It is no secret that comic book fans and book lovers alike are passionate about their favorite stories. Whether it’s a classic superhero tale or an original story with unique characters, readers love to immerse themselves in the world of comics. So when it comes to judging which comics are great, should awards be considered? Must a comic book win an award to be considered great?
Make no mistake, awards are an important part of any industry. Awards are given out to recognize excellence in writing, artwork, storytelling, and more. They also help draw attention to great works that might otherwise go unnoticed by readers or critics alike.
Also, awards are often seen as a way for creators to validate their work. It’s always nice when someone takes notice of your hard work! But there is much more value than just personal validation – awards can lead to increased visibility for comic book series or authors who may not have had access before. This helps bring new fans into the fold and encourages others already invested in these stories to continue reading them with enthusiasm!
In addition, awards can encourage publishers and other stakeholders within the industry (such as editors) to take risks on projects they may not have considered before, simply because they were recognized with an award from peers within their field – this is especially true if those peers come from outside organizations such as The Eisner Awards which has been around since 1988 recognizing achievements both inside & outside the comics publishing world each year at the San Diego Comic-Con.
Furthermore – being nominated for or winning an award gives writers/artists/publishers additional credibility when pitching ideas & concepts for future projects to potential buyers / partners etc., meaning potentially greater financial success down the line.
All of these show that awards are important as they can propel writers and even publishers to higher heights. Ultimately, however, what matters most is how we personally connect and emotionally engage with the comic book in our hands. This therefore raises the question again: Must a comic book win an award to be considered great?
The short answer is no – not all good comics need awards for validation. While there are some prestigious awards given out by organizations such as The Eisner Awards, the Harvey Awards, the National Comics Awards, the Prix Saint-Michel, the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Kodansha Manga Awards and the Ringo Awards, many excellent comic books never receive any recognition from these groups at all. In fact, there have been countless amazing stories over time that were created without ever winning any kind of award whatsoever!
Every year, awarding organizations select a handful of comics and award them prizes, leaving out thousands of excellent comic books that deserve these same awards. This alone is adequate evidence to show that not every great comic book must be an award winner.
When one looks at things critically, it is quite easy to see that from Marvel to DC, passing through Franco Belgian comics and manga, and even smaller publishers in South America and Africa, there are a ton of comics that haven’t won awards, but are of great quality. Just research on comics published by Image Comics, Dark Horse comics, Editions Dupuis, Editions Glenat, Viz, Kodansha, Zebra Comics and Brown Roof Studios, and you will get the full picture.
Ultimately, whether something wins an award should not determine its worthiness as part of anyone’s reading list. Don’t let this factor put you off from comics that are not award winners, but which you might otherwise enjoy. Instead, the focus should be on searching for interesting storylines with compelling characters that will draw people in regardless because, ultimately, this will be far more important when making the decision on which comic book to read than just accolades on paper.
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