The nominees in contention for the 37th GLAAD Media Awards have been revealed. As ever, fans have a smorgasbord of a list, especially in the comics and graphic novel categories. The winners will be announced March 5 at a special ceremony in Los Angeles.
There are ten nominees apiece for Outstanding Comic Book and Outstanding Graphic Novel/Anthology. Six of the Outstanding Comic Book nominees are from the Big Two (DC and Marvel have three each), with BOOM! (two nominations: Wynd: The Power of the Blood and Minor Arcana), Dark Horse (one nomination: The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night), and Image (The Department of Truth) representing the indies.
Writer James Tynion IV did very well either writing or being linked to three books in contention for recognition. Letterers Steve Wands and Aditya Bidikar are linked to two books apiece on this list, too.
For Outstanding Graphic Novel/Anthology, Top Shelf has two books in the list that otherwise covers a pretty broad sweep of publishers and genres. Many of the titles fall into the upper middle grade/YA bracket, with a number of coming-of-age stories of self-discovery. The category also hosts Alison Bechdel‘s most recent work, Spent (Mariner Books); a work of graphic nonfiction/history, Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs, Andrew Eakett, Tif Bucknor (Candlewick Press); a modern reimagining of a classic novel, Dan in Green Gables, by Rey Terciero & Claudia Aguirre (Penguin Workshop); and more.
In other media categories there were a few familiar names in terms of adaptations and franchises. The Old Guard 2 (Netflix) was a nominee in Outstanding Film, for example. In the Children’s and Kids categories, we spotted Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (Disney Jr./Disney+), Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (HBO Max), Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (Netflix), and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Disney Channel), among many others.
One surprise nomination in the Outstanding Drama category came for Netflix’s The Sandman, which ended prematurely following serious allegations of sexual misconduct made against Neil Gaiman, the creator/writer of the original comic, who also served as a producer on the Netflix show. Besides The Sandman, the category included several obvious choices like Doctor Who (Disney+), The Last of Us (HBO), Severance (Apple TV), and Stranger Things (Netflix).
The GLAAD Media Awards have been running since 1990, as a means to spotlight and celebrate the work of LGBTQIA+ individuals as well as LGBTQIA+ representation and inclusion across the media landscape. The 37th edition currently comprises 27 categories that includes English- and Spanish-language work in journalism (around ten categories for this alone), TV, film, comics and more. The category of Outstanding Comic Books is one of the earliest awards, first introduced in 1992. A more recent introduction has been Outstanding Graphic Novel/Anthology which has been in place since 2022. The video game category was introduced in 2019.
Founded in 1985, GLAAD — the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — is the world’s largest LGBTQIA+ organisation, whose mission is to hold media accountable and boost community engagement so their stories are truthful, realistic, seen and heard.
Full nominee list can be found on the GLAAD website but here are some selections of interest to readers:
OUTSTANDING COMIC BOOK
- Absolute Green Lantern, by Al Ewing, Jahnoy Lindsay, Jason Howard, Riley Rossmo, Sid Kotian, Iñaki Azpiazu, Pressy, Lucas Gattoni (DC Comics)
- Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices, by Anthony Oliveira, Elsa Sjunneson, Carola Borelli, Bailie Rosenlund, Pablo Collar, Charles Stewart III, Alti Firmansyah, Minkyu Jung, KJ Díaz, Ruth Redmond, Dono Sánchez-Almara, Ariana Maher, Joe Caramagna (Marvel Infinity Comics)
- The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds, Letizia Cadonici, Aditya Bidikar, Jordie Bellaire, Dylan Todd (Image Comics)
- Exceptional X-Men, by Eve L. Ewing, Carmen Carnero, Federica Mancin, Nolan Woodard, Travis Lanham (Marvel Comics)
- Minor Arcana, by Jeff Lemire, Patricio Delpeche, Letizia Cadonici, Steve Wands (BOOM! Studios)
- The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night, by Tate Brombal based on an idea by James Tynion IV, Isaac Goodhart, Priscilla Petraites, Miquel Muerto, Aditya Bidikar (Dark Horse Comics)
- Poison Ivy, by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, Brian Level, Atagun Ilhan, Mark Buckingham, Arif Prianto, Lee Loughridge, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Tom Napolitano (DC Comics)
- Runaways, by Rainbow Rowell, Elena Casagrande, Roberta Ingranata, Lee Ferguson, Dee Cunniffe, Travis Lanham (Marvel Comics)
- Secret Six, by Nicole Maines, Stephen Segovia, Cian Tormey, Roger Cruz, Rain Beredo, Steve Wands (DC Comics)
- Wynd: The Power of the Blood, by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, Andworld Design, Nancy Mojica, Madison Goyette (BOOM! Studios)
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL/ANTHOLOGY
- Cannon, by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Dan in Green Gables, by Rey Terciero & Claudia Aguirre (Penguin Workshop)
- First Kiss with Fangs, by Marker Snyder (Holiday House)
- Gaysians, by Mike Curato (Algonquin Books)
- Hey, Mary!, by Andrew Wheeler, Rye Hickman, Hank Jones, Frank Cvetkovic (Oni Press)
- It Rhymes with Takei, by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf Productions)
- Low Orbit, by Kazimir Lee (Top Shelf Productions)
- A Song for You and I, by K. O’Neill (Random House Graphic)
- Spent, by Alison Bechdel, Holly Rae Taylor, Jon Chad (Mariner Books)
- Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, by Alex L. Combs, Andrew Eakett, Tif Bucknor (Candlewick Press)
OUTSTANDING VIDEO GAME
- Ambrosia Sky: Act One (Soft Rains)
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
- The August Before (Silly Little Games/Catoptric Games)
- Cabernet (Party for Introverts/Akupara Games)
- The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily (One or Eight/Alliance Arts)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage (DON’T NOD)
- Old Skies (Wadjet Eye Games)
- Road to Empress (New One Studio)
- The Roottrees are Dead (Evil Trout Inc.)
OUTSTANDING FILM – STREAMING OR TV
- 10Dance (Netflix)
- The Christmas Baby (Hallmark Channel)
- Echo Valley (Apple TV)
- Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
- A Keller Christmas Vacation (Hallmark Channel)
- Noah’s Arc: The Movie (Paramount+)
- Oh. What. Fun. (Prime Video)
- The Old Guard 2 (Netflix)
- The Parenting (HBO Max)
- Queen of Coal (Netflix)
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
- Brilliant Minds (NBC)
- The Buccaneers (Apple TV)
- Doctor Who (Disney+)
- The Gilded Age (HBO)
- The Last of Us (HBO)
- Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz)
- The Sandman (Netflix)
- Severance (Apple TV)
- Stranger Things (Netflix)
- Yellowjackets (Showtime)
OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING
- Be@rbrick (Apple TV)
- Firebuds (Disney Jr.)
- “Ghost Town” Mermicorno: Starfall (HBO Max)
- “No Wrong Way to Be You” Sesame Street (HBO Max)
- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (Disney Jr./Disney+)
OUTSTANDING KIDS & FAMILY PROGRAMMING – LIVE ACTION
- Goosebumps: The Vanishing (Disney+/Hulu)
- Jane (Apple TV)
- School Spirits (Paramount+)
- “Selamiut” Washington Black (Hulu)
- XO, Kitty (Netflix)
OUTSTANDING KIDS & FAMILY PROGRAMMING – ANIMATED
- Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (HBO Max)
- The Bravest Knight (Hulu)
- Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (Netflix)
- Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Disney Channel)
- The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney+)
