We are delighted to announce that MANU by Gustaffo Vargas has been awarded Indie Comic of the Year 2019 – as chosen by the readers of Pipedream Comics, A Place To Hang Your Cape and ComicScene magazine.

This dystopian sci-fi tale, set in the dank jungles of Peru where cybernetic jaguars defend their mistress from Incan mercenaries was an over whelming winner with more than 50% of the vote. But here are the overall standings:

1. MANU (56.35%)
2. Gun (22.49%)
3. The Plot )8.73%)
4. The Black Iris (3.44%)
5. The Legend of La Mariposa (2.91%)
6. Stand In Your Power (2.65%)
7. Sentient (1.06%)
8. X,Y,Z (1.32%)
9. Cry Wolf Girl (0.53%)
10. Earworm (0.53%)

Pipedream Comics editor Alex Thomas had this to say about the winner: “We could not ask for a more deserving winner than Gustaffo. MANU is one of those books which stood out from the indie comics scene in 2019 and deserves it’s fantastic triumph. From the first time we saw Gustaffo’s work in L1MA we knew he was a creator with the potential for great things and this longer more ambitious story has proved us right. In a year when we have been discussing the importance of originality in indie comics , Gustaffo has been the ultimate example of this. His unique world building in MANU creates a world like no other, and the quality of his artwork and story telling means every time we turn the page we cannot wait to see what he has come up with next!”

As we told Gustaffo of his win he had this to say: “ I feel so overwhelmed with the love shown towards my comic. I think winning is a luck game, but as Neil Gaiman said: the more you put your work into the world and the harder you work the luckier you will get. I will keep on working as hard as I can, and enjoying all this as much as I can. I could not possibly be more grateful for this, for all the people, friends & the amazing comic community that voted and that in general have been supporting and encouraging my work all this time, all I can say is: thank you so much, muchas muchas gracias. 🙂”

You can read our full breakdown of the Best Indie Comics of 2019 here.