The Small Press Expo has announced the 2014 nominees for the annual presentation of the Ignatz Awards, a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.

The Ignatz, named after George Herriman’s brick-wielding mouse from his long running comic strip Krazy Kat, recognizes exceptional work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an art form and as a means of personal expression. The Ignatz Awards are a festival prize, the first of such in the United States comic book industry.
The nominees for the ballot were determined by a panel of five of the best of today’s comic artists, Darryl Ayo, Austin English, Melissa Mendes, Thien Pham and Whit Taylor, with the votes cast for the awards by the attendees during SPX. The Ignatz Awards will be presented at the gala Ignatz Awards ceremony held on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 9:30 P.M.
ComiXology will again be sponsoring the event.

SPX will be held Saturday, September 13 from 11AM to 7PM and Sunday, September 14, noon-6PM at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $15 for Saturday, $10 for Sunday and $20 for both days.

Check out the full list of nominees below the jump!

Outstanding Artist

Sam Bosma for Fantasy Basketball
Kim Deitch for The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley
Sophie Goldstein for Darwin Carmichael is Going To Hell; Edna II; House of Women
Ed Piskor for Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1
Jesse Reklaw for Couch Tag

Outstanding Anthology or Collection

Amazing Facts and Beyond by Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch
The End by Anders Nilsen
Eye of the Majestic Creature Vol. 2 by Leslie Stein
Sock Monkey Treasury by Tony Millionaire
QU33R edited by Robert Kirby

Outstanding Graphic Novel

The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley by Kim Deitch
The Boxer by Reinhard Kleist
Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
War of Streets and Houses by Sophie Yanow

Outstanding Story

“Brownout Biscuit,” Octopus Pie: Dead Forever by Meredith Gran
Destination X by John Martz
The Grassy Knoll by Nick Drnaso
“Jobs,” Life Zone by Simon Hanselmann
“Mom,” Viewotron #2 by Sam Sharpe

Promising New Talent

Luke Howard for Trevor
Cathy G. Johnson for Jeremiah; Boy Genius; Until It Runs Clear
Nick Offerman for Orange; Onions
Keiler Roberts for Powdered Milk
Daryl Seitchik for Missy

Outstanding Series

The Black Feather Falls by Ellen Lindner
Demon by Jason Shiga
Powdered Milk by Keiler Roberts
Sky in Stereo by Sacha Mardou
Towerkind by Kat Verhoeven

Outstanding Comic

Blammo #8 by Noah Van Sciver
Cosplayers by Dash Shaw
It Will All Hurt #2 by Farel Dalrymple
Misliving Amended by Adam Buttrick
Wicked Chicken Queen by Sam Alden

Outstanding Minicomic

The Grassy Knoll by Nick Drnaso
House of Women by Sophie Goldstein
Never Forgets by Yumi Sakugawa
Test Tube #1 by Carlos Gonzalez
Up to the Top by Ian Sampson

Outstanding Online Comic

Band for Life by Anya Davidson
Big Dogs at Nite by Dane Martin
Demon by Jason Shiga
On Hiatus by Pete Toms
Vattu by Evan Dahm