Philip Foglio (born May 1, 1956) is an American

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

and

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

artist known for his humorous

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

and

fantasy art Fantastic art is a broad and loosely defined art genre. It is not restricted to a specific school of artists, geographical location or historical period. It can be characterised by subject matter – which portrays non-realistic, mystical, my ...

Early life and career

Foglio was born on May 1, 1956, in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...

, and moved with his family to

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Greenb ...

, where he lived until he was 17. He attended the

Chicago Academy of Fine Arts The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum an ...

in Chicago, Illinois, and was a member of the university's science fiction club, art-directing & co-editing the group's

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...

, ''Effen Essef''. He was nominated for both the

Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist The Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy which appeared in low- or non-paying publications such as semiprozines or fanzines. A Hugo Award for professional artists is also gi ...

and the

Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...

in 1976, and won ''Best Fan Artist'' in 1977 and 1978. After living in the DePaul dorms for a few years, Phil moved to the

Rogers Park Rogers Park is the first of Chicago's 77 community areas. Located from the Loop, it is on the city's far north side on the shore of Lake Michigan. The neighborhood is commonly known for its cultural diversity, lush green public spaces, early ...

neighborhood of Chicago and hosted weekly Thursday Night Meetings of Chicago-area

science fiction fans Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

. He drew the first known

Unix Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, a ...

daemons for a limited series of

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...

s in 1979. Beginning in 1980, Foglio wrote and illustrated the comic strip '' What's New with Phil & Dixie'' for '' Dragon Magazine'' from TSR Games, satirizing the world of

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s. The strip ran monthly for three years. In the early 1980s, after some time in Chicago attempting to find work doing

magazine and book illustration, Foglio moved to New York City. He formed the independent

comic-book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

company "" o capitalswith science-fiction writer-artist

Connor Freff Cochran Connor Freff Cochran (also mononymously Freff) is an author, correspondent, and publisher as a founder of Conlan Press. Career In 1984, Cochran was a US-based correspondent for BBC2's TV series ''Micro Live'' (credited as "Freff"), reporting on ...

(Freff) and SF book editor Melissa Ann Singer. Working with editorial input from

Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marvel ...

, Foglio and Freff wrote and drew a single issue of a science-fiction/historical title called ''D'Arc Tangent'' before ending their collaboration in 1984. He eventually returned to the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and continued fantasy and science-fiction art. For publisher Donning/Starblaze, Foglio illustrated the ''

MythAdventures ''MythAdventures'' or ''Myth Adventures'' is a fantasy series created by Robert Lynn Asprin. After twelve novels by Asprin, published 1978 to 2002, he and Jody Lynn Nye continued the series with seven more books. After his death in May 2008, she ...

'' series of fantasy novels by

Robert Lynn Asprin Robert Lynn Asprin (June 28, 1946 – May 22, 2008) was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, known best for his humorous series '' MythAdventures'' and '' Phule's Company''. Background Robert Asprin was born in St. ...

, and he later adapted the first book, ''

Another Fine Myth ''Another Fine Myth'' is a 1978 fantasy novel by American writer Robert Lynn Asprin, the first book in the '' Myth Adventures'' series. Plot synopsis Skeeve, a magician's apprentice and wannabe thief from the dimension Klah, tries to learn the b ...

'', into an eight-issue comic-book series from

WaRP Graphics WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the '' Elfquest'' comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company ...

. The WaRP work eventually led to comic-book assignments from

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

(''

Angel and the Ape ''Angel and the Ape'' was a humor comic book created by E. Nelson Bridwell & Bob Oksner published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in 1968 in ''Showcase'' #77 then graduated to their own title, with art by comic artist Bob Oksner, mos ...

'', ''

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in '' Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the first superheroes t ...

'' and ''

Stanley and His Monster Stanley and His Monster was an American comic-book humor feature and later series from DC Comics, about a boy who has a monster as his companion instead of a dog. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Winslow Mortimer as a backup feature i ...

'' miniseries),

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

, and

First Comics First Comics was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991, known for titles like '' American Flagg!'', '' Grimjack'', '' Nexus'', ''Badger'', '' Dreadstar'', and '' Jon Sable''. Along with competitors like Pacific Comic ...

(back up stories in issues of ''

Grimjack Grimjack is the main character of a comic book originally published by the American company First Comics. John Ostrander and Timothy Truman are credited as co-creators of the character, although Ostrander had been developing Grimjack with artist ...

'' and scripting over

Doug Rice Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) which ...

's plots in ''

Dynamo Joe ''Dynamo Joe'' was a comic book series published by First Comics from 1986–1988. Created, plotted and drawn by Doug Rice, it was scripted first by John Ostrander then by Phil Foglio. Ben Dunn sometimes filled in for Rice on the art. The series ...

''). He also joined the Moebius theatre group, and he held regular meetings and poker parties for the local science fiction community. Foglio initiated his long-running character Buck Godot for the publication ''Just Imagine'', published by Denny Meisinger. Basing the humorous science-fiction detective on a real-life friend, John Buckley, Foglio "did a couple of those in the black-and-whites and then Donning said they wanted Buck Godot

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s", two of which followed.

Later work

In the 1990s, Foglio met and married his wife, Kaja. The two contributed art to the collectible card game ''

Magic: The Gathering ''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a Tabletop game, tabletop and Digital collectible card game, digital Collectible card game, collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards ...

'', from

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. It is currently a subsidi ...

and resurrected the comic strip '' What's New with Phil & Dixie'' for that company's '' Duelist'' magazine. During this decade, Foglio co-founded Palliard Press and published additional comics, including a new Buck Godot series and the whimsical

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, ...

series '' XXXenophile''. The Foglios later founded Studio Foglio and began to produce the

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era ...

-fantasy series ''

Girl Genius ''Girl Genius'' is an ongoing comic book series turned webcomic, written and drawn by Phil and Kaja Foglio and published by their company Studio Foglio LLC under the imprint Airship Entertainment. The comic won the Hugo Award for Best Graph ...

''. In April 2005, the Foglios abandoned publishing periodical-style comic books and began publishing ''Girl Genius'' online as a free

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...

, updated three times a week. Foglio told an interviewer that as of November 2005, " 've quadrupled our number of readers, and tripled our sales" of traditional comics and related merchandise.

Awards

In 1976, the

slide show A slide show (slideshow) is a presentation of a series of still images ( slides) on a projection screen or electronic display device, typically in a prearranged sequence. The changes may be automatic and at regular intervals or they may be man ...

''The Capture'', which

Robert Asprin Robert Lynn Asprin (June 28, 1946 – May 22, 2008) was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, known best for his humorous series '' MythAdventures'' and '' Phule's Company''. Background Robert Asprin was born in St. ...

wrote and Foglio illustrated, was nominated for the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

for Best Dramatic Presentation; in the same year, he was nominated for the

for the first time. Foglio won the Fan Artist Hugo twice, in 1977 and 1978. He was nominated for the

Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist The Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. The award has been given annually under several names since 1955, with the except ...

in 2008. He, his wife ( Kaja Foglio), and their colorist (Cheyenne Wright) won the first graphic story Hugo for ''Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones'' in 2009. The three again won the award for subsequent volumes in 2010 and 2011. Having won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in all three of its first three years, Kaja, Phil, and Cheyenne announced that, in order to show that the category was a "viable award" (with quality competitors besides themselves), they were refusing nomination for the following year (2012). Girl Genius was once again nominated for a Hugo in 2014, but did not win. In 1993, he was awarded the

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual co ...

.Inkpot Award
/ref>

Selected works

* '' What's New with Phil & Dixie'' (comic strip) in '' Dragon Magazine'' #49–84 (1980s) and '' Duelist'' (1990s), collected in three comic book volumes now available online * '' What's New with Phil & Dixie'' (comic strip) in ''Dragon'' #266–311 & 359 (2000s) * ''

'' series of novels by

(illustrations) (Donning/Starblaze editions only): ** ''

'' ** '' Myth Conceptions'' ** ''

Myth Directions ''Myth Directions'' is a 1982 fantasy novel by American writer Robert Asprin, part of the ''MythAdventures'' series. Plot synopsis Tananda wanted to get Aahz a birthday present, so she decides to rope Skeeve in to help find her a unique prese ...

'' ** ''

Hit or Myth Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

'' ** '' Myth-ing Persons'' ** '' Little Myth Marker'' ** '' M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link'' ** '' Myth-nomers and Im-perv-ections'' ** '' M.Y.T.H. Inc. in Action'' ** ''

Sweet Myth-tery of Life Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

'' ** '' Myth-taken Identity'' ** '' Class Dis-Mythed'' ** '' Myth-Gotten Gains'' * ''MythAdventures'' Omnibus editions ** ''

Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures Volume 1 The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

'' ** ''

Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures Volume 2 The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

'' * '' MythFortunes'': the MythAdventures board game * comic book: ** ''D'Arc Tangent'' #1 of a planned 16-issue series (no other issues were ever released). Collaboration with

Freff Connor Freff Cochran (also mononymously Freff) is an author, correspondent, and publisher as a founder of Conlan Press. Career In 1984, Cochran was a US-based correspondent for BBC2's TV series ''Micro Live'' (credited as "Freff"), reporting on ...

, Lucie Chin, and Melissa Ann Singer *

comic books: ** ''

!'' #1–8 (1980s) (after #8 Foglio left and the series was continued with other artists) *** Reprinted as two graphic novels, in color and with additional art *

comic books: ** ''

'' #15, 23, 40 (Munden's Bar features) ** ''

'' #4–15, Special (script) *

comic books: ** ''

'' #1–4 (Feb.–May 1993), miniseries ** ''

'' miniseries (script) ** ''

'' miniseries * Buck Godot comic books: ** ''Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire'' graphic novel ** ''Buck Godot: Psmith'' graphic novel ** ''Buck Godot: The Gallimaufry'' series #1–8 * Over 50 cards from the collectible card game ''

'' * Metal miniatures and covers to the

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a ...

'' Robo Rally'' * '' XXXenophile'' comic books #1–10, collected volumes 1–6 * ''

'' comic book series #1– (ongoing) * Agatha H Girl Genius novels: ** Agatha H and the Airship City ©2011, ISBN: 978-1-59780-211-6 Night Shade Books ** Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess ©2012, ISBN: 978-1-59780-222-2 Night Shade Books ** Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle ©2014, ISBN: 978-1-59780-295-6 Night Shade Books ** Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg ©2020, ISBN: 978-1-94910-2-277 Night Shade Books * Illustrations for several games by

Spiderweb Software Spiderweb Software is an independent video game developer founded in 1994 by Jeff Vogel in Seattle, Washington. Its primary focus is on creating demoware games for the Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Android and the iPad. Spiderweb Software i ...

( Nethergate, Avernum 1–3) * Novel ''

Illegal Aliens Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

'' with

Nick Pollotta Nick Pollotta (August 26, 1954 – April 13, 2013 in Chicago) was an American author. He is best known for his humorous novels, including the science-fiction novel, ''Illegal Aliens'' (with Phil Foglio) and the fantasy novels ''Bureau 13'' and '' ...

* ''That Darn Squid God!'', fantasy/humor novel, as James Clay with

* Cover of '' Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic'' by

Tri Tac Games Tri Tac Games is a publisher of role-playing games based in Pontiac, Michigan. The company is built primarily on the work of Richard Tucholka, its founder and president. Company history Tri Tac Games was founded in 1978 as "Tacky Tack Games". Tr ...

* Co-author of '' Dealer's Choice: The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker'', with

James Ernest James Ernest is an American game designer and juggler, best known as the owner and lead designer of Cheapass Games. Career Prior to founding Cheapass Games, Ernest worked as a juggler at various venues, including Camlann Medieval Village, and a ...

and

Mike Selinker Mike Selinker is an American game designer, puzzle maker, and the founder and president of Lone Shark Games. Credits Selinker's design credits include ''Pirates of the Spanish Main'' and ''Fightball'' with James Ernest, ''Axis & Allies Revised E ...

* Illustrated

GURPS Illuminati University ''GURPS Illuminati University'' (1995) (), also called ''GURPS IOU'', is a 128-page softbound campaign setting sourcebook for the ''GURPS'' role-playing game. Page 11 is notably the first printed appearance of Agatha Heterodyne, the star of the 2 ...

(aka GURPS IOU) with Kaja Foglio. The dark to humorous

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 ...

University setting for

Steve Jackson Games Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''. History Founded in 1980, six years after the c ...

GURPS The ''Generic Universal RolePlaying System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems ...

Role Playing Game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

system. * Illustrated cards for ''Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls'', Fade Manley's game published by

* Illustrated CD album cover for

Beatnik Turtle Beatnik Turtle is an indie rock band from Chicago formed in 1998. Beatnik Turtle plays alternative and pop-rock "with a sense of humor." Their sound is rooted in the song-based pop-rock sound of They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne, The S ...

's '' The Cheapass Album'' for

's Cheapass Games * Illustrated several cards in various publications of the

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by Americans, American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to thei ...

series of card games

References

External links

*
The Phil Foglio Gallimaufry
(fan-site checklist)
Independent Propaganda: "INTERVIEW: From Print To The Web with Phil Foglio of GIRL GENIUS Web Comic" (June 18, 2006)An illustrated list of Magic the Gathering cards by Phil Foglio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foglio, Phil 1956 births American webcomic creators Comic book publishers (people) American comic strip cartoonists DePaul University alumni Game artists Hugo Award-winning artists Living people Artists from Chicago Writers from Mount Vernon, New York Artists from Seattle School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Science fiction fans Steampunk writers People from Hartsdale, New York Inkpot Award winners