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Sam Maggs

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Sam Maggs
Maggs at the Javits Convention Center in New York City 2018
Maggs at the Javits Convention Center in New York City 2018
Born (1988-11-10) November 10, 1988 (age 36)
London, Ontario, Canada
Nationality
  • Canadian
  • American
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario (BA)
Ryerson University (MA)
Notable works
Notable awards
  • Amazon national bestseller, 2015, 2016
  • Dragon Award nominee, 2020
Spouse
Blair Brown
​
​
(m. 2018; div. 2022)​
Website
sammaggs.com

Sam Maggs (born November 10, 1988) is a Canadian-American author of books, comics and video games, and is known especially for her work on The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy, Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, and Rick and Morty: Ever After.

Early life and education

[edit]

Maggs was born in London, Ontario, Canada.[1] She credits her parents with her love of "geeky fandom", telling the Calgary Herald that "[My] parents were both really big nerds who saw Star Wars over 20 times in theatres."[1] She received her formative education at the Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts and London Central Secondary School.[2]

She received her BA in English language and literature and film studies from the University of Western Ontario in 2010, where she studied Victorian literature and sensation fiction.[3] In the fall of 2016, she appeared on the cover of the Alumni Gazette.[3]

Along with her BA, Maggs holds an MA in literatures of modernity from Ryerson University, completed in 2011.[4]

Career

[edit]

Maggs began her writing career as the weekend editor of the Abrams Media site Geekosystem, which was eventually consolidated into the feminist-leaning geek culture commentary site The Mary Sue.[5] Following this merger, she took on an associate editor role.[6]

As an entertainment journalist, Maggs has also contributed to io9,[7] Tor.com,[8] Time Out London,[9] National Post,[10] Marie Claire,[11] The Guardian,[12] PC Gamer,[13] BuzzFeed,[14] and Barnes & Noble.[14]

Books

[edit]

While at The Mary Sue, Maggs sold her first book, The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy, to Quirk Books. It was published in 2015.[15] A second edition, titled the Fangirl's Guide to the Universe and featuring updated text and new illustrations, was released October 27, 2020.[16] A companion guided journal, The Fangirl's Journal for Leveling Up: Conquer Your Life Through Fandoms, came out on the same day.[17]

Maggs followed up her debut with Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors and Trailblazers Who Changed History, also from Quirk Books, in 2016.[18] Dubbed "extraordinary" by Entertainment Weekly,[19] the book shares the histories of notable women in the STEM fields, adventure, and espionage. In 2018, she published Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History with Quirk Books, which Booklist referred to as "impressively researched and fascinating".[20] Both publications reflect Maggs' desire to celebrate the overlooked accomplishments of women throughout history[21] and the power of female friendships and women supporting women.[22]

In addition, Maggs has penned two encyclopedias about women superheroes for DK: Marvel Fearless and Fantastic! Female Super Heroes Save the World, published in 2018, and DC Brave and Bold!, published in 2019.[23]

She made her middle grade novel debut in June 2020 with the publication of Con Quest! from Imprint/Macmillan Publishers. The story follows a pair of twins as they run away from their older sister for a chance to meet one of their favorite celebrities at a giant comics and pop culture convention. Kirkus gave it a starred review.[24]

In July 2020, she released her first young adult novel, The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope via Marvel Press. The book follows the third Wasp, Nadia van Dyne, as she learns to balance her science career with school, superheroes, and the general stress and strain that comes with being a teenager.[25]

Her books have been translated into Turkish,[26] Portuguese,[27] Korean,[28] and French.[29]

Comics

[edit]

In her first foray into comics, Maggs penned a story titled "Legacy" for IDW Publishing's Star Trek: Waypoint #2 in 2016.[30] Her story filled in the life and experiences of the series' first-ever female redshirt, and she told SyFy Wire that, "It's easy to forget, when you're watching any sci-fi, that the goons and extras and henchmen who die for the sake of plot momentum or main character development are all (hypothetically) people with their own lives and families and stories… Now, [Thompson] isn't just another one of the faceless masses who die so Kirk may live. I wanted to make sure that you knew why she would have sacrificed her life."[31]

Maggs has also written for the comic book adaptations of Jem and the Holograms (IDW),[32] Rick & Morty (Oni Press),[33] My Little Pony (IDW),[34] Transformers (IDW),[35] and Invader Zim (Oni Press).[36] Maggs is the writer of two graphic novels which are part of the Critical Role comics anthology The Mighty Nein Origins published by Dark Horse Comics.[37][38][39]

She also wrote Marvel Action: Captain Marvel for IDW, where the inclusion of characters like Squirrel Girl, Nadia van Dyne/Unstoppable Wasp, and Spider-Woman continue to reflect her favored theme of the strength to be found in female friendship.[40]

Other projects include the Viz Media manga adaptation of Rainbow Rowell's bestselling YA novel Fangirl, with illustrations by Gabi Nam, released on October 13, 2020.[41] Her first full-length original graphic novel Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas, co-created with Kendra Wells and published by the Abrams Books imprint Amulet Books, released on February 9, 2021.[42] The story revolves around the real-life pirating adventures of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.[43]

Video games

[edit]

From 2016 through 2018, Maggs worked as an associate writer for the video game studio BioWare, where she contributed writing to the Cards Against Humanity: Mass Effect pack.[44] She also wrote for the online game Anthem, specifically the asexual[45] character Ryssa Brin.[46]

After BioWare, Maggs went on to serve as a writer for Insomniac Games,[47] working as the lead writer[48] for the Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps DLC.

She self-credits herself as lead writer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart[49] despite her name not appearing in the official credits of the game and engaged in a public feud with Insomniac lead designer Mark Stuart alleging that he took credit for her work.[50] She left the studio in January 2020, before the game was released, and went on to work with Sledgehammer Games as a writer for the campaign of Call of Duty: Vanguard.[51]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy

[edit]

Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors and Trailblazers Who Changed History

[edit]

Con Quest!

[edit]
  • Kirkus Starred Review, 2020[24]

Marvel Action: Captain Marvel

[edit]
  • Joel Schuster Awards Dragon Award nominee, 2020[61]

Personal life

[edit]

Maggs is openly lesbian[62] and dedicates herself to including queer representation in her writing.[63] Prior to 2022, Maggs was openly bisexual.[64]

Bibliography

[edit]

Books

[edit]
Year Title Publisher Ref.
2015 The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy Quirk Books
2016 Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History Quirk Books
2018 Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships that Changed History Quirk Books
Marvel Fearless and Fantastic! DK
DC Brave and Bold! DK
2020 The Fangirl's Guide to the Universe Quirk Books
The Fangirl's Journal for Leveling Up Quirk Books
Con Quest! Imprint/MacMillan
The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope Marvel
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars Random House Worlds [65]

Comics and graphic novels

[edit]
  • Star Trek: Waypoint #2 (2016, IDW)
  • Jem and the Holograms: Dimensions #3 (2018, IDW)
  • My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Vol. 18 (trade paperback, 2020, IDW, ISBN 978-1684056156) includes:
    • My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #79–80
  • Invader Zim #40 (2019, Oni Press)
  • Transformers: All Fall Down Vol. 3 (trade paperback, 2019, IDW, ISBN 978-1684057399) includes:
    • Transformers #7–9
  • Fangirl (manga adaptation)
  • Marvel Action: Captain Marvel
    • Marvel Action: Captain Marvel: Cosmic Cat-astrophe Vol. 1 (trade paperback, 2020, IDW, ISBN 978-1684056248) collects:
      • Marvel Action: Captain Marvel #1–3
    • Marvel Action: Captain Marvel: A.I.M Small Vol. 2 (trade paperback, 2020, IDW, ISBN 978-1684056842) collects:
      • Marvel Action: Captain Marvel #4–6
  • Rick & Morty Ever After Vol. 1 (trade paperback, 2021, Oni Press, ISBN 9781620108819) collects:
  • Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas (graphic novel, 2021, Abrams Books, ISBN 9781419739804)
  • My Little Pony/Transformers
    • My Little Pony/Transformers: Friendship in Disguise! (trade paperback, 2021, IDW, ISBN 978-1684057597) includes:
      • My Little Pony/Transformers: Friendship in Disguise! #2–3
    • My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron (trade paperback, 2021, IDW, ISBN 978-1684058709) includes:
      • My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron #1–2
  • Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1–4 (2023, IDW) [upcoming][66]

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Developer Ref.
2017 Cards Against Humanity: Mass Effect pack Bioware
2018 Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps – Turf Wars Insomniac Games
2019 Anthem Bioware
2021 Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance Wizards of the Coast
Call of Duty: Vanguard Sledgehammer Games
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake Aspyr (Left project some time in 2021)[67][68]
2022 Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Gearbox [69]
TBA Scavengers Midwinter Entertainment/Improbable (currently in play test mode)[70]

Anthologies

[edit]
Year Title Publisher Ref.
2014 The Language of Doctor Who: From Shakespeare to Alien Tongues Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
2014 Chicks Dig Gaming Mad Norwegian Press
2015 Outside In 2: 125 Unique Perspectives on 125 Modern Doctor Who Stories by 125 Writers ATB Publishing
2016 The Secret Loves of Geek Girls Dark Horse
2018 Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels on Summoning the Power to Resist Weiser Book


References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Volmers, Eric (April 23, 2016). "Sam Maggs explores fangirl passion and real-life wonder women". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Brown, Dan (October 14, 2015). "Author Sam Maggs back in London for geek meet and greet". London Free Press. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Renaud, Jeffrey (Fall 2016). "Millennial Falcon". Western Alumni. Archived from the original on January 20, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Barr, Jason; Mustachio, Camille D. G. (May 15, 2014). The Language of Doctor Who: From Shakespeare to Alien Tongues. Washington, DC: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-3481-9 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Maggs, Sam. "New geeky gig, & my Fan Expo wrap-up! | Sam Maggs".
  6. ^ "Sam Maggs". The Mary Sue. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Maggs, Sam (February 15, 2018). "The io9 Guide to Stargate". io9. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  8. ^ Maggs, Sam (October 12, 2016). "Five Books About Kick-Ass Chicks in Space". Tor.com. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Maggs, Sam (September 6, 2016). "Bam! How female superheroes are taking over the movies". Time Out. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  10. ^ "Why the gaming world still needs more complex female protagonists". Financial Post. April 3, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Maggs, Sam (September 16, 2019). "A Feminist Ranking of Female Superheroes". Marie Claire. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Maggs, Sam (June 14, 2015). "Top 10 tips for girl geeks". The Guardian. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  13. ^ Maggs, Sam (July 23, 2015). "Why BioWare's games inspire a unique kind of fandom". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Maggs, Sam (May 12, 2015). "I'm A Fangirl: An Excerpt From "The Fangirl's Guide To The Galaxy"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy". Quirk Books. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  16. ^ "The Fangirl's Guide to the Universe". Quirk Books. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "The Fangirl's Journal for Leveling Up". Sam Maggs. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Wonder Women". Quirk Books. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  19. ^ Serrao, Nivea (October 4, 2016). "Sam Maggs' New Book 'Wonder Women' Revisits 25 Women Who Inspire". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "Girl Squads". Quirk Books: Publishers & Seekers of All Things Awesome.
  21. ^ Underwood, Katie (October 17, 2016). "A new book by Sam Maggs celebrates 25 world-changing women". Chatelaine. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  22. ^ Arbeiter, M. (April 9, 2018). "Girl Squads Author Sam Maggs Reveals Cover and Talks Bringing Feminist History to Comics". Nerdist. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  23. ^ "DC Brave and Bold!". dkbooks. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Con Quest!". Kirkus Reviews. June 23, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  25. ^ "The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope". Disney Books. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  26. ^ Maggs, Sam (September 2016). Amazon listing. Butik Yayincilik. ISBN 978-6059397032.
  27. ^ Maggs, Sam; Kroll, Guilherme (April 2, 2015). Amazon listing. ISBN 978-8545200277.
  28. ^ "휴머니스트 > Book > > 걸 스쿼드". Humanist Books. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  29. ^ Maggs, Sam (2016). Amazon listing. Presses de la Cité. ISBN 978-2258135055.
  30. ^ "Star Trek: Waypoint #2". IDW Publishing. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  31. ^ Dennis, Catrina (September 26, 2016). "Writer Sam Maggs talks Star Trek and Wonder Women". SyFy Wire. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  32. ^ "Jem and the Holograms: Dimensions #3". IDW Publishing. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  33. ^ "Rick & Morty Ever After #1 CVR A (AUG201481)". Previews World. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  34. ^ McMillan, Graeme (February 6, 2020). "'Transformers' to Meet 'My Little Pony' in Comic Miniseries". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  35. ^ "Transformers Galaxies #9 CVR A MIYAO (MAR200706)". Previews World. September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  36. ^ "Invader Zim #40 CVR A (DEC181971)". Previews World. February 27, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  37. ^ a b Hall, Charlie (November 2, 2021). "A sneak peek at the origin story of Critical Role's Jester Lavorre". Polygon. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  38. ^ a b "Critical Role's Nott the Brave's Origins Revealed!". Dark Horse (Press release). August 24, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  39. ^ a b Terror, Jude (August 24, 2021). "Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins – Nott the Brave Set for April". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  40. ^ IDWPublishing (August 21, 2019). "Marvel Action: Captain Marvel Interview with Sam Maggs". YouTube. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  41. ^ "VIZ: Read a Free Preview of Fangirl, Vol. 1". Viz.
  42. ^ Maggs, Sam (February 9, 2021). Tell No Tales Pirates of the Southern Seas. Abrams, Incorporated. ISBN 9781419739668 – via Abrams Books.
  43. ^ Puc, Samantha (March 13, 2019). "Sam Maggs & Kendra Wells Announce Sirens of the Southern Seas OGN". The Beat. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  44. ^ Sarkar, Samit (February 22, 2017). "Hot and heavy Mass Effect pack comes to Cards Against Humanity". Polygon.
  45. ^ Sam Maggs [@SamMaggs] (February 19, 2019). "I've mentioned this before but Brin, my character in Anthem, is ace. I just really want to publicly thank…" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Twitter.
  46. ^ Sam Maggs [@SamMaggs] (January 23, 2019). "@Cait_Greer @FromPawnToQueen The character I worked on is Sentinel Brin! 😉💙" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Twitter.
  47. ^ "Video". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  48. ^ "Kait Tremblay & Sam Maggs". Script & Lock. August 29, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  49. ^ @SamMaggs (June 11, 2020). "So I was lead writer on this for a year and a half, from pretty much the word go! Surprise!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Twitter.
  50. ^ Sam Maggs [@SamMaggs] (March 29, 2022). "Mark had a massive issue with me the entire time I was on this project and consistently attempted to undermine me s…" (Tweet). Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ "Call of Duty: Vanguard". Sam Maggs. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  52. ^ "The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy | Sam Maggs".
  53. ^ "B&N Bookseller's Picks: The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of May 2015". May 4, 2015.
  54. ^ a b "Books". mariavicente.com.
  55. ^ "2016 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 11, 2016.
  56. ^ "Wonder Women | Sam Maggs".
  57. ^ "CPL Best of the Best Books 2016". chipublib.org. December 7, 2016.
  58. ^ "The November 2016 Indie Next List Preview". the American Booksellers Association. September 29, 2016.
  59. ^ "Listing" (PDF). accessola.org. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  60. ^ "The Amelia Bloomer Book List | Awards & Grants". ala.org.
  61. ^ Boyd, Kevin A. (September 8, 2020). "Nominations for the 2020 Joe Shuster Awards".
  62. ^ Blair Broon [@BlairBroon] (October 11, 2022). "An important life update from me and @SamMaggs, graciously presented by the incomparable @joelmchale" (Tweet). Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
  63. ^ Piccoli, Dana (April 23, 2015). "Out writer Sam Maggs on "The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy," comic book love and more". After Ellen. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  64. ^ Utz, Judith (June 28, 2017). "MUNA, Kesha, and Brooke Candy Told Us the Most Meaningful Part of Pride". Teen Vogue. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  65. ^ "Cal Kestis Returns in Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars – Cover Reveal". Star Wars. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  66. ^ Blum, Jeremy (December 13, 2022). "Dungeons & Dragons' Classic Cartoon Returns With a New Miniseries". CBR. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  67. ^ "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Sam Maggs".
  68. ^ @SamMaggs (September 9, 2021). "Could not be more honored and excited to be part of an incredible team at @AspyrMedia to remake one of my all-time…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  69. ^ @SamMaggs (September 9, 2021). "I also got to write some dope sidequests for this delightful game and lemme tell you. They're REAL silly. The dream..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  70. ^ "Home". Scavengers.
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