Komiks.dk: It’s on!

This year’s festival in Copenhagen promises to be the best yet. Friday night saw the launch party with the customary awards ceremony. As usual, most Danish comics people were there, providing the base of a fine crowd with many visitors from abroad: besides the two triumvirata — Burns, Clowes, Ware & Gibbons, O’Niell, Quitely — the festival’s international guests were out in force (sans Yslaire, who had to cancel at the last minute) and it was great to see most of the scholars who attended our conference at the University of Copenhagen earlier in the day (in itself a great pleasure — more on it soon) hanging around till late too.

I was part of the jury and am proud to convey the winners here. It was difficult, but this is what we came up with — the list contains theall the nominees, with the winner highlighted:

Best Danish Debut:
Mikkel Damsbo: Forlystelseshuset, Aben maler
Bjarke Ingels Group: Yes Is More
Jacob Rask Nielsen: Exodus, Forlaget Tjubang
Rikke Villadsen & Jens Blendstrup: Skægmanden fra Varde, Aben maler
Philip Ytournel: Date, Aben maler

Best Danish Web Comic:
B.I.B.L.E. by Gitte Tang Jensen og Maia Fjordmand:
Infection Comic by Casper Sand Christiansen:
“Stinestregen” by Stine Spedtsberg

Best Comic Book for Children or Young Adults:
Joann Sfar: The Little Prince, Carlsen
Thierry Robin and Lewis Trondheim: Petit Pere Noël 1: Bonjour, Fahrenheit
Christian Fleischer Rex: Kassassuk – den forældreløse, Milik,
Bryan Lee O’Malley: Scott Pilgrim #2: Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Aben maler
Camilla Schierbeck and Mads Berg: Supermanfred, Carlsen

Best International Comic:
David Mazzucchelli: Asterios Polyp
Joe Sacco: Footnotes in Gaza
Taiyo Matsumoto: Gogo Monster
Emmanuel Guibert: La Guerre d’Alan
Yuichi Yokoyama: Travel

Best International Comic Published in Danish:
Posy Simmonds: Gemma Bovary, Rosinante
Chris Ware: Jimmy Corrigan, Aben maler
Seth: It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken, Cobolt
Jiro Taniguchi: A Distant Neighorhood, Fahrenheit
Hugo Pratt: Mu, Faraos cigarer
Gilbert Hernandez: Blood of Palomar, Carlsen
Anders Nilsen: Sisyfos, Aben Maler
Robert Crumb: The Book of Genesis, Carlsen
Charles Burns: Black Hole, Farenheit
Daniel Clowes: Wilson, Aben maler

Best Danish Cartoonist:
Ivar Gjørup
Johan F. Krarup
Peter Madsen
Thomas Thorhauge
Nikoline Werdelin

Best Danish Comic Book:
Ivar Gjørup: Egoland 19, Forlaget Ydun
Thomas Thorhauge: Kom Hjem, Rosinante
Johan F. Krarup: Mixed Double, Fahrenheit
Jakob Martin Strid: Strid, Gyldendal
Peter Madsen and Henning Kure: Vølvens syner, Carlsen

The Komiks.dk Honourary Award:
Anders Hjorth-Jørgensen

Tomorrow’s the first day of the festival — should be fun. More anon.

More info on the festival’s site. Above, Chris Ware receives his award. He wasn’t into that part.