“Hill’s black and white illustrations, full of clean, bold lines, fill the tale with a sense of drama and action, even when the characters are reading silently…” — Publishers Weekly

Jonathan Hill is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and educator living in Portland, OR. He graduated in 2003 as valedictorian of the Savannah College of Art & Design with a degree in Sequential Art. Some of his clients include Microsoft, the Portland Trailblazers, the Viet Nam Literature Project, the Inlander, Fantagraphics Books, Dark Horse Comics, Tor.com, The Believer Magazine, Literary Arts, and Powell’s City of Books. He’s been the staff illustrator to The Asian Reporter since 2007.

His books have been published by First Second, Oni Press, and is currently working on books for Walker Books US. His books have been featured at ABC New Voices, YALSA and JLG selections, and won awards – Americus won the 2012 Carla Cohen Free Speech Award and Odessa won the 2021 Believer Book Award for Graphic Literature.

He was an associate professor in the Illustration Department at the Pacific Northwest College of Art from 2014-2021, building the comics curriculum from the ground up, taught comics and illustration classes for youth programs at the Oregon College of Art and Craft from 2010-2018, and was Writer in Residence through Literary Arts’ Writers in the Schools program from 2012-2016. He currently serves as vice-chair on the Board of Directors of Literary Arts and is a 2025 We Need Diverse Books Illustration Mentor.

Jonathan has also presented and taught workshops for the Washington School for the Deaf, the Oregon Association of School Librarians, The Portland Art Museum, Portland Public Schools, the Los Angeles Public Library, and was guest faculty at Tin House’s 2020 Summer Workshop, and The Believer’s Comics Workshops.

Jonathan's Featured Titles

Lizard Boy 2: The Most Perfect Summer Ever

Walker Books |
Graphic Novel

Book two in this acclaimed graphic series explores intolerance through a relatable—and empowering—cast of middle-grade cryptids, immigrants, and outsiders.

In human disguise, the Lizk’t family of Elberon is now comfortably settled in Eagle Valley as the all-American Tomkins family. While his older sister is madly in love with her job and her perfect human boyfriend, Tommy Tomkins has new friends who understand what it means to be an outsider, especially Dung, whose family immigrated to America. When they find a treehouse in the woods, it seems like the perfect space where they can all be themselves—whether a Sasquatch, a girl made of snakes, or a robot from the future. And when they learn that Dung’s family will soon return to Vietnam, the friends vow to have the Most Perfect Summer Ever in his honor. But when Tommy’s face, the real one, turns up in an episode of Eagle Valley Paranormal, the hidden truth threatens to emerge, and a not-so-perfect Eagle Valley summer becomes a chance for a lizard boy to shine. Jonathan Hill’s graphic series captures the nuances of middle-grade life with energy, insight, and ample comic relief, proving that a united front—and sharing origin stories to keep the past alive—are a timeless antidote to intolerance.

Tales Of A Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy

Walker Books |
Graphic Novel

Drawing on the experiences of his Vietnamese American family and his love of ’80s sci-fi shows, Jonathan Hill crafts a funny, insightful graphic novel about the immigrant experience and the perils of middle school.

Threatened with diminishing resources, Booger Lizk’t and his family flee their lizard community deep below Earth’s crust to survive above among humans. The Lizk’t family of Elberon now passes as the Tomkins family of Eagle Valley. “Tommy Tomkins” wears a human face to school but can’t seem to fit in no matter how he looks. The basketball team becomes a pipe dream when bullies label him a bug eater, and only Dung Tran, an immigrant from Vietnam and fellow outsider, sees Tommy for who he is inside, which is nothing like the outer-space lizard invaders on TV’s hottest series. Can their friendship survive the truth? In his first solo middle-grade book, award-winning creator Jonathan Hill perfectly captures the sometimes dystopian drama of middle school while reminding readers of the universal need for belonging.

Odessa

Oni Press |
Graphic Novel

2020 Believer Book Award for Graphic Narrative

“It’s dark and gritty, yet there are moments of kindness and strength that will keep you thinking about these characters long after you’ve finished the book.” — Dav Pilkey, author of the Dog Man series

Three siblings search for their missing mother across a ruined America in this original graphic novel debut from author & artist, Jonathan Hill.

Eight years ago an earthquake—the Big One—hit along the Cascadia fault line, toppling cities and changing landscapes all up and down the west coast of the United States. Life as we know it changed forever. But for Vietnamese-American Virginia Crane, life changed shortly after the earthquake, when her mother left and never came back.

Ginny has gotten used to a life without her mother, helping her father take care of her two younger brothers, Wes and Harry. But when a mysterious package arrives for her eighteenth birthday, her life is shaken up yet again. For the first time, Ginny wants something more than to survive. And it might be a selfish desire, but she’s determined to find out what happened to her mother—even if it means leaving her family behind.

Science Comics Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate

First Second |
Graphic Novel

Furious floods, looming landslides, terrifying tornadoes, ferocious forest fires! Is Mother Nature trying to tell us something?

As “snowpocalypse” descends once again, one temperamental weatherman is determined to set the record straight on the myths and misconceptions surrounding the elements. What is the difference between weather and climate? How do weather satellites predict the future? Can someone outrun a tornado? Does the rotation of the Earth affect wind currents? And does meteorology have anything to do with meteors? Stormin’ Norman Weatherby is gearing up to answer all your wildest questions!

Get ready to explore the depths of the ocean, the farthest reaches of space, and everything in between! These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you’re a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, Science Comics is for you!

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My Process For Making Comics

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The Power of Encouragement | Where Comics Have Taken Me

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How to Incorporate Comics Into Your Curriculum

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Why Drawing is for Everyone (YES! Even you!)

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Personal Identity | My relationship with being Asian American

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The Creative Process and How Making Mistakes is Really Important

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Journal Comics: Using Comics As a Way To Document Your Life

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The Craft of Comics & Graphic Novels

Pacing & Rhythm: How Time Works in Comics
Drawing & Design in Two-Colors

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Diversity in Media | Why it's important & its impact

Jonathan Hill’s Illustrations

Jonathan Hill’s Comics

Jonathan Hill’s Original Art

Honors, Awards & Recognition

2024-2025 Oregon Battle of the Books “Starter List” Title
2024 Texas Mavericks Reading List Starred Title
2023 Eleanor Cameron Notable List Title
2022 Oregon Spirit Award Honor Book
Junior Library Guild Selection 2022
2022 ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List
Winner of the 2022 Louis J. Battan Authors’ Award, K-12
Winner, 2012 Carla Cohen Free Speech Award
Winner, 2021 Believer Book Award for Graphic Literature
Shortlisted, 2022 PNBA Book Awards

Media clips

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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