Dominant distribution business to the direct market of comic and hobby shops Diamond Comic Distributors Inc. has announced nominees for its Gem Awards through a few sites out there, which makes me think it went out in an e-mail I wasn't privy to, or, even more likely, flat-out missed. The Gem Awards are kind of a "good performance" award. I have no idea how they're compiled, but as I recall retailers vote on the winners. Here are the comics-related nominees by category as pulled out by Stumptown Trade Review and double-checked against Bleeding Cool's story from last week. You can hit that Bleeding Cool link for other hobby-shop related categories.
I think they're kind of fascinating in that you get to see how that company views the comics field generally, and what works from the smaller end of publishing for that company in a way that they can throw a bit of a spotlight on it.
*****
Comic Book Publisher of the Year -- Over Four Percent Market Share
* Dark Horse Comics
* DC Comics
* IDW Publishing
* Image Comics
* Marvel Comics
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Comic Book Publisher of the Year -- Under Four Percent Market Share
* Archie Comics
* Avatar Press
* BOOM! Studios
* Dynamite Entertainment
* Valiant Entertainment
*****
Best Comic Book of the Year -- Under $3.00* Green Lantern #0 (DC)
* Hawkeye #1 (Marvel)
* Hellboy in Hell #1 (Dark Horse)
* Saga #1 (Image)
*****
Best Comic Book of the Year -- Over $3.00
* Amazing Spider-Man #700 (Marvel)
* Batman #9 (DC)
* Mars Attacks #1 (IDW)
* The Walking Dead #100 (Image)
* X-O MANOWAR #1 (Valiant)
*****
Best Licensed Comic of the Year
* Adventure Time #1 (BOOM! Studios)
* Hit-Girl #1 (Marvel)
* My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #1 (IDW)
* Masks #1 (Dynamite)
* Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm #1 (Dark Horse)
*****
Magazine of the Year
* Bleeding Cool Magazine #1 (Avatar)
* DC Nation #1 (DC)
* DC Superhero Chess Figure Collection Magazine #1 (Eaglemoss Publications)
* Marvel Super Heroes #1 (Marvel)
* Walking Dead Magazine #1 (Titan Publishing)
*****
Best Backlist Publisher of the Year
* DC Entertainment
* Dark Horse Comics
* IDW Publishing
* Image Comics
* Marvel Comics
*****
Best Original Graphic Novel* Batman: Earth One HC (DC)
* Blacksad: Silent Hell HC (Dark Horse)
* Not My Bag (Image)
* Richard Stark's Parker: The Score (IDW)
* Spider-Man Season One Premiere HC (Marvel)
* Superman: Earth One Vol. 2 HC (DC)
*****
Best Reprint Trade Paperback or Hard Cover of the Year
* Adventure Time Vol. 1 TP (BOOM!)
* Batman: The Court of Owls Vol. 1 HC (DC)
* Daredevil By Mark Waid Vol. 1 TP (Marvel)
* Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe TP (Marvel)
* Justice League: Origin Vol. 1 (DC)
* Saga Vol. 1 TP (Image)
* Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Vol. 1 (Oni Press)
* Walking Dead Vol. 2 Compendium (Image)
*****
Best Licensed Trade Paperback or Hard Cover of the Year
* Avatar: Last Of The Airbenders -- The Promise, Part 1 Vol. 1 TP (Dark Horse)
* Game of Thrones Vol. 1 GN (Bantam/Spectra)
* Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Vol. 1 HC (DC/Vertigo)
* Star Trek Next Generation / Doctor Who Assimilation Vol. 1 TP (IDW)
* The Stand HC Omnibus With Slipcase (Marvel)
*****
Best Manga Trade Paperback of the Year* 21st Century Boys Vol. 1 GN (Viz Media)
* Black Butler Vol. 8 TP (Yen Press)
* Fallen Words GN (Drawn & Quarterly)
* FLCL Omnibus (Dark Horse)
* Sailor Moon: Kodansha Edition Vol. 3 TP (Kodansha Comics)
* Tezuka: Message to Adolf Vol. 1 GN (Vertical Inc.)
*****
Best Manga Publisher of the Year
* Dark Horse Comics
* Kodansha Comics
* Seven Seas Entertainment
* Vertical Inc.
* Viz Media
* Yen Press
*****
Best Anthology of the Year
* Best American Comics HC 2012 ( Houghton Mifflin)
* Dark Horse Presents #13 (Dark Horse)
* Marvel Firsts 1970s Vol. 1 TP (Marvel)
* Womanthology: Heroic HC (IDW)
*****
Best Indie Graphic Novel of the Year
* Anomaly HC (Anomaly Productions LLC)
* Are You My Mother: A Comic Drama HC (Houghton Mifflin)
* Building Stories HC (Pantheon Books)
* Charles Burns Hive GN (Pantheon Books)
* The Underwater Welder (Top Shelf)
* Tower Chronicles: Geisthawk Vol. 1 GN (Legendary Comics)
*****
Best Trade Book of the Year
* Art of Mass Effect HC (Dark Horse)
* Art of Todd McFarlane Devils in the Details HC (Image)
* Avengers: The Art Of Marvel's The Avengers HC with Slipcase (Marvel)
* David Mazzucchelli Daredevil Born Again Artist Edition HC (IDW)
* Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Vol. 42 (Gemstone)
* Sonic the Hedgehog: Complete Comic Encyclopedia TP (Archie)
* The History of Sonic the Hedgehog HC (Udon)
* The Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy Boxed Set HC (Dark Horse)
*****
*****
*****