2013 Eisner Nominees

The nominees for the 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced a few weeks ago, and I’ve been mediating about the nominees and hopefuls. I don’t follow the industry closely enough to know if there were any upsets or snubs, but I was pleased to see some familiar works on the list.  We won’t find out who the actual winners are until July at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, but below are the categories annotated with my hopefuls for the ones I recognized and follow.

Best Short Story

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

Best Continuing Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best New Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17): A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)

Best Humor Publication

Best Digital Comic

Best Anthology

Best Reality-Based Work: Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me, by Ellen Forney (Gotham Books)

Best Graphic Album—New: Building Stories, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Penciller/Inker

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

Best Cover Artist: Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)

Best Coloring: Charles Burns, The Hive (Pantheon)

Best Lettering: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

Best Comics-Related Book

Best Educational/Academic Work

Best Publication Design: Building Stories, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

As you can tell, I’ve been drinking the Saga Kool-Aid – but if you haven’t read that series yet, you should fix that. I’m a little disappointed that Fiona Staples wasn’t nominated independently for her work in the series. She really makes that series come to life with her artwork. Chris Ware’s Building Stories came on my radar during The Morning News’s Annual Tournament of Books. Needless to say, I have quite some reading to do before July.

Have you read any of the nominees? Who are your hopefuls?