There was no big book this year. Rather, the nominations were spread across a broad array of titles, from. IDW Publishing garnered the most nominations, with 13 across all its imprints, plus one shared nomination. Fantagraphics Books got 12 nominations, and Image Comics picked up 11. Other publishers with multiple nominations were DC Comics (seven and five shared), Europe Comics (seven), Shortbox (five), Scholastic (four), Marvel (four and four shared), and BOOM! Studios (three and one shared). At the other end of the scale, 35 publishers got one nomination each.
Several comics and graphic novels or their creators were nominated in more than one category, including Cover and Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (DC Comics), Invisible Kingdom (Dark Horse Comics), Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second Books), Little Bird (Image Comics), and Ghost Tree (IDW Publishing), all of which picked up three apiece.
The nominations were chosen by a panel that included graphic novel reviewer Martha Cornog (Library Journal), comics journalist Jamie Coville (TheComicBooks.com), academic and author Michael Dooley (L.A. Art Center College of Design, Print magazine), comic writer/novelist Alec Grecian (Proof, Rasputin, The Yard), journalist/blogger/podcaster Simon Jimenez (longtime Comic-Con volunteer), and retailer Laura O’Meara (Casablanca Comics, Portland, Maine). The final awards will be chosen by comics professionals in an online vote. Traditionally the awards are announced at a ceremony during Comic-Con International, but as Comic-Con has been canceled this year, alternate arrangements will be announced later.
Here is the full list.
Best Short Story
- “Hot Comb,” by Ebony Flowers, in Hot Comb (Drawn & Quarterly)
- “How to Draw a Horse,” by Emma Hunsinger, The New Yorker
- “The Menopause,” by Mira Jacob, The Believer
- “Who Gets Called an ‘Unfit’ Mother?” by Miriam Libicki, The Nib
- “You’re Not Going to Believe What I’m About to Tell You,” by Matthew Inman, The Oatmeal
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
- Coin-Op No. 8: Infatuation, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)
- The Freak, by Matt Lesniewski (AdHouse)
- Minotäar, by Lissa Treiman (Shortbox)
- Our Favorite Thing Is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics Books)
- Sobek, by James Stokoe (Shortbox)
Best Continuing Series
- Bitter Root, by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image Comics)
- Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image Comics)
- Crowded, by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image Comics)
- Daredevil, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel Comics)
- The Dreaming, by Simon Spurrier, Bilquis Evely et al. (DC Comics)
- Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José et al. (Marvel Comics)
Best Limited Series
- Ascender, by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics)
- Ghost Tree, by Bobby Curnow and Simon Gane (IDW Publishing)
- Little Bird by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram (Image Comics)
- Naomi by Brian Michael Bendis, David Walker, and Jamal Campbell (DC Comics)
- Sentient, by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta (TKO)
Best New Series
- Doctor Doom, by Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larocca (Marvel Comics)
- Invisible Kingdom, by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward (Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics)
- Once & Future, by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora (BOOM! Studios)
- Something Is Killing the Children, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)
- Undiscovered Country, by Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Daniele Orlandini (Image Comics)
Best Publication for Early Readers
- Comics: Easy as ABC, by Ivan Brunetti (TOON)
- Kitten Construction Company: A Bridge Too Fur, by John Patrick Green (First Second Books/Macmillan)
- The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems (Hyperion Books)
- A Trip to the Top of the Volcano with Mouse, by Frank Viva (TOON)
- ¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market, by Raúl the Third (Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Who Wet My Pants? by Bob Shea and Zachariah Ohora (Little, Brown)
Best Publication for Kids
- Akissi: More Tales of Mischief, by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin (Flying Eye/Nobrow
- Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic Graphix)
- Guts, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix)
- New Kid, by Jerry Craft (Quill Tree/HarperCollins)
- This Was Our Pact, by Ryan Andrews (First Second Books/Macmillan)
- The Wolf in Underpants, by Wilfrid Lupano, Mayana Itoïz, and Paul Cauuet (Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group)
Best Publication for Teens
- Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh (DC Comics)
- Hot Comb, by Ebony Flowers (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Kiss Number 8, by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw (First Second Books/Macmillan)
- Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (First Second Books/Macmillan)
- Penny Nichols, by MK Reed, Greg Means, and Matt Wiegle (Top Shelf Productions)
Best Humor Publication
- Anatomy of Authors, by Dave Kellett (SheldonComics.com)
- Death Wins a Goldfish, by Brian Rea (Chronicle Books)
- Minotäar, by Lissa Treiman (Shortbox)
- Sobek, by James Stokoe (Shortbox)
- The Way of the Househusband, vol. 1, by Kousuke Oono, translation by Sheldon Drzka (VIZ Media)
- Wondermark: Friends You Can Ride On, by David Malki (Wondermark)
Best Anthology
- ABC of Typography, by David Rault (SelfMade Hero)
- Baltic Comics Anthology š! #34-37, edited by David Schilter, Sanita Muižniece et al. (kuš!)
- Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival, edited by Diane Noomin (Abrams)
- Kramer’s Ergot #10, edited by Sammy Harkham (Fantagraphics Books)
- The Nib #2–4, edited by Matt Bors (Nib)
Best Reality-Based Work
- Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, by Mira Jacob (One World/Random House)
- Grass, by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translation by Janet Hong (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos, by Lucy Knisley (First Second Books/Macmillan)
- Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm (Hill & Wang)
- My Solo Exchange Diary, vol. 2 (sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness), by Nagata Kabi, translation by Jocelyne Allen (Seven Seas Entertainment)
- They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker (Top Shelf Productions)
Best Graphic Album—New
- Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden (First Second Books/Macmillan)
- Bezimena, by Nina Bunjevac (Fantagraphics Books)
- BTTM FDRS, by Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore (Fantagraphics Books)
- Life on the Moon, by Robert Grossman (Yoe Books/IDW Publishing)
- New World, by David Jesus Vignolli (Archaia/BOOM! Studios)
- Reincarnation Stories, by Kim Deitch (Fantagraphics Books)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
- Bad Weekend by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image Comics)
- Clyde Fans, by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Cover, vol. 1, by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack (DC Comics /Jinxworld)
- Glenn Ganges: The River at Night, by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn & Quarterly)
- LaGuardia, by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford (Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics)
- Rusty Brown, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
- Giraffes on Horseback Salad: Salvador Dali, the Marx Brothers, and the Strangest Movie Never Made, by Josh Frank, Tim Hedecker, and Manuela Pertega (Quirk Books)
- The Giver, by Lois Lowry and P. Craig Russell, (HMH Books for Young Readers)
- The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel, by Margaret Atwood, adapted by Renee Nault (Nan A. Talese)
- HP Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, vols. 1–2, adapted by Gou Tanabe, translation by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse Comics)
- The Seventh Voyage, by Stanislaw Lem, adapted by Jon Muth, translation by Michael Kandel (Scholastic Graphix)
- Snow, Glass, Apples, by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran (Dark Horse Comics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
- Diabolical Summer, by Thierry Smolderen and Alexandre Clerisse, translation by Edward Gauvin (IDW Publishing)
- Gramercy Park, by Timothée de Fombelle and Christian Cailleaux, translation by Edward Gauvin (EuroComics/IDW Publishing)
- The House, by Paco Roca, translation by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics Books)
- Maggy Garrisson, by Lewis Trondheim and Stéphane Oiry, translation by Emma Wilson (SelfMadeHero)
- Stay, by Lewis Trondheim and Hubert Chevillard, translation by Mike Kennedy (Magnetic Press)
- Wrath of Fantômas, by Olivier Bouquet and Julie Rocheleau, translation by Edward Gauvin (Titan Comics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
- BEASTARS, by Paru Itagaki, translation by Tomo Kimura (VIZ Media)
- Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto, translation by Michael Arias (VIZ Media)
- Grass, by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translation by Janet Hong (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Magic Knight Rayearth 25th Anniversary Edition, by CLAMP, translation by Melissa Tanaka (Kodansha Comics)
- The Poe Clan, by Moto Hagio, translation by Rachel Thorn (Fantagraphics Books)
- Witch Hat Atelier, by Kamome Shirahama, translation by Stephen Kohler (Kodansha Comics)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
- Cham: The Best Comic Strips and Graphic Novelettes, 1839–1862, by David Kunzle (University Press of Mississippi)
- Ed Leffingwell’s Little Joe, by Harold Gray, edited by Peter Maresca and Sammy Harkham (Sunday Press Books)
- The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1916–1918, edited by R.J. Casey (Fantagraphics Books)
- Krazy Kat: The Complete Color Sundays, by George Herriman, edited by Alexander Braun (Taschen)
- Madness in Crowds: The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady, by Violet and Denis Kitchen (Beehive Books)
- Pogo, Vol. 6: Clean as a Weasel, by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics Books)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
- Alay-Oop, by William Gropper (New York Review Comics)
- The Complete Crepax, vol. 5: American Stories, edited by Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics Books)
- Jack Kirby’s Dingbat Love, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)
- Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition, by J. M. DeMatteis, Jon J Muth, George Pratt, Kent Williams, and others (Dark Horse Comics)
- Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo: The Complete Grasscutter Artist Select, by Stan Sakai, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW Publishing)
- That Miyoko Asagaya Feeling, by Shinichi Abe, translation by Ryan Holmberg, edited by Mitsuhiro Asakawa (Black Hook Press)
Best Writer
- Bobby Curnow, Ghost Tree (IDW Publishing)
- MK Reed and Greg Means, Penny Nichols (Top Shelf Productions)
- Mariko Tamaki, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (DC Comics); Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second Books/Macmillan); Archie(Archie)
- Lewis Trondheim, Stay (Magnetic Press); Maggy Garrisson (SelfMadeHero)
- G. Willow Wilson, Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse); Ms. Marvel (Marvel Comics)
- Chip Zdarsky, White Trees (Image); Daredevil, Spider-Man: Life Story (Marvel); Afterlift (comiXology Originals)
Best Writer/Artist
- Nina Bunjevac, Bezimena (Fantagraphics Books)
- Mira Jacob, Good Talk (Random House); “The Menopause” in The Believer (June 1, 2019)
- Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Grass (Drawn & Quarterly)
- James Stokoe, Sobek (Shortbox)
- Raina Telgemeier, Guts (Scholastic Graphix)
- Tillie Walden, Are You Listening? (First Second Books/Macmillan)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
- Ian Bertram, Little Bird (Image Comics)
- Colleen Doran, Snow, Glass, Apples (Dark Horse Comics)
- Bilquis Evely, The Dreaming (DC Comics)
- Simon Gane, Ghost Tree (IDW Publishing)
- Steve Pugh, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (DC Comics)
- Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Painter/Digital Artist
- Didier Cassegrain, Black Water Lilies (Europe Comics)
- Alexandre Clarisse, Diabolical Summer (IDW Publishing)
- David Mack, Cover (DC Comics)
- Léa Mazé, Elma, A Bear’s Life, vol. 1: The Great Journey (Europe Comics)
- Julie Rocheleau, Wrath of Fantômas (Titan Comics)
- Christian Ward, Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics)
Best Cover Artist
- Jen Bartel, Blackbird (Image Comics)
- Francesco Francavilla, Archie, Archie 1955, Archie Vs. Predator II, Cosmo (Archie Comics)
- David Mack, American Gods, Fight Club 3 (Dark Horse Comics); Cover (DC Comics)
- Emma Rios, Pretty Deadly (Image Comics)
- Julian Totino Tedesco, Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
- Christian Ward, Machine Gun Wizards (Dark Horse Comics), Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics)
Best Coloring
- Lorena Alvarez, Hicotea (Nobrow)
- Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Middlewest, Outpost Zero (Image Comics)
- Matt Hollingsworth, Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Batman White Knight Presents Von Freeze (DC Comics); Little Bird, November (Image Comics)
- Molly Mendoza, Skip (Nobrow)
- Dave Stewart, Black Hammer, B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know, Hellboy and the BPRD (Dark Horse Comics); Gideon Falls (Image Comics); Silver Surfer Black, Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
Best Lettering
- Deron Bennett, Batgirl, Green Arrow, Justice League, Martian Manhunter (DC Comics); Canto (IDW Publishing); Assassin Nation, Excellence(Skybound/Image Comics); To Drink and To Eat, vol. 1 (Lion Forge); Resonant (Vault Comics)
- Jim Campbell, Black Badge, Coda (BOOM! Studios); Giant Days, Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship (BOOM Box!); Rocko’s Modern Afterlife (KaBOOM!); At the End of Your Tether (Lion Forge); Blade Runner 2019 (Titan Comics); Mall, The Plot, Wasted Space (Vault Comics)
- Clayton Cowles, Aquaman, Batman, Batman and the Outsiders, Heroes in Crisis, Superman: Up in the Sky, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC Comics); Bitter Root, Pretty Deadly, Moonstruck, Redlands, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Reaver (Skybound/Image); Daredevil, Ghost-Spider, Silver Surfer Black, Superior Spider-Man, Venom (Marvel Comics)
- Emilie Plateau, Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin (Europe Comics)
- Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (IDW Publishing)
- Tillie Walden, Are You Listening? (First Second Books/Macmillan)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
- Comic Riffs blog, by Michael Cavna
- The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, RJ Casey, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics Books)
- Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes (Hogan’s Alley)
- Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society, edited by Qiana Whitted (Ohio State University Press)
- LAAB Magazine, vol. 4: This Was Your Life, edited by Ronald Wimberly and Josh O’Neill (Beehive Books)
- Women Write About Comics, edited by Nola Pfau and Wendy Browne
Best Comics-Related Book
- The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell (Abrams)
- The Book of Weirdo, by Jon B. Cooke (Last Gasp)
- Grunt: The Art and Unpublished Comics of James Stokoe (Dark Horse Comics)
- Logo a Gogo: Branding Pop Culture, by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)
- Making Comics, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Screwball! The Cartoonists Who Made the Funnies Funny, by Paul Tumey (Library of American Comics/IDW Publishing)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work
- The Art of Pere Joan: Space, Landscape, and Comics Form, by Benjamin Fraser (University of Texas Press)
- The Comics of Rutu Modan: War, Love, and Secrets, by Kevin Haworth (University Press of Mississippi)
- EC Comics: Race, Shock, and Social Protest, by Qiana Whitted (Rutgers University Press)
- The Peanuts Papers: Writers and Cartoonists on Charlie Brown, Snoopy & the Gang, and the Meaning of Life, edited by Andrew Blauner (Library of America)
- Producing Mass Entertainment: The Serial Life of the Yellow Kid, by Christina Meyer (Ohio State University Press)
- Women’s Manga in Asia and Beyond: Uniting Different Cultures and Identities, edited by Fusami Ogi et al. (Palgrave Macmillan)
Best Publication Design
- Grunt: The Art and Unpublished Comics of James Stokoe, designed by Ethan Kimberling (Dark Horse Comics)
- Krazy Kat: The Complete Color Sundays, by George Herriman, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (Taschen)
- Logo a Gogo, designed by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)
- Madness in Crowds: The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady, designed by Paul Kopple and Alex Bruce (Beehive Books)
- Making Comics, designed by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Rusty Brown, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Best Digital Comic
- Afterlift, by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo (comiXology Originals
- Black Water Lilies, by Michel Bussi, adapted by Frédéric Duval and Didier Cassegrain, translated by Edward Gauvin (Europe Comics)
- Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin, by Tania de Montaigne, adapted by Emilie Plateau, translated by Montana Kane (Europe Comics)
- Elma, A Bear’s Life, vol. 1: The Great Journey, by Ingrid Chabbert and Léa Mazé, translated by Jenny Aufiery (Europe Comics)
- Mare Internum, by Der-shing Helmer (comiXology; gumroad.com/l/MIPDF)
- Tales from Behind the Window, by Edanur Kuntman, translated by Cem Ulgen (Europe Comics)
Best Webcomic
- Cabramatta, by Matt Huynh
- Chuckwagon at the End of the World, by Erik Lundy
- The Eyes, by Javi de Castro
- Fried Rice Comic, by Erica Eng
- reMIND, by Jason Brubaker
- Third Shift Society, by Meredith Moriarty
