The Dark Horse-published videogame tie-in Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams has won the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic. The announcement was made at an October 21 ceremony during the 81st World Science Fiction Convention in Chengdu, China.
Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams was made by writer Bartosz Sztybor, artists Filipe Andrade and Alessio Fioriniello, colorists Roman Titov and Krzysztof Ostrowski, and cover art by Matías Bergar. The 64-page graphic novel debuted from Dark Horse in January 2022 and focuses on the dreams and aspirations of two scavengers in Night City, set in the dystopian world of the 2020 videogame developed by CD Projekt Red (which in turn is based on a 1988 roleplaying game by Mike Pondsmith).
In a press release, publisher Dark Horse said:
“Please join Dark Horse in congratulating the creative team behind the original graphic novel, Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams, which has been recognized with the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic!”
Big City Dreams beat out regulars and favourites in the Best Graphic Story or Comic category, including the multi-Hugo Award winning Image series’ Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda series Monstress, and Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples‘ Saga (the first new volume following an extended series hiatus); as well as Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Matheus Lopes‘ acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (DC Comics).
The writer of the tie-in comic Bartosz Sztybor said:
“Don’t know where to start, because the Hugo Award for Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams is such a big thing. It’s hard to believe, but I’m the first Polish writer with this award and that’s a thing knowing how worldwide known Polish fantasy and sci-fi writers are (just to mention Lem, Sapkowski and Tokarczuk). I’m also extremely proud, cause Tom King’s and Brian K. Vaughan’s (my fellow nominees) works had a huge impact on my writing and… that’s how I’m repaying them, I’m sorry! It also shows how amazing Cyberpunk 2077 universe is, so big thanks to Mike Pondsmith and CD Projekt RED for creating such an amazing world. Last but not least, I’m happy that Big City Dreams was acknowledged, cause in its core, it’s a story about science-fiction, fantasy, about all kinds of escapisms, the need but also the risk of dreaming. I took that risk, I dreamt and I’m happy that my Big City Dream came true and I could get Hugo Award with the most amazing team in the world – Filipe, Alessio, Roman, Krzysztof and Aditya – thank you!”
In other categories Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form went to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert‘s Oscar-winning indie movie Everything Everywhere All at Once; Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form went to the final episode of The Expanse, Babylon’s Ashes. In Best Related Work Rob Wilkins‘ biography, Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes (Doubleday) beat a memoir by Wil Wheaton, a behind the scenes story of critically acclaimed movie Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), among others.
Below is a list of the relevant award categories for comics and popcorn lovers. You can view all the prose award categories on the official Hugo website here….
BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC
- WINNER: 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)
BEST RELATED WORK
- WINNER: Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes, by Rob Wilkins (Doubleday)
- Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, by Kyle Buchanan (William Morrow)
- Buffalito World Outreach Project, by Lawrence M. Schoen (Paper Golem LLC)
- Chinese Science Fiction, An Oral History, Volume 1, by Yang Feng (Chengdu Times Press)
- “The Ghost of Workshops Past”, by S.L. Huang (Tor.com)
- Still Just a Geek: An Annotated Memoir, by Wil Wheaton (William Morrow)
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM
- WINNER: Everything Everywhere All at Once, screenplay by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Sheinert (IAC Films / Gozie AGBO)
- Avatar: The Way of Water, screenplay by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver, directed by James Cameron (Lightstorm Entertainment / TSG Entertainment II)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, directed by Ryan Coogler (Marvel Studios)
- Nope, written by Jordan Peele, directed by Jordan Peele (Universal Pictures / Monkeypaw Productions)
- Severance (Season 1), written by Dan Erickson, Anna Ouyang Moench et al., directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle (Red Hour Productions / Fifth Season)
- Turning Red, screenplay by Julia Cho and Domee Shi, directed by Domee Shi (Walt Disney Studios / Pixar Animation Studios)
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM
- WINNER: The Expanse: “Babylon’s Ashes”, written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck, Naren Shankar, directed by Breck Eisner (Alcon Entertainment)
- Andor: “One Way Out”, written by Beau Willimon, Tony Gilroy, and George Lucas, directed by Toby Haynes (Lucasfilm)
- Andor: “Rix Road”, written by Tony Gilroy and George Lucas, directed by Benjamin Caron (Lucasfilm)
- For All Mankind: “Stranger in a Strange Land”, written by Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, directed by Craig Zisk (Tall Ship Productions/Sony Pictures Television)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: “Whose Show is This?”, written by Jessica Gao, Francesca Gailes, and Jacqueline Gailes, directed by Kat Coiro (Marvel Entertainment)
- Stranger Things: “Chapter Four: Dear Billy”, written by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, and Paul Dichter, directed by Shawn Levy (21 Laps Entertainment)
