The shortlist for the 2013 British Comic Awards ceremony has been announced, a list compiled by a number of critics, retailers and readers – among them ‘our own’ Zainab Akhtar. Focusing on British comics, obviously, the shortlist collects together a number of self-published and small-press comics. The winners will be announced at Thought Bubble in November, chosen by a judging panel made up of people like Sarah McIntyre, Lenny Henry, Josie Long and Graham Linehan. Right, let’s try this again, after yesterday I broke embargo LIKE A BERK and published the nominees too early. First of all, Leo Baxendale has been chosen as the second recipient of the Hall of Fame Award, which went last year to Raymond Briggs. A cartoonist whose most famous creations include Minnie The Minx and The Bash Street Kids, Baxendale is, actually, one of my personal heroes. It’s delightful to see him honoured in this way, and it’s well worth looking into some of his work.
Best Comic The Absence #5 – Martin Stiff (self published) The Listening Agent – Joe Decie (Blank Slate Books) Mud Man #6 – Paul Grist (Image Comics) Soppy – Philippa Rice (self published) Winter’s Knight: Day One – Robert M Ball (Great Beast/self published) Best Book The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil – Stephen Collins (Jonathan Cape) Judge Dredd: Trifecta – Al Ewing, Rob Williams, Simon Spurrier, Henry Flint, D’Israeli, Carl Critchlow and Simon Coleby (2000AD Graphic Novels) The Man Who Laughs – David Hine and Mark Stafford (Self Made Hero) Mrs. Weber’s Omnibus – Posy Simmons (Jonathan Cape) The Nao of Brown – Glyn Dillon (Self Made Hero)
Emerging Talent Isabel Greenberg (The River of Lost Souls) Dilraj Mann (Frank Ocean VS Chris Brown, Make You Notice, Turning Point) Will Morris (The Silver Darlings) Jade Sarson (Cafe Suada) Lizzy Stewart (Solo, Four Days In Brussels, Four Days in Iceland, Object Stories) Young People’s Comic Award Hilda & The Bird Parade – Luke Pearson (NoBrow) The Sleepwalkers – Vivianne Schwarz (Walker Books) Cindy & Biscuit #3 – Dan White (self published) The Complete Rainbow Orchid – Garen Ewing (Egmont) Playing Out – Jim Medway (Blank Slate Books)
