The Lab Press wins major award haul for debut graphic novel line

The Lab Press is turning its first year of publishing into an awards run, with honors across the IPPY Awards, IBPA, Foreword INDIES and other book and design contests. The independent graphic novel publisher says the recognition is helping expand visibility for its four debut 2025 titles as it moves into a new slate of 2026 releases.

Why it matters: - The Lab Press is using awards momentum to establish itself as a serious new player in independent graphic novels. - Recognition across book, storytelling and design categories can help the publisher reach more readers, bookstores and comic shops. - The awards also spotlight the in-house creative team behind the imprint's editorial and visual identity.

What happened: - The Lab Press marked its first year of publishing original graphic novels with a broad awards sweep in summer 2026. - The publisher's four inaugural hardcover titles were Essentials Volume 1, Super Science Volume 1, Hunger and Creatures & Corridors. - At the IPPY Awards, The Lab Press received a Gold Medal recognizing all four 2025 releases in the Outstanding Books of the Year category. - Editor-in-Chief Dagen Walker said the reception from the comics community and the broader book industry has been validating and helped more people discover the books and creators.

The details: - Essentials Volume 1 was created by Luke Arnold, Chris “Doc” Wyatt and a range of artistic talents. - Super Science Volume 1 was created by N. Alessandro K. and M.K. Perker. - Hunger was created by Nihaarika Negi, Joe Bocardo and José Villarrubia. - Creatures & Corridors was created by Brandon Auman and Andrea Mutti. - The Lab Press collected honors across multiple competitions, including the Zelda Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, Foreword INDIES Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, IBPA Awards, IBPA PubWest Book Design Awards and Storytrade Awards. - Awards included Best Horror Graphic Novel for Hunger at the Zelda Awards. - The National Indie Excellence Awards recognized Essentials Volume 1 for Book Cover Design and Comics & Graphic Novels, and Hunger for Best Interior Design. - The same awards program also listed Book Cover Design: Fiction and Comics & Graphic Novels wins for Essentials Volume 1, plus Book Interior Design: Fiction for Hunger. - The Foreword INDIES Awards gave Essentials Volume 1 a Science Fiction Gold Medal, Hunger a Graphic Novels & Comics Silver Medal and Creatures & Corridors a Fantasy Bronze Medal. - The Next Generation Indie Book Awards named Hunger Best Overall Design. - The Independent Book Publishers Association Awards gave Essentials Volume 1 a Graphic Novel Gold Medal and the Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book. - The IBPA Awards also gave Creatures & Corridors a Fiction: Horror Gold Medal and Graphic Novel Silver Medal, and Super Science Volume 1 a Graphic Novel Bronze Medal. - The IBPA PubWest Book Design Awards gave Creatures & Corridors a Cover: Large Format Gold Medal. - Hunger earned a Cover: Large Format Silver Medal and a Cover: Graphic Novel/Manga Bronze Medal at the IBPA PubWest Book Design Awards. - The Storytrade Awards named Essentials Volume 1 a Graphic Novel winner and Hunger a Regional: World Fiction winner. - The Lab Press said its in-house team includes Walker and designers John J. Hill and Emma Price. - President Diane Richey said the first-year success reflects the ambition of the creators and the care of the in-house team.

Between the lines: - The range of awards suggests The Lab Press is building credibility not just as a comics publisher, but as a design-forward book imprint. - The mix of genre and design honors points to a strategy that treats graphic novels as collectible literary objects as well as entertainment. - The publisher's first-year results create a stronger launch pad for its 2026 release slate.

What's next: - The Lab Press is shifting focus to new 2026 releases, including Essentials Volume 2, Mad Dog Morgan and the upcoming Callisto. - Essentials Volume 2 is by Luke Arnold, Chris “Doc” Wyatt and a new group of artistic talents. - Mad Dog Morgan is by Adam Lawson, Brian Christgau and Maxi Dall’O. - Callisto is an upcoming title by Steve Niles and Andrea Mutti. - The Lab Press says the debut titles remain available through bookstores, comic shops and online retailers. - More information is available at thelabpress.com and on The Lab Press Instagram.

The bottom line: - The Lab Press turned a four-book debut into a multi-award validation of its editorial and visual approach, and it is now trying to convert that credibility into sustained growth.