Friday open thread: (audio)visual Hugo finalists

[dolorosa_12]

As with last week, my Friday open thread prompt is about the Hugo finalists, which again I'm splitting up into subcategories. This week, it's what I've termed 'audiovisual' finalists — dramatic presentation, game, fancast, artists, and graphic story.

All finalists can be found on the Hugo Awards website.

Best Graphic Story or Comic

Bea Wolf, written by Zach Weinersmith, art by Boulet (First Second)
Saga, Vol. 11 written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

Shubeik Lubeik, Deena Mohamed (Pantheon); as Your Wish Is My Command (Granta)

三体漫画：第一部 / The Three Body Problem, Part One, adapted from the novels by 刘慈欣 (Liu Cixin), written by 蔡劲 (Cai Jin),戈闻頔 (Ge Wendi), and 薄暮 (Bo Mu), art by 草祭九日东 (Caojijiuridong) (Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House)

The Witches of World War II written by Paul Cornell, art by Valeria Burzo (TKO Studios LLC)

Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, art by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha and Nicola Scott (DC Comics)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

Barbie, screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, directed by Greta Gerwig (Warner Bros. Studios)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Gilio, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Paramount Pictures)

Nimona, screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Annapurna Animations)

Poor Things, screenplay by Tony McNamara, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Element Pictures)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (Columbia Pictures / Marvel Entertainment / Avi Arad Productions / Lord Miller / Pascal Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation)

流浪地球2 / The Wandering Earth II, based on the novel by 刘慈欣 Liu Cixin, screenplay by 杨治学 Yang Zhixue, 郭帆 / Frant Gwo, 龚格尔 Gong Geer, and 叶濡畅 Ye Ruchang, script consultant 王红卫 Wang Hongwei, directed by 郭帆 / Frant Gwo (中影创意（北京）电影有限公司 / CFC Pictures Ltd, 郭帆（北京）影业有限公司 / G!Film (Beijing) Studio Co. Ltd, 北京登峰国际文化传播有限公司 / Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communication Co, Ltd, 中国电影股份有限公司 / China Film Co. Ltd)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who: “The Giggle”, written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Chanya Button (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television)

Loki: “Glorious Purpose”, screenplay by Eric Martin, Michael Waldron and Katharyn Blair, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Marvel / Disney+)

The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Peter Hoar (Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Those Old Scientists”, written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Jonathan Frakes (CBS / Paramount+)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Subspace Rhapsody”, written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Dermott Downs (CBS / Paramount+)

Doctor Who: “Wild Blue Yonder”, written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Tom Kingsley (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television)

Best Game or Interactive Work

Alan Wake 2, developed by Remedy Entertainment, published by Epic Games

Baldur’s Gate 3, produced by Larian Studios
Chants of Sennaar, developed by Rundisc, published by Focus Entertainment

DREDGE, developed by Black Salt Games, published by Team17

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, produced by Nintendo

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, developed by Respawn Entertainment, published by Electronic Arts

Best Professional Artist

Micaela Alcaino

Rovina Cai

Galen Dara

Dan Dos Santos

Tristan Elwell

Alyssa Winans

Best Fancast

The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe

Hugos There, presented by Seth Heasley

Octothorpe, by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty
Publishing Rodeo, presented by Sunyi Dean and Scott Drakeford

科幻Fans布玛 (Science Fiction Fans Buma), production team 布玛（Buma)，刘路（Liu Lu)，刘倡（Liu Chang)

Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Rowenna Miller, Cass Morris and Natania Barron

Best Fan Artist

​​Iain J. Clark

Sara Felix

Dante Luiz

Laya Rose

Alison Scott

España Sheriff

If you are voting this year, let me know your thoughts on the various categories (or individual works). If you're not a voter, but you have seen/heard/played/viewed some of the finalists on this list, feel free to comment on your assessment of them. Or is there anything you feel should have made the shortlist that didn't?

Comments

[schneefink]

I have not played any of the games; I heard good things about Dredge but I heard so many enthusiastic reviews of BG3 from my friends that I am tempted to vote for the category regardless.

I've watched three of the movies: I watched D&D: Honor Among Thieves three times because I loved it so much, so that's an easy choice. Though Nimona was also very good.

[dolorosa_12]

I don't play games, so I haven't enountered any of them (beyond just seeing their names in passing via others' discussions), so I won't vote in that category at all.

The film category is so hard, because it involves such different stuff — I've seen five of the nominated films and thought they were mostly all good at what they were trying to do. The D&D film was so much fun!

[thawrecka]

I've only watched two of the movies – The Wandering Earth II, which I found very moving, though its mix of nonsense science and use of SF tropes to comment on real issues is probably going to be annoying to anyone who wants hard SF, and Barbie, which left me cold (it was fine, I guess?). But given the buzz it got, I assume the Spider-verse movie has this category wrapped up.

[dolorosa_12]

I would have thought the same about the Spider-verse film, although kore in the comment below thinks that Poor Things will win. That category is hard — I've watched five out of the six films, and thought they were all good at what they were trying to do, but so different that it's impossible to compare them!

[kore]

I have seen like one of most categories, if that, lolsob. I don't really do podcasts.

The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time” should blow everything else out of the water. One of the best hours of TV I've ever seen, period. Loki or DW or ST will probably win I guess.

Not sure why Barbie is in there? Poor Things will probably win. I'm rooting for Spiderman!

Wonder Woman Historia was absolutely fucking gorgeous. A really beautiful book.

[dolorosa_12]

I've seen five films, none of the TV shows, read none of the comics, and like you I don't do podcasts and don't play video games, so I'm really struggling here too. Even in the category where I've seen almost all nominees, I'm finding it really hard since I think all the films were good at what they were trying to do, just really really different in a way that's impossible to compare...

[kore]

Even in the category where I've seen almost all nominees, I'm finding it really hard since I think all the films were good at what they were trying to do, just really really different in a way that's impossible to compare...

Yes! I have the same kind of problem in the related works field....but at least these are all movies.

[dolorosa_12]

Ah, Related Works, aka the 'let's shove everything that doesn't fit into another category here' category. I haven't got that far!

[trepkos]

Surprised to see Star Trek and Dr Who featuring! Not that I don't like them, but I thought the Hugos might look down on them, for some reason.

[dolorosa_12]

Both shows tend to be fairly permanent fixtures on the finalist list in that category every year, actually! It's so common that 'Best Dramatic Feature, Short-Form' is jokingly known as 'the Doctor Who Award.'

[hamsterwoman]

Graphic Story: I've read two, Saga and Bea Wolf, and Bea Wolf is going top of the list right now, because it is such a bonkers idea, but so well done -- I loved it! (I like Saga a lot, but that was definitely not my favorite volume of it.) I do intend to at least leaf through the others in the packet before voting is over, but we'll see if that actually happens...

BDP-LF: So far I've watched two things, D&D: HAT and Nimona, and I liked them both, but D&D: HAT is going at the top right now. I was very surprised to see a couple of movies included in the voter packet, so hopefully I will actually get around to watching Spider-Verse (I LOVED the first movie, but had been planning to watch 'Across' when the third one was already out, since several friends complained about the way it wasn't a full story) and at least check out Wandering Earth II.

I haven't watched any of the TV shows or played any of the games, so no opinions there. I do plan to check out some of the fancasts that are new to me, Octothorpe and Hugos There, because I've discovered some podcasts I like that way, but all of my actual favorites are either no longer eligible or have recused themselves, so I'm less excited about this category than, well, at any point since I started voting, really. (And I've already leafed through the pro and fan artist packets and done my rankings for those -- it's so nice to be able to check something off quickly! :)

[dolorosa_12]

You're way ahead of me when it comes to Graphic Story — I haven't read any of them — and I'm still making my mind up about the art. I don't game or listen to podcasts, so I have no opinions there, and weirdly I haven't watched any of the TV series either (I've seen earlier seasons of some of them, but nothing current).

So really the only category in this list about which I have firm opinions is Best Dramatic Presentation: Long-Form. I've seen five of the films, and liked them all, but they're so different that it's hard for me to compare them!

'I'm not sure' is quickly becoming my ranking in a lot of these categories!