The nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced!
The Eisner, named for comic book legend Will Eisner, is the highest honor a comic book publisher or creator can achieve in the industry. The awards are given out at a lavish ceremony during the San Diego Comic-Con and the nominations are decided upon by a small group of judges that changes every year. This year’s judges:
- Michael Cavna, award-winning writer, editor, and artist with The Washington Post, for which he writes the popular “Comic Riffs” cartoon blog.
- Charles Hatfield, professor of English at California State University, Northridge.
- Adam Healy, co-owner of Cosmic Monkey Comics in Portland, Oregon.
- Dr. Katie Monnin, assistant professor of literacy at the University of North Florida.
- Frank Santoro, author of the graphic novel Storeyville (published by Picturebox) and a columnist for The Comics Journal.
- John Smith, co-coordinator of the Attendee Registration Department, Comic-Con International: San Diego.
And the nominees are!
Best Short Story
- “A Birdsong Shatters the Still,” by Jeff Wilson and Ted May, in Injury #4 (Ted May/Alternative)
- “Elmview” by Jon McNaught, in Dockwood (Nobrow)
- “Moon 1969: The True Story of the 1969 Moon Launch,” by Michael Kupperman, in Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8 (Fantagraphics)
- “Moving Forward,” by drewscape, in Monsters, Miracles, & Mayonnaise (Epigram Books)
- “Rainbow Moment,” by Lilli Carré, in Heads or Tails (Fantagraphics)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
- Lose #4: “The Fashion Issue,” by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
- The Mire, by Becky Cloonan (self-published)
- Pope Hats #3, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
- Post York #1, by James Romberger and Crosby (Uncivilized Books)
- Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8, by Michael Kupperman (Fantagraphics)
Best Continuing Series
- Fatale, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
- Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
- The Manhattan Projects, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra (Image)
- Prophet, by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy (Image)
- Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)
Best New Series
- Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)
- Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
- Fatale, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
- Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
- Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
- Babymouse for President, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)
- Benny and Penny in Lights Out, by Geoffrey Hays (Toon Books/Candlewick)
- Kitty & Dino, by Sara Richard (Yen Press/Hachette)
- Maya Makes a Mess, by Rutu Modan (Toon Books/Candlewick)
- Zig and Wikki in The Cow, by Nadja Spiegelman and Trade Loeffler (Toon Books/Candlewick)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)
- Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)
- Amulet Book 5: Prince of the Elves, by Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastic)
- Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse, by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos (Archaia)
- Crogan’s Loyalty, by Chris Schweizer (Oni)
- Hilda and the Midnight Giant, by Luke Pearson (Nobrow)
- Road to Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
- Adventure Time: Marceline and the Scream Queens, by Meredith Gran (kaboom!)
- Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion)
- Ichiro, by Ryan Inzana (Houghton Mifflin)
- Spera, vol. 1, by Josh Tierney et al. (Archaia)
- A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)
Best Humor Publication
- Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)
- BBXX: Baby Blues Decades 1 & 2, by Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman (Andrews McMeel)
- Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
- Naked Cartoonists, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Best Digital Comic
- Ant Comic, by Michael DeForge
- Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover
- It Will All Hurt, by Farel Dalrymple
- Our Bloodstained Roof, by Ryan Andrews
- Oyster War, by Ben Towle
Best Anthology
- Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
- No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, edited by Justin Hall (Fantagraphics)
- Nobrow #7: Brave New World, edited by Alex Spiro and Sam Arthur (Nobrow)
- 2000 AD, edited by Matt Smith (Rebellion)
- Where Is Dead Zero?, edited by Jeff Ranjo (Where Is Dead Zero?)
Best Reality-Based Work
- Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion)
- The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank M. Young and David Lasky (Abrams ComicArts)
- A Chinese Life, by Li Kunwu and P. Ôtié (Self Made Hero)
- The Infinite Wait and Other Stories, by Julia Wertz (Koyama Press)
- Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me, by Ellen Forney (Gotham Books)
- You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart, by C. Tyler (Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Album—New
- Building Stories, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
- Goliath, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
- The Hive, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
- Unterzakhn, by Leela Corman (Schocken)
- You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart, by C. Tyler (Fantagraphics)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
- Chico and Rita, by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal (Self Made Hero)
- Homer’s Odyssey, adapted by Seymour Chwast (Bloomsbury)
- Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
- Road to Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
- A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
- Cruisin’ with the Hound, by Spain (Fantagraphics)
- Ed the Happy Clown, by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Everything Together: Collected Stories, by Sammy Harkham (PictureBox)
- Heads or Tails, by Lilli Carré (Fantagraphics)
- King City, by Brandon Graham (TokyoPop/Image)
- Sailor Twain, or The Mermaid in the Hudson by Mark Siegel (First Second)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
- Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim, vol. 2, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
- Mister Twee Deedle: Raggedy Ann’s Sprightly Cousin, by Johnny Gruelle, edited by Rick Marschall (Fantagraphics)
- Percy Crosby’s Skippy, vol. 1, edited by Jared Gardner and Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
- Pogo, vol. 2: Bona Fide Balderdash, by Walt Kelly, edited by Carolyn Kelly and Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
- Roy Crane’s Captain Easy: The Complete Sunday Newspaper Strips, vol. 3, edited by Rick Norwood (Fantagraphics)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
- Crime Does Not Pay Archives, edited by Philip Simon and Kitchen, Lind & Associates (Dark Horse)
- David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again: Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
- Wally Wood’s EC Stories: Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
- Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge: Only a Poor Old Man, by Carl Barks, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
- Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby’s Romance Comics, edited by Michel Gagné (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
- Abelard, by Régis Hautiere and Renaud Dillies (NBM)
- Athos in America, by Jason (Fantagraphics)
- Blacksad: Silent Hell, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)
- The Making of, by Brecht Evens (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Monsieur Jean: The Singles Theory, by Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian (Humanoids)
- New York Mon Amour, by Benjamin LeGrand, Dominique Grange, and Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
- Barbara, by Osamu Tezuka (Digital Manga)
- A Chinese Life, by Li Kunwu and P. Ôtié (Self Made Hero)
- Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
- Nonnonba, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Thermae Romae, by Mari Yamazaki (Yen Press/Hachette)
Best Writer
- Ed Brubaker, Fatale (Image)
- Matt Fraction, Hawkeye (Marvel); Casanova: Avaritia (Marvel Icon)
- Brandon Graham, Multiple Warheads, Prophet (Image)
- Jonathan Hickman, The Manhattan Projects (Image)
- Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)
- Frank M. Young, The Carter Family (Abrams ComicArts)
Best Writer/Artist
- Charles Burns, The Hive (Pantheon)
- Gilbert Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories, vol. 5 (Fantagraphics)
- Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories, vol. 5 (Fantagraphics)
- Luke Pearson, Hilda and the Midnight Giant, Everything We Miss (Nobrow)
- C. Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart (Fantagraphics)
- Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)
Best Penciller/Inker
- David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
- Becky Cloonan, Conan the Barbarian (Dark Horse); The Muse (self-published)
- Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
- Sean Phillips, Fatale (Image)
- Joseph Remnant, Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland (Zip Comics/Top Shelf)
- Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel); Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (IDW)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
- Brecht Evens, The Making Of (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)
- Teddy Kristiansen, The Red Diary/The RE[a]D Diary (MAN OF ACTION/Image)
- Lorenzo Mattotti, The Crackle of the Frost (Fantagraphics)
- Katsuya Terada, The Monkey King vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
Best Cover Artist
- David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
- Brandon Graham, King City, Multiple Warheads, Elephantmen #43 (Image)
- Sean Phillips, Fatale (Image)
- Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)
- J. H. Williams III, Batwoman (DC)
Best Coloring
- Charles Burns, The Hive (Pantheon)
- Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
- Brandon Graham, Multiple Warheads (Image)
- Dave Stewart, Batwoman (DC); Fatale (Image); BPRD, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy in Hell, Lobster Johnson, The Massive (Dark Horse)
- Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)
Best Lettering
- Paul Grist, Mudman (Image)
- Troy Little, Angora Napkin 2: Harvest of Revenge (IDW)
- Joseph Remnant, Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland (Zip Comics/Top Shelf)
- C. Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart (Fantagraphics)
- Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
- Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
- ComicsAlliance, edited by Joe Hughes, Caleb Goellner, and Andy Khouri
- The Comics Reporter, edited by Tom Spurgeon
- Robot Six, produced by Comic Book Resources
- tcj.com, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel (Fantagraphics)
Best Comics-Related Book
- The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist, edited by Alvin Buenaventura (Abrams ComicArts)
- Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics, by Dewey Cassell (TwoMorrows)
- Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe (HarperCollins)
- Mastering Comics, by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden (First Second)
- Team Cul De Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s, edited by Chris Sparks (Andrews McMeel)
- Woodwork: Wallace Wood 1927–1981, edited by Frédéric Manzano (CasalSolleric/IDW)
Best Educational/Academic Work
- Autobiographical Comics: Life Writing in Pictures, by Elisabeth El Refaie (University Press of Mississippi)
- Comics Versus Art, by Bart Beaty (University of Toronto Press)
- Crockett Johnson & Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature, by Philip Nel (University Press of Mississippi)
- Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass, by Susan E. Kirtley (University Press of Mississippi)
- The Poetics of Slumberland, by Scott Bukatman (University of California Press)
Best Publication Design
- Building Stories, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
- Dal Tokyo, designed by Gary Panter and Family Sohn (Fantagraphics)
- David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again: Artist’s Edition, designed by Randy Dahlk (IDW)
- Mister Twee Deedle: Raggedy Ann’s Sprightly Cousin, designed by Tony Ong (Fantagraphics)
- Wizzywig, designed by Ed Piskor and Chris Ross (Top Shelf)
Some quick thoughts on the nominations:
- This year the judges went super indie. Like, SUPER indie.
- For the second year in a row, DC Comics’ “The New 52” is almost entirely absent from the list, and the entire company itself garnered a whopping 3 nominations, 2 of which are for Best Cover Artist. They received no major nominations at all.
- With 18 nominations in total, it’s a good year to be Image Comics.
- Despite some fantastic Marvel NOW! books, most of Marvel Comics’ 8 nominations came from one (well-deserved) book: Hawkeye.
- With all the love for Saga on the list, a lack of a nomination for artist Fiona Staples seems like a pretty major oversight.
Nominations by company:
- Fantagraphics – 24
- Image Comics – 18
- Marvel Comics – 8
- IDW Publishing – 8
- Pantheon Press – 8
- Dark Horse Comics – 7
- Boom! Studios – 4
- Drawn & Quarterly – 5
- DC Comics – 3
- TwoMorrows – 2
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Really interested by some of the picks this year. Excited to see Bandette grab 4 nominations. I love Hawkeye and all but how is it up for both new and continuing? What are the parameters for those categories?
It is both a new and a continuing series.
Continuing meaning “ongoing,” not continuing from a previous year.
Okay, that’s what I figured. Just wasn’t sure.
Bandette has its first issue for free on comixology for those unfamiliar: http://www.comixology.com/Bandette-1/digital-comic/DIG001623
How the hell is Scott Snyder NOT nominated for Best Writer
2012 writing didn’t live up to 2011 output imho
He wasn’t nominated last year, or the year before that. I say we riot!
No Capullo either. SMH…
Hasn’t American Vampire been nominated multiple times?
Not in the last year or two. Not that I found.
While I totally adore Snyder and all of the work he puts out there, I think that at the end of the day, it’s reactions from his readers such as the ones we’re exhibiting right now that will matter most. I obviously can’t speak for Snyder, but if I was a critically-acclaimed comic book writer, with or without an award, I’d care a great deal about my readers emotional & personal investment in my work. It’s pretty clear that Snyder gets and appreciates what readers want, and the fact that we’re sticking up for him like this can’t be quantified with a ceremony and a gold award. Reader support and trust means more than any tangible award.To me, that’s what comics is all about.
I love Snyder and I can somewhat understand him not getting a nomination but Capullo was definitely snubbed on this one.
@Drewbacca. I’m not convinced that Snyder would not have wanted to see his name up there for Writer, or one of his books in there respective catagories, but that being said. I compleatly agree that we should keep showing him the love on this site, both in our comments in this and other articles, and in adding his books to our pull lists.
I also think its pretty hard to justify him not getting nominated this year “because it wasn’t as good as his 2011 writing” when he was snubbed in 2011 as well. Let’s face it, he should have been nominated both years. And while I think this years list of writers is very good, I would have absolutely no problem replacing anyone on that list with his name.
Can we just twirl our fingers in the air, say Saga a bunch of times, and get on to next year?
Best ongoing series, Writer and Penciler/Inker is a murderers row of fucking awesome.
Aja is pretty much a shoe-in for best cover artist right?
Man i wish Vegas did odds on this shit
I’m super happy to see some Adventure Time nominations! It’s such a fun comic, exactly the sort of thing I’d like to see more of in the market – and Ryan North seems like the Nicest Guy Ever. (Meredith Gran’s “Marceline” comic was pretty fantastic too!)
It’s a good time to be a comics fan, looking at this list.
Fatale well deserved,that book has been near perfect every month.
No Daredevil? No Batman? No New Avengers?
Daredevil was the belle of the ball last year, I think they felt it had most of its due, though Samnee is a strong contender in his category and all fans of the book should be thrilled he is getting the recognition he deserves. The story wasnt quite as compelling as year one imo.
It’s just odd to see it clean house last year, and get little to no love one year later.
Super-indie is a very polite way of saying out of touch with the general comics audience and incredibly niche in their choices. I’m not saying that everything on the list should split evenly according to market share but this is so perplexing in its obvious disregard for a lot of creators hard work. It smacks of a bunch of elitists embarrassed of the full gamut of choices our medium presents, only nominating what they think those outside comics would deem worthy.
Most of the people that like the Indie comics are reading it because they love comics so much. I don’t think anybody is embarrassed about commercial comics. I pull tons of Marvel books week to week and I would agree with the committee that these were the best comics in 2012. The only Marvel stuff outside of Hawkeye that would be worthy of being mentioned with those books are Marvel Now stuff and I don’t think they have been out long enough to be nominated against the other books. Also Michael DeForge is a big fucking deal as are a lot of these other books. This is 2012 in comics.
Which more mainstream books do you feel deserved nomination that didn’t get it? I’m trying to think of any but for the most part even really great mainstream comics from last year were kind of the tail end wrap ups of storylines from other years, or else they were Marvel Now books that are just getting started. I suppose you could make an argument for Snyder, but it seems like the reception of his second year on the book hasn’t been as sterling as the first.
“Indie comics” have been far and away the best comics been put out this whole year and have trounced the big 2 in terms of quality. I think they’ve got it spot on with simply Hawkeye and Daredevil among the conventional superhero nominees.
The elitist observation you make is completely absurd. 2012 seemed to be a real breakthrough for comics with so many readers trying new things. This list perfectly reflects what is happening in the world of comics.
As someone who still prefers superhero comics over most other comics, I am fine with the low amount of nominations Marvel and DC got.
Yes, Batman and Daredevil should have gotten more love. But for the most phess1 is right, 2012 was a transitional year for Marvel and DC. Not a lot of those companies books were worthy of Eisners.
There are a few quibbles I have (primarily why was Hickman nominated as best writer for just Manhattan Projects, as opposed to both Manhattan Projects AND Fantastic Four/FF) but for the most part Marvel and DC got the love they deserved.
Next year I expect we will see more Big 2, or at least Marvel, with how much ass Marvel Now is kicking.
@LeviHunt15 Was Hickman ever nominated for Fantastic Four/FF?
@phess: As I said there’s nothing at all wrong with indie books. I love indies! I don’t love this list which excludes a huge amount of other books. There is nothing approaching a balance.
@JML: Off the top of my head: Snyder is a favourite snub from the Eisners. His work on Batman and American Vampire both deserve some recognition. I’d add Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez on Locke and Key, as well as the team on the Hellboy and BPRD books as obviously mainstream books that have been overlooked. Bendis has reinvigorated the X-Men line. Aaron has done wonders for Thor. Brian Wood has been amazing over the past year. He has me reading Conan for gods sake! If that isn’t talent I don’t know what is! 😉
@microwave25: As much as you and I may enjoy a lot of the books listed they haven’t been the breakthrough books you claim, and certainly don’t merit acclaim over so many more deserving works that have been excluded.
@Levihunt15: Hickman not being listed as a FF writer is completely atypical of this elisitst attitude. It’s a superhero comic so in the committe’s eys it couldn’t have equal merit.
@davidtobin Idk I think if you were going to put any five random members of the comic industry together to list the five best comics of the year they would end up with a similar list. I don’t think it’s because they look down on super hero books I think its because if you are somebody that works with comics and is around comics all the time your naturally going to gravitate to something that is high quality and different. Plus for the most part I think those books are objectively better. Like I love Hickman on FF but his work on Manhattan Projects is a whole other level.
And another example: Daredevil from last year. What makes it stick out among the other high quality Super Hero books was that Waids take on DD was completely different to anything that came before and it was really well done. It’s more about doing something different then who publishes it.
I love Brubaker/ Phillips a lot, but isn’t it a little ridiculous to say that Fatale is one of the five best ongoing series in comics? I certainly think so.
There are much bigger misses on this list, and Fatale is a good book, so I don’t know why I’m singling it out like this. I guess I’m just really disappointed in the book compared to Criminal/Sleeper/ maybe even Incognito.
It’s not there best work together and as an individual I wouldn’t I have voted for that as my first choice but it is incredibly consistent and visually is’s as good as anything out there right now. If you are putting that up there for nomination in a committee I can see how it gets nominated.
I’m a huge fan of Bru and Phillips but there is no way they should be on the list with only one sporadically shipping book. Of the top of my head both Brian Wood and Mark Waid are more deserving of nominations in best writer. Wood has shown he has the chops to reinvigorate licenced works as well as producing some extremely thought provoking creator-owned work. Waid has been on fire for Marvel and is doing interesting things with Thrillbent that we may be looking back on in a number of years as an important milestone in the transition to digital.
Genuinely shocked that Fiona Staples wan’t nominated.
Totally agree with you.
Agreed.
That and Fury Max were the two biggest Snubs imho
It kills me to say it, and I could be incorrect on the qualifications, but the category is “Penciller/Inker”. Fiona does all her Saga art digitally. So perhaps they are being literal and she therefore does not qualify.
@ABirdseyesView. But she would qualify for the next two catagories, digital interior artist, and cover artist, and was not nominated in either. It’s close too a toss up for me, but I think I’m more disappointed about the covers, then the digital artist. I honestly feal that her 8 or 9 covers that were published for Saa in 2012 are consistently better then any other ongoing series.
On a bit of a side note, I had mentioned on the sie before that I also felt she should have made the short list as a Hugo artist this year. Sadly I was not able to convince enough other eliable voters, and she did not make the list. Although the first trade for Saga did make the list for graphic novel, something I thought was a lock, but glad to see anyway. I’m really curious too see the final numbers after the final voting/ awards are given out, to see how close she was to making the short list.
No mention of greg capullo or esad ribic?
Great to see 3 nominations for Nobrow, Hilda and the Midnight Giant, by Luke Pearson is utterly marvelous. I’m assuming that it only recently was published in the States, as I bought it 17 months ago.
Saga and Hawkeye better win something so I can say I own an eisner award winning book.
Congratulations to Becky Cloonan on her Eisner nods (“Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)” & “Best Penciller/Inker”). Her self-published, THE MIRE, was excellent and really demonstrates how deep her talent goes!
I was surprised to see that Jordie Bellaire did not make the list for “Best Coloring”. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before we she her name on the list.
A lot of amazing talent and comics on this year’s list.
She will definitely get the nod next year, I’m sure of it. She’s killing it in every one of her titles right now. I think a lot of her stuff has simply been too recent to make an impression for last year.
How about an iFanbase version of the Eisners? The iFannys? iFanboy staff nominates. iFanbase votes.
Like the old CBG or Wizard awards? That’d be pretty cool & fun . . .
It would skew more mainstream, but I think that’s kinda the point. It would reflect the tastes of the iFanboy community.
That sounds cool. I think most people would vote.
The iFannys! I’m on board.
But — why hasn’t iFanboy been nominated yet?!?! That’s the real travesty here…
Good idea.
Wasn’t there a “best book currently published” vote not long ago and Saga won? Not sure what all the fuss is about with this snubbing idea, seems like Saga has tons of love at the Eisner’s.
I’m happy that Brandom Graham got a lot of attention. He’s such a unique and odd voice in both Prophet and Multiple Warheads. Great artist as well, so much detail and weirdness. Yay 😀
Yeah Brandon Graham’s output was amazing last year. Also with Prophet, Multiple Warheads and King City all getting nominations it’s really cool that he went 3 for 3 this year. Very happy as well
Completely agree. Prophet was my favourite series of last year. Deserves a lot of recognition and praise for what he’s putting out.
I liked the art in Prophet but it made absolutely no since to me. I started midway and dropped it after 6 issues. I thought it was one of those books that feels cool to own but is painstaking to read.
I came here to say the same thing! Five nominations! So awesome. He totally deserves it. Multiple Warheads and Prophet both kick so much ass.
Graham definitely deserves the nominations. With such a unique voice in comics, I would love to see him walk home with more than one award.
5 nominations for Brandon Graham! Hell. Yes. Dude is cool as shit and puts out great work. I’m so happy to see him get some recognition. @jpriester, try reading the beginning. It may not be for everyone, but it is an EXCELLENT read, flows well and is very easy to look at. It’s told through 3 different POVs and the beginning sets the stage. I hope it wins some awards.
Well, personally, I’m happy to see Fatale included — it’s a great title.
Sad to see no recognition for Kindt and Mind MGMT, which, in my opinion, is the best series out there at the moment.
I agree that no nods for Snyder or Capullo for Batman is a big oversight. They deserve the honor (ignore the backlash).
Oh, and where’s Nowhere Men? Surely that should qualify for something . . ?
I so agree with Mind MGMT. That’s really unfortunate, I bet it was close to being nominated and Kindt definitely deserves a nomination.
Fatale should win some of these categories. Its seamless mix of genres and a compelling story makes it one of the books I look forward to every month. It’s horror without the needless gore that other stories deem necessary to put in each issue. Best of of luck to Brubaker and Phillips.
On the other hand, I don’t understand how Terry Moore is overlooked as best writer/ artist.
Its also interesting that DC got the middle finger from this organization seeing as how Vertigo still put out some good stuff this year. Oh well…
Talk about fringe..
Tell me about it.
HUGE oversights: Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT, much of DC’s output, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jeff Lemire, Batman, Lil’ Gotham, etc. I can go on and on. Not that the stuff nominated is not any good, but I have not read 90 percent or more of the stuff nominated. I am happy for Saga and Manhattan Projects though.
Coming from a staunch DC fand, there’s a reason DC haven’t been nominated, their entire line is average to dreadful. Batman has been good but when weighed up against the nominees in this list I don’t think it even comes close.
@ Microwave I think there’s an argument for Batman Inc but it’s hard to put up anything against what was nominated.
I’m surprised Mind MGMT wasn’t nominated with all the must read illectually stimulating book for me claims I’ve heard as well as a few others (still indie) Revival, Planetoid, BPRD which is consistently good from its inception. I’d have to agree that more indie/creator owned comics should be here and some big 2 or 4 in my opinion (Dark Horse & Image) have some overlooked works but most Marvel stuff deserving was either wrapping up or just starting and DC has been inconsistent as hell with quality story telling outside of two books I believe deserve more mention and that’s Earth-2 & JLDark, both have solid art, especially Nicola Scott and both have been good stories for me.Dave Stewart better win for best colorist, just look at his body of work, guys amazing, he enhances the best of artists. Venom & Captain Marvel are overlooked too. I’m really happy to see two books I really enjoyed own here and that’s Blacksad and Richard Stark Parker’s The Score. Saga & Manhattan are well deserved. Fear Agents Library Editions are quality all the way without mention. I’d also have to say many mini series got overlooked and don’t see how anyone can completely agree that these were the absolute best of 2012 unless they read everything published, even then it’s still opinion. Mars Attacks the Eisers!!!
On the media side of things I am genuinely gutted that John SIntrus and Word Balloon haven’t been nominated in Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism. I have to admit if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t of discovered so many fantastic Artists and writers and spread outside my Marvel sandbox. His work in creating an archive for the ages of creator interviews is unsurpassed in the industry and should be acknowledged.
Completely agree. It was a huge mistake for him to part ways with iFanboy. He really added an aspect to the site that the guys don’t do.
Hey not to be a dick because I get where the writer is coming from but I feel like the term “indie” is as meaningless to comics as it is to music at this point. Like Walking Dead is an independent comic and that book is the basis for the highest rated cable drama of all time and dominates sales charts. There’s a huge difference between that and what Michael DeForge is doing. Just think there needs to be a better distinction between different comics.
Further down the list, how dd Morrison’s Supergods not make it onto the ‘Best Comics-Related Book’ shortlist.
Such a fantastic read.
I think it was published in 2011.
“This year the judges went super indie. Like, SUPER indie.”
Err, I guess, but don’t the Eisner’s always skew this way?
Besides, I can’t really look at a category without seeing things like “Hickman”, “Faction”, “Saga”, “Hawkeye”.
I’m not really seeing how this is unusual or super-indie.
Observation: If there was just ONE nomination for the overratednesses that is Snyder’s Batman, none of you guys would be complaining about anything.
Yeah, I thought they were always super indie, too.
And honestly, I really don’t care who wins any of these awards, it’s really not going to influence what I buy anyway. I don’t even know what a lot of this stuff is that’s nominated. I don’t think these awards are the “highest honor a comic book publisher or creator can achieve in the industry”, no matter what they say.
But congrats to everybody being recognized for their work in a field I love.
@BCDX97: “I don’t think these awards are the ‘highest honor a comic book publisher or creator can achieve in the industry’, no matter what they say.”
Which awards do you imagine are more prestigious? Because I can tell you, from an industry perspective, the Eisners are the top.
I would say what the fans love means more than what these six people selected. Like someone talked about earlier, an IFanboy award would mean more to me than an Eisner – but I think most awards shows (Oscars, Grammys, etc) don’t mean much anyway.
I’m just saying, if this stuff is really the best of the best, how come so many of us haven’t heard of a lot of it? I think the crowd here is a pretty smart, picky group – but a lot of this stuff is just so off the beaten path.
BCDX97, totally and completely agree!
I can tell you what awards would be more prestigious; sales awards. This list reads like “A Hipster’s Guide to Modern Comics”, complete with terrible sales totals.
Hawkeye for everything available, pls
A lot of folks are complaining about snubs and misses from the Eisner noms, but I like to look at it as a list of some great comics to check out. How many of us can honestly say the books we’d like to see are better than what’s been nominated? I haven’t read a lot of stuff, so it’s unfair to make comparisons. Sure, we may feel different writers/artists deserved this or that, but with how quality everything’s been, it’s hard to narrow things down to just 5 or 6 choices that would satisfy everyone.
Personally, I’m looking forward to checking some of these out and passing my own judgement.
I agree. These lists constantly remind me that I need to continue expanding what I read in the comics world. It never ceases to amaze me when I pick up some “indie/ elitist/ fringe” Eisner winner from years back and it ends up being AWESOME, DEEP, REVEALING…everything that a good piece of literature or art is supposed to be, and so much better than most of what I am pulling at that moment. To wonder why this year’s work from Batman is not on there is reasonable (in the “everyone is entitled to an opinion” way), but to whine about it is somewhat naive, because odds are you havent read most of these nominations. This is about the MEDIUM and who is using it well and pushing its limits. I can’t wait to read some of this stuff.
I agree and wish others would embrace your positive attitude instead of looking for flaws.
I like your thoughts on this issue better than the ones I posted. Well said!
I couldn’t (and didn’t) have said it better myself
Where’s Scott Snyder and Fiona Staples ?
I’m not sure what the criteria they use for best new versus best ongoing but 3/5 of the books being the same is pretty stupid. Could have used Staples.
I agree with some that Snyder was good this year but was better last year.
I also think Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelatto put out nomination quality art on the flash.
I’m rooting for Jason to win Best U.S. Edition of International Material. Athos in America was a fantastic read and he deserves some Eisner love. Although I have a feeling Blacksad will get the award. Which I heard is a great series but I never had a chance to read it yet.
Also, I’m pulling for Manhattan Projects even though I’m sure Saga will also blow them away. But it would be awesome to see Nick Pitarra to get an Eisner after a short span since Hickman found him.
Why is their no best mini? I was hoping to see Punk Rock Jesus, it was one of the best comics I have read.
there*
Best Limited Series was dropped this year.
There’s a surprising amount of “I haven’t heard of it so it doesn’t belong on here” reactions.
I understand that not seeing a book you like on there is disappointing, but that doesn’t mean that that thing you haven’t read isn’t deserving.
Great list of nominees, look forward to catching up on the ones I’ve missed. Count me for #TeamHAWKGUY for as many as it can take.
Biggest snubs: Fiona Staples, and iFanboy for journalism. Both not only deserving of nominations, but arguably should win their categories. I was anticipating an impossible choice between Staples and Aja for pencils/inks, but, since she got snubbed, Aja all the way.
I’m rooting for Darth Vader and Son – it was really fun. My nephew liked it, too.
But I think his favorite comic is Axe Cop – too bad ass for the Eisners?
Then again, they did nominate a series with a giant ball sack creature.
Really glad to see Pope Hats #3 by Ethan Rilly nominated. For those of you who haven’t heard of it and are into more mainstream illustration/storytelling, you could definitely get into this.
I’ve hear that one is really good. Is it online anywhere or would I have to special order it from the publisher?
Depending on your local shop, you could probably pick it up in-person. Otherwise, yeah, you’d have to order it from the publisher. http://www.adhousebooks.com/comics/popehats3.html
Just for grins I’d like to see a Best Webcomic Nomination too.
This is my thought on a glaring omission.
Writer: Greg Rucka (Punisher)
Artist: Mark Chechetto (Punisher)
Ongoing: Punisher (Rucka and Chechetto)
So who is the nominating committee for the Eisners? Is it the judges, or some other body of people?
Who picks the judges or who picks the nominations?
I have never even heard of most of these books. I don’t care that I never read them. But I would think, as somebody who orders his comics by reading a giant Previews catalogue every month, that I would at least have heard of them before. Odd. And where is Fiona Staples?????
Am I the only one who thinks that China Miéville should have a gotten a nod for Dial H? A terribly under rated series. I think that if it were on Image it would be all the rage.
I thought a lot of people who read that book were underwhelmed. I know folks had high hopes when he started – I’ve glanced through it several times but have never been impressed to buy an issue.
Here’s a link to a short but somewhat enlightening article by judge Michael Cavna about the nomination process. Read into it what you will.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/2013-comic-con-eisners-awards-one-judges-diary-notes-on-the-wild-the-innocent-and-the-harbor-drive-tussle/2013/04/18/59d6fd4a-a7d8-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_blog.html#pagebreak