BOOM! Studios’ original comic book series, The Woods, was awarded the 2017 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book. This award was presented to series writer James Tynion IV and artist Michael Dialynas at the BOOM! Studios office in Los Angeles this past Friday. The Woods was initially announced as the winner during the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony on April 1.
The GLAAD Media Awards honors media for their accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives. The Awards also help fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBTQ community that build support for equality.
“Honestly, this award means the world. When I was reading comics in high school, it felt like I couldn't find any stories that represented my life or my struggles. I was a young man, looking to fiction to find a path for myself and queerness was always just subtext, punchline, or fleeting. I made a promise to myself then that when I become a comic book writer, I wouldn't do that. I would put the queer characters up front and center with the rest. Not necessarily to tell stories about their queerness, but to show that I existed as a part of the same world as my straight peers. To make sure that the high school James of today can find stories that speak to him on the comic shelf,” shared Tynion IV.
“To win this award for the series that I believe is the purest expression of myself is one of the greatest honors of my young life. This award means everything to me and I'm very honored to have our colorful space adventure recognized among the other amazing and high caliber titles in the Outstanding Comic Book category,” Dialynas added.
The Woods debuted in 2014 and follows the lives of 437 students, 52 teachers, and 24 additional staff from Bay Point Preparatory High School who vanished without a trace. Light years away on the other side of the universe, 513 people find themselves in the middle of an ancient, primordial wilderness. Discovering where they are and why will prove stranger than they could possibly imagine. The series wraps up its three-year storyline this October in The Woods #36. The series has consistently received critical acclaim for its diverse representation of LGBTQ youth including Ben, Isaac, Sander, and Sanani.
The Woods is currently in development with Universal Cable Productions at the Syfy Network as an hour-long drama. Michael Armbruster is writing the pilot and Executive Producing along with Brad Peyton (San Andreas) as Director and Executive Producer, alongside his producing partners Jeff Fierson, Ross Richie (BOOM! Studios founder & CEO), and Stephen Christy (BOOM! Studios President of Development). Josh Levy (BOOM! Studios Senior Vice President, Television) will also serve as co-executive producer.
Print copies of The Woods are available for sale at local comic book shops, while digital copies are available from comiXology, iTunes, and Google Play.
