Derek Kirk Kim
Kim in 2004
Born1974/1975 (age 49–50)
South Korea
Area(s)Writer, Artist
Notable works
  • Same Difference (2003)
  • The Eternal Smile (2009)
CollaboratorsGene Luen Yang
Awards
derekkirkkim.com

Derek Kirk Kim (born 1974/1975) is a Korean-American comics artist.

Personal life

Derek Kirk Kim was born in South Korea in 1974 or 1975, and moved to the United States at age eight. From Pacifica, California, by 2005 he was living in San Francisco.[1]

Career

Influences

Kim became interested in graphical storytelling as a child in South Korea, reading Astro Boy, Gundam, and Mazinger Z.[2]

In 2005, NPR's Jacki Lyden noted that, like Kim, both main characters in Same Difference are Korean-American, though she felt they did not exhibit any explicitly-Korean attributes; Kim told her that he avoided obvious or stereotypical signifiers of their Asianness, instead grafting similar scenes as he and his Korean-American friends had while growing up.[1] In a 2013 interview by Gene Luen Yang for First Second Books, Kim agreed that, in addition to many of his main characters being Asian-American, he consciously imbued his work with an "Asian American-ness", though was saddened it needed to be conscious: "The default race for a central character shouldn't have to be white."[2]

Works

Reception

In November 2001, Kim was highlighted and praised in The Comics Journal for his serials Same Difference and Half Empty—then hosted on GeoCities.[5] In September 2004, Shaenon K. Garrity reviewed his body of work for The Webcomics Examiner, and heaped praise on the artist, explicitly calling out his "technical precision and emotional expressiveness."[3]

In September 2002, the Xeric Foundation awarded Kim a self-publishing grant for Same Difference and Other Stories.[6] For his publication thereof,[7] Kim received a 2003 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent, a 2004 Eisner Award for Name Deserving of Wider Recognition, and a 2004 Harvey Award for Best New Talent.[1] The third story in 2009's The Eternal Smile, "Urgent Request", earned Kim a 2010 Eisner Award for Best Short Story.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Lyden, Jacki (January 8, 2005). "Graphic Novelist with a Comic Sensibility". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Yang, Gene Luen (December 2, 2013). "Derek Kirk Kim Talks to Gene Luen Yang about about [sic] TUNE". First Second Books. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Garrity, Shaenon (September 13, 2004). Zabel, Joe (ed.). "Two Skills in Tandem-The Work of Derek Kirk Kim". The Webcomics Examiner. Archived from the original on October 11, 2004. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Butcher, Christopher (January 13, 2009). "A little bit about Mainstream Publishing". Comics212. The Beguiling. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Brownstein, Charles (November 2001). "Tape This to Your Cubicle Wall". The Comics Journal. No. 240. pp. 56–57. ISSN 0194-7869.
  6. ^ "Comic Book Self-Publishing Grants". Xeric Foundation. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Licad, Abigail (October 20, 2010). "Story from Graphic Novel 'The Eternal Smile' Wins Eisner Prize". Hyphen. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

Further reading

External links

Categories