On Sunday June 23rd the first ever KCR! Comics Awards ceremony was held at the Kids Read Comics Festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The nominees were selected by a committee of teachers, librarians, and retailers, then voted on by kids online and via paper ballots.

The awards themselves were presented as customized LEGO trophies provided by the Ann Arbor District Library, and included a mix of serious and silly categories from Best Graphic Novel to Excellence in Drawing Delicious-Looking Food.

Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd were the hosts, and introduced all of the amazing presenters.

House band The O-Matics (fronted by Happyloo cartoonist Mark Mariano) provided live music and sound cues to help keep things moving!

Presenters included comics creators Ben Hatke (Zita the Spacegirl), Rafael Rosado (Giants Beware!), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), John Green (Teen Boat!), Dan Mishkin (Amethyst), Thomas Zahler (Love and Capes) and library superstars Scott Robins and Eli Neiburger.

As each winner was announced, the trophies were stolen by evil kidlit villain Vordak the Incomprehensible (played by the book’s illustrator, John Martin)!

Guest presenters also included Aang and Naruto, performed by Kevin Coppa (Puppetbenders). Sadly, because of their felt arms, these heroes couldn’t stop Vordak from continuing to take the awards from the podium!

The final award for “Best Cartoonist/Author” was presented by three talented young artists, Natalia, Olivia, and Ellie (who had also exhibited at the Kids Read Comics festival). The trio tried their best to stop Vordak but were no match for his nefarious tricks!

Luckily, the day was saved thanks to a surprise visit from Doctor Who (played by Kevin Coppa), who convinced the thieving Vordak to come along in his time traveling TARDIS and deliver the trophies to their rightful owners.

The entire ceremony was filmed in front of a live audience, and will hopefully be posted online soon!

Huge thanks to all the presenters and performers, AADL for hosting, Chris Duffy and Nickelodeon Magazine for inspiring, everyone who voted, and the teachers and librarians who encouraged kids to vote!
Let’s do this again, next year!

CONTINUE FOR FULL LIST OF NOMINEES & WINNERS…

The nominees and winners for the 2013 KCR! Comics Awards were…

Favorite Comic Book Hero:
Zita the Space Girl
G-Man
Lunch Lady
Spider-Man
Iron Man

And the kids chose…
Lunch Lady

Favorite Graphic Novel (Adventure):
Legends of Zita The Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (First Second)
Giants Beware! by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado (First Second)
Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson (Nobrow Press)
Amulet: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi (Graphix)
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel (Graphix)

And the kids chose…
Amulet: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi (Graphix)

Favorite Graphic Novel (Humor):
Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Random House)
Bird and Squirrel by James Burks (Graphix)
Mal and Chad: Belly Flop! by Stephen McCranie (Philomel)
Squish: Captain Disaster by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)
Dinosaurs in Space by Pranas Naujokaitis (Balloon Toons)

And the kids chose…
Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Random House)

Favorite Graphic Novel (Non-Fiction/Myth):
Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad by Nathan Hale (Abrams)
Little White Duck by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez (Graphic Universe)
The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson (Toon)
Hades by George O’Connor (First Second)
Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert (Hyperion)

And the kids chose...
Hades by George O’Connor (First Second)

Favorite Comic/Novel Hybrid:
Big Nate Goes for Broke by Lincoln Pierce (Harper Collins)
Dragonbreath: When Fairies Go Bad by Ursula Vernon (Random House)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (Abrams)
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic)
Dork Diaries: Tales of a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All by Rachel Renee Russell (Aladdin)

And the kids chose…
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (Abrams)

Favorite Comic Book Series (Licensed):
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise (Dark Horse)
Adventure Time (Boom)
Garfield (Boom)
My Little Pony (IDW)
Sonic Universe (Archie)

And the kids chose…
Garfield (Boom)

Favorite Comic Book Series (Original):
Reed Gunther Volume 2 by Shane and Chris Houghton (Image)
Snarked! by Roger Langridge (Boom)
Sergio Aragones Funnies (Bongo)
Road to Oz by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
Super Dinosaur by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard (Image)

And the kids chose…
Road to Oz by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Favorite Webcomic:
Cucumber Quest by Gigi D.G.
Nemu*Nemu by Aurdra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga
My Sister, the Freak by Dani Jones
Nedroid Picture Diary by Anthony Clark
Ellie on the Planet X by James Anderson

And the kids chose…
My Sister, the Freak by Dani Jones

Grossest thing in Comics:
Rat tails (Little White Duck)
Man-Eating Frog Monster (Reed Gunther)
The Big Toe of Drool (FangBone! Third Grade Barbarian)

And the kids chose…
The Big Toe of Drool (FangBone! Third Grade Barbarian)

Special Award for Excellence in Drawing Delicious-Looking Food:
Chinese New Year Cooking (Little White Duck)
Phantom Ice Cream Truck (Nemu*Nemu)
Spaghetti Mountain (Mal and Chad: Food Fight!)

And the kids chose…
Phantom Ice Cream Truck (Nemu*Nemu)

Best Hair in Comics:
Lunch Lady (Lunch Lady series)
Marie (Giants Beware)
Cowardly Lion (OZ series)
Hilda (Hilda and the Midnight Giant)
Maggie (Friends with Boys)

And the kids chose…
Lunch Lady (Lunch Lady series)

Cutest Comic Character:
Super Diaper Baby (Super Diaper Baby)
Strong Strong (Zita the Spacegirl)
Fone Bone (Bone)
Babymouse (Babymouse)
Hamisher (Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye)

And the kids chose…
Babymouse (Babymouse)

Favorite Cartoonist/Author:
Kazu Kibuishi
Jennifer and Matthew Holm
Jeff Smith
Jeff Kinney
Ben Hatke

And the kids chose…
Jeff Kinney

Congratulations to all the winners!

More info:

Kids Comics Revolution! is a podcast featuring interviews with authors, illustrators, retailers, librarians, teachers, and people from all aspects of the comics field. Every episode includes book talks from kids or educators, enthusing about the stories and art they love. Episodes can be downloaded via iTunes or streamed online at www.kidscomicsrevolution.com

Kids’ Comics Revolution! hosts Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd collaborated with editor Chris Duffy (Nickelodeon Magazine, Nursery Rhyme Comics, SpongeBob Comics) and the Ann Arbor District Library on the KCR! Comics Awards to fill the void left by the Nick Magazine Comics Awards, which ran only one year before the popular kids’ magazine ceased publication. Nominees were selected by a council of educators and retailers including Scott Robins. Sharon Iverson, Krystal Tabujara, Jennifer Vincent, Colby Sharp, John Schumacher, Melissa Wiley, Laura Given, Alyson Beecher, and Mary Ann Scheuer.

The KCR! Comics Awards offers kids the opportunity to share their enthusiasm for comics of various styles and formats. Kids cast a vote for their favorite comics and characters across thirteen categories both serious and silly.

*Additional photos by Dani Jones!