I Reads You Juniors April 2020 - Update #84

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DIAMOND - From Newsarama:  This link reveals a list of comic books titles that publishers (including DC Comics) are going to release through Diamond Comic Distributors for May 20, 2020.

DC COMICS - From Newsarama:  DC Comics shipping for May 19 and May 26, 2020.

COVID-19 AND COMICS:

From BleedingCool:  "Flaming Carrot" creator, Bob Burden, had been hospitalized with COVID-19, but is better now.

From Newsarama:  DC Comics explains why it began distributing its comic books through distributors other than Diamond Comic Distributors during the Diamond-COVID-19 shutdown.

From Newsarama: (4/25) - Diamond Comic Distributors will reportedly resume shipping comic books for the week of Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

From Newsarama: (4/17) -  In the wake of the COVID-19 comic book industry shutdown, DC Comics plans to resume releasing a limited number of print comic books, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, with those comic books also being available in digital editions.

From Newsarama: (4/17) -  Newsarama's Chris Arrant takes a look inside DC Comics' new print distribution plan, which involves two new distributors, "Lunar" and "UCS."

From BleedingCool: (4/17) - Here is a list of comic books that DC Comics will be distributing for the weeks of Tues., April 28th, Tues., May 5th, and Tues., May 12th via Lunar Distribution and USC Comic Distributors.

From Newsarama: (4/17) - Retailer reaction to DC Comics' new distribution model is... mixed.

From BleedingCool: (4/21) - New DC Comics distributor, UCS Comic Distributors, will waive credit card fees and reorder fees for 2 months for comic book retailers ordering from them.

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From Newsarama:  African-American comic book writer-editor and New Yorker, Joseph Illidge ("Heavy Metal"), talks about surviving COVID-19.

From CNN:  Concerns over COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of San Diego Comic-Con International 2020.  This is the first cancellation in the 50-year history of the event.

From Newsarama:  So it is official:  Diamond Comic Distributors has targeted mid to late May 2020 to resume distribution of comic books and other products.

From BleedingCool:  The 2020 installments of BookExpo and BookCon have been cancelled.  Both will return in 2021... hopefully.

From ICv2:  Comic book sales may be cold because of COVID-19, but the graphic novel trade continues via a mix retailers.

From BleedingCool:  Diamond Comic Distributors could start distributing comic books to comic book shops sometime around Sunday, May 17th, 2020... unless things change with current lock down orders.

From Newsarama:  Director James Gunn says that COVID-19 issues will not delay his upcoming comic book films.  "The Suicide Squad" is still due August 2021, and he still plans to start filming "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3" later this year.

From BleedingCool:  Post-COVID-19, a group of comic book retailers have come up with a plan to change the way things work in "Direct Market" comic books.

From ComicBook:  Todd McFarlane has said that he is open to a Spawn/Spider-Man/Venom comic book crossover.  Fans have long requested a Spawn/Spider-Man crossover, but McFarlane has long resisted.  He says he would do it now to help the comics industry, in crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Newsarama:  Humanoids publisher Mark Waid announces the company's revised publishing schedule in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Newsarama:  TOKYOPOP announces its adjusted print and digital comics publishing schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Newsarama:  Diamond Comic Distributors announces that it will resume making payments - partial payments - to its vendors which includes comic book publishers.  Last week, Diamond announced that it was withholding payments due to the industry chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From TheDailyBeast:  The site says "The Coronavirus Outbreak Has Plunged the Comics World into Existential Chaos"

From TheObserver:  Big name Marvel and DC Comics artists are auctioning drawings to help comic book retailers hurt by COVID-19.

From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics has announced that it is pausing work and release on one-third of its planned publications for May and June 2020.

From Newsarama:  So ComicHub isn't happening...

From CBR:  New details have emerged regarding ComicHub's role in distributing new comics during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

From TheConversation:  COVID-19 has shutdown the comic book industry.

From Newsarama:  Voice actor Phil LeMarr reprises his role as "Green Lantern/John Stewart" ("Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited") to recite Green Lantern's oath as a gift to fans who will not set him at conventions this summer because of COVID-19.

From Newsarama:  Diamond Comic Distributors warns the comic book industry that it is having cash flow problems.

PENCILS DOWN - Comic book creators use the term "pencils down" to refer to an order from a comics publisher to cease work on a title.  The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the comic book industry practically to a standstill with "pencils down" orders flying fast and furious:

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics has informed more freelance creators to pause their work on Marvel assignments.

From Newsarama:  Writer-artist Sophie Campbell says that IDW has instructed her to stop producing work on its "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" comic book series "for now," with work stop with issue #105.  TMNT #105 to 107 have been solicited

From Newsarama:  Writer Larry Hama says that IDW has told him to suspend any current writing he is doing on the long-running "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" comic book, which IDW currently publishes.

COVID-19 COMICS IN MEMORIAM:

From Newsarama:  Legendary Argentine comic book writer and artist, Juan Gimenez, died at the age of 76, Wednesday, April 2, 2020.  He is best known for drawing "The Metabarons," for writer Alejandro Jodorowsky.  His other series include "The Fourth Power" and "Leo Roa."  He designed the "Harry Canyon" segment for the animated feature film, "Heavy Metal" (1981).  He had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

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OTHER NEWS:

EUROCOMICS - From BleedingCool:  There is one more "Asterix" graphic novel coming from the original creative team, the late writer Rene Goscinny and the recently deceased artist Albert Uderzo.  "Asterix and the Golden Menhir" arrives on October 21st by Albert René Editions in France and Belgium and by Panini in other territories.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird are returning to their creations, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin."  It is an adaptation of an unpublished story from 1987.

NEWSPAPER COMICS - From TulsaWorld:  Russell Myers reflects on the 50-year history of his newspaper comic strip, "Broom-Hilda," and its Tulsa Oklahoma roots.

MANGA - From BleedingCool:  Yen Press announces a new manga title, "I'm a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl's Pet."

DC COMICS - From Newsarama:  DC Comics announces new "digital first" comics for Monday, April, 27th.

MARVEL - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics confirms that it will not publish any new print or digital comic books the week of April 27th, although its rival, DC Comics, will resume publishing new print comic books that week.

BRITISH COMICS - From Newsarama:  The U.K. comics franchise, "Tank Girl," is moving from Titan Publishing to American publisher, Albatross Funnybooks.

NEWSPAPER COMICS - From WashPost:  Steenz and Bianca Xunise become rare examples of African-American women drawing newspaper comic strips.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Todd McFarlane talks bout the development of his art style.

DC COMICS - From Newsarama:  Does DC Comics' "expansion" of its "digital first" line of comics foreshadow bigger changes.

MANGA TO FILM - From Variety:  Sony is developing a live-action film based on the superhero-monster manga, "One-Punch Man."

SONY MARVEL U - From THR:  The "Venom" sequel has an official title, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," and a new release date, June 25, 2021 (from October 2, 2020).

DC CINEMA - From Variety:  Matt Reeves' film, "The Batman," is among the films that Warner Bros. are giving a release date change.

DC CINEMA - From YahooEntertainment:  Alicia Silverstone portrayed "Batgirl" in the much maligned 1997 Batman film, "Batman & Robin."  In an interview, Silverstone says that some of the criticism for the film that was leveled at her involved "body-shaming," including some critics calling her "Fatgirl."

WEBCOMICS - From BleedingCool:  TV actor ("In the Heat of the Night") and writer ("Law and Order: Criminal Intent") and comic book writer ("Solo" and "Mosaic" for Marvel Comics), Geoffrey Thorne, talks to "Bleeding Cool" about his upcoming webcomics.

IMAGE COMICS TV - From Deadline:  Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's killer of a comic book series, "Killadelphia," is being developed for television.

DC TV - From Variety:  One of the TV series that J.J. Abrams will be producing for HBO Max will be based on DC Comics' "Justice League Dark" franchise.

WEBCOMICS - From Newsarama:  Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Marcos Martin have launched a new digital comic, "Friday," at the site, "Panel Syndicate."

COMICS HISTORY - From ScreenRant:  The site offers a history of the American comic book "Direct Market."

COMIC SHOP - From CoolHunting: A Brooklyn, NY comic shop, Loot, turns children's drawings of superheroes into action figures.

MANGA - From ComicBook:  Junji Ito, the master of horror manga and horror comics, has a new manga and it has an appropriate title - "Disturbing Zone."

MARVEL TV - From Newsarama:  ABC says the "Agents of SHIELD" will return for the beginning of its final season May 27th.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Jim Starlin has come out of retirement to produce a new entry in his classic creator-owned comic, "Dreadstar," the first in over 30 years.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Penn State University (Pennsylvania State University) is launching its own comics imprint, "Graphic Mundi"

COMICS TO FILM - From Newsarama:  Comic book publisher BOOM! Studios signs a first-look deal with Netflix.

MARVEL COMICS -  From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics executive president and creative director Joe Quesada is showing artwork that he is drawing for an unannounced Marvel Comics project.

IMAGE COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Image Comics publisher, Eric Stephenson, has registered a trademark for "Pacific Comics PC," based on the old comic book store chain, publisher, and distributor.

ALAN MOORE - From BleedingCool:  Read Alan Moore's original proposal for the "America's Best Comics" line at Wildstorm.

COMICS TO FILM - From Newsarama:  Todd McFarlane says his "Spawn" movies, which he will write and direct, is still on track, despite rumors that the production has lost steam.

IN MEMORIAM - From Deadline:  The cartoonist, caricaturist, and comic book artist, Mort Drucker, has died at the age of 91, Wednesday, March 8, 2020.  Drucker is best known for drawing "Mad Magazine" for over five decades, where he specialized in satirizing films, television series, and their stars, actors, and filmmakers.

DC TV:  From Deadline:  Actor Erik Valdez (formerly of "General Hospital") has been cast as "Kyle Cushing," the husband of classic Superman character, "Lana Lang," in The CW's "Superman & Lois."

COMICS AWARDS - From Newsarama:  The nominees for the 2020 Hugo Awards, the most prestigious awards in science fiction, have been announced.  They have a comics category ("Best Graphic Story or Comic").

COMICS AWARDS - From Newsarama:  The nominees for the 2020 / 16th Annual Doug Wright Awards have been announced.  The Doug Wright Awards recognize English-language Canadian comics, although Canada is a bilingual nation (French and English).  The winners will be announced Sat., May 9, 2020.

FOX MARVEL U - From GamesRadar:  The runtime of "The New Mutants" is reportedly 94 minutes, which if true, would make it the shortest "X-Men" movie.

COMICS TO FILM - From Newsarama:  Netflix has debuted a trailer for "Extraction," a new film by Joe and Anthony Russo, the brothers behind the final two Avengers film.  Starring Chris Hemsworth ("Thor"), "Extraction" is based on the Russos' graphic novel, "Ciudad," which was published by Oni Press.

DC ANIMATION - From Newsarama:  Shazam joins the DC Comics' Lego animation line with "Shazam!: Magic and Monsters."  The film will get an April 28th digital release before a June 16th Blu-ray and DVD release.

DC TV - Deadline:  Actress Emmanuelle Chriqui has been cast "Lana Lang" in The CW's "Superman & Lois" series.

COMICS - From Brattleboro:  Longtime comic book writer, artist, creator, and publisher, Rick Veitch, has been named the state of Vermon's fourth "cartoonist laureate."

MANGA TO ANIME - From ComicBook:  The "Black Clover" anime will produce its first original story line outside of what is being produced for the "Black Clover" manga.

MANGA TO ANIME - From ScreenRant:  The "Bleach" anime enters its final season and will adapt the "Bleach" manga's "Thousand-Year Blood War" story arc.

COMICS TO FILM - From IndieWire:  Quentin Tarantino apparently once wanted to make a move featuring Marvel's "Luke Cage" with Laurence Fishburne in the lead role, but friends talked him out of it...

X-MEN - From BleedingCool:  It seems that once upon a time, almost five decades ago, X-Men artist John Byrne envisioned a different man behind Wolverine's mask.

DC TV - From Deadline:  The actor Dylan Walsh has been cast as "General Lane," the father of "Lois Lane" in The CW's upcoming TV series, "Superman & Lois."

MANGA - From Newsarama:  Kodansha USA Publishing announced that it will maintain release dates on some of its titles, release some in digital format, and change dates for others.  This involves its "Kodansha Comics" and "Vertical" imprints.

COMICS - From ScreenRant:  The auction house, Sotheby's, is selling Ian Levin's collection of every DC Comics published from 1934 to 2014.

DIGITAL COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Action Lab launches "Lucifer's Knight" on comiXology.

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APRIL 2020 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze Media for April 2020
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for April 2020
From BleedingCool:  Amigo Comics for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Antarctic Press for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Archie Comics for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Dark Horse Comics for April 2020
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for April 2020
From BleedingCool:  Devil's Due for April 2020
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Image Comics for April 2020
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for April 2020
From Newsarama:  Valiant Entertainment for April 2020

MAY 2020 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From Newsarama:  A full-list of titles available for "Free Comic Book Day 2020" on May 2, 2020.
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Antarctic Press for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Archie Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Artists, Writers & Artisans for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Aspen for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Behemoth Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask Studios for May 2020
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for May 2020
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for May 2020 [REVISED]
From Newsarama:  Dark Horse Comics for May 2020
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Hero Complex for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Hero Tomorrow for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publihsing for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Mad Cave Studios for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Storm King Productions for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Titan Comics for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Valiant Entertainment for May 2020
From Newsarama:  Vault Comics for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for May 2020
From BleedingCool:  Yen Press for May 2020

JUNE 2020 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Antarctic Press for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Archie Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for June 2020
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for June 2020 [REVISED]
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Dynamite Entertainment for June 2020
From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for June 2020
From Newsarama:  IDW Publishing for June 2020
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for June 2020
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Oni Press for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Source Point Press for June 2020
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Vault Comics for June 2020
From Newsarama:  Valiant Entertainment for June 2020
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for June 2020

JULY 2020 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From Newsarama:  Behemoth Comics for July 2020
From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for July 2020
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for July 2020


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I Reads You Juniors July 2018 - Update #73

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OCTOBER 2018 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Caliber Press for October 2018
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for October 2018
From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for October 2018.
From CBR:  Marvel Comics for October 2018.

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From TheSun:  Britain's long-running and venerable children's comics magazines turned 80 years old, yesterday, Monday, July 30, 2018.

From ComicBookBin:   New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #171 in English.
From ComicBookBin:   New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #171 in French.

SDCC - From PublishersWeekly:  New Fans, New Books: Change Comes to San Diego Comic-Con 2018

From BleedingCool:   First Look at Alejandro Jodorowsky and José Ladrönn’s Sons of El Topo OGN

From THR:  DC Comics publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio talks about the company's strategy going forward.

From Farlaine:  Preorders open on Vol. 7, the final volume of the acclaimed fantasy comic book series, Farlaine the Goblin."

From BloodyDisgusting:  Tom Holland wrote and directed the original "Fright Night" film.  Now, he is returning to the world of that film with a new novel and possibly a comic book series.

From Polygon:  Comedian Jim Jefferies (of Comedy Central's "The Jim Jefferies Show") takes on comic book Klan troll, Richard C. Meyer.

SDCC - From THR:  Big Marvel and DC comic book reveals from Comic-Con you may have missed.

From BleedingCool:  The acclaimed science fiction comic book, "Saga," from Image Comics is going on hiatus after issue #54.

From BleedingCool:  The full DC Comics catalogue for October 2018.

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #170 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #170 in French.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  "X-Men: Black" will be a weekly series of one-shots focusing on X-Men villains.  Chris Claremont will write the Magneto one-shot.

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #169 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #169 in French.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Comic-Con yields more details on IDW's upcoming line of young readers Marvel Comics superhero titles.

From BleedingCool:  John Byrne drops some gorgeous pencil art in his classic "X-Men" style.

From CBR:  Marvel Comics is reviving its "What If?" series.

SDCC - From CBR: Scott Snyder's big Friday Comic-Con announcement is a massive DC Comics crossover event for 2019, but no title was revealed.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Actor Isaiah Washington and actor-screenwriter Kevin Grevioux talk about their graphic novel, "Bison," at Comic-Con's "Black Panel."

SDCC - From THR:  The winners of the 2018 Will Esiner Awards
From ComicCon:  The 2018 Will Eisner Awards for Excellence in Comics
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SDCC - From CBR:  Venerable comics journalism, commentary, and interview magazines, The Comics Journal, is returning as a print magazines.

SDCC - From CBR:  DC Comics confirms the Geoff Johns/Jason Fabok/Brad Anderson "Three Jokers," which will be released on DC's "Black Label" imprint.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Top Cow Marc Silvestri has longed been rumored to working on a Batman comic book.  It has been officially announces as the six-issue miniseries, "Batman/The Joker: Deadly Duo."

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Stargirl is the latest DC Comics character headed to a TV series on the streaming service, "DC Universe."

SDCC - From YahooEntertainment:  Grant Morrison to write new Hal Jordan Green Lantern comic book series, "The Green Lantern."

From Newsarama:  Subscription pre-orders for the streaming universe, "DC Universe," are now available.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Gail Simone is now the "chief architect" of comic book publisher's Lion Forge's "Catalyst Prime," its line of "diverse" superhero comic books.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  DC Comics announces a bunch on new DC Ink and DC Zoom titles, including one written by Louise Simonson.

SDCC - From Fantagraphics:  Fantagraphics goes to San Diego Comic-Con 2018; here is their "Signing Schedule."

From Newsarama:  DC Comics is putting Jack Kirby's world of disaster ("Kamandi") into the DC Comics "Rebirth era" via a new comic book, "Electric Warriors" a six-issue miniseries written by Steve Orlando and drawn by Travel Forman.

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Scott Snyder will announce his new DC Comics project on Friday at Comic-Con International 2018.

SDCC - From TheComicsReporter:  Twenty-Five Tips For Surviving + Thriving During Comic-Con 2018

SDCC - From MarketInsider:  Critical Entertainment LLC is a new comic book and graphic novel publisher debuts at San Diego Comic-Con International 2018.

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #168 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #168 in French.

From CBR:  Renowned science fiction author wrote a screenplay for what would eventually be the film "Alien 3"  It was not used; now Dark Horse is producing a comic book adaptation of it.

From BleedingCool:  Greg Pak and Marc Laming prep an ongoing "James Bond" comic book for Dyanmite Entertainment.

SDCC - From CosmicBookNews:   Marvel Comics' 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International schedule, panel, and autographs.

From CBR:  Comics book villains will show up in Season 2 of Freeform's TV series, "Cloak & Dagger," says executive producer Joe Pokaski.

From JapanTimes:  An article about the enduring appeal of the manga, "Akira."

From Newsarama:  The "Blade Runner" film universe is coming to comic books courtesy of Titan Publishing.

From BleedingCool:  Spider-Gwen will return as "Ghost Spider" in a new comic book.

From BleedingCool:  Artist Cary Nord will join G. Willow Wilson when she begins her tenure as writer of "Wonder Woman."

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics' "Black Label" imprint will debut with the oversized "Batman: Damned" from Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo.

From Newsarama:  R.L. Stine, the creator of "Goosebumps," is writing a series of original "supernatural middle grade" graphic novels to be published by BOOM! Studios under its Kaboom! imprint.

From JakartaPost:  Elderly emerging as star characters in new manga genre

From BleedingCool:  "Avengers Halloween Special" arrives in October 2018.

From BleedingCool:  Netflix release a poster for its adaptation of Archie Comics' "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina."

From TechDirt:  Police Union Upset Not All Books Paint Cops As Heroes, Calls For Removal Of Titles From School's Reading List

From AnimeNewsNetwork:  Viz Media Licenses JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Manga & Live-Action Film, Golden Wind Anime

SDCC - From BleedingCool:  Full Details of All 254 Friday Panels at San Diego Comic-Con 2018

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #167 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #167 in French.

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RIP - From Deadline:  Legendary comic book writer-artist Steve Ditko (The Amazing Spider-Man, Doctor Strange) died sometime in June, but the news just came to light today, Friday, July 6th, 2018.  The NYPD found his body on June 29th, 2018, and believe he had been dead a couple of days when they found his body.

RIP - from TCJ:  The Comics Journal offers an excellent (fantastic even) overview of the recently deceased Steve Ditko.
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RIP - From BleedingCool:  Andy Mangels remembers California animation industry veteran, Darrell McNeil, who died Wednesday, July 4th, 2018.  He became the young African-American in the animation business Hanna-Barbera hired him at the age of 18.

From ComicBook:  Veteran comics writer, artist, and publisher, Bob Layton, thinks that Marvel/Disney and DC Comics/Warner Bros. will eventually leave comic book publishing behind.

From TheSource:  Black Comic Books Matter: Sony Pictures Acquires Film Rights To Black Fantasy ‘Skyward’ Comic

From CBR:  A look back at the Ultraverse's "Video Comic Books."

From Gamespot:  Story details about the sequel to the popular "Fairy Tail" manga have been revealed.

From SiouxCityJournal:  Meredith, New Hampshire, will erect a bronze statue of a hometown boy, legendary Archie Comics artist, the late Bob Montana."

From TheBeat:  The Book, “DC Comics Before Superman.” looks at Wheeler-Nicholson’s Time as the Original Publisher

From TheVillageVoice:  Carol Cooper offers a fantastic obituary and overview of Harlan Ellison, the speculative fiction and television writer, who died June 28, 2018.  Ellison wrote several comic books scripts and penned numerous introductions and pieces for comic books and trade paperback collections.

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing to offer high-end exclusives at San Diego Comic-Con International 2018.

From ComicBook:  Marvel Comics announces it plans for San Diego Comic-Con International 2018.

From LRMOnline:  Boom! Studios has announced a new comic book series based on Joss Whedon's short-lived FOX TV series, "Firefly."

From WGNRadio:  In this audio clip, Nicole Hollander talks about her comic book, "We Ate Wonder Bread."

From BleedingCool:  Catwoman #1, debuting tomorrow, will lead DC Comics' switch from glossy to non-glossy paper.

From YouTube:  Jim Broadbent and Dix talks about their graphic novel, "Dull Margaret."

From ChicagoTribune:  A profile of Carol Tyler and discussion of her upcoming Beatles "diary," "Fab4 Mania."

From ComicBook:  Black actors portraying characters on TV that are "white" in the comic books talk about how they handled racists comic book fans online.

From SchooLibraryJournal:  This article reviews two volumes of Fantagraphics Books well-received "Disney Masters" series.

From ComicBook:  "Bleach" creator, Tite Kubo, reveals new manga, "Burn the Witch," which will reportedly be a one-shot.

From JapanToday:   Popular Japanese baseball manga series "Dokaben" ended its 46-year history with its last episode published in a weekly comic magazine released Thursday.

2017 Eisner Award Nominations Announced - Complete List of Nominees

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, also simply know as the “Eisner Awards,” are awards annually given for creative achievement in American comic books.  The awards are named for pioneering comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Will Eisner.  Some consider the Eisner Awards to be the preeminent awards that honor American comic books, even referring to the awards as “the Oscars of comic books” (which is so obviously ridiculous).

The Eisner Awards also include the Comic Industry's Hall of Fame.  The Eisner Awards are associated with the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, in July.  The Eisner Awards have been given annually since 1988, with the exception of 1990.

The 2017 Eisner Award nominations were announced Tuesday, May 2, 2017.  The winners will be announced Friday, July 21, 2017 at a gala ceremony held during Comic-Con International 2017.

The 2017 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of Alan Campbell, Rob Clough, Jamie Newbold, Robert Moses Peaslee, Dawn Rutherford, and Martha Thomases.

2017 Eisner Award Nominees:

Best Short Story

•    “The Comics Wedding of the Century,” by Simon Hanselmann, in We Told You So: Comics as Art (Fantagraphics)
•     “The Dark Nothing,” by Jordan Crane, in Uptight #5 (Fantagraphics)
•     “Good Boy,” by Tom King and David Finch, in Batman Annual #1 (DC)
•     “Monday,” by W. Maxwell Prince and John Amor, in One Week in the Library (Image) 
•     “Mostly Saturn,” by Michael DeForge, in Island Magazine #8 (Image)
•     “Shrine of the Monkey God!” by Kim Deitch, in Kramers Ergot 9 (Fantagraphics)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

•     Babybel Wax Bodysuit, by Eric Kostiuk Williams (Retrofit/Big Planet)
•     Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In, by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
•     Blammo #9, by Noah Van Sciver (Kilgore Books)
•     Criminal 10th Anniversary Special, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
•     Sir Alfred #3, by Tim Hensley (Pigeon Press)
•     Your Black Friend, by Ben Passmore (Silver Sprocket)

Best Continuing Series

•     Astro City, by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson (Vertigo/DC)
•     Kill or Be Killed, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
•     The Mighty Thor, by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman (Marvel)
•     Paper Girls, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Image)
•     Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Limited Series

•     Archangel, by William Gibson, Michael St. John Smith, Butch Guice, and Tom Palmer (IDW)
•     Briggs Land, by Brian Wood and Mack Chater (Dark Horse)
•     Han Solo, by Marjorie Liu and Mark Brooks (Marvel)
•     Kim and Kim, by Magdalene Visaggio and Eva Cabrera (Black Mask)
•     The Vision, by Tom King and Gabriel Walta (Marvel)

Best New Series

•     Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston (Dark Horse)
•     Clean Room, by Gail Simone and Jon Davis-Hunt (Vertigo/DC)
•     Deathstroke: Rebirth, by Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan, et al. (DC)
•     Faith, by Jody Houser, Pere Pérez, and Marguerite Sauvage (Valiant)
•     Mockingbird, by Chelsea Cain and Kate Niemczyk (Marvel)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

•     Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World, by James Sturm (Toon)
•     Burt’s Way Home, by John Martz (Koyama)
•     The Creeps, Book 2: The Trolls Will Feast! by Chris Schweizer (Abrams)
•     I’m Grumpy (My First Comics), by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random
•     House Books for Young Readers)
•     Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, by Ben Clanton (Tundra)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)

•     The Drawing Lesson, by Mark Crilley (Watson-Guptill)
•     Ghosts, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)
•     Hilda and the Stone Forest, by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books)
•     Rikki, adapted by Norm Harper and Matthew Foltz-Gray (Karate Petshop)
•     Science Comics: Dinosaurs, by MK Reed and Joe Flood (First Second)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

•     Bad Machinery, vol. 5: The Case of the Fire Inside, by John Allison (Oni)
•     Batgirl, by Hope Larson and Rafael Albuquerque (DC)
•     Jughead, by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Derek Charm (Archie)
•     Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
•     Trish Trash: Roller Girl of Mars, by Jessica Abel (Papercutz/Super Genius)
•     The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (Marvel)

Best Humor Publication

•     The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp, by Lee Marrs (Marrs Books)
•     Hot Dog Taste Test, by Lisa Hanawalt (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Jughead, by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Derek Charm (Archie)
•     Man, I Hate Cursive, by Jim Benton (Andrews McMeel)
•     Yuge! 30 Years of Doonesbury on Trump, by G. B. Trudeau (Andrews McMeel)

Best Anthology

•     Baltic Comics Anthology š! #26: dADa, edited by David Schilter and Sanita Muizniece (kuš!)
•     Island Magazine, edited by Brandon Graham and Emma Rios (Image)
•     Kramers Ergot 9, edited by Sammy Harkham (Fantagraphics)
•     Love Is Love, edited by Sarah Gaydos and Jamie S. Rich (IDW/DC)
•     Spanish Fever: Stories by the New Spanish Cartoonists, edited by Santiago Garcia (Fantagraphics)

Best Reality-Based Work

•     Dark Night: A True Batman Story, by Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo/DC)
•     Glenn Gould: A Life Off Tempo, by Sandrine Revel (NBM)
•     March (Book Three), by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
•     Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir, by Tom Hart (St. Martin’s)
•     Tetris: The Games People Play, by Box Brown (First Second)

Best Graphic Album—New

•     The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, by Sonny Liew (Pantheon)
•     Black Dog: The Dreams of Paul Nash, by Dave McKean (Dark Horse)
•     Exits, by Daryl Seitchik (Koyama)
•     Mooncop, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Patience, by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)
•     Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson (DC Comics)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

•     Demon, by Jason Shiga (First Second)
•     Incomplete Works, by Dylan Horrocks (Alternative)
•     Last Look, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
•     Meat Cake Bible, by Dame Darcy (Fantagraphics)
•     Megg and Mog in Amsterdam and Other Stories, by Simon Hanselmann (Fantagraphics)
•     She’s Not into Poetry, by Tom Hart (Alternative)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

•     Equinoxes, by Cyril Pedrosa, translated by Joe Johnson (NBM)
•     Irmina, by Barbara Yelin, translated by Michael Waaler (SelfMadeHero)
•     Love: The Lion, by Frédéric Brémaud and Federico Bertolucci (Magnetic)
•     Moebius Library: The World of Edena, by Jean “Moebius” Giraud et al. (Dark Horse)
•     Wrinkles, by Paco Roca, translated by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

•     The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, by Sonny Liew (Pantheon)
•     Goodnight Punpun, vols. 1–4, by Inio Asano, translated by JN PRoductions (VIZ Media)
•     orange: The Complete Collection, vols. 1–2, by Ichigo Takano, translated by Amber Tamosaitis, adaptation by Shannon Fay (Seven Seas)
•     The Osamu Tezuka Story: A Life in Manga and Anime, by Toshio Ban and Tezuka Productions, translated by Frederik L. Schodt (Stone Bridge Press)
•     Princess Jellyfish, vols. 1–3 by Akiko Higashimura, translated by Sarah Alys Lindholm (Kodansha)
•     Wandering Island, vol. 1, by Kenji Tsuruta, translated by Dana Lewis (Dark Horse)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips (at least 20 years old)

•     Almost Completely Baxter: New and Selected Blurtings, by Glen Baxter (NYR Comics)
•     Barnaby, vol. 3, by Crockett Johnson, edited by Philip Nel and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
•     Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy, Colorful Cases of the 1930s, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
•     The Realist Cartoons, edited by Paul Krassner and Ethan Persoff (Fantagraphics)
•     Walt & Skeezix 1931–1932, by Frank King, edited by Jeet Heer and Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books (at least 20 Years Old)

•     The Complete Neat Stuff, by Peter Bagge, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
•     The Complete Wimmen’s Comix, edited by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics)
•     Fables and Funnies, by Walt Kelly, compiled by David W. Tosh (Dark Horse)
•     Trump: The Complete Collection, by Harvey Kurtzman et al., edited by Denis Kitchen and John Lind (Dark Horse)
•     U.S.S. Stevens: The Collected Stories, by Sam Glanzman, edited by Drew Ford (Dover)

Best Writer

•     Ed Brubaker, Criminal 10th Anniversary Special, Kill or Be Killed, Velvet (Image)
•     Kurt Busiek, Astro City (Vertigo/DC)
•     Chelsea Cain, Mockingbird (Marvel)
•     Max Landis, Green Valley (Image/Skybound), Superman: American Alien (DC)
•     Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer (Dark Horse); Descender, Plutona (Image); Bloodshot Reborn (Valiant)
•     Brian K. Vaughan, Paper Girls, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist

•     Jessica Abel, Trish Trash: Roller Girl of Mars (Papercutz/Super Genius)
•     Box Brown, Tetris: The Games People Play (First Second)
•     Tom Gauld, Mooncop (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Tom Hart, Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir (St. Martin’s)
•     Sonny Liew, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Pantheon)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

•     Mark Brooks, Han Solo (Marvel)
•     Dan Mora, Klaus (BOOM!)
•     Greg Ruth, Indeh (Grand Central Publishing)
•     Francois Schuiten, The Theory of the Grain of Sand (IDW)
•     Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
•     Brian Stelfreeze, Black Panther (Marvel)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

•     Federico Bertolucci, Love: The Lion (Magnetic)
•     Brecht Evens, Panther (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Manuele Fior, 5,000 km per Second (Fantagraphics)
•     Dave McKean, Black Dog (Dark Horse)
•     Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)
•     Jill Thompson, Wonder Woman: The True Amazon (DC); Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers)

•     Mike Del Mundo, Avengers, Carnage, Mosaic, The Vision (Marvel)
•     David Mack, Abe Sapien, BPRD Hell on Earth, Fight Club 2, Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 (Dark Horse)
•     Sean Phillips, Criminal 10th Anniversary Special, Kill or Be Killed (Image)
•     Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
•     Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)

Best Coloring

•     Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Green Valley (Image/Skybound)
•     Elizabeth Breitweiser, Criminal 10th Anniversary Special, Kill or Be Killed, Velvet (Image); Outcast by Kirkman & Azaceta (Image/Skybound)
•     Sonny Liew, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Pantheon)
•     Laura Martin, Wonder Woman (DC); Ragnorak (IDW); Black Panther (Marvel)
•     Matt Wilson, Cry Havoc, Paper Girls, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Black Widow, The Mighty Thor, Star-Lord (Marvel)

Best Lettering

•     Dan Clowes, Patience (Fantagraphics)
•     Brecht Evens, Panther (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Tom Gauld, Mooncop (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Nick Hayes, Woody Guthrie (Abrams)
•     Todd Klein, Clean Room, Dark Night, Lucifer (Vertigo/DC); Black Hammer (Dark Horse)
•     Sonny Liew, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

•     The A.V. Club comics coverage, including Comics Panel, Back Issues, and Big Issues, by Oliver Sava et al., www.avclub.com
•     Comic Riffs blog, by Michael Cavna and David Betancourt, www.washingtonpost.com/new/comic-riffs/
•     Critical Chips, edited by Zainab Akhtar (Comics & Cola)
•     PanelPatter.com, edited by Rob McMonigal
•     WomenWriteAboutComics.com, edited by Megan Purdy and Claire Napier

Best Comics-Related Book

•     blanc et noir: takeshi obata illustrations, by Takeshi Obata (VIZ Media)
•     Ditko Unleashed: An American Hero, by Florentino Flórez and Frédéric Manzano (IDW/Editions Déesse)
•     Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White, by Michael Tisserand (Harper)
•     The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood, vol. 1, edited by Bhob Stewart and J. Michael Catron (Fantagraphics)
•     More Heroes of the Comics, by Drew Friedman (Fantagraphics)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

•     Brighter Than You Think: Ten Short Works by Alan Moore, with essays by Marc Sobel (Uncivilized)
•     Forging the Past: Set and the Art of Memory, by Daniel Marrone (University Press of Mississippi)
•     Frank Miller’s Daredevil and the Ends of Heroism, by Paul Young (Rutgers University Press)
•     Pioneering Cartoonists of Color, by Tim Jackson (University Press of Mississippi)
•     Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation, by Carolyn Cocca (Bloomsbury)

Best Publication Design

•     The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, designed by Sonny Liew (Pantheon)
•     The Complete Wimmen’s Comix, designed by Keeli McCarthy (Fantagraphics)
•     Frank in the Third Dimension, designed by Jacob Covey, 3D conversions by Charles Barnard (Fantagraphics)
•     The Realist Cartoons, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)
•     Si Lewen’s Parade: An Artist’s Odyssey, designed by Art Spiegelman (Abrams)

Best Webcomic

•     Bird Boy, by Anne Szabla, http://bird-boy.com
•     Deja Brew, by Taneka Stotts and Sara DuVall (Stela.com)
•     Jaeger, by Ibrahim Moustafa (Stela.com)
•     The Middle Age, by Steve Conley, steveconley.com/the-middle-age
•     On Beauty, by Christina Tran,  sodelightful.com/comics/beauty/

Best Digital Comic

•     Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
•     Edison Rex, by Chris Roberson and Dennis Culver (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
•     Helm, by Jehanzeb Hasan and Mauricio Caballero, www.crookshaw.com/helm/
•     On a Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden, www.onasunbeam.com
•     Universe!, by Albert Monteys (Panel Syndicate)

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Judges Select Gross, Peter, Prohias, and Seda for Eisner Hall of Fame

Voters Will Select 4 More Inductees

Comic-Con International has announced that the Eisner Awards judges have selected four individuals to automatically be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2017. These inductees are Milt Gross (early newspaper cartoonist known for such strips as Count Screwloose of Tooloose, Nize Baby, and That's My Pop!), H. G. Peter (original Wonder Woman artist), Antonio Prohias (creator of MAD’s “Spy vs. Spy”), and Dori Seda (pioneering autobiographical underground cartoonist). In most years, the judges select only two automatic inductees, but an exception was made this year as part of the Will Eisner centennial celebration (Eisner would have turned 100 on March 6).

The judges have also chosen 17 nominees from which voters will select 4 to be inducted in the Hall of Fame this summer. These nominees are Peter Bagge, Howard Cruse, Steve Englehart, Justin Green, Roberta Gregory, Bill Griffith, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Francoise Mouly, Jackie Ormes, George Pérez, P. Craig Russell, Posy Simmonds, Walt Simonson, Jim Starlin, Rumiko Takahashi, and Garry Trudeau.

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2015 Eisner Award Nominations Announced; Buell, Woggon Inducted into Hall of Fame

Marjorie ”Marge” Henderson Buell (creator of Little Lulu) and Bill Woggon (creator of Katy Keene) elected into Comic Industry's Hall of Fame.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, also simply know as the “Eisner Awards,” are awards annually given for creative achievement in American comic books.  The awards are named for pioneering comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Will Eisner.  Some consider the Eisner Awards to be the preeminent awards that honor American comic books, even referring to the awards as “the Oscars of comic books.”

The Eisner Awards also include the Comic Industry's Hall of Fame.  The Eisner Awards are associated with the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, in July.  The Eisner Awards have been given annually since 1988, with the exception of 1990.

The 2015 Eisner Award nominations were recently announced.  They winners winners will be announced Friday, July 10, 2015 at a gala ceremony held during Comic-Con International (2015).

The 2015 Eisner Awards judging panel:
Carr D’Angelo – comics retailer: Earth-2 Comics, Los Angeles
Richard Graham – librarian at University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Sean Howe – author Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
Susan Kirtley – academic/scholar at Portland State University)
Ron McFee – a Comic-Con International volunteer
Maggie Thompson – writer/editor, best known for her work on the Comics Buyers Guide

2015 Eisner Awards Nominations:

Best Short Story

• “Beginning’s End,” by Rina Ayuyang, muthamagazine.com
• “Corpse on the Imjin!” by Peter Kuper, in Masterful Marks: Cartoonists Who Changed the World (Simon & Schuster)
• “Rule Number One,” by Lee Bermejo, in Batman Black and White #3 (DC)
• “The Sound of One Hand Clapping,” by Max Landis & Jock, in Adventures of Superman #14 (DC)
• “When the Darkness Presses,” by Emily Carroll, http://emcarroll.com/comics/darkness/ (link is external)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

• Astro City #16: “Wish I May” by Kurt Busiek & Brent Anderson (Vertigo/DC)
• Beasts of Burden: Hunters and Gatherers, by Evan Dorkin & Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
• Madman in Your Face 3D Special, by Mike Allred (Image)
• Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration #1 (Marvel)
• The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1, by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely (DC)

Best Continuing Series

• Astro City, by Kurt Busiek & Brent Anderson (Vertigo)
• Bandette, by Paul Tobin & Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
• Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction & David Aja (Marvel)
• Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Image)
• Southern Bastards, by Jason Aaron & Jason Latour (Image)
• The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Stefano Gaudiano (Image/Skybound)

Best Limited Series

• Daredevil: Road Warrior, by Mark Waid & Peter Krause (Marvel Infinite Comics)
• Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, by Eric Shanower & Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
• The Multiversity, by Grant Morrison et al. (DC)
• The Private Eye, by Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate)
• The Sandman: Overture, by Neil Gaiman & J. H. Williams III (Vertigo/DC)

Best New Series

1. The Fade Out, by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips (Image)
2. Lumberjanes, by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, & Brooke A. Allen (BOOM! Box)
3. Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona (Marvel)
4. Rocket Raccoon, by Skottie Young (Marvel)
5. The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

• BirdCatDog, by Lee Nordling & Meritxell Bosch (Lerner/Graphic Universe)
• A Cat Named Tim And Other Stories, by John Martz (Koyama Press)
• Hello Kitty, Hello 40: A Celebration in 40 Stories, edited by Traci N. Todd & Elizabeth Kawasaki (VIZ)
• Mermin, Book 3: Deep Dives, by Joey Weiser (Oni)
• The Zoo Box, by Ariel Cohn & Aron Nels Steinke (First Second)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)

• Batman Li’l Gotham, vol. 2, by Derek Fridolfs & Dustin Nguyen (DC)
• El Deafo, by Cece Bell (Amulet/Abrams)
• I Was the Cat, by Paul Tobin & Benjamin Dewey (Oni)
• Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, by Eric Shanower & Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
• Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse, by Art Baltazar & Franco (DC)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

• Doomboy, by Tony Sandoval (Magnetic Press)
• The Dumbest Idea Ever, by Jimmy Gownley (Graphix/Scholastic)
• Lumberjanes, by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, & Brooke A. Allen (BOOM! Box)
• Meteor Men, by Jeff Parker & Sandy Jarrell (Oni)
• The Shadow Hero, by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew (First Second)
• The Wrenchies, by Farel Dalrymple (First Second)

Best Humor Publication

• The Complete Cul de Sac, by Richard Thompson (Andrews McMeel)
• Dog Butts and Love. And Stuff Like That. And Cats. by Jim Benton (NBM)
• Groo vs. Conan, by Sergio Aragonés, Mark Evanier, & Tom Yeates (Dark Horse)
• Rocket Raccoon, by Skottie Young (Marvel)
• Superior Foes of Spider-Man, by Nick Spencer & Steve Lieber (Marvel)

Best Digital/Web Comic

• Bandette, by Paul Tobin & Colleen Coover, Monkeybrain/comiXology.com (link is external)
• Failing Sky by Dax Tran-Caffee, http://failingsky.com (link is external)
• The Last Mechanical Monster, by Brian Fies, http://lastmechanicalmonster.blogspot.com (link is external)
• Nimona, by Noelle Stephenson, http://gingerhaze.com/nimona/comic (link is external)
• The Private Eye by Brian Vaughan & Marcos Martin http://panelsyndicate.com/ (link is external)

Best Anthology

• In the Dark: A Horror Anthology, edited by Rachel Deering (Tiny Behemoth Press/IDW)
• Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, edited by Josh O’Neill, Andrew Carl, & Chris Stevens (Locust Moon)
• Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It, edited by Anne Ishii, Chip Kidd, & Graham Kolbeins (Fantagraphics)
• Masterful Marks: Cartoonists Who Changed the World, edited by Monte Beauchamp (Simon & Schuster)
• To End All Wars: The Graphic Anthology of The First World War, edited by Jonathan Clode & John Stuart Clark (Soaring Penguin)

Best Reality-Based Work

• Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (Bloomsbury)
• Dragon’s Breath and Other True Stories, by MariNaomi (2d Cloud/Uncivilized Books)
• El Deafo, by Cece Bell (Amulet/Abrams)
• Hip Hop Family Tree, vol. 2, by Ed Piskor (Fantagraphics)
• Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, by Nathan Hale (Abrams)
• To End All Wars: The Graphic Anthology of The First World War, edited by Jonathan Clode & John Stuart Clark (Soaring Penguin)

Best Graphic Album—New

• The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil, by Stephen Collins (Picador)
• Here, by Richard McGuire (Pantheon)
• Kill My Mother, by Jules Feiffer (Liveright)
• The Motherless Oven, by Rob Davis (SelfMadeHero)
• Seconds, by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Ballantine Books)
• This One Summer, by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki (First Second)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

• Dave Dorman’s Wasted Lands Omnibus (Magnetic Press)
• How to Be Happy, by Eleanor Davis (Fantagraphics)
• Jim, by Jim Woodring (Fantagraphics)
• Sock Monkey Treasury, by Tony Millionaire (Fantagraphics)
• Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll (McElderry Books)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips (at least 20 years old)

• Winsor McCay’s Complete Little Nemo, edited by Alexander Braun (TASCHEN)
• Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Tarzan: The Sunday Comics, 1933–1935, by Hal Foster, edited by Brendan Wright (Dark Horse)
• Moomin: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition, by Tove Jansson, edited by Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Pogo, vol. 3: Evidence to the Contrary, by Walt Kelly, edited by Carolyn Kelly & Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, vols. 5-6, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein & Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books (at least 20 Years Old)

• The Complete ZAP Comix Box Set, edited by Gary Groth, with Mike Catron (Fantagraphics)
• Steranko Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
• Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Trail of the Unicorn, by Carl Barks, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
• Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Son of the Son, by Don Rosa, edited by David Gerstein (Fantagraphics)
• Walt Kelly’s Pogo: The Complete Dell Comics, vols. 1–2, edited by Daniel Herman (Hermes)
• Witzend, by Wallace Wood et al., edited by Gary Groth, with Mike Catron (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

• Beautiful Darkness, by Fabien Vehlmann & Kerascoët (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Blacksad: Amarillo, by Juan Díaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)
• Corto Maltese: Under the Sign of Capricorn, by Hugo Pratt (IDW/Euro Comics)
• Jaybird, by Lauri & Jaakko Ahonen (Dark Horse/SAF)
• The Leaning Girl, by Benoît Peeters & François Schuiten (Alaxis Press)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

• All You Need Is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Ryosuke Takeuchi, Takeshi Obata & yoshitoshi ABe (VIZ)
• In Clothes Called Fat, by Moyoco Anno (Vertical)
• Master Keaton, vol 1, by Naoki Urasawa, Hokusei Katsushika, & Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ)
• One-Punch Man, by One & Yusuke Murata (VIZ)
• Showa 1939–1943 and Showa 1944–1953: A History of Japan, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki, by Mamoru Hosada & Yu (Yen Press)

Best Writer

• Jason Aaron, Original Sin, Thor, Men of Wrath (Marvel); Southern Bastards (Image)
• Kelly Sue DeConnick, Captain Marvel (Marvel); Pretty Deadly (Image)
• Grant Morrison, The Multiversity (DC); Annihilator (Legendary Comics)
• Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image); Private Eye (Panel Syndicate)
• G. Willow Wilson, Ms. Marvel (Marvel)
• Gene Luen Yang, Avatar: The Last Airbender (Dark Horse); The Shadow Hero (First Second)

Best Writer/Artist

• Sergio Aragonés, Sergio Aragonés Funnies (Bongo); Groo vs. Conan (Dark Horse)
• Charles Burns, Sugar Skull (Pantheon)
• Stephen Collins, The Giant Beard That Was Evil (Picador)
• Richard McGuire, Here (Pantheon)
• Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo: Senso, Usagi Yojimbo Color Special: The Artist (Dark Horse)
• Raina Telgemeier, Sisters (Graphix/Scholastic)

Best Penciller/Inker

• Adrian Alphona, Ms. Marvel (Marvel)
• Mike Allred, Silver Surfer (Marvel); Madman in Your Face 3D Special (Image)
• Frank Quitely, Multiversity (DC)
• François Schuiten, The Leaning Girl (Alaxis Press)
• Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
• Babs Tarr, Batgirl (DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Lauri & Jaakko Ahonen, Jaybird (Dark Horse)
• Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
• Mike Del Mundo, Elektra (Marvel)
• Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad: Amarillo (Dark Horse)
• J. H. Williams III, The Sandman: Overture (Vertigo/DC)

Best Cover Artist

• Darwyn Cooke, DC Comics Darwyn Cooke Month Variant Covers (DC)
• Mike Del Mundo, Elektra, X-Men: Legacy, A+X, Dexter, Dexter Down Under (Marvel)
• Francesco Francavilla, Afterlife with Archie (Archie); Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight (Dark Horse); The Twilight Zone, Django/Zorro (Dynamite); X-Files (IDW)
• Jamie McKelvie/Matthew Wilson, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Ms. Marvel (Marvel)
• Phil Noto, Black Widow (Marvel)
• Alex Ross, Astro City (Vertigo/DC); Batman 66: The Lost Episode, Batman 66 Meets Green Hornet (DC/Dynamite)

Best Coloring

• Laura Allred, Silver Surfer (Marvel); Madman in Your Face 3D Special (Image)
• Nelson Daniel, Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, Judge Dredd, Wild Blue Yonder (IDW)
• Lovern Kindzierski, The Graveyard Book, vols. 1-2 (Harper)
• Matthew Petz, The Leg (Top Shelf)
• Dave Stewart, Hellboy in Hell, BPRD, Abe Sapien, Baltimore, Lobster Johnson, Witchfinder, Shaolin Cowboy, Aliens: Fire and Stone, DHP (Dark Horse)
• Matthew Wilson, Adventures of Superman (DC); The Wicked + The Divine (Image), Daredevil, Thor (Marvel)

Best Lettering

• Joe Caramagna, Ms. Marvel, Daredevil (Marvel)
• Todd Klein, Fables, The Sandman: Overture, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC); Nemo: The Roses of Berlin (Top Shelf)
• Max, Vapor (Fantagraphics)
• Jack Morelli, Afterlife with Archie, Archie, Betty and Veronica, etc. (Archie)
• Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo: Senso, Usagi Yojimbo Color Special: The Artist (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
• Comic Book Creator, edited by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows)
• Comic Book Resources, edited by Jonah Weiland, www.comicbookresources.com (link is external)
• Comics Alliance, edited by Andy Khouri, Caleb Goellner, Andrew Wheeler, & Joe Hughes, www.comicsalliance.com (link is external)
• tcj.com, (link is external) edited by Dan Nadel & Timothy Hodler (Fantagraphics)

Best Comics-Related Book

• Comics Through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas (4 vols.), edited by M. Keith Booker (ABC-CLIO)
• Creeping Death from Neptune: The Life and Comics of Basil Wolverton, by Greg Sadowski (Fantagraphics)
• Genius Animated: The Cartoon Art of Alex Toth, vol. 3, by Dean Mullaney & Bruce Canwell (IDW/LOAC)
• What Fools These Mortals Be: The Story of Puck, by Michael Alexander Kahn & Richard Samuel West (IDW/LOAC)
• 75 Years of Marvel Comics: From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen, by Roy Thomas & Josh Baker (TASCHEN)

Best Scholarly/Academic Work

• American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion: The Superhero Afterlife, by A. David Lewis (Palgrave Macmillan)
• Considering Watchmen: Poetics, Property, Politics, by Andrew Hoberek (Rutgers University Press)
• Funnybooks: The Improbable Glories of the Best American Comic Books, by Michael Barrier (University of California Press)
• Graphic Details: Jewish Women’s Confessional Comics in Essays and Interviews, edited by Sarah Lightman (McFarland)
• The Origins of Comics: From William Hogarth to Winsor McCay, by Thierry Smolderen, tr. by Bart Beaty & Nick Nguyen (University Press of Mississippi)
• Wide Awake in Slumberland: Fantasy, Mass Culture, and Modernism in the Art of Winsor McCay, by Katherine Roeder (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Publication Design

• Batman: Kelley Jones Gallery Edition, designed by Josh Beatman/Brainchild Studios (Graphitti/DC)
• The Complete ZAP Comix Box Set, designed by Tony Ong (Fantagraphics)
• Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, designed by Jim Rugg (Locust Moon)
• Street View, designed by Pascal Rabate (NBM/Comics Lit)
• Winsor McCay’s Complete Little Nemo, designed by Anna Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)

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The Eisner Awards judges have selected two individuals to automatically be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2015. These inductees are Marjorie ”Marge” Henderson Buell (creator of Little Lulu) and Bill Woggon (creator of Katy Keene).

The judges have also chosen 13 nominees from which voters will select 4 to be inducted in the Hall of Fame this summer. These nominees are Lynda Barry, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Howard Cruse, Kim Deitch, Matt Groening, Denis Kitchen, Frank Miller, Francoise Mouly, Paul S. Newman, Lily Renée Peters Phillips, Bob Powell, and Frank Robbins.

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"Love and Rockets" Creators Finally Among Eisner Award Winners; Image and IDW Also Win Big

[Yeah, I'm late.  Forgot to post this after losing track of time... - Editor/Leroy]

Saga, IDW Publishing Are Top Winners at 2014 Eisner Awards

Shorter Ceremony a Big Hit with Attendees

The big winners at the 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, held Friday, July 25, 2014 at the Bayfront San Diego Hilton and sponsored by SHOWTIME, were Image Comics’ Saga—which received the awards for Best Continuing Series, Best Painter (Fiona Staples), and Best Writer (Brian K. Vaughan)—and publisher IDW, which took home six awards, including three for editor/designer Dean Mullaney (Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, Tarzan: The Complete Russ Manning Newspaper Strips) and two for Darwyn Cooke’s Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground.

Other projects receiving multiple awards were DC/Vertigo’s The Wake (Best Limited Series, Best Penciler/Inker for Sean Murphy), Marvel’s Hawkeye (Best Single Issue, Best Cover Artist for David Aja), and Fantagraphics’ Love and Rockets New Stories #6, which brought home first-time wins for brothers Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. Matt Fraction was on the stage multiple to times to accept for Hawkeye as well as for Sex Criminals (with Chip Zdarsky) for Best New Series.

Besides IDW, other publishers with multiple wins included Dark Horse and Image with four, Fantagraphics with three, and both DC and Marvel with two. Many of these publishers also shared in the win for Jordie Bellaire as Best Colorist.

The coveted Best Graphic Album—New Award went to Rutu Modan’s The Property, published by Drawn & Quarterly, while Best Reality-Based Work was awarded to the five-years-in the-making The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker (published by Dark Horse).

The audience at the awards was entertained by presenters who included actor/comedian Orlando Jones (Sleepy Hollow, MADtv), actress Kelly Hu ((Arrow, Warehouse 13), actor/screenwriter/comedian Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, Balls of Fury), nominee Reginald Hudlin (writer, Black Panther; producer, Django Unchained), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, Belgian graphic novelists Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten (Obscure Cities series), writer nominees Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Sex Criminals) and Kelly Sue DeConnick (Pretty Deadly, Captain Marvel), Hall of Fame cartoonist Sergio Aragonés (Groo, MAD), writer/artist nominee Terry Moore (Rachel Rising, Strangers in Paradise), writer/artist Bill Morrison (Bongo Comics), voice actors Phil LaMarr (Samurai Jack, Justice League Unlimited, MADtv) and Vanessa Marshall (Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man), and British talk show host/comics writer Jonathan Ross, who was assisted onstage by Comic-Con special guest Batton Lash (cartoonist of Supernatural Law).

Sergio Aragonés presented the Hall of Fame Awards. The seven inductees were black comics pioneer Orrin C. Evans (All-Negro Comics), cartoonist Irwin Hasen (Wild Cat, Green Lantern, Dondi), Golden Age artist Sheldon Moldoff (Batman), manga giant Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicäa), writer Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), DC comics writer/editor Dennis O’Neil (Batman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow), and legendary comics artist Bernie Wrightson (Swamp Thing, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein).

Among the other awards given out over the evening were the Comic-Con’s Clampett and Manning awards. The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, presented by Bob’s daughter Ruth, went to retailer Joe Field, for founding Free Comic Book Day. The Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award went to Aaron Conley (artist of Sabretooth Swordsman, published by Dark Horse) and was presented by past Russ Manning Award winner Jeff Smith.

The tenth annual Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing was presented by Mark Evanier and Bill Finger’s granddaughter, Athena, to three recipients: Jack Mendelsohn (Panic, Jacky’s Diary); Robert Kanigher (Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, Metal Men), accepted by Paul Levitz; and Bill Mantlo (Rocket Raccoon, Micronauts, Rom), accepted by Marv Wolfman. Maggie Thompson (editor of Comics Buyers Guide) introduced the special In Memoriam video salute.

The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, given to a store that has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large, went to Legends Comics & Coffee (Omaha, Nebraska), and All Star Comics (Melbourne, Australia).

The title sponsor for this year’s Eisner Awards was SHOWTIME. The principal sponsors were Gentle Giant and Lebonfon Printing. Supporting sponsors were Alternate Reality Comics of Las Vegas, Atlantis Fantasyworld of Santa Cruz, CA, Diamond Comic Distributors, Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff of Concord, CA, Strange Adventures of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Warp 1 of  Edmonton, Alberta, and Mel Thompson and Associates.

The Eisner Awards are part of, and underwritten by, Comic-Con International: San Diego, 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.