The Eighth Annual Ignatz Awards were handed out at SPX (Small Press Expo) 2004 and Craig Thompson, who has already collected an Eisner Award and three Harveys for his mammoth Blankets graphic novel (published by Top Shelf), added Ignatz Awards for Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Graphic Novel to his growing collection. 

Other key Ignatz winners included Carla Speed McNeil, who won Outstanding Series for Finder (published by Lightspeed Press, and Dan Clowes, who won Outstanding Comic for Eightball #23 (Fantagraphics).  Kevin Huizenga took home the Outstanding Story award for 'Glenn Ganges' (published by Drawn and Quarterly), while Lauren Weinstein took the Promising New Talent category thanks to her Kramer's Ergot #4 (published by Alternative Comics).

Gabrielle Bell won Outstanding Minicomic for her self-published Lucky #3, while James Kochalka took Outstanding Online Comic for American Elf and Dave Roman and John Green won Outstanding Debut for Teen Boat #6: Vote Boat (Cryptic Press).