By Todd Allen

As comics become more accepted, we see more mainstream awards covering them.  The Bram Stoker Awards are from the Horror Writer’s Association.  The Stoker’s have added a graphic novel category and the nominees were recently announced:

Brosgol, Vera — Anya’s Ghost
Hill, Joe — Locke & Key, Volume 4
Jensen, Jeff — Green River Killer
Maberry, Jonathan — Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine
Mignola, Mike and Golden, Christopher — The Plague Ships
Moore, Alan — Neonomicon

You’re probably more familiar with the Mignola/Golden entry as Baltimore: The Plague Ships.

The (fan-based) Hugo Awards have had a comics category for a few years now.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the Edgars (Mystery Writers of America) added a comics category one of these years, since they recognize the format.

1 COMMENT

  1. The first annoucement I saw of this had artist names on most of the works, but they’re not on this press release. I can see why–the Stokers are “writer’s” awards. But they really shouldn’t call the category “Graphic Novels” if they mean “Graphic Novel Script”, just as they dub the “Film and Televison” award “Screenplay”.

  2. Who decided that the “Bram Stroker Awards” were now mainstream?

    I can promise that I would never have heard of them if I didn’t happen to be comics reader.

  3. The Bram Stoker Awards have been in existence since 1987.

    It is a professional literary genre award (as contrasted with fan genre awards like the Hugo), judged and voted by professionals.

    Whenever a neglected medium/format such as comics is included in other awards, that inclusion is proof of greater acceptance.

    To update your scorecard:
    Pulitzer (special award)
    National Book Award (finalist)
    Nobel (a graphic novel was part of the author’s entire work, 2007)
    Hugo (back in 1988, now has a dedicated category)
    World Fantasy Award
    Nebula (nomination)
    Caldecott (1991)
    Lindgren

    So that leaves the Edgar, the RITAs, the Booker, the Newbery, O. Henry…

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_literary_awards