Jon J Muth | |
|---|---|
Muth in 2018 | |
| Born | July 28, 1960 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Occupations | Artist, illustrator |
| Awards | Eisner Award, 1995 Society of Illustrators Gold Medal, 1999 Caldecott Honor, 2006 |
Jon J Muth (/mjuːθ/; born July 28, 1960) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books as well as graphic novels and comic books.
Muth studied stone sculpture and shodō (書道; 'brush calligraphy') in Japan; and studied painting, printmaking, and drawing in England, Austria, and Germany.
In the comics industry, his works include J. M. DeMatteis' graphic novel Moonshadow, Grant Morrison's The Mystery Play, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: The Wake with Michael Zulli and Charles Vess, Mike Carey's Lucifer: Nirvana and Swamp Thing: Roots. He worked with writers Walt and Louise Simonson and co-artist Kent Williams on Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown in 1988. That series was a result of Williams and Muth's desire to work on a project together. Muth received an Eisner Award in the category "Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art)" in 1995 for his work on The Mystery Play.
In addition, Muth has had an award-winning career as a children's book writer and illustrator. He explained that "a sense of joy is what moved me from comics to picture books. My work in children's books grew out of a desire to explore what I was feeling as a new father". He received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1999 for his illustrations in Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse. Muth created a version of the stone soup fable set in China and illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game. In 2005, Muth collaborated with author Caroline Kennedy on A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children.
Muth has authored and illustrated a number of books for a variety of publishing houses.
Theater adaptation
T.V. adaptations
| Award | Year | Category | Media | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eisner Awards | 2020 | Best Adaptation from Another Medium | The Seventh Voyage | Nominated | |
| Eisner Awards | 2020 | Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books | Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition | Nominated | |
| The Broken Frontier Awards | 2019 | Best Collection of Classical Material | Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition | ||
| Beehive Book Awards | 2016 | Poetry Division | Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons | Won | |
| A Junior Library Guild Selection | 2015 | Zen Socks | Won | ||
| A Junior Library Guild Selection | 2010 | City Dog, Country Frog | Won | ||
| Ohioana Awards | 2010 | The Hamilton County Committee Program; In Honor of Hamilton County Authors and Composers | A Christmas Magic | ||
| Ohioana Awards | 2010 | The Hamilton County Committee Program; In Honor of Hamilton County Authors and Composers | Stonecutter | ||
| The Children's Choice Book Awards | 2009 | Illustrator of the Year | Zen Ties | Won | |
| The Francis and Wesley Bock Book Awards | 2009 | Newmann University | Zen Ties | Won | |
| The Children's Choice Book Awards | 2009 | Children's Book Council | Zen Ties | Won | |
| The Children's Picture Book Awards | 2008 | The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association | Zen Ties | Won | |
| Caldecott Honor | 2006 | The Association for Library Service to Children | Zen Shorts | Won | |
| Book Sense Book of the Year | 2006 | American Booksellers Association | Zen Shorts | Won | |
| Children's Picture Book Awards | 2005 | The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association | Zen Shorts | Won | |
| Children's Media Honor | 2002 | Achievement in Picture Books | The Three Questions | Won | |
| The National Children's Publication Awards | 2002 | HONORS Award | The Three Questions | Won | |
| The Sydney Taylor Book Awards | 2000 | The Association of Jewish Libraries | Gershon's Monster: A Story for the Jewish New Year | Won | |
| Gold Medal | 1999 | The Society of Illustrators Awards | Come On, Rain | Won | |
| The Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards | 1995 | Best Painter | The Mystery Play | Won | |
| The Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards | 1993 | Best Graphic Album | The Mythology of an Abandoned City | Nominated |
| Award | Year | Category | Media | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | 2021 | Best TV/Media-Preschool | Stillwater (Apple TV+ Television Series) | Nominated | |
| Emmy Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Preschool Children's Animated Series
Outstanding Writing Team Outstanding Directing Team |
Stillwater (Apple TV+ Television Series) | Nominated | |
| The Peabody Awards | 2021 | Children's and Youth | Stillwater (Apple TV+ Television Series) | Won | |
| Annie Awards | 2022 | Best TV/Media-Preschool | Stillwater (Apple TV+ Television Series) | Nominated | |
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Directing Team for Preschool Animated Program
Outstanding Editing |
Stillwater (Apple TV+ Television Series) | Won |
Writer Grant Morrison and painter Jon J Muth explored murder and metaphysics in The Mystery Play (1994).
The 1988 four-parter Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown came about because Williams wanted to work with Jon J. Muth, and they developed the story with the writers. Williams worked on the Wolverine art while Muth did the Havoc art.
In 2005 Muth was asked by Caroline Kennedy to illustrate an anthology of poems. Their book, A Family Of Poems, went on to be a national bestseller. They did three collaborations celebrating poetry and language including 2013's Poems To Learn By Heart.