Diamond Announces 2018 Gem Award Winners

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 an 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

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
$3.99 or Under

Heroes in Crisis #1 
JUL180592
DC Entertainment

2018 Top Dollar Comic Book

Action Comics #1000
FEB180142
DC Entertainment



2018 Comic Book of the Year
Over $3.99

Action Comics #1000
FEB180142
DC Entertainment



2018 Best New Comic Book Series

Immortal Hulk
Marvel Comics

2018 Licensed Comic Book of the Year

Stranger Things #1
JUL180419
Dark Horse Comics



2018 Best All-Ages Series

DC Super Hero Girls
DC Entertainment



2018 Licensed TP/HC of the Year

Star Wars: Darth Vader 
Dark Lord Sith Volume 2: Legacy's End
JAN181040
Marvel Comics



2018 Best All-Ages Original/Reprint GN

DC Super Hero Girls: Date With Disaster
NOV170216
DC Entertainment



2018 Original GN of the Year

My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies
JUL180133
Image Comics




2018 Magazine of the Year

Heavy Metal 
Heavy Metal Magazine



2018 Reprint TP/HC of the Year

Batman White Knight
JUL180733
DC Entertainment



2018 Indie GN of the Year

Berlin: The Complete Edition
JUN181666
Drawn + Quarterly

2018 Manga TP of the Year

My Hero Academia, Volume 13
APR181944
VIZ Media

2018 Anthology of the Year

Thanos Legacy #1
JUL180975
Marvel Comics



2018 Best Free Comic Book Day Book

FCBD 2018 Avengers Captain America 
JAN180009
Marvel Comics



2018 Trade Book of the Year

The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia
DEC170068
Dark Horse Comics

2018 Collectible Statue of the Year

Batman Black and White: The Batman Who Laughs Statue 
MAY180609
DC Collectibles from 
DC Entertainment



2018 Game Product of the Year

Batman: The Animated Series Gotham Under Siege
JUN180756
IDW Games

2018 Toy Product of the Year

Marvel Select Thor: Ragnarok Gladiator Hulk Action Figure
JUL172803
Diamond Select Toys

2018 Toy Line of the Year

Funko POP!
Funko