Ryan North
Writer and all around entertaining guy.
Work in Print
Danger And Other Unknown Risks
Writer | 2023
Danger And Other Unknown RisksErica Henderson and I are back with an all-new, fully-original graphic novel about a young woman, her talking dog, and their adventure to save the world. It's a story about truth, friendship, and chosen family, and choosing hope even when there's none.
"It's been a while since a book sucked me in so completely. The adventure, mystery, humor, and darkness of it all left me floored. How many ways can I say that I loved it? Easily my favorite book of the year." - Tillie Walden, Eisner Award-winning creator of Spinning
"This comic has everything: brilliant artwork, a roller-coaster story, sharp comedy, heartfelt teen romance, and the best talking dog ever. I loved it so much!" - Faith Erin Hicks, New York Times best-selling illustrator of Pumpkinheads
"A kid and their dog going on an adventure may be one of the most classic setups for stories aimed at young people, yet, in the hands of author North and artist Henderson, this frequently seen premise is the invitation to explore an exciting new world... North and Henderson are a delightful team." - Booklist (starred review!)
"An absolutely perfect comic." - SKTCHD
Eisner-winning (2024) and one of AIPT's Best Comics of 2023!
How to Take Over The World
Writer | 2022Also translated into: Chinese, Japanese
How to Take Over The World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring SupervillainComic book world domination schemes can be pretty wild, involving things like floating bases, digging a tunnel to the Earth's core to hold it hostage, and more. But it turns out, with the right science, technology, and inventions, they're much more achievable than they might seem! I'm extremely proud of this book and can't wait for you to read it - find out more here!
"Knowledge, [North] proposes, is the greatest superpower of all. An exuberant handbook for making the world better." - Kirkus
"An eclectic journey, full to the brim with North's trademark sarcasm and humor. An excellent starting point for anyone interested in learning more about cutting edge science or becoming a supervillain." - Booklist
"Highly recommended, and like [How To Invent Everything] a perfect gift for a curious teen. And really, who isn't curious about becoming a supervillain? Don't miss this one." - Jo Walton, Tor
A popular science book that tours a wide-ranging set of technological ideas by means of explaining how to realize the supervillain plots so beloved of Marvel comics... full of extremely funny, extremely informative riffs that make for an engrossing frame for very deep dives into knowledge that are esoteric, interdisciplinary, and damned interesting. - Cory Doctorow
One of Esquire's Best Books of 2022 - and NPR's too! Longlisted for the AAAS Young Adult Science Book award!
How to Invent Everything
Writer | 2018Also translated into: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Taiwanese
Have you ever wondered about what you'd do if you were sent back in time? Have you ever worried that you don't know enough about how our modern technological world works to be able to rebuild it from scratch? I KNOW I HAVE. And that's partly why I wrote my new book: a hilarious non-fiction book wrapped in a fictional candy coating. With this book, you're going to make history... better.
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler"A fun, thoughtful, and thoroughly accessible reference for curious readers, students, and world-builders, as well as wayward time travelers." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review!)
"Despite being genuinely funny in the mode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 'How to Invent Everything' is consistently accurate in engineering terms and proof, were it needed, that our technological evolution has been one of the unsung wonders of the world. A superb, exciting and entertaining read." - Engineering and Technology Magazine
One of both NPR's and BBC Science Focus's best books of 2018!
How to Be a T.Rex
Writer | 2018Being a regular old human is kind of a drag. That's why Sal is not going to be a teacher or doctor or lawyer when she grows up. She is going to grow up to be an awesome Tyrannosaurus Rex. Her brother thinks it's impossible, but Sal sure shows him! And in the beginning, being a T. Rex is AWESOME. But did you know that it's kind of hard to make friends when you are a super-giant, super-loud, super-stompy dinosaur? If only there were a way for Sal to be 100% awesome, 100% of the time...
How to Be a T.RexIt's my picture book debut with a bright, bold, and quirky story about finding--and taming--the beast within!
"Hilarious, emotionally poignant, and just a little bit sassy." - Kirkus (starred review!)
Choose-Your-Own-Path Shakespeare
Writer | 2013 - 2017Also translated into: Chinese (Romeo and/or Juliet), Spanish (To Be or Not To Be and Romeo and/or Juliet)
I turned Shakespeare into adventure books where you decide what happens next! To Be or Not To Be became the #1 most-funded publishing project on Kickstarter when it launched, and Romeo and/or Juliet was an instant New York Times bestseller and won an YASLA Alex Award, as a book written for adults that has special appeal to young adults!
To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure
Romeo and/or Juliet
William Shakespeare Punches A Friggin' Shark"North has taken an idea that is, by most conventional literary standards, terrible, and pushed it so far past terrible that it wraps around like a comet slingshotting around the sun and comes back as utterly brilliant. - Time
Licensed Graphic Novels
Writer | 2020 - PresentBesides these I also wrote Fantastic Four, Star Trek, Squirrel Girl, Jughead, and Adventure Time, but I did so many of those that they got their own sections, below!
Slaughterhouse-Five: The Graphic Novel, 2020. Also translated into: Catalan, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (in both Brazil and Portugal), Spanish (in both Argentina and Spain), and Turkish."The best, and most effective, graphic novel adaptation of a literary novel in recent memory." - Library Journal (starred review!)
"A rare graphic adaptation that enriches a literary classic... this tragic, bleakly funny take on Vonnegut's defining work will send enthused readers back to the source, and deserves a place beside it on the shelf." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review!)
Power Pack: Powers That Be, 2021."If you are a Power Pack fan or just a fan of comic books this is a series that needs to be added to your collection today." - Comicon
One of Polygon's Best Comics of 2021!
The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher, 2021. Also translated into French!"A terrific middle-grade debut for a classic DC antihero... this is the best of DC's middle-grade graphic novels yet." - Kirkus
One of Polygon's Best Comics of 2021!
Secret Invasion: Mission Earth, 2023. Also translated into French!"North's dialogue magnificently walks on tenterhooks until it needs to strike with a spine-chilling twist..." - But Why Tho
Fantastic Four
Writer | 2022 - PresentAlso translated into: French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
The World's Greatest Comic Magazine is back! The first collection is out now, more are coming, and there's brand-new issues every month at a comic shoppe near you! One of Multiversity and Paste Magazine's best comics of 2022, AIPT's and Newsarama's best comics of 2023, Multiversity's Most Fun Ongoing Comic of 2023, and Newsarama's #1 best comic of 2024!
Fantastic Four Vol. 1: Whatever Happened to the Fantastic Four?
Fantastic Four Vol. 2: Four Stories About Hope
Fantastic Four Vol. 3: The Impossible is Probable
Fantastic Four Vol. 4: Fortune Favours the Fantastic
Fantastic Four Vol. 5: Aliens, Ghosts and Alternate Earths
Fantastic Four Vol. 6: Our World Under Doom
One World Under Doom
Fantastic Four Vol. 1: Save Everyone (we relaunched!)"Fantastic Four is consistently great. But more than that, it’s consistently unexpected." - SKTCHD
"This series has not only proven to be consistently inventive and entertaining, but it's also managed to make a full-on fan out of me." - AIPT
Star Trek
Writer | 2023 - 2025
Star Trek: Lower Decks, 2023."Nothing short of a miracle." - Multiversity
"Put some respect on the Cali class! The Lower Decks comic has earned it." - Comics Beat
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way"...A clever, delightful book. An excellent Lower Decks story that perfectly captures the show’s setting and characters. And an inventive, surprising use of the Choose Your Own Adventure format that finds new layers in an old conceit" - Strange Horizons (an interactive review!)
Winner of both a Hugo Award and an Aurura Award!
Star Trek: Lower Decks, Vol 1: Second Contact"Something that’s always a guarantee with Ryan North’s comics is that every issue has more than enough entertainment to justify the price..." - AIPT
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Writer | 2014 - 2019Also translated into: French, Japanese, Italian, Spanish
The acclaimed (and Eisner-winning!) Marvel Comics series!
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1: Squirrel Power
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2: Squirrel You KnowIt's True
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 3: Squirrel, You Really Got Me Now
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 4: I Kissed a Squirrel and I Liked It
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 5: Like I'm the Only Squirrel in the World
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 6: Who Run the World? Squirrels
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 7: I've Been Waiting for a Squirrel Like You
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 8: My Best Friend's Squirrel
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 9: Squirrels Fall Like Dominoes
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 10: Life Is Too Short, Squirrel
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 11: Call Your Squirrelfriend
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 12: To All The Squirrels I've Loved Before
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe
Marvel RisingA special stand-alone story, co-written with Devin Grayson and G. Willow Wilson, showing Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel meeting for the first time!
Squirrel Girl OmnibusEvery Squirrel Girl comic I ever wrote - literally all of 'em! - in one colossal book!
"A first-purchase for all graphic novel collections." - School Library Journal (starred review!)
Jughead
Writer | 2016 - 2017The Eisner-award winning run on the burger-loving teen!
Jughead: Vol 2
Jughead: Vol 3"I have to confess that honest-to-God, hand-on-my-heart, the first chapter of this was among the very best single issues of a comic book series I read last year." - School Library Journal
Adventure Time
Writer | 2012 - 2015, 2024Also translated into: French, Russian
The Harvey and Eisner-award winning run!
Adventure TimeVol. 1
Adventure TimeVol. 2
Adventure TimeVol. 3
Adventure TimeVol. 4
Adventure TimeVol. 5
Adventure TimeVol. 6
Adventure TimeVol. 7
Adventure TimeVol. 8
Adventure TimeCompendium Vol. 1 (My entire run in one book!)"At this point, I seriously doubt that anyone really needs to be told that Ryan North, Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb's Adventure Time comic is really, really good. It's been a smash hit since it debuted, and made appearances on almost everyone's Best Of 2012 lists, with good reason. It's consistently great [...]" - Comics Alliance
Midas
Writer | 2014, 2019Also translated into: Italian
What if King Midas was scientifically accurate, and also in space? This space opera comedy explores a galaxy of gold, dinosaurs, and conflict. The complete series was been collected as "The Midas Flesh" in two trades in 2014, and then collected into a single book - as was always intended - under the title "Midas" in 2019!
The Midas Flesh Vol. 1
The Midas Flesh Vol. 2
Midas"This fascinating, humorous sci-fi twist on the King Midas myth will attract many readers." - School Library Journal
Machine of Death
Editor, Contributing Writer | 2010, 2013Also translated into: French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
What if there was a machine that could tell you how you were going to die... but not when? These two books - spun off from a Dinosaur Comic - collect tons of amazing short stories exploring the full potential of that premise.
Machine of Death
This Is How You Die; Stories of the Inscrutable, Infallible, Inescapable Machine of Death"Machine Of Death is a marvelous collection, riddled with intelligence, creative reach, and a frankness that makes the best use of the central gimmick." - AV Club
Dinosaur Comics
Creator | 2003 - PresentAlso translated into: Russian
It's the same pictures with different words - and it's way better than it sounds! You can read Dinosaur Comics online too!
Dinosaur Comics: Dudes Already Know About Chickens
Dinosaur Comics: Everybody Knows Failure Is Just Success Rounded Down
Dinosaur Comics: Feelings Are Boring, Kissing Is AwesomeThese collections of the webcomic include crazy introductions, impressive appendices, and some ALL NEW CHUCKLEPROMPTS.
Stand-alone stories
Writer | 2008 - PresentNot sure if you want to commit to reading an entire book by me? I get it. Try these bite-sized short stories instead!
Flight Vol 5, 2008: A story about what happens when the world stops spinning and everyone flies into a wall. Art by John Martz!
Lightspeed Magazine Issue 38, 2013: My short story "Cancer" was printed in Lightspeed magazine, and now you can click to read it online!
Original Sins, 2015: This book is a collection of stories taking place during Marvel's "Original Sin" event, and I wrote a story about the Young Avengers! It features MIND READING, with art by Ramon Villalobos!
Oh Joy Sex Toy, Vol 2, 2015: While this book mostly features Erika Moen's great educational comics about sex, there's some guest comics in it too, including one by me and Trudy "Oglaf" Cooper about the most SFW sexual fetishes you can find on YouTube! :0
Bill and Ted's Most Triumphant Return, 2016: I wrote a backup story for this series, starring Bill, Ted, and a programming problem with the Good Robot Usses. Ian McGinty brought it to life! 
Gwenpool Holiday Special: Merry Mix Up #1, 2016: Nathan Stockman and I bring you the story of when Spider-Man met Galactus on the most special night of the year.
1001 Knights, 2017: Kevin Jay Stanton and I contributed a comic about the real story of Medusa, and why she's so great. Spoiler alert: she is extremely great.
Defend Comics! (Free Comic Book Day to Help the CBLDF), 2017: Braden and Shelli and I told the true story of the secret encryption devices Mattel doesn't want you to know about... hidden within a Barbie typewriter.
A Year of Marvels, 2017: A special Valentine's Day comic about Spider-Man and the Vulture!
Not Brand Echh #14, 2017: Erica and I contributed the story of Squirrel Girl's own dating service for super villains!
Boom Box Mixtape, 2018: Braden and Shelli and I revisited the world of The Midas Flesh for a short comic featuring dinosaurs in the distant future.
Inhumans: Once and Future Kings, 2018: Gustavo Duarte and I created five two-page minicomics about Lockjaw, The Giant Inhuman Dog! I love that dog.
Thanos Annual #1, 2018: Will Robson and I made the bleakest, darkest Thanos story we could. Guess what? It's pretty bleak and dark!
Infinity Warps #1, 2018: What if Squirrel Girl and Moon Girl were mashed up into one character? Wonder no more! Featuring art by Moon Girl artist Natacha Bustos.
Vault of Spiders #2, 2018: If Aunt May had been bitten by a radioactive spider, instead of Peter, you might end up with a comic like this. Art by David Williams!
Gender And The Superhero Narrative, 2018: A great set of essays about superheroes and gender - I wrote the introduction!
Destiny Comic Collection: Volume One, 2019: Two stories co-written here, set within Bungie's Destiny game universe! One of them, a collection exclusive, involves SWEEPERBOT.
Minecraft: Stories from the Overworld, 2019: An anthology of Minecraft stories: mine is about a Creeper who wakes up in the woods, with no idea of how Creepers are supposed to act. It's sweet!
Spider-Verse #2, 2019: Spider-Ma'am, the caring Aunt May, returns! Only now things are a lot creepier. Art by Pere Pérez!
Fantastic Four: Negative Zone #1, 2019: The Fantastix, who you might think are just a knock-off of the Fantastic Four, try to find their place in the world. Art by Steve Uy!
Tales Through The Marvel Universe, 2019: I contributed a short story called "Market Correction" about Iron Man fighting the 2008 financial crisis. It's real good. Art by Rod Reis!
Marvel Comics 1000, 2019: A collection of single-page comics covering all of Marvel's history! I contributed one about Galactus, whomst I love. Art by James Harren!
Better Than IRL, 2020: A collection of essays about when the internet was good. Mine's about a forgotten Ottawa-valley "hacker" named Sommy!
Mr. Boop Vol II, 2020: Derek Charm and I contributed a guest comic to this non-fiction documentary series about Alec, who is married to Betty Boop.
The Darkhold: Iron Man, 2021: A one-shot body horror Iron Man story written by me and drawn by Guillermo Sanna Bauza, collected in this volume. A personal favourite!
Intense Issue #2, 2023: When a futurist asks you to contribute an article to their lifestyle magazine from the future, you say yes.
Extreme Venomverse #1, 2023: What if Spider-Man had died, and Eddie Brock had taken over for him? What kind of man would he be? What kind of hero? Art by Paulo Siqueira!
Star Trek: Day of Blood: Shaxs' Best Day, 2023: Shaxs goes ham on fascist Klingons for the full issue; it's AMAZING (and Eisner and Ringo-nominated!) Art by Derek Charm!
Venomverse Reborn, 2024: Okay, I'm in here for precisely two pages, but they are two pages of a Venom T-Rex in the Dinosaur Comics layout! In a Marvel Comic! INCREDIBLE. Art by Matthew Waite!
Trick or Read: Fantastic Four, 2024: This is a reprint of Fantastic Four #13 to be given away at Hallowe'en, but with an extra 4-page FF intro story. Art by Alan Davis!
Weapon X-Traction, 2024: Originally published as a set of 5-page backups across 8 issues, and now collected into a single book. Art by Javier Garrón! (Also translated into Spanish!)
Fantastic Four: The Ultimate Guide, 2024: A full reference for the FF: I wrote the introduction!
Fantastic Four Versus Galactus, 2025: The two best FF/Galactus stories ever told, in one book. I wrote the introduction!
Fantastic Four: Free Comic Book Day, 2025: For Free Comic Book Day 2025, Humberto Ramos and I bring you an all-new FF story, featuring aliens and shenanigans!
Godzilla Versus The Marvel Universe, 2025: I got to team up with John Romita Jr. to tell the story of the first time Gozilla met the Fantastic Four!
Star Trek: Lore War: Shaxs' Worst Day, 2025: Derek Charm and I reunite for a sequel to the Shaxs' Best Day - it's bigger, crazier, and has even more fascists having a very very bad time!
The Art of Fantastic Four, 2025: I wrote the introduction to this oversized collection of Jack Kirby's art!
TVA: For All Time, Always, 2025: I wrote five li'l one-page backups for this, starring the sentient clocks of the TVA, and Enid Balám drew 'em!Research papers
Author | 2003 - 2007Besides creating science fiction, I've also created actual science.
Scheme 2 Java, R. North., 2003: My undergraduate honours project focused on translating code from a functional paradigm into an imperative language. I wasn't sure it was possible, but it kinda is! Unpublished... until now.
Statistical Measures of the Semi-Productivity of Light Verb Constructions, S. Stevenson, A. Fazly, and R. North., 2004: Proceedings of the ACL 2004 Workshop on Multiword Expressions: Integrating Processing, 1-8. Barcelona, Spain, August, 2004.
Automatically Distinguishing Literal and Figurative Usages of Highly Polysemous Verbs, A. Fazly, R. North, and S. Stevenson: Proceedings of the ACL 2005 Workshop on Deep Lexical Acquisition, 38-47. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, June, 2005.
Computational Measures of the Acceptability of Light Verb Constructions, R. North: A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, 2005.
Automatically Determining Allowable Combinations of a Class of Flexible Multiword Expressions, A. Fazly, R. North, and S. Stevenson: Proceedings of the International Conference on Computational Linguistics and Intelligent Text Processing (CICLing 2006), 81-92. Mexico City, Mexico, 2006.
Automatically Learning Semantic Knowledge about Multiword Predicates, A. Fazly, S. Stevenson, and R. North: Language Resources and Evaluation, 41(1), 61-89, 2007.
Current Projects
- Dinosaur Comics
- Fantastic Four
- One World Under Doom
- Iron Man game
- Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton
- New secret thing :0
Squirrel Girl art by Erica Henderson, © Marvel Comics, Ophelia art by Kate Beaton, How To Invent Everything art by Derek Charm, Kid Constantine art by Derek Charm, © DC Comics, Slaughterhouse-Five art by Albert Monteys, How To Be A T.rex art by Mike Lowery.