The Wendy Award - Walter Scott

The Wendy Award by Walter Scott / ISBN 9781770467415 / a 248-page paperback, 6.5 x 9 inches, published in 2024 by Drawn and Quarterly / b/w art

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When Wendy is nominated for the coveted National FoodHut Contemporary Art Prize alongside her friend Winona, all of her millennial dreams seem to be coming true. She lives a post-pandemic, polyamorous fine artist’s lifestyle in the big city and basks in the glory of national attention with the success of her popular comic strip, “Wanda."

But not even achieving bona fide art star fame can hide the truth: a never-ending struggle with imposter syndrome. After she cracks in an online interview and gets dragged in the comments section, she heads straight to a local watering hole to drown her sorrows. Several lines of coke, too many drinks, and one all night rager with fans later, Wendy is ready to curse Gen Z and confront her addictions. All the while, she and Winona drift apart as a younger Indigenous artist wedges herself between them. Will Wendy’s commitment to change wind up short-lived?

The Wendy Award incisively skewers the art world with its corporate overlords, performative activism, generational wealth, and weaponized therapy speak. A showcase of Walter Scott’s deft wit and social commentary, The Wendy Award asks the hard questions, like Do they still give awards to men? Should we be grateful for the exposure? And what exactly is Big Auntie Energy?

“Wendy and her pal Screamo are two of my favorite characters in all of Cartoondom. Wendy in particular is a Rube Goldberg machine of terrible decisions. She cannot and will not take the steps necessary to be a ‘success’ in the art world, or maybe any world. Engaging, profound, and funny.” ―Roz Chast

“Walter Scott has constructed a universe that reflects and distorts our culture with scathing precision. Hysterically funny while always insistent on hope―Wendy is an icon of modern longing.” ―Kate Berlant

“The Wendy Award is as funny and incisive as the rest of the series while capturing a distinctly post-2020 sense of isolation like nothing I’ve seen or read. Scott has a gift for finding grace in absurdity.” ―Tavi Gevinson

“Remarkable... a story of personal dissolution, betrayed friendship, and tentative recovery with a hefty cast of rich characters, but it’s almost purely comedic, drawn in a deliberately simple near-scrawl.” ―Sam Thielman, The New York Times

“Brilliant and painfully funny… Wendy is the authentic voice of a bewildered generation.” ―Rachel Cooke, The Guardian