The GILM Awards 2017 Favorite Comic

Favorite Comic

As we turn the page onto the next year, we want to hear about all the comics that had you gripped from panel to panel in 2017. No matter the genre, let us know about those comics of all formats that left a place in your heart or mind.

While it does not matter the medium in which the comic was released, for any ongoing series we would like to limit their output to 2017 for what is up for qualification. When nominating a comic that has been running for longer than 2017 remember that you are arguing for what has been released this year alone, not the series as a whole.

Alright with that out of the way let us add to our pull lists! Remember to bold the name of your nomination and we will catch you in the next round!


Q&A

Q: Uhhh, sorry to ask, but... what are the GILM Awards?

A: Nothing to apologise for! Just head over to our pinned topic if you need a catch up! You can also find details on the process for the awards here.

Q: How do I nominate something?

A: To nominate something, you have to write it in your post and bold it, ideally at the top of your post. If we don’t know what you’re picking, we can’t count it. You get one (1) nomination. For a game to be eligible for the voting phase, it must have two nominations.

Nomination: X)
(Rest of Post, full of lists and good takes)

You can make a list as long as your arm, just be clear. We welcome thoughtful posts about how you made your decision and discussion, as long as we keep it positive and respectful.

Q: I disagree with someone else's choice!

A: As per our Code of Conduct, be considerate about other people’s perspectives. There’s no need to puff out someone else’s candle to make yours a little brighter. Negativity is only going to hurt your case for what you love. What’s said in the thread stays in the thread. The mod team frown deeply on people taking disagreements thread-to-thread, like bringing up a user’s nomination in a previous category in a case against the present one.

Q: Someone already nominated what I wanted to, what do I do?

A: We still want to hear your thoughts! Be mindful of what has already been nominated, but as always, this topic is a conversation, so feel free to share your thoughts on what has been nominated.

Q: When does the nomination process end?

A: The period of time to make your nominations will end 12/10/2017.

I don’t read as many comics as I’d like to but Carta Monir’s comic on transness and Hitman really resonated with me and presented a way of looking at the game that I hadn’t really ever considered before, so my nomination goes to [STEALTH MECHANIC] by Carta Monir.

You can read the comic on Polygon here: https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/16/16657222/hitman-comic-carta-monir
Though I would also suggest following Carta Monir’s work and supporting her if you can.

I came out as trans earlier this year and have been trying to find more of that good trans/gay shit, and Carta’s work definitely comes recommended. Her comics speak to experiences and feelings that I find very relatable, and are also just illustrated really nicely.

7 Likes

Satania by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet (Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset)

Satania is a French graphic novel about living in Hell. It follows Charlie, a young woman who has tagged along with a group of spelunkers on a perilous journey to find her lost brother deep beneath the surface of the Earth. As they go deeper and deeper, each spelunker confronts their own version of Hell. These are secular, symbolic depictions of hell. For some, Hell is a world of order which hides its true evils behind masks of tranquility. For others, Hell is abuse and senseless cruelty with no apparent end. For Charlie, Hell is a cursed legacy she cannot escape. Personal and social hells are on display in Satania, but there is no Christian fire and brimstone, Satan sitting on a big 'ol chair made out of dead guys, Hieronymus Bosch egg-man playing a trumpet out of his butt Hell in this book.

Another note, Satania is gorgeous. The worlds wrought by married artist duo Kerascoet are strange and terrifying, but eerily familiar. Several pages made me audibly gasp at their beauty. It is inescapably in the Euro Comics tradition, but it wears its visual influences like a badge of honor.

In my view, Satania is a masterpiece well worth consideration for this category.

2 Likes

Hard to find comics actually made in 2017 that I’ve read this year, but I really enjoyed the trade paperbacks Monstress volume 2 and Prophet volume 5, which were both published in 2017.
I think I’d go with Prophet vol 5. For those not familiar, it’s the culmination of an amazing science fiction series, which in itself was a reboot of another old series published by Wildstorm? I think. The ending was very satisfying in that it wrapped up all the narrative arcs, but still acknowledged the unending and cyclical nature of the universe beyond the stories.


edit : changing to delicious in dungeon.

3 Likes

I want to nominate Moonstruck by Grace Ellis with art by Shae Baegle and Kate Leth. Moonstruck takes place in a world where mystical being like centuars, medusas, and LGBTQ people exist. Although this comic is only a few issues in, the heart and diversity have already hooked me. The main character Julie is dealing with dating and also her nonbinary friend who happens to be a centaur named Chet. The comic is published by Image, so it’s fairly easy to catch up on since I don’t really want to spoil too much!

3 Likes

Prophet is amazing. One of the best sci-fi comics of all time. Good nomination!

Nomination: Their Story by Tan Jiu

I don’t really read traditional comic books that much (though I’m starting to get into them more and more, especially Squirrel Girl and Spider-Gwen), so I’ve always been more of a webcomics sort of guy. There are really bad ones, with a lot of really amateurish art and sloppy storytelling, but the wild west feel can produce so much beautiful comics that would never see the light of day through traditional publishing.

Case in point: Their Story, a Chinese romantic webcomic that deals with same-sex relationships. While it focuses primarily on the protagonist, Sun Jin, and her cute budding romance with Qui Tong, a girl from a neighbouring high school she fell in love with, the fact that LGBT rights are still fought for within China and LGBT people are still not accepted within Chinese society seeps into the background of the whole comic. Again, it tries to be lighthearted more than anything, but just knowing the real world suffering LGBT people face in China just makes this happy, fun romance tale feel like a form of defiance to the oppression that is status quo.

But that’s not the reason to read the comic. The reason to read Their Story is that the relationship between Sun Jin and Qui Tong is absolutely adorable. They are fantastic characters that are well realized, each playing off each other so well. It is also a very funny comic, with a sense of comedic timing that very few webcomics can match. And, if you haven’t noticed by the panels I’m embedding, the whole thing is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. I mean LOOK AT THIS.

tumblr_o98r3qXejw1tjyeywo1_500

LOOK. AT. THIS.

Anyway, if you want to check out the comic, you can find a translated version (starting at the first page) in the link below. It’s not very long, with only 24 pages posted this year (30 if you count the two page updates), but it is well worth the read.

http://yaoi-blcd.tumblr.com/post/103084381840/this-was-sun-jing-before-she-met-qiu-tong-manhua

5 Likes

Cucumber Quest is the best comic of online and since it started being published through First Second this year it’s now also the best comic of offline as well. I don’t know if the offline version as 2017 counts since it first appeared in 2011 (though it’s been redrawn for the books so it’s not the exact same), even just limiting it to 2017 it’s continued to be extremely cute, funny, well written and have absolutely beautiful art. If you don’t know it check it out.

5 Likes

James Stokoe’s Aliens: Dead Orbit

Anything Stokoe does looks incredible and this is no exception. His art style and storytelling fit the Xenomorphs perfectly and his detailed drawings of spaceships and technology are stunning. This is not quite as long as Half Century War, but with the time Stokoe needs to pull off this kind of art, an ongoing would be a pain. More importantly, the story works really well as a mini series, with great pacing and it will be very readable when it comes out in paperback.

I would have loved to give Prophet another vote, but Earth War never captured me as much as the earlier volumes did.

3 Likes

2017’s updates start just before Super-Thebestmaster DX Ultra which is, you know, incredible.

2 Likes

Delicious in Dungeon
Dungeon Meshi was finally localized as Delicious in Dungeon in the west. It’s a super touching and beautiful story about, well, preparing meals from various monsters in a fantasy RPG setting.

In addition to the charming and weird characters that all genuinely care about each other, I really like the (usually full-page) illustrations of the dishes they made, complete with stats for their nutritional value. It’s a very good and pure thing. prayer to ward off evilhuge scorpion and waking mushroom hot pot

Nomination: Their Story

I haven’t read it myself (I’m just not a huge comics person), but @Devour made a really strong case for it and, so, it gets my nomination. Those are some gorgeous panels and I’m definitely going to try to get to grips with reading it at some point. Thank you!

2 Likes

The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part 1

I’m a big fan of Irene Koh’s art and while I’ve never read/seen anything Avatar/Korra before there was a lot for me to like about this book.

2 Likes

I think On a Sunbeam may have started in 2016 but it finished in 2017 and I really hope it counts because it’s an absolutely wonderful piece of work that really deserves more attention. It’s kind of gay Firefly–a crew flies around in a fish spaceship doing odd cleanup jobs, the central romance is lesbian and there’s a nonbinary character which is really cool to see–but also so much more. Tillie Walden has a beautiful style and I absolutely loved the world she built, including a girl’s boarding school in space and a locked-down inhospitable planet with Western-style clothing and horses. It’s going to come out as a book next year but it’s free next year and it’s definitely worth an hour or two to go through it.

3 Likes

A lot of these nominations look really good, my library hold list has just gotten much bigger.

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Nagata Kabi

an incredible autobiography of how depression and anxiety affect you when you’re in the closet/questioning your sexuality. kabi doesn’t pull any punches in recounting her experiences and the result is a brutally honest self-evaluation that i think a lot of queer people can relate to in some form or another.

it’s been incredible to go into multiple brick-and-mortar comics stores in the city and hear that the localization by Seven Seas has been selling copies through the roof! i genuinely think the explosion of interest in this book’s localization (i wanna say it hit #1 on amazon books several times this year?) will be a huge catalyst for more and more Japanese LGBT books getting high-quality translations. Seven Seas in particular has done a great job in finding more interesting works by queer authors, and this only seems to be the beginning.

an insightful and inspiring work that’s already had a massive ripple effect on the entire manga industry in north america

10 Likes

My favourite webcomic for the last three years or so has been Endtown, and this year hasn’t changed. This year the comic continued into an arc about mob mentalities and violent crimes.

Crossed Wires

Is it more style than substance? Maybe, but I love this style. Cyberpunk queer furry hacking heists? Yes please. Every time this updates I get extremely excited. This has been the most I’ve been into a webcomic for a while.

I’m going to second My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

Thoughts to come later when i’m not tired lol.

2 Likes

Seconding On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. @synecdoche’s Firefly comparison captures the skill both have in making sci-fi spaces feel like places people have made a home–though On a Sunbeam pulls from a more fantastic vision of a future than Firefly, one made of wood and smoke and skin. The story, though, reminds me more of Atwood in her ability to tease out her characters’ interior lives and to follow the traumas of youth into adulthood. Please do read it if you can find the time: http://www.onasunbeam.com/

2 Likes