Named for legendary comics creator Will Eisner, the Eisner Awards saw their 29th presentation this weekend. 2018 Will Eisner Hall of Fame inductees included Carol Kalish (pioneering direct sales manager for Marvel Comics), and Jackie Ormes (first black female newspaper cartoonist, for the strip Dixie in Harlem featuring the character Torchy Brown). Sixteen others were considered for the honor this year, and Charles Addams, Karen Berger, Dave Gibbons, and Rumiko Takahashi were inducted. Joye Murchison Kelly and Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk were awarded the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing.
Tom King (Batman, Batman Annual #2, Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, Mister Miracle) and Marjorie Liu (Monstress) tied for Best Writer, with Liu the first woman awarded in the category. “Monsters” was the dominant theme of this year’s awards with Monstress (Image) and My Favorite Thing is Monsters (Fantagraphics) taking the most wins.
We congratulate all the winners and nominees.
Here are the winners awarded at the ceremony, in bold, along with the nominees by category:
Best Short Story
- ”A Life in Comics: The Graphic Adventures of Karen Green,” by Nick Sousanis, in Columbia Magazine (Summer 2017)
- “Ethel Byrne,” by Cecil Castelluci and Scott Chantler, in Mine: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood (ComicMix)
- “Forgotten Princess,” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Antonio Sandoval, in Adventure Time Comics #13 (kaboom!)
- “Small Mistakes Make Big Problems,” by Sophia Foster-Dimino, in Comics for Choice (Hazel Newlevant)
- “Trans Plant,” by Megan Rose Gedris, in Enough Space for Everyone Else (Bedside Press)
Best Single Issue/One Shot
- Hellboy: Krampusnacht, by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse)
- Barbara, by Nicole Miles (ShortBox)
- Pope Hats #5, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
- The Spotted Stone, by Rick Veitch (Sun Comics)
- What Is Left, by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (ShortBox)
Best Continuing Series
- Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
- Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and David Rubín (Dark Horse)
- Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Liz Fleming (BOOM! Box)
- Hawkeye, by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Mike Walsh (Marvel)
- The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie (Image)
Best Limited Series
- Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez (Marvel)
- Extremity, by Daniel Warren Johnson (Image/Skybound)
- The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC)
- Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)
- X-Men: Grand Design, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)
Best New Series
- Black Bolt, by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward (Marvel)
- Grass Kings, by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins (BOOM! Studios)
- Maestros, by Steve Skroce (Image)
- Redlands, by Jordie Belaire and Vanesa Del Rey (Image)
- Royal City, by Jeff Lemire (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)
- Good Night, Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books)
- Adele in Sand Land, by Claude Ponti, translated by Skeeter Grant and Françoise Mouly (Toon Books)
- Arthur and the Golden Rope, by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye/Nobrow)
- Egg, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books)
- Little Tails in the Savannah, by Frederic Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci, translated by Mike Kennedy (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)
- The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
- Bolivar, by Sean Rubin (Archaia)
- Home Time (Book One): Under the River, by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf)
- Nightlights, by Lorena Alvarez (Nobrow)
- Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
- Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
- The Dam Keeper, by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (First Second/Tonko House)
- Jane, by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)
- Louis Undercover, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault, translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
- Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)
Best Humor Publication
- Baking with Kafka, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, by Tom King, Lee Weeks, and Byron Vaughn (DC)
- The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC)
- Rock Candy Mountain, by Kyle Starks (Image)
- Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)
Best Anthology
- Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press)
- A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn, by Max B. Perlson, Trina Robbins et al. (Bedside Press)
- A Castle in England, by Jamie Rhodes et al. (Nobrow)
- Now #1, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
- The Spirit Anthology, edited by Sean Phillips (Lakes International Comic Art Festival)
Best Reality-Based Work
- Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)
- Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)
- The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui (Abrams ComicArts)
- Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852–1903, by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (IDW)
- Lennon: The New York Years, by David Foenkinos, Corbeyran, and Horne, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger (IDW)
Best Graphic Album–New
- My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
- Crawl Space, by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
- Eartha, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)
- Stages of Rot, by Linnea Sterte (Peow)
- The Story of Jezebel, by Elijah Brubaker (Uncivilized Books)
Best Graphic Album–Reprint
- Boundless, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Black Hole by Charles Burns, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
- Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection, by Colleen Coover (Oni/Limerence)
- Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero, by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Unreal City, by D. J. Bryant (Fantagraphics)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
- Kindred, by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)
- Beowulf, adapted by Santiago García and David Rubín (Image)
- H. P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories, adapted by Gou Tanabe, translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse)
- Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, adapted by Christophe Chabouté, translated by Laure Dupont (Dark Horse)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
- Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for the Freedom, by Marcelo D’Salete, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
- Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)
- Flight of the Raven, by Jean-Pierre Gibrat, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (EuroComics/IDW)
- FUN, by Paolo Bacilieri, translated by Jamie Richards (SelfMadeHero)
- Ghost of Gaudi, by El Torres and Jesús Alonso Iglesias, translated by Esther Villardón Grande (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
- The Ladies-in-Waiting, by Santiago García and Javier Olivares, translated by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia
- My Brother’s Husband, vol. 1, by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon)
- Furari, by Jiro Taniguchi, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
- Golden Kamuy, by Satoru Noda, translated by Eiji Yasuda (VIZ Media)
- Otherworld Barbara, vol. 2, by Moto Hagio, translated by Rachel Matt Thorn (Fantagraphics)
- Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories, by Junji Ito translated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
- Celebrating Snoopy, by Charles M. Schulz, edited by Alexis E. Fajardo and Dorothy O’Brien (Andrews McMeel)
- Crazy Quilt: Scraps and Panels on the Way to Gasoline Alley, by Frank King, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
- Foolish Questions and Other Odd Observations, by Rube Goldberg, edited by Peter Maresca and Paul C. Tumey (Sunday Press Books)
- Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Dailies, by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Daniel Herman (Hermes Press)
- Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, by Russ Manning et al., edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
- Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha)
- Behaving MADly, written and compiled by Ger Alpeldoorn and Craig Yoe (Yoe Books/IDW)
- The Collected Neil the Horse, by Arn Saba/Katherine Collins, edited by Andy Brown (Conundrum)
- Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
- Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, by Paul Gravett, Denis Kitchen, and John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Best Writer
- Tom King, Batman, Batman Annual #2, Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, Mister Miracle (DC) [tie]
- Marjorie Liu, Monstress (Image) [tie]
- Matt Kindt, Grass Kings (BOOM! Studios); Ether (Dark Horse); Eternity, X-O Manowar (Valiant)
- Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer (Dark Horse); Descender (Image)
- Mark Russell, The Flintstones (DC)
Best Writer/Artist
- Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics)
- Lorena Alvarez, Night Lights (Nobrow)
- Chabouté, Moby Dick (Dark Horse); Alone, Park Bench (Gallery 13/Simon & Schuster)
- Cathy Malkasian, Eartha (Fantagraphics)
- Jiro Taniguchi, Furari, Louis Vuitton Travel Guide: Venice (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
- Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)
- Isabelle Arsenault, Louis Undercover (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
- Gary Gianni, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea (Dark Horse)
- Ramón K. Perez, Jane (Archaia)
- David Rubín, Black Hammer #9 & #12, Ether, Sherlock Frankenstein #1–3 (Dark Horse); Beowulf (Image)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
- Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)
- Federico Bertolucci, Love: The Dinosaur, Little Tails (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
- EFA, Monet: Itinerant of Light (NBM)
- Jean-Pierre Gibrat, Flight of the Raven (EuroComics/IDW)
- Cyril Pedrosa, Portugal (NBM)
Best Cover Artist
- Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)
- Jorge Corona, No. 1 with a Bullet (Image)
- Nick Derington, Mister Miracle (DC); Doom Patrol (DC Young Animal)
- Brian Stelfreeze, Black Panther (Marvel)
- Julian Totino Tedesco, Hawkeye (Marvel)
Best Coloring
- Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics)
- Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)
- Ed Piskor, X-Men: Grand Design (Marvel)
- David Rubín, Ether, Black Hammer, Sherlock Frankenstein (Dark Horse); Beowulf (Image)
- Dave Stewart, Black Hammer, BPRD: Devil You Know, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, Sherlock Frankenstein, Shaolin Cowboy (Dark Horse); Maestros (Image)
- Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, What Is Left (ShortBox)
Best Lettering
- Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo, Groo: Slay of the Gods (Dark Horse)
- Isabelle Arsenault, Louis Undercover (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
- Clayton Cowles, Bitch Planet: Triple Feature, Redlands, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Black Bolt, Spider-Gwen, Astonishing X-Men, Star Wars (Marvel); Batman, Mister Miracle (DC Comics)
- Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics)
- John Workman, Mother Panic (DC Young Animal); Ragnarök (IDW)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
- The Comics Journal, edited by Dan Nadel, Timothy Hodler, and Tucker Stone, tcj.com (Fantagraphics)
- Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
- Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes
- Jack Kirby Collector, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)
- PanelXPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com
Best Comics-Related Book
- How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (Fantagraphics)
- Deconstructing the Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, by Jean Annestay and Christophe Quillien (Humanoids)
- How Comics Work, by Dave Gibbons and Tim Pilcher (Wellfleet Press/Quarto Group)
- Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini, by Richard Pini (Flesk)
- Monograph, by Chris Ware (Rizzoli)
- To Laugh That We May Not Weep: The Life and Times of Art Young, by Glenn Bray and Frank M. Young (Fantagraphics)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work
- Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, by Frederick Luis Aldama (University of Arizona Press)
- The Comics of Charles Schulz: The Good Grief of Modern Life, edited by Jared Gardner and Ian Gordon (University Press of Mississippi)
- Ethics in the Gutter: Empathy and Historical Fiction in Comics, by Kate Polak (Ohio State University Press)
- Neon Visions: The Comics of Howard Chaykin, by Brannon Costello (LSU Press)
- Picturing Childhood: Youth in Transnational Comics, edited by Mark Heimermann and Brittany Tullis (University of Texas Press)
Best Publication Design
- Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, designed by Phil Balsman, Akira Saito (Veia), NORMA Editorial, and MASH•ROOM (Kodansha)
- Celebrating Snoopy, designed by Spencer Williams and Julie Phillips (Andrews McMeel)
- Monograph, designed by Chris Ware (Rizzoli)
- My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)
- Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Best Digital Comic
- Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost, by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Gideon Kendall (comiXology Originals/Kitchen, Lind & Associates)
- Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
- Barrier, by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate)
- The Carpet Merchant of Konstaniniyya, by Reimena Yee (reimenayee.com/the-carpet-merchant)
- Contact High, by James F. Wright and Josh Eckert (gumroad.com/l/YnxSm)
- Quince, by Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, and Emma Steinkellner, translated by Valeria Tranier (Fanbase Press/comiXology)
Best Webcomic
- The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill, teadragonsociety.com (Oni Press)
- Awaiting a Wave, by Dale Carpenter and Nate Powell, features.weather.com/us-climate-change/arkansas (The Weather Channel Digital)
- Brothers Bond, by Kevin Grevioux and Ryan Benjamin, http://www.webtoons.com/en/action/brothers-bond/list?title_no=1191 (LINE Webtoon)
- Dispatch from a Sanctuary City, by Mike Dawson, https://thenib.com/dispatch-from-a-sanctuary-city (The Nib)
- Welcome to the New World, by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/26/opinion/sunday/welcome-to-the-new-world.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront (New York Times Sunday Review)
The 2018 Eisner Awards judging panel included librarian Candice Mack (Los Angeles Public Library), comics reviewer/journalist Graeme McMillan (i09, Wired, Hollywood Reporter), comics retailer Tate Ottati (Tate’s Comics, Lauderhill, FL), comics scholar Nhora Serrano (Hamilton College, Clinton, NY), writer/artist/educator Alexander Simmons (Blackjack, Scooby Doo, Archie; Kids Comic Con), and longtime Comic-Con volunteer William Wilson (anime/manga expert).
A broad range of publishers were represented this year. Fantagraphics, Image, BOOM! Studios, Top Shelf, Oni, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, IDW, Archaia, Valiant, Abrams, and more were represented in the nominations.
The Eisner Awards are held each year at San Diego Comic-Con.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
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