Earlier today, the nominations for the 2020 Eisner Awards were announced, marking this year’s honorees for greatness and creative achievement in American comic books.
What’s Happening:
- Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 32nd year of bringing attention to and highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels
- The nominations in each category are voted on by a jury of professionals in the industry, and the winners are usually presented at a ceremony that is held at the annual San Diego Comic-Con in July.
- With San Diego Comic-Con cancelled this year due to COVID-19, specifics on how this year’s ceremony will take place are still unclear at this time. The ceremony was originally scheduled for July 24th at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.
- This year’s judging panel will select the nominations to appear on the Eisner Awards ballot. This year's judges are Martha Cornog, Jamie Coville, Michael Dooley, Alex Grecian, Simon Jimenez, and Laura O’Meara.
- This year’s nominees in 31 categories reflect the wide range of material being published in the U.S. today in comics and graphic novel media, representing over 170 print and online titles from more than 60 publishers and produced by creators from all over the world.
- Here are a list of nominees representing Marvel and the Walt Disney Company:
- Best Continuing Series
- Daredevil, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
- Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José et al. (Marvel)
- Best New Series
- Doctor Doom, by Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larocca (Marvel)
- Best Publication for Early Readers
- The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems (Hyperion Books)
- Best Writer
- G. Willow Wilson, Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse); Ms. Marvel (Marvel)
- Chip Zdarsky, White Trees (Image); Daredevil, Spider-Man: Life Story (Marvel); Afterlife (comiXology Originals)
- Best Cover Artist
- Julian Totino Tedesco, Daredevil (Marvel)
- 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
- Clayton Cowles, Aquaman, Batman, Batman and the Outsiders, Heroes in Crisis, Superman: Up in the Sky, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC); Bitter Root, Pretty Deadly, Moonstruck, Redlands, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Reaver (Skybound/Image); Daredevil, Ghost-Spider, Silver Surfer Black, Superior Spider-Man, Venom (Marvel)
- Best Continuing Series
What They’re Saying:
- Eisner Awards Administrator Jackie Estrada: “The judging process was very challenging this year. Normally, the judges all meet in San Diego for four days in a room filled with all the submitted comics and books and they are able to interact with each other in person. With the country in lockdown, they all had to stay in their respective homes (as far away as Maine, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Kingston, Ontario) so had to communicate via email, a social media group, and Zoom. Packages of books went back and forth all over the country. Fortunately, we were able to work with the folks at comiXology and many of the publishers to have digital versions of hundreds of submissions available to the judges. The process took two months longer than usual.”