PENDRAGON'S POST: San Diego Comic Con

Comic-Con International (Comic-Con) is proud to announce the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2010. The nominees, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, reflect the wide range of material being published in comics and graphic novel form today, from multivolume deluxe hardcovers to online stories to traditional comic book format.

Topping the 2010 nominees with 4 nominations is David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp, a highly acclaimed literary graphic novel published by Pantheon. Several works have received 3 nominations, including two French graphic novels, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill (by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo, published by Fanfare/Ponent Mon) and The Photographer (by Emmanuel Guibert, published by First Second). Japanese manga master Naoki Urasawa is represented by multiple nominations for two of his works, 20th Century Boys and Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka (both published by VIZ Media), nominated not only in the International category but also for Best Continuing Series (20th Century Boys) and Best Limited Series (Pluto). Another manga title with 3 nominations is Yoshihiro Tatsumi's A Drifting Life (published by Drawn & Quarterly). Other publications with 3 nominations are Robert Crumb's illustrated version of The Book of Genesis (published by Norton), Darwyn Cooke's Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW), Mike Carey and Peter Gross's comic book series The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC), and Mark Waid and Peter Kraus's series Irredeemable (BOOM!), which also has a shared nomination. The big DC event miniseries of the year, Blackest Night, is also on the ballot, with 2 nominations and 1 shared.

The creators with the most nominations are Urusawa (5) and Mazzucchelli (4), followed by several creators with 3: Cooke, Crumb, Bravo, Guibert, Carey, Waid, and writer Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal, and Incognito, published by Marvel).

DC Comics has the most nominations for a publisher, with its various imprints (DCU, Vertigo, WildStorm, Zuda) garnering 20 nominations (plus 2 shared). The DC Universe has 11 of those nominations, spread among multiple titles and creators. The Vertigo imprint's 7 nominations are led by 3 for The Unwritten. The publisher emerging with the second most nominations this year is Fantagraphics Books, with 17 (plus one shared). The company dominates the categories for Archival Collections, with 5 out of the 11 nominees in those categories. Two of the archival works also have design nods: The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley's Cartoons and Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons. The rest of Fantagraphics' nominations are spread throughout the ballot, with the only other multiple nominations being for Carol Tyler (Best Writer/Artist and Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for You'll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man) and the French graphic album West Coast Blues.

Abrams CartoonArts has six titles on the ballot (led by The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics), toting up 8 nominations in all. Also with 8 nominees (plus 2 shared), Marvel Comics posseses multiple nominations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young), Wolverine: Old Man Logan (by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines), and the Marvel Icon titles Incognito and Criminal (by Brubaker and Sean Phillips). Three publishers have 7 nominees: Fanfare/Ponent Man (for 3 titles), IDW (for 5 titles, plus 1 shared nomination), and W. W. Norton (for 3 titles, including Crumb's Book of Genesis and David Small's Stitches). Close behind are First Second (6 nominations plus 1 shared), VIZ Media (6 nominations), BOOM! (5 nominations plus 2 shared), and Dark Horse (4 nominations plus 2 shared). Drawn & Quarterly and Image each have 4 nominees.

This year's judges made some significant changes in the categories, restoring one that last year's judges omitted (Best Single Issue/One Shot), changing the names of two ("U.S. Edition of International Material-Japan" revised to "U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia" and "Limited Series" changed to "Limited Series or Story Arc"), and splitting the Best Writer/Artist category into two, with the second being Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction. They also added the category of Best Adaptation from Another Work. This addition reflects the large number of comics and graphic novels now being based on other sources. The nominees here include not only Crumb's Genesis but also adaptations of Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Richard Stark's The Hunter, and Jean-Patrick Manchette's West Coast Blues.

Named for acclaimed comics creator the Will Eisner, the awards are in their 22nd year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2010 judging panel consists of academic Craig Fischer (associate professor of English, Appalachian State University), librarian Francisca Goldsmith (staff development instructor/consultant, Infopeople), reviewer John Hogan (GraphicNovelReporter.com), writer James Hudnall (Harsh Realm, The Psycho), and retailer Wayne Winsett (Time Warp Comics, Boulder, Colorado).

Ballots with this year's nominees will be going out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable pdf of the ballot will also be available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 23 at Comic-Con International.

Voting in one Eisner Awards category, Hall of Fame, is already completed. The judges chose the nominees earlier this year, and voting was conducted solely online, with voting ending on March 31.

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture. Jackie Estrada has been administrator of the Awards since 1990.

The 2010 Will Eisner
Comic Industry Award Nominees

Best Short Story
* "Because I Love You So Much," by Nikoline Werdelin, in From Wonderland with Love: Danish Comics in the 3rd Millennium (Fantagraphics/Aben maler)
* "Gentleman John," by Nathan Greno, in What Is Torch Tiger? (Torch Tiger)
* "How and Why to Bale Hay," by Nick Bertozzi, in Syncopated (Villard)
* "Hurricane," interpreted by Gradimir Smudja, in Bob Dylan Revisited (Norton)
* "Urgent Request," by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The Eternal Smile (First Second)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
* Brave & the Bold #28: "Blackhawk and the Flash: Firing Line," by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz (DC)
* Captain America #601: "Red, White, and Blue-Blood," by Ed Brubaker and Gene Colan (Marvel)
* Ganges #3, by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics)
* The Unwritten #5: "How the Whale Became," by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
* Usagi Yojimbo #123: "The Death of Lord Hikiji" by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse)

Best Continuing Series
* Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy et al. (Vertigo/DC)
* Irredeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!)
* Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
* The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
* The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image)

Best Limited Series or Story Arc
* Blackest Night, by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Oclair Albert (DC)
* Incognito, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)
* Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ Media)
* Wolverine #66-72 and Wolverine Giant-Size Special: "Old Man Logan," by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines (Marvel)
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best New Series
* Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
* Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick, art by Tony Parker (BOOM!)
* Ireedeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!)
* Sweet Tooth, by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo/DC)
* The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)

Best Publication for Kids
* Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, by Jarrett J. Krosoczeka (Knopf)
* The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, by Eleanor Davis (Bloomsbury)
* Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme (First Second)
* The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon)
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best Publication for Teens
* Angora Napkin, by Troy Little (IDW)
* Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
* A Family Secret, by Eric Heuvel (Farrar Straus Giroux/Anne Frank House)
* Far Arden, by Kevin Cannon (Top Shelf)
* I Kill Giants tpb, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura (Image)

Best Humor Publication
* Drinky Crow's Maakies Treasury, by Tony Millionaire (Fantagraphics)
* Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me, And Other Astute Observations, by Peter Bagge (Fantagraphics)
* Little Lulu, vols. 19-21, by John Stanley and Irving Tripp (Dark Horse Books)
* The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets, by Roger Langridge (BOOM Kids!)
* Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrm vs. the Universe, by Brian Lee O'Malley (Oni)

Best Anthology
* Abstract Comics, edited by Andrei Molotiu (Fantagraphics)
* Bob Dylan Revisited, edited by Bob Weill (Norton)
* Flight 6, edited by Kazu Kibuishi (Villard)
* Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe Keatinge (Image)
* Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays, edited by Brendan Burford (Villard)
* What Is Torch Tiger? edited by Paul Briggs (Torch Tiger)

Best Digital Comic
* Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl,
www.abominable.cc
* Bayou, by Jeremy Love,
http://zudacomics.com/bayou
* The Guns of Shadow Valley, by David Wachter and James Andrew Clark,
www.gunsofshadowvalley.com
* Power Out, by Nathan Schreiber,
www.act-i-vate.com/67.comic
* Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart,
www.sintitulocomic.com/

Best Reality-Based Work
* A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Footnotes in Gaza, by Joe Sacco (Metropolitan/Holt)
* The Imposter's Daughter, by Laurie Sandell (Little, Brown)
* Monsters, by Ken Dahl (Secret Acres)
* The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
* Stitches, by David Small (Norton)

Best Adaptation from Another Work
* The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton)
* Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Michael Keller and Nicolle Rager Fuller (Rodale)
* Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, adapted by Tim Hamilton (Hill & Wang)
* Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
* West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album-New
* Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzuccheilli (Pantheon)
* A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton)
* My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
* Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album-Reprint
* Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC)
* A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, by Josh Neufeld (Pantheon)
* Alec: The Years Have Pants, by Eddie Campbell (Top Shelf)
* Essex County Collected, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
* Map of My Heart: The Best of King-Cat Comics & Stories, 1996-2002, by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Strips
* Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
* Bringing Up Father, vol. 1: From Sea to Shining Sea, by George McManus and Zeke Zekley, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW)
* The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley's Cartoons 1913-1940, edited by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics)
* Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, by Gahan Wilson, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
* Prince Valiant, vol. 1: 1937-1938, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
* Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Walt McDougall, and W. W. Denslow (Sunday Press)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books
* The Best of Simon & Kirby, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, edited by Steve Saffel (Titan Books)
* Blazing Combat, by Archie Goodwin et al., edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
* Humbug, by Harvey Kurtzman et al., edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
* The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
* The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
* My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
* Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme (First Second)
* West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)
* Years of the Elephant, by Willy Linthout (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia
* The Color Trilogy, by Kim Dong Haw (First Second)
* A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Oishinbo a la Carte, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki (VIZ Media)
* Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ Media)
* Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

Best Writer
* Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel) Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)
* Geoff Johns, Adventure Comics, Blackest Night, The Flash: Rebirth, Superman: Secret Origin (DC)
* James Robinson, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC)
* Mark Waid, Irredeemable, The Incredibles (BOOM!)
* Bill Willingham, Fables (Vertigo/DC)

Best Writer/Artist
* Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
* R. Crumb, The Book of Genesis Illustrated (Norton)
* David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
* Terry Moore, Echo (Abstract Books)
* Naoki Urasawa, Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka (VIZ Media)

Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction
* Reinhard Kleist, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness (Abrams ComicArts)
* Willy Linthout, Years of the Elephant (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt)
* David Small, Stitches (Norton)
* Carol Tyler, You'll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
* Michael Kaluta, Madame Xanadu #11-15: "Exodus Noir" (Vertigo/DC)
* Steve McNiven/Dexter Vines, Wolverine: Old Man Logan (Marvel)
* Fiona Staples, North 40 (WildStorm)
* J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)
* Danijel Zezelj, Luna Park (Vertigo/DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
* É Bravo, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* Mauro Cascioli, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC)
* Nicolle Rager Fuller, Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation (Rodale Books)
* Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children's Books)
* Carol Tyler, You'll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)

Best Cover Artist
* John Cassaday, Irredeemable (BOOM!); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
* Salvador Larocca, Invincible Iron Man (Marvel)
* Sean Phillips, Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon); 28 Days Later (BOOM!)
* Alex Ross, Astro City: The Dark Age (WildStorm/DC); Project Superpowers (Dynamite)
* J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)

Best Coloring
* Steve Hamaker, Bone: Crown of Thorns (Scholastic); Little Mouse Gets Ready (Toon)
* Laura Martin, The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures (IDW); Thor, The Stand: American Nightmares (Marvel)
* David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
* Alex Sinclair, Blackest Night, Batman and Robin (DC)
* Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Luna Park (Vertigo)

Best Lettering
* Brian Fies, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? (Abrams ComicArts)
* David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
* Tom Orzechowski, Savage Dragon (Image); X-Men Forever (Marvel)
* Richard Sala, Cat Burglar Black (First Second); Delphine (Fantagraphics)
* Adrian Tomine, A Drifting Life (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
* Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
* ComicsAlliance, edited by Laura Hudson www.comicsalliance.com
* Comics Comics, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel
(www.comicscomicsmag.com) (PictureBox)
* The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
* The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon
(www.comicsreporter.com)

Best Comics-Related Book
* Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel, by Annalisa Di Liddo (University Press of Mississippi)
* The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)
* The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, by Helen McCarthy (Abrams ComicArts)
* Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, by Eric P. Nash (Abrams ComicArts)
* Will Eisner and PS Magazine, by Paul E. Fitzgerald (Fitzworld.US)

Best Publication Design
* Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC)
* The Brinkley Girls, designed by Adam Grano (Fantagraphics)
* Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)
* Life and Times of Martha Washington, designed by David Nestelle (Dark Horse Books)
* Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press)
* Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? designed by Neil Egan and Brian Fies (Abrams ComicArts) Read more...

The biggest names of the comic book and entertainment industry took to the red carpet during THE RADICAL EVENT AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL at San Diego Comic-Con 2009, hosted by Radical Publishing, Gene Simmons and Nick Simmons, promoting both the future titles of Radical Publishing and the release of Radical’s newest title INCARNATE by Nick Simmons.

Guests included Ain’t It Cool News’ head geek Harry Knowles; filmmaker Len Wiseman, producer and director of Radical’s Shrapnel; Bill Condon, writer and director of Dream Girls; actress Hayden Panettiere of Heroes; Marc Forster, director of Finding Neverland and Quantum of Solace; Wesley Snipes, who brought the character Blade to life in the blockbuster film trilogy; Kellan Lutz, star of Twilight and 90210; Darren Bousman, director of Saw II, III and IV and creator of Radical’s upcoming Abattoir; musician, director, screenwriter and film producer Rob Zombie, who terrified audiences worldwide with The Devil’s Rejects and Halloween; screenwriter Rich Wilkes, who wrote XXX; actor Terry Crews of Everybody Hates Chris and the upcoming The Expendables; actress Virginia Madsen, the Academy Award nominated star of Sideways; actor Thomas Jane, star of Punisher and Hung; actor Eli Roth, who is starring in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Inglourious Basterds; actor Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, star of The 5th Element and Friday; popular comedian and entertainer Carrot Top; actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, star of G.I. Joe and Lost; and actress Adrianne Palicki of Friday Night Lights; model Jade Cole; and from the Fisher House, trustee Tammy Fisher.

The event also featured a who’s-who of the biggest names in comics including industry legend Stan Lee; DC Comics Editor-in-Chief Dan DiDio and Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada; Comics icon and designer of Radical’s Hercules series Jim Steranko; Steve Pugh, creative talent behind Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead; Arthur Suydam, fan-favorite artist of Marvel Zombies and creator of Cholly & Flytrap: Center City; David Hine, writer of Radical’s upcoming FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency; as well as the creator of 30 Days of Night and Radical’s City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story, Steve Niles.

“San Diego Comic-Con International is a weekend of celebration for the comic book industry and this year, Radical has a lot to celebrate,” said Radical Publishing’s President Barry Levine. “This past year, we were awarded Diamond Distribution’s Gem Award for Best New Publisher of the Year; our newest title, Incarnate, has already sold out of its first printing; and we’re set to ring in our next year in style."

The most exciting is yet to come, beginning fall 2009 with Rick Remender’s The Last Days of American Crime, David Hine’s FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency, Nick Percival’s Legends, Jimmy Palmiotti’s Time Bomb and Oblivion by Joseph Kosinski, director of Tron Legacy from Disney. Current Radical titles on the stands include Mateki: The Magic Flute from award winning Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano (Vampire Hunter D, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: The Dream Hunters), the first book of the epic Shrapnel trilogy, Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising, from Zombie Studios’ Mark Long and novelist Nick Sagan, and the hotly anticipated second installment of Radical’s Hercules series, Hercules: The Knives of Kush by Steve Moore.
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