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Emily the Strange
Fictional character From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Emily the Strange is an illustrated fictional character featured in several comic books, graphic novels and in various merchandise and clothing lines. She was created by Rob Reger for his company Cosmic Debris Etc. Inc. located in San Francisco, California.[1]
History
Rob Reger received permission to use the character design from Nathan Carrico, who first designed Emily in 1991 for Santa Cruz Skateboards.[2] She first appeared on Santa Cruz Skateboards professional skater Ross Goodman's skateboard graphics.[citation needed]
Publications
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Emily the Strange has featured in print publications by publishers including Chronicle Books, Dark Horse Comics, and HarperCollins.
The Chronicle Books hardback graphic novellas include:
- Emily the Strange (2001)
- Emily's Secret Book of Strange (2003)
- Emily's Good Nightmares (2005)
- Emily's Seeing Is Deceiving (2006)
Since 2008 Emily the Strange has been published in France by Soleil Productions.
Dark Horse Comic Book Series
From 2005 to 2013, Dark Horse Comics published a comic series featuring Emily the Strange. They also released collected editions of reprinted material.
In addition to the comics, Dark Horse Comics published an art book, The Art of Emily the Strange,[3] a collection of images showing the wide range of artistic styles and media that have been used to create the world of Emily the Strange, and the art of Rob Reger, Buzz Parker, and a large number of collaborators.
Collected editions
Dark Horse's Emily the Strange comics have been collected in trade paperbacks and limited-edition hardcovers, each including a sketchbook and extra material from the original publications.
HarperCollins young adult novel series
In October 2007, Publishers Weekly announced that HarperCollins signed four young adult novels based on Emily the Strange.[4]
Four young adult novels were published between 2009 and 2013 through HarperCollins' children imprint branch. All were written by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner and illustrated by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker.[5]
The first novel, Emily the Strange: The Lost Days was written in a diary format. Rob Reger, co-author and creator of the character, said the book mapped new territory inside the mind of his popular character. "In the past, it’s been us describing her," he says. "This is the first time anybody gets to hear how she talks to herself and her cats."[6]
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Brand expansion
The Emily the Strange franchise has a considerable merchandising catalog, including clothing, stationery, stickers and fashion accessories. All of the products feature Emily's distinctive appearance and frequently feature one of her cynical sayings such as "Get Lost," "Be All You Can't Be," or "Wish You Weren't Here".
As of 2008, Cosmic Debris had opened at least four Emily the Strange flagship stores, with locations in Athens, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan.[7]
In 2005, the company partnered with British punk rock band The Damned, in the release and artwork for their single Little Miss Disaster. Other co-branding alliances and partnerships have included Jones Soda, Gibson Guitars, Zippo, and Manic Panic (hair coloring, nail polishes and colorful extensions).
Clothing
In July/August 2003 V magazine ran a double page spread of clothing inspired by the character, created by Chanel, Gautier, Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, and others.[8] Emily has been shown in Vanilla Sky and on MADtv. Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Britney Spears, and Björk have all worn the brand. Epiphone has created an Emily the Strange-themed SG guitar, based on an Epiphone G-310, with a bolt-on neck, customized Emily the Strange graphics, and a special strap.[9]
Since 2010 Emily the Strange apparel is manufactured and distributed by Italian company Pier Spa.
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In other media
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Rob Reger designed and included the Emily the Strange cartoon in a 12-page foldout booklet for the album BatBox by Miss Kittin in 2008.[10]
There have been several attempt at an Emily the Strange movie. In 2005, Fox Animation hired Matthew Weiss to write "Emily the Strange", a then-planned live action/animated feature film.[11][12] As of 2008, Dark Horse Entertainment was looking for a director and studio for an Emily the Strange movie.[13] In September 2010, Universal Studios acquired the rights to the comic, and the actress Chloë Grace Moretz was cast in the role of Emily.[14] The following August, Universal hired Melisa Wallack, who wrote the script for what would become Mirror Mirror, to write the script,[15] then in 2013 Kealan O'Rourke was brought in to rewrite it.[16] By December 2016, Universal had abandoned the project, and Dark Horse Entertainment and Amazon Studios were in negotiations to make an animated film.[17]
In October 2024, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Bad Robot announced their collaboration on a full-length animated feature based on Emily the Strange. The film's screenplay is being developed by Pamela Ribon, as Bad Robot will produce the film, with Reger serving as executive producer alongside Trevor Duke-Moretz.[18]
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Cats
Emily is usually shown accompanied by four black cats. Sabbath, the newest cat to join the Strange family, is usually identified by a tear on one of his ears and one bent whisker. Miles, the most artistic cat of the group and also the fastest, is identified by his pointy ears, X-mark over his right eye and two pointy whiskers. Nee Chee, the thinker of the group (also known as the schemer), is identified by the black and white stripes on his tail caused by a chemical spill, as well as three whiskers. Mystery, the leader of the group and the only female of the four cats, seems to be the closest to Emily, and therefore thought to be the cat that has been with Emily the longest. Mystery is identified by the star on her collar, one curly whisker and occasionally a star on her left eye.
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Character origin controversy
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The very first Emily the Strange illustration dates from 1991, but the 1978 children's book Nate the Great Goes Undercover features a very similar illustration of a young girl named Rosamond. She also has long black hair and is frequently accompanied by her black cats. When Rosamond is introduced she wears a short dress and white Mary Jane shoes, similar to Emily, and in a similar pose.[19]
This illustration is accompanied by the text, "Rosamond did not look hungry or sleepy. She looked like she always looks. Strange." The first Emily the Strange design by Cosmic Debris says: "Emily did not look tired or happy. She looked like she always looks. Strange."
When Rosamond's creators, Marjorie Sharmat and Marc Simont, allegedly began contacting companies who had contracts related to Emily the Strange and urged them to drop their relationships with Cosmic Debris, Cosmic Debris sued Sharmat and Simont. Sharmat and Simont counter-sued.[20] "Emily the Strange, like Rosamond, is a young girl in a short dress, black tights, and Mary Jane shoes. Emily, like Rosamond, has long dark hair with square-cut bangs. Emily, like Rosamond, is typically attended by four black cats. Emily, like Rosamond, is described as being strange and has a fascination with dark themes," alleged the complaint.
Cosmic Debris contended that Emily and Rosamond both drew from a tradition of similar characters including Vampira and Wednesday Addams, and argued that while the text of the initial Emily illustration was nearly identical with Sharmat's text, that illustration had been withdrawn in 1998 and the statute of limitations had therefore run out.[21]
On August 12, 2009, the creator of Emily the Strange and the creators of Nate the Great jointly announced an agreement resolving all disputes between them. Each side agreed to give up all claims against the other as part of their settlement. "We recognize that Emily and Rosamond are both unique and original characters, and we are pleased that we were able to resolve this dispute," said Marjorie Sharmat and Marc Simont. "We wish Rob, Cosmic Debris, Emily and her fans all the very best."[22]
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Notes
References
External links
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