SPX 2023: Ignatz Award Winners Revealed

2023 Ignatz Awards

During the Small Press Expo (SPX) taking place this weekend, the winners of the 2023 Ignatz Awards were announced. The Ignatz are a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.

Voting for the Ignatz Awards was open to anybody on the SPX email lists and anyone requesting a ballot. There was no in-person voting at the show, as voting for the prestigious Ignatz Awards was open to all fans of indie comics.

Ignatz Awards nominees are determined by a panel of comics professionals.

Congrats to all of the winners. They have been denoted in bold with “winner” added to their listing.

OUTSTANDING ARTIST

  • Caroline Cash, PeePeePooPoo issue no. 420 (Silver Sprocket)
  • Curt Merlo, That Distant Fire. (with J.R. Hughto, writer) (Black Eye Books)
  • Benjamin Schipper, Joe Death and the Graven (Image, Dark Horse Comics)
  • Olivia Stephens, Darlin’ and Her Other Names (self-published) – Winner
  • Noah Van Sciver, Joseph Smith and the Mormons (Abrams Comic Arts)

OUTSTANDING ANTHOLOGY

  • Cram Comics Issue no. 1, Andrew Alexander, ed. (Cram Books)
  • Glaeolia, Emuh Ruh, ed. (Glacier Bay Books)
  • Home: a comics anthology on belonging in Ireland today, Katherine Foyle, ed. (Dublin Comic Arts Festival)
  • NOW no. 12, Eric Reynolds, ed. (Fantagraphics Books Inc.)
  • Shades of Fear, Allison O’Toole & Ashanti Fortson, eds. (Balustrade Press) – Winner

OUTSTANDING COLLECTION

  • Boodle Fight, Ashley Topacio (self-published)
  • Cankor, Matthew Allison (self-published)
  • Griz Grobus and the Tale of Azkon’s Heart, Simon Roy, Jess Pollard & Sergey Nazarov (self-published)
  • Upside Dawn, Jason, (Fantagraphics Books Inc.)
  • Who Will Make the Pancakes? Megan Kelso, (Fantagraphics Books Inc.) – Winner

OUTSTANDING COMIC

  • Gordita: Built Like This, Daisy Ruiz (Black Josei Press) – Winner
  • Lemon Yellow, Ciari Quilty-Harper (Kus!)
  • Platonic Love, A ee mi (Paradise Systems)
  • Forget Me Not. Gabriel Howell (Secret Acres)
  • Live Rock Part 1: Aquarium Life (Issue #1), Ross Jackson (Secret Room Press)

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC NOVEL

  • Ducks, Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly) – Winner
  • Mimosa, Archie Bongiovanni (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Last Chance to Find Duke, Shang Zhang (PEOW)
  • Nervosa, Hayley Gold (Street Noise Books)
  • The Man in the McIntosh Suit, Rina Ayuyang (Drawn & Quarterly)

OUTSTANDING MINICOMIC

  • Farewell, Joao Fazenda (self-published)
  • Death Bloom, Yasmeen Abedifard (self-published) – Winner
  • Sacred Grove, Celine Loup (self-published)
  • Hares on the Mountain, Lee Dean & Salvador Aguilera (self-published)
  • You’re the Center of Attention, Gina Wynbrandt (Kus!)

OUTSTANDING ONLINE COMIC

  • Growing Up and Getting Out, Lonnie Comics
  • The God of Arepo, Reimena Yee – Winner
  • whale fall, Mara Ramirez
  • Adversary, Blue Delliquanti
  • Trans Classic Movies, Jett Allen

OUTSTANDING SERIES

  • Fizzle no. 4, Whit Taylor (Radiator Comics)
  • Maple Terrace no. 1, Noah Van Sciver (Uncivilized Books)
  • Venomyths, Joshua Ray Stephens (self-published)
  • Tales of Old Snake Creek, Drew Lerman (self-published) – Winner
  • Viewotron Comics and Stories, Sam Sharpe & Peach S. Goodrich (Radiator Comics)

OUTSTANDING STORY

  • Weeds, Kit Anderson (Parsifal Press)
  • The Impatient Ms. S, Koyubi (self-published)
  • I Owe It to My Parents to NOT Come Out, Richard Mercadi (self-published)
  • Wash Day Diaries (chapter: “Ride or Die”), Jamila Rowser & Robyn Smith (Chronicle Books) – Winner
  • Inversion, Lily Thu Fierro & Generoso Fierro (self-published)

PROMISING NEW TALENT:

  • Grayson Bear, Pokey (Bred Press)
  • Leo Fox, My Body Unspooling (self-published)
  • Deb J.J. Lee, In Limbo (First Second) – Winner
  • Richard Mercado, I Owe It to My Parents to NOT Come Out (self-published)
  • Shanti Rai, Sennen (Avery Hill Publishing)