The nominees for this year’s Eisner Awards have been revealed and include a number of terrific British creators, including John Allison, Jim Campbell, Alex de Campi, Al Ewing, Lee Garbett and Sean Phillips.

Once again, this year’s nominees in 31 categories reflect the wide range of material being published in the United States today in comics and graphic novel form, representing over 170 print and online titles from more than 50 publishers and produced by creators from all over the world.

I’m delighted to see, in particular, letterer Jim Campbell among the nominees, who I’ve worked with on many projects and always been hugely impressed by his work, and his dedication to his craft.

(In addition to the work he’s been nominated for, Jim also letters Crucible, the SF adventures drawn by 2000AD artist Smuzz, the current adventure written by myself and Smuzz).

It’s also a delight to see a well deserved nomination for the brilliant adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary by Ari Folman and David Polonsky, which regular readers may recall I enthused about here on downthetubes a while back.

The winners will be announced at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Voting for the awards is held online, and the ballot will be available at www.eisnervote.com. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote..

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are presented by the San Diego Comic Convention (Comic-Con International), a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the general public’s awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums, and other public outreach activities which celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.

Best Short Story

• “Get Naked in Barcelona,” by Steven T. Seagle and Emei Olivia Burrell, in Get Naked (Image)
• “The Ghastlygun Tinies,” by Matt Cohen and Marc Palm, in MAD magazine #4 (DC)
• “Here I Am,” by Shaun Tan, in I Feel Machine (SelfMadeHero)
• “Life During Interesting Times,” by Mike Dawson (The Nib)
• “Supply Chains,” by Peter and Maria Hoey, in Coin-Op #7 (Coin-Op Books)
• “The Talk of the Saints,” by Tom King and Jason Fabok, in Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

• Beneath the Dead Oak Tree, by Emily Carroll (ShortBox)
• Black Hammer: Cthu-Louise, by Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox (Dark Horse)
• No Better Words, by Carolyn Nowak (Silver Sprocket)
• Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310, by Chip Zdarsky (Marvel)
• The Terrible Elisabeth Dumn Against the Devils In Suits, by Arabson, translated by James Robinson (IHQ Studio/ Image)

Best Continuing Series

• Batman, by Tom King et al. (DC)
• Black Hammer: Age of Doom, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and Rich Tommaso (Dark Horse)
• Gasolina, by Sean Mackiewicz and Niko Walter (Skybound/Image)
• Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julaa Madrigal (BOOM! Box)
• The Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José (Marvel)
• Runaways, by Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka (Marvel)

Best Limited Series

• Batman: White Knight, by Sean Murphy (DC)
• Eternity Girl, by Magdalene Visaggio and Sonny Liew (Vertigo/DC)
• Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, by Mark Russell, Mike Feehan, and Mark Morales (DC)
• Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)
• X-Men: Grand Design: Second Genesis, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)

Best New Series

• Bitter Root, by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
• Crowded, by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image)
• Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image)
• Isola, by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl (Image)
• Man-Eaters, by Chelsea Cain, Lia Miternique and Kate Niemczyk (Image)
• Skyward, by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

• Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Petals, by Gustavo Borges (KaBOOM!)
• Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths, by Graham Annable (First Second)
• This Is a Taco! By Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley (CubHouse/Lion Forge)
• Tiger Vs. Nightmare, by Emily Tetri (First Second)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)

• Aquicorn Cove, by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
• Be Prepared, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
• The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell (Knopf/Random House Children’s Books)
• Crush, by Svetlana Chmakova (JY/Yen Press)
• The Divided Earth, by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17)

• All Summer Long, by Hope Larson (Farrar Straus Giroux)
• Gumballs, by Erin Nations (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Middlewest, by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona (Image)
• Norroway, Book 1: The Black Bull of Norroway, by Cat Seaton and Kit Seaton (Image)
• The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang (First Second)
• Watersnakes, by Tony Sandoval, translated by Lucas Marangon (Magnetic/Lion Forge)

Best Humour Publication

• Get Naked, by Steven T. Seagle et al. (Image)
• Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julia Madrigal (BOOM! Box)
• MAD magazine, edited by Bill Morrison (DC)
• A Perfect Failure: Fanta Bukowski 3, by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics)
• Woman World, by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Anthology

• Femme Magnifique: 50 Magnificent Women Who Changed the World, edited by Shelly Bond (Black Crown/IDW)
• Puerto Rico Strong, edited by Marco Lopez, Desiree Rodriguez, Hazel Newlevant, Derek Ruiz, and Neil Schwartz (Lion Forge)
• Twisted Romance, edited by Alex de Campi (Image)
• Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas, edited by Will Dennis, curated by J. H. Williams III and Wendy Wright-Williams (Image)

Best Reality-Based Work

• All the Answers: A Graphic Memoir, by Michael Kupperman (Gallery 13)
• All the Sad Songs, by Summer Pierre (Retrofit/Big Planet)
• Is This Guy For Real? The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, by Box Brown (First Second)
• Monk! by Youssef Daoudi (First Second)
• One Dirty Tree, by Noah Van Sciver (Uncivilized Books)

Best Graphic Album — New

• Bad Girls, by Alex de Campi and Victor Santos (Gallery 13)
• Come Again, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 1, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman (DC)
• Homunculus, by Joe Sparrow (ShortBox)
• My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
• Sabrina, by Nick Drnaso (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album — Reprint

• Berlin, by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Girl Town, by Carolyn Nowak (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Upgrade Soul, by Ezra Claytan Daniels (Lion Forge)
• The Vision hardcover, by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, and Michael Walsh (Marvel)
• Young Frances, by Hartley Lin (AdHouse Books)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

• Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Ari Folman and David Polonsky (Pantheon)
• “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection, adapted by Junji Ito, translated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
• Out in the Open by Jesús Carraso, adapted by Javi Rey, translated by Lawrence Schimel (SelfMadeHero)
• Speak: The Graphic Novel, by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll (Farrar Straus Giroux)
• To Build a Fire: Based on Jack London’s Classic Story, by Chabouté (Gallery 13)

Best US Edition of International Material

• About Betty’s Boob, by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau, translated by Edward Gauvin (Archaia/BOOM!)
• Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World, by Pénélope Bagieu, translated by Montana Kane (First Second)
• Herakles Book 1, by Edouard Cour, translated by Jeremy Melloul (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• Niourk, by Stefan Wul and Olivier Vatine, translated by Brandon Kander and Diana Schutz (Dark Horse)
• A Sea of Love, by Wilfrid Lupano and Grégory Panaccione (Magnetic/Lion Forge)

Best US Edition of International Material — Asia

• Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition, by Tsutomu Nihei, translated by Sheldon Drzka (VIZ Media)
• Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, by Inio Asano, translated by John Werry (VIZ Media)
• Laid-Back Camp, by Afro, translated by Amber Tamosaitis (Yen Press)
• My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, by Nie Jun, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe/Lerner)
• Tokyo Tarareba Girls, by Akiko Higashimura (Kodansha)

Best Archival Collection/Project — Strips

• Pogo, vol. 5: Out of This World At Home, by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Sunday Strips in Color (1959–1960), by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Ferran Delgado (Amigo Comics)
• Star Wars: Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 3, by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, edited by Dean Mullaney (Library of American Comics/IDW)
• The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Words and Worlds of Herbert Crowley, by Justin Duerr (Beehive Books
• Thimble Theatre and the Pre-Popeye Comics of E. C. Segar, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)

Best Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books

• Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman Deluxe Edition, edited by Paul Levitz (DC)
• Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and Moon Knights… And Assassins… Artifact Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
• Dirty Plotte: The Complete Julie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Madman Quarter Century Shindig, by Mike Allred, edited by Chris Ryall (IDW)
• Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise Gallery Edition, edited by Bob Chapman, Joseph Melchior, and Terry Moore (Abstract Studio/Graphitti Designs)
• Will Eisner’s A Contract with God: Curator’s Collection, edited by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Writer

• Alex de Campi, Bad Girls (Gallery 13); Twisted Romance (Image)
• Tom King, Batman, Mister Miracle, Heroes in Crisis, Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)
• Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Doctor Star & the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, Quantum Age (Dark Horse); Descender, Gideon Falls, Royal City (Image)
• Mark Russell, Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, Green Lantern/Huckleberry Hound, Lex Luthor/Porky Pig (DC); Lone Ranger(Dynamite)
• Kelly Thompson, Nancy Drew (Dynamite); Hawkeye, Jessica Jones, Mr. & Mrs. X, Rogue & Gambit, Uncanny X-Men, West Coast Avengers (Marvel)
• Chip Zdarsky, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel Two-in-One(Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist

• Sophie Campbell, Wet Moon (Oni)
• Nick Drnaso, Sabrina (Drawn & Quarterly)
• David Lapham, Lodger (Black Crown/IDW); Stray Bullets (Image)
• Nate Powell, Come Again (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Tony Sandoval, Watersnakes (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• Jen Wang, The Prince and the Dressmaker (First Second)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Matías Bergara, Coda (BOOM!)
• Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)
• Karl Kerschl, Isola (Image)
• Sonny Liew, Eternity Girl (Vertigo/DC)
• Sean Phillips, Kill or Be Killed, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies (Image)
• Yanick Paquette, Wonder Woman Earth One, vol. 2 (DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Lee Bermejo, Batman: Damned (DC)
• Carita Lupatelli, Izuna Book 2 (Humanoids)
• Dustin Nguyen, Descender (Image)
• Gregory Panaccione, A Sea of Love (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• Tony Sandoval, Watersnakes (Magnetic/Lion Forge)

Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers)

• Jen Bartel, Blackbird (Image); Submerged (Vault)
• Nick Derington, Mister Miracle (DC)
• Karl Kerschl, Isola (Image)
• Joshua Middleton, Batgirl and Aquaman variants (DC)
• Julian Tedesco, Hawkeye, Life of Captain Marvel (Marvel)

Best Colouring

• Jordie Bellaire, Batgirl, Batman (DC); The Divided Earth (First Second); Days of Hate, Dead Hand, Head Lopper, Redlands (Image); Shuri, Doctor Strange(Marvel)
• Tamra Bonvillain, Alien 3 (Dark Horse); Batman, Doom Patrol (DC); Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Multiple Man (Marvel)
• Nathan Fairbairn, Batman, Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman Earth One, vol. 2 (DC); Die!Die!Die! (Image)
• Matt Hollingsworth, Batman: White Knight (DC): Seven to Eternity, Wytches (Image)
• Matt Wilson, Black Cloud, Paper Girls, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); The Mighty Thor, Runaways (Marvel)

Best Lettering

• David Aja, Seeds (Berger Books/Dark Horse)
• Jim Campbell, Breathless, Calexit, Gravetrancers, Snap Flash Hustle, Survival Fetish, The Wilds (Black Mask); Abbott, Alice: Dream to Dream, Black Badge,Clueless, Coda, Fence, Firefly, Giant Days, Grass Kings, Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass, Low Road West, Sparrowhawk (BOOM); Angelic (Image); Wasted Space (Vault)
• Alex de Campi, Bad Girls (Gallery 13); Twisted Romance (Image)
• Jared Fletcher, Batman: Damned (DC); The Gravediggers Union, Moonshine, Paper Girls, Southern Bastards (Image)
• Todd Klein— Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald (Dark Horse); Batman: White Night (DC); Eternity Girl, Books of Magic (Vertigo/DC); The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest (Top Shelf/IDW)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows)
• The Columbus Scribbler, edited by Brian Canini, Jack Wallace, Steve Steiner, and Derek Baxter columbusscribbler.com
• Comicosity, edited by Aaron Long and Matt Santori,  www.comicosity.com
• LAAB Magazine #0: Dark Matter, edited by Ronald Wimberley and Josh O’Neill (Beehive Books)
• PanelxPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com

Best Comics-Related Book

• Comic Book Implosion: An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978, by Keith Dallas and John Wells (TwoMorrows)
• Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists, by Martha H. Kennedy (University Press of Mississippi)
• The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, by Jon Morris (Quirk Books)
• Mike Grell: Life Is Drawing Without an Eraser, by Dewey Cassell with Jeff Messer (TwoMorrows)
• Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography — Beyond the Fantasy, by Florent Gorges, translated by Laure Dupont and Annie Gullion (Dark Horse)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

• Between Pen and Pixel: Comics, Materiality, and the Book of the Future, by Aaron Kashtan (Ohio State University Press)
• Breaking the Frames: Populism and Prestige in Comics Studies, by Marc Singer (University of Texas Press)
• The Goat-Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics, by Eddie Campbell (Library of American Comics/IDW/Ohio State University Press)
• Incorrigibles and Innocents, by Lara Saguisag (Rutgers Univeristy Press)
• Sweet Little C*nt: The Graphic Work of Julie Doucet, by Anne Elizabeth Moore (Uncivilized Books)

Best Publication Design

• A Sea of Love, designed by Wilfrid Lupano, Grégory Panaccione, and Mike Kennedy (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• The Stan Lee Story Collector’s Edition, designed by Josh Baker (Taschen)
• The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Worlds of Herbert Crowley, designed by Paul Kepple and Max Vandenberg (Beehive Books)
• Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise Gallery Edition, designed by Josh Beatman/Brainchild Studios/NYC, (Abstract Studio/Graphitti Designs)
• Will Eisner’s A Contract with God: Curator’s Collection, designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Digital Comic

• Aztec Empire, by Paul Guinan, Anina Bennett, and David Hahn, www.bigredhair.com/books/Aztec-empire/
• The Führer and the Tramp, by Sean McArdle, Jon Judy, and Dexter Wee, http://thefuhrerandthetramp.com/
• The Journey, by Pablo Leon (Rewire), https://rewire.news/article/2018/01/08/rewire-exclusive-comic-journey/
• The Stone King, by Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook (comiXology Originals)  https://cmxl.gy/Stone-King
• Umami, by Ken Niimura (Panel Syndicate), http://panelsyndicate.com/comics/umami

Best Webcomic

• The Contradictions, by Sophie Yanow, www.thecontradictions.com
• Lavender Jack, by Dan Schkade (WEBTOON), https://www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/lavender-jack/list?title_no=1410&page=1
• Let’s Play, by Mongie (WEBTOON), https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/letsplay/list?title_no=1218&page=1
• Lore Olympus, by Rachel Smythe, (WEBTOON), https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/list?title_no=1320&page=1
• Tiger, Tiger, by Petra Erika Nordlund, (Hiveworks) http://www.tigertigercomic.com/

The deadline for voting is June 14. The results of the voting will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 19 at a gala awards ceremony at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. Jackie Estrada is the Eisner Awards Administrator

• There are more details of the Awards here on the Comic-Con web site

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, US Comics

Tags: Al Ewing, Alex de Campi, Awards, downthetubes News, Eisner Awards, Jim Campbell, John Allison, Lee Garbett, San Diego Comic Con, Sean Phillips