‘Kim & Kim’, ‘Midnighter’, ‘Love Is Love’ Make Shortlist For GLAAD Outstanding Comic Award

The GLAAD Media Awards have always provided an interesting marker for the progress of queer representation in mainstream comics. While in the past many comics received nominations and accolades for achieving minimal levels of inclusion, the industry is now bustling with competition for the award, which celebrates LGBTQ characters and themes in comics. This year's shortlist is the biggest one yet, and the field is wide open for anyone to take home the coveted award.

This year sees ten titles nominated --- double the usual amount --- and six publishers represented in the shortlist, an improvement on last year's four. Marvel and DC lead the pack with three nominations each, while Boom Studios has two, and IDW, Image and Black Mask each have one.

Last year's winner Lumberjanes is once again nominated, but faces stiff competition from the Marc Andreyko curated charity anthology Love Is Love, as well as Steve Orlando, ACO and Fernando Blanco's Midnighter and Midnighter and Apollo, and Magdalene Visaggio and Eva Cabrera's cult sci-fi hit Kim & Kim.

This year's GLAAD Media Awards are held on Saturday, April 1 in Los Angeles, and Saturday, May 6 in New York City, and the comics award is traditionally presented at the latter event.

Here's the full list of nominations for Outstanding Comic Book:

• All-New X-Men, by Dennis Hopeless, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Paco Diaz, Nolan Woodard, Rachelle Rosenberg, Cory Petit (Marvel Comics)
• Black Panther, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze, Chris Sprouse, Walden Wong, Karl C. Story, Laura Martin, Matt Milla, Joe Sabino, Clayton Cowles (Marvel Comics)
• DC Comics Bombshells, by Marguerite Bennett, Laura Braga, Sandy Jarrell, Maria Laura Sanapo, Mirka Andolfo, Pasquale Qualano, Marguerite Sauvage, Juan Albarran, Kelly Diane Fitzpatrick, J. Nanjan, Jeremy Lawson, Wendy Broome, Wes Abbott (DC Comics)
• Kim & Kim, by Magdalene Visaggio, Eva Cabrera, Claudia Aguirre, Zakk Saam, Katy Rex (Black Mask Studios)
• Love is Love, anthology originated by Marc Andreyko  (IDW Publishing / DC Comics)
• Lumberjanes, by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Carey Pietsch, Ayme Sotuyo, Carolyn Nowak, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese (Boom Studios)
• Midnighter / Midnighter and Apollo, by Steve Orlando, David Messina, Aco, Hugo Petrus, Fernando Blanco, Gaetano Carlucci, Romulo Fajardo, Jr., Jeremy Cox, Tom Napolitano, Josh Reed (DC Comics)
• Patsy Walker, A.K.A Hellcat!, by Kate Leth, Brittney L. Williams, Natasha Allegri, Megan Wilson, Rachelle Rosenberg, Clayton Cowles (Marvel Comics)
• Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples, Fonografiks (Image Comics)
• The Woods, by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, Josan Gonzalez, Ed Dukeshire (Boom Studios)

You can see the full list of nominees across all categories at the GLAAD website. Of particular note to comics fans, Steven Universe is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Supergirl, Wynonna Earp, and Orphan Black are nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.