The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book is an annual award that honors comic books for excellence in the depiction of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) characters and themes.
[5] Comic books selected by GLAAD are evaluated based on four criteria: "Fair, Accurate, and Inclusive Representations" of the LGBT community, "Boldness and Originality" of the project, significant "Impact" on mainstream culture, and "Overall Quality" of the project.
Comics created by and for an LGBT audience must be submitted in order to be considered for nomination, as GLAAD does not monitor such works for defamation.
[6] Winners are determined by a plurality vote by GLAAD staff and board, Shareholders Circle members,[a] as well as volunteers and allies.
Since the mid-2000s the award has received some criticism for its emphasis on mainstream comics—including its exclusion of non-mainstream comics, webcomics, and manga—as well as failing to recognize comic book artists alongside writers in nominations, though artists were eventually honored alonsdige writers as of the 34th GLAAD Media Awards.
[70][71] Thigpen stated that, given GLAAD's "very mission statement", it is expected that most Outstanding Comic Book nominees will be mainstream works that have "made the biggest media impact", and that he personally sees nothing wrong with this.
[72] He points out how, despite Alison Bechdel's Fun Home winning the Outstanding Comic Book award in 2007, Are You My Mother?
[77] By 2022, GLAAD continued to not recognize comic book artists in nominations, which Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool lamented.