h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm amazed. I checked the list of Hugo award nominees for the first time ever this year, and was shocked to see stuff that I'd read on it. And not, "Hey, yeah, I remember that book, it was good," read. I mean, "Wow! Someone who nominates Hugo awards read that too?! Amazing!"

Most amazing, in a declining amount of amazingness...
3) Dr. Horrible got a nomination
2) Girl Genius got a nomination
1) Schlock Mercenary(!) got a nomination

I mean, those are purely internet-related things there. And webcomics? Webcomics are on the ballot for the Hugos? Amazing!

This just makes my day in all sorts of ways. ESPECIALLY Schlock Mercenary. I highly doubt that Howard Taylor's Schlock comics will win, but I love the fact that he was nominated along with so many other fine, wonderful things (and at his website, he points out that he's a solo player doing all the writing and drawing, while most of the other nominees are teams of people.)

And just so everyone has some easy access to it, here's a URL to the list.

http://anticipationsf.ca/English/Hugos

I'm not terribly surprised that Dr. H got nominated for a Hugo. It was a phenomenon of the highest caliber. Repeated stories about it on NPR and various other relatively mainstream sources. The other two, though, I'm with you! Wow!

I don't think it's amazing because it's something I'm aware of, I'm just amazed that it's something purely Internet-centered (at least it was until the Internet came out.) It's the sort of acknowledgement that you rarely see granted to the real artists who post stuff online.

I mean, consider Neil Gaiman. He's listed as someone who has "Won every award it is possible to win for comics, and one award that it is no longer impossible to win for comics." They say that because they specifically changed the rules (I can't remember which award it was) to prevent comics and graphic novels from ever being elligible again.

This is the same kind of thing, but I'm pretty confident there won't be any rule changing this time (at least I hope.)