Jennifer Swartwood-Walker has won the 2024 American Legacy Book Award for Best Graphic Novel with her, The Ferrokin Origin series. The award went to Swartwood-Walker for her dedication to innovative storytelling and captivating narrative.
In addition, the narration about the award went on to say, “Amidst fierce competition from authors and publishers worldwide, Theory Comics stands out as a beacon of excellence in the literary community. Founder and winner of the award, Jennifer Swartwood-Walker, expresses gratitude to the American Book Fest and the esteemed panel of judges for the honor.” The American Legacy Book Awards are an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for outstanding literary achievement. According to a recent press release it is a writers’ award given to other writers.
Jennifer originally wrote The Ferrokin series, beginning with the first of her books in 2015. She followed with another in the next three years to complete the four-novel set. In 2023 (the year of the award), she republished the series with additional content. In the author’s words, the series is about your normal super hero.
Jennifer began her road to the American Legacy Book Award near the end of her senior year in college when her graphic design teacher encouraged her to do a comic book for her final project of the year. Jennifer was immediately excited and said she wanted to do a comic using Batman.
Her teacher told her she couldn’t use copyrighted material and said, “Create your own super hero.”
“I can do that,” Jennifer replied. The 30-page production she turned in was the back story to her first novel. In addition to creating the superhero, Jennifer has set herself apart from the majority of novel producers by her time and research on the science in the background of all of her novels.
Jennifer began the process of creating one novel a year and began to gain notoriety in the field. She attended Comic-Cons, conventions of like-minded writers, creators and people just interested in the comics. Many of the actors in graphic novels adapted to the big screen are required, contractually, to attend the events.
At a Denver Comic-Con Jennifer met Stan Lee, the now deceased creator of a large number of the Marvel characters.
She has met Jim Davis, creator of Garfield, which was the first comic she loved.
She met Frank Miller, perhaps the most influential author ever in taking the campy, lighthearted comic book and making it a graphic novel. He is most famous for The Dark Night Returns and Sin City. The Dark Night Returns is not only Jennifer’s favorite graphic novel, but perhaps a generation’s.
Over the years she has met others: Adam West (TV’s Batman), Jason Momoa, the cast of Star Trek, the cast of Arrow, Joe Bernthal and others.
Jennifer is invited to the San Diego Comic-Con in late July, 2024. The 2023 event in San Diego attracted nearly 170,000 people.
“San Diego is more an international networking event, while the Denver and Colorado Springs Comic-Con are more of a get a booth and make your work available kind of event. This year’s Denver event, which drew over 100,000 people last year, is the July 4th weekend. The Colorado Springs event is August 25-27.
Jennifer had been invited to the New York Comic-Con several times, but has not attended yet because she would need at least four people she trusts to market her book and the people she would like to have on board have jobs and families which would make it difficult.
In 2020, Jennifer wrote the first of two novels in the Nevermore series. She completed the series in 2022. Nevermore, according to one fan, reminds them of an episode of the television show “Forensic Files” about a serial killer. By the end of 2024 or early in 2025, Jennifer plans on publication of the first of probably three novels in a series called Devour which is scheduled to be a modern take on zombies.
Jennifer has also created some statuettes in limited edition runs which she markets at the Comic-Cons she attends. She acknowledges that she would love to do the productions full time but cited the large amount of marketing dollars that it would require along with the fact that, “I would never see my husband.”
Certainly, it would seem that there will be more times in the future that you pull up an award list in the Graphic Novel Category and see what aficionados saw this year: Graphic Novel Winner
The Ferrokin Origin
by Jennifer Swartwood-Walker Theory Comics LLC For more information you can go to theorycomics.com or swartwoodwalker.com