Sara Pichelli, the Italian artist behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, wins Oscar

Sara Pichelli, a comic book artist from Porto Sant'Elpidio (Fermo), born in 1983, was the graphic creator of Miles Morales, the protagonist of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Director Peter Ramsey credited Pichelli as having done the heavy lifting. Discovered by Marvel Comics in 2008 through an international talent search, she previously worked for IDW Publishing on Star Trek and Ghost Whisperer. She became the lead artist on Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, where she visualized the new Afro-Latino Spider-Man. Pichelli's career began as a storyboard artist, animator, and character designer. She won the Eagle Award for Best Emerging Artist in 2011, the Harvey Award in 2012, and two Stan Lee Awards in 2012. In 2011, she created the poster for Lucca Comics & Games. In 2014, she co-designed the cover of Dylan Dog Color Fest #12 with Annalisa Leoni. She lives and works in Rome. Her favorite comic book authors include Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Manu Larcenet, Leo Ortolani, and ZeroCalcare. Pichelli noted that the idea of introducing an ethnic minority icon had been in the air for some time and that Miles Morales was a risky but refreshing move.