Exhibition Aimée de Jongh in Groningen, the Netherlands

Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a splendid Summer. Work on the Lord of the Flies graphic novel is progressing well, and I’ll soon reach page 200 in inks! Furthermore, I’ve got some exciting news.

Storyworld is an amazing comics, animation and game museum based in the center of Groningen, the Netherlands (inside the famous Forum building). And the good news is, Storyworld is hosting a brand new exhibition about my work! All the way until October 29th 2023. That gives you enough time to visit! There are sketches, animations, step-by-step page examples from Days of Sand, foreign editions and more. The team worked very hard and the result is stunning. So in case you are looking for a nice getaway this Summer, be sure to visit Groningen! More info: https://www.storyworld.nl/nl/storyworld-spotlight/aimee-de-jongh

For any press requests, please contact Yvet de Boer from Storyworld: y.deboer@forum.nl

For the collectors, there’s a special catalogue printed for the exhibition called “SPOTLIGHT: AIMÉE DE JONGH”. You’ll only find it in this museum. It has an overview of the exhibit, some background stories and lots of images, of course.

I’ll finish with some photo impressions, so you can get as excited as I am. Enjoy and see you soon!
Copyright: Storyworld

Two Eisner Award nominations!

Hi everyone – some of you might have already seen this somewhere else, but I’m so excited that I need to share this anyway. This year I’ve been nominated for TWO Eisner Awards. The Eisner Awards (named after comic book artist Will Eisner) are considered to be “the Oscars of comics” and they’re the biggest award for comics in the US. So needless to say, I’m blown away by this news and so proud to be among the amazing nominees on the list.

Here are the nominations:

DAYS OF SAND
Category: Best Graphic (Reprint)

SIXTY YEARS OF WINTER
Category: Best Digital Comic

Anyone from the comics industry can VOTE now for their favorite Eisner nominees and I hope you’ll do the same. Fingers crossed for San Diego Comic Con 2023, when the winners will be announced. And thanks so much for all your support through the years! ❤

Industry professionals can apply for voting here: https://form.jotform.com/230927489799177

More info here: https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards-current-info

have a great day!

Aimée

Lord of the Flies to be released as graphic novel by Aimée de Jongh

Okay. I’m SO thrilled to finally announce this exciting news to all of you, my dear friends! For a year now, I’ve been working on a graphic novel based on the classic novel Lord of the Flies. It’s a dream come true. Those who know me well, know that I’ve been wanting to make this book for over 10 years. I’m extremely honoured to work on this in close collaboration with the book’s original publisher Faber&Faber and the Golding family.

Press release: https://www.faber.co.uk/journal/lord-of-the-flies-to-be-released-as-graphic-novel/

From the press release:

Faber is thrilled to announce the first graphic novel adaptation of William Golding’s defining classic, Lord of the Flies, illustrated by acclaimed Dutch artist Aimée de Jongh, for publication in September 2024.

Golding’s daughter, Judy Golding Carver, said:

‘We are delighted. Aimée de Jongh is the ideal visual interpreter: a committed, superbly talented draughtswoman, with a deep understanding of the novel and a determination to convey its special power. Aimee’s developing vision of Lord of the Flies brings to life its island landscapes, both idyllic and violent, with the boys as individuals; it crystallises their emotions and fears. She is the illustrator the novel has been waiting for.’

Dagen van Zand bij de HvA Boekenclub, Amsterdam, 13 december

Het is tijd voor het laatste event van het jaar… en wat voor eentje!

Komende dinsdag 13 december ben ik te gast bij de Hogeschool van Amsterdam tijdens de Boekenclub Special, om te praten over Dagen van Zand. We gaan het boek en de thema’s die erin voorkomen analyseren samen met docenten, studenten en het publiek. De diepte in, dus! Entree is gratis en iedereen is welkom. Ik neem ook mijn pennen mee om boeken te signeren. Er zijn nog plekken, dus meld je gauw aan als je wilt komen! Tot dan?

Aanmelden:
https://www.hva.nl/floor/gedeelde-content/evenementen/evenementen/2022/11/de-hva-boekenclub-special-1.html

Tijd: 17:00 – 18:00 uur
Locatie: FLOOR
Wibautstraat 3b, Amsterdam

Programma:
16:45 – 17:00 Inloop
17:00 – 18:00 Programma
18:00 – 19:00 Borrel

Inauguration “Jours de Sable” mural in Brussels

On November 23rd, the Jours de Sable mural will be inaugurated in Brussels. I hope to see you all there!

Aimee

Dagen van Zand wint FNAC STRIPPRIJS 2022

Geweldig nieuws! Dagen van Zand heeft de FNAC Stripprijs 2022 gewonnen!

DAYS OF SAND nominated for an Eisner Award!

Hi everyone,

I’m thrilled to let you know that DAYS OF SAND is nominated for an Eisner Award in the category Best Digital Comic. The Eisners are what The Oscars are to the movie industry. The nomination is for the digital edition, which was released by Europe Comics in 2021 and translated to English by Christopher Bradley. This digital edition is still available here: https://www.europecomics.com/album/days-of-sand-part-1/

Votes are now open for everybody who works in the comic book industry as a retailer, creator, journalist, educator, nominee, etc. In order to vote, one needs to complete the registration form first. Here’s the form: https://form.jotform.com/221146151922144

Thank you all in advance for voting!!!

Soixante Printemps En Hiver

Hi everyone! A little update from me. It’s quite hard to believe, but it’s only 4 more days till my new book comes out: “Soixante Printemps En Hiver”

Before the storm breaks loose, I’d like to introduce this special project to you myself

I made this one with the incredible Ingrid Chabbert for Éditions Dupuis. It was quite a change from the dusty Dust Bowl from “Jours de Sable” to the wintery landscapes of France. But I loved drawing it, perhaps because of that very contrast. The main character, Josy, is far from happy in her life. She’s in a relationship that’s far past its due date, in a house that is suffocating her. But an old VW bus gives her the freedom she is looking for, and perhaps even a new love…

As a young girl growing up, I always took comics from the local library in my hometown. My favorites were the comics from the AIRE LIBRE collection of Dupuis. This collection had “comics for grown ups” and I loved looking at the detailed drawings and engaging subjects. I vividly remember Sarajevo Tango (by Hermann) and The Photographer (by Guibert / Lefèvre / Lemercier). These books shaped my view of what comics could be. You can obviously see the influence of both in my recent work, I think.

And so, I feel incredibly honored that this book is included in this acclaimed collection. It was one of the things on my bucketlist, you could say. It is just incredible.

The book will come out in French this Friday (20/05) and in Dutch a month later, on 22/06. Below are some preview images – more will follow. An English translation is on the way.

For a list of signings and events: https://aimeedejongh.com/tour.html

Hope to see you on the road!

X Aimee

DAYS OF SAND in English & Polish, TAXI and OBSOLESCENCE in Brazil

Hi everyone!

I’m excited to announce that this month, some long awaited editions of my graphic novels will hit book stores worldwide. Let’s start with the great news that on April 14th, Jours de Sable will come out in English in the US, UK, and Canada! The English edition (by Selfmadehero) can be viewed here: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/days-of-sand_9781914224041

Then, on April 20, The Polish edition (“Dni piasku”) by Non Stop Comics will be released! The book can be viewed here: https://nonstopcomics.com/produkt/dni-piasku

To celebrate these new editions, here’s the updated book trailer!

“Jours de Sable” has won an incredible amount of awards in the last few months, in France, Japan and the United States. It’s really been a crazy rollercoaster and I can still hardly believe it. Thank you to all the judges and committees for sharing the love and for selecting Jours de Sable as your winner.

Here’s the list!

 Best Of Show Award MoCCA Comic Arts Festival NYC (US) 
Cutting Edge Award Best Comic one shot (BE / NL) 
 15th Japan International Manga Award, Gold (JP) 
 Prix Ouest-France Quai des Bulles 2021 (FR) 
 Prix des Libraires Canal BD 2022 (FR) 
 Étoiles du Parisien 2021, BD (FR) 
 Prix BDstagram 2021 (FR) 
Prix Libr’À Nous 2022 (FR) 

Moreover, the Brazilian edition of TAXI has come out at Conrad Editora. This is the first time a book of mine has been released in Brazil, and I’m super excited. I recorded a little message for the Brazilian readers who will be able to discover my work for the first time!

And for all Brazilian readers, there’s more: L’obsolescence programmée de nos sentiments will come out from Pipoca&Nanquim in the same country in the coming months. Here’s a first sneak peak!

That’s all the news for now – I hope you like it!

Stay safe and take care,

Aimee

Prix Ouest-France 2021 pour JOURS DE SABLE

Photo: Martin Roche
Instagram: @martin_ehcor
Twitter: @Rochemartin1

First female author to win the Prix Ouest- France / Quai des Bulles

During the weekend of 30 / 31 October 2021, I was surprised by the news that Jours de Sable (Days of Sand) won the prestigious Prix Ouest-France during the festival of Quai des Bulles, in Saint-Malo, France. Furthermore, it was the first time that a female author won the award. It was a huge honor, and I feel so proud. I enjoyed winning the award during the amazing festival of Quai des Bulles, which finally took place again. During the weekend I did many autograph sessions for Jours de Sable and Taxi, which was released in France last September at La Boite A Bulles.

Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I want to thank the lovely jury, my publishers, the festival team, and my friends from the Netherlands who joined me on my trip.

Photo: Martin Roche
Instagram: @martin_ehcor
Twitter: @Rochemartin1