Gwendolyn Willow Wilson (born August 31, 1982) is an American comics writer, prose author, and essayist. Her best-known prose works include the novels '' Alif the Unseen'' (2012) and '' The Bird King'' (2019). She is best known for relaunching the '' Ms. Marvel'' title for Marvel Comics starring a 16-year-old Muslim superhero named Kamala Khan. Her work is most often categorized as

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

Early life

Wilson was born on August 31, 1982, in Monmouth County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and grew up in Morganville. Wilson lived in the county until she was 12. However, in an interview with Newsrama in 2013, she erroneously said she was born in Morris County and spent the first ten years of her life there. Her parents were

atheists Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

who renounced

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

in the late 1960s, hence Wilson was not raised in a religious household. Wilson first encountered comics when she read an anti-smoking pamphlet featuring the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

in the fifth grade. The characters fascinated her and she began watching the cartoon ''X-Men'' every Saturday. Two years later she and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado, where Wilson continued to pursue her interest in comics and other forms of popular culture such as tabletop role-playing games.

Converting to Islam

After high school, Wilson attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

to pursue a degree in history. During her

sophomore year In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

, Wilson began experiencing adrenal problems and the associated discomfort resulted in her studying a number of religions, including

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, and

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. After studying Judaism she focused on Islam, which appealed to her because "to become a Muslim is sort of a deal between you and God." The 9/11 terrorist attack set back her religious studies – fearing she had misjudged the religion – but she later resumed her studies. In 2003, shortly before her graduation, Wilson agreed to teach English in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. During the plane journey, Wilson converted to Islam; claiming she "made peace with God. I called him Allah." According to ''Butterfly Mosque'', upon arrival in Cairo, Wilson secretly practiced Islam but after becoming engaged to an Egyptian she began to practice it more openly.

Career

Wilson's writing career began from her work as a freelance music critic for DigBoston. After moving to

, she contributed articles to the ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

'', ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

'', and the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

''.Newsarama.com
She was also a regular contributor to the now-defunct Egyptian opposition weekly ''Cairo Magazine''. Wilson was the first Western journalist to be granted a private interview with Ali Gomaa after his promotion to the position of

Grand Mufti A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...

of Egypt. Additionally, Wilson released a memoir titled ''The Butterfly Mosque'' about life in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, which was named a ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' Best Book of 2010. Her first graphic novel, ''

'', with art by M.K. Perker, was published by

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

in 2007, and named one of the best graphic novels of 2007 by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', '' The Edmonton Journal/ CanWest News'', and '' Comics Worth Reading''. The paperback edition of ''Cairo'' was named one of Best Graphic Novels for High School Students in 2008 by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'', and one of 2009's Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens by the American Library Association. Her first ongoing comic series, ''

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

'', launched by Vertigo in 2008 reunited her with Perker, and was nominated for an

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for 'Best New Series' of 2009. NPR named ''Air'' one of the top comics of 2009, and it also received acclaim from the '' Fairfield Weekly'', ''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'', ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

'', and ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

''. Other works for DC include fill-in issues #704 and 706 of ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'', the five-issue

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

''Vixen: Return of the Lion'', starring the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

member Vixen with art by

CAFU Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu (), is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back. Widely regarded as one of the greates ...

, and '' The Outsiders''. Wilson then wrote '' Mystic'' (2011), a four-issue miniseries for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

with art by David Lopez. Although a

CrossGen Cross Generation Comics or CrossGen Comics was an American comic book publisher and entertainment company that operated from 1998 to 2004. The company's assets were acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2004, and designated to Disney Publishing ...

revival, Willow's ''Mystic'' bears little resemblance to its previous incarnation. Her debut novel '' Alif the Unseen'' (Grove/Atlantic) won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for best novel. In 2014, Marvel debuted a new '' Ms. Marvel'' series written by Wilson. The book stars Kamala Khan, a Muslim teenager living in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, who takes up the mantle after the previous Ms. Marvel,

Carol Danvers Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, the character first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleagu ...

, took up the name Captain Marvel. In November 2018, Wilson began writing ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'' from

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. The character battles Ares in an arc entitled "The Just War." Her March 2019 novel, '' The Bird King'', tells the story of Fatima, a concubine in the royal court of Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker. Hassan has a secret: he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. In 2020, she was writing The Dreaming from

, with art by Nick Robles and starting with issue #19. The series is part of The Sandman Universe.

Creating Kamala Khan

Wilson had already had a few forays into the comic book industry, having worked on titles such as ''

'' and ''Vixen'' previously. She received an email for an interview with David Gabriel, a senior vice-president at Marvel Entertainment. By that point Wilson was almost finished with her second novel, but she took the time to speak with him. Shortly thereafter she was offered the opportunity to co-create a new version of Ms. Marvel named Kamala Khan alongside Sana Amanat, a director and editor at Marvel Entertainment. The process of crafting Kamala was detailed; both artists wished to create a teenage Muslim American girl. Before settling on her

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

heritage the two debated the idea of making her a Somali American girl. While creating Kamala as a character the duo expected negativity, not just from people who were anti-Muslim, but also from Muslims who believed Kamala should be portrayed in a certain way. The crafting also focused on smaller details: Wilson did not believe Kamala should wear a

hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...

due to a majority of teenage Muslim American girls not wearing them. Despite their initial fears, Kamala was received positively. Some sources described her as easy to relate to, even likening her to a modern-day Peter Parker. Others even viewed Kamala as a symbol for equality and representation among different religions.

Personal life

Since 2007, Wilson has lived in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

with her husband, Omar. She has two daughters.

Awards

Bibliography

Comics

AiT/Planet Lar

*''

Negative Burn ''Negative Burn'' is a black-and-white comics anthology, anthology comic book published beginning in 1993 by Caliber Press, and subsequently by Image Comics and Desperado Publishing. Edited by Joe Pruett, ''Negative Burn'' is noted for its eclecti ...

'' vol. 2 #7–10, "Aces" (with Shannon Eric Denton and Curtis Square-Briggs) collected in ''Aces: Curse Of The Red Baron'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2008 )

Dark Horse Comics/Berger Books

*''Invisible Kingdom'' #1–10 (with Christian Ward, October 2019-February 2020)

DC Comics

*'' Batman Black and White'' ** "Metamorphosis" (with Greg Smallwood, in #1, 2020) *''Batman - One Bad Day: Catwoman'' (2023) *'' The Outsiders: Five of a Kind – Metamorpho/Aquaman'' #1, "Rogue Elements" (with Joshua Middleton, August 2007) collected in ''Outsiders: Five of a Kind'' (tpb, 160 pages, 2008, ) *'' Vixen: Return of the Lion'' (limited series) (October 2008 – February 2009) **''Vixen: Return of the Lion'' (tpb, 128 pages, 2009, ) collects: *** "Predators" (with CAFU, in #1, 2008) *** "Prey" (with CAFU, in #2, 2008) *** "Sanctuary" (with CAFU, in #3, 2008) *** "Risen" (with CAFU, in #4, 2009) *** "Idols" (with CAFU, in #5, 2009) *''

'' #704, 706 (with Leandro Oliveira and Amilcar Pinna, 2010) collected in ''Superman: Grounded Vol. 1'' (hc, 168 pages, 2011, ) * ''

'' #58-72, 74-81 (with Cary Nord, Alejandro Germánico, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Jesús Merino, 2018–2019) * ''

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

'' (2022)

=Vertigo

= *''

'' (graphic novel, with M.K. Perker, hc, 160 pages, November 2007 ) *''

'' (August 2008 – August 2010) **''Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries'' (tpb, 144 pages, 2009, ) collects: *** "Letters from Lost Countries" (with M.K. Perker, in #1–3, 2008) *** "Masks and Other Memories" (with M.K. Perker, in #4, 2008) *** "The Engine Room" (with M.K. Perker, in #5, 2008) **''Volume 2: Flying Machine'' (tpb, 128 pages, 2009, ) collects: *** "The Secret Life of Maps" (with M.K. Perker, in #6, 2009) *** "The Picture of Zayn al Harrani" (with M.K. Perker, in #7, 2009) *** "Her Own Devices" (with M.K. Perker, in #8, 2009) *** "Mass Transit" (with M.K. Perker, in #9, 2009) *** "Place of the Egrets" (with M.K. Perker, in #10, 2009) **''Volume 3: Pureland'' (tpb, 168 pages, 2010, ) collects: *** "Sweet as the Tongue" (with M.K. Perker, in #11, 2009) *** "Pureland" (with M.K. Perker, in #12–14, 2009) *** "Air Heart" (with M.K. Perker, in #15, 2009) *** "Infinite Shades" (with M.K. Perker, in #16, 2009) *** "The Picture of Blythe Alice Cameron" (with M.K. Perker, in #17, 2010) **''Volume 4: A History of the Future'' (tpb, 168 pages, 2011, ) collects: *** "Reveille" (with M.K. Perker, in #18, 2010) *** "A History of the Future" (with M.K. Perker, in #19–21, 2010) *** "Wild Blue Yonder" (with M.K. Perker, in #22, 2010) *** "Dogfight!" (with M.K. Perker, in #23, 2010) *** "The Last Horizon" (with M.K. Perker, in #24, 2010) *'' The Unexpected'', "Dogs" (anthology, with Robbi Rodriguez, October 2011) collected in ''The Unexpected'' (tpb, 160 pages, 2013, ) *''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by hi ...

: Waking Hours'' #1-12 (with Nick Robles, August 2020 – August 2021) collected in ''The Dreaming: Waking Hours'', tpb, 2021,

Marvel Comics

*'' Girl Comics'' vol. 2 #1, "Moritat" (with Ming Doyle, March 2010). *'' Women of Marvel'' #1, "Thrones" (with Peter Nguyen, November 2010) *'' Mystic'' vol. 2 (4-issue limited series, with David López, August–November 2011, collected in ''The Tenth Apprentice'', tpb, 96 pages, 2012, ) *'' Ms. Marvel'' vol. 3 #1–19 (with

Adrian Alphona Adrian Alphona is a Filipino-Canadian comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''Runaways (comics), Runaways'', which he co-created with writer Brian K. Vaughan. Slated to be pencilling the second volume of ''Spider-Man Loves M ...

, February 2014 – October 2015) **''Volume 1: No Normal'' (tpb, 120 pages, 2014, ) collects: *** "Garden State of Mind" (with

, in All-New Marvel NOW! Point One #1.NOW, 2014) *** "Meta Morphosis" (with Adrian Alphona, in #1, 2014) *** "All Mankind" (with Adrian Alphona, in #2, 2014) *** "Side Entrance" (with Adrian Alphona, in #3, 2014) *** "Past Curfew" (with Adrian Alphona, in #4, 2014) *** "Urban Legend" (with Adrian Alphona, in #5, 2014) **''Volume 2: Generation Why'' (tpb, 136 pages, 2015, ) collects: *** "Healing Factor" (with Jake Wyatt, in #6–7, 2014) *** "Generation Why" (with Adrian Alphona, in #8–11, 2014–2015) **''Volume 3: Crushed'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2015, ) collects: *** "Loki in Love" (with Elmo Bondoc, in #12, 2015) *** "Crushed" (with

Takeshi Miyazawa Takeshi Miyazawa (born April 19, 1978) is a comic book artist who was born in Canada and attended Queen's University in Ontario to study art. His art style incorporates a manga sensibility. He is the co-creator of Marvel Comics character Amadeus C ...

, in #13–15, 2015) **''Volume 4: Last Days'' (tpb, 120 pages, 2015, ) collects: *** "Last Days" (with Adrian Alphona, in #16–19, 2015) *'' Ms. Marvel'' vol. 4 #1-38 (November 2015 – April 2019) **''Volume 5: Super Famous'' (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ) collects: *** "Super Famous" (with Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, in #1–3, 2015–2016) *** "Army of One" (with Nico Leon, in #4–6, 2016) **''Volume 6: Civil War II'' (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ) collects: *** "The Road to War" (with Adrian Alphona, in #7, 2016) *** "Civil War II" (with Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona, in #8–11, 2016) *** "The Road to War" (with Mirka Andolfo, in #12, 2016) **''Volume 7: Damage Per Second'' (tpb, 136 pages, 2017, ) collects: *** "Election Day" (with Mirka Andolfo, in #13, 2016) *** "Damage Per Second" (with Takeshi Miyazawa, in #14–17, 2017) *** "Meanwhile in Wakanda" (with Francesco Gaston, in #18, 2017) *''

'' vol. 4 #23–26 (January 2015 – April 2015) **''Volume 5: The Burning World'' (tpb, 96 pages, 2015, ) collects: *** "The Burning World" (with Roland Boschi, Javi Fernandez, in #23–26, 2015) *'' A-Force'' vol. 1 (5-issue limited series with Marguerite Bennett and Jorge Molina, May–October 2015, collected in ''Volume 0: Warzones!'', tpb, 112 pages, 2015, ) *'' A-Force'' vol. 2, #1–4 (January–April 2016) **''Volume 1: Hypertime'' #1–4, ''Avengers'' #0 (with Jorge Molina and

Kelly Thompson Kelly Thompson is an American writer of novels and comic books. She is best known for the '' Jem and the Holograms'' comic with co-creator and artist Sophie Campbell, a modern re-imagining of the 1980s cartoon of the same name; the Eisner-nomin ...

, tpb, 146 pages, 2016, ) *'' All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual'' #1, "Internet Randos" (with

Mahmud Asrar Mahmud Anjum Asrar (born November 20, 1976) is an Austrian comic book artist who is known for his work on American and non-American comic books. His American work includes runs on Conan the Barbarian, King Conan, X-Men, X-Men Red, Wolverine & the ...

, August 2016) *'' Generations: Ms. Marvel'' #1 (with Paolo Villanelli, September 2017) collected in Generations (hc, 328 pages, 2017, )

Novels

*''The Butterfly Mosque'' (memoir,

Grove Press Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United S ...

, hardcover, June 2010, ; paperback, June 2011, ) *'' Alif the Unseen'' (Grove/Atlantic, July 2012) *'' The Bird King'' (Grove Press, March 2019),

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, G. Willow 1982 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American comics writers Boston University alumni American female comics writers American women science fiction and fantasy writers American expatriates in Egypt American women novelists Converts to Islam from atheism or agnosticism American women journalists Journalists from New Jersey Novelists from New Jersey Journalists from Colorado Novelists from Colorado Writers from Boulder, Colorado Writers from Monmouth County, New Jersey Marvel Comics writers DC Comics people Hugo Award–winning writers World Fantasy Award–winning writers 21st-century Muslims American Book Award winners 21st-century American women writers Muslims from Colorado Muslims from New Jersey