Comics News
2013 Eisner Award Nominations Announced
By Zak Edwards
April 16, 2013 - 23:20




2013 Eisner Award Nominations Announced!

Arguably the biggest awards given out in Western comics, the Eisner nominations for this year have been announced.  The winners will be announced at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con in July so until then we can speculate on who will take home this year’s awards.

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This year marks a very different focus on smaller publishers compared to other years, which usually make the up the majority of nominations.  In past years, The Eisners has been compared unfavourably to the Osacars for their focus on the biggest projects, but this year is quite the surprise.  Marvel Comics snapped up 8 nominations while DC Comics picked up a paltry 3 nominations (with Vertigo taking one of those for The Unwritten).  Pantheon, Drawn and Quarterly, and Top Shelf picked up 8, 5, and 3 nominations respectively.  Image comics dominated, however, with 18 nominations in numerous categories, especially Best Continuing Series, where Image represents 4 of the five nominees.

While we listed our picks for 2012 way back in January, we eagerly await the winners come July.  The highlights are listed below while the complete list of categories and nominees can be found here:

Best Short Story:
    •    “A Birdsong Shatters the Still,” by Jeff Wilson and Ted May, in Injury #4 (Ted May/Alternative)
    •    “Elmview” by Jon McNaught, in Dockwood (Nobrow)  
    •    “Moon 1969: The True Story of the 1969 Moon Launch,” by Michael Kupperman, in Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8 (Fantagraphics)
    •    “Moving Forward,” by drewscape, in Monsters, Miracles, & Mayonnaise(Epigram Books)
    •    “Rainbow Moment,” by Lilli Carré, in Heads or Tails (Fantagraphics)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot):
    •    Lose #4: “The Fashion Issue,” by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
    •    The Mire, by Becky Cloonan (self-published)
    •    Pope Hats #3, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
    •    Post York #1, by James Romberger and Crosby (Uncivilized Books)
    •    Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8, by Michael Kupperman (Fantagraphics)

Best Continuing Series:
    •    Fatale, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
    •    Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
    •    The Manhattan Projects, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra (Image)
    •    Prophet, by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy (Image)
    •    Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best New Series:
    •    Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)
    •    Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
    •    Fatale, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
    •    Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
    •    Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Humor Publication:
    •    Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)
    •    BBXX: Baby Blues Decades 1 & 2, by Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman (Andrews McMeel)
    •    Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
    •    Naked Cartoonists, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Digital Comic:
    •    Ant Comic, by Michael DeForge
    •    Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover
    •    It Will All Hurt, by Farel Dalrymple
    •    Our Bloodstained Roof, by Ryan Andrews
    •    Oyster War, by Ben Towle

Best Anthology:
    •    Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
    •    No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, edited by Justin Hall (Fantagraphics)
    •    Nobrow #7: Brave New World, edited by Alex Spiro and Sam Arthur (Nobrow)
    •    2000 AD, edited by Matt Smith (Rebellion)
    •    Where Is Dead Zero?, edited by Jeff Ranjo (Where Is Dead Zero?)

Best Reality-Based Work:
    •    Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion)
    •    The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank M. Young and David Lasky (Abrams ComicArts)
    •    A Chinese Life, by Li Kunwu and P. Ôtié (Self Made Hero)
    •    The Infinite Wait and Other Stories, by Julia Wertz (Koyama Press)
    •    Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me, by Ellen Forney (Gotham Books)
    •    You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart, by C. Tyler (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album—New:
    •    Building Stories, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
    •    Goliath, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
    •    The Hive, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
    •    Unterzakhn, by Leela Corman (Schocken)
    •    You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart, by C. Tyler (Fantagraphics)

Best Writer:
    •    Ed Brubaker, Fatale (Image)
    •    Matt Fraction, Hawkeye  (Marvel); Casanova: Avaritia (Marvel Icon)
    •    Brandon Graham, Multiple Warheads, Prophet (Image)
    •    Jonathan Hickman, The Manhattan Projects (Image)
    •    Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)
    •    Frank M. Young, The Carter Family (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Writer/Artist:
    •    Charles Burns, The Hive (Pantheon)
    •    Gilbert Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories, vol. 5 (Fantagraphics)
    •    Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories, vol. 5 (Fantagraphics)
    •    Luke Pearson, Hilda and the Midnight Giant, Everything We Miss (Nobrow)
    •    C. Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart (Fantagraphics)
    •    Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Penciller/Inker:
    •    David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
    •    Becky Cloonan, Conan the Barbarian (Dark Horse); The Muse (self-published)
    •    Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
    •    Sean Phillips, Fatale (Image)
    •    Joseph Remnant, Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland (Zip Comics/Top Shelf)
    •    Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel); Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (IDW)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art):
    •    Brecht Evens, The Making Of (Drawn & Quarterly)
    •    Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)
    •    Teddy Kristiansen, The Red Diary/The RE[a]D Diary (MAN OF ACTION/Image)
    •    Lorenzo Mattotti, The Crackle of the Frost (Fantagraphics)
    •    Katsuya Terada, The Monkey King vol. 2 (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist:
    •    David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
    •    Brandon Graham, King City, Multiple Warheads, Elephantmen #43 (Image)
    •    Sean Phillips, Fatale (Image)
    •    Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)
    •    J, H. Williams III, Batwoman (DC)

Best Coloring:
    •    Charles Burns, The Hive (Pantheon)
    •    Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
    •    Brandon Graham, Multiple Warheads (Image)
    •    Dave Stewart, Batwoman (DC); Fatale  (Image); BPRD, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy in Hell, Lobster Johnson, The Massive (Dark Horse)
    •    Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Lettering:
    •    Paul Grist, Mudman (Image)
    •    Troy Little, Angora Napkin 2: Harvest of Revenge (IDW)
    •    Joseph Remnant, Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland (Zip Comics/Top Shelf)
    •    C. Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book 3: A Soldier’s Heart (Fantagraphics)
    •    Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)


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