Ryan North

Ryan North studied at University of Toronto and Carleton University. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is computer programming and comic. Residence is recorded at Ottawa. Works named in the authority record are Dinosaur Comics and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Distinctions recorded are Special Award for Humor and Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.

• Name — Ryan North • Born — 20 October 1980 • Birthplace — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Occupation — Comic writer, computer programmer • Period — 2000–present • Genre — Humour • Movement — Webcomics • Notable Works — * Fantastic Four • Dinosaur Comics • Adventure Time (comic book) • The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl • One World Under Doom • Spouse — Jenn Klug • Awards — Eisner Award (2013, 2017, 2024), Hugo Award (2025) • Website — http: www.ryannorth.ca

North started the webcomic Dinosaur Comics in 2003, during the last year of his undergraduate degree. Dinosaur Comics is a fixed-art webcomic which uses the same base art for every strip. As of 2025 North has produced more than 4,300 strips. Dinosaur Comics was named one of the best webcomics of 2004 and 2005 by The Webcomics Examiner. Wired listed Dinosaur Comics as one of "Five Webcomics You Can Share With Your Kids" and PC Magazine included the comic in its "10 Wicked Awesome Webcomics" list. Cracked.com named Dinosaur Comics one of the 8 funniest webcomics on the internet. In 2005, it won "Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic" in the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. As well as Dinosaur Comics, North also created Whispered Apologies, a site where users could submit comic art without text and others would write text to match the art. Canada's The Globe and Mail described North as a "pioneering webcomic creator".

North was the writer of the Adventure Time comic book series from 2012 to 2014. In 2013 the series won an Eisner Award (Best Publication for Kids) and a Harvey Award (Best Original Graphic Publication For Younger Readers). North has written for several Marvel Comics series, including The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Power Pack, and Inhumans: Once and Future Kings. On January 21, 2013, Shiftylook.com launched Galaga, a comic written by North and illustrated by Christopher Hastings and colored by Anthony Clark, the creators of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja. The comic is based on the 1981 arcade shooter of the same name. On July 21, 2017, two of North's projects were awarded Eisner Awards: "Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)" for The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (with Erica Henderson), and "Best Humor Publication" for Jughead (with Chip Zdarsky, Henderson, and Derek Charm). On September 15, 2020, Archaia published a graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, which was adapted by North and illustrated by Albert Monteys. In July 2022, North announced two upcoming comics projects via his newsletter. The first is Star Trek: Lower Decks —a limited series based on the animated series of the same name—with artist Chris Fenoglio; the first issue is scheduled to be published in September 2022 by IDW Publishing. The second is a YA graphic novel, titled Danger and Other Unknown Risks, with artist Henderson; North and Henderson were co-creators on Squirrel Girl. This graphic novel is described as a "dystopian fantasy" and is scheduled to be published in April 2023 by Penguin Teen. In November 2022, North launched a new volume of Fantastic Four with artist Iban Coello. In October 2024, at New York Comic Con, it was announced that North was heading up Marvel's 2025 event One World Under Doom. The event follows Doctor Doom who, after being granted the title of Sorcerer Supreme during the events of Blood Hunt, declares himself emperor of the world. The event began in February 2025, with the main miniseries written by North and drawn by R.B. Silva. He will next write Hulk: Smash Everything.

North created three tools to aid webcomic authors: Oh No Robot, a webcomic transcription tool that creates searchable text databases for comics; RSSpect, a method of creating RSS feeds for websites; and Project Wonderful, a pay-per-day auction-based ad serving system. The first two were free, whereas the last took 25% of each sale. Only Oh No Robot remains.

• Illustration — North (right) in 2018, with his dog Noam Chompsky North was born in Osgoode, Ontario, in 1980. His parents are Anna and Randall North and said in an interview that he has a younger brother, Victor. In an interview, North said that his family lived in rural Osgoode and there was not a lot to do, so spent much of his time on the computer. After high school, he studied computer science at Carleton University in Ottawa, then did his master's degree in computer science at the University of Toronto in Toronto, specializing in computational linguistics. North once hosted instructions on his website for building cardboard boxes designed to look like elements of Super Mario Bros., designed by his friend Posterchild. In 2006, a group of teenage girls in Ravenna, Ohio were arrested after they created and distributed several of these blocks, over fears they were bombs. On August 18, 2015, North became stuck in a skate pit with only an umbrella, a leash, his phone, and his dog, Noam Chompsky, after rain made the surface too slick to easily climb with a dog in tow. He posted about his conundrum on Twitter, leading hundreds of Twitter users to reply with suggestions on how to combine the items in his "inventory" to escape, eventually leading to success. Chompsky died in October 2022. North is married to Jenn Klug. As of 2016, they lived in Leslieville, Toronto, Ontario.

Archie Comics • Jughead #9–14 (September 2016–June 2017) • Collected in Jughead Vol. 2 (contains #9–11, trade paperback, 2017) • Collected in Jughead Vol. 3 (contains #12–14, trade paperback, 2017) IDW Publishing • Star Trek: Lower Decks #1–3 (illustrated by Chris Fenoglio, September–November 2022) • Collected in Star Trek: Lower Decks (trade paperback, 2023) • Star Trek: Day of Blood - Shaxs' Best Day #1 (September 2023) • Collected in Star Trek: Day of Blood (hardcover, 2024) • Star Trek: Lower Decks—Warp Your Own Way (trade paperback, 2024) • Star Trek: Lower Decks (vol. 2) #1–present (illustrated by Derek Charm, November 2024–present) KaBOOM! Studios • Adventure Time #1–35, 75 (February 2012–December 2014, April 2018) • Collected in Adventure Time Vol. 1 (#1–4, trade paperback, 2012) • Bill & Ted's Most Triumphant Return #1–6 (March – August 2015) Marvel Comics • The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1–8 (January–August 2015) • Collected in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1: Squirrel Power • Collected in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True • The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (vol. 2) #1–50 (October 2015–November 2019) • Howard the Duck (vol. 6) #6 (co-written with Chip Zdarsky, illustrated by Joe Quinones, April 2016) • Collected in Howard the Duck Vol. 1: Duck Hunt (trade paperback, 2016) • Collected in Howard the Duck by Zdarsky & Quinones (hardcover, 2022) • Power Pack #1–5 (illustrated by Nico Leon, November 2020–April 2021) • Collected in Power Pack: The Powers That Be (trade paperback, 2021) • Fantastic Four (vol. 7) #1–33 (November 2022–June 2025) • Secret Invasion #1–5 (illustrated by Francesco Mobili, November 2022–March 2023) • Collected in Secret Invasion: Mission Earth (trade paperback, 2023) • One World Under Doom #1–9 (illustrated by R. B. Silva, February 2025–November 2025) • Collected in One World Under Doom (trade paperback, 2026) • Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1 (illustrated by John Romita Jr., March 2025) • Collected in Godzilla vs. the Marvel Universe (trade paperback, 2025) • Fantastic Four (vol. 8) #1–present (July 2025–present) • Hulk: Smash Everything DC Comics • Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1–5 (June–October 2025) • Collected in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton (trade paperback, 2026) • The Flash (vol. 6) #31–present (March 2026–present)