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Important Information Regarding Programs and Autographs at Comic-Con
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Nominees Announced for 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Nominations Span Full Range of Works
Online Voting is Now Closed!
SAN DIEGO -- Comic-Con International (Comic-Con) is proud to announce the
nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2011. The nominees, chosen
by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, reflect the wide range of material being
published in comics and graphic novel form today, from heartfelt
autobiographical works to books aimed at kids and teens to deluxe hardcover
archival editions. Unlike in past years, superheroes are very much in the
minority in this year's selections.
Topping the 2011 nominees with 5 nominations is Return of the Dapper Men, a
fantasy hardcover by writer Jim McCann and artist Janet Lee, published by
Archaia. It has nods for Best Publication for Teens, Best Graphic Album–New,
Best Writer, Best Artist, and Best Publication Design. Two comics series have 4
nominations: Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (published by
Shadowline/Image) and Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (published
by IDW). A variety of titles have received 3 nominations, including the manga
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys (VIZ Media), John Layman and Rob Guillory's
series Chew (Image), Daniel Clowes's graphic novel Wilson (Drawn & Quarterly),
and Mike Mignola's Hellboy titles (Dark Horse).
The creator with the most nominations is Mignola with 5 (including cover
artist), followed by Spencer and Hill, each with 4. Several creators have 3:
McCann & Lee, Rodriquez, Urasawa, and Clowes, plus writer Ian Boothy (for Comic
Book Guy: The Comic Book and other Bongo titles) and cartoonist Jimmy Gownley
(for Best Publication for Kids plus coloring and lettering on his Amelia Rules!
series). A record 15 creators have 2 nominations each.
DC Comics has the most nominations for a publisher, with its various imprints
(DCU, Vertigo, WildStorm) garnering 14 nominations (plus 3 shared). The DC
Universe has 5 of those nominations, while the Vertigo imprint has 9, all spread
among multiple titles and creators. In addition, 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art
of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz, published by TASCHEN, has two nominations.
The publishers emerging with the second-most nominations this year with 12 each
are Image (led by Chew and Morning Glories) and IDW, which in addition to Locke
& Key has double nods for four titles: Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's
Edition, Polly & Her Pals Sundays, and Darwyn Cooke's Parker: The Outfit. Close
behind with 11 nominations each are alt/indy comics publishers Fantagraphics and
Drawn & Quarterly. Fantagraphics dominates the U.S. Edition of International
Material category with 3 nominees and has 2 nominations each for Carol Tyler's
You'll Never Know: Collateral Damage and Jacques Tardi's It Was the War of the
Trenches. Besides Wilson, D&Q is on the ballot with two nominations each for
Lynda Barry's Picture This, James Sturm's Market Day, and Chris Ware's Acme
Novelty Library 20.
Other publishers with multiple nominations include Dark Horse (9, plus 2
shared), Archaia (9), VIZ Media (4), and Marvel (3, plus 2 shared); six
publishers with 3 nominations: Abrams Comicarts, Bongo, Atheneum/Simon &
Schuster, First Second, NBM, and Scholastic/Graphix; and five with 2
nominations: Abstract Studio (Terry Moore's Echo), Disney/Hyperion, McClelland &
Stewart (Scott Chantler's Three Generals), TASCHEN, and Vertical. Another two
dozen publishers had 1 nomination each. Notably, many of these publishers are
mainstream publishing houses and not standard comics industry companies. In
addition to the ones mentioned above, they include Amulet Books, Andrews McMeel,
Bloomsbury, Crown, Fulcrum Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Lee & Low, The
Library of America, and Yale University Press.
Among this year's nontraditional "discoveries" by the judges are Seymour
Chwast's adaptation of Dante's Divine Comedy (Bloomsbury), the "mocumentary"
Finding Frank and His Friends by "Clarence 'Otis' Dooley" (Curio & Co.), the
Native American anthology Trickster (Fulcrum), Lucidity Press's The Anthology
Project, and cartoonist Dave Kellett's Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing
Against TV Since 1953.
Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are in their 23rd
year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic
novels. The 2011 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of comics store rep John
Berry (Metropolis Comics, Bellflower, California), Comic-Con board of director
Ned Cato (geekroundtable.com), librarian Karen Green (Columbia University),
comics writer/editor Andy Helfer (The Shadow; Paradox Press), publishing
consultant Rich Johnson (previously with DC Comics and Yen Press), and retail
manager Chris Powell (Lone Star Comics, Dallas, Texas).
Ballots with this year's nominees have gone out to comics creators, editors,
publishers, and retailers. The results in all categories will be announced
in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 22 at Comic-Con International.
Voting in one Eisner Awards category, the Hall of Fame, is already completed.
The judges chose the nominees earlier this year, and voting was conducted solely
online, with voting ending on March 24.
The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, a
nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and
appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the
presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing
contributions of comics to art and culture. Jackie Estrada has been
administrator of the Awards since 1990. She can be reached at
jackie@comic-con.org.
The 2011 Will Eisner
Comic Industry Award Nominees
What the Judges Had to Say
It was such an honor to be chosen as an Eisner judge. It will forever be a
highlight in my career in comics. The submissions were wonderful, so diverse,
and I was pleased to be exposed to books that I might never have known about.
Judging the children's and teen categories was just up my alley. I am in charge
of our children's section at Metropolis Comic Book Store in Bellflower,
California, and I was surprised that there were so many books that were entered
for our review. The task seemed daunting, but after many long hours of reading
and debates, we came up with a solid list of finalists. I was also so thrilled
to meet the other judges who came from different parts of the United States to
be a part of this wonderful award process.
I am one lucky geek. I was bestowed a great honor and responsibility. I got to
help choose the books that will be talked about for the next year. I got to meet
five incredibly smart and funny people. Reading an incredible amount of great
books and stories was an experience I will never forget. The books that made the
biggest impact on me were the ones that had a minimum of dialog and let the art
speak. The reality-based books also really resonated with me. But I think the
kids and teen books are this year's stars. I hope we did all the wonderful
artists and writers justice in our picks.
Although I'd been reading as much as I could get my hands on before the judges'
weekend, it was still incredibly daunting to see the sheer volume of material
that was submitted for consideration. Even more daunting was how high the
quality was of so much of it. If we could have expanded the nominees for most
categories to ten, instead of the five or six we chose, it would still have been
an incredibly strong slate of nominees. Reading over the final list, however,
I'm struck by how diverse and compelling all the nominees are. It's a wonderful
reflection on the variety and quality of work that that comics creators are
producing. The medium truly contains multitudes.
Having never expected to be an Eisner judge, I was especially flattered to be
asked to join the select few in making this year's final awards selections. The
task of boiling down the hundreds of potential candidates to a manageable number
that fit neatly into 28 categories was a daunting but not insurmountable
task—all it took was months of preparatory reading, culminating in a four-day
feast of nonstop comics gorging while sequestered in a San Diego hotel, our
collective butts planted in the world's most uncomfortable chairs. If not for
the quality of the material and the companionship of my fellow judges, I'm not
certain I could have survived the experience. Call it what you will -- comic book
boot camp, graphic novel sweat lodge, dance band on the Titanic -- by the end of
the weekend, the experience, and the new friends made, was unforgettable. My
only regret is that the privilege of being an Eisner judge is a one-time-only
honor; if I had my way, I'd do it again and again...
Being a judge for the Eisner Awards is sublime torture. After months of reading
comics and graphic novels. you find yourself sitting in an incredible hotel that
overlooks the bay in downtown San Diego, in a meeting room surrounded by piles
and piles of more comics and graphic novels that you need to read. The call of
the water and the city rings in your ear, but you are here to do a job, so you
grab a stack of books and start reading. And then the realization comes over
you: you have been selected to search for the best of the best in comics and
graphic novels for the past year, and that is an honor. You get a chance to see
the incredible work that has been published and how the medium has grown and
expanded. One minute you're reading one of the many graphic novels for kids, the
next you are laughing out loud at one of the nominees for best humor
publication, and then you find yourself holding back the tears from a truly
moving graphic memoir. You come up for air and look around the room and see the
deluxe hardcover collection of superhero comics you read as a kid, an art book
by one of your favorite artists, and think the ocean and the city can wait,
you're busy reading comics. Not a bad weekend at all.
Working with comics every day, it's easy to lose sight of the amazing amount of
quality work produced throughout the year from publishers large and small. In
one weekend, I found several new creators and series to follow and was reminded
how important and emotionally powerful comics can be, too. I'm sure every year's
judges think that they had the hardest time selecting the nominees, but I'm sure
this year was really the toughest. There have just been so many amazing comics
and graphic novels that push the boundaries of what we think comics can be, it
was a neat experience.
Best Short Story
- "Bart on the Fourth of July," by Peter Kuper, in Bart Simpson #54 (Bongo)
- "Batman, in Trick for the Scarecrow," by Billy Tucci, in DCU Halloween Special 2010 (DC)
- "Cinderella," by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo, in Fractured Fables (Silverline Books/Image)
- "Hamburgers for One," by Frank Stockton, in Popgun vol. 4 (Image)
- "Little Red Riding Hood," by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d'Errico, in Fractured Fables (Silverline Books/Image)
- "Post Mortem," by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, in I Am an Avenger #2 (Marvel)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
- The Cape, by Joe Hill, Jason Ciaramella, and Zack Howard (IDW)
- Fables #100, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and others (Vertigo/DC)
- Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
- Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #1: "Sparrow," by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
- Unknown Soldier #21: "A Gun in Africa," by Joshua Dysart and Rick Veitch (Vertigo/DC)
Best Continuing Series
- Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
- Echo, by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)
- Locke & Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
- Morning Glories, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (Shadowline/Image)
- Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
- Scalped, by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guéra (Vertigo/DC)
Best Limited Series
- Baltimore: The Plague Ships, by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck (Dark Horse)
- Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love, by Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus (Vertigo/DC)
- Daytripper, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Vertigo/DC)
- Joe the Barbarian, by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy (Vertigo/DC)
- Stumptown, by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth (Oni)
Best New Series
- American Vampire, by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque (Vertigo/DC)
- iZombie, by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred (Vertigo/DC)
- Marineman, by Ian Churchill (Image)
- Morning Glories, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (Shadowline/Image)
- Superboy, by Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo (DC)
Best Publication for Kids
- Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean, by Sara Stewart Taylor and Ben Towle (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney/Hyperion)
- Amelia Rules!: True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know), by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
- Binky to the Rescue, by Ashley Spires (Kids Can Press)
- Scratch9, by Rob M. Worley and Jason T. Kruse (Ape Entertainment)
- Tiny Titans, by Art Baltazar and Franco (DC)
- The Unsinkable Walker Bean, by Aaron Renier (First Second)
Best Publication for Teens
- Ghostopolis, by Doug TenNapel (Scholastic Graphix)
- Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch (Amulet Books)
- Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Archaia)
- Smile, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix)
- Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, by G. Neri and Randy DuBurke (Lee & Low)
Best Humor Publication
- Afrodisiac, by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca (Adhouse)
- Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book, by Ian Boothby, John Delaney, and Dan Davis (Bongo)
- Drinking at the Movies, by Julia Wertz (Three Rivers Press/Crown)
- I Thought You Would Be Funnier, by Shannon Wheeler (BOOM!)
- Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against TV Since 1953, by Dave Kellett (Small Fish Studios)
- Prime Baby, by Gene Luen Yang (First Second)
Best Anthology
- The Anthology Project, edited by Joy Ang and Nick Thornborrow (Lucidity Press)
- Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators, edited by Nicolas Finet (Fanfare&midot;Ponent Mon)
- Liquid City, vol. 2, edited by Sonny Liew and Lim Cheng Tju (Image)
- Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, edited by Paul Morrissey and David Petersen (Archaia)
- Trickster: Native American Tales, edited by Matt Dembicki (Fulcrum Books)
Best Digital Comic
- Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl, www.abominable.cc
- The Bean, by Travis Hanson, www.beanleafpress.com
- Lackadaisy, by Tracy Butler, www.lackadaisycats.com/comic.php
- Max Overacts, by Caanan Grall, occasionalcomics.com
- Zahra's Paradise, by Amir and Khalil, www.zahrasparadise.com
Best Reality-Based Work
- It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)
- Picture This: The Nearsighted Monkey Book, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Special Exits: A Graphic Memoir, by Joyce Farmer (Fantagraphics)
- Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Terrible Axe Man of New Orleans, by Rick Geary (NBM)
- Two Generals, by Scott Chantler (McClelland & Stewart)
- You'll Never Know Book 2: Collateral Damage, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Album-New
- Elmer, by Gerry Alanguilan (SLG)
- Finding Frank and His Friend: Previously Unpublished Work by Clarence ‘Otis' Dooley, by Melvin Goodge (Curio & Co.)
- Market Day, by James Sturm (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Archaia)
- Wilson, by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Graphic Album-Reprint
- The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
- Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
- Motel Art Improvement Service, by Jason Little (Dark Horse)
- The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis, by Ian Boothby, James Lloyd, and Steve Steere Jr. (Abrams Comicarts)
- Tumor, by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon (Archaia)
- Wednesday Comics, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)
Best Adaptation from Another Work
- Dante's Divine Comedy, adapted by Seymour Chwast (Bloomsbury)
- The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, adapted by Joann Sfar (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
- 7 Billion Needles, vols. 1 and 2, adapted from Hal Clement's Needle by Nobuaki Tadano (Vertical)
- Silverfin: A James Bond Adventure, adapted by Charlie Higson and Kev Walker (Disney/Hyperion Books)
Best Archival Collection/Project-Strips
- Archie: The Complete Daily Newspaper Strips, 1946–1948, by Bob Montana, edited by Greg Goldstein (IDW)
- 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective, by G. B. Trudeau (Andrews McMeel)
- George Heriman's Krazy Kat: A Celebration of Sundays, edited by Patrick McDonnell and Peter Maresca (Sunday Press Books)
- Polly and Her Pals Complete Sunday Comics, vol. 1, by Cliff Sterrett, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW)
- Roy Crane's Captain Easy, vol. 1, edited by Rick Norwood (Fantagraphics)
Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books
- Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
- The Horror! The Horror! Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read!, edited by Jim Trombetta (Abrams Comicart)
- The Incal Classic Collection, by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius (Humanoids)
- Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts, edited by Art Spiegelman (The Library of America)
- Thirteen "Going on Eighteen," by John Stanley (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
- It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)
- The Killer: Modus Vivendi, by Matz and Luc Jacamon (Archaia)
- King of the Flies, Book One: Hallorave, by Mezzo and Pirus (Fantagraphics)
- The Littlest Pirate King, by David B. and Pierre Mac Orlan (Fantagraphics)
- Salvatore, by Nicolas De Crécy (NBM)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia
- Ayako, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
- Bunny Drop, by Yumi Unita (Yen Press)
- A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, by Moto Hagio (Fantagraphics)
- House of Five Leaves, by Natsume Ono (VIZ Media)
- Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
Best Writer
- Ian Boothby, Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book; Futurama Comics #47–50; Simpsons Comics #162, 168; Simpsons Super Spectacular #11–12 (Bongo)
- Joe Hill, Locke & Key (IDW)
- John Layman, Chew (Image)
- Jim McCann, Return of the Dapper Men (Archaia)
- Nick Spencer, Morning Glories, Shuddertown, Forgetless, Existence 3.0 (Image)
Best Writer/Artist
- Dan Clowes, Wilson (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW)
- Joe Kubert, Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1965 (DC)
- Terry Moore, Echo (Abstract Studio)
- James Sturm, Market Day (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Naoki Urasawa, Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys (VIZ Media)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
- Richard Corben, Hellboy (Dark Horse)
- Stephen DeStefano, Lucky in Love Book One: A Poor Man's Story (Fantagraphics)
- Rob Guillory, Chew (Image)
- Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key (IDW)
- Skottie Young, The Marvelous Land of Oz (Marvel)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
- Lynda Barry, Picture This: The Nearsighted Monkey Book (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Brecht Evens, The Wrong Place (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)
- Janet Lee, Return of the Dapper Men (Archaia)
- Eric Liberge, On the Odd Hours (NBM)
- Carol Tyler, You'll Never Know Book 2: Collateral Damage (Fantagraphics)
Best Cover Artist
- Rodin Esquejo, Morning Glories (Shadowline/Image)
- Dave Johnson, Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plain (Dark Horse); Unknown Soldier (Vertigo/DC); Punisher/Max, Deadpool (Marvel)
- Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Dark Horse)
- David Petersen, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard (Archaia)
- Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)
Best Coloring
- Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules!: True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know), Amelia Rules!: The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
- Metaphrog (Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers), Louis: Night Salad (Metaphrog)
- Dave Stewart, Hellboy, BPRD, Baltimore, Let Me In (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Neil Young's Greendale, Daytripper, Joe the Barbarian (Vertigo/DC)
- Hilary Sycamore, City of Spies, Resistance, Booth, Brain Camp, Solomon's Thieves (First Second)
- Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library 20: Lint (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Lettering
- Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW)
- Dan Clowes, Wilson (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules!: True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know), Amelia Rules!: The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
- Todd Klein, Fables, The Unwritten, Joe the Barbarian, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom (WildStorm/DC); SHIELD (Marvel); Driver for the Dead (Radical)
- Doug TenNapel, Ghostopolis (Scholastic Graphix)
- Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library 20: Lint (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Best Comics-Related Book
- Doonesbury and the Art of G. B. Trudeau, by Brian Walker (Yale University Press)
- Fire and Water: Bill Everett, the Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics, by Blake Bell (Fantagraphics)
- The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen, by Denis Kitchen and Charles Brownstein, edited by John Lind and Diana Schutz (Dark Horse Books)
- Shazam! The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal, by Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear (Abrams Comicarts)
- 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, by Paul Levitz (TASCHEN)
Best Publication Design
- Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's Edition, designed by Randall Dahlk (IDW)
- Polly and Her Pals Complete Sunday Comics, vol. 1, designed by Lorraine Turner and Dean Mullaney (IDW)
- Return of the Dapper Men, designed by Todd Klein (Archaia)
- 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, designed by Josh Baker (TASCHEN)
- Two Generals, designed by Jennifer Lum (McClelland & Stewart)
Hall of Fame
Judges' Choices:
- Ernie Bushmiller
- Jack Jackson
- Martin Nodell
- Lynd Ward
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