Simon Hanselmann

About

Australian cartoonist, writer, and illustrator known as for being the creator of the Megg, Mogg & Owl comic universe and for acclaimed graphic novels including Megahex, Megg and Mogg in Amsterdam, One More Year, Bad Gateway, and Crisis Zone, along with winning multiple major comics awards including Eisner and Ignatz Awards. He is also known for having his work adapted into animation through Hulu's The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! in 2022.

Before fame

He experienced instability during childhood which would later influence the themes of chaos, neglect, and survival present in his comics. He began drawing and self-publishing comics when he was around eight years old. He did not attend a traditional art school and developed his artistic voice independently. He moved from Tasmania to mainland Australia in 2008 to pursue his creative career and began sharing early Megg, Mogg & Owl strips online. He relocated to London around 2009 where he lived for roughly two years and further developed the early versions of Megg, Mogg & Owl. He began drawing the Megg, Mogg & Owl characters during this period as a break from more serious long-form projects. He released the first major print collection of Megg, Mogg & Owl titled Megahex in 2014. 

Trivia

He deliberately spelled the names "Megg" and "Mogg" with extra letters to distinguish them from the classic children's book characters Meg and Mog. He won Best Series at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2018. He won two Eisner Awards in 2021 including Best Webcomic for Crisis Zone and Best Graphic Album: Reprint for Seeds and Stems.

Family life

He was born and raised in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He was primarily raised by his mother under difficult financial and emotional circumstances. He has publicly identified as gender-fluid and has stated that he is not bothered by pronouns. He has a daughter.

Associated with

He collaborated with Justin Roiland who produced the animated adaptation of Megg, Mogg & Owl for Hulu in 2022.