jkcarrier | The 2004 JKC Awards

The JKC Awards: My Favorite Comics of 2004
(Don't feel bad if your favorite didn't make the cut; most categories could've had twice as many nominees. It was a good year for sequential art!)

The "Old Faithful Award" for longtime favorites that kept on delivering the goods in '04:

Finder (Carla Speed McNeil, Lightspeed Press)
Love & Rockets (The Hernandez Bros., Fantagraphics)
Patty Cake & Friends (Scott Roberts, Slave Labor Graphics)
Thieves & Kings (Mark Oakley, Ibox Publishing)
Winner: Various minicomics by Pam Bliss (Paradise Valley Comics), including T-Shirt of Adventure, Purple Gorilla Comics and Stories, and The Dream of Bud

The "I Like The Cut of Your Jib Award" for impressive debuts:

15 Minutes (Bob Elinskas & David Hedgecock, Slave Labor Graphics)
Same Difference and Other Stories (Derek Kirk Kim, Top Shelf Productions)
Skyscrapers of the Midwest (Josh Cotter, AdHouse Books)
The Wang: The Big One (Stan Yan, Squidworks)
Winner: Street Angel (Jim Rugg, Slave Labor Graphics)

The "So Long, Farewell, God Bless Award" for great titles that wrapped up (voluntarily or otherwise) in '04:

Bone (Jeff Smith, Cartoon Books)
Hero (Will Pfeifer & Dale Eaglesham, DC)
Love Fights (Andi Watson, Oni Press)
X-Statix (Peter Milligan & Mike Allred, Marvel)
Winner: Cerebus (Dave Sim, Aardvark-Vanaheim)

The "Welcome Back, Kotter Award" for returning favorites:

Blue Monday: Painted Moon (Chynna Clugston, Oni Press)
Courtney crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom (Ted Naifeh, Oni Press)
Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort (B. Clay Moore & Steven Griffin, Image)
Too Much Hopeless Savages (Jen Van Meter, Christine Norrie, & Ross Campbell, Oni Press)
Winner: Kabuki: The Alchemy (David Mack, Icon)

The "Short But Sweet Award" for mini-series that caught my eye:

Common Grounds (Troy Hickman & Various, Top Cow)
Global Frequency (Warren Ellis & Various, Wildstorm)
Michael Moorcock's Elric (Michael Moorcock & Walt Simonson, DC)
Smax (Alan Moore & Zander Cannon, America's Best Comics)
Winner: The New Frontier (Darwyn Cooke, DC)

The "Even Shorter But Sweeter Award" for great original graphic novels and one-shots:

Batman: The Order of Beasts (Eddie Campbell, Daren White, & Michael Evans, DC)
Carnet de Voyage (Craig Thompson, Top Shelf Productions)
Sun & Moon (James West, Random Order Comics)
Vertical (Steven Seagle, Mike Allred, & Phillip Bond, Vertigo)
Winner: The Originals (Dave Gibbons, Vertigo)

The "Not Much Meat, But What's There Is Cherce Award" for series that didn't put out many issues, but were worth the wait:

A Distant Soil (Colleen Doran, Image)
Akiko (Mark Crilley, Sirius)
La Perdida (Jessica Abel, Fantagraphics)
Palookaville (Seth, Drawn & Quarterly)
Winner: Eightball (Daniel Clowes, Fantagraphics)

The "Way Too Good For Work-For-Hire Award" for corporate franchise books that shone:

Captain America (Robert Morales & Chris Bachalo, Marvel)
JLA Classified (Grant Morrison & Ed McGuinness, DC)
Plastic Man (Kyle Baker, DC)
The Return of Adam Strange (Andy Diggle & Pascal Ferry, DC)
Winner: Astonishing X-Men (Joss Whedon & John Cassaday, Marvel)

The "I Don't Know Art, But I Know What I Like Award" for books that were odd, but memorable:

Johnny Public (Sean Frost & Wendi Strang-Frost, Hula Cat Comics)
Mr. Big (Carol Ault Dembicki & Matt Dembicki, Wasp)
Seaguy (Grant Morrison & Cameron Stewart, Vertigo)
Seamonsters & Superheroes (Scott Mills, Slave Labor Graphics)
Winner: Miracle Force (Jerry Smith, Jerry Smith Comics)

The "Schwing! Award" for books that were just plain sexy:

Atom Bomb Bikini (Robert Ullman, Lurid)
Cavewoman: Pangean Sea (Budd Root, Basement Comics)
Charm School (Elizabeth Watasin, Slave Labor Graphics)
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales (Steve Moore, Art Adams, & Various, America's Best Comics)
Winner: Artesia Afire (Mark Smylie, Archaia Studios Press)

The "I Couldn't Think Of A Cute Category, But These Books Were Really Good, Too Award" for the rest of the best:

DC Comics Presents (Various, DC)
The Goon (Eric Powell, Dark Horse Comics)
Owly (Andy Runton, Top Shelf Productions)
The Sketchbook Diaries (James Kochalka, Top Shelf Productions)
Winner: Jack Staff (Paul Grist, Image)