Owly
Encyclopedia
Owly is an American children's
graphic novel
series created by Andy Runton
and published by Top Shelf Productions
.
, is about the adventures of a gentle owl
named Owly who resolves to do good and make friends in his world with the help of his good companions, the clever worm
, Wormy, and Scampy, the gluttonous but good hearted chipmunk
. While he faces obstacles in the pursuit of that goal, his faith in the goodness in the world is never disappointed.
.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
series created by Andy Runton
Andy Runton
Andy Runton is the creator of the graphic novel series Owly, first published in 2005 by Top Shelf. Before he worked on Owly he was a graphic designer. His artwork is a reflection of his affection for wildlife. Andy currently resides in Atlanta, GA. In 2005, Runton won the Ignatz Award for Promising...
and published by Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. The company is based in Marietta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon, and New York City, New York....
.
Series overview
The series, which is largely without standard text dialogueDialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
, is about the adventures of a gentle owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
named Owly who resolves to do good and make friends in his world with the help of his good companions, the clever worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
, Wormy, and Scampy, the gluttonous but good hearted chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small striped squirrels native to North America and Asia. They are usually classed either as a single genus with three subgenera, or as three genera.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
. While he faces obstacles in the pursuit of that goal, his faith in the goodness in the world is never disappointed.
Collections
| Vol. | Title | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer | 2004 | ISBN 1-8918-3062-7 |
| 2 | Just A Little Blue | 2005 | ISBN 1-8918-3064-3 |
| 3 | Flying Lessons | 2005 | ISBN 1-8918-3076-7 |
| 4 | A Time to Be Brave | 2007 | ISBN 1-8918-3089-9 |
| 5 | Tiny Tales | 2008 | ISBN 1-6030-9019-3 |
| 6 | A Fishy Situation | Coming Soon | N/A |
Single issues
Top Shelf has published several single issues of Owly, as part of Free Comic Book DayFree Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Retailer Joe Field of in Concord, CA brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer...
.
- Owly: Splashin' Around was published in 2005
- Owly: Breakin' the Ice was published in 2006
- Owly: Helping Hands was published in 2007.
- Owly: In a Fix! was published in 2008.
- Owly: and Friends! was published in 2009
Children's Books
Runton published a children's book| Title | Year | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friends All Aflutter | 2011 | 9781416957744 |
Wins
- The Way Home Mini received the 2004 Howard E. Day PrizeHoward E. Day PrizeCreated by comic-book writer-artist-publisher Dave Sim and his collaborator, Gerhard, in memory of Sim's late mentor and self-publishing pioneer Gene Day , the Howard E. Day Prize was awarded yearly from 2002 until 2008 for outstanding achievement in self-publishing...
for outstanding achievement in self-publishing.
- Andy Runton won the 2005 Harvey AwardHarvey AwardThe Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
for Best New Talent for Owly.
- Andy Runton won the 2005 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent for Owly.
- Owly: Flying Lessons received the 2006 Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
in the category "Best Publication for a Younger Audience."
- Owly won the 2006 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Series.
Nominations
- 2005 Harvey Award nominee for Best Graphic Novel
- 2005 Harvey Award nominee for Best New Series
- 2005 Eisner Award nominee for Best Publication for a Younger Audience