Showcasing the best of independent comics, the nominees for the 2013 Ignatz Awards have been announced, offering a surprisingly well-rounded idea of the comics and creators to pay attention to outside of the superhero-dominated mainstream industry.
Each year, the nominees are chosen from works submitted by creators and publishers by a specially selected panel of cartoonists, with the final winners in each category being picked by attendees to the Small Press Expo and announced during that show. This year’s panel was made up of Dustin Harbin, Jason Shiga, Sakura Maku, Damien Jay and Lisa Hanawalt, whose new release, My Damn Dirty Eyes, was one of the most buzzed-about books at July’s San Diego Comic-Con.
According to the announcement of the nominations, there was a
70 percent increase in submitted material in 2013, which may explain the impressively high standard of work in every category. Unlike most award nominations, there aren’t really any “How did they get on there?” surprises anywhere in this list (below).
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SPX 2013 takes place September 14 and 15 at the Marriott Bethesda, MD; voting for the Ignatz Awards is open Saturday, September 14,with the results announced that evening at a ceremony hosted by New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly.
Outstanding Artist
- Lilli Carre for Heads or Tails
- Michael DeForge for Lose #4?
- Miriam Katin for Letting It Go?
- Ulli Lust for Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life?
- Patrick McEown for Hair Shirt
Promising New Talent?
- Sam Alden for Hawaii 1997 & Haunter
- Nathan Bulmer for Eat More Bikes?
- Philippa Rice for Looking Out?
- Diana Thung for August Moon?
- Angie Wang for “The Teacup Tree” (Secret Prison #7)
Outstanding Story?
- “Arid” (Secret Prison #7) by Tom Hart
- Birdseye Bristoe by Dan Zettwoch?
- “The Carnival” (Heads or Tails) by Lilli Carre?
- Gold Star by John Martz?
- “Neighbors” (Stark #1) by Joanna Hellgren
Outstanding Series?
- The Hive by Charles Burns
- Lose by Michael DeForge?
- Madtown High by Whit Taylor?
- Pope Hats by Ethan Rilly
- Prison Pit by Johnny Ryan
Outstanding Comic?
- Hyperspeed to Nowhere 2: Return to Entropy by Lale Westvind
- The Life Problem by Austin English?
- Looking Out by Philippa Rice
- Pope Hats #3 by Ethan Rilly?
- St. Owl’s Bay by Simon Hanselmann
Outstanding Graphic Novel?
- The Property by Rutu Modan?
- Susceptible by Genevieve Castree?
- Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life by Ulli Lust?
- When David Lost His Voice by Judith Vanistendael?
- You’ll Never Know Vol. 3: A Soldier’s Heart by Carol Tyler
Outstanding Anthology or Collection?
- Freddie Stories by Lynda Barry?
- Heads or Tails by Lille Carre?
- Peter Bagge’s Other Stuff by Peter Bagge
- Stark #1 by Tusen Hjartan?
- Very Casual by Michael DeForge
Outstanding Minicomic
- The End of the F—— World: Part 16 by Charles Forsman
- Il Cammino Delle Capre by Kris Mukai and Zachary Zezima
- Hawaii 1997 by Sam Alden?
- Layaway by Joseph Lambert?
- Powdered Milk Vol. 10: The Man Who Could Not Read by Keiler Roberts
Outstanding Online Comic?
- Bird Boy by Annie Szabla?
- Haunter by Sam Alden?
- Gabby’s Playhouse by Ken Dahl and Gabby Schulz?
- July Diary by Gabrielle Bell?
- SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
