GLAAD, the media monitoring group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender representation, has announced the nominees for its annual Media Awards celebrating positive LGBT representation in mainstream media, including the five comic book series that it believes provided outstanding examples of fair, inclusive, original and impactful LGBT characters in 2014.

This year's awards include first-time nominations for two publishers, Image Comics and Boom Studios. DC Comics is conspicuously absent this year, despite being nominated at least once every year seemingly for as long as GLAAD has recognized comics. Archie Comics is also absent for the first time since the debut of Kevin Keller in 2010.

Here are this year's nominees. (Frustratingly, GLAAD only mentions the writers in its comic book nominations, so we've added artists.)

 

OUTSTANDING COMIC BOOK
Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction, David Aja, Annie Wu, Matt Hollingsworth (Marvel Comics)
Lumberjanes, by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen (BOOM! Studios)
Memetic, by James Tynion IV, Eryk Donovan (BOOM! Studios)
Rat Queens, by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch (Image Comics)
Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

 

Lumberjanes, Memetic, and Rat Queens all feature LGBT lead characters. Saga and Hawkeye feature LGBT characters in supporting roles. Last year's winner, Marvel's Young Avengers, by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie et al, ended its run early in 2014.

The dual nominations for Image and Boom may represent a tipping point for LGBT representation in comics, both in recognizing the efforts of these publishers to produce diverse content that appeals to an LGBT audience and in acknowledging the growing number of LGBT characters in leading roles.

DC remains GLAAD's most nominated comics publisher with around 30 nominations (records are only partially available on the GLAAD website), and has won at least four times. Marvel has won three times and been nominated at least nine times. The fact that these two publishers only have one nomination between them this year reflects both increased competition for an inclusive audience and a decline in LGBT inclusion from Marvel and DC in the past year.

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies take place in L.A. on March 21 at the Beverly Hilton and in New York on May 9 at the Waldorf Astoria.

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