The GLAAD Media Awards are traditionally a fairly mainstream affair, with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation recognizing outstanding portrayals of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities in works that reach a wide audience. Although in the past, the organization has honored the likes of Fun Home, Luba and Strangers in Paradise, the outstanding comic book category is typically heavy on superhero titles released by Marvel and DC Comics.
However, with the announcement this morning of the nominees for the 26th annual GLAAD Media Awards comes a couple of big surprises: Just one superhero series is singled out, and, for the first time since the comic book category debuted in 2003, there are no titles published by DC or its imprints.
The nominees for outstanding comic book are:
- Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido, Annie Wu, et al (Marvel)
- Lumberjanes, by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Booke Allen and Shannon Waters (BOOM! Studios)
- Memetic, by James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan (BOOM! Studios)
- Rat Queens, by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch (Image Comics)
- Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
The winners in all categories will be announced in ceremonies split between Los Angeles (March 21) and New York City (May 9). It's unknown at which event the comic category will be presented.