In celebration of media that celebrates "fair, accurate and inclusive representation" of LGBTQ characters and themes, GLAAD Media has announced its 2020 GLAAD Media Awards nominees. Among dozens of nominations for film, TV, books, music and video games, there are 10 comics nominated for Oustanding Comic Book -- including titles from DC, Marvel, Image, BOOM! Studios, First Second and ComiXology Originals.
Here's what to know about the 31st annual GLAAD Media Awards nominees for Outstanding Comic Book.
The Avant-Guards
Written by Carly Usdin, illustrated by Noah Hayes, colored by Rebecca Nalty and lettered by Ed Dukeshire, The Avant-Guards (BOOM! Box) follows two girls, Liv and Charlie, as they attend the all-female Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics.
Liv struggles to balance her passion for acting and basketball and fears she'll never manage; then she meets Charlie, who encourages Liv to join the school's failing basketball team. Slowly but surely, their friendship blossoms into romance. The Avant-Guards is a coming-of-age narrative that features several LGBTQ characters.
Bloom
Bloom (First Second) comes from writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau. This romantic graphic novel and coming-of-age story centers on Ari, a recent high school graduate eager to move to the city with his band. There's only one problem: his father needs him to work at his family bakery.
Eager for someone to replace him, Ari hires Hector, who has a kind soul and a passion for baking. What starts as Ari's ticket to the city blooms into a summer love he never saw coming. Bloom is an intimate, sometimes painful story about self-discovery.
Crowded
Written by Christopher Sebela, illustrated by Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, colored by Triona Farrell and lettered by Cardinal Rae, Crowded (Image Comics) is a LGBTQ crime comic with a twist.
In the near-future, it's legal for people to put a hit on someone for 30 days through an app called Reapr. When Charlie Ellison wakes one morning to discover there's $1 million price on her head, she hires the cheapest bodyguard she can find, Vita, to figure out who wants her dead before her 30 days are up. Crowded is a high energy, very queer post-modern satire featuring high octane thrills and chortles.
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass
DC Comics original graphic novel Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Steve Pugh. The story reimagines Harley's life and follows her through her teenage years, as she moves in with a family of drag queens and comes to terms with a Gotham ravaged by crime.
Breaking Glass reinterprets the mythos of the iconic character, including her villainous origins, her relationship with Poison Ivy and her corrupting romance with one anarchy-driven Joker.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell's Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (First Second) has already won multiple awards; it's also Tamaki's second 2020 GLAAD Media Awards nomination.
Laura Dean follows high schooler Freddy Riley as she comes to the slow, painful realization that her on-again, off-again relationship with the titular character is incredibly toxic. Laura Dean is ultimately indifferent to Freddy's needs as a person. Simultaneously, Freddy has to navigate tricky waters with her closest friends, which isn't made any easier by her infatuation. This graphic novel is a tough, but honest perspective on teen romance.
Liebestrasse
Liebestrasse (ComiXology Originals) is a historical OGN written by Greg Lockard, illustrated by Tim Fish, colored by Hector Barros and lettered by Lucas Gattoni.
Taking place in the fall of the Weimar Republic, the story focuses on a gay couple in Berlin falling in love and surviving as the Nazis rise to power. The comic explores the history of this period through an often-overlooked lens. It is at once an incredibly tragic, poignant and haunting look at what happened to LGBTQ people in Germany during the Nazi regime.
Lumberjanes
Currently written by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh, illustrated by AnneMarie Rogers and Kanesha C. Bryant, colored by Maarta Laiho and lettered by Aubrey Aiese, Lumberjanes (BOOM! Box) has been nominated for the GLAAD Media Awards four times since 2015; it's also won two Eisner Awards.
Lumberjanes has long been lauded for its portrayal of female friendship and LGBTQ romance, with its story centered around a group of friends confronting supernatural obstacles at summer camp. Co-created by Noelle Stevenson, the series is an all-ages romp with great LGBTQ representation.
Runaways
The current Runaways ongoing from Marvel Comics is written by Rainbow Rowell with art by Kris Anka, Andrés Genolet, Walden Wong and Matthew Wilson, colors by Triona Farrell, Chris O'Halloran, Michael Garland, Niko Henrichon, Federico Blee and Dee Cunniffe and letters by Jim Campbell and Joe Caramagna.
Relaunched in 2017, the series has introduced the diverse teen superhero team -- comprised of a group of supervillains' kids -- to a new generation. The series has been nominated two years running for the GLAAD Media Awards and it received an Eisner Awards nomination in 2019. In addition to featuring a diverse cast, the series also features a romantic relationship between Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra
Marvel's Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2016-2019) ran for 40 issues, with writer Simon Spurrier taking over from Kieron Gillen starting with issue #20. Featuring art Emilio Laiso, Andrea Broccardo, Wilton Santos, Caspar Wijngaard, Marc Deering, Don Ho, Walden Wong, Chris Bolson, Scott Hanna and Elsa Charretier, with colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, Chris O'Halloran, Stephane Paitreau, Lee Loughridge and Edgar Delgado and letters by Jim Campbell and Joe Caramagna, the series has been nominated twice for the GLAAD Media Awards.
Doctor Aphra is a morally ambiguous archeologist who willingly works for both the Empire and the Rebellion. She's also the first major queer character in the new Disney timeline for Star Wars, engaging in relationships with whatever gender she pleases.
The Wicked + The Divine
The Wicked + The Divine (Image Comics) was written by Kieron Gillen with art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matt Wilson and lettering by Clayton Cowles. The series is the story of the Pantheon -- people who are the reincarnated spirits of divine entities, living in the modern world.
However, once they gain these godly powers, they have just two years to live. The series, which came to a close in 2019, features a world where gender and sexuality are fluid and ambiguous. The Wicked + The Divine has a broad range of gender identities and sexualities represented in its pages.