Canadian American author and illustrator Johnnie Christmas and acclaimed comic creator Jeff Lemire are among the nominees for the 2022 Harvey Awards for outstanding work in comics.
Vancouver-based comic creator Johnnie Christmas is nominated for Best Children's or Young Adult Book for his middle-grade novel, Swim Team.
In Swim Team, a young Black girl named Bree moves from Brooklyn to Florida and struggles with fitting in at her new school. That is, until she reluctantly ends up in the school's swim club and discovers a love for the water. Encouraged and mentored by Ms. Etta, a local former champion swimmer, Bree learns important lessons about forgiveness, sisterhood, community and perseverance.
Johnnie Christmas is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, raised in Florida and currently based in Vancouver. He is the creator of comics like Firebug, Sheltered and Pisces. He is the illustrator of Angel Catbird, a graphic novel series written by novelist Margaret Atwood about a cat/bird/human superhero.
Johnnie Christmas's graphic novel Swim Team is buoyed by themes of community, perseverance and overcoming fear
Toronto-based comic writer Lemire is nominated for the Digital Book of the Year Award for Snow Angels, a collaboration with acclaimed Scottish cartoonist Jock.
Snow Angels follows Milliken and Mae, two young girls who live in the Trench. The Trench is an insular community that exists inside a vast sheet of ice and people never enter or leave. When the girls go on an adventure to commemorate Milliken's 12th birthday, they accidentally awaken the Trench's defender, the Snowman, and learn that there's an entire world beyond.
Snow Angels is part of the ComiXology Originals line and is available both digitally and now in print. The book also won the 2022 Eisner Award for best digital comic.
Cartoonist and author Jeff Lemire wins 2022 Eisner Award for best digital comic for Snow Angels
Lemire is an author and illustrator whose work includes Sweet Tooth: The Return (which was adapted into a Netflix series), Roughneck, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Royal City, Gord Downie's Secret Path and more. He has also worked on Justice League and Green Arrow for DC Comics and Hawkeye for Marvel.
Jock is the pen name for the British cartoonist Mark Simpson. He has worked for 2000 AD and on The Losers, Batman and Wolverine comics.
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Toronto illustrator Jamal Campbell is also nominated for his work on Far Sector, the comic debut of award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author N.K. Jemisin. The book is a finalist for Book of the Year.
Far Sector takes place in the metropolis of City Enduring, where violent crime is a distant memory thanks to a technology that strips its population of all feeling. The new Green Lantern, Sojourner "Jo" Mullein, is tasked with overseeing the peace that has been kept for 500 years. The job proves to be far more challenging than expected, as Jo investigates a mystery that threatens everything.
Squire by Toronto-based author Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh is also nominated for Best Children's or Young Adult Book.
The nominations were announced on Aug. 11, 2022. The awards will be given out on Oct. 7, 2022 at this year's New York Comic Con.
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