Shortlist for Second Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award Announced

The organization Kids Read Comics has announced the shortlist for the 2016 Dwayne McDuffie Awards. The awards honor comics writer Dwayne McDuffie, founder of Milestone Media (one of the first black-owned comics publishers), writer for Marvel and DC, and creator of the character Static. The award recognizes comics for readers up to age 13 and the judges (who include our own Eva Volin) rate the comics on four criteria: Quality, timelessness, originality, and diversity. Since these are books that everyone should know about, I’m including the judges’ descriptions below, along with links to our reviews here at GC4K (some are to previous volumes of a series). Books marked with an asterisk are also included in our list of the Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2015 for SLJ.

*Awkward, by Svetlana Chmakova, introduces Penelope (Peppi) Torres, a new girl at middle school who makes an embarrassing first day worse by hurting the feelings of another social misfit—and soon compounds a rivalry between the school’s art-nerds and science-nerds. (Yen Press) (We also did a preview and roundtable on this book.)

Chi’s Sweet Home, Vol. 12, by Konami Kanata, concludes the story of the lost kitten adopted by Yohei Yamada and his family—as mischievous Chi finds her mother and faces an important decision about the future. (Vertical)

Courtney Crumrin, vol. 7: TALES OF A WARLOCK, by Ted Naifeh, tells the tale of Courtney’s Uncle Aloysius as a young man—joining the Anti-Sorcery Society’s crusade against witches and warlocks, while hiding his own magical ancestry. (Oni Press)

Flop to the Top! by Eleanor Davis and Drew Weing offers a modern-day fable of fame and fandom—when the picture young Wanda posts of her floppy-eared bulldog goes viral and brings all the celebrity she’s ever dreamed of…but for the dog, not for her. (Toon Books)

The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Crazy Critter Race, by Maxwell Eaton III, continues the adventures of Ace and Bub, and this time they’re tangled up in an island-hopping race with more at stake than the grand prize…as a fast-growing vine starts to entangle them all! (Random House)

*Human Body Theater, by Maris Wicks, gives readers a front-row seat for a theatrical revue of each and every biological system of the human body—courtesy of a skeletal master of ceremonies who puts on a new layer of her costume (that is, her body) with each act. (First Second)

*Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters and Brooke Allen, follows butt-kicking best friends Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley as they spend their summer at Lumberjanes scout camp…where yetis, three-eyed wolves and giant falcons await! (BOOM! Studios) (preview)

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor, by Nathan Hale, uncovers the true-life story of abolitionist Harriet Tubman—who was born into southern slavery and escaped to the north, embarking on a lifelong career to help other enslaved people find their freedom. (Abrams)

*Ultraman, by Tomohiro Shimoguchi and Eiichi Shimizu, is the story of Shinjiro, an ordinary teenager who inherits a family legacy that leads him to take on the role of Ultraman and defend planet Earth against a deadly alien invasion. (Viz)

*The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, collects the first five issues of the comic series that takes a whole new look at the Marvel universe of heroes and villains, as seen through the eyes of the nuttiest and most upbeat superhero in the world! (Marvel)

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