The finalists have been announced for the 2014 Doug Wright Awards, which recognize the best in English-language comics by Canadians. The awards are named for Doug Wright, the late cartoonist whose strip Doug Wright’s Family appeared for more than 30 years in newspapers across the country.
The winners will be announced at Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) on May 10.
Best Book:
- Palookaville #21 by Seth (Drawn and Quarterly)
- Paul Joins the Scouts by Michel Rabagliati (Conundrum Press)
- Science Fiction by Joe Ollmann (Conundrum Press)
- Susceptible by Geneviève Castrée (Drawn and Quarterly)
- Very Casual by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
Doug Wright Spotlight Award (a.k.a. “The Nipper”), which recognizes Canadian cartoonists deserving of wider recognition:
- Connor Willumsen for “Calgary: Death Milks a Cow,” “Treasure Island,” “Mooncalf” and “Passionfruit”
- Dakota McFadzean for Other Stories and the Horse You Rode in On (Conundrum Press)
- Patrick Kyle for Distance Mover #7–12, New Comics #1-2
- Steven Gilbert for The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge
- Georgia Webber for Dumb #1–3
2014 Pigskin Peters Award, which recognizes the best in experimental or avant-garde comics:
- “Calgary: Death Milks a Cow” by Connor Willumsen
- Flexible Tube with Stink Lines by Seth Scriver
- Journal by Julie Delporte (Koyama Press)
- “Out of Skin” by Emily Carroll
- Very Casual by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
In addition, the artists of the Second World War “Canadian Whites” comics will be formally inducted into The Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame during the ceremony. According to the awards' website, "The Canadian Whites were black-and-white comics produced between 1941 and 1946 that contained a host of original (and iconic) Canadian characters such as Johnny Canuck, Canada Jack and Nelvana of the Northern Lights. These characters were created by the likes of Murray Karn, Adrian Dingle, Gerry Lazare, Leo Bachle and Jack Tremblay. The event will also serve as the official launch of a new collection of the complete Nelvana of the Northern Lights (by Adrian Dingle) being published by CGA Comics."