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Monday, May 20, 2024

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Eisner Awards Edition

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.  



The Eisner Awards are the top awards for the format of Graphic Novels and Comics. Below I will post the intro and then the link to the full list of nominees in 32 categories

I love these awards because they teach me about the industry as much as alert me to the leading titles. When you see the different categories, you can begin to understand the differences in titles for readers: ingle issues vs series vs reprint. You can also see artists and letterers show up over time and across different publications. In other words, the Eisner Awards nominees list hold a lot more information for you  than just a reason to get up some displays, update your collections, or make some lists.

And now they have the current nominees, history of the award, and past honorees all on the same, easy to navigate page, here.

Before we get to the current list of nominees, I do want to shout out my favorite author-- Stephen Graham Jones-- who is nominated for BEST WRITER for his Earthdivers series

Click here or after the reposted intro to see all 32 category nominees. This intro serves as a great overview of the year that was. 

COMIC-CON IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE NOMINEES FOR THE WILL EISNER COMIC INDUSTRY AWARDS 2024. THE NOMINATIONS ARE FOR WORKS PUBLISHED BETWEEN JANUARY 1 AND DECEMBER 31, 2023 AND WERE CHOSEN BY A BLUE-RIBBON PANEL OF JUDGES. 

Once again, this year’s nominees in 32 categories reflect the wide range of material being published in the U.S. in comics and graphic novels, representing more than 150 print and online titles from over 60 publishers, produced by creators from all over the world. 

Image and DC received the most nominations: Image with 17 (plus 8 shared) and DC with 13 (plus 8 shared). Image’s nominees span a spectrum of titles, with multiple nominations for The Cull, Black Cloak, and Transformers. Topping DC’s nominees are Birds of Prey, Detective Comics, Shazam!, and Nightwing. 

Fantagraphics has 11 nominations, once again dominating the Archival Collection categories, with 3 in the Comic Strip category and 2 in the Comic Book category. First Second‘s 10 nominations include 3 for Emily Carroll’s A Guest in the House(Best Graphic Album, Best Writer/Artist, Best Letterer) and 3 in the Best Graphic Memoir category: Thien Pham’s Family Style, Dan Santat’s A First Time for Everything, and Deb JJ Lee’s In Limbo. 

Among IDW’s 9 nominations (plus 4 shared) are 2 for Alvaro Ortiz’s Ashes (Best Graphic Album, Best U.S. Edition of International Material) and 2 for Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, by Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda (Best Limited Series, Best Penciller/Inker). Roaming by cousins Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki led Drawn & Quarterly’s 8 nominations with nods for Best Graphic Album, Best Writer, and Best Penciller/Inker. 

Marvel Comics received 5 nominations (plus 3 shared), while Dark Horse had 4 (plus 1 shared), including 2 in the Best Comics-Related Book category. Penguin Random House imprints have 5 nominations, including 3 young readers titles from Penguin Workshop. 

Other publishers with multiple nominations include Yen Press (4), Abrams ComicArts and Titan Comics (each with 3 plus 1 shared), Europe Comics (3), Magnetic Press (3), Oni Press (3), VIZ Media (3), Comixology Originals (2 plus 2 shared), and DSTLRY (2 plus 1 shared). Eleven companies have 2 nominations each, and another 35 companies or individuals have 1 nomination or 2–3 shared nominations each. 

Besides Roaming, other graphic novels with 3 nominations are Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy, by Bill Griffith (Best Reality-Based Work, Best Writer/Artist, Best Lettering; Abrams), and Blacksad, Vol 7: They All Fall Down, Part 2, by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (Best U.S. Edition of International Material, Best Painter, Best Digital Comic; Europe Comics). 

When it comes to creators, Kelly Thompson leads the pack with 5 nominations: Best Continuing Series for Birds of Prey, Best Limited Series for The Cull, Best New Series for Black Cloak, Best Humor Publication for It’s Jeff, and Best Writer. Besides Emily Carroll, Juano Guarnido, and Bill Griffith, the only other creator with 3 nominations is Tom Taylor (Best Single Issue, Best Continuing Series, and Best Writer for Nightwing). Individuals with 2 nominations include Jason Sean Alexander, Becky Cloonan, Scott Dunbier, Erica Henderson, Daniel Warren Johnson, Tom King, Tula Lotay, Inaki Miranda, Mokumokuren, Dan Mora, Ryan North, Alvaro Ortiz, Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, and Mark Waid. 

Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 36th year of bringing attention to and highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2024 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of educator/comics creator Ryan Claytor, author/editor/educator N. C. Christopher Couch, retailer/academic Andréa Gilroy, writer/editor Joseph Illidge, retailer Mathias Lewis, and author/public school librarian Jillian Rudes. 

Voting for the awards is being held online using a two-step process. The first step is for prospective voters to apply at https://cci.tiny.us/2p8r8e6c . After filling out the form, eligible voters will be invited to go to the ballot and cast their votes. Those who previously registered will automatically be invited to fill out the new ballot. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The deadline for voting is June 6. New voters must have registered by May 30 in order to be invited to the ballot. Questions about the voting process should be sent to the Eisner Awards administrator, Jackie Estrada at jackie@comic-con.org. 

The Eisner Award trophies will be presented in a gala awards ceremony to be held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel during Comic-Con on the evening of July 26.

Click here to see all of the nominees and to have access to the backlist of winners and more

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