Career
Tamaki has worked as a writer and performance artist in Toronto, including with Keith Cole's Cheap Queers and in the performance group Pretty Porky & Pissed Off with Joanne Huffa, Allyson Mitchell, Abi Slone, Tracy Tidgwell, and Zoe Whittall.[5]
Tamaki published the novel Cover Me in 2000. Told in a series of flashbacks, it is about a depressed teenager dealing with self-harm and feeling like an outsider in school.[6]
Skim, a collaboration with her cousin Jillian Tamaki, was published in 2008 by Groundwood Books. It is a graphic novel about a teenage girl who develops romantic feelings towards her female teacher; the secondary storyline is about the suicide of a classmate's ex-boyfriend who may have been gay. The text is about transitional life moments and "the conflicting need to belong and desire to resist." Tamaki says she did not set out to "make a statement about queerness and youth:" "I think Skim is more a statement about youth, and the variety of strange experiences that can encapsulate."[7] According to one reviewer, "the expressionistic fluidity of the black and white illustrations serves the purpose of pages of prose;" there is little plot and spare dialogue.[8] Tamaki writes that artists such as Hergé, Igort, and Vittorio Giardino, as well as Asian art, had an influence on her style, but her storytelling is rooted in American comics influences like Daniel Clowes, Chester Brown, and Will Eisner.[9] Skim was originally developed as a short play for Nightwood Theatre.[10]
Emiko Superstar, Tamaki's second graphic novel and first with illustrator Steve Rolston, is about a young woman who feels trapped in her suburban life. It was inspired by performance art and Girlspit, an open mic night event in Montreal.[7] The protagonist is inspired to try performance art after visiting a similar space. As one review says, "this is a story about finding oneself, one's voice, and one's true character amidst the trappings of counter-culture fame."[11]
Tamaki performed at experimental feminist performance art festival Edgy Women in Montreal in 2006 and 2010.[12]
In 2014, she again collaborated with Jillian Tamaki on the graphic novel This One Summer, published by Groundwood Books.
In 2016, it was announced that Tamaki would be writing a new series called Hulk starring She-Hulk for Marvel Comics,[13] as well as the mini-series Supergirl: Being Super for DC Comics.[14]
In 2017, she began writing novel adaptations of the Lumberjanes comic series.[15]
Tamaki's graphic novel collaboration with artist Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, is a queer coming-of-age story about a toxic relationship. It was released in May 2019 by First Second Books.[16]
In November 2019, Tamaki wrote a four-part mini-series for Marvel called Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble.[17]
Tamaki began writing for the Wonder Woman series with #759.[18] Her run concluded with #769, and was collected in its entirety in a trade paperback titled Lords and Liars.[19]
Tamaki's graphic novel I Am Not Starfire was released on 10 August 2021 as part of the young adult original graphic novel series from DC Comics.[20] Yoshi Yoshitani provided art for the story, which centers Starfire's daughter Mandy Koriand'r, who plans on "moving to France to escape the family spotlight and not go to college" despite her mother's protestations.
In January 2021, as part of DC's Future State event, Tamaki and artist Dan Mora collaborated on Dark Detective, with colors by Jordie Bellaire. The series ran for four issues from January to February. In March, Tamaki, Mora, and Bellaire became the new creative team for Detective Comics, beginning with #1034. Tamaki is the first female lead writer of the title's publication history. Her run concluded with #1061.[21][22]
