PORTLAND, OR, 06/22/2018 — Gregg Schigiel’s original graphic novel, PIX: TOO SUPER FOR SCHOOL, took home two Kids’ Comics Awards at a ceremony held on Saturday, June 16th as part of the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF). PIX won in the categories “Favorite Author” and “Be Cool, Stay in School” (for books set in school).
“These are the only comics awards exclusively about comics for younger readers and the love and appreciation for that material shows,” said Schigiel. “The categories are unique and fun, the ceremony itself is joyous and entertaining, kids vote for the winners, and the trophy is a literal toy! When I learned about these awards I dreamed of winning one. That Pix got two nominations and then won them both feels like overkill…but I’m not giving them back!”
While kids and teens vote for the KCA winners (who receive a Lego mini-figure trophy), the final nominees and categories are curated by active and retired librarians based upon online open nominations and internal review of material released in the prior year.
PIX, a superhero/fairy tale mash-up, follows the adventures of Pix, a teenage superhero who believes herself a fairy princess. TOO SUPER FOR SCHOOL, the second volume in the series, has Pix dealing with the challenges of her fairy beliefs and superhero actions at school.
The PIX books are intended for middle-grade readers, a growing category in publishing, particularly for graphic novels. Schigiel hopes the Kids’ Comics Awards wins will bring some attention to the series he writes and illustrates. He added: “I love the Lego trophy, but the bigger ‘prize’ is the potential to raise awareness of the Pix books… I’m excited for the new eyes this can bring.”
2018 marks the sixth year for Kids’ Comics Awards. Other winners at the 2018 ceremony included Hilo by Judd Winnick, Phoebe & Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson, Brobots by J. Torres and Sean Dove, Science Comics: Dogs by Andy Hirsch, and the anthology SpongeBob Comics. Past winners include kids’ comics notables Raina Telgemeier, Jeff Kinney, Nathan Hale, Kazu Kibuishi and Chris Giarrusso.
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