The Prism Awards are a new award on the scene, but a welcome one. They were established to to recognize, promote and celebrate diversity and excellence in the field of queer comics. I’m extremely proud to have been asked to be a judge for these first time awards, and to look for work that showcases the “diverse, powerful, innovative, positive or challenging representations of LGBTQAI+ characters in fiction and nonfiction comics.”
If you look at the nominees below you’ll see a lot of names that don’t have a lot of mainstream comics exposure – being able to look at so many fresh voices was truly the best part of being a judge.
The awards are sponsored by the Queer Comics Expo and winners will be announced on Saturday July 8th, starting at 4pm at the SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan St, San Francisco.
Tickets to the Queer Comics Expo are still available at http://bit.ly/QCExpoTickets.
And the nominees are:
BEST SHORT FORM COMIC FINALISTS
Nothing Wrong With Me by Dylan Edwards http://www.studiondr.com/ – https://thenib.com/nothing-wrong-with-me
Flux by E Jackson http://eshiel.com/ – http://flux.eshiel.com/
Liar by Hari Conner http://www.hari-illustration.com/ – https://gumroad.com/l/BtKou#
The Kiss of the Demoness by Gillian Pascasio http://7clubs.tumblr.com/ –BEST WEBCOMIC FINALISTS
With Great Abandon by EH MacMillian https://withgreatabandon.tumblr.com/
Failing Sky: Ghost Story by Scout Tran-Caffee http://failingsky.com/ghoststory
Villainette by Scout Tran-Caffee http://strip.villainette.comBEST COMIC FROM A SMALL TO MIDSIZE PRESS FINALISTS
Destiny, NY Volume One: Who I Used to Be by Pat Shand (Writer), Manuel Preitano (Artist), Jim Campbell (Letterer), and Shannon Lee (Editor) https://www.storenvy.com/stores/980896-continuity-entertainm ent
Short Gay Stories by H-P Lehkonen http://hplehkonen.com/
Active Voice The Comic Collection by P. Kristen Enos (writer), Heidi Ho (contributing writer), Casandra Grullon (artist), Derek Chua (artist), Leesamarie Croal (artist), Beth Varni (artist), and Dan Parent (cover art) http://www.pkristenenos.com/avgraphicnovel/ BEST SINGLE ISSUE FROM A MAINSTREAM PUBLISHER FINALISTS
Supergirl: Being Super #1 by Mariko Tamaki (writer), Joëlle Jones (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks), Kelly Fitzpatrick (colorist), Saida Temofonte (letters), Jones and Fitzpatrick (cover art) https://www.comixology.com/Supergirl-Being-Super-2016-1/digi tal-comic/431009
The Backstagers #1 by James Tynion IV (writer), and Rian Sygh (artist) https://www.comixology.com/The-Backstagers-1-of-8/digital- comic/410464
Lumberjanes #17 by Noelle Stevenson (writer), Shannon Watters (writer), and Brooke Allen (artist) https://www.comixology.com/Lumberjanes-17/digital-comic/2600 36 BEST ANTHOLOGY FINALISTS
Beyond: The Queer Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comic Anthology edited by Sfé R. Monster & Taneka Stotts
https://www.beyond-press.com/
POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology edited by Joamette Gil
https://gumroad.com/powerandmagicpress
Food Porn edited by Gina Biggs http://comicorgy.com/print/food-porn-print-edition/
Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers edited by Hazel Newlevant http://chainmail-bikini.com/THE 2017 PRISM AWARD JUDGES
Rob McMonigal is a nonbinary writer who lives in Portland Oregon with too many cats and is the head writer of the Eisner Nominated comics review site, www.panelpatter.com.
Ajuan Mance is a genderqueer nerd, a Professor at Mills College, the author of Inventing Black Women and Proud Legacy, the editor of the anthology Before There Was Harlem, and the creator of the portrait series 1001 Black Men. http://8-rock.com/
Kirwan McHarry authored “Border Dwellers in Boys’ Love Manga” in On the Edge of the Panel (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015), and co-edited a special section on BL manga for the Journal of Graphic Novels ! and Comics (4:1: 1-8). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21504857.2013.793 207
Jon Erik Christianson is a comics journalist who aspires to Lois Lane greatness (in a universe where she’s given her due credit). https://twitter.com/HonestlyJon
Jack Baur is a Teen Services Librarian at the Berkeley Public Library, and the co-host of the (erratically updated) In the Library With a Comic Book podcast, available at http://inthelibrarywithacomicbook.org. AJ Real is an educator, QPOC, blue lantern, Hufflepuff, games enthusiast, and Pokémon master. He can be found online wherever evil and heteronormativity must be vanquished. https://twitter.com/darkshifte
r
Mel Reiff Hill is the illustrator and co-author of the GENDER book, an illustrated gender 101 for everyone! Find more of their work online at rowdyferret.com
Nia King is the the author of Queer & Trans Artists of Color, Volumes 1 & 2 and the host and producer of We Want the Airwaves podcast. Artactivistnia.weebly.com
Brian Andersen is a life-long comic book lovin’ gay geek, a contributor to The Advocate and writer of “Stripling Warrior,” featuring gay Mormon superheroes. http://www.sosuperduper.com/
Heidi MacDonald is the editor in chief of Comics Beat, an awarding winning site about graphic novels. comicsbeat.com
Mey Rude is a bi, trans Chicana and is a writer/editor at Autostraddle and consults on and edits comic books. https://twitter.com/meyrude
William O. Tyler is the creator of WoT’s Cinephilia, a webcomic that studies the love of movies and how they shape us. williamotyler.com
