(Baltimore, MD) — (January 17, 2019) — Diamond Comic Distributors proudly announces the winners of the 2018 Diamond Gem Awards, selected by comic book specialty retailers and celebrated within the comic book industry as a key annual award honoring sales success.

DC Entertainment took home Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Over 3% Market Share) in 2018 and had the Top Dollar Comic Book with Action Comics #1000. Retailers recognized DC with the most Gem Awards–six–including the Comic Book of the Year $3.99 or Under with Heroes In Crisis #1; Comic Book of the Year – Over $3.99 with Action Comics #1000; Reprint TP or HC of the Year with Batman White Knight; Best All Ages Series with DC Super Hero Girls; and Best All-Ages Original/Reprint Graphic Novel with DC Super Hero Girls: Date With Disaster. DC Collectibles, the collectibles branch of DC Entertainment won Collectible Statue of the Year with the Batman Black and White: The Batman Who Laughs statue.

Marvel Comics earned five Gem Awards, including Top Dollar Market Share Publisher of the Year, Licensed Comic of the Year with Star Wars: Darth Vader Dark Lord of the Sith Volume 2; Anthology of the Year with Thanos Legacy #1; Best Free Comic Book Day Book with FCBD 2018 Avengers Captain America; and Best New Comic Book Series with Immortal Hulk.

Image Comics received two Gem Awards, taking home Backlist Publisher of the Year and Original Graphic Novel of the Year with My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies.

Dark Horse Comics received two Gem Awards, for Licensed Comic of the Year with Stranger Things #1 and Trade Book of the Year with The Legend of Zelda Encylopedia.

IDW Publishing received a Gem Awards, taking home Game Product of the Year with Batman: The Animated Series Gotham Under Siege.

Retailers also recognized BOOM! Studios as Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Under 3% Market Share), VIZ Media with two Gem Awards, including Manga Publisher of the Year; and Diamond Select Toys with two Gem Awards, including Toy Manufacturer of the Year.

A panel of Diamond product specialists selected the supplier 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 2018. 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.

2018 Diamond Gem Award Suppliers of the Year 

2018 Comic Book Publisher of the Year – Over 3%: DC Entertainment

2018 Comic Book Publisher of the Year – Under 3%: BOOM! Studios

2018 Backlist Publisher of the Year: Image Comics

2018 Top Dollar Comic Book Publisher of the Year: Marvel Comics

2018 Manga Publisher of the Year: VIZ Media

2018 Game Manufacturer of the Year: WizKids/ NECA

2018 Toy Manufacturer of the Year: Diamond Select Toys

2018 Diamond Gem Award Products of the Year

2018 Comic Book of the Year – Under $3.99: Heroes in Crisis #1, DC Entertainment

2018 Comic Book of the Year – Over $3.99: Action Comics #1000, DC Entertainment

2018 Top Dollar Comic Book: Action Comics #1000, DC Entertainment

2018 Best New Comic Book Series: Immortal Hulk, Marvel Comics

2018 Best All Ages Series: DC Super Hero Girls, DC Entertainment

2018 Best All Ages Original/Reprint GN: DC Super Hero Girls, Date With Disaster, DC Entertainment

2018 Licensed Comic of the Year: Stranger Things #1, Dark Horse Comics

2018 Licensed TP or HC of the Year: Star Wars Darth Vader Dark Lord Sith Volume 2: Legacy’s End, Marvel Comics

2018 Original Graphic Novel of the Year: My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, Image Comics

2018 Reprint TP or HC of the Year: Batman White Knight, DC Entertainment

2018 Indie Graphic Novel of the Year: Berlin: The Complete Edition, Drawn + Quarterly

2018 Manga TP of the Year: My Hero Academia, Volume 13

2018 Anthology of the Year: Thanos Legacy #1

2018 Magazine of the Year: Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Magazine

2018 Trade Book of the Year: The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Comics

2018 Best Free Comic Book Day Book: FCBD 2018 Avengers Captain America, Marvel Comics

2018 Game Product of the Year: Batman: The Animated Series Gotham Under Siege, IDW Games

2018 Toy Product of the Year: Marvel Select Thor: Ragnarok Gladiator Hulk Action Figure

2018 Toy Line of the Year: Funko POP!, Funko

2018 Collectible Statue of the Year: Batman Black and White: The Batman Who Laughs Statue, DC Collectibles

***

ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in Hunt Valley, MD, DCD is the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.