Hades: The Horn of Plenty, by Manilo Castagna, Harriet Webster, Lorenzo Colangeli & Francesca Dell’Omadarme (Autumn Publishing) has been picked by British students as the overall winner of the 2024 Excelsior Award, the UK’s longest running independent award promoting literacy and comics.
The Disney Villains graphic novel initially emerged the winner of the Excelsior White category for books suitable to ages 9+, before being chosen as the overall award winner of 2024. Last year’s Excelsior Award winner was Cat+Gamer, by Wataru Nadatani; translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse).
Shortlists were selected by a judging panel of comics experts and librarians – with the winners decided by school reading groups across the UK. Judges included school librarian and Excelsior Awards founder/organiser Paul Register and his daughter Ophelia; Lancaster University librarian and Lakes International Comic Art Festival board member Gemma Sosnowsky; school learning resource manager Jane Hill; Seven Hills Crafts director Rick Cowling; children’s librarian and comics specialist (Peters Books & Furniture) Lucy Forrester; and comics creator Robin Etherington.
Talking about this year’s winning title, Excelsior Awards founder and organiser Paul Register said:
“Hades was a very interesting winner as, although it is a spin-off of the American-made Disney movie Hercules (1997), the style of storytelling within this book has a very European flavour. Thank you to all the schools that took part this year!”
Other category winners for 2024 included Joe Fixit, by Peter David & Yildiray Cinar (Marvel Comics) in the Excelsior Blue category for books suitable for ages 11+; Grim vol. 1, by Stephanie Phillips & Flaviano (BOOM!) in the Excelsior Red [ages 14+] category; and Redbeard vol. 1, by Jean-Charles Kraehn & Stefano Carloni; translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) in the Excelsior Black [ages 16+] category.
The 2024 JABBICA (Judge A Book By Its Cover) best cover winner was Lee Garbett‘s illustration for Groot: Uprooted (Marvel). Lee Garbett is the only artist to have received a JABBICA twice – having previously won for Skyward (Image) in 2019.
The Excelsior Awards (originally called the Stan Lee Excelsior Award) have taken place annually since 2011, with a remit to encourage reading and raise the profile of comics, graphic novels, and manga in the UK among librarians and teachers. Founded by librarian Paul Register, the Excelsior Awards were initially focused around schools within the city of Sheffield, complementing an existing literacy scheme run by the city council since 1988 (the Sheffield Children’s Book Award). An independent award, it has rapidly expanded with reportedly over 200 schools participating from across the UK and further afield.
OVERALL EXCELSIOR WINNER 2024:
HADES: THE HORN OF PLENTY (Disney Villains), by Manilo Castagna, Harriet Webster, Lorenzo Colangeli & Francesca Dell’Omadarme (Autumn Publishing)
CATEGORY WINNERS
EXCELSIOR WHITE (Ages 9+)
- WINNER: Hades: The Horn of Plenty (Disney Villains), by Manilo Castagna, Harriet Webster, Lorenzo Colangeli & Francesca Dell’Omadarme (Autumn Publishing)
- Star Cat: A Turnip in Time, by James Turner & Yasmin Sheikh (David Fickling Books)
- Groot: Uprooted, by Dan Abnett & Damian Couceiro (Marvel Comics)
- Magical History Tour, Fabrice Erre & Sylvain Savoia; translated by Joseph Laredo (Papercutz)
- Superman vs Meshi (Vol. 1), by Satoshi Miyagawa & Kai Kitago; translated by Sheldon Drzka (DC Comics/Kodansha)
EXCELSIOR BLUE (Ages 11+)
- WINNER: Joe Fixit, by Peter David & Yildiray Cinar (Marvel Comics)
- Sugar Apple Fairy Tale (Vol. 1), by Miri Mikawa & Yozorano Udon; translated by Nicole Wilder (Yen Press)
- Batman Beyond: Neo Year, by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing & Max Dunbar (DC Comics)
- Vern: Custodian of the Universe, by Tyrell Waiters (Nobrow)
- Danger and Other Unknown Risks, by Ryan North & Erika Henderson (Penguin)
EXCELSIOR RED (Ages 14+)
- WINNER: Grim (Vol. 1), by Stephanie Phillips & Flaviano (BOOM!)
- Dark Knights of Steel (Vol. 1), by Tom Taylor & Yasmine Putri (DC Comics)
- Batman: One Bad Day – Mr. Freeze, by Gerry Duggan & Matteo Scalera (DC Comics)
- Asterios the Minotaur, by Serge Le Tendre & Frédéric Peynet; translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook)
- Cold Iron, by Andy Diggle & Nick Brokenshire (Dark Horse)
EXCELSIOR BLACK (Ages 16+)
- WINNER: Redbeard (Vol. 1), by Jean-Charles Kraehn & Stefano Carloni; translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook)
- Batman: One Bad Day – Two-Face, by Mariko Tamaki & Javier Fernandez (DC Comics)
- Yokohama Station SF (Vol. 1), by Yuba Isukari & Gonbe Shinkawa; translated by Stephan Paul (Yen Press)
- Briar, by Christopher Cantwell & German Garcia (BOOM!)
- War Birds, by Geoffrey D. Wessel & Steve Parkhouse (Dark Horse)
