The nominees for the 12th annual Ignatz Awards have been announced. The winners will be voted by attendees at the Small Press Expo (SPX), which will be held the first weekend in October in Bethesda, Maryland. The SPX calls itself “North America’s Premiere Independent Cartooning and Comics Arts Festival.” The winners will be announced on Saturday 4 October 2008 at the SPX.
The Ignatz Awards are named for the character in the classic comic strip Krazy Kat, by George Herriman. They “recognize outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The ballot is created by a panel of five cartoonists and is then voted on by the attendees at the event.” This year’s jury includes: Gabrielle Bell, Farel Dalrymple, Eleanor Davis, John Hankiewicz, and Andy Hartzell.
The nominees are:
Outstanding Artist:
Warren Craghead for How to Be Everywhere (self-published)
Lat for Town Boy (First Second Books)
Laura Park for Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream (self-published)
Michel Rabagliati for Paul Goes Fishing (Drawn & Quarterly)
Jillian Tamaki for Skim (Groundwood Books)
Outstanding Anthology or Collection:
Inkweed by Chris Wright (Sparkplug Comic Books)
Little Lulu Vol. 18 by John Stanley (Dark Horse)
Papercutter #7 edited by Greg Means (Tugboat Press)
Pond Life by John Broadley (PictureBox)
Windy Corner #2 edited by Austin English (Sparkplug Comic Books)
Outstanding Graphic Novel:
The Hot Breath of War by Trevor Alixopulos (Sparkplug Comic Books)
Notes for a War Story by Gipi (First Second Books)
Paul Goes Fishing by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)
Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)
Spent by Joe Matt (Drawn & Quarterly)
Outstanding Story:
“Americus” by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill, in Papercutter #7 (Tugboat Press)
“The Candy Rod” by Onsmith, in Hotwire Comics #2 (Fantagraphics Books)
“The Galactic Funnels” by Dash Shaw, in Mome #11 (Fantagraphics Books)
“The Thing About Madeleine” by Lilli Carre (self-published)
“The Urn” by Chris Wright, in Inkweed (Sparkplug Comic Books)
Promising New Talent:
Oliver East for Trains Are… Mint (Blank Slate)
Austin English for Windy Corner #2 (Sparkplug Comic Books)
Chuck Forsman for Snake Oil #1 (self-published)
Sarah Glidden for How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less (self-published)
Lars Martinson for Tonoharu (Pliant Press/Top Shelf Productions)
Outstanding Series:
Eye of the Majestic Creature by Leslie Stein (self-published)
Injury by Ted May, Jason Robards, and Jeff Wilson (Buenaventura Press)
Paul series by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)
Reich by Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug Comic Books)
Snake Oil by Chuck Forsman (self-published)
Outstanding Comic:
Cryptic Wit #2 by Gerald Jablonski (self-published)
Department of Art by Dunja Jankovic (self-published)
Lucky Vol. 2 #2 by Gabrielle Bell (Drawn & Quarterly)
Palooka-ville #19 by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
Snake Oil #1 by Chuck Forsman (self-published)
Outstanding Mini-Comic:
Bluefuzz by Jesse Reklaw
Dorado Park by Lilli Carre
How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
Ochre Eclipse #2 by Jonas Madden-Connor
Swell by Juliacks
Outstanding Online Comic:
Achewood by Chris Onstad
Danny Dutch by David King
Slow Wave by Jesse Reklaw
Thingpart by Joey Sayers
Traced by Tracy White