I've had several people ask when the planning for the 2009 Awards will kick off, so I figured it's that time ^.^ There was some confusion over category definitions and what should be judged for each category. Let's hammer those details out NOW so the process will (theoretically) be much smoother once we really get going.

*A DISCUSSION REGARDING RULES WILL BE POSTED IN A DIFFERENT THREAD*

Updated List/Descriptions as of May 5, 2009.

Best Abstract/Random Comic (Best Anthology?)
Refers to subject matter. There is no specific plot. Content does not follow a specific theme. A gaming comic is NOT an abstract/random comic. A comic with content that goes from pancakes to presidents to platypi IS an abstract/random comic. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: Brainfuzz

Best Action Sequences
Refers to art, pacing, dialogue, and narration of action scenes specifically. This can be fights, shoot-outs, chases, etc. Comics in this category should not be judged on art/pacing/dialogue of non-action scenes. Judging includes both content and art. Last year's winner: Scorch

Best Adult-Rated Comic
This one is pretty obvious. A-rated comics only. Should be judged based on story and art. Last year's winner: Xolta

Best Adventure Comic
Long-form comics with adventure-oriented storylines. This is not a slice-of-life comic with a few 2-3 page mini-arcs with adventures. This is a full-on, go go go adventure. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: The Dreamer

Best Antagonist
Any form/style of comic with a recurring antagonist. The antagonist is pitted against the main character(s). Could be a person, an institution, a trait... Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: Dr. Argon of Villain Next Door (with new rules in place, Dr. Argon would actually be a protagonist)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic
Any form/style of comic involving a non-human main character which shares human traits. Should be judged on both art and content. Last year's winner: What You Don't See

Best Autobiographical Comic
Any form/style of comic which has been specifically stated to be autobiographical or semi-autobiographical. Should be 100% grounded in real life. A semi-autobio with an alien best friend would NOT qualify. Judging will be both on art and content. Last year's winner: Pictures of You

Best Backgrounds/Scenery
This applies to background art ONLY. Can be meaningful, scenic, funny, etc. Judging should be art-oriented. Last year's winner: Shades

Best Use of Black & White, Greyscale, or Screen-toned Art
Self-explanatory. Black and white art only. One or two additional contrast colors used sparingly is allowed. A comic which has started in color and has reverted to black and white full-time is eligible. A previously black and white comic which is now updating in full color is NOT eligible. Judging is art-oriented. Last year's winner: Opey the Warhead

Best Use of Color
Again, self-explanatory. A primarily full color comic with areas of black and white for emphasis is eligible. A comic which has started in color and has reverted to black and white full-time is NOT eligible. A previously black and white comic which is now updating in full color is eligible. Judging is art-oriented. Last year's winner: Dark Rising

Best Community Project/Collaboration
A project openly posted on the forums which allows participation in some form from ANY Drunk Duck user. This is not for private collaborations between a couple of members. Judging should be both art and content. Last year's winner: DD Zombies

Best Writing
Believable dialogue full of personality. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: Simply Sarah

Best Use of Experimental Art/Most Creative Comic
This refers to a variety of styles and mediums used within one comic. This is not for changes of style or medium due to artistic improvements. Last year's winner: Locoma

Best Fantasy Comic
Comics with a fantasy setting and characters. Mythical places, creatures, and/or abilities. Fantasy is much more organic, magic-based in nature (as opposed to technology-based sci-fi). Judging should be art and content. Last year's winner: Para Ten

Friendliest DDer
An unfailingly friendly, supportive, and active forum poster and comic commenter. Winner chosen by popular vote. No judging required. Last year's winner: Skoolmunkee

Funniest DDer
Solid humor and wit from a DrunkDucker. NOT from his/her comic but specifically for forum and commenting presence. Winner chosen by popular vote. No judging required. Last year's winner: (TIE) GhostRunner, LeFarce

Most Helpful DDer
A Ducker who exhibits helpfulness and provides solutions for others. Should be active on the boards. Winner chosen by popular vote. No judging required. Last year's winner: OzoneOcean

Best Horror/Thriller Comic
Content and plot stays inline with established horror or thriller genres. Should be judged on art and content. Last year's winner: Manifestations

Best Humor Comic
Any style/form comic. Judged based on content. Last year's winner: Last Place Comics

Most Improved Comic
This is judged based on progress made since August 2008. Judging is primarily art-oriented. Last year's winner: Used Books

Most Innovative Layouts
Pacing, aesthetics. Interesting or unusual paneling, great use of space. Judging is both art and content. Last year's winner: Rainbow Carousel

Best Manga-form Comic
For manga-styled comics. Should be drawn and colored/toned accordingly. Last year's winner: Blue0

Best Mystery/Noir/Crime Comic
Needs to be defined well. Last year's winner: Tales from the Cornerstone

Most Deliciously Offensive Comic
The comic that cracks you up even though you know you shouldn't laugh. The dark, perverse comic you wouldn't admit to reading. Judging is on story and art. Last year's winner: Last Place Comics

Best Overall Comic Book/Story
The cream of the crop. Story and art are superior and engaging. All elements are at the top of the game.

Best Overall Comic Strip
The cream of the crop. Story and art are superior and engaging. All elements are at the top of the game. Last year's winner: Simply Sarah

Best Parody/Tribute Comic
A parody of or tribute to an established concept or institution. Last year's winner: Super Temps

Best Photo Comic
Any form/genre of comic told using actual photographs. Manipulated photographs are acceptable. Non-copyrighted content unless permission is given and documented. Boo to those who use Google Image Search without giving credit! Last year's winner: Lost

Best Pixel/Sprite/Stock Comic
Any genre made with stock images or sprites - these can be custom or downloaded (with credit). Judged on story and composition. Last year's winner: RPJay

Best Political Comic
Any form with politics-focused content. Humor or drama. Judged primarily on content. Last year's winner: Taking Stock

Most Profound Comic
A comic with a deeper meaning - something that makes you think. Soul-searching, multi-faceted comic. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: Broken Things

Best Protagonist
The main character rocks! Judged based on content. Last year's winner: Charby from Charby the Vampirate

Best Romantic Comic
This comic will have romance as the central theme not just a side plot. Could this alternatively be turned into Best Couple? Last year's winner: The Dreamer

Best Couple
Not a fan pairing - an actual, canon pairing from a comic.

Best Sci-Fi Comic
A futuristic or alternate universe. Technology and machine-based instead of organic like fantasy stories. Judged by both content and art. Last year's winner: White Noise

Best Slice of Life Comic
This doesn't have to be autobio. A story or strip that deals with ordinary, every day life and situations. A slice of life that starts leaning towards sci-fi or fantasy or supernatural would NOT be eligible. Judged on art and story. Last year's winner: Raw Fish

Best Philosophical/Spiritual Comic
A story or strip with a spiritual bent. Any comic that specifically presents either a system of beliefs or an opposition to an organizied belief system, including, but not limited to Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, Church of Elvis (yes there is one), Atheism, Agnostic, Buddah, Hindu, Tantric Arts. The mythology should be at the core of the story. Last year's winner: Due East

Best Stick Figure Comic
This one is pretty obvious. Any style or form. Judged on story and art. Last year's winner: Frank & Vinny

Best Superhero Comic
The main character or characters must be superheroes or supervillains. Any form or content. No copyrighted characters used without permission. Last year's winner: Super Temps

Best Tense/Suspenseful Scenes
Dialogue, art, pacing, mood - applies to tense scenes only like arguments, waiting, tough decisions. Judged on art and content. Last year's winner: Shades

Best Website Design
Ease of use, aesthetics, quick to load, etc. This applies to the design and layout of the site ONLY, not the comic. Last year's winner: Ever Hollow

Best Western Comic
Any form/style. The setting takes place in the old West or similar. Last year's winner: Hades

Proposed New Categories:

Best New Comic
Best overall comic that began updating on DD after or during September 2008.

Best Completed Comic
Only eligible to win once. Any comic completed prior to voting is eligible for this category. Must be completed – NOT simply abandoned.

Best All-Ages/Family Friendly Comic
A comic that can be enjoyed by all ages with no controversial content or subject matter.

Best Line Art
Best inking.

Most Supportive Reader
An award for an active and supportive commenter/poster/reader.

Best Single Panel Comic
Self-explanatory.

I agree with all of your deletions except the Manga one. It's too distinct of a style to overlook.

Suggestions gleaned from the feedback thread:

*Humor/Drama tone categories for the genre categories. Example: Fantasy humor/Fantasy drama

*Subgenres for the really vague genres. Example: Fantasy: Medieval; Sci-Fi: Steampunk

**FYI: I am not endorsing any of these suggestions, nor are they set in stone. Discuss!

Hmm... we'll probably just have to set up specific guidelines for manga comics. What I was thinking for the ballot would be to have each category with a little button or light that, when you hover over it, a little pop-up box shows up with quick and dirty qualifications.

Something that isn't up there and, IMNEVERHO, needs to be catagories of their own, Yaoi and Yuri or Lesbian and Gay there are even a few transgender strips. These have to be hard to write and deserve recognition for the fact they are trying to create a positive image of people who are GLBT.

Another thought, NOIR, if you class that as B&W doesn't that make the B&W comic class unnecessary or vice-versa?

As far as I could tell last year I was the only non author/artist in the judging, to get a true best of the best should not more non authors be recruited to judge? After all the story is aimed at a non authoring segment of nerddom( is there such a word?) us (we?) readers.

Also how about a class for Digital Comics there are several very good ones on DD.

Shutting up a sneaking back to my cave now.

Dragonrider
Yaoi and Yuri or Lesbian and Gay there are even a few transgender strips

I had considered that in the 2008 Awards, but so many GLTB comics were nominated for and won awards ^.^ Definitely a thought to add if we want to specifically award them for being GLTB.

The Digital one we have covered ^.^

Definetely get rid of the media ones. Most traditional stuff is digitally edited and people can't tell the difference most of the time.

As last year I think adding drama/comedy subgenres would make life incredibly difficult on the organizers. I'm a bit against it myself since drama and straight up comedy are usually just their own genre altogether. If we do anything for them, I'd say do that and make them their own genres. No matter what we do there's going to be genres overlapping.

I'd keep manga. It's distinct enough and most people can recognize it.

Would it be a good idea to widen spiritual to all comics regarding personal beliefs and things like growing up? Those comics don't quite seem to fit in autobio or slice of life quite right and I think that religion is too narrow to define all of spirituality.

lba
Would it be a good idea to widen spiritual to all comics regarding personal beliefs and things like growing up? Those comics don't quite seem to fit in autobio or slice of life quite right and I think that religion is too narrow to define all of spirituality.

I guess I tried to broaden it with "any aspect of any religion" - in my brain that included "no religion" - but it didn't come out that way. We might want to nix it altogether due to the severe lack of actual spiritual comics.

And that's vote number two for nixing Digital/Traditional Art.

If possible, I'd like to bump anything that's judged on art OR content. Some categories should have more weight put on, say, content, but ultimately, the art should come into play as well.

amanda
I guess I tried to broaden it with "any aspect of any religion" - in my brain that included "no religion" - but it didn't come out that way. We might want to nix it altogether due to the severe lack of actual spiritual comics.

I think there are enough for an award, 27 comics that classify themselves as spiritual have updated in the past month, three of theese are mine and two that I read, "God Damn It" and "Triple Torture."

Amanda
I guess I tried to broaden it with "any aspect of any religion" - in my brain that included "no religion" - but it didn't come out that way. We might want to nix it altogether due to the severe lack of actual spiritual comics.

How about, Any comic that specifically presents either a system of beliefs or an opposition to an organizied belief system,including, but not limited to Christianity,Wicca, Paganism, Church of Elvis (yes there is one) Atheism, Agnostic, Buddah, Hindu, Tantric Arts. Long winded but covers bases and spells out a wide open field in Spirituality.

Thanks for the feedback on the spiritual category, guys - I've updated the definition and removed the notion to discard ^.^

amanda
Abstract/Random
Refers to subject matter. There is no specific plot. Content does not follow a specific theme. A gaming comic is NOT an abstract/random comic. A comic with content that goes from pancakes to presidents to platypi IS an abstract/random comic. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: Brainfuzz

To me this one was always confusing... I know its the way DD organizes it, but it doesn't necessarily make any sense. Must an abstract comic necessarily be a random comic or vice versa? What the heck is an abstract comic anyways? Judging by your explanation, I think it would be better renamed as the "Best Anthology Comic" award.

AdventureLong-form comics with adventure-oriented storylines. This is not a slice-of-life comic with a few 2-3 page mini-arcs with adventures. This is a full-on, go go go adventure. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: The Dreamer

To make the language more clear, I think the names of these genre awards should be changed to "Best Adventure Comic" instead of just "Adventure" (you probably had that in mind anyways but just to be sure...). Also, I think art shouldn't necessarily be discounted in judging these genre categories. The award is for simply being the best comic in that genre, and since art can sometimes play a role in that I think it should be considered if it is appropriate to do so. Same goes for all these genre awards.

Black/WhiteSelf-explanatory. Black and white art only. One or two additional contrast colors used sparingly is allowed. A comic which has started in color and has reverted to black and white full-time is eligible. A previously black and white comic which is now updating in full color is NOT eligible. Judging is art-oriented. Last year's winner: Opey the Warhead

For all these art oriented awards, the language should be made more clear. Instead of "Best Black and White Comic" (like it was last year) it should be "Best Black and White Art." The latter makes it a whole lot more clear that we're strictly referring to the art and not which is the best overall comic that happens to have black and white art.

DialogueBelievable dialogue full of personality. Judging should be content-oriented. Last year's winner: Simply Sarah

We should consider changing this to just "Best Writing." Dialogue is a big part of that but why single it out in particular? A comic with great writing but very little dialogue, like say Fullmoon Stories, is unfairly excluded.

Someone
ExperimentalThis refers to a variety of styles and mediums used within one comic. This is not for changes of style or medium due to artistic improvements. Last year's winner: Locoma

This one confused me last year. I take it from your description that this refers only to the art. Then I'd recommend tacking an "art" to the end of the award name to make it more clear. I also feel your description might be too restrictive. To me, an experimental art style doesn't necessarily need to use a variety of styles, it just needs to do something new and unusual with its art. This might be better renamed "Most Creative Art" or more specifically "Most Creative Use of Art in a Comic."

NoirI'm really unsure how to define this. Seems to be visually dark with a pessimistic, drama tone - at least, that's how it works in the movies. Should be judged on story and art. Last year's winner: Danielle Dark

It's really odd that we have this category... Most noir comics fall under the "best mystery" category already. Not all do, but we could broaden the mystery category by changing it to the "Best Mystery/Crime Comic" category, then we would have no need at all for Noir.

HumorAny style/form comic. Judged based on content. Last year's winner: Last Place Comics

To me, it makes more sense to call this the "Best Humor Comic" award, rather than "Best Humor Scenes". Just because there are plenty of comics that specialize in humor and those are the ones that got nominated anyways.

OverallThe cream of the crop. Story and art are superior and engaging. All elements are at the top of the game. Last year's winner: Simply Sarah

This should be divided up between "Best Comic Book/Story" and "Best Comic Strip" since there is really no comparing the two.

RomanceThis comic will have romance as the central theme not just a side plot. Could this alternatively be turned into Best Couple? Last year's winner: The Dreamer

I don't mind this the way it is. Best Couple is a different type of award altogether

SketchThe style of the artwork is like something you'd see in a sketchbook. Messy, rough, with an unfinished sort of look. Judged on art. Last year's winner: Scorch. (I VOTE THIS CATEGORY SHOULD BE REMOVED as it mostly goes hand in hand with black and white)

Seconded

SpiritualA story or strip with a spiritual bent. Any comic that specifically presents either a system of beliefs or an opposition to an organizied belief system, including, but not limited to Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, Church of Elvis (yes there is one), Atheism, Agnostic, Buddah, Hindu, Tantric Arts. The mythology should be at the core of the story. Last year's winner: Due East

I know I'm sounding picky here with the semantics of this stuff, but if we're including atheism and agnosticism in the mix, we should consider calling it the "Best Philosophical Comic" rather than "Best Spiritual." Just saying, if I knew a great atheist/agnostic comic, I would never think to nominate it for this category as its named.

Tense ScenesDialogue, art, pacing, mood - applies to tense scenes only like arguments, waiting, tough decisions. Judged on art and content. Last year's winner: Shades

Consider renaming: "Best Suspense Comic?"


As for suggestions for new categories: hey, why not a "Best New Comic?" Here's a big thing that's overlooked in the categories: Most Creative Comic; the most unusual and imaginative use of comics as a medium.

Someone
As for suggestions for new categories: hey, why not a "Best New Comic?"

That was suggested several times in past years but we always have decided against it for lack of being able to define it. New to Drunkduck? (Some comics were made a long time ago and are recently being hosted.) What about comics that were made but have been started over again? Does new refer to number of pages? Months on DrunkDuck? What about comics that come out in separate volumes -- would the latest volume count as new? Would this be fair to people who keep their volumes under one title?

I'm not necessarily opposed to the category, it just requires a lot of definition...

Someone
Sketch
The style of the artwork is like something you'd see in a sketchbook. Messy, rough, with an unfinished sort of look. Judged on art. Last year's winner: Scorch. (I VOTE THIS CATEGORY SHOULD BE REMOVED as it mostly goes hand in hand with black and white)

Sketch is a style that is loose and rugged, where you can really see the strokes and usually undefined outlines. Comics done in colored pencils or paints with visible texture/strokes also qualify as "sketch." Or any comic where the artist colored "outside the lines." I've never thought of it as B&W.

Some color comics really do fit this description best compared to other styles (do a browse for "sketch" you'll find half of the comics listed are in color). I don't think it would be fair to them to eliminate it as a category unless you eliminate all the "art style" categories. I think that sketch is the third type of this group: realism--cartoon--sketch

Rename it if you think it is misleading (like if people think it's b&w?), but I don't think it should be removed... Maybe combine it with 'experimental art'? I dunno.

Someone
I don't mind this the way it is. Best Couple is a different type of award altogether

Agreed. Not all romance stories involve a defined "couple." I also agree with adding a "best couple" category.

Someone
I know I'm sounding picky here with the semantics of this stuff, but if we're including atheism and agnosticism in the mix, we should consider calling it the "Best Philosophical Comic" rather than "Best Spiritual." Just saying, if I knew a great atheist/agnostic comic, I would never think to nominate it for this category as its named.

Agreed. Maybe "Best Philosophical/Spiritual Comic"? (In colleges, Philosophy/Religion classes are grouped together.)

Spiritual
A story or strip with a spiritual bent. Any comic that specifically presents either a system of beliefs or an opposition to an organizied belief system, including, but not limited to Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, Church of Elvis (yes there is one), Atheism, Agnostic, Buddah, Hindu, Tantric Arts. The mythology should be at the core of the story. Last year's winner: Due East

I know I'm sounding picky here with the semantics of this stuff, but if we're including atheism and agnosticism in the mix, we should consider calling it the "Best Philosophical Comic" rather than "Best Spiritual." Just saying, if I knew a great atheist/agnostic comic, I would never think to nominate it for this category as its named.

Actually, that's what I was aiming for on that one when I mentioned expanding the category, but I think you said it a bit more clearly.

...bump? D:,

AnthroAny form/style of comic involving animals or animal-human hybrids as the main characters. Should be judged on both art and content. Last year's winner: What You Don't See

An anthro comic isn't just with animals... -anything- with human-like characteristics is anthropomorphic. :) A banana with arms and legs, an ambulance with a face and capable of speech... those are anthro as well. So maybe we should make this category a little less specific?

Black/WhiteSelf-explanatory. Black and white art only. One or two additional contrast colors used sparingly is allowed. A comic which has started in color and has reverted to black and white full-time is eligible. A previously black and white comic which is now updating in full color is NOT eligible. Judging is art-oriented. Last year's winner: Opey the Warhead

I can understand the "used sparingly" for different shades of gray (or whatever other color they may use) in the comic, but what if the comic uses gray a LOT? Kind of like newspaper comics? Would it then count as a color comic, or is it still eligible for this category?

Parody/TributeA parody of or tribute to an established concept or institution. Last year's winner: Super Temps

By definition... aren't these two things kinda different from each other? A parody is like criticism, whereas a tribute is like praise? Sure, they both are derivative of already established characters/places/etc... but they take two completely different tones. I don't know... it may be tough for some people to differentiate between the two, but maybe we should try making Parody and Tribute separate categories?

amanda
Suggestions gleaned from the feedback thread:


*Subgenres for the really vague genres. Example: Fantasy: Medieval; Sci-Fi: Steampunk

I'd actually vote against having a Steampunk catagory because there just doesn't seem to be enough Steampunk comics on DD, (I might win by default,)and Penny Copper was probably the best but it stopped updating almost two years ago. "Fantasy," sort of works as a catch all but I would say that Sci-Fi is distinct.

usedbooks

Someone
As for suggestions for new categories: hey, why not a "Best New Comic?"

That was suggested several times in past years but we always have decided against it for lack of being able to define it. New to Drunkduck? (Some comics were made a long time ago and are recently being hosted.) What about comics that were made but have been started over again? Does new refer to number of pages? Months on DrunkDuck? What about comics that come out in separate volumes -- would the latest volume count as new? Would this be fair to people who keep their volumes under one title?

I'm not necessarily opposed to the category, it just requires a lot of definition...

It doesn't need to be complicated at all. We have the descriptions to define each category anyways, so why not use them. "Any comic franchise that was started (or restarted) within the last year and is on DD is eligible." That sentence alone technically answered all your questions, but you could always clarify gray areas with further detail. "Total reboots of an existing series count as new. New volumes of an older franchise do not count. Old comics that have moved to DD within the year do not count." <--- at least that's my opinion of what should and should not be considered new.

Or maybe you're saying that the problem is finding a consensus on a definition (rather than the definition being too complicated for voters to reasonably follow). In that case, I think we can work one out. We have all year after all.

By definition... aren't these two things kinda different from each other? A parody is like criticism, whereas a tribute is like praise? Sure, they both are derivative of already established characters/places/etc... but they take two completely different tones. I don't know... it may be tough for some people to differentiate between the two, but maybe we should try making Parody and Tribute separate categories?

I would agree with this except there's a lot of parody that is also tribute and vice versa. Parody doesn't necessarily mean critique. It can simply mean adding an absurd twist on the original idea. The twist wouldn't necessarily disparage the original idea. Thus parody and tribute aren't mutually exclusive. I don't know much about the parody or tribute comics here on DD, but my general experience is that people mainly choose to parody things they love and often still retain some reverence towards the subject. I look at something like Nintendo Supersquad and can't help but think its both parody and tribute. It is poking fun at the whole nintendo world, sure; but there is also an evident love for all things nintendo on the pages which (for me) would qualify it as a tribute comic.

Exzachly
This should be divided up between "Best Comic Book/Story" and "Best Comic Strip" since there is really no comparing the two.

Agreed times infinity. I was thinking of suggesting this myself, it just doesn't make sense to put them together.

Hmmm, lots of good ideas were already mentioned here. I just sort of have an opinion about two things:

-Removing the Best Traditional Art and Best Digital Art categories...instead of getting rid of them, why not just say that the comic has to be 100% traditional or 100% digital, excluding speech bubbles, since a lot of strictly traditional comics have the speech bubbles done digitally.

-Melding Noir into a Crime/Mystery category...hmmm.
Being the author of a Noir comic, I think people misunderstand what Noir is exactly. A comic that is based on crime and is black and white is not exactly a Noir comic. Noir films were known mostly for their dramatic angles and other distict forms of presentation, such as off-beat story telling and the city as a common setting. I can understand the consolidation of Crime, Mystery, and Noir for convinence sake though, but they are different...

Exzachly
It doesn't need to be complicated at all. We have the descriptions to define each category anyways, so why not use them. "Any comic franchise that was started (or restarted) within the last year and is on DD is eligible." That sentence alone technically answered all your questions, but you could always clarify gray areas with further detail. "Total reboots of an existing series count as new. New volumes of an older franchise do not count. Old comics that have moved to DD within the year do not count." <--- at least that's my opinion of what should and should not be considered new.

Or maybe you're saying that the problem is finding a consensus on a definition (rather than the definition being too complicated for voters to reasonably follow). In that case, I think we can work one out. We have all year after all.

If we follow through with that category we'll just have to be careful to make sure that we go over each comic's start date and make sure people followed the one year rule. It's definitely doable, but we will have to really nail down the definition. For instance, I personally wouldn't classify a reboot of an old comic to necessarily be a new comic unless there were significant changes to the work beyond simply improved artwork.

----------------------

A lot Noir I'm seeing on DD has crime as a major component of the story. While it is a different distinct category, I'm not sure we have enough comics that specifically fall into that category without leaning heavily on the mystery and crime genres as well, that we can get enough of them together for their own award. With a category that's largely defined by it's usage of media, it can be difficult for people to get at the nuances that make it different. The differences are small enough in a lot of cases to justify grouping the three together since a lot of the crime comics also display elements of noir and vice versa.

With the Traditional vs Digital category, we ran into the issue of a lot of people being able to tell the difference. India ink, when scanned in as a bitmap, can look incredibly similar to straight up digital work. The same can go for other medias and we had a few issues with having to sort the two out when people didn't know which was which. It's still possible if we were to really define it well, but I get the feeling we're either going to have a lot of confusion or an extremely large pool of digital nominations with an extremely small traditional pool.

-----
Sorry. Not trying to sound negative or anything, but I wanted to mention that we did run into these sorts of issues last year.

My $.02

I think nix the digital/ traditional media categories, too.

I think "Noir" is a bit too niche/ specific- and at the same time, open to a lot of vague interpretations. I think someone said the category can overlap with a lot of others, too. But that's just me.

I don't think "Sketch" is necessarily akin to "B & W", but most sketch comics tend to fall into other categories, too (abstract/experimental/autobio/etc.)

Maybe digi/traditional should be combined into 'best used of overall medium', so it could be pencil, tones, digi art, whatever.

I don't see why noir is one there, is that like mystery/action? Feels out of place category....
I also agree sketch should be removed.

Personally I feel like digital art and traditional art should be removed, cause like others have stated, the current definition confuzzels people.
Now sketch should also be removed but noir needs to be be more defined to avoid confusion.

It's like I said before, I can understand consolidating Noir with Crime and Mystery for practicality's sake, I just wanted to make sure people knew there was a difference because it seemed like some people thought crime + b/w = noir

As for the traditional and digital thing, I think it's important to recognize people for their art skills specifically...I just think the categories need more defining, or meld the two together in a practical way.

A few more thoughts...

Genre Categories:

I agree with lumping Crime/Noir due to the small niche and the overlap. I agree with combining Parody and Tribute because they do overlap and have the shared trait of starring non-original characters. I also propose combining Horror and Sci-fi because they have similar subject matter and overlap quite a bit.

I think mystery should be dropped, because mystery comics either fit a "crime" genre or a "horror" genre. That was what I noticed in last years entries (and we had no "crime" category).

Otherwise, going by the DD categories (and the opinions gleaned from last year and this thread), I'm thinking along these lines:

~Fantasy
~Parody/Tribute
~*Slice-of-life (including autobio)
~*Sci-fi/Horror
~Abstract
~Adventure
~*Crime/noir
~*Political/War (?)
~*Spiritual/Philosophical
~Romance (including non-adult yaoi/yuri)
~Superhero
~Western (?)
~Sprite (?)
~Anthropomorphic (?)
~Community Project
~Adult

The ?'s are because they don't have enough comics for competition and could probably fit the other categories (western is just a time setting and could be romance, adventure, etc.).


Art Categories:

I don't think we should use DD categories for these. The DD categories overlap and are vague. They caused confusion last year because judges were confused whether they were judging "best comic of category" or looking at the art form or whatever.

I also think that because art can change and there is so much overlap and difficulty defining it, the B&W, Color, Traditional/Digital are not good categories (at least in naming them)

I have a few ideas for art categories if you'd humor me.

~**Best Line-Art (would probably be won by a B&W comic, but could be any comic that makes good use of it)
~*Best Use of Color (not as vague as "best color comic," and a comic needs not be 100% color)
~**Best Use of Screen Tones
~Best Backgrounds/Scenery
~*Best Use of Simplified Art (stick figures, abstract drawings) (?)
~*Most Unique Art Style (sort of an "experimental art" award)
~*Most Innovative Panel/Page Layout (because "best" is too subjective, imo)
~*Most Improved Art

Other Categories:

Last year, we suggested Best Writing, which I thought was too vague because there are different kinds of writing, and I still think we should divide this into "Best Plot" and "Best Dialogue." This is also because a lot of people see "writing" and assume it means the text on the page, when it can mean other things, and I think both dialogue and plot should have awards.

~*Most Witty Dialogue
~*Most Dramatic Dialogue
(~Possibly just "best dialogue" )
~**Best Story/Plot Writing
~Best Action Scenes
~Most Suspenseful Tense Scenes
~Best Antagonist
~Best Protagonist
~**Best Couple
~Deliciously Offensive
~**Best Completed Comic (?)
~**Best New Comic (?)
~Friendlies DDer
~Funniest DDer
~Most Helpful DDer
~Best Website Design

~*Best Comic Strip
~*Best Story Comic


* Rename/combined from last year
** Proposed new category

usedbooks
I also propose combining Horror and Sci-fi because they have similar subject matter and overlap quite a bit.

They can overlap, but I don't think they have similar subject matter all the time- I mean, that'd pit stories with space ships against stories with zombies. Plus I think there's enough of both on DD to require seperate categories. But I do agree that "mystery" can probably be done away with- like you said, most comics that fit in that category can easily fit in others.

usedbooks
Art Categories:
I also think that because art can change and there is so much overlap and difficulty defining it, the B&W, Color, Traditional/Digital are not good categories (at least in naming them).

I think B&W and Color should definitely be two categories. While "good art is good art", it takes a completely different approach to making good color comics than it does good B & W comics. Plus color comics do tend to get more attention/ be more popular anyway. (<-established fact, not my own personal bias or bitterness! ;) )

Someone

usedbooks
Art Categories:
I also think that because art can change and there is so much overlap and difficulty defining it, the B&W, Color, Traditional/Digital are not good categories (at least in naming them).

I think B&W and Color should definitely be two categories. While "good art is good art", it takes a completely different approach to making good color comics than it does good B & W comics. Plus color comics do tend to get more attention/ be more popular anyway. (<-established fact, not my own personal bias or bitterness! ;) )

I think maybe rename those awards like "Best Use of Color" and "Best Use of Screen Tones" (maybe others?) I know it's not the same but having art categories named "Best _____ Comic" don't seem to work well. I wouldn't have a problem with "Best B&W Comic" as a category but "Best Color Comic" is way too general, so I think "Best Use of Color" addresses what is being judged more specifically.

Someone
I mean, that'd pit stories with space ships against stories with zombies. Plus I think there's enough of both on DD to require separate categories.

I didn't think we had that many horror nominees that were really "horror" last year (and the one that won wasn't horror...), but I could be wrong.

Maybe expand it to Horror/Thiller? No one seems to know the difference anyway (judging by the film industry) and it might help define the "mood" better.

I'd like to see a best gay/lesbian comic category, and also usedbooks couple category sounds nice.

Hyena H_ll

usedbooks
I also propose combining Horror and Sci-fi because they have similar subject matter and overlap quite a bit.

They can overlap, but I don't think they have similar subject matter all the time-

Yep, I disagree with joining those as well. They're completely different. You'd be better off combining fantasy and horror, or fantasy and Scifi, but I think they should all be seperate.

I agree with making horror into thriller though or even saying "horror, thriller, supernatural"- that way you have all the ghosts, Goulies, werewolves and vampires together.

Gay comics don't need a catagory, they fit too well under other catagories anyway. We don't need a catagory for straight or Bi or asexual comics...

I say get rid of spiritual. Maybe have a "philosphical and spiritual" combined catagory instead? That way it can be broader and more inclusive :)

I think horror/thriller would be a good way to go on that one. We've got plenty of thrillers here to choose from that could pad out the number of straight up horror comics.

That list sounds like a pretty good balance of things to start with. I can't really think of too many additions to it.

I'll also second the gay/lesbian genre. I've been poking through the listings and it looks like the number of comics we have that feature gay/lesbian/other sexual preference themes has grown and they're not all yaoi and yuri. Some of them fit in other categories, but most seem to be otherwise. Might have to come up with a better name than gay/lesian/other sexual preference though.