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)
