Awards roundup - 2023

There are many associations and comic conventions that reward hard-working comics creators throughout the year for their diligence and hard work in bringing us fantastic stories for our shelves. Award nominees and winners are a good place to find beautiful stories to share with our students, just as award lists are helpful in other parts of our libraries.

Below are award winners and nominees for the year of 2023 from committees and library committees who have dedicated time to reading extensive lists of comics that are published in North America.

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Eisner awards - 2023

The Eisners are awarded every year in July at San Diego ComicCon. Titles are nominated by a panel of folks in the comics industry, a librarian, and an academic researcher. Then, comics industry folks, librarians, and comic academics can vote for the winners. The entire list of winners AND nominees is full of some amazing titles.

As always, I have included nomination categories I think are relevant for collection development purposes. There are more nominees than included here, so a full list can be found at The Beat.

Best Continuing Series

• Nightwing, by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo (DC)
• Daredevil, by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto and Rafael de Latorre (Marvel)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• Killadelphia, by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander (Image)
• The Nice House on the Lake, by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC)
• She-Hulk, by Rainbow Rowell, Rogê Antônio, Luca Maresca, and Takeshi Miyazawa (Marvel)

Best Limited Series

• The Human Target, by Tom King and Greg Smallwood (DC)
• Animal Castle, by Xavier Dorison and Felix Delep (Ablaze)
• Batman: One Bad Day, edited by Dave Wielgosz and Jessica Berbey (DC)
• Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham: The Silver Age, by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham (Marvel)
• Superman: Space Age, by Mark Russell, Michael Allred, and Laura Allred (DC)

Best New Series

• Public Domain, by Chip Zdarsky (Image)
• The Atonement Bell, by Jim Ousley and Tyler B. Ruff (Red 5)
• Love Everlasting, by Tom King and Elsa Charretier (Image)
• Star Trek, by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Ramon Rosanas (IDW)
• Traveling to Mars, by Mark Russell and Roberto Meli (Ablaze)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

• The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! by Mo Willems (Union Square Kids)
• Beneath The Trees: A Fine Summer by Dav (Magnetic Press)
• Fox + Chick: Up and Down: and Other Stories, by Sergio Ruzzier (Chronicle Books)
• Grumpy Monkey Who Threw That? by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang (Random House Studio)
• Hey, Bruce!: An Interactive Book, by Ryan Higgins (Disney/Hyperion)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)

• Frizzy, by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra (First Second/Macmillan)
  
• Adventuregame Comics: Leviathan, by Jason Shiga (Amulet/Abrams)
• Isla To Island, by Alexis Castellanos (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
• Little Monarchs, by Jonathan Case (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House)
• Swim Team, by Johnnie Christmas (HarperAlley)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

• Do A Powerbomb! by Daniel Warren Johnson (Image)
• Chef’s Kiss, by Jarrett Melendez and Danica Brine (Oni)
• Clementine Book One, by Tillie Walden (Image Skybound)
• Heartstopper Volume 4, by Alice Oseman (Scholastic Graphix)
• Wash Day Diaries, by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith (Chronicle Books)

Best Humor Publication

• Revenge of the Librarians, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Cryptid Club, by Sarah Andersen (Andrews McMeel)
• I Hate This Place, by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin (Image Skybound)
• Killer Queens, by David Booher and Claudia Balboni (Dark Horse)
• Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Failure, by J. L. Westover (Image Skybound)

Best Anthology

• The Nib Magazine, edited by Matt Bors (Nib)
• Creepshow, edited by Alex Antone and Jon Moisan (Image Skybound)
• The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic, edited by Josh Bernstein (Z2)
• Sensory: Life on the Spectrum, edited by Bex Ollerton (Andrews McMeel)
• Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album, edited by Rantz Hoseley (Z2)

Best Reality-Based Work

• Flung Out of Space, by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer (Abrams ComicArts)
• Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense, by Noël Simsolo and Dominique Hé, translation by Montana Kane (NBM)
• Alice Guy: First Lady of Film, by José-Louis Bocquet and Catel Muller, translation by Edward Gauvin (SelfMadeHero)
• But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust, edited by Charlotte Schallié (University of Toronto Press)
• Invisible Wounds: Graphic Journalism, by Jess Ruliffson (Fantagraphics)
• Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball, by Jon Chad (First Second/Macmillan)

Best Graphic Memoir

• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
  
• Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story, by Catherine Pioli, translated by J. T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press)
• It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth: An Auto-Bio-Graphic-Novel, by Zoe Thorogood (Image)
• So Much for Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship, by Sophie Lambda (First Second/Macmillan)
• Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, by Lewis Hancox (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Graphic Album—New

• The Night Eaters, Book 1: She Eats the Night, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Abrams ComicArts)
  
• The Book of Niall, by Barry Jones (Ellie & Beatty)
• Crushing, by Sophie Burrows (Algonquin Young Readers)
• Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral, by Thomas Woodruff (Fantagraphics)
• Ultrasound, by Conor Stechschulte (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

• Parker: The Martini Edition—Last Call, by Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, and Sean Phillips (IDW)
  
• Days of Sand, by Aimée de Jongh, translation by Christopher Bradley (SelfMadeHero)
• Geneviève Castrée: Complete Works, by Geneviève Castrée, translation by Phil Elverum and Aleshia Jensen (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Mazebook Dark Horse Direct Edition, by Jeff Lemire (Dark Horse)
• One Beautiful Spring Day, by Jim Woodring (Fantagraphics)
• Super Spy Deluxe Edition, by Matt Kindt (Dark Horse)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

• Chivalry by Neil Gaiman, adapted by Colleen Doran (Dark Horse)
  
• Rain by Joe Hill, adapted by David M. Booher and Zoe Thorogood (Syzygy/Image)
• Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly, adapted by Brad Ricca and Courtney Sieh (Gallery 13/Simon $ Schuster)
• Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album, edited by Rantz Hoseley (Z2)
• A Visit to Moscow by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, adapted by Anna Olswanger and Yevgenia Nayberg (Turner)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

• Blacksad: They All Fall Down Part 1, by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, translation by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (Dark Horse)
  
• Always Never, by Jordi Lafebre, translation by Montana Kane (Dark Horse)
• Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story, by Catherine Pioli, translation by J. T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press)
• The Pass, by Espé, translation by J.T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press)
• Tiki: A Very Ruff Year, by David Azencot and Fred Leclerc, translation by Nanette McGuinness (Life Drawn/Humanoids)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

• Shuna’s Journey, by Hayao Miyazaki; translation by Alex Dudok de Wit (First Second/Macmillan)
  
• Black Paradox, by Junji Ito, translation by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
• The Hellbound vols. 1-2, by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok, translation by Danny Lim (Dark Horse)
• Look Back, by Tatsuki Fujimoto, translation by Amanda Haley (VIZ Media)
• PTSD Radio vol. 1, by Masaaki Nakayama, translation by Adam Hirsch (Kodansha)
• Talk to My Back by Yamada Murasaki, translation by Ryan Holmberg (Drawn & Quarterly)

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harvey awards - 2023

The Harveys are awarded every year in October at New York ComicCon. Nominees are selected by a panel of volunteer comic experts and enthusiasts.

You can read the full recap of all the winners and nominees on The Harvey Awards' website.

Book of the Year:

• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton  (Drawn and Quarterly)
• Acting Class by Nick Drnaso (Drawn and Quarterly)
• Follow Me Down: A Reckless Book by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics)
• Girl Juice by Benji Nate (Drawn and Quarterly)
• It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood (Image Comics)
• Little Monsters Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics)
• The Man in the McIntosh Suit by Rina Ayuyang (Drawn and Quarterly)
• Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni (Abrams ComicArts/Surely)
• Public Domain Vol. 1 by Chip Zdarsky (Image Comics)
• Who Will Make The Pancakes by Megan Kelso (Fantagraphics)

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Digital Book of the Year:

• LORE OLYMPUS by Rachel Smythe  (WEBTOON)
• Barnstormers by Scott Snyder and Tula Lotay (Comixology Originals)
• Deeply Dave by Grover
• Everything is Fine by Mike Birchall - (WEBTOON)
• Ripple Effects by Jordan Hart, Bruno Chiroleu, Justin Harder, and Shane Kadlecik (Fanbase Press)

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Best Children or Young Adult Book:

• Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying  (First Second)
  
• Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure by Leigh Luna (Graphix/Scholastic)
  
• Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma (HarperAlley)
  
• Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra (First Second)
  
• In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir by Deb JJ Lee (First Second)
• Northranger by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo (HarperAlley
  

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Best Manga:

• Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto, translated by Amanda Haley  (VIZ Media)
• Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani, translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse Manga)
• Goodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto, translated by Amanda Haley (VIZ Media)
• Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (First Second)
• Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media

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Best International Book:

• Blacksad: They All Fall Down Part 1 by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (Dark Horse Books)
• Alice on the Run: One Child's Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War by Gaspard Talmasse, translated by Nanette McGuinness (Life Drawn)
• Always Never by Jordi Lafebre and Clemence Sapin, translated by Montana Kane (Dark Horse Books)
• Ashes by Álvaro Ortiz, translated by Eva Ibarzabal (Top Shelf Productions)
• The Extraordinary Part: Book One: Orsay's Hands by Florent Ruppert and Jérôme Mulot, translated by M.B. Valente (Fantagraphics)
• Tiki: A Very Ruff Year by David Azencot, Fred Leclerc and Lucie Firou, translated by Nanette McGuinness (Life Drawn)
  

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Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel:

• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson (Marvel Comics)
  
• American Born Chinese (Disney+), based on American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second)
  
• Drops of God (Apple TV+), based on Drops of God by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto (Vertical)
• Moon Knight (Disney+), based on Moon Knight (Marvel Comics)
• Nimona (Netflix), directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, based on Nimona by ND Stevenson (Quill Tree Books)
• The Sandman (Netflix), based on The Sandman (DC Comics)
• She-Hulk (Disney+) based on She-Hulk (Marvel Comics)
  
• The Stuff of Legend - The Board Game, based on The Stuff of Legend by Mike Raicht Brian Smith and Charles Paul Wilson III (Th3rd World Studios)
• Sweet Tooth Season 2 (Netflix) based on Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire (DC Comics)
• Wednesday (Netflix), based on The Addams Family by Charles Addams
  

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hugo awards - 2023

The Hugo Awards celebrate words of Science Fiction & Fantasy, including comicbooks. These awards are presented in September at the World Science Fiction Convention.

Best Graphic Story or Comic

• Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams, by Bartosz Sztybor, Filipe Andrade, Alessio Fioriniello, Roman Titov, Krzysztof Ostrowski (Dark Horse Books)
  
• DUNE: The Official Movie Graphic Novel, by Lilah Sturges, Drew Johnson, Zid (Legendary Comics)
  
• Monstress vol. 7: Devourer, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image Comics)
• Once & Future Vol 4: Monarchies in the UK, by Kieron Gillen / Dan Mora (BOOM! Studios)
• Saga, Vol. 10, by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples, Fonografiks (Image Comics)
• Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Matheus Lopes (DC Comics)
  

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maverick graphic novel reading list - 2023

Every year, the Young Adult Round Table of the Texas Library Association puts together a fabulous list of graphic novels they recommend for grades 6-12. Below are the titles that received a unanimous vote from the committee. There are even more titles available on the full reading list, which can be found on the Texas Library Association's website.

Grades 6-8

• Chau, Alina. Marshmallow & Jordan.
• Fajardo, Kat. Miss Quinces.
• Ortega, Claribel A., Rose Bousamra. Frizzy.
• Smith, Niki. The Golden Hour.

Grades 6-12

• Alfageeh, Sara, Nadia Shammas. Squire.
• Christmas, Johnnie. Swim Team.
• Delliquanti, Blue.  Across A Field of Starlight.
• Elliott, Victoria Grace. Yummy: A History of Desserts.
• Gonzalez, Christina Diaz, Gabriela Epstein. Invisible: A Graphic Novel.
• The Kao. Magical Boy, Volume 1 & 2.
• Midori, Wataru. Run On Your New Legs, Volume 1 and 2.
• Sandlin, Jay, Patrick Mulholland, Rebecca Nalty, Justin Birch. World Class.
• Smith, Tommie, Derrick Barnes, Dawud Anyabwile. Victory. Stand!
• Tynion, James IV, Michael Dialynas. Wynd, Book One: Flight of the Prince and Wynd: Book Two: The Secret of the Wings.
  

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Grades 9-12

• Axelrod, Jadzia, Jess Taylor. Galaxy: The Prettiest Star.
• Boo, Sweeney. Over My Dead Body.
• Cantwell, Christopher, Josh Trujillo, Dale Eaglesham, Jan Balaldua. The United States of Captain America.
• Gao, Laura. Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American.
• Lorinczi, Balazs. Doughnuts and Doom.
• Matsumoto, Naoya. Kaiju No. 8, Volume 1.
• Searle, Sarah Winifred. The Greatest Thing.
• Stirling, Danie. Crumbs.
• Suzuki, Yuto. Sakamoto Days, Volume 1.
• Walker, David F, Marcus Kwame Anderson. The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History.

Adult for YA

• Spooner, James. The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere.

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pop culture classroom's excellence in graphic literature award - 2023

Awarded in late June just before Denver FanExpo with winners often celebrated at the convention in early July, this award prioritized graphic literature outside of superhero and comics stories.

Children’s Award Finalists – Fiction

• Mamo by Sas Milledge (BOOM! Studios)
• Alcatoe and the Turnip Child by Isaac Lenkiewicz (No Brow, US Inc. / Flying Eye Books)
• Hilda: The Trolberg Stories by Luke Pearson (No Brow, US Inc. / Flying Eye Books)
• Minecraft: Open World — Into the Nether by Stephanie Ramirez (Dark Horse)
• Prunella and the Cursed Skull Ring by Matthew Loux (First Second Books)
• Putuguq and Kublu and the Attack of the Amautalik by Roselynn Akulukjuk, Danny Christopher, and Astrid Arijanto (Inhabit Media)

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Middle-Grade Award Finalists – Fiction

• Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra (First Second Books)
• Ghosts of Science Past by Joseph Sieracki and Jesse Lonergan (BIG, an Imprint of Humanoids)
• Sisters of the Mist by Marlyn Spaaij (Nobrow US Inc. / Flying Eye Books) 
• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, The Graphic Novel by Robert Venditti, Kwame Mbalia, and Olivia Stephens (Disney)
• Twig by Skottie Young and Kyle Strahm (Image Comics) (Review: vol 1)
• Wynd by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas (BOOM! Studios) (Reviews: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3)

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Middle-Grade Award Finalists – Non-Fiction

• Button Pusher by Tyler Page (First Second Books)
• Alice On the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War by Gaspard Talmasse (Life Drawn, an Imprint of Humanoids) 
• The First Heart Transplant by Brandon Terrell and Dante Ginevra (Abrams Amulet Books) 
• Magical History Tour Vol.7: Gandhi by Fabrice Erre and Sylvain Salvoia (Papercutz)
• Magical History Tour Vol.8: The Vikings by Fabrice Erre and Sylvain Salvoia (Papercutz)
• Science Comics: Bridges — Engineering Masterpieces by Dan Zettwoch (First Second Books)

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Young Adult Award Finalists – Fiction

• Side Effects by Ted Anderson and Tara O’Connor (Seismic Press)
  
• The Stretcher Bearers by Reid Beaman and Ryan Beaman (Dead Reckoning)
  
• Thieves by Lucie Bryon (Nobrow US Inc. / Flying Eye Books))
  
• Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jamie Green (Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Hyperion) 
  
• Unretouchable by Sofia Szamosi (Graphic Universe) 
  
• The Well by Jake Wyatt and Choo (First Second Books) 
  

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Young Adult Award Finalists – Non-Fiction

• Victory. Stand! — Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile (Norton Young Readers) 
  
• But I Live by Barbara Yelin, Gilad Seliktar, and Miriam Libicki (New Jewish Press)
  
• Improve: How I Discovered Improv by Alex Graudins (First Second Books)
  
• Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag by Michael Anthony and Chai Simone (Street Noise Books) 
  
• Movements and Moments by Various (Drawn and Quarterly) 
  
• We Survived the Holocaust by Frank Baker and Tom Ogline (Image and Wonder) 
  

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Adult Award Finalists – Fiction

• The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade (Boom! Studios) 
  
• The Keeper by Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, and Marco Finnegan (Abrams ComicArts)
  
• The Last Session: Roll for Initiative by Jasmine Walls and Dozerdraws (Mad Cave Studios)
  
• The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night by Marjorie Liu (Abrams ComicArts) (Reviews: vol 1, vol 2)
• Ripple Effects by Jordan Hart and Bruno Chiroleu (Fanbase Press) 
  
• Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki (First Second Books)
  

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Adult Award Finalists – Non-Fiction

• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (Drawn and Quarterly) 
  
• Look Again by Elizabeth Trembley (Street Noise Books) 
• Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator by Sofia Warren (Top Shelf Productions) 
• Ronan and Endless Sea of Stars by Rick Louis and Lara Antal (Abrams ComicArts)
• Vann Nath: Painting the Khmer Rouge by Matteo Mastragistino and Paolo Castaldi(Life Drawn, an Imprint of Humanoids) 
• What is Home, Mum? by Sabba Khan (Street Noise Books)

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Mosaic Award

• Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War by Gaspard Talmasse (Life Drawn, an Imprint of Humanoids) 
  
• Button Pusher by Tyler Page (First Second Books) 
• Mamo by Sas Milledge (Top Shelf Productions) 
• The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade (Boom! Studios)
• Movements and Moments by Various (Drawn and Quarterly) 
• Putuguq and Kublu and the Attack of the Amautalik! by Roselynn Akulukjuk, Danny Christopher, and Astrid Arijanto (Inhabit Media)
• Victory. Stand! — Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile (Norton Young Readers) 
• What is Home, Mum? by Sabba Khan (Street Noise Books)

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yalsa great graphic novels for teen list - 2023

The Young Adult Library Services Association group is part of the American Library Association, and they have been putting out a Great Graphic Novels list for teens for many years. Below are their Top 10 for this year, though they have a much more extensive list available on their website.

• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End By Kanehito Yamada. Art by Tsukasa Abe. (VIZ Media)
• Frizzy. By Claribel A. Ortega. Art by Rose Bousamra. (First Second).
• Huda F Are You? By Huda Fahmy. Art by the author. (Dial Books for Young Readers).
• Mamo. By Sas Milledge. Art by the author. (Boom! Studios).
• Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales. By Melanie Gillman. Art by the author. (Random House Graphic).
• Our Colors. By Gengoroh Tagame. (Pantheon Books).
• Scout Is Not a Band Kid. By Jade Armstrong. Art by the author. (Random House Graphic).
• Superman Son of Kal-El, vol. 1: The Truth. By Tom Taylor. Art by John Timms. (DC Comics).
• Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure. By Lewis Hancox. (Graphix).
  
  

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