Along along with musician Jon Sommariva, Australian article writer Tom Taylor has actually been honored with one of Australia’s greatest tributes for little ones’s literature. While he is actually best understood for his work on several DC Comics collection, featuring Nightwing as well as Titans, Taylor has additionally written a number of individual mangas focused on younger readers. One of these books, The Neverlanders, has actually simply been recognized with a historical honor.

The Sydney Morning Herald stated on Taylor and also Sommariva’s succeed. The Neverlanders has actually been acknowledged by the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) with the Children’s Book of the Year Award for Older Readers. Based upon Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, The Neverlanders is actually set in a “abrasive, reimagined planet.” The tale centers around a located family members of child runaways, who form a brand-new army of Lost Ones after learning of the life of Neverland as well as a brand new buccaneer innovator who seeks to steal its magic. The comic was very first released through Razorbill Publishing in August 2022.

Connected: Interview: Nightwing With Tom Taylor and also Bruno Redondo

Why The Neverlanders’ Win Is Notable

The Neverlanders’succeed is actually distinctive as it marks the first time the CBCA has actually presented an award to a comic-strip book in the organization’s 77-year past history. Before, literary institutions tended to look down on comics and comic books as a tool, considering all of them a lower form of literature. Nevertheless, these mindsets have started to modify one of scholastics in modern-day times, and the truth that The Neverlanders was recognized indicates both the change in attitudes and the high quality of the work generated by Tom Taylor and also Jon Sommariva. Taylor spoke about the educator prejudice versus graphic novels, while discussing his historical win with The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’ve grown in this setting where witties have nearly been put away in Australia– or even it seemed like that,” Taylor recollected. “Not only is it the best storytelling channel on the planet, yet it is actually also the best instructional resource for unwilling audiences.” Taylor took place to attest that graphic novels are a medium, not a genre, and that he really felt that witties were actually an important tool for instructors as well as curators finding to promote analysis amongst modern-day young people.

The CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award for Older Readers is simply the latest of the various awards which Tom Taylor has gained recently. In July 2023, Taylor succeeded the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series for his focus on Nightwing with musician Bruno Redondo. Taylor has actually additionally gained the 2021 Comic Arts Award of Australia for his creating on Suicide Squad: Bad Blood, the 2020 Shadow Award for Best Graphic Novel for his Hellblazer comic Rise and also Fall, and also the 2018 Ledger Award for the Injustice 2 tie-in comic.

The Neverlanders is actually right now accessible from Penguin Random House.