Comic book distributing company, Diamond Comics Distributors, Inc., has announced the winners of their annual GEM awards for 2016. The Gem awards, selected by a panel of voters from around the United States, aims to recognize various Publishers for their sales successes during the year in question. The awards are important as they not only come from essentially the only distributor in the comic book industry today, but they also focus on sales success as represented by Diamond’s shipping figures to retailers. It is a step removed and a different focus than the Comicbooked “Best of” Awards, a prestigious award in its own right, that focuses on quality of work and the critical aspect of the categories.
The awards are given to both “Suppliers” and are also given for products. Here are the winners:
Publisher of the Year (Over 4%): DC Entertainment. DC also took home the most awards, pulling in 6 Gems. One of them is for “Collectible Statue of the Year”, the statue being a Suicide Squad Harley Quinn statue.
Publisher of the Year (Under 4%): BOOM! Studios. Boom took home four awards this year
Backlist Publisher of the Year: Tie between DC Entertainment and Image Comics
Top Dollar Comic Book Publisher of the Year: Marvel Comics. Marvel took home 5 of Diamond’s awards.
Manga Publisher of the Year: VIZ Media received two Gem Awards this year, the other being for “One Punch Man”.
Game Manufacturer of the Year: WizKids / NECA. The winning game is DC HeroClix Batman: Arkahm Quick Start.
Toy Manufacturer of the Year: FUNKO
The full list is in the press release below.
Diamond Comic Distributors proudly announces the winners of the 2016 Diamond Gem Awards, selected by comic book specialty retailers and celebrated within the comic book industry as an important award honoring sales success.
DC Entertainment took home Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Over 4% Market Share) in 2016. Retailers recognized DC with the most Gem Awards–six–including the shared Backlist Publisher of the Year award with Image Comics; Comic Book of the Year (Under $3.00) with DC Universe: Rebirth #1; Comic Book of the Year (Over $3.00) with All Star Batman #1; Original Graphic Novel of the Year with Dark Night: A True Batman Story; and Best All-Ages Original/Reprint Graphic Novel with DC Super Hero Girls TP Volume 1: Finals Crisis.
Marvel Comics earned five Gem Awards, including Top Dollar Market Share Publisher of the Year, Top Dollar Comic Book of the Year for Civil War II #1, Best New Comic Book Series with Spider-Man/Deadpool; Licensed TP or HC of the Year with Star Wars TP: Vader Down; and Best Free Comic Book Day Book with FCBD 2016 Civil War II #0.
Image Comics received four Gem Awards, taking home the shared Backlist Publisher of the Year with DC; Indie Graphic Novel of the Year with Head Lopper TP Volume 1; Reprint TP or HC of the Year for Saga TP Volume 6, and Magazine of the Year for Image+ #1.
Retailers also recognized BOOM! Studios with four Gem Awards, including Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Under 4% Market Share) and VIZ Media with two Gem Awards, including Manga Publisher of the Year, among others.
A panel of Diamond product specialists selected the nominees for the Diamond Gem Awards based on each entry’s overall impact on the industry, while comics and related merchandise were chosen on the merits of their sales performance and quality from 2016. Members of the most critical segment that serves the comic book-buying public–comic book specialty retailers across the United States and worldwide–then selected the winners.
Great article, I had no idea about “Diamond Gen awards.” I’m real happy for DC tho. Maybe they’ll see the long-term benefit of a $2.99 comic!