SPSCC Library: Graphic Novels: Comic Award Winners

Harvey Awards

The Harvey Awards were named after writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and replaced the Kirby Awards in 1988. The Harveys have six categories: Book of the Year, Digital Book of the Year, Best Children's or Young Adult Book, Best Adaptation From a Comic, Best Manga Title, and Best International Book.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
ISBN: 9781626720794
Publication Date: 2020-03-17
Gene understands stories--comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn't get sports. As a kid, his friends called him "Stick" and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons's lives, but his own life as well.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
ISBN: 9781984851598
Publication Date: 2020-10-13
In this gorgeous debut graphic novel, fairy tales are the only way one boy can communicate with his Vietnamese immigrant parents. But how will he find the words to tell them that he's gay? Tien and his mother may come from different cultures-she's an immigrant from Vietnam still struggling with English; he's been raised in America-but through the fairy tales he checks out from the local library, those differences are erased. But as much as Tien's mother's English continues to improve as he reads her tales of love, loss, and travel across distant shores, there's one conversation that still eludes him-how to come out to her and his father. Is there even a way to explain what he's going through in Vietnamese? And without a way to reveal his hidden self, how will his parents ever accept him?
The Good Asian: 1936 Deluxe Edition by Pornsak Pichetshote; Alexandre Tefenkgi (Artist); Lee Loughridge (Artist)
ISBN: 9781534325852
Publication Date: 2023-06-06
THE GOOD ASIAN follows Edison Hark- a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 San Francisco - in a noir mystery exploring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban: the Chinese, as they're besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe
ISBN: 9780593160299
Publication Date: 2021-11-02
Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she's allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place--and her own power.
Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang; Gurihiru (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781779504210
Publication Date: 2020-05-12
The year is 1946. Teenagers Roberta and Tommy Lee just moved with their parents from Chinatown to the center of Metropolis, home to the famous hero, Superman. Tommy makes friends quickly, while Roberta pines for home. Then one night, the family awakens to find their house surrounded by the Klan of the Fiery Kross! Superman leaps into action, but his exposure to a mysterious green rock has left him weak. Can Roberta and Tommy help him smash the Klan? Inspired by the 1940s Superman radio serial "Clan of the Fiery Cross," New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang and artist Gurihiru bring us a personal retelling of two different immigrants finding ways to belong.
Squire by Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator); Nadia Shammas
ISBN: 9780062945846
Publication Date: 2022-03-08
Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program. It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.
Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim; Janet Hong (Translator)
ISBN: 9781770463622
Publication Date: 2019-08-27
Beginning in Lee's childhood, Grass shows the lead-up to the war from a child's vulnerable perspective, detailing how one person experienced the Japanese occupation and the widespread suffering it entailed for ordinary Koreans. Keum Suk Gendry-Kim emphasizes Lee's strength in overcoming the many forms of adversity she experienced. Grass is painted in a black ink that flows with lavish details of the beautiful fields and farmland of Korea and uses heavy brushwork on the somber interiors of Lee's memories. The cartoonist Gendry-Kim's interviews with Lee become an integral part of Grass, forming the heart and architecture of this powerful nonfiction graphic novel and offering a holistic view of how Lee's wartime suffering changed her.
Moms by Yeong-shin Ma; Janet Hong (Translator)
ISBN: 9781770464001
Publication Date: 2020-08-04
Lee Soyeon, Myeong-ok, and Yeonjeong are all mothers in their mid-fifties. And they've had it. They can no longer bear the dead weight of their partners or the endless grind of menial jobs where their bosses control everything, down to how much water they can drink. Although Lee Soyeon divorced her husband years ago after his gambling drove their family into bankruptcy, she finds herself in another tired and dishonest decade-long relationship with Jongseok, a slimy waiter at a nightclub. Meanwhile, Myeong-ok is having an illicit affair with a younger man, and Yeonjeong, whose husband suffers from erectile dysfunction, has her eye on an acquaintance from the gym. Bored with conventional romantic dalliances, these women embrace outrageous sexual adventures and mishaps, ending up in nightclubs, motels, and even the occasional back-alley brawl.
Mirka Andolfo's Sweet Paprika, Volume 1 by Mirka Andolfo (Artist)
ISBN: 9781534321045
Publication Date: 2022-02-22
Paprika is a successful businesswoman, a New Yorker of Italian origin. Job and career consume her, forcing her to neglect her personal needs as well as her friends and family. Her heart is broken from a previous relationship and its consequences, and a rigid upbringing has made her a very introverted person. She wants a romantic relationship, but she doesn't know what she's doing. Not like Dill, a naïve and suave delivery boy with an angelic attitude, handsome, and always surrounded by beautiful women falling for him. He doesn't have a worry in the world, and this makes Paprika very nervous. But he's the guy who could help her with her feelings (and with...sex).

Eisner Awards

The Eisner Awards are generally referred to as the comic industry's version of the Academy Awards. They are named after comics pioneer Will Eisner and currently feature 32 categories that cover a range of topics, types, and age ranges. The awards started in 1988 alongside the Harvey Awards in response to the discontinuation of the Kirby Awards.

The Human Target Book One by Tom King; Greg Smallwood (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781779516701
Publication Date: 2022-09-27
Christopher Chance has made a living out of being a human target--a man hired to disguise himself as his client to invite would-be assassins to attempt his murder. He's had a remarkable career until his latest case protecting Lex Luthor when things go sideways. An assassination attempt Chance didn't see coming leaves him vulnerable and left trying to solve his own murder, as he has 12 days to discover just who in the DC Universe hated Luthor enough to want him dead by slow-acting poison. And the prime suspects happen to be...the Justice League International?
Public Domain, Volume 1 by Chip Zdarsky (Artist)
ISBN: 9781534324572
Publication Date: 2023-01-24
Syd Dallas is responsible for pop culture's greatest hero: THE DOMAIN! But his sons Miles and David have a complicated relationship with both the creation and their creator. Can they convince their dad to fight for their family's legacy? This fun and heartfelt series written and illustrated by Eisner-winner CHIP ZDARSKY explores a WILD, ALTERNATE WORLD where comic book creators aren't properly acknowledged or compensated for their creations!!
The Good Asian: 1936 Deluxe Edition by Pornsak Pichetshote; Alexandre Tefenkgi (Artist); Lee Loughridge (Artist)
ISBN: 9781534325852
Publication Date: 2023-06-06
THE GOOD ASIAN follows Edison Hark- a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 San Francisco - in a noir mystery exploring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban: the Chinese, as they're besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV; Alvaro Martinez Bueno (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781779514349
Publication Date: 2022-03-01
Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter-well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walter's always been a little...off. But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter's invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It's beautiful, it's opulent, it's private-so a week of putting up with Walter's weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not? All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn't a chance to reconnect be...nice?
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen? by Matt Fraction; Steve Leiber (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781779504623
Publication Date: 2020-10-27
Jimmy Olsen must die! Wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Jimmy Olsen lives! Superman's best friend and Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen tours the bizarre underbelly of the DC Universe in this new series featuring death, destruction, giant turtles, and more! It's a centuries-spanning whirlwind of weird that starts in Metropolis and ends in Gotham City.
Black Widow by Kelly Thompson Vol. 1: the Ties That Bind by Elena Casagrande (Illustrator); Adam Hughes (Cover Design by); Kelly Thompson
ISBN: 9781302924836
Publication Date: 2021-04-20
Something is very wrong with Natasha- She's...happy?! The Widow has been a spy almost as long as she's been alive. And she's never stopped running, whether she was working for the good guys or the bad. But retirement definitely agrees with the world's deadliest woman as she revels in the perfect life she never dreamed she could have. But scratch the surface of that perfect life and you'll find something very wrong lurking beneath it - and a woman like Nat just can't help but scratch. Beyond San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge lies a mystery only the Marvel Universe's greatest spy can solve.
Little Bird: the Fight for Elder's Hope by Darcy Van Poelgeest; Ian Bertram (Artist)
ISBN: 9781534316942
Publication Date: 2020-09-22
With the limitless scope of Star Wars and EAST OF WESTpaired with the sociopolitical explorations of A Handmaid's Tale and MONSTRESS, LITTLE BIRD tells the story of a young resistance fighter battling against an oppressive American Empire while searching for her own identity in a world on fire. A gorgeously illustrated epic from Award-winning filmmaker DARCY VANPOELGEEST and Angoulême-nominated artist IAN BERTRAM in which one girl risks everything to save her people, their land, and the freedom they so desperately deserve.
Invisible Kingdom Volume 1 by G. Willow Wilson; Christian Ward (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781506712277
Publication Date: 2019-11-05
In a small solar system in a far-flung galaxy, two women--one a young religious acolyte and the other, a hard-bitten freighter pilot--uncover a conspiracy between the leaders of the most dominant religion and an all-consuming mega-corporation. On the run from reprisals on both sides, this unlikely pair must decide where their loyalties lie--and risk plunging the world into anarchy if they reveal the truth.
Mister Miracle by Tom King; Mitch Gerads (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781401283544
Publication Date: 2019-02-19
Scott Free is the greatest escape artist who ever lived. So great, he escaped Granny Goodness' gruesome orphanage and the dangers of Apokolips to travel across galaxies and set up a new life on Earth with his wife, Big Barda. Using the stage alter ego of Mister Miracle, he has made quite a career for himself showing off his acrobatic escape techniques. He even caught the attention of the Justice League, who has counted him among its ranks. You might say Scott Free has everything-so why isn't it enough? Mister Miracle has mastered every illusion, achieved every stunt, pulled off every trick-except one. He has never escaped death. Is it even possible? Our hero is going to have to kill himself if he wants to find out.
Black Barn by Andrea Sorrentino (Artist); Dave Stewart (Artist); Jeff Lemire
ISBN: 9781534308527
Publication Date: 2018-10-23
The lives of a reclusive young man obsessed with a conspiracy in the city's trash and a washed-up Catholic priest arriving in a small town full of dark secrets become intertwined around the mysterious legend of The Black Barn--an otherworldly building alleged to have appeared in both the city and the small town throughout history, bringing death and madness in its wake.

Complete List of Eisner Award Winners

Ignatz Awards

The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects.The awards started in 1997 and are named in honor of George Herriman's brick throwing mouse named Ignatz from Krazy Kat. The Ignatz Award categories are Outstanding Artist, Outstanding Anthology, Outstanding Collection, Outstanding Graphic Novel, Outstanding Story, Promising New Talent, Outstanding Series, Outstanding Comic, Outstanding Minicomic, and Outstanding Online Comic.

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai
ISBN: 9781683964261
Publication Date: 2021-05-11
Bron and Ray are a queer couple who enjoy their role as the fun weirdo aunties to Ray's niece, six-year-old Nessie. Their playdates are little oases of wildness, joy, and ease in all three of their lives, which ping-pong between familial tensions and deep-seeded personal stumbling blocks. As their emotional intimacy erodes, Ray and Bron isolate from each other and attempt to repair their broken family ties- Ray with her overworked, resentful single-mother sister and Bron with her religious teenage sister who doesn't fully grasp the complexities of gender identity. Taking a leap of faith, each opens up and learns they have more in common with their siblings than they ever knew.
Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers
ISBN: 9781770463486
Publication Date: 2019-06-18
Hot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into Black women's lives and coming-of-age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular "Hot Comb" is about a young girl's first perm--a doomed ploy to look cool and stop seeming "too white" in the all-Black neighborhood her family has just moved into. In "Virgin Hair," taunts of "tender-headed" sting as much as the perm itself. "My Lil Sister Lena" shows the stress of being the only Black player on a white softball team. Lena's hair is the team curio, an object to be touched, a subject to be discussed and debated at the will of her teammates, leading Lena to develop an anxiety disorder of pulling her own hair out.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me by Mariko Tamaki; Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781626722590
Publication Date: 2019-05-07
Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: Break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever.
Why Art? by Eleanor Davis
ISBN: 9781683960829
Publication Date: 2018-03-13
What is "Art"? It's widely accepted that art serves an important function in society. But the concept falls under such an absurdly large umbrella and can manifest in so many different ways. Art can be self indulgent, goofy, serious, altruistic, evil, or expressive, or any number of other things. But how can it truly make lasting, positive change? In Why Art?, acclaimed graphic novelist Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy) unpacks some of these concepts in ways both critical and positive, in an attempt to illuminate the highest possible potential an artwork might hope to achieve.
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris
ISBN: 9781606999592
Publication Date: 2017-02-14
Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late '60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster magazines iconography. Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. When Karen's investigation takes us back to Anka's life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge.
Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt
ISBN: 9781770462373
Publication Date: 2016-06-14
The new book from the James Beard Award-winning cartoonist and designer/producer of Netflix's Bojack Horseman Hot Dog Taste Test serves up Lisa Hanawalt's devastatingly funny comics, saliva-stimulating art, and deliciously screwball lists as she skewers the pomposities of foodie subculture. From the James Beard Award-winning cartoonist and production designer/producer of Bojack Horseman, Hot Dog Taste Test dishes out five-star laughs as Hanawalt keenly muses on pop culture, relationships, and the animal in all of us.
The Oven by Sophie Goldstein (Artist)
ISBN: 9781935233336
Publication Date: 2015-06-16
Ozone depletion and dwindling resources have driven the human race into domed cities where population controls are strictly enforced. When a young couple goes looking for an anti-government paradise in the desert they may have found more than they bargained for.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki; Jillian Tamaki (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781596437746
Publication Date: 2014-05-06
Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It's a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.
Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life by Ulli Lust (Artist); Kim Thompson (Translator)
ISBN: 9781606995570
Publication Date: 2013-06-15
Back in 1984, a rebellious, 17-year-old, punked-out Ulli Lust set out for a wild hitchhiking trip across Italy, from Naples through Verona and Rome and ending up in Sicily. Twenty-five years later, miraculously combining a perfect memory for both emotional and physical detail with the sometimes painful lucidity two and a half decades' distance have brought to her understanding of the events, Lust meticulously shows the who, where, when, and how of a sometimes dangerous and sometimes exhilarating journey. Particularly haunting is her portrait of her fellow traveler, the gangly, promiscuous, devil-may-care Edi who veers from being her spunky, funny best friend in the world to an out-of-control lunatic with no consideration for anything but her own whims and desires.

Complete List of Ignatz Award Winners and Nominees

Library Research Guides

Graphic Novels: Comic Award Winners

Harvey Awards

Eisner Awards

Ignatz Awards