The Eisner Awards are the comics industry’s equivalent of the Oscars, with awards for various categories like Best Short Story, Best Publication for Kids, Best Digital Comic, and Best Writer/Artist. They’re awarded each year at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and it’s a pretty big deal.
Comic-Con has just announced this year’s nominees, which include several that we’ve reviewed here at GeekDad (and many, many more that we haven’t … yet). The Return of the Dapper Men snagged the most nominations, for Best Publication for Teens, Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer, Best Artist, and Best Publication Design. Jimmy Gownley got a few nominations for his Amelia Rules! series. Among the Best Publication for Teens nominees are Smile by Raina Telgemeier and Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel, both books that I’ve enjoyed.
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard also appears a few times on the list, for Best Anthology and Best Cover Artist. Eric Shanower, who won two Eisners last year for his adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, has been nominated again for The Marvelous Land of Oz. And another adaptation, The Little Prince by Joann Sfar, is also up for an award.
Basically, if you’re looking for a list of some very excellent comic books, the Eisner nominees are a good place to start.
Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees, and good luck! I’ve got a lot of books to add to my reading list.
