MIDDLE GRADE THE WINNER

UN MATIN

LA PARTIE

FRANCE

TEXT BY JÉRÔME DUBOIS

ART BY LAURIE AGUSTI

WHAT THE JURY SAID

Un Matin begins with a dream into which the main character — and the reader — are gently pulled: all of the colours in the world — and thus the book — are mysteriously gone, and the world is reduced to black and white. In addition to the rigorous abstraction of the drawing, the book offers the reader an element of choice: at the end of every ‘section’, it’s up to us to choose from different narrative options as we decide which page to turn to. This playful and poetic story offers the reader a true element of interaction as we join the authors in determining the path this story will take. Immaculate visual storytelling weaves through richly detailed artwork that makes subtle nods to all kinds of (recognizable) references from pop culture, further inviting re-reading and re-experiencing. Every aspect of this book is designed to support a surprising, effective and ultimately unique reading experience that is both visually and narrative exciting (where did the colors go?). The jury is proud to award the BRAW Comics Prize for the Middle Grade to Un Matin

MIDDLE GRADE SPECIAL MENTION

그림자 극장 (THE SHADOW THEATER)

BEAR BOOKS INC.

SOUTH KOREA

TEXT AND ART BY KYU-AH KIM

WHAT THE JURY SAID

Emotional relationships between family members can be as fragile as the ceramic rabbit that lies broken in the opening pages of Kyu-Ah Kim’s sensitive emotional narrative. An animal guide leads two embattled siblings into a parallel world of living shadows within which they can safely process the drama of their bruised emotions and reestablish the bonds that connect them to one another. The soft tones of Kyu-Ah Kim’s colored pencils lure the reader unsuspectingly into the shadow theater of this book, a story about loss, affection, pleasure, family ties, and all the things that follow us like our shadows.

MIDDLE GRADE SPECIAL MENTION

HOUSE OF DRACULA

DOGBOOKS

SOUTH KOREA

TEXT BY 5UNDAY

ART BY HEEDAE YUN

WHAT THE JURY SAID

This modestly formatted comic book is a wonderful work of wordless storytelling enriched by a wise use of narrative framing and of graphic design. The author makes productive use of familiar horror-themed characters from popular culture, resituated here in a fresh, contemporary context. Colorfully psychedelic and full of humor, this book will challenge young readers to discover dozens of humorous, hidden details as they are irresistibly drawn by the beauty of the drawings to read this story again and again.

Middle Grade Special Mention Le Monde Des Animaux Perdus

GALLIMARD JEUNESSE

FRANCE

TEXT AND ART NOÉMIE WEBER

WHAT THE JURY SAID

This exemplary work depicts a dreamlike voyage that deals sensitively, poetically and engagingly with the loss of a pet and the challenge of forming early relationships. Weber’s virtuosic linework can be both restrained and exuberant, recalling the pen and ink linework of Tove Jansson. Her sense of offbeat fantasy and intelligent page design recalls make her character Elsa a descendent of Fred’s Philemon. Her use of constrained but variable color pallets throughout employs the four color press with the sensitivity of a silkscreen printmaker.

YOUNG ADULT THE WINNER 坂月さかな作品集

プラネタリウム・ ゴースト・トラベル

(PLANETARIUM GHOST TRAVEL | THE ART OF SAKATSUKI SAKANA)

PIE INTERNATIONAL INC.

JAPAN

TEXT AND ART BY SAKANA SAKATSUKI

WHAT THE JURY SAID

Sakana Sakatsuki stands at the forefront of a new wave of fantastic narrative that adapt the tropes of science fiction to process the subtle sentiments of an uncertain present. Surprising in its delicacy and innovation, Sakatsuki synthesizes stylistic elements of manga with elements of western culture to recount the restlessness and loneliness of a young space traveler. Simultaneously epic and intimate, Ghost Travel expresses and re-expresses the tonal heart of its narrative conceit in a variety of visual styles and and aesthetic languages. These include color illustrations accompanied by small poetic texts and monochrome comics sequences which introduce his narrative world. We are proud to award the BRAW Comics Prize for Young Adults to this innovative breakthrough work which signals the start of Sakatsuki’s Star Tripper series of narrative manga, the first volume of which has also recently been published.

YOUNG ADULT SPECIAL MENTION AUJOURD’HUI

L’ARTICHO FRANCE

TEXT AND ART BY LOÏC FROISSART

WHAT THE JURY SAID

Aujourd’hui (“Today”) takes the reader chronologically through a school day, recording events that take place between 8h15 — when the children arrive at school — and 17h, when the school day is finally over. The author uses his own experiences as a teacher to recount the tiny events — dramatic, silly, funny, and always relatable — that make up the living organism of an educational community over the course of a day. Populated by brightly colored, stylized characters, each page and sequence covers just a few minutes in time to compile a precisely observed narrative that feels as if it has been overheard rather than told.

Young Adult Special Mention

AVANT L’OUBLI

L’EMPLOYÉ DU MOI

BELGIUM

TEXT AND ART BY LISA BLUMEN

WHAT THE JURY SAID

Bittersweet reflection and a longing for meaning and connection pervade this stunning pre-apocalyptic novel. Each intimate chapter pauses over the private drama of individual characters forced to chose what to do with the rest of their lives when the end of the world may be no further away than the end of the week. Connections both chosen and unknown are revealed to the reader as each chapter coheres into an abstractly interlinked narrative. Throughout, Blumen’s graphite artwork is as unfussy over details as it is precise in its depiction of body language and its visual exposition.

Young Adult Special Mention Night Night

STUDIO MARY

HONG KONG, CHINA

TEXT AND ART BY CHIVAS LEUNG

WHAT THE JURY SAID

This story of life under eternal darkness is understated and richly emotional throughout. Style and format combine to support a gentle but sophisticated emotional narrative. The book’s graphite linework, printed on rough, newsprint paper, makes the book feel like a journal or a visual letter from a friend. Inventive use of limited spot color — yellow and blue — enrich the narrative at moments precisely calibrated for maximum impact and further promote an empathetic connection between the reader and the story.