Honoring the best in African-American comics (both as contributors and thematically), the nominees for this year’s Glyph Awards have been announced:
Story of the Year
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Incognegro; Mat Johnson, writer, Warren Pleece, artist
Justice League of America: The Second Coming; Dwayne McDuffie, writer, Ed Benes, artist
Pilot Season: Genius, Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
Presidential Material: Barack Obama; Jeff Mariotte, writer, Tom Morgan, artist
Best Writer
Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, Genius
Mat Johnson, Incognegro
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Jeff Mariotte, Presidential Material: Barack Obama
Dwayne McDuffie, Justice League of America
Best Artist
Jamal Igle, Supergirl
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Warren Pleece, Incognegro
Afua Richardson, Pilot Season: Genius
Larry Stroman, Black Panther Annual #1
Best Male Character
Black Lightning, Final Crisis: Submit; Grant Morrison, writer, Matthew Clark, Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter & Don Ho, artists; created by Tony Isabella & Trevor von Eeden
Black Panther, Black Panther Annual #1; Reginald Hudlin, writer, Larry Stroman & Ken Lashley, artists; created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Lwanga Moses, Unknown Soldier; Joshua Dysart, writer, Alberto Ponticelli, artist; inspired by the character created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert
The Spectre, Final Crisis: Revelations; Greg Rucka, writer, Philip Tan, Jeff de los Santos & Jonathan Glapion, artists; inspired by the character created by Jerry Siegel & Bernard Bailey
Zane Pinchback, Incognegro; created by Mat Johnson, writer, and Warren Pleece, artist
Best Female Character
Destiny Ajaye, Pilot Season: Genius; created by Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; created by Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Storm, X-Men: Worlds Apart; Christopher Yost, writer, Diogenes Neves, artist; created by Len Wein & Dave Cockrum
Vielle, Fungus Grotto; created by Shatia Hamilton, writer and artist
Vixen, Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist; created by Gerry Conway & Bob Oksner
Rising Star Award
Jennifer Crute, Jennifer’s Journal
Damian Duffy & John Jennings, The Hole: Consumer Culture
Charlie Goubile, Blackbird
Starline X. Hodge, Candi
Ashley Woods, Millennia War
Best Reprint Collection
Aya of Yop City, Drawn & Quarterly
Me and the Devil Blues V1, Del Rey
Nat Turner HC, Abrams
Best Cover
Final Crisis: Submit, Matthew Clark & Norm Rapmund, artists; Richard & Tonya Horie, colors
The Hole: Consumer Culture; John Jennings, illustrator
Pilot Season: Genius, Afua Richardson, illustrator
Unknown Soldier #1, Igor Kordey, illustrator
Vixen: Return of the Lion #1; Josh Middleton, illustrator
Best Comic Strip
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Café con Leche; Charlos Gary, writer and artist
Fungus Grotto, Shatia Hamilton, writer and artist
“Jefferson Jacks” from Crankshaft; Tom Batiuk & Tony Isa bella, writers, Chuck Ayers, artist
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, writer and artist
Fan Award for Best Comic
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #33-35; Christos Gage, writer, Sean Chen & Sandu Florea, artists
Pilot Season: Genius; Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
Presidential Material: Barack Obama; Jeff Mariotte, writer, Tom Morgan, artist
Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist
Young Avengers Presents #1; Ed Brubaker, writer, Paco Medina, artist
The judges for the 2009 competition are: Valerie D’Orazio, president, Friends of Lulu; Mathan Erhardt, writer, Comics Nexus; Ed Mathews, columnist, Pop Image; Tim O’Shea, writer/interviewer, TalkingWithTim.com; and Elayne Riggs, comics reviewer and commentator.
The ballot for the Fan Award for Best Comic is now open at the website for the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), www.ecbacc.com/wordpress, and will remain open through March 31, 2009. Write-in selections can be e-mailed to GCA Committee Chair Rich Watson at [email protected]. IMPORTANT: Write-in selections are ONLY for choices not on the online ballot. ANY WRITE-IN SELECTIONS FOR CHOICES ALREADY ON THE ONLINE BALLOT WILL NOT BE COUNTED AND WILL BE DISCARDED.
The 2009 GCA ceremony will be held May 15,202009, in the Skyline Room of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Park Central branch, as part of ECBACC, which will take place at the Crown Plaza Philadelphia Center City, May 16, 2009.
I don’t quite get this award. I understand that filling categories of black creators and black characters means pulling from slim pickings, but isn’t it weird that the best artist category can include black artist Jamal Igle for his work on white character Supergirl and white artist Warren Pleece for drawing a black character in Incognegro? Not to mention that at least two of the judges are white. Why are Iron Man and Young Avengers nominated for the fan award? Are the creators black? Do they have black characters? Or are they just comics that black fans like?
“Why are Iron Man and Young Avengers nominated for the fan award? Are the creators black? Do they have black characters? Or are they just comics that black fans like?”
I think in these cases, it’s that they have black characters. The Iron Man arc nominated is, if I recall correctly, when Rhodey Rhodes takes center stage for a while. The Young Avengers story nominated centers on Patriot, a descendant of the black Captain America from that TRUTH miniseries a while back.
Now, what I can’t find about these awards is how the final winners are determined now that the nominees have been named. The nominees were determined by a panel of judges, but who votes for the winners? All comics professionals, like the Eisners? Just comics creators, like the Harveys? Only folks who attend the convention where they’re awarded? Some other means?
OK, I suspected that was the case, though I don’t read those books. But your questions are good, too.
We’re incredibly proud of Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman, and Afua Richardson for their nomination for Pilot Season: Genius. And I have to give credit to editor Rob Levin, who championed this book even when conventional wisdom dictated that the market would not respond to a non-superhero title with an African-American female lead. And an angry one at that:)
Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions
Read a free issue of Witchblade at http://www.topcow.com/witchblade
Hi. I’m the guy who organizes the awards, and it’s really quite simple. The judges who nominated the titles and creators will also vote on the winners. The Fan Award is the one award that the fans vote on, and you can do that by going here:
http://ecbacc.com/wordpress/glyph-comic-awards/gca-fan-award-for-best-comic-2009/
Tommy is absolutely correct regarding the inclusion of books like Iron Man and Young Avengers. Black characters are recognized regardless of who makes them; indeed, past GCA winners include the likes of Greg Rucka and Gail Simone, among others.
I’m absolutely thrilled, honored, and excited! Just the mention and nomination is a privilege and i know i run that word into the ground but it really is. We’ve worked so hard and to be mentioned amongst such great works is really encouraging . Good luck to all the nominees!
John and I are also quite honored to be nominated! Of course, this is the one year we can’t make it to ECBACC :(
I much prefer the combination of black characters and creators, because it does a wonderful job of counteracting the possibility for ghettoizing comics artists based solely on their race. It’s a good way to recognize African-American contributions to and achievements in the medium, without reinforcing the idea that “black comics” is somehow separate from the broader comics culture.
If that makes sense…
Anyway, big congratulations and best of luck to all the nominees!