Jon J Muth

Jon J Muth (/mjuːθ/; born July 28, 1960) is an American comics artist and children's book illustrator who is known for his painted artwork.

Muth studied stone sculpture and shodō (書道) (brush calligraphy) in Japan; and studied painting, printmaking, and drawing in England, Austria, and Germany.

In the comics industry, his works include J. M. DeMatteis' graphic novel Moonshadow, Grant Morrison's The Mystery Play, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: The Wake with Michael Zulli and Charles Vess, Mike Carey's Lucifer: Nirvana and Swamp Thing: Roots. He worked with writers Walt and Louise Simonson and co-artist Kent Williams on Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown in 1988. That series was a result of Williams and Muth's desire to work on a project together. Muth received an Eisner Award in the category "Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art)" in 1995 for his work on The Mystery Play. In addition, Muth has had an award-winning career as a children's book writer and illustrator. He explained that "A sense of joy is what moved me from comics to picture books. My work in children's books grew out of a desire to explore what I was feeling as a new father." He received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1999 for his illustrations in Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse. Muth created a version of the stone soup fable set in China and illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game. In 2005, Muth collaborated with author Caroline Kennedy on A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children.

• Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition
  • 2019, Broken Frontier Award, Best Collection of Classic Material
• Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons
  • 2016, Beehive Book Award, Winner in the Poetry Division
• Zen Socks
  • 2015, A Junior Library Guild Selection
• City Dog, Country Frog
  • 2010, A Junior Library Guild Selection
• A Christmas Magic
  • 2010, Ohioana: The Hamilton County Committee Program; In honor of Hamilton County Authors and Composers
• Stonecutter
  • 2010, Ohioana: The Hamilton County Committee Program; In honor of Hamilton County Authors and Composers
• Zen Ties
  • 2009, Illustrator of the Year, The Children's Choice Book Award
  • 2009, The Frances & Wesley Bock Book Award, Neumann University
  • 2009, Children's Choice Book Awards, Children's Book Council
  • 2008, Children’s Picture Book Award, New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association
• Zen Shorts
  • 2006, Caldecott Honor Book, The Association for Library Service to Children
  • 2006, Book Sense Book of the Year, American Booksellers Association
  • 2005, Children’s Picture Book Award, New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association
• The Three Questions
  • 2002, Children's Media Honor, Achievement in Picture Books, Parent's Guide to Children's Media, Inc., Board of Directors
• Gershon's Monster: A Story for the Jewish New Year
  • 2000, Sydney Taylor Book Award, The Association of Jewish Libraries
• Come On, Rain
  • 1999, Gold Medal, The Society of Illustrators
• The Mystery Play
  • 1995, Best Painter, Will Eisner Comics Industry Award
• The Mythology of an Abandoned City
  • 1993, Best Graphic Album nomination, Will Eisner Comics Industry Award