Posted in: Comics | Tagged: a2caf, ann arbor comic arts festival, dwarne mcduffie award, dwayne mcduffie

These 10 Books Made the Shortlist for the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics

Published Thu, 03 May 2018 18:05:35 -0500

Last updated Thu, 03 May 2018 18:06:01 -0500

Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival has announced the short list for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics. The nominations, say a press release,"represent the great variety of comics for young readers that Kids Read Comics, the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, and the Dwayne McDuffie Award celebrate. And that Dwayne McDuffie himself championed in his trailblazing writing career." Of course, like a battle royale, only one book can survive. Who will come out on top this year? Last year, it was Raina Telgemeier.

Judges for the awards this year are Alenka Figa, Ardo Omer, and Shayauna Glover, and they've compiled an additional list, a Longlist, if you will, of 100 other books considered for the prize. You can view that here. Below are the ten Shortlist nominees.

As the Crow Flies, by Melanie Gilman, features Charlie Lamonte—thirteen years old, queer, black, and questioning what was once a firm belief in God—during a summer vacation stint at an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.

The Backstagers Volume 1: Rebels without Applause, by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh, follows transfer student Jory to an all-boys private high school, where he's taken in by the only group that doesn't treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers.

Garbage Night, by Jen Lee, takes readers to a barren and ransacked post-apocalyptic suburbia, where a dog named Simon—along with his two best friends, a raccoon and a deer—scavenges for food and awaits the return of the hallowed "garbage night."

I am Alfonso Jones, by Tony Medina, Stacey Robinson and John Jennings, stars an African-American teen who loves to play trumpet and dreams of playing the lead in his school's hip-hop rendition of Hamlet, but who becomes the victim of a police shooting, and watches from the afterlife as his family and friends struggle for justice.

It's Treason, by George! by Steve Hockensmith, Chris Kientz and Lee Nielsen, takes four friends on a time-traveling adventure to undo the work of plotters who have turned American history upside-down and replaced over two hundred years of democracy with the rule of monarchs.

Nightlights, by Lorena Alvarez, introduces Sandy, who catches the tiny stars that appear out of the darkness each night in her bedroom, and creates wonderful creatures to play with and make drawings of…until one day a mysterious girl appears who knows all about her nighttime secrets.

Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 2: A Recipe for Disaster, by Natalie Reiss, ushers in the season finale of Space Battle Lunchtime, but finalist Peony (the only Earth contestant) is nowhere to be found—she's been kidnapped and taken to the set of her show's biggest rival, Cannibal Coliseum, where chefs compete to cook…each other!

The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O'Neill, tells the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, who becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons—discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, and learning the dying art form of tea dragon caretaking from a pair of kind tea shop owners.

Where's Halmoni? by Julie Kim, joins a young Korean girl and boy on a search for their missing grandmother—a search that leads them into a fantastical world inspired by Korean folklore, complete with mischievous goblins, a greedy tiger, a clever rabbit, and a wily fox.

Witch Boy, by Molly Knox Ostertag, finds thirteen-year-old Aster up against the rules of his magical family, where all girls are raised to be witches and boys grow up to be shapeshifters—for instead of conforming, Aster doesn't shift, and continues to pursue his fascination with witchery…no matter how forbidden that might be.

Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, or A2CAF as the kids are calling it, is a free comics festival geared towards kids and teens that runs in Ann Arbor on June 16th and 17th. They have this crazy idea that kids should read comics. We don't know where they come up with this stuff. Find out more here.