Organizers of a prestigious international award for comic book art are backtracking after publishing a list of 30 nominees — zero percent of which were women. The ensuing uproar, in which 12 male nominees asked to withdraw their names, quickly got the attention of the French body that organizes the award.
The Grand Prix committee at the Angoulême International Comics Festival has issued a statement saying they're revising that list to include six female nominees: Linda Barry, Julie Doucet, Moto Hagio, Chantal Montellier, Marjane Satrapi and Posy Simmonds.
But in doing so, they also argue "the festival cannot revise the history of comics"— since the prize is for lifetime achievement, recognizing decades of work, they say the past male domination of graphic novels and comics can't help but color the nominee pool.
Whatevs, say women irritated with that excuse. "Despite the idea that the Grand Prix should be (and often is) a kind of 'Lifetime Achievement' award, it should be noted that it it can be, and has been, awarded to very young authors," notes Jessica Abel, an American comic book writer and podcaster who lives in France. "Several people who were nominated for the Grand Prix this year are quite young as well."
Angoulême has grown in prestige and importance as the popularity of graphic novels has skyrocketed. And the winner of the Grand Prix takes home more than just a nice statuette — they become honorary president of the following year's festival.
"The president of the Angoulême Festival is a very important, high-prestige position," Abel says. "There is a large exhibition of that person's work, there is a lot of press, they draw the poster, they sell many many books. They also head up the Grand Jury, which decides who wins the annual book awards, the Fauves."
It's hard to tell if the festival's about-face will satisfy critics, especially given its peevish statement about the inclusion of women. "This will make any woman named suspect, it looks like she does not deserve a place and is there to satisfy quotas," wrote French comics artist Joann Sfar, one of the nominees to withdraw his name. Meanwhile a group of more than 100 female artists says it will continue to push for changes to the selection process at Angoulême.
While the dust settles, here's some of the work that one male nominee, Franco-Syrian artist Riad Sattouf, said he'd be happy to see take his place when he withdrew his name.
Catherine Meurisse
Illustrated her late co-worker Elsa Cayat’s "Charlie Hebdo" columns and essays for this book.
courtesy Catherine Meurisse
Marjane Satrapi
Her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis, about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2007 for best animated feature. She's also now one of the nominees on the Grand Prix 2016 list.
courtesy Marjane Satrapi
Anouk Ricard
Her series Anna et Froga was nominated twice in the official selection of the Angoulême Festival.
credit Anouk Ricard
Julie Doucet
This Grand Prix nominee got her big break when she was published in Robert Crumb’s Weirdo magazine. Winner of a Harvey award for best new artist, she's known for her eccentric autobiographical work and feminist bent.
courtesy Julie Doucet
Rumiko Takahashi
The Japanese Manga legend often adapts her comics into TV series.
courtesy Rumiko Takahashi