“Leon” was chosen by a panel consisting of Mark D. Bright, Jennifer de Guzman, Joan Hilty, Jamal Igle, Mikki Kendall, Kevin Rubio, Gail Simone, Will J. Watkins and Heidi MacDonald. It beat out four other finalists for the title, namely Tyler Ellis’s “Chimera,” Taneka Stotts and Christianne Goudreau’s webcomic “Full Circle,” Adam P. Knave, D.J. Kirkbride and Nick Brokenshire’s “The Once and Future Queen” (published by Dark Horse Comics), and Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner and Emma Steinkellner’s “Quince.”
Nicholas, who was unable to accept the award in person, wrote on Twitter:
I’m blown away! Thank you everyone. and thanks to my studio for everything. Let’s continue to inspire! WOW.
Started in 2015, the Long Beach Comic Expo’s annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity is named for the late comic book and television writer, and aims to promote the work of diverse creators. Last year’s winner, Ezra Claytan Daniels’s motion comic “Upgrade Soul,” is set to published by Lion Forge in September. Daniels has written an essay for Entertainment Weekly on the upcoming print edition – featuring the new cover and preview artwork – explaining “why the Dwayne McDuffie Award is so important.”
In the meantime, you can order “Leon: Protector of the Playground” from Amazon and Jamar Nicholas Studios.