By Mishelle Kennady, Frankie Harnett and Chloë Marshall
The comics industry recently held their annual award ceremony for the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, often shortened to Eisner Awards. The name is taken from respected industry pioneer, Will Eisner, who is known for The Spirit and A Contract with God, with the latter heralded as one of the most important early examples of the medium and credited with promoting the term “graphic novel.” The highly anticipated gala ceremony of the Eisner Awards has taken place at the San Diego Comic-Con every year since 1991. This year a variety of publishers won and no single comic dominated the scene for critical acclaim. However, three significant categories were awarded to Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki. The graphic novel won for best new graphic album, best writer, and best penciller/inker. Roaming marks the third collaboration for cousins Jillian and Mariko, who are no strangers to garnering accolades for their joint works.
Before winning three awards at the 2024 Eisner Awards for their latest graphic novel Roaming, the cousins had long established themselves in the industry with well-received individual and collaborative works. Born in Toronto, Mariko has authored several young adult novels, including (You) Set Me on Fire and Saving Montgomery Sole. She has also long been involved in the comic scene, writing for international superhero comics like DC Comics, Dark Horse and Marvel. The other side of their comics duo is Jillian, who has worked as an established cartoonist and illustrator for years. Their other collaborations are the graphic novels Skim (2008) and This One Summer (2014).
Their debut collaboration Skim was an overwhelming success, winning awards in four categories in the 2009 Eisner Awards, as well as Best Book in the 2009 Doug Wright Awards. Controversy followed when it ran as a finalist for the 2008 Governor General's Award for children's literature, as only Mariko, who authored the novel, was nominated, diminishing Jillian’s role in the production of the graphic novel. The comics community rose in support, with Canadian comic writers Seth and Chester Brown circulating a letter that called for a revision of the nominations. Despite the support of the community, the demonstration was unsuccessful and Jillian was not acknowledged.
However it was their 2014 graphic novel, This One Summer, that elicited the most debate. Many applauded the novel’s commentary on young lives and relationships, and it won numerous awards including the 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel, the Prinitz Honour, the Caldecott Honor and the Eisner Awards in 2015. Unfortunately it came under heavy criticism from parents, who complained that the themes were too mature for their children. By 2016, several libraries banned the publication in Henning, Minnesota and Florida.
Roaming follows three Canadian students on a spring break trip to New York. An unexpected romance threatens a long-term friendship and as emotions run high things start to unravel. If you’re not sick of hearing about “coming-of-age narratives,” Roaming leans heavily into this irresistible category, with all the messiness, spontaneity and tentative freedom of a first trip to the big city. The duo manage to capture the delicacy of “a spontaneous queer romance in all of its fledgling glory,” through a tender, tangible and fleeting snapshot of youthful excitement. Roaming’s crisp, clean illustrations and cool pastels offset the bustling chaos of New York City, and Jillian Tamaki’s tasteful visuals hint at the nuance which underscores her cousin Mariko’s writing style. The careful dialogue relays everything left unsaid in its economical restraint, leaving ample space on the page for a beautifully rendered urban landscape.
The Tamaki cousins couldn’t have found a more prestigious publisher for their work. Founded in 1990 in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montreal, Drawn and Quarterly has been a North American staple of comic book publishing for over three decades. From its origins as a magazine, Drawn and Quarterly’s high production values, editorial integrity and artistic autonomy have earned it international recognition and national adoration. As Canada's primary publisher of comics, graphic novels and comic strip collections, it’s unsurprising that their dedication to the artists they represent has produced names such as Adrian Tomine, Lynda Barry, Nick Drnaso and Kate Beaton.
At the end of Roaming, the duo include a short acknowledgement, thanking any friends that have gone to New York and had fun with them. Stepping away from the harsher realities of their previous two graphic novels, Roaming embraces the dizzying freedom of young women exploring a big city for the first time and all the messiness that accompanies this. For Jillian, the novel is also an ode to her life in New York, leaning into the nostalgia of exploring without social media and smartphones. It is these universal experiences that have made it beloved. We’re all eager to see what these cousins come up with next.
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