The Eisner Awards took place last night during Comic-Con@Home with plenty of surprises and very well earned awards going to some of the best comics creators in the business. Though the awards were pre-recorded, and there was some controversy over the voting process, the awards marched on.
Surprising no one because it’s so well earned, Mariko Tamaki won for the best writer while Raina Telgemeier won for best artist for Guts an all ages true story by Scholastic Graphix and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell won for penciler/inker for Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me which was also written by Tamaki. Comics legend Stan Sakai had a huge night as he won for best lettering, best archival collection, and was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame.
It’s a huge honor for me to be inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame! I have to thank my friends and family and the readers who have supported me all of these years. Thank you very much!
— Stan Sakai (@usagiguy) July 25, 2020
As pointed out way back in June when the nominees were revealed, Fantagraphics, Dark Horse, and IDW had the most nominations. So how did things shake out for publishers? Dark Horse Comics came away with the most with 5 wins, followed by Image Comics with four wins, and both Drawn & Quarterly and First Second/Macmillan with three wins. Fantagraphics and IDW both came away with two wins each.
Image Comics took away two of the biggest series awards of the night as they took home best continuing series for Bitter Root, by Chuck Brown, David F. Walker, and Sanford Greene and best-limited series for Little Bird by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram (read our interview with Poelgeest about the series here). The best new series went to G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward’s Invisible Kingdom (Read our interview with Wilson about Invisible Kingdom here).
Manga fans should note Viz Media took home two awards while Kodansha Comics came away with one.
Check out the full list of Eisner Award winners below:
Best Writer: Mariko Tamaki, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (DC); Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second/Macmillan); Archie (Archie)
Best Artist: Raina Telgemeier, Guts (Scholastic Graphix)
Best Penciler/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Cover Artist: Emma Rios, Pretty Deadly (Image)
Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Black Hammer, B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know, Hellboy and the BPRD (Dark Horse); Gideon Falls (Image); Silver Surfer Black, Spider-Man (Marvel)
Best Lettering: Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (IDW)
Best Comics-Related/Periodical Journalism: Women Write About Comics, edited by Nola Pfau and Wendy Browne, www.WomenWriteAboutComics.com
Best Publication for Early Readers: Comics: Easy as ABC, by Ivan Brunetti (TOON)
Best Publication for Kids: Guts, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix)
Best Publication for Teens: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Archival Collection – Strips: Krazy Kat: The Complete Color Sundays, by George Herriman, edited by Alexander Braun (TASCHEN)
Best Archival Collection – Comics: Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo: The Complete Grasscutter Artist Select, by Stan Sakai, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Best Humor Publication: The Way of the Househusband, vol. 1, by Kousuke Oono, translation by Sheldon Drzka (VIZ Media)
Best US Edition of International Material – Asia: Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto, translation by Michael Arias (VIZ Media) and Witch Hat Atelier, by Kamome Shirahama, translation by Stephen Kohler (Kodansha)
Best Anthology: Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival, edited by Diane Noomin (Abrams)
Best Reality Based Work: They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker (Top Shelf)
Best Academic: EC Comics: Race, Shock, and Social Protest, by Qiana Whitted (Rutgers University Press)
Best Digital Comic: Afterlift, by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo (comiXology Originals)
Best Webcomic: Fried Rice Comic, by Erica Eng, https://friedricecomic.tumblr.com
Best Short Story: “Hot Comb,” by Ebony Flowers, in Hot Comb (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Comics-Related Book: Making Comics, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Publication Design: Making Comics, designed by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Single Issue: Our Favorite Thing Is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material: The House, by Paco Roca, translation by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
Best Continuing Series: Bitter Root, by Chuck Brown, David F. Walker, and Sanford Greene
Best Limited Series: Little Bird, Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram
Image Comics took home four awards for coloring (Dave Stewart), best limited series, best continuing series, and best cover artist (Emma Ríos ).
Best New Series: Invisible Kingdom, by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward
Best Graphic Album (Reprint): LaGuardia, by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford
Best Adaptation From Another Medium: Snow, Glass, Apples, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by Colleen Doran
Best Painter/Digital Artist: Christian Ward, Invisible Kingdom, Machine Gun Wizards
Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Hellboy and the BPRD, Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice
The Will Eisner Comic Industry awards are voted on by comics industry members and the awards ceremony is held in conjunction with San Diego Comic-Con International every year.
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