Judy Hansen is an agent (her company is Hansen Literary Agency) but she’s much more than that. She is someone with a vision for what comics could be…and, more importantly, what a career in comics could be. The fact that comics creators with bestselling series are now making the kind of money that bestselling authors should is very much due to Judy’s hard-nosed negotiation skills…and detailed knowledge of not only publishing but media and readers.
Among her clients: Raina, Gene Luen Yang, Jerry Craft, Scott McCloud, Kazu Kibuishi, and many more. The way her clients dominate sales charts is a testament to her eye for talent, but it’s no fluke. A great agent not only sees talent but mentors and develops it.
Read The Beat’s profile of agent Judy Hansen.
Then keep scrolling for the People of the Year in other categories.
Judy has been a tireless advocate for her creators (myself included) but also for comics as an art form and an industry. Judith Hansen has been the person of the year *behind* the person of the year, year after year, and she’s not done yet. – Scott McCloud
Judy Hansen is someone — like Will Eisner or Jenette Kahn — who has changed comics for all of us. I don’t know if she’ll remember, but we had lunch once, in 2007 at the Century Club. She was a fascinating, knowledgeable and a fierce advocate for comics — as well as a lovely person.