A short life of the author
Mariko Tamaki (born 1975) is a Canadian writer whose graphic novels, written in collaboration with her cousin Jillian Tamaki, have set the standard for young adult graphic fiction. She has also written YA prose novels and comics for both Marvel and DC, demonstrating a range that moves fluidly between literary graphic novels and mainstream superhero comics.
Life and Career
Tamaki grew up in Toronto and has worked as a writer, performer, and queer activist. Her early work included prose and spoken-word performance before she turned to graphic novels.
Skim (2008, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki) was their first collaboration — a graphic novel about a Japanese-Canadian goth teenager at a Catholic girls’ school dealing with first love and identity. The book was a Governor General’s Literary Award nominee and a critical favorite.
This One Summer (2014, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki) was their breakthrough — a coming-of-age story that won a Caldecott Honor and Printz Honor simultaneously. Tamaki’s writing achieved a remarkable feat: it conveyed the emotional turmoil of early adolescence through dialogue and narrative pacing that felt utterly natural while being carefully constructed.
Her solo YA novel Saving Montgomery Sole (2016) followed a queer teenager obsessed with the paranormal. She has written runs on She-Hulk, X-23, and other Marvel titles, as well as DC’s Supergirl: Being Super and a run on Detective Comics — bringing her literary sensibility to superhero comics.
Roaming (2023, with Jillian Tamaki) was their return to graphic novel collaboration — a story about three friends navigating New York City and their shifting relationships.
Key Works
- Skim (2008)
- This One Summer (2014)
- Roaming (2023)
Collecting Tamaki
This One Summer first edition (First Second, 2014) is the most collected title. Her Marvel and DC work is collected in standard comic-industry formats. Skim first edition (Groundwood, 2008) is also sought-after. The Tamaki cousins’ collaborations are increasingly recognized as among the most important graphic novels of the 2000s and 2010s.