On Friday, July 25, the 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in the Indigo Ballroom during the San Diego Comic-Con. Named after artist Will Eisner (1917 – 2005), best known for creating The Spirit, The Eisners have been honoring achievement in American comics since 1988. The nominations are determined by a five-member panel, and are the winners are selected by comic-book professionals.
This year’s winners are:
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
- Hawkeye #11: “Pizza Is My Business” by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
Best Continuing Series
- Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)
Best Limited Series
- The Wake by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy (Vertigo/DC)
Best New Series
- Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
- Itty Bitty Hellboy by Art Baltazar and Franco (Dark Horse)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)
- The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks (Dark Horse)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
- Battling Boy by Paul Pope (First Second)
Best Humor Publication
- Vader’s Little Princess by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
Best Anthology
- Dark Horse Presents edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
Best Reality-Based Work
- The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker (M Press/Dark Horse)
Best Graphic Album—New
- The Property by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
- Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground by Donald Westlake, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
- RASL by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
- Tarzan: The Complete Russ Manning Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW). [Read my review.]
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
- Will Eisner’s The Spirit Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
- Goddam This War! by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Pierre Verney (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
- The Mysterious Underground Men by Osamu Tezuka (PictureBox)
Best Writer
- Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)
Best Writer/Artist
- Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories #6 (Fantagraphics)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
- Sean Murphy, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
- Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
Best Cover Artist
- David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
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)
Best Lettering
- Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground (IDW)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
- Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland, www.comicbookresources.com
Best Comics-Related Book
- Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell (LOAC/IDW)
Best Scholarly/Academic Work
- Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation, edited by Sheena C. Howard and Ronald L. Jackson II (Bloomsbury)
Best Publication Design
- Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)