Everyone has posted the nominees now – so you should know what’s what. At the danger of putting my head above the trench I’ll give you my idea of who may, or who I think should, win.
Outstanding Artist
Tim Hensley, Mome (Fantagraphics), Kramer’s Ergot #7 (Buenaventura)
Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)
Richard Sala, Delphine (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Josh Simmons, Mome (Fantagraphics)
Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)
This category kind of baffled me a bit. Are the jury picking a winner for the art alone – or for the art made up of art and story. I guess the latter, let’s assume so. Powell’s book is terrific – his art has shown a promising development since early efforts like Walkie Talkie (first thing I remember seeing) right up to the finished article now. I don’t know enough about Tim Hensley to guess at whether he’s a great to be or not. His work has a nice look in that HB animation, John Stanley reincarnated way (well from the little I’ve seen) is there somewhere Tim is producing reams of work to become Outstanding artist? Maybe I’ve just missed them. Richard Sala does Richard Sala – I like it all well enough but he wouldn’t be an outstanding artist pick for me. I didn’t like either of the last two Josh Simmons books – House and Jessica Farm – that’s probably just me. I haven’t yet read the Carol Tyler yet so can’t comment on this. From my limited knowledge here i’d be picking Nate Powell but I suspect Tyler may win. Is there really no place in here for Chris Ware – don’t think he’s ever won this category.
Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Abandoned Cars, Tim Lane (Fantagraphics)
Against Pain, Ron Rege Jr. (Drawn & Quarterly)
Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5, T. Edward Bak, Anneli Furmark, Amanda Vahamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Fuzz and Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn (Fantagraphics)
Kramer’s Ergot 7, ed. Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura)
I’ve pretty much read all of this. I enjoyed some of KE a lot – but overall it seemed more a statement than a truly inspiring way of doing the book. A few cartoonists used the page well, too many became illustrators and forgot comics – well for my tastes at least. I thought Rege Jr’s book was wonderful and I still think he is one of the most innovative cartoonists around. If it were up to me he would just be pipped by Abandoned Cars though. I suspect most people have missed it for its lack of hype and a general lack of showiness. The art is, I would guess, maybe not the finished article yet – but it’s more than good. The construction of the story, the real-life adventure and a sense of place and time linked intellectually to Woody Guthrie and Kerouac is a top class achievement. I thought it one of the books of the year for it’s burning ambition to be good but also by making you work a bit for it. No place for Berlin City of Smoke though, can’t quite believe that. Probably surprised not to see Spiegelman’s Breakdowns here also.
Outstanding Graphic Novel
Acme Novelty Library #19, Chris Ware (Self-Published)
Disappearance Diary, Hideo Azuma (Fanfare/Potent Mon)
Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
Nicolas, Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly)
You’ll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man, Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)
I haven’t read Drop-In or the Tyler. I’m glad to see Disappearance Diary here as it’s the only overseas representation but neither it or Nicolas would make my list. That seems a decent chance of a win for Ware here then. I thought it was great – both halves – I know some much preferred the Sci Fi story of the two. Maybe First:Second didn’t submit? No Photographer on here – a little surprising.
Outstanding Story
The Carnival, Mome #14, Lilli Carre (Fantagraphics)
Disappearance Diary, Hideo Azuma (Fanfare/Potent Mon)
Seeing Eye Dogs of Mars, Acme Novelty Library #19, Chris Ware (Self-Published)
Untitled, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5, Amanda Vahamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Willy, Papercutter #10, Damien Jay (Tugboat)
Hands down the Ware. Damian Jay reminds me a bit of Megan Kelso, he looks one to watch.
Promising New Talent
T. Edward Bak, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5 (Drawn & Quarterly)
Colleen Frakes, Woman King (self-published)
Hellen Jo, Jin & Jam #1 (Sparkplug), Diamond Heights, Papercutter #9 (Tugboat)
Ed Luce, Wuvable Oaf (self-published)
Amanda Vahamaki, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5 (Drawn & Quarterly)
Ignorance stops me from much comment here. I’ve seen some of Bak’s stuff and he seems interesting enough, Vahamaki can draw the back legs off about anything but Hellen Jo seems to be one of the most exciting cartoonists around. OK Jin & Jam looked and even to some extent read like an extension of Tekkonkinkreet but that’s no bad thing. I loved her comic – punky, couldn’t-give-a-damness, but with real drawing skills.
Outstanding Series
Danny Dutch, David King (Sparkplug)
Delphine, Richard Sala (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Interiorae, Gabriella Giandelli (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Reich, Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug)
Uptight, Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)
A bit of a sparse category now with so few still publishing actual comics. I’ve read them all barring Danny Dutch. I really like Reich – much more for story than art though – it’s a very good read. Interiorae was very beautifully drawn, maybe I wasn’t concentrating but it was a little nebulous for my tastes. Delphine was very good but Jordan Crane remains one of comics most gifted creators. Surely he’s a shoe-in here. Also 2 of these are really very short series indeed – the Sala and Giandelli, how will they fill this category next year. Want some nominations? – make sure you publish a few comics Jan/Feb/March and your on the ballot.
Outstanding Comic
Danny Dutch #1, David King (Sparkplug)
Dead Ringer, Jason T. Miles (La Mano)
Interiorae #3, Gabriella Giandelli (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Reich #6, Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug)
Uptight #3, Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)
Perhaps to prove the sparsity of the above category almost all end up here as well. Maybe these two noms need rolled into one and a category of best translated book, or best all ages book added. Dead Ringer is not really a comic in any sense I understand – OK it is a set of drawings which run I guess sequentially – a page at a time – a BIG page at a time, but I failed to really grasp a story and it felt like an art project right down to the contrary and slightly crazy packaging. I guess I’d have Crane win again but I doubt he’ll get two awards. If Kramers Ergot wins above expect Dead Ringer to win this – if not maybe Crane wins this and maybe Sala the outstanding series.
Outstanding Mini-Comic
Claptrap #2, Onsmith
Just So You Know #1, Joey Alison Sayers
Stay Away From Other People, Lisa Hanawalt
Stewbrew, Kelly Froh & Max Clotfelter
Xoc, Matt Dembicki
Haven’t read any of them – shame on me.
Outstanding Online Comic
Bodyworld, Dash Shaw
Danny Dutch, David King
Thingpart, Joey Alison Sayers
Vanessa Davis’s comics for Tablet
Year of the Rat, Cayetano Garza
The Shaw is often wonderful to look at – it’s an amazing piece of work for something updating regularly, but I love Vanessa Davis’s comics so she’s winning for me.
Kenny Penman
August 26th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Surely there should be a category for Krazyest Komic?