Daniel Clowes withdraws from Angouleme Grand Prix consideration

Earlier this morning, news broke that the list of 30 nominees for this year’s Grand Prix d’Angouleme was announced, and did not include a single female creator. The Grand Prix is a lifetime achievement award, and the winner is named president of the following year’s Angouleme International Comics Festival. In the event’s 43-year history, just one woman, Florence Cestac, has been awarded the Grand Prix. Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) and Posy Simmonds (Gemma Bovery, Tamara Drewe) have been among those nominated in years past.

In the wake of today’s announcement, Fantagraphics Books and Daniel Clowes endorse the French group BD Egalite [ http://bdegalite.org/fibd-femmes-interdites-de-bande-dessinee/ ] in its call for a boycott on voting for this year’s list, and Clowes has announced that he will withdraw from consideration as a result.