novel editor Corinne Pearlman, former Creative Director at Myriad Editions, with thanks to generous support from the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and The bks Agency, sponsors of the £500 prize for the winning entry.[12]

Entries are set to close in September 2023, with the winner to be announced in December. Among the judges is SelfMadeHero founder Emma Hayley. SelfMadeHero are also offering a publishing contract as one of the two prizes awarded to the winning author or team, the other being the £500 bursary donated by The bks Agency.[13]

Bibliography

Manga Shakespeare

The adaptations of Shakespeare's plays were made by Richard Appignanesi (who previously worked on Icon Books' Introducing... series), with the art created by UK-based manga artists who came to prominence via Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga (United Kingdom & Ireland) competition, their work for Sweatdrop Studios or London manga collective Umisen Yamisen.

Of SelfMadeHero's two initial lines, it was Manga Shakespeare and its first two titles (Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, which were published simultaneously in January 2007) that contributed most to establishing the company.[14][15] This foundation later allowed SelfMadeHero to branch out into other genres and lines.

Title Artist Released ISBN Ref
Hamlet Emma Vieceli February 2007 ISBN 978-0-9552856-1-5 [2][3]
Romeo and Juliet Sonia Leong ISBN 978-0-9552856-0-8
The Tempest Paul Duffield September 2007 ISBN 978-0-9552856-0-8
Richard III Patrick Warren ISBN 978-0-9552856-3-9
A Midsummer Night's Dream Kate Brown February 2008 ISBN 978-0-9552856-4-6
Julius Caesar Mustashrik June 2008 ISBN 978-0-9552856-5-3
Macbeth Robert Deas ISBN 978-0-9552856-6-0
As You Like It Chie Kutsuwada January 2009 ISBN 978-0-9558169-0-1
Othello Ryuta Osada ISBN 978-0-9558169-5-6
Henry VIII Patrick Warren May 2009 ISBN 978-1-906838-02-7
King Lear ILYA ISBN 978-0-9558169-7-0
Much Ado About Nothing Emma Vieceli ISBN 978-0-9558169-6-3
The Merchant of Venice Faye Yong September 2009 ISBN 978-0-9558169-1-8
Twelfth Night Nana Li ISBN 978-0-9558169-9-4

Eye Classics

The creators are drawn from a British comic background (in particular Nevermore) but also include screenwriters and more traditional artists.

Title Author Adaptation Artist Released ISBN Ref
Nevermore (anthology) Edgar Allan Poe various October 2007 ISBN 978-0-9552856-8-4 [16]
The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov Andrzej Klimowski Danusia Schejbal May 2008 ISBN 978-0-9552856-7-7
The Trial Franz Kafka David Zane Mairowitz Chantal Montellier March 2008 ISBN 978-0-9552856-9-1
The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde Ian Edginton I. N. J. Culbard September 2008 ISBN 978-0-9558169-3-2
At the Mountains of Madness H. P. Lovecraft I. N. J. Culbard October 2010 ISBN 978-1-906838-12-6
The Castle Franz Kafka David Zane Mairowitz, Jaromir99 November 2013 ISBN 978-1-906838-67-6
The Shadow Out of Time H. P. Lovecraft I. N. J. Culbard ISBN 978-1906838683
The Man Who Laughs Victor Hugo David Hine Mark Stafford ISBN 978-1-906838-58-4

Crime Classics

The Crime Classics line began with a set of four adaptations of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories, adapted by Ian Edginton, with art by I. N. J. Culbard:

Title Author Artist Released ISBN Ref
The Hound of the Baskervilles Ian Edginton I. N. J. Culbard May 2009 ISBN 978-0-9558169-7-0
A Study in Scarlet ISBN 978-0-9558169-6-3 [17]
The Sign of the Four September 2009 ISBN 978-0-9558169-1-8
The Valley of Fear ISBN 978-0-9558169-9-4

Rachel Cooke reviewed A Study in Scarlet for The Observer and concluded:

Culbard and Edginton are adept at concision, leaving out nothing that is crucial and excising much that isn't. I relished every page and thought how this book would be the perfect primer for any child whose parents feel them to be just on the cusp of potential Holmes worship.[17]

Graphic Biography
Title Author Artist Released ISBN Ref
Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness Reinhard Kleist October 2009 ISBN 0-8109-8463-6 [18]
Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter S. Thompson Will Bingley Antony Hope-Smith October 2010 ISBN 978-1906838119 [19]
Kiki de Montparnasse José-Louis Bocquet Catel Muller February 2011 ISBN 978-1906838256 [20]
Baby's in Black: The Story of Astrid Kirchherr & Stuart Sutcliffe Arne Bellstorf March 2011 ISBN 978-1906838263 [21]
Castro Reinhard Kleist July 2011 ISBN 978-1906838324 [22]
Hellraisers Robert Sellers JAKe October 2011 ISBN 978-1906838362 [23]
A Chinese Life Li Kunwu & Philippe Ôtié Li Kunwu July 2012 ISBN 978-1906838553 [24]
The Boxer Reinhard Kleist March 2014 ISBN 978-1906838775 [25]
An Olympic Dream: The Story of Samia Yusuf Omar Reinhard Kleist March 2016 ISBN 978-1910593097 [26]
Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie Anne Martinetti & Guillaume Lebeau Alexandre Franc May 2016 ISBN 978-1910593110 [27]
The Trial of Roger Casement Fionnuala Doran September 2016 ISBN 978-1910593202 [28]
Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie Néjib February 2017 ISBN 978-1910593264 [29]
Nick Cave: Mercy on Me Reinhard Kleist September 2017 ISBN 978-1910593363 [30]
Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani Jérôme Tubiana Alexandre Franc March 2019 ISBN 978-1910593660 [31]
Isadora Julie Birmant Clément Oubrerie September 2019 ISBN 978-1910593691 [32]
Mozart in Paris Frantz Duchazeau September 2019 ISBN 978-1910593721 [33]
Zátopek Jan Novák Jaromír 99 October 2020 ISBN 978-1910593882 [34]
Buñuel: In the Labyrinth of the Turtles Fermín Solís April 2021 ISBN 978-1910593844 [35]
Orwell Pierre Christin Sébastien Verdier May 2021 ISBN 978-1910593875 [36]
Knock Out! Reinhard Kleist July 2021 ISBN 978-1910593868 [37]
Alice Guy: First Lady of Film José-Louis Bocquet Catel Muller July 2022 ISBN 978-1914224034 [38]

Awards and nominations
YearAward CategoryBook Creator(s)Result
2011 Kitschies The Black Tentacle[4] N/A N/A Won
2013Angoulême International Comics Festival Special Jury Prize [39]The Nao of Brown Glyn DillonWon
2015British Comic Awards Best Book [40]The Motherless Oven Rob DavisWon
2016Eisner Award Best Graphic Album [41]Ruins Peter KuperWon
2020Angoulême International Comics Festival SNCF Polar Prize 2020 [42]Tumult John Harris Dunning & Michael KennedyNominated
2020 Excelsior Award Excelsior Award Black[43] Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani Jérôme Tubiana & Alexandre Franc Won

See also

Notes
  1. "SelfMadeHero". Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. Manga Hamlet by The Bard?, BBC Radio Cambs, March 9, 2007
  3. Shakespeare gets comic treatment, BBC, May 11, 2007
  4. "The 2011 Kitschies, presented by The Kraken Rum". 4 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  5. "📢 We're live! GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY PROGRAMME (GAP) Promoting diversity in comics publishing, a free 12-week mentoring programme for budding comic-book artists". 20 February 2021.
  6. "Graphic Anthology Programme". SelfMadeHero. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  7. "Catalyst". SelfMadeHero. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  8. Bruton, Richard (3 March 2022). "'Catalyst': SelfMadeHero's Graphic Anthology Features As An Online Exhibition At The Cartoon Museum". COMICON. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  9. "Comics as a catalyst for change". Arts Council England. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  10. "SelfMadeHero releases anthology by emerging creators of colour". The Bookseller. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  11. "We're proud to have joined amazing publishers @MyriadEditions & @SelfMadeHero to launch the First Graphic Novel Award!". Twitter. 15 June 2023.
  12. "2023 First Graphic Novel Award". First Graphic Novel. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  13. "SelfMadeHero". SelfMadeHero. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  14. "Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet". SelfMadeHero. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  15. "Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet". SelfMadeHero. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  16. Review of Nevermore, The Guardian, November 17, 2007
  17. Cooke, Rachel (28 March 2010). "A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Edginton and INJ Culbard". The Observer. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  18. Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness by Reinhard Kleist, The Guardian, October 24, 2009
  19. "Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter S Thompson, by Will Bingley and Anthony Hope-Smith – review". The Guardian. 22 January 2011. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  20. Picardie, Justine (19 March 2011). "Kiki de Montparnasse by Jose-Luis Bocquet and Catel Muller – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  21. "Arne Bellstorf Illustrates the Young Beatles". Rolling Stone. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  22. Smart, James (24 June 2011). "Castro by Reinhard Kleist – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  23. "Hellraisers: A Graphic Biography, By Robert Sellers and JAKe". The Independent. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  24. A Chinese Life by Li Kunwu & Philippe Ôtié, The Guardian, October 12, 2012
  25. NowReadThis (11 May 2022). "The Boxer – the True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft". Now Read This!. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  26. "Slings & Arrows". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  27. Cooke, Rachel (2 August 2016). "Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie by Anne Martinetti, Guillaume Lebeau and Alexandre Franc – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  28. Page, Eric (21 February 2018). "BOOK REVIEW: The Trial of Roger Casement by Fionnuala Doran". Scene Magazine - From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  29. Cooke, Rachel (31 January 2017). "Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie review – a glam star is born". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  30. Nick Cave: Mercy on Me by Reinhard Kleist, The Guardian, September 21, 2017
  31. "Guantanamo kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani". www.amnesty.org.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  32. Cooke, Rachel (17 September 2019). "Isadora review – glorious art of a dervish". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  33. "Slings & Arrows". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  34. "Slings & Arrows". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  35. "Slings & Arrows". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  36. "The AOI - Orwell – review". The AOI. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  37. "Book review: Knock Out! by Reinhard Kleist". The Graphic Library. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  38. "Slings & Arrows". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  39. "Dillon wins Best Book at Comic Awards". 28 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  40. Alverson, Brigid (14 November 2015). "British Comic Awards announces 2015 winners". CBR. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  41. "John Lewis's 'March', Peter Kuper's 'Ruins' Win Eisner Awards". 23 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  42. "Prix SNCF du Polar 2020". 26 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  43. "Shortlists 2020". www.excelsioraward.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2023.

References
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