The ballots of my fellow judges and I have been tabulated!

Here's the press release containing the nominees!

THE 2010 GLYPH COMICS AWARDS NOMINEES ARE NAMED; THE FAN AWARD POLL IS OPEN

Last year, Jeremy Love’s Bayou made history at the Glyph Comics Awards (GCA) by winning five times, including for Story of the Year; a new record. In this, our fifth anniversary year, many new faces are in the running from all across the industry.

The nominees for 2010 are:

Story of the Year

Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers; Shawn Martinbrough, artist

The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, writer and artist

Unknown Soldier #13-14; Joshua Dysart, writer, Pat Masioni, artist

War Machine: Iron Heart; Greg Pak, writer, Leonardo Manco, artist

World of Hurt, Jay Potts, writer and artist

Best Writer

Joshua Dysart, Unknown Soldier

Jeremy Love, Bayou

Greg Pak, War Machine

Jay Potts, World of Hurt

Alex Simmons, Archie & Friends

Best Artist

Chriscross, Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance

Jeremy Love, Bayou

Shawn Martinbrough, Luke Cage Noir

Jay Potts, World of Hurt

Trevor von Eeden, The Original Johnson

Best Male Character

Black Lightning, Black Lightning Year One; Jen van Meter, writer, Cully Hamner, artist; created by Tony Isabella & Trevor von Eeden

Isaiah Pastor, World of Hurt; created by Jay Potts, writer and artist

Jack Johnson; The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, writer and artist; inspired by the life of Jack Johnson

Luke Cage, Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers, Shawn Martinbrough, artist; created by Archie Goodwin & John Romita Sr.

Moses Lwanga, Unknown Soldier #13-14; Joshua Dysart, writer, Pat Masioni, artist; inspired by the character created by Robert Kanigher & Joe Kubert

Best Female Character

Aya, Aya: The Secrets Come Out; created by Marguerite Abouet, writer, Clement Oubrerie, artist

Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; created by Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Michonne, The Walking Dead; created by Robert Kirkman, writer, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn, artists

Misty Knight, Immortal Iron Fist; Duane Swierczynski, writer, Travel Foreman & Tom Palmer, artists; created by Tony Isabella & Arvell Jones

Nola Thomas, NOLA; created by Chris Gorak & Pierluigi Cothran, writers, Damian Couceiro, artist

Rising Star Award

Jiba Molei Anderson, The Horsemen

John Aston, Rachel Rage

Kerry & Tawanda Johnson, Harambee Hills

Julian Lytle, Ants

Jay Potts, World of Hurt

Best Reprint Collection

Aya: The Secrets Come Out; Drawn & Quarterly

Bayou Volume 1; DC/Zuda

Icon: A Hero’s Welcome; DC/Milestone

The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century; Dark Horse

Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool; DC/Milestone

Best Cover

Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1; Brian Stelfreeze, illustrator

Luke Cage Noir #1; Tim Bradstreet, illustrator

The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, illustrator

Unknown Soldier #8; Dave Johnson, illustrator

Unknown Soldier #10; Dave Johnson, illustrator

Best Comic Strip

Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Jump Start; Robb Armstrong, writer and artist

The K Chronicles; Keith Knight, writer and artist

The Knight Life; Keith Knight, writer and artist

World of Hurt; Jay Potts, writer and artist

Fan Award for Best Comic

Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel; Kevin Grevioux, writer, Mat Broome, Sean Parson & Alvaro Lopez, artists

Black Lightning Year One; Jen Van Meter, writer, Cully Hamner, artist

Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink; Eric Wallace, writer, Fabrizio Fiorentino, artist

Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers, Shawn Martinbrough, artist

War Machine: Iron Heart; Greg Pak, writer, Leonardo Manco, artist

The judges for the 2010 competition are: David Brothers, comics blogger, 4th Letter!; Carol Burrell, editorial director, Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group; Brian Cronin, writer, Comic Book Resources; and Katie & Dan Merritt, co-owners, Green Brain Comics.

The ballot for the Fan Award for Best Comic is now open at the website for the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), www.ecbacc.com/wordpress, and will remain open through March 31, 2010. Write-in selections can be e-mailed to GCA Committee Chair Rich Watson at rich.watson@gmail.com. IMPORTANT: Write-in selections are ONLY for choices not on the online ballot. ANY WRITE-IN SELECTIONS FOR CHOICES ALREADY ON THE ONLINE BALLOT WILL NOT BE COUNTED AND WILL BE DISCARDED.

The 2010 GCA ceremony will be held May 15, 2010, in the Skyline Room of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Park Central branch, as part of ECBACC, which will take place at the Crown Plaza Philadelphia Center City, May 16, 2010.

About the Glyph Comics Awards:

The Glyph Comics Awards recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, the goal is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.

The awards are named for the blog Glyphs (http://www.PopCultureShock.com/glyphs), started in 2005 by comics journalist Rich Watson as a means to provide news and commentary of comics with black themes, as well as tangential topics in the fields of black science-fiction/fantasy and animation.

About ECBACC:

The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (www.ecbacc.com/wordpress) is an annual gathering of comic book creators and retailers who create and sell material that caters to black readers of all ages. In addition to selling their work, they also take part in panel discussions and self-publishing workshops for aspiring creators. The convention is held in Philadelphia each May. There is also a reception held the preceding night. ECBACC is an outgrowth of the original Black Age of Comics Convention in Chicago, founded by Turtel Onli.

While being extremely humble, I think we put together a fine list of nominees! It was a good year for black comic books!