Prism Comics

The organization was initially composed of a small number of comics fans and professionals from across the United States who had volunteered on an annual publication called Out in Comics, which was a listing of LGBT creators in comics that ran for three issues. Following incorporation, it expanded activities, publishing feature articles, interviews, original, art and content; expanding convention appearances and programming; and (until late 2014) a web forum.

• Founded — 2003 04 • Region Served — United States • Product — Prism Comics: Your LGBT Guide to Comics

• Maintains a comprehensive website, PrismComics.org, that posts LGBT-related comics news, reviews, and profiles of nearly 300 LGBT comics professionals. • Produces weekly articles featured on the Prism website. • Works with comics convention organizers to include LGBT content in their programming schedules, helping them to procure panelists, and promoting the panels in fan venues and in the LGBT and comics media. • Purchases booth space at major comics conventions each year as an outreach effort to the industry to promote the work of LGBT creators in comics who are not having their work promoted sufficiently elsewhere.

Prism awards one-time financial grants to comics creators who are self-publishing a work of interest to an LGBT audience. In 2005 and 2006, the value of the grant was $1000, in 2007 it was raised to $1500, and later to $2000. The grant is announced annually at Wondercon comic convention in Anaheim, California. In 2020, the Prism Awards was held virtually as a two-day livestream. Recipients are: • 2005: Steve MacIsaac for Shirtlifter • 2006: Megan Rose Gedris for YU+ME:dream • 2007: Justin Hall for A Sacred Text, True Travel Tales, Hard to Swallow • 2007: Tommy Roddy for Pride High • 2008: Pam Harrison for House of Muses • 2009: Ed Luce for Wuvable Oaf • 2009: Eric Orner for Storybox • 2010: Jon Macy for Fearful Hunter • 2010: Tana Ford for Duck • 2011: Robert Kirby for THREE • 2012: Christine Smith for The Princess • 2012: Blue Delliquanti for O Human Star • 2013: Hazel Newlevant for If This Be Sin • 2014: Calvin Gimpelevich for Wolfmen • 2015: Dave Davenport for Stray Bullet • 2016: Elizabeth Beier for Bisexual Trials and Errors • 2016: Catherine Esguerra for Eighty Days • 2017: Tee Franklin for Bingo Love • 2018: Eric Kostiuk Williams

Best Short Form Comic • Year — Work — Author — Ref • 2017 — Nothing Wrong With Me — Dylan Edwards, originally published on The Nib • Flux — E Jackson • Liar — Hari Conner • The Kiss of the Demoness — Gillian Pascasio • 2018 — To Measure — Noella Whitney • Contact High — James F Wright and Josh Eckert • Figurinha — Dante Luiz • There’s More Than One! — Justin Hubbell • It Was 1973, and Tiffany Banks Was Totally Winning at Gender — Ajuan Mance • 2019 — see me — E Jackson • You Don’t Have to Be Afraid of Me — Victor Martins • Fazenda De Sangue Azul — H. Pueyo and Dante Luiz • 2020 — One Day Out — Ina Bestari • In Search of Absent Pigments — Alex Assan and Lin Darrow • Pseudo Slut Transmission — Emma Jayne • 2021 — God Sees Me Crying in the Bathroom Stall — Vincy Lim • QAT Person Number 3 — Dylan Edwards • The Unfading Flower — Hari Conner

Best Webcomic • Year — Work — Author — Ref • 2017 — Villainette — Scout Tran-Caffe • With Great Abandon — EH MacMillian • Failing Sky: Ghost Story — Scout Tran-Caffee • 2018 — O Human Star — Blue Delliquanti • Cans of Beans, chapter 9 — Tamara Go • SuperButch Issue 1 — Becky Hawkins and Barry Deutsch • Monster Pop! — Maya Kern • Superpose — Ciaran and Anka C • 2019 — SuperButch — Becky Hawkins and Barry Deutsch • After the Fog — H-P Lehkonen • Null Point — Amara Sherm • 2020 — Magical Boy — The Kao • The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend — Mieri Hiranishi • Cafe Suada — Jade Sarson • 2021 — Superpose — Seosamh and Anka • Shaderunners — Alex Assan and Lin Darrow • A Guide To A Healthy Relationship — Copper

Best Comic from a Small to Midsize Press • Year — Work — Author — Ref • 2017 — Short Gay Stories — H-P Lehkonen • Destiny, NY Volume One: Who I Used to Be — Pat Shand (Writer), Manuel Preitano (Artist), Jim Campbell (Letterer), and Shannon Lee (Editor) • Active Voice The Comic Collection — P. Kristen Enos (writer), Heidi Ho (contributing writer), Casandra Grullon (artist), Derek Chua (artist), Leesamarie Croal (artist), Beth Varni (artist), and Dan Parent (cover art) • 2018 — The Boys Who Became Hummingbirds — Daniel Heath Justice and Weshoyot Alvitre • Steam Clean — Laura Ķeniņš • My Favorite Thing Is Monsters — Emil Ferris • 2019 — Meal — Blue Delliquanti and Soleil Ho • The Lie and How We Told It — Tommy Parish • It Will Be Hard — Hien Pham • 2020 — Trans Girls Hit The Town — Emma Jayne • Lemonade Summer — Gabi Mendez • Stage Dreams — Melanie Gillman • 2021 — To Cut — Noella Whitne • Sasha From The Gym — Otava Heikkilä • How To Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual — Rebecca Burgess

Best Comic from a Mainstream Publisher • Year — Work — Author — Ref • 2017 — The Backstagers #1 — James Tynion IV (writer), and Rian Sygh (artist), • Supergirl: Being Super #1 — Mariko Tamaki (writer), Joëlle Jones (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks), Kelly Fitzpatrick (colorist), Saida Temofonte (letters), Jones and Fitzpatrick (cover art), • Lumberjanes #17 — ND Stevenson (writer), Shannon Watters (writer), and Brooke Allen (artist) • 2018 — The Witch Boy — Lee Knox Ostertag • Iceman — Sina Grace (writer), Alessandro Vitti (artist), Kevin Wada (artist) • Heavy Vinyl — Carly Usdin (Writer), Nina Vakueva (Pencils), Irene Flores (Inker), Rebecca Nalty (Colorist), Jim Campbell (Letterer) • 2019 — Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass — Lilah Sturges, polterink, and Jim Campbell • Runaways #12 — Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Carmagna • Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #6 — Mark Russel, Brandee Stilwell, Paul Mounts, Jeremy Lawson, Rose Campbell, Ben Caldwell, Mike Morales, Gus Vazquez, Sean Parsons, and Mike Feehand • 2020 — Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me — Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell • Bloom — Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau • Kiss Number 8 — Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw • 2021 — The Low Low Woods — Carmen Maria Machado (writer), Joe Hill (writer), Dan McDaid (artist) and Dani Strips (artist) • Juliet Takes a Breath — Gabby Rivera (writer) and Celia Moscote (artist) • The Deep & Dark Blue — Niki Smith

Best Comic Anthology • Year — Work — Editor — Ref • 2017 — POWER & MAGIC:The Queer Witch Comics Anthology — Joamette Gil • Beyond: The Queer Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comic Anthology — Sfé R. Monster and Taneka Stotts • Food Porn — Gina Biggs • Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers — Hazel Newlevant • 2018 — Dates: An Anthology of Queer Historical Fiction Volume 2 — Zora Gilbert and Cat Parra • Power & Magic: IMMORTAL SOULS — Joamette Gil • Oh Joy Sex Toy, Volume 4 — Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan • 2019 — ABO Comix Vol. 2: A Comic Anthology by LGBTQ Prisoners — Casper Cendre • Being True: LGBTQ+ Comics From The Boston Comics Roundtable — Renie Jesanis, Kyri Lorenz, and Steph Rose Glass • Group Chat — Carolynn Calabrese, Jenny Mott, Ashley Gallagher, and Rachel Weiss • 2020 — Heartwood — Joamette Gil • Come Together — Tab Kimpton and Alex Assan • Shout Out — Steven Andrews • 2021 — A.B.O. Comix: A Queer Prisoners Anthology Vol 4 — Casper Cendre • Ambrosia: Trans Masc & Non Binary Erotic Comics — Tab Kimpton and Jade Sarson • Confined Before COVID19: A Pandemic Anthology by LGBTQ Prisoners — Casper Cendre

Young Readers • Year — Work — Editor — Ref • 2021 — The Deep & Dark Blue — Niki Smith • The Magic Fish — Trung Le Nguyen • Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 3: A Dish Best Served Cold — Natalie Riess