The nominees have been announced for the 13th annual Ignatz Awards, which will be presented Sept. 26 during the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland.
Named after George Herriman’s brick-wielding mouse from Krazy Kat, the Ignatz Awards honor "exceptional work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an art form and as a means of personal expression." The nominees are selected by a panel of five judges and voted upon by SPX attendees.
This year's nominees are:
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)
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 Vähämäki (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Fuzz and Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn (Fantagraphics)
• Kramer’s Ergot 7, ed. Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura)
Outstanding Graphic Novel
• Acme Novelty Library #19, Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)
• 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)
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 (Drawn & Quarterly)
• “Untitled,” Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5, Amanda Vähämäki (Drawn & Quarterly)
• “Willy,” Papercutter #10, Damien Jay (Tugboat)
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 Vähämäki, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5 (Drawn & Quarterly)
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)
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)
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
Outstanding Online Comic
• Bodyworld, Dash Shaw
• Danny Dutch, David King
• Thingpart, Joey Alison Sayers
• Vanessa Davis’ comics for Tablet
•Year of the Rat, Cayetano Garza