(Comics) Award Season

GLAAD announced the now defunct Young Avengers (by Kieron Gillen) as the recipient of the Outstanding Comic Award at the 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. See Culture of Comic's run through of the nominees.


The 2014 Eisner Award nominees were announced today. The Eisners celebrate the finished, released product (Short Stories, single issues, limited (mini) series, and ongoing series) as well as the people who help create the medium: writer, artist, painter, penciller, inker, coloring, and lettering. Best graphic novel, reprint, anthology, and archived collection and webcomic showcase the variety in the releases.

As comics try to find their roots with young audiences once more, some successes were pointed out: TOON Books, Dark Horse, First Second were nominated for their early reader books, Kids (8-12) and Teens (13-17) have their own categories. Eisner, a believer of comics as a studied art form, would be happy with the Comics-related book category and best scholarly/academic works (about comics). The prestigious award also celebrates U.S. editions of international works (Asia and elsewhere).  The Awards will be announced at San Diego Comic Con International on July 24-27. A new inductee will be announced for the Eisner Hall of Fame, as well.

Best Short Story

· “Go Owls,” by Adrian Tomine, in Optic Nerve #13 (Drawn & Quarterly)
· “Mars to Stay,” by Brett Lewis and Cliff Chiang, in Witching Hour (DC)
· “Seaside Home,” by Josh Simmons, in Habit #1 (Oily)
· “Untitled,” by Gilbert Hernandez, in Love and Rockets: New Stories #6 (Fantagraphics)
· “When Your House Is Burning Down, You Should Brush Your Teeth,” by Matthew Inman, theoatmeal.com/comics/house


Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

· Demeter, by Becky Cloonan (self-published)
· Hawkeye #11: “Pizza Is My Business,” by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
· Love and Rockets: New Stories #6, by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
· Viewotron #2, by Sam Sharpe (self-published)
· Watson and Holmes #6, by Brandon Easton, and N. Steven Harris (New Paradigm Studios)


Best Continuing Series

· East of West, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta (Image)
· Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
· Nowhere Men, by Eric Stephenson and Nate Bellegarde (Image)
· Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)
· Sex Criminals, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (Image)


Best Limited Series

· The Black Beetle: No Way Out, by Francesco Francavilla (Dark Horse)
· Colder, by Paul Tobin and Juan Ferreyra (Dark Horse)
· 47 Ronin, by Mike Richardson and Stan Sakai (Dark Horse)
· Trillium, by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo/DC)
· The Wake, by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy (Vertigo/DC)


Best New Series

· High Crimes, by Christopher Sebela and Ibrahim Moustafa (Monkeybrain)
· Lazarus, by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark (Image)
· Rat Queens, by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch (Image/Shadowline)
· Sex Criminals, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (Image)
· Watson and Holmes, by Karl Bollers, Rick Leonardi, Paul Mendoza et al. (New Paradigm Studios)


Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

· Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas, by Philippe Coudray (TOON Books)
· The Big Wet Balloon, by Liniers (TOON Books)
· Itsy Bitsy Hellboy, by Art Baltazar and Franco (Dark Horse)
· Odd Duck, by Cecil Castellucci and Sara Varon (First Second)
· Otto’s Backwards Day, by Frank Cammuso (with Jay Lynch) (TOON Books)


Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)

· The Adventures of Superhero Girl, by Faith Erin Hicks (Dark Horse)
· Hilda and the Bird Parade, by Luke Pearson (Nobrow)
· Jane, the Fox, and Me, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault (Groundwood)
· The Lost Boy, by Greg Ruth (Graphix/Scholastic)
· Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, vol. 2, edited by David Petersen, Paul Morrissey, and Rebecca Taylor (Archaia/BOOM!)
· Star Wars: Jedi Academy, by Jeffrey Brown (Scholastic)


Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

· Battling Boy, by Paul Pope (First Second)
· Bluffton: My Summers with Buster, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
· Boxers and Saints, by Gene Luen Yang (First Second)
· Dogs of War, by Sheila Keenan and Nathan Fox (Graphix/Scholastic)
· March (Book One), by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
· Templar, by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puviland (First Second)


Best Humor Publication

· The Adventures of Superhero Girl, by Faith Erin Hicks (Dark Horse)
· The Complete Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes and Rob Davis (SelfMadeHero)
· The (True!) History of Art, by Sylvain Coissard and Alexis Lemoine (SelfMadeHero)
· Vader’s Little Princess, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
· You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)


Best Anthology

· Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
· Nobrow #8: Hysteria, edited by Sam Arthur and Alex Spiro (Nobrow)
· Outlaw Territory, edited by Michael Woods (Image)
· Smoke Signal, edited by Gabe Fowler (Desert Island)
· Thrilling Adventure Hour, by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker et al. (Archaia/BOOM!)


Best Digital/Webcomic


· As the Crow Flies, by Melanie Gillman, www.melaniegillman.com
· Failing Sky, by Dax Tran-Caffee, failingsky.com
· High Crimes, by Christopher Sebela and Ibrahim Moustafa (Monkeybrain), www.monkeybraincomics.com/titles/high-crimes/
· The Last Mechanical Monster, by Brian Fies, lastmechanicalmonster.blogspot.com
· The Oatmeal by Matthew Inman, theoatmeal.com


Best Reality-Based Work

· A Bag of Marbles, by Joseph Joffo, Kris, and Vincent Bailly (Graphic Universe/Lerner)
· The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker (M Press/Dark Horse)
· Hip Hop Family Tree, vol. 1, by Ed Piskor (Fantagraphics)
· March (Book One), by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
· Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, by Ulli Lust (Fantagraphics)
· Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story, by Peter Bagge (Drawn & Quarterly)


Best Graphic Album—New

· Bluffton: My Summers with Buster, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
· The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, by Isabel Greenberg (Little, Brown)
· Good Dog, by Graham Chaffee (Fantagraphics)
· Homesick by Jason Walz (Tinto Press)
· The Property, by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)
· War Brothers, by Sharon McKay and Daniel LaFrance (Annick Press)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

· The Castle, by Franz Kafka, adapted by David Zane Mairowitz and Jaromír 99 (SelfMadeHero)
· The Complete Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, adapted by by Rob Davis (SelfMadeHero)
· Django Unchained, adapted by Quentin Tarantino, Reginald Hudlin, R. M. Guéra et al. (DC/Vertigo)
· Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground, by Donald Westlake, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
· The Strange Tale of Panorama Island, by Edogawa Rampo, adapted by Suehiro Maruo (Last Gasp)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

· The Creep, by John Arcudi and Jonathan Case (Dark Horse)
· Hand-Drying in America and Other Stories, by Ben Katchor (Pantheon)
· Heck, by Zander Cannon (Top Shelf)
· Julio’s Day, by Gilbert Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
· RASL, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
· Solo: The Deluxe Edition, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

· Barnaby, vol. 1, by Crockett Johnson, edited by Philip Nel and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
· Percy Crosby’s Skippy Daily Comics, vol. 2: 1928–1930, edited by Jared Gardner and Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
· Prince Valiant vols. 6-7, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
· Society Is Nix: Gleeful Anarchy at the Dawn of the American Comic Strip, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
· Tarzan: The Complete Russ Manning Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
· VIP: The Mad World of Virgil Partch, edited by Jonathan Barli (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

· Best of EC Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
· Canteen Kate, by Matt Baker (Canton Street Press)
· In the Days of the Mob, by Jack Kirby (DC)
· MAD Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
· Will Eisner’s The Spirit Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

· Adventures of a Japanese Businessman, by Jose Domingo (Nobrow)
· Goddam This War! by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Pierre Verney (Fantagraphics)
· Incidents in the Night, Book One, by David B. (Uncivilized Books)
· Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, by Ulli Lust (Fantagraphics)
· When David Lost His Voice, by Judith Vanistendael (SelfMadeHero)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

· The Heart of Thomas, by Moto Hagio (Fantagraphics)
· The Mysterious Underground Men, by Osamu Tezuka (PictureBox)
· Showa: A History of Japan, 1926–1939, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
· Summit of the Gods, vol. 4, by Yemmakura Baku and Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
· Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist, by Asumiko Nakamura (Vertical)

Best Writer

· Kelly Sue DeConnick, Pretty Deadly (Image); Captain Marvel (Marvel)
· Matt Fraction, Sex Criminals (Image); Hawkeye, Fantastic Four, FF (Marvel)
· Jonathan Hickman, East of West, The Manhattan Projects (Image); Avengers, Infinity (Marvel)
· Scott Snyder, Batman (DC); American Vampire, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
· Eric Stephenson, Nowhere Men (Image)
· Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist

· Isabel Greenberg, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth (Little, Brown)
· Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories #6 (Fantagraphics)
· Terry Moore, Rachel Rising (Abstract Studio)
· Luke Pearson, Hilda and the Bird Parade (Nobrow)
· Matt Phelan, Bluffton: My Summers with Buster (Candlewick)
· Judith Vanistendael, When David Lost His Voice (SelfMadeHero)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

· Nate Bellegarde, Nowhere Men (Image)
· Nick Dragotta, East of West (Image)
· Sean Murphy, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
· Nate Powell, March (Book One) (Top Shelf)
· Emma Ríos, Pretty Deadly (Image)
· Thomas Yeates, Law of the Desert Born: A Graphic Novel (Bantam)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

· Andrew C. Robinson, The Fifth Beatle (Dark Horse)
· Sonia Sanchéz, Here I Am (Capstone)
· Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
· Ive Svorcina, Thor (Marvel)
· Marguerite Van Cook, 7 Miles a Second (Fantagraphics)
· Judith Vanistendael, When David Lost His Voice (SelfMadeHero)


Best Cover Artist

· David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
· Mike Del Mundo, X-Men Legacy (Marvel)
· Sean Murphy/Jordie Belaire, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
· Emma Ríos, Pretty Deadly (Image)
· Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel)
· Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)

Best Coloring

· Jordie Bellaire, The Manhattan Projects, Nowhere Men, Pretty Deadly, Zero (Image); The Massive (Dark Horse); Tom Strong (DC); X-Files Season 10 (IDW); Captain Marvel, Journey into Mystery (Marvel); Numbercruncher (Titan); Quantum and Woody (Valiant)
· Steve Hamaker, Mylo Xyloto (Bongo), Strangers in Paradise 20th Anniversary Issue 1 (Abstract Studio), RASL (Cartoon Books)
· Matt Hollingsworth, Hawkeye, Daredevil: End of Days (Marvel); The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
· Frank Martin, East of West (Image)
· Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, Baltimore: The Infernal Train, BPRD: Hell on Earth, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy: Hell on Earth, The Massive, The Shaolin Cowboy, Sledgehammer 44 (Dark Horse)

Best Lettering

· Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground (IDW)
· Carla Speed McNeil, Bad Houses; “Finder” in Dark Horse Presents (Dark Horse)
· Terry Moore, Rachel Rising (Abstract Studio)
· Ed Piskor, Hip Hop Family Tree (Fantagraphics)
· Britt Wilson, Adventure Time with Fiona and Cake (kaBOOM!)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

· Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland, www.comicbookresources.com
· The Comics Journal #302, edited by Gary Groth and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
· Comics and Cola, by Zainab Akhtar, www.comicsandcola.com
· Multiversity Comics, edited by Matthew Meylikhov, www.multiversitycomics.com
· tcj.com, edited by Dan Nadel and Timothy Hodler (Fantagrapahics), www.tcj.com

Best Comics-Related Book

· Al Capp: A Life to the Contrary, by Michael Schumacher and Denis Kitchen (Bloomsbury)
· The Art of Rube Goldberg, selected by Jennifer George (Abrams ComicArts)
· Co-Mix: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics, and Scraps, by Art Spiegelman (Drawn & Quarterly)
· Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell (LOAC/IDW)
· The Love and Rockets Companion, edited by Marc Sobel and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)

Best Scholarly/Academic Work

· Anti-Foreign Imagery in American Pulps and Comic Books, 1920–1960, by Nathan Vernon Madison (McFarland)
· Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation, edited by Sheena C. Howard and Ronald L. Jackson II (Bloomsbury)
· Drawing from Life: Memory and Subjectivity in Comic Art, edited by Jane Tolmie (University Press of Mississippi)
· International Journal of Comic Art, edited by John A. Lent
· The Superhero Reader, edited by Charles Hatfield, Jeet Heer, and Ken Worcester (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Publication Design

· The Art of Rube Goldberg, designed by Chad W. Beckerman (Abrams ComicArts)
· Beta Testing the Apocalypse, designed by Tom Kaczynski (Fantagraphics)
· Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
· The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme: A Panorama, by Joe Sacco, designed by Chin-Yee Lai (Norton)
· Little Tommy Lost, Book 1, designed by Cole Closser (Koyama)

Comic Industry Awards: A History of Excellence

This week San Diego Comic Con announced Eisner Award nominees. The Eisner Award is named after comic great Will Eisner(The Spirit, City of God).

The Award had some name and personnel changes. It started by Publisher Fantographic’s Books in 1985 gave out the Kirby Awards at Comic-Con with Jack Kirby himself on hand. In 1987 Fantographics lost Dave Olbrich, their chief organizer of the awards. They created the Harvey Awards named afer Harvey Kurtzman. Olrbich organized the newly named Eisner Awards in 1988. In 1990, Comic Con took over the organization of the awards. Jackie Estrada is the administrator of the awards.

Orrin C. Evan's All-Negro Comics

Traditionally, the judges select two nominations before the awards ceremony at the Convention. This year, they decided to add one more for instant induction in the Hall of Fame. There is still a pool of 14 nominees, 4 of which will enter the Hall of Fame.

Journalist Orrin C. Evans published a single anthology in 1947- All-Negro Comics. It was the first of its kind, solely created by African American talent. Sheldon Moldoff was a DC comic book artist. He helped create Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and  the brought life to the whimsical era of Batman: Bat-Girl, Batwoman, Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound.  He also drew Hawkman, golden age Green Lantern(Alan Scott). Irwin Hasen created Citizen Smith, Son of the Unknown Soldier, DC superhero Wildcat(with Bill Finger) and the comic strip Dondi(with Gus Edson) about a war orphan. Hasen also did art for The Flash, The Green Hornet, the Fox and various other golden age heroes.  

Irwin Hasen's Dondi

Sheldon Moldoff's characters Bat-Girl and Batwoman

Fourteen other talents are now being considered in voting. These include  international talents Mexican Gus Arriola(Gordo), Frecnhman Philippe Druillet(La Sloane), Hiyao Miyazaki( Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Japan’s biggest filmmaker(Spirited Away,etc)), Britt Alan Moore(Watchmen, V for Vendetta), Cuban Antonio Prohias(Spy vs Spy), Japanese female creator Rumiko Takahashi(Ranma ½). Super hero creators are well represented with Fred Kida(Ringo Kid, Flash Gorden, Spider-Man) Tarpe Mills(creator of Miss Fury), Dennis O’Neil(Batman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow,editor), George Tuska(Crime Does Not Pay, Marvel and DC Comics artist), Bernie Wrightson(Swamp Thing).Eisner Awards continues to recognize the Underground/Independent movement with Howard Cruse(Gay Comix editor, Stuck Rubber Baby), Rube Goldberg(Rube Goldberg machine, Mike and Ike), Francoise Mouly(RAW creator).

The list of Eisner Award Hall of Fame members is long and varied. Batman’s creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger(Batman’s creators), Neal Adams(Batman artist who created the dark and brooding Dark Knight), Joe Simon(Captain America), Superman’s makers Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Gardner Fox(Justice Society), Steve Ditko(Co-creator of Spider-Man, The Creeper, The Question) are all well represented. Classic comic artists like John Romita(Marvel), Marv Wolfman(Blade, DC and Marvel), and Joe Kubert(DC) among others also hold membership.

The Eisner Awards does a great job representing pillars of the comic book medium. From the first remnants of the budding art like : R. F. Outcault(The Yellow Kid), Rudolph Dirks( The Katzenjammer Kids), Winsor McKay(Little Nemo) and George Herriman(Krazy Kat). And others, like Lee Falk (The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician) and Carl Banks(Disney Comics) who helped propel comics to international popularity and recognition. William Gaines the EC Comics publisher who almost single handedly caused the Comics Code Authority  even gets a spot  with his coulegue Harvey Kurtzman(MAD Magazine). The Hall of Fame features non mainstream,underground movers and shakers like Art Spiegelman(Maus, RAW), Trina Robbins(Wimmin’s Comix)  and Robert Crumb(Fritz the Cat).

Comic strip creators had a huge part on the popularity and notability of the medium. Charles M. Schulz(Peanuts and Snoopy), E.C. Segar(Popeye), Ernie Bushmiller(Fritzi Ritz and Nancy), Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie), John Stanely(Little Lulu), Walt Kelly(Pogo), Harold R. Foster(Prince Valiant),  and Chester Gould(Dick Tracy) all won membership.

International inductees include Italian Huge Pratt(Corto Maltese), Katsunhiro Otomo(Akira), Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima(Lone Wolf and Cub), Rene Goscinny and Alberto Uderzo(Asterix), Herge(Tintin), and Osamu Tezuka(Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight and Black Jack).

Attendees of the awards ceremony are given a copy of a Will Eisner graphic novel. He has been known as the “father of the graphic novel”.