Minicomics are often the medium in which many creators get their start. It’s also a space for those of us who want to share stories in an intimate do-it-yourself fashion. Minicomics are also overlooked in the pantheon of comics awards, but cartoonists and hosts of the Salt & Honey podcast, Leslie Hung (Snot Girl) and Sloane Leong (A Map to the Sun, Graveneye), are here to change that along with guest judge Kris Mukai (Distant Flower). This week saw the trio present the inaugural Minicomic Awards show, and the live-streamed event was a triumphant celebration of comics, cartooning, and creating stories.
As the hosts introduced the proceedings, Leong explained her reasoning behind starting the awards. “I just think comic awards are lacking, but specifically also, minicomics don’t get a lot of love a lot of the time,” the cartoonist explained. “I feel like they’re very ephemeral, especially in the social media sphere where they’re often posted on Twitter or Instagram or whatever.”
She continued. “I thought a minicomics award seemed like a good idea and also feasible as judges. They’re short; you can read them pretty quickly. So that was the practical aspect. And then just in general, I love minicomics. I think we all love minicomics and have very giant collections stashed away in our rooms.” Honestly, as a frequent zine fest attendant and someone who lives in a household with a printer and a cartoonist, this made me feel seen, ha!
The awards were sponsored by a number of folks who all got thanked: Steve Lieber, Zach Clemente, Kris Mukai, Casey Lucas, Nicolette Bocalon, MK Reed, Dick Blick (the store donated a series of $25 gift vouchers after recording) and Portland comic shop Books With Pictures where the winners’ comics will be available in store or online! It’s another community-focused aspect that made this awards ceremony feel so different from what we’re used to in the industry, and was another great reminder of the power of that community. Thanks to those sponsors, the award for each winner was an impressive $400!
The awards themselves were split between five categories: Horror, Fantasy, Romance, Autobio / Non-fiction, and Sci-fi. During the livestream, Leong mentioned that there were over 100 entries for the awards, which just warms our comics loving hearts. Get your notepads at the ready as you’re going to be adding a lot of these creators and their comics to your to read pile.
Each category began with the hosts/judges sharing their favorite runners-up before they announced the all-important winner. And there were plenty of great conversations about just what makes all these comics so special.
Before we dig into the winners, you can watch the whole ceremony below!
Now let’s get to those all-important awards!! We’ve linked wherever possible so you can explore these wonderful reads for yourself.
Horror
WINNER:
Devil’s Pawn – (W) Aysha U. Farah (A) Megan Llewellyn
introducing Devil's Pawn! an original comic written by me and drawn by @llewellynillus! a young man in the early twentieth century summons some help from the other side. pic.twitter.com/wlyu1HVbOt
— absolute destiny apocalypse (@ayshaufarah) March 13, 2021
“This is an incredible comic, I’d like to see this in print.” – Sloane Leong
“The art is so unnerving! How did they draw this?” – Kris Mukai
“Really beautiful, highly rendered, sort of surreal.” – Leslie Hung
RUNNERS-UP:
Red Shoes – Phaica
“The art, pacing, and paneling felt crystal clear.” – Kris Mukai
The Ember of Salome – Eli Lin
“This is a really cool Josei style comic.” – Leslie Hung
Soul Searching – Jade Lejeck
“I love it. It’s so charming.” – Sloane Leong
Fantasy
WINNER:
Made in Heaven Inc. – Kruttika Susarla
Our next category: FANTASY!!!
And the winner is …. @kruttikasusarla for MADE IN HEAVEN!! Congrats Kruttika!
Read it here: https://t.co/xUZQnH2vvE pic.twitter.com/xKW8L0hym3
— sloane (@sloanesloane) March 1, 2022
“I just really enjoyed this one… I loved the flow of the comic.” – Leslie Hung
“I loved that it was fantasy but it also felt way too realistic.” – Kris Mukai
“I thought this was just really fun and clever.” – Sloane Leong
RUNNERS-UP:
Crayon – Pa Luis
“So pretty and nostalgic.” – Leslie Hung
Where the Lotus Sleeps – C. A. P. Ward
“A really ambitious comic.” – Kris Mukai
Sandcastle – Céu Isatto
“A lot of beautiful really textured drawings” – Sloane Leong
Dance ’til Dawn (Zelda Fan Comic) – Aatmaja Pandya
“I love their approach and interpretation.” – Leslie Hung
Romance
WINNER:
My Cicadas Are Dead – Jade L.F.T Peters
if you would like to download a digital copy of my very very good comic about cicadas and the end of the world, which just won an award for Being Romantic, the pdf is available for free‼️‼️ on my kofi shop‼️ https://t.co/qiwaZlK0V3
— jadey ? (@pokoglio) March 1, 2022
“I love how subtle the world-building is.” – Leslie Hung
“I thought it was great.” – Kris Mukai
“These little intimacies these characters have felt earned.” – Sloane Leong
RUNNERS-UP:
Moving On – Richard Mercado
“I really liked Richard’s cartooning in this.” – Sloane Leong
Tender is the Night – AL
“I really liked the drawings in it, this is another short, soft story.” – Kris Mukai
Date Night – Filipa Estrela
“Sometimes I just wanna read a comic about two kids going on dates!” – Kris Mukai
Autobio/Non-fiction
WINNER:
You Meet in a Moonlit Clearing… – Barbara Benas
And our favorite AUTOBIO/NONFIC minicomic of 2021 is…
YOU MEET IN A MOONLIT CLEARING by Barbara Benas!!!!
Find their work here: https://t.co/HeDogCASa3
— sloane (@sloanesloane) March 1, 2022
“I just love this comic. A lot. This might have been my favorite comic.” – Leslie Hung
“This hit so close to home.” – Sloane Leong
“I was screaming through this whole comic.” – Kris Mukai
RUNNERS-UP
Polly Who? 2 – Jen Milton
“A really solid diary comic.” – Kris Mukai
I Hate Introspection – Helen Schremf
“This was super visually striking to me.” – Sloane Leong
Sci-fi
WINNER:
ARC29 maxi 4.3 – Marc Michaud
and our last category…our favorite SCIFI minicomic of 2021…
ARC29 #3 by @arc29comic !!!
Get it here: https://t.co/t3Nn0Mc1TS pic.twitter.com/pCGBhcN1uu
— sloane (@sloanesloane) March 1, 2022
“I really loved this comic a lot.” – Sloane Leong
“I could not stop reading this one.” – Kris Mukai
“It was really cool.” – Leslie Hung
RUNNERS-UP:
Goodnight Starman – Leo Fox
“Really fascinating visuals.” – Sloane Leong
No 1. Filipino Girl – Danielle Chuatico
“I really liked all the cartooning and thought that was put into this one.” – Leslie Hung
Golly – Masha Zhdanova
“I thought there was a lot of interesting stuff going on in this story.” – Kris Mukai
Agent Blue: The Millennium Ball – Chloe Howard
“So beautiful, I just love the way this comic looks.” – Leslie Hung
Congrats to all the winners and runners-up, including our own Masha Zhdanova!!
We were so blown away by this event. It was the kind of inclusive, thoughtful, and conversational experience that makes you excited to be a part of comics. Long live the Minicomic Awards!!
