Award season continues as the 2026 edition of the Mike Wieringo – Ringo – Comics Book Industry Awards have announced the nominees that made the final ballot. Voting (exclusive to industry professionals) is now open with the winners to be announced Saturday, September 26 at Baltimore Comic-Con. The closing date for voting will be August 26.

The press release for the awards said,

“The Ringo Awards are thrilled to announce the 2026 nominees. The nomination process was completed with the participation of our esteemed 2026 jury as well as the voting public. Fans and comic book professionals alike showed strong support in promoting the voting process on their websites and social media feeds.”

Baltimore Comic-Con promoter Marc Nathan said,

“Every year, we have suspicions of what may end up on the ballot, and are always pleasantly surprised by the breadth of titles, genres, publishers, and creators. This year, I think you’ll find we have fantastic representation, and you’re sure to find something you didn’t know about that you should!”

The selection jury for the 2026 Ringo Awards included creators Cliff Chiang, Colleen Doran, and Bill Morrison; retailer, co-owner/co-manager of Fantom Comics, Sarahti Gassmalla; and Universal Distribution purchaser and customer service representative Zander Fajertag.

The Ringo Awards final ballot covers 18 categories with six categories honouring creative professionals and twelve focusing on the creative works. In the latter, a quick tally has DC leading with seven nominations: two for Best Series, one for Short Story, and four in Best Humour Webcomic category. Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, and Drawn & Quarterly follow with five nominations apiece. Marvel has zero nominations this year.

 

Best Cartoonist (Writer and Artist)

  • Caroline Cash
  • Scott Chantler
  • Anders Nilsen
  • Ben Passmore
  • Tiffany Petitt
  • Mimi Pond
  • Craig Thompson
  • Paige Walshe
  • Ben Wickey

Best Writer

  • Deniz Camp
  • Joseph Schmalke
  • James Tynion IV
  • Robert Venditti
  • Mark Waid

Best Artist or Penciller/Inker Team

  • Becky Cloonan
  • Werther Dell’Eera
  • Jay Fosgitt
  • Javier Rodriguez
  • Liam Sharp
  • Hayden Sherman
  • Stefan Tosheff

Best Letterer

  • Taylor Esposito
  • Rob Leigh
  • Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
  • Troy Peteri
  • Nate Piekos
  • Ben Wickey

Best Colorist

  • Jordie Bellaire
  • John Kalisz
  • Javier Rodriguez
  • Alejandro Sanchez
  • Stefano Simeone
  • Dave Stewart

Best Cover Artist

  • Gabriele Dell’Otto
  • Colm Griffin
  • Tula Lotay
  • Daniel Parent
  • Javier Rodriguez
  • Riley Rossmo

Best Series

  • Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, & Frank Martin (DC Comics)
  • Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodríguez (DC Comics)
  • Coexistence, by Jennifer Castro & Jose Cambronero (self-published webcomic)
  • FML, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David López, & Cris Peter (Dark Horse Comics)
  • Granite State Punk, by Travis Gibb & Patrick Buermeyer (Orange Cone Productions)
  • Murder Podcast, by Jeremy Haun, Mike Tisserand & Nick Filardi (Ignition Press)

Best Short Story

  • Chest Face, by Dean Haspiel (self-published)
  • “Pied Piper” by David Byrne & Elias Gambit Melendez, in Cthulhu Invades Fairy Tales (Orange Cone Productions)
  • “The Knife and Gun Club” by Greg Rucka and Alvaro Martinez Bueno, in Detective Comics #1100, (DC Comics)
  • The Fire Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (Toon Books/Astra Books for Young Readers)
  • “Red Snapper in the Rea” by Michael D. Kennedy, in Milk White Steed (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Model Five Murder, by Juan Gee Tan (Silver Sprocket)

Best Original Graphic Novel

  • Black Arms To Hold You Up, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon Books)
  • The Corus Wave, by Karenza Sparks (Avery Hill Publishing)
  • David Dastmalchian’s Through, by David Dastmalchian & Cat Staggs (Z2 Comics)
  • Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, by Mimi Pond (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd Street Books)
  • The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)
  • Gamemasters: The Comic Book History of Roleplaying Games, by Fred Van Lente, Tom Fowler & Bill Crabtree (Clover Press)
  • Herobear and the Kid Vol. 1 – The Inheritance, by Mike Kunkel (Papercutz)

Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel – Ages 11 and Under

  • Brume Vol. 1: The Dragon Awakens, by Jérôme Pélissier & Carine Hinder (Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers)
  • The Fire Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (Toon Books/Astra Books for Young Readers)
  • The Lost Sunday, (Oni Press)
  • Magda, Intergalactic Chef: The Big Tournament, (Lerner Publishing Group)
  • Max, A Little Axolotl, (Scholastics Inc.)
  • The Mighty Bite #3: Hog Rocket Ruckus, (ABRAMS)
  • The Patchwork Girl of Oz Volume 1, (Image Comics)
  • Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean, (Fantagraphics)

Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel – Ages 12 and Up

  • Angelica and the Bear Prince, (Penguin Random House/Random House Children’s Books)
  • Dracula’s Brunch Club, (Oni Press)
  • Hello Sunshine, (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
  • Hunger’s Bite, (Union Square & Co.)
  • Raised by Ghosts, (Fantagraphics)
  • Wynd Book Four: The Power of the Blood, (BOOM! Studios)

Best Anthology

  • Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown, (Dark Horse Comics)
  • Flash Gordon Adventures Vol. 2, (Papercutz)
  • Jim Henson Presents, (BOOM! Studios)
  • Knapsack Magazine Volume 2: Butter, (Lucky Pocket Press)
  • unSEEN/unHEARD: Disability & Neurodivergence Comic Anthology, (self-published)
  • Young Men in Love: New Romance, (A Wave Blue World)

Best Humor Comic

  • The Blues Brothers – The Escape of Joliet Jake, (Z2 Comics)
  • Everything Sucks: Kings of Nothing, (Silver Sprocket)
  • The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead, (Albatross Funnybooks/Dark Horse Comics)
  • How to Survive an Affair, (self-published)
  • Physics for Cats, (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Webcomic

Best Humor Webcomic

Best Non-fiction Comic Work

  • Fela: Music is the Weapon, (Amistad)
  • Ginseng Roots, (Pantheon Books)
  • Love Letters Every Day, (Background Noise)
  • Lucas Wars, (23rd Street Books)
  • Muybridge, (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Surrounded: America’s First School for Black Girls, 1832, (Ablaze Publishing/NBM Graphic Novels)

Best Comics-Related Publication

  • Becoming Frazetta – The Early Years of a Fantasy Art Master, (Thrilling Nostalgia Comics)
  • COMICS! The Magazine #0, (Prana Publishers)
  • Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, (Scholastic Inc.)
  • Graphic Samurai: The Art of Denys Cowan, (Gizmoe Press)
  • Making Your First Comic, (self-published)
  • Messiahs, Meshugganahs, Misanthropes, and Mysteries, (Fantagraphics)

Best Presentation in Design

  • Beasts of the Four Nations: Creatures From Avatar: The Last Airbender, (Dark Horse Comics)
  • Becoming Frazetta – The Early Years of a Fantasy Art Master, (Thrilling Nostalgia Comics)
  • Cry Wolf Girl, (Silver Sprocket)
  • Ginseng Roots, (Pantheon Books)
  • The Hero Trade: Hero for Sale TPB, (Bad Idea)
  • Land of Mirrors, (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition Volume 1, (Dark Horse Comics)
  • The Smurfs Archives Vol. 1, (Papercutz)
  • Tongues, Vol. 1, (Pantheon Books)

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