Gay superhero comic book Spandex has been nominated for an Eagle Award.

The comic book revolves around the Spandex team, which is led by Liberty, the world's first transvestite superhero. The remaining 6 team members – Glitter, Prowler, Diva, Indigo, Butch and Neon – are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Spandex, the creation of illustrator Martin Eden, debuted last November and is nominated in the Best British Color Comic Book category.

“I'm completely shocked and I really didn't expect it,” said Eden. “I'm so proud of my comic and I'm really trying to do things that have never been done in a comic before.”

The series' second issue recently arrived in comic bookstores.

The Spandex team's second adventure begins at Buckingham Palace, where the Queen's crown jewels have been burglarized.

“The Brighton-based gay-team then head[s] to Japan to recover the crown jewels and replace a fallen team-mate,” the book's description says. “There, they face the formidable swords of the Pink Ninja, the terrifying Gayzilla, and they recruit Neon, the world's first gay, fluorescent ninja!”

“The original plan was to publish issue one, and then work on a bigger book,” said Martin, “but after global media attention, it was just too exciting to wait.”

The annual Eagle Awards are presented during the UK's Comic Expo in the fall.