IDW and their imprint Top Shelf Productions continues to win awards and accolades with titles such as They Called Us Enemy, Usagi Yojimbo, and Be Gay, Do Comics as this year’s award season comes to a close.
Last month, the Before Columbus Foundation at the 41st Annual American Book Awards, They Called Us Enemy, the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir depicting actor, author, and activist George Takei’s childhood imprisonment within an American internment camp during World War II, was the winner of the prestigious award. They Called Us Enemy also received the Young Adult Literature award from The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association back in August.
They Called Us Enemy, written by Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, and artist Harmony Becker were also honored by the National Cartoonists Society, the world’s largest and most prestigious organization of professional cartoonists, with the Divisional Reuben Award for excellence in the field of Graphic Novels on September 12th as part of their NCS Fest cartooning festival.
Stan Sakai, the creator of the monthly Usagi Yojimbo series, was also honored by the National Cartoonists Society with the Divisional Reuben Award for Comic Books for his more than 35 years of writing and illustrating the adventures of Miyamoto Usagi, the masterless samurai (and anthropomorphic rabbit) traversing a unique world based on 17th century Japan.
Other series receiving accolades include the comics anthology Be Gay, Do Comics, edited by The Nib, won the “Outstanding Anthology” category at the Ignatz Awards, presented during Small Press Expo in September. Be Gay, Do Comics, rimming with resilience, inspiration, and humor, takes readers from the American Revolution through Stonewall to today’s fights for equality and representation in tales written and illustrated by an incredible LGBTQIA lineup of top indie cartoonists.
Perennial favorite March Trilogy by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell also won the CXC Transformative Work Award, announced at the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, an annual celebration of cartooning and graphic novels held in early October.
In a press release, Nachie Marsham, IDW Publisher, said about the awards won by the publisher,
“These accolades are truly special, as they not only recognize the exceptional skill and artistry of our friends who worked so hard on They Called Us Enemy, Usagi Yojimbo, March, and Be Gay, Do Comics, but also celebrate diverse voice in comics or reflect the highest admiration of creative peers. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to George, Justin, Steven, Harmony, Stan, Andrew, Nate, Matt, and The Nib!”
These award-winning graphic novels are available in both hard copies and digitally wherever comics are sold.