Lambda Literary has announced finalists for the 2024 Lammy Awards, including five queer graphic novels that you need to add to your shelves stat if you don’t already have them. First Second published two of the following titles. Drawn & Quarterly also published two of this year’s nominees. Silver Sprocket published one. Together, these five books represent a wide selection of genres, themes, and styles.
Without further ado, here are the five books nominated for LGBTQ Comics at the 2024 Lambda Literary Awards.
A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll (First Second)
A Guest in the House is a haunting horror story that puts a unique spin on Jane Eyre as it follows a young woman named Abby, who’s just married a recently widowed and incredibly kind dentist. He just moved to town with his young daughter, and the memory of his late wife haunts them both. Unfortunately, her memory also begins to haunt Abby as she uncovers a sticky, entangled mystery surrounding the woman’s death.
The Beat named A Guest in the House one of the best comics of 2023.
Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa (First Second)
Belle of the Ball is a charming young adult story that follows Belle Hawkins, an introverted high school senior who stumbles into a love triangle when her crush, Regina Moreno, tries to use Belle’s feelings to her advantage. Regina has a list of accomplishments a mile long and is super popular. She’s dating Chloe Kitagawa, who’s great at sports but less great at school.
Knowing Belle will do anything to get closer to her, Regina asks her to tutor Chloe for free, and Belle says yes—but Regina’s plan almost immediately backfires. She didn’t know that Belle and Chloe were childhood friends… and when romance blossoms, Regina doesn’t see it coming.
Blackward by Lawrence Lindell (Drawn & Quarterly)
Blackward is a whip-smart dramatic comedy that follows four young, Black, queer friends named Lala, Amor, Tony, and Lika as they create a safe space for Black people to connect at their local community center. Unfortunately, they don’t get much turnout, which makes all four of them question whether their efforts mean anything. Simultaneously, they’re planning the inaugural Blackward Zine Fest, which will require them to overcome their insecurities and embrace their internal leadership qualities to make it happen.
Roaming by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Roaming is a masterful and stunning portrayal of friendship, flings, coming-of-age, and what it means to choose a different path than your lifelong best friend. When childhood besties Dani and Zoe reunite during their freshman year of college (2009) for a spring break trip to New York City, they both have expectations about how it will go. But Dani brings her art school classmate, Fiona, whose bad girl persona draws Zoe in like a moth to a flame. Suddenly, the dynamic shifts dramatically, and Dani and Zoe have to face the reality that growing up may mean growing apart.
The Beat named Roaming one of the best comics of 2023.
The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A. (Silver Sprocket)
The Chromatic Fantasy is a beautifully illustrated, luscious, and deeply sexy adventure about Jules, a trans man trapped in his life as a nun, who accepts a deal from the devil and becomes a criminal who can’t be hurt. When he meets Casper, a trans man with a titillating talent for theft, the two begin traveling together… and falling in love. Unfortunately, as they grow closer, the devil’s jealousy grows stronger.
The Beat named The Chromatic Fantasy one of the best comics of 2023.
Overall, this year’s Lambda Literary Awards are broken down into 26 categories plus seven special prizes, including two that are new this year: The Denneny Award for Editorial Excellence (named after Michael Denneny, who founded the first LGBTQ+ imprint at a big publisher) and The Pat Holt Prize for Critical Arts Writing, in memory of author and San Francisco Chronicle book review editor Patricia Holt. More than 70 critics, literary professionals, and avid readers selected the final nominees from a pool of more than 1,300 submissions representing the best queer literature published in 2023.
For the full list of nominees, visit lambdaliterary.org. Awards will be given out on June 11 in New York City. Tickets to the in-person event are available now.
