Comics Nominees Announced for the 24th GLAAD Media Awards

The Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has announced its nominees for the 24th Annual GLAAD media awards, which "recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives." Included in the announcement are the nominees for Outstanding Comic Book, and while it's an impressive list, there's at least one book that is noticeably absent.The nominees are:

• Astonishing X-Men, by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins (Marvel)
• Batwoman, by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman, Amy Reeder and Trevor McCarthy (DC Comics)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, by Andrew Chambliss, Scott Allie, Jane Espenson, Drew Z. Greenberg, Georges Jeanty and others (Dark Horse)
• Earth 2, by James Robinson, Nicola Scott, Eduardo Pansica and Tomas Giorello (DC Comics)
• Kevin Keller, by Dan Parent (Archie Comics)

Not included in the list is Alison Bechdel's Are You My Mother, the follow-up to her best-selling and award winning Fun Home. While it's worth noting that all of the books are mainstream -- thus eschewing some alternative efforts -- the GLAAD awards are ultimately meant to recognize representation in popular media. With that in mind, perhaps Bechdel's work, and the work of other creators outside of the major comics publishers, doesn't fit the criteria. Either way, it may be a discussion worth having.

Also absent are Peter David's X-Factor, the title that won the award in 2011, Stormwatch, starring Apollo and The Midnighter, and others. One could argue the very fact that we've reached a point in which there are enough choices that we inevitably have snubs in this category is a sign of progress.

The winners for each category in this year's GLAAD Awards will be announced over the course of three ceremonies, in New York City (March 16), Los Angeles (April 20) and San Francisco (May 11).