Hades: The Horn of Lots, by Manilo Castagna, Harriet Webster, Lorenzo Colangeli & Francesca Dell’Omadarme (Autumn Publishing) has been picked by British college students as the general winner of the 2024 Excelsior Award, the UK’s longest working impartial award selling literacy and comics. 

The Disney Villains graphic novel initially emerged the winner of the Excelsior White class for books appropriate to ages 9+, earlier than being chosen as the general award winner of 2024. Final yr’s Excelsior Award winner was Cat+Gamer, by Wataru Nadatani; translated by Zack Davisson (Darkish Horse).

Shortlists had been chosen by a judging panel of comics consultants and librarians – with the winners determined by college studying teams throughout the UK. Judges included college librarian and Excelsior Awards founder/organiser Paul Register and his daughter Ophelia; Lancaster College librarian and Lakes Worldwide Comedian Artwork Pageant board member Gemma Sosnowsky; college studying useful resource supervisor Jane Hill; Seven Hills Crafts director Rick Cowling; youngsters’s librarian and comics specialist (Peters Books & Furnishings) Lucy Forrester; and comics creator Robin Etherington.

Speaking about this yr’s profitable title, Excelsior Awards founder and organiser Paul Register stated:

“Hades was a really attention-grabbing winner as, though it’s a spin-off of the American-made Disney film Hercules (1997), the type of storytelling inside this guide has a really European flavour. Thanks to all the faculties that took half this yr!”

Different class winners for 2024 included Joe Fixit, by Peter David & Yildiray Cinar (Marvel Comics) within the Excelsior Blue class for books appropriate for ages 11+; Grim vol. 1, by Stephanie Phillips & Flaviano (BOOM!) within the Excelsior Crimson [ages 14+] class; and Redbeard vol. 1, by Jean-Charles Kraehn & Stefano Carloni; translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) within the Excelsior Black [ages 16+] class.

The 2024 JABBICA (Choose A Ebook By Its Cowl) finest cowl winner was Lee Garbett‘s illustration for Groot: Uprooted (Marvel). Lee Garbett is the one artist to have obtained a JABBICA twice – having beforehand gained for Skyward (Picture) in 2019.

The Excelsior Awards (initially known as the Stan Lee Excelsior Award) have taken place yearly since 2011, with a remit to encourage studying and lift the profile of comics, graphic novels, and manga within the UK amongst librarians and academics. Based by librarian Paul Register, the Excelsior Awards had been initially targeted round colleges throughout the metropolis of Sheffield, complementing an current literacy scheme run by town council since 1988 (the Sheffield Youngsters’s Ebook Award). An impartial award, it has quickly expanded with reportedly over 200 colleges taking part from throughout the UK and additional afield.

OVERALL EXCELSIOR WINNER 2024:

HADES: THE HORN OF PLENTY (Disney Villains), by Manilo Castagna, Harriet Webster, Lorenzo Colangeli & Francesca Dell’Omadarme (Autumn Publishing)

CATEGORY WINNERS

EXCELSIOR WHITE (Ages 9+)

• WINNER: Hades: The Horn of Lots (Disney Villains), by Manilo Castagna, Harriet Webster, Lorenzo Colangeli & Francesca Dell’Omadarme (Autumn Publishing)
• Star Cat: A Turnip in Time, by James Turner & Yasmin Sheikh (David Fickling Books)
• Groot: Uprooted, by Dan Abnett & Damian Couceiro (Marvel Comics)
• Magical Historical past Tour, Fabrice Erre & Sylvain Savoia; translated by Joseph Laredo (Papercutz)
• Superman vs Meshi (Vol. 1), by Satoshi Miyagawa & Kai Kitago; translated by Sheldon Drzka (DC Comics/Kodansha)

EXCELSIOR BLUE (Ages 11+)

• WINNER: Joe Fixit, by Peter David & Yildiray Cinar (Marvel Comics)
• Sugar Apple Fairy Story (Vol. 1), by Miri Mikawa & Yozorano Udon (Yen Press)
• Batman Past: Neo Yr, by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing & Max Dunbar (DC Comics)
• Vern: Custodian of the Universe, by Tyrell Waiters (Nobrow)
• Hazard and Different Unknown Dangers, by Ryan North & Erika Henderson (Penguin)

EXCELSIOR RED (Ages 14+)

• WINNER: Grim (Vol. 1), by Stephanie Phillips & Flaviano (BOOM!)
• Darkish Knights of Metal (Vol. 1), by Tom Taylor & Yasmine Putri (DC Comics)
• Batman: One Dangerous Day – Mr. Freeze, by Gerry Duggan & Matteo Scalera (DC Comics)
• Asterios the Minotaur, by Serge Le Tendre & Frédéric Peynet; translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook)
• Chilly Iron, by Andy Diggle & Nick Brokenshire (Darkish Horse)

EXCELSIOR BLACK (Ages 16+)

• WINNER: Redbeard (Vol. 1), by Jean-Charles Kraehn & Stefano Carloni; translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook)
• Batman: One Dangerous Day – Two-Face, by Mariko Tamaki & Javier Fernandez (DC Comics)
• Yokohama Station SF (Vol. 1), by Yuba Isukari & Gonbe Shinkawa; translated by Stephan Paul (Yen Press)
• Briar, by Christopher Cantwell & German Garcia (BOOM!)
• Warfare Birds, by Geoffrey D. Wessel & Steve Parkhouse (Darkish Horse)