The Ignatz Awards, traditionally a big part of the Small Press Expo (SPX), were held online this year, including the award ceremonies. Congratulations to everyone in Be Gay, Do Comics, an anthology from The Nib, for winning Outstanding Anthology. Congratulations also to Melissa Mendes ’10, Emil Wilson ’21, and fellows (Noah Van Sciver (2015-16 Fellow), and Karen Katz (2018-20 Fellow) for their nominations.

Be Gay, Do Comics from the Nib includes work from Kazimir Lee Iskander ’16 and Sasha Velour ’13. Eleri Harris ’09 is deputy editor at The Nib. This comic anthology features queer history, memoir, and satire: “a homosexual behemoth highlighting the many amazing LGBTQ cartoonists [they’ve] had the joy of working with.”

Melissa Mendes’s comic The Weight, No. 9, was nominated for Outstanding Story. She took inspiration from a short autobiography that her grandfather John Albert Ridgeway wrote at the end of his life, chronicling a long life of hard work. The story focuses on Edie, a young girl born during depression-era, rural New York State.

Emil Wilson was nominated for Promising New Talent. He has many short comics up on his website, such as How to Pronounce My Name and The Princess and the Turnip.

Karen Katz’s Chapter Two was nominated for Outstanding Minicomic. The story is about an all consuming obsession for meaningful encounter which displaces our stories.

Noah Van Sciver’s The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski was nominated for Outstanding Collection. In the collection of the trilogy, Fante Bukowski is an author how lives in a beat-up motel. He must overcome great obstacles, including no actual talent, to gain respect and adoration from critics and, more importantly, his father. Noah was the 2015 to ’16 fellow at CCS.

Tags: Be Gay Do Comics, Chapter Two, Comics, Eleri Harris, Emil Wilson, Ignatz Award, Karen Katz, Kazimir Lee Iskander, Melissa Mendes, Noah Van Sciver, Sasha Velour, selfpublishing, The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski, The Nib, The Weight, zines