Today at the San Diego Comic Convention (AKA SDCC) the Eisner Awards will be held. For those of you who do not know, the Eisner Awards are basically the American comic book industry’s version of the Academy Awards.
Here’s how it works: The nominations in each category are generated by a five or six member panel. These are then sent to comic book professionals via Diamond Comic Distributors for comic book professionals to vote on. (Most comic book store owners participate, including Jesse.) At this point, any of us can write in a nominee, if they do not appear.
The votes are then turned in and the judges decide who wins each category. There are 6 individuals on the jury, one comic book retailer (not me), one person from the literary field, one actual librarian, one academic research person and 2 experts from the comic field (these two can be a creator, editor and so on).
Before the winners are announced, I thought I would share the votes cast on behalf of those who sponsor Modern Age Comics, yourselves. These nominations come from notes I have made throughout the many discussions held at the counter or during the Saturday morning discussion group. I fill out the ballot each year and that is how we as customers speak to the judges. We did not vote on all categories as in some cases we simply would be blindly selecting a winner and we do not do that here.
So here they are, our nominees this year. The names in blue were written in by us, as our choice, rather than us selecting from the original nominees.
- Best Single Issue/One-Shot
MAN AND SUPERMAN 100 PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1, Marv Wolfman - Best Continuing Series
The Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José (Marvel) - Best Limited Series
Batman: White Knight, by Sean Murphy (DC) - Best New Series
Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image) - Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)
Tiger Vs. Nightmare, by Emily Tetri (First Second) - Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17)
Middlewest, by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona (Image) - Best Humor Publication
Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julia Madrigal (BOOM! Box) - Best Graphic Album—New
My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image) - Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
Star Wars: Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 3, by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, edited by Dean Mullaney (Library of American Comics/IDW) - Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman Deluxe Edition, edited by Paul Levitz (DC) - Best Writer
Kelly Thompson, Nancy Drew (Dynamite); Hawkeye, Jessica Jones, Mr. & Mrs. X, Rogue & Gambit, Uncanny X-Men, West Coast Avengers (Marvel) - Best Writer/Artist
Joelle Jones, Catwoman - Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Sean Phillips, Kill or Be Killed, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies (Image) - Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Lee Bermejo, Batman: Damned (DC) - Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers)
Stanley Lau, Supergirl, Catwoman - Best Coloring
Jordie Bellaire, Batgirl, Batman (DC); The Divided Earth (First Second); Days of Hate, Dead Hand, Head Lopper, Redlands (Image); Shuri, Doctor Strange (Marvel) - Best Lettering
Jared Fletcher, Batman: Damned (DC); The Gravediggers Union, Moonshine, Paper Girls, Southern Bastards (Image) - Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows) - Best Comics-Related Book
Mike Grell: Life Is Drawing Without an Eraser, by Dewey Cassell with Jeff Messer (TwoMorrows)