Your 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners

The Eisner Awards were held last night in conjunction with Comic-Con International at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, California.

Comics legends Jaime Hernandez and Gilbert Hernandez won their first-ever Eisner Awards. Jaime won for "Best Writer/Artist" behind his work in Love & Rockets: New Stories #6. Gilbert won for "Best Short Story" for that same issue's "Untitled."

The big winners of the night were Saga and the divisions at IDW headed by Dean Mullaney and Scott Dunbier. The pizza dog story in Hawkeye was the winner in the stand-alone comic division, while that comic book's writer Matt Fraction shared in a new series award for his Sex Criminals (with Chip Zdarsky). Fraction also accepted an award on behalf of winning cover artist David Aja.

Goddamn This War!, one of the last comics edited start to finish by Kim Thompson before he passed away a month before last year's Eisners, was also a winner.

Memorable moments included Faith Eric Hicks tearful winning speech after a Best Publication For Kids (Ages 8-12) win, Eric Reynolds giving an emotional speech after Thompson's book won followed immediately by a funny one when a book from the now defunct PictureBox took an award. Bill Foster's speech on behalf of African-American comics pioneer Orrin Evans was a high point, as was Jack Mendelsohn verbally pummeling one or two comics historical figures when getting the Bill Finger. Jonathan Ross and Batton Lash did a speech that failed to live up to its technical promise but which allowed Ross to be funny and grumpy. Jackie Estrada declared it the shortest Eisners ever.

A pair of people expressed surprise to me that Robert F. Kennedy award winner March Vol. 1 failed to win either of its two categories (Nate Powell was nominated for an individual award for his work in that book). More than a few expressed open delight at seeing presenter Sergio Aragones so lively and engaged.

A small crowd stayed at the afterparty until the lights were shut off. Joe Ferrara sang a song. Gary Groth took a photo with Denis Kitchen. New dad Andrew Farago accepted congratulations. It was a nice evening.

Congratulations to all nominees and winners. Winners are in bold.

*****

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

*****

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)
* Itty Bitty 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)

* 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

* 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)
* The Thrilling Adventure Hour, by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker et al. (Archaia/BOOM!)

*****

BEST DIGITAL/WEBCOMIC

* As the Crow Flies, by Melanie Gillman
* Failing Sky, by Dax Tran-Caffee
* High Crimes, by Christopher Sebela and Ibrahim Moustafa (Monkeybrain)
* The Last Mechanical Monster, by Brian Fies
* The Oatmeal by Matthew Inman

*****

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 Jaromir 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 Volume Two: 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 US EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL MATERIAL

* Adventures of a Japanese Businessman, by Jose Domingo (Nobrow)
* Goddamn 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 US 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 Rios, 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 Bellaire, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
* Emma Rios, 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, PRD: Hell on Earth, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy in Hell, The Massive, The Shaolin Cowboy, Sledgehammer 44 (Dark Horse)

*****

BEST LETTERING

* Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground (IDW)
* Dark Horse Presents (Dark Horse) ">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
* The Comics Journal #302, edited by Gary Groth and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
* Comics and Cola, by Zainab Akhtar
* Multiversity Comics, edited by Matthew Meylikhov
* tcj.com, edited by Dan Nadel and Timothy Hodler (Fantagrapahics)

*****

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 Kent 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 One, designed by Cole Closser (Koyama)

*****

In addition to the Eisner Awards, some related awards were given.

There was also a Hall of Fame component to the evening. Irwin Hasen, Sheldon Moldoff and Orrin C. Evans were inducted by the judges, who broke form the traditional two deceased persons named to include a living inductee.

Those same judges chose 14 nominees that were then presented to the Eisner voting public. They were:

* Gus Arriola
* Howard Cruse
* Philippe Druillet
* Rube Goldberg
* Fred Kida
* Hayao Miyazaki
* Tarpé Mills
* Alan Moore
* Francoise Mouly
* Dennis O'Neil
* Antonio Prohias
* Rumiko Takahashi
* George Tuska
* Bernie Wrightson

*****

Bill Finger Excellence In Comics Writing awards went to Robert Kanigher, Bill Mantlo and Jack Mendelsohn. The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award went to Joe Field. The Will Eisner Spirit Of Comics Retailer award went to Legend Comics & Coffee in Omaha and All Star Comics in Melbourne. The Russ Manning awared went to Aaron Conley. The names read in memory were Jody Clampett, Gary Arlington, Bill Baker, Larry Ivie, Bhob Stewart, Joey Manley, Stan Lynde, Morrie Turner, Chris Reilly, Dick Ayers, Nick Cardy and Al Feldstein.

*****

The winners named last night are in bold. Information on all the nominees can be found here.

The nominating committee for this year's awards, including the Hall of Fame, was Kathy Bottarini, William H. Foster III, Christian Lipski, Lee Oeth, Jenny Robb and James Romberger.

*****



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