Comic-Con
International presented
the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2019 in a ceremony held July 19.
Best Short Story
“The Talk of the Saints,” by Tom King and
Jason Fabok, in Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
Peter Parker: The Spectacular
Spider-Man
#310, by Chip Zdarsky (Marvel)
Best Continuing Series
Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and
Julaa Madrigal (BOOM! Box)
Best Limited Series
Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads
(DC)
Best New Series
Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea
Sorrentino (Image)
Best Publication for Early
Readers (up to age 8)
Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream
Computer, by
James Kochalka (Top Shelf/IDW)
Best Publication for Kids (ages
9–12)
The Divided Earth, by Faith Erin Hicks (First
Second)
Best Publication for Teens (ages
13–17)
The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang (First Second)
Best Humor Publication
Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and
Julia Madrigal (BOOM! Box)
Best Anthology
Puerto Rico Strong, edited by Marco Lopez, Desiree
Rodriguez, Hazel Newlevant, Derek Ruiz, and Neil Schwartz (Lion Forge)
Best Reality-Based Work
Is This Guy For Real? The
Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, by Box Brown (First Second)
Best Graphic Album—New
My Heroes Have Always Been
Junkies, by
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
The Vision hardcover, by Tom King, Gabriel
Hernandez Walta, and Michael Walsh (Marvel)
Best Adaptation from Another
Medium
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley,
in Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection, adapted by Junji Ito,
translated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
Best U.S. Edition of
International Material
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked
the World, by
Pénélope Bagieu (First Second)
Best U.S. Edition of
International Material—Asia
Tokyo Tarareba Girls, by Akiko Higashimura (Kodansha)
Best Archival
Collection/Project—Strips
Star Wars: Classic Newspaper
Strips, vol.
3, by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, edited by Dean Mullaney (Library of
American Comics/IDW)
Best Archival
Collection/Project—Comic Books
Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and
Moon Knights… And Assassins… Artifact Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Best Writer
Tom King, Batman, Mister
Miracle, Heroes in Crisis, Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)
Best Writer/Artist
Jen Wang, The Prince and the
Dressmaker (First Second)
Best Penciller/Inker or
Penciller/Inker Team
Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle
(DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
(interior art)
Dustin Nguyen, Descender (Image)
Best Cover Artist (for multiple
covers)
Jen Bartel, Blackbird (Image);
Submerged (Vault)
Best Coloring
Matt Wilson, Black Cloud,
Paper Girls, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); The Mighty Thor, Runaways
(Marvel)
Best Lettering
Todd Klein— Black Hammer: Age
of Doom, Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald (Dark Horse); Batman: White
Night (DC); Eternity Girl, Books of Magic (Vertigo/DC); The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest (Top Shelf/IDW)
Best Comics-Related
Periodical/Journalism
TIE
Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury
(TwoMorrows)
PanelxPanel magazine, edited by Hassan
Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com
Best Comics-Related Book
Drawn to Purpose: American Women
Illustrators and Cartoonists, by Martha H. Kennedy (University Press of Mississippi)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work
Sweet Little C*nt: The Graphic
Work of Julie Doucet, by
Anne Elizabeth Moore (Uncivilized Books)
Best Publication Design
Will Eisner’s A Contract with
God: Curator’s Collection,
designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Wendy and Richard Pini, creators of beloved Elfquest series and indie-publishing groundbreaker, inducted into #eisnerawards Hall of Fame at #SDCC2019 with a moving acceptance speech pic.twitter.com/vNUWnaxHQy
The Award is given out yearly to retailers who have done an
outstanding job of supporting the comic art medium both in the industry at large
and in their local community. Comics fans around the world nominate their
favorite stores on the Comic-Con International website.
This
year’s nominee list includes 34 comic retail stores from across the United
States, plus Argentina, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, and
Spain. The finalists will be announced during the week of Comic-Con, after the
judges meet in San Diego. The recipient will be announced as part of the Will
Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday, July 19
The nominees for the 2019 award are:
Alaska Robotics Gallery
Pat Race & Aaron Suring, Juneau, AK
Amazing Stories Comics
Jeff and Donalda Kocur, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Arcadian Comics & Games
Stephen Struharik, Newport, KY
Ash Avenue Comics
Drew Sullivan, Tempe, AZ
Blast From The Past
Larry & Kathy Ross, Burbank, CA
Bob’s Bullpen
Bob LeFevre, Alpena, MI
Books with Pictures
Katie Proctor, Portland, OR
Brian’s Comics
Brian and Jennifer Christensen, Petaluma, CA
Cape and Cowl Comics
Eitan Manhoff, Oakland, CA
Collector’s Comics Inc
Keith Mallow, Port Saint Lucie, FL
Comic Quest
Kelly and Don Allen, Lake Forest, CA
Comic World
Kathleen Miller the comic book lady, Huntington, WV
Comics Conspiracy
Ryan Higgins, Sunnyvale, CA
Comiczone
Gareth Bird, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Comikaza
Ori Ayalon and Jacob Sareli, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Comix Experience
Brian Hibbs, San Francisco, CA
Drawn To Comics
Ken and Susan Brown, Glendale, AZ
Earthworld Comics
Joshua Charles Glindmyer, Albany, NY
Escapist Comic Bookstore
Jack Rems, Berkeley, CA
Farpoint Toys & Collectibles
Penelope & Justin Daniels, Frank Mosentoff, Mays Landing, NJ
Four Color Fantasies
Mike Kwolek, Winchester, VA
Jesse James Comics
Jesse James, Glendale, AZ
Kingpin Books
Mário Freitas, Lisbon, Portugal
La Revisteria Comics
Lr Asturias SA., Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Eisner Awards judges have
selected four people to be automatically inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of
Fame for 2019,
Jim Aparo (Silver Age DC artist, Brave and the Bold, Batman and the Outsiders)
Jim Aparo’s
first comics work was at Charlton Comics in the late 1960s. He worked on
several genres there and was eventually recruited by editor Dick Giordano for a
move to DC Comics in the late 1960s, where he handled such features as Aquaman and Phantom Stranger before
landing the art chores on DC’s premiere team-up book The
Brave and the Bold
(starring Batman). He then co-created (with Mike W. Barr) Batman
and the Outsiders,
which he drew from 1983 to 1985. Aparo went on to draw stories for Batman (most notably “A Death in the Family” storyline),
Detective, and other DC titles into the late 1990s. For most
of his career, Aparo not only pencilled his work but inked and lettered it as
well. He died in 2005.
Dave Stevens (writer/artist, creator of The Rocketeer)
Dave Stevens created
the Rocketeer, the retro adventure hero of 1980s indie comics and 1991 movie
fame. The Rocketeer
combined Stevens’ love of 1930s movies, the golden age of aviation, and 1950s
pinup girl Bettie Page. Before becoming a professional artist, Stevens
contributed amateur illustrations to early Comic-Con program books in the
1970s. His first professional gig was as Russ Manning’s assistant on the Tarzan comic strip in 1975. Stevens later worked as an
animator at Hanna-Barbera and a storyboard artist on projects including Raiders
of the Lost Ark
and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. Stevens was the first recipient
of the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award in 1982, and he won an Inkpot
Award and the Kirby Award for Best Graphic Album in 1986. He died in 2008.
June Tarpé Mills (Golden Age creator of the Miss Fury comic strip and comic books)
One of the few female artists working during the Golden Age of comics, June Tarpé Mills was the creator of Miss Fury, an action comic strip and comic book that first appeared in 1941.
Miss Fury is credited as being the first female action hero created by a woman. The Miss Fury comic strip ran until 1951.
Mills returned to comics briefly in 1971 with Our Love Story at Marvel Comics. She died in 1988.
Morrie Turner (cartoonist of the Wee Pals newspaper strip)
Morrie Turner
created the Wee Pals
comic strip in 1965. When Wee Pals
was first created, bringing black characters to the comics pages was by no
means an easy task. At first, only five major newspapers published the strip.
It was not until 1968 and the tragic assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. that
Wee
Pals achieved nationwide acceptance. Within three
months of Dr. King’s death, Wee Pals
was appearing in more than 100 newspapers nationwide. In 2012 Turner was the
recipient of Comic-Con’s Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award. He also has the
distinction of having been one of the handful of pros at the very first
Comic-Con in 1970.
The judges have also chosen 14
nominees from which voters will select 4 to be inducted in the Hall of Fame
this summer. These nominees are Brian Bolland, Kevin Eastman, Jose Luis
Garcia-Lopez, Lynn Johnston, Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, Alex Nino, Lily Renée
Peter Phillips, Wendy & Richard Pini, P. Craig Russell, Bill Sienkiewicz,
Don & Maggie Thompson, Akira Toriyama, and Naoki Urasawa. For a complete list of the 2019
nominees, including bios and art, click here.
Image and DC received the most nominations: Image with 19 (plus 11 shared), and DC with 17 (plus 7 shared). …
The creator with the most nominations is Tom King with 5: Best Short Story (from DC’s Swamp Thing Winter Special), Best Continuing Series (Batman), Best Limited Series (Mister Miracle), Best Graphic Album–Reprint (The Vision hardcover), and Best Writer. Two creators have 4 nominations each: Alex de Campi (Best Graphic Album–New: Bad Girls, Best Anthology: Twisted Romance, Best Writer, Best Letterer) and Jeff Lemire (Best Single Issue: Black Hammer: Cthu-Louise, Best Continuing Series: Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Best New Series: Gideon Falls, Best Writer)….
The 2019 Eisner Awards judging
panel consists of comics journalist Chris Arrant (Newsarama), academic/author
Jared Gardner (Ohio State University), librarian Traci Glass (Multnomah County
Library system in Portland, Oregon), retailer Jenn Haines (The Dragon, Guelph
and Milton, Ontario, Canada), reviewer Steven Howearth (Pop Culture Maven), and
comics creator Jimmie Robinson (CyberZone, Amanda & Gunn, Bomb Girl).
2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees
Best
Short Story
“Get Naked in Barcelona,” by Steven T. Seagle and Emei Olivia Burrell, in Get Naked (Image)
“The Ghastlygun Tinies,” by Matt Cohen and Marc Palm, in MAD magazine #4 (DC)
“Here I Am,” by Shaun Tan, in I Feel Machine (SelfMadeHero)
“Supply Chains,” by Peter and Maria Hoey, in Coin-Op #7 (Coin-Op Books)
“The Talk of the Saints,” by Tom King and Jason Fabok, in Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
Beneath the Dead Oak Tree, by Emily Carroll (ShortBox)
Black Hammer: Cthu-Louise, by Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox (Dark Horse)
No Better Words, by Carolyn Nowak (Silver Sprocket)
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310, by Chip Zdarsky (Marvel)
The Terrible Elisabeth Dumn Against the Devils In
Suits, by Arabson,
translated by James Robinson (IHQ Studio/ Image)
Best Continuing Series
Batman, by Tom King
et al. (DC)
Black Hammer: Age of Doom, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and Rich Tommaso
(Dark Horse)
Gasolina, by Sean
Mackiewicz and Niko Walter (Skybound/Image)
Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julaa Madrigal
(BOOM! Box)
The Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José (Marvel)
Runaways, by Rainbow
Rowell and Kris Anka (Marvel)
Best Limited Series
Batman: White Knight, by Sean Murphy (DC)
Eternity Girl, by Magdalene Visaggio and Sonny Liew (Vertigo/DC)
Exit Stage Left:
The Snagglepuss Chronicles, by Mark Russell, Mike Feehan, and Mark Morales (DC)
Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)
X-Men: Grand Design: Second Genesis, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)
Best New Series
Bitter Root, by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Green
(Image)
Crowded, by
Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image)
Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image)
Isola, by Brenden
Fletcher and Karl Kerschl (Image)
Man-Eaters, by Chelsea Cain and Kate Niemczyk (Image)
Skyward, by Joe
Henderson and Lee Garbett (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)
Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf/IDW)
Petals, by Gustavo
Borges (KaBOOM!)
Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths, by Graham Annable (First Second)
This Is a Taco! By Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley (CubHouse/Lion
Forge)
Tiger Vs. Nightmare, by Emily Tetri (First Second)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)
Aquicorn Cove, by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
Be Prepared, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell (Knopf/Random House Children’s Books)
Crush, by Svetlana
Chmakova (JY/Yen Press)
The Divided Earth, by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17)
All Summer Long, by Hope Larson (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Gumballs, by Erin
Nations (Top Shelf/IDW)
Middlewest, by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona (Image)
Norroway, Book 1: The Black Bull of Norroway, by Cat Seaton and Kit Seaton (Image)
The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang (First Second)
Watersnakes, by Tony Sandoval, translated by Lucas Marangon
(Magnetic/Lion Forge)
Best Humor Publication
Get Naked, by Steven T. Seagle et al. (Image)
Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julia Madrigal
(BOOM! Box)
MAD magazine,
edited by Bill Morrison (DC)
A Perfect Failure: Fanta Bukowski 3, by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics)
Woman World, by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Anthology
Femme Magnifique: 50 Magnificent Women Who Changed
the World, edited by Shelly
Bond (Black Crown/IDW)
Puerto Rico Strong, edited by Marco Lopez, Desiree Rodriguez, Hazel
Newlevant, Derek Ruiz, and Neil Schwartz (Lion Forge)
Twisted Romance, edited by Alex de Campi (Image)
Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las
Vegas, edited by Will
Dennis, curated by J. H. Williams III and Wendy Wright-Williams (Image)
Best Reality-Based Work
All the Answers: A Graphic Memoir, by Michael Kupperman (Gallery 13)
All the Sad Songs, by Summer Pierre (Retrofit/Big Planet)
Is This Guy For Real? The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman,
by Box Brown (First Second)
Monk! by Youssef
Daoudi (First Second)
One Dirty Tree, by Noah Van Sciver (Uncivilized Books)
Best Graphic Album—New
Bad Girls, by Alex de Campi and Victor Santos (Gallery 13)
Come Again, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 1, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman (DC)
Homunculus, by Joe Sparrow (ShortBox)
My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
Sabrina, by Nick
Drnaso (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
Berlin, by Jason
Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)
Girl Town, by Carolyn
Nowak (Top Shelf/IDW)
Upgrade Soul, by Ezra Claytan Daniels (Lion Forge)
The Vision hardcover, by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta,
and Michael Walsh (Marvel)
Young Frances, by Hartley Lin (AdHouse Books)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Ari Folman and David Polonsky (Pantheon)
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein:
Junji Ito Story Collection, adapted by Junji Ito, translated
by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
Out in the Open by Jesús Carraso, adapted by Javi Rey, translated
by Lawrence Schimel (SelfMadeHero)
Speak: The Graphic Novel, by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll (Farrar
Straus Giroux)
To Build a Fire: Based on Jack London’s Classic
Story, by Chabouté
(Gallery 13)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
About Betty’s Boob, by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau, translated by
Edward Gauvin (Archaia/BOOM!)
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World, by Pénélope Bagieu (First Second)
Herakles Book 1, by Edouard Cour, translated by Jeremy Melloul
(Magnetic/Lion Forge)
Niourk, by Stefan
Wul and Olivier Vatine, translated by Brandon Kander and Diana Schutz
(Dark Horse)
A Sea of Love, by Wilfrid Lupano and Grégory Panaccione
(Magnetic/Lion Forge)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition, by Tsutomu Nihei, translated by Sheldon Drzka (VIZ
Media)
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, by Inio Asano, translated by John Werry (VIZ Media)
Laid-Back Camp, by Afro, translated by Amber Tamosaitis (Yen Press)
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, by Nie Jun, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic
Universe/Lerner)
Tokyo Tarareba Girls, by Akiko Higashimura (Kodansha)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
Pogo, vol. 5: Out of This World At Home, by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric
Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Sunday
Strips in Color (1959–1960), by Jack
Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Ferran Delgado (Amigo Comics)
Star Wars: Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 3, by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, edited
by Dean Mullaney (Library of American Comics/IDW)
The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Words and Worlds of
Herbert Crowley, by Justin
Duerr (Beehive Books
Thimble Theatre and the Pre-Popeye Comics of E. C.
Segar, edited by Peter
Maresca (Sunday Press)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman Deluxe Edition, edited by Paul Levitz (DC)
Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and Moon Knights… And
Assassins… Artifact Edition, edited by
Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Dirty Plotte: The Complete Julie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
Madman Quarter Century Shindig, by Mike Allred, edited by Chris Ryall (IDW)
Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise Gallery Edition, edited by Joseph Melchior and Bob Chapman (Abstract
Studio/Graphitti Designs)
Will Eisner’s A Contract with God: Curator’s
Collection, edited by John Lind
(Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Best Writer
Alex de Campi, Bad Girls (Gallery 13); Twisted
Romance (Image)
Tom King, Batman, Mister Miracle, Heroes in Crisis,
Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)
Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer: Age of Doom,Doctor
Star & the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, Quantum Age (Dark
Horse); Descender,
Gideon Falls, Royal City (Image)
Mark Russell, Exit Stage Left:
The Snagglepuss Chronicles, Green Lantern/Huckleberry Hound, Lex
Luthor/Porky Pig (DC); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
Kelly Thompson, Nancy Drew (Dynamite); Hawkeye,
Jessica Jones, Mr. & Mrs. X, Rogue & Gambit, Uncanny X-Men, West
Coast Avengers (Marvel)
Chip Zdarsky, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man,
Marvel Two-in-One (Marvel)
Best Writer/Artist
Sophie Campbell, Wet Moon (Oni)
Nick Drnaso, Sabrina (Drawn &
Quarterly)
David Lapham, Lodger (Black Crown/IDW); Stray
Bullets (Image)
Nate Powell, Come Again (Top Shelf/IDW)
Tony Sandoval, Watersnakes (Magnetic/Lion
Forge)
Jen Wang, The Prince and the Dressmaker (First
Second)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Matías Bergara, Coda (BOOM!)
Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)
Karl Kerschl, Isola (Image)
Sonny Liew, Eternity Girl (Vertigo/DC)
Sean Phillips, Kill or Be Killed, My Heroes Have Always
Been Junkies (Image)
Gregory Panaccione, A Sea of Love (Magnetic/Lion
Forge)
Tony Sandoval, Watersnakes (Magnetic/Lion
Forge)
Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers)
Jen Bartel, Blackbird (Image); Submerged
(Vault)
Nick Derington, Mister Miracle (DC)
Karl Kerschl, Isola (Image)
Joshua Middleton, Batgirl and Aquaman
variants (DC)
Julian Tedesco, Hawkeye, Life of Captain Marvel (Marvel)
Best Coloring
Jordie Bellaire, Batgirl, Batman (DC); The
Divided Earth (First Second); Days of Hate, Dead Hand, Head
Lopper, Redlands (Image); Shuri, Doctor Strange
(Marvel)
Tamra Bonvillain, Alien 3 (Dark Horse); Batman,
Doom Patrol (DC); Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Multiple
Man (Marvel)
Matt Hollingsworth, Batman: White Knight
(DC): Seven
to Eternity, Wytches (Image)
Matt Wilson, Black Cloud, Paper Girls, The Wicked +
The Divine (Image); The Mighty Thor, Runaways
(Marvel)
Best Lettering
David Aja, Seeds (Berger Books/Dark
Horse)
Jim Campbell, Breathless, Calexit,
Gravetrancers,Snap Flash Hustle,Survival
Fetish, The Wilds (Black Mask); Abbott,
Alice:
Dream to Dream, Black Badge,Clueless, Coda,
Fence,
Firefly,
Giant
Days, Grass Kings,Lumberjanes:
The Infernal Compass, Low Road West, Sparrowhawk
(BOOM); Angelic (Image); Wasted
Space (Vault)
Alex de Campi, Bad Girls (Gallery 13); Twisted
Romance (Image)
Jared Fletcher, Batman: Damned (DC); The
Gravediggers Union, Moonshine, Paper Girls, Southern Bastards (Image)
Todd Klein— Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Neil Gaiman’s
A Study in Emerald (Dark Horse); Batman: White Night (DC);
Eternity
Girl, Books of Magic (Vertigo/DC); The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen: The Tempest (Top Shelf/IDW)
LAAB Magazine #0: Dark Matter, edited by Ronald Wimberley and Josh O’Neill
(Beehive Books)
PanelxPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com
Best Comics-Related Book
Comic Book Implosion: An Oral History of DC Comics
Circa 1978, by Keith Dallas and
John Wells (TwoMorrows)
Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and
Cartoonists, by Martha H.
Kennedy (University Press of Mississippi)
The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, by Jon Morris (Quirk Books)
Mike Grell: Life Is Drawing Without an Eraser, by Dewey Cassell with Jeff Messer (TwoMorrows)
Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography—Beyond
the Fantasy, by Florent Gorges,
translated by Laure Dupont and Annie Gullion (Dark Horse)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work
Between Pen and Pixel: Comics, Materiality, and the
Book of the Future, by Aaron
Kashtan (Ohio State University Press)
Breaking the Frames: Populism and Prestige in Comics
Studies, by Marc Singer
(University of Texas Press)
The Goat-Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the
Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics, by Eddie Campbell (Library of American
Comics/IDW/Ohio State University Press)
Incorrigibles and Innocents, by Lara Saguisag (Rutgers Univeristy Press)
Sweet Little C*nt: The Graphic Work of Julie Doucet,
by Anne Elizabeth Moore (Uncivilized
Books)
Best Publication Design
A Sea of Love, designed by Wilfrid Lupano, Grégory Panaccione, and
Mike Kennedy (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
The Stan Lee Story Collector’s Edition, designed by Josh Baker (Taschen)
The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Worlds of Herbert
Crowley, designed by Paul
Kepple and Max Vandenberg (Beehive Books)
Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise Gallery Edition, designed by Josh Beatman/Brainchild Studios/NYC
(Abstract Studio/Graphitti Designs)
Will Eisner’s A Contract with God: Curator’s
Collection, designed by John
Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Brent Spiner (‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’,’Independance Day’) has just been elected by the casting department of The CW’s ‘Supergirl‘ to join the show. His role? Vice President of the United States! That’s right folks, in the fourth season of ‘Supergirl’ were going to have Spiner joining the cast as a regular to work with Lynda Carter (‘Wonder Woman’) who is the President of the United States.
I suspect that she won’t be staying in the Oval Office for long though as Spiner’s role is being described as:
Adept and politically minded, Vice President Baker makes for an unlikely leader but steps up in a big way when his country needs him most
The children’s book publishing world has been roiling for the past week over the disclosure that Danielle Smith, the principal of Lupine Grove Creative, an agency specializing in children’s and YA authors, acted more like a literary grifter than a literary agent. Since Smith emailed a letter to her clients on July 24, confessing that recently she had “not handled a situation as well as I should have” and thus was dissolving the agency effective immediately, 19 former clients have reached out to PW, sharing tales of a pattern of malfeasance that has shaken their confidence and adversely affected their careers.
According to some former clients, she claimed to have had offers in hand that didn’t exist, such as, one author requesting anonymity disclosed, a $50,000 two-book deal. She informed others that editors had expressed interest in their submissions, but subsequently told them that either the editors had then lost interest or had outright rejected those submissions. Clients also complained about Smith’s refusal to communicate with them honestly and in a timely fashion, as well as the lack of transparency, including a reluctance to render submission lists to them upon request. Several clients allege that she even forged emails from editors and passed this correspondence along to them.
…Every year, Comic-Con International’s awards committee assembles a panel of a half-dozen or so judges. Each bring a unique interest, perspective, and expertise: creator, scholar, critic/reviewer, retailer, librarian, and a Comic-Con rep. Together, they critically winnow down an enormous amount of published material to arrive at a small handful under each category. CalState Northridge professor Charles Hatfield, who was part of the selection committee a few years ago, has described the process as “like going to Comics Heaven—if Heaven is a place where you work really hard, fence with a table full of smart, demanding, and dedicated people, and learn something about your own biases in the process.” He was also pleased to learn what he describes as “the importance of voting past my prejudices.” Now there’s an attribute that’s practically nonexistent among the voters.
Diligence and dedication such as this is why anyone in search of recommend reading should check out all the nominees in all categories of interest. You also might jump to Wonder Women of the Eisner Awards, my feature from last year that included several judges’ choices who didn’t bring home a trophy but who are nevertheless not to be overlooked. However, locating worthwhile info on these artists and publications is much easier said than done. You can’t rely on the official site; its design is a frightful mess, and very difficult to navigate quickly and efficiently. Plus, its page of nominees is merely a basic bullet point listing….
In the ad an unnerved husband, Dave, recounts to State Farm agent Amy all the ways SAL has been majorly unhelpful, including closing the garage door on their car, turning on the in-home sprinklers, and erroneously blasting The Ring instead of the requested music. Amy assures Dave that while State Farm can’t fix SAL, they can certainly cover the home and auto damages. For anyone who has ever had to angrily repeat a simple question for Siri syllable-by-syllable, this scenario feels all too plausible. Truly, we could all use an Amy to assure us during our more frustrating brushes with technology that everything will be fine.
I have always had inordinately strong opinions about the passage about Caradhras. In fact, it was changes made to this episode that made me shout “no!” when I went to see Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Rings in theaters.
I was familiar with other literature that gave a sense of autonomy to nature before I read LotR, and I was excited to see that Tolkien does the same throughout the text, even before getting to the fully autonomous Treebeard. As a child, I loved the idea that trees could have volition and emotions. Tolkien takes this wondrous idea and pushes it one step further in the Caradhras episode. As the snows on Caradhras foil the attempt of the Fellowship to pass over the mountain, this exchange occurs…
…Here Boromir tries to attribute the malevolent weather to Sauron or one of his agent; however, but Aragorn and Gimli are quick to halt this impulse and clarify that there are other forces at play in the world. Gimli goes so far as to specify that the will is probably that of Caradhras himself.
I cannot emphasize this enough: this passage changed my worldview the first time I read it. To ascribe volition to not just plants, but to all of nature, to the very earth itself! This was a truly awe-inspiring thought for me. I remember walking around for days thinking about the ramifications of this idea. What does it mean to till an earth that could feel the cuts? What does it mean to dynamite a mountain that can fight back?
Over its 34 year history, the Contest has recognized 404 winners who have gone on to publish 1,150 novels and 4,450 short stories. Of these, 192 are still active with a writing career—that’s over 40%. Twelve of these Contest winners have gone on to become NYT bestselling authors: Dave Wolverton (aka David Farland), Sean Williams, Jo Beverly, Nancy Farmer, Lisa Smedman, Karen Joy Fowler, Patrick Rothfuss, Tim Myers, Eric Flint, Dean Wesley Smith, Tobias Buckell and Elizabeth Wein. And Contest Winners have garnered 155 major awards. Collectively, the winners of the contests have sold over 60 million books over the years.
And with the last 4 volumes of Writers of the Future hitting national bestseller lists—and each of the winners becoming national bestselling authors and illustrators as a result—contest entries continue to increase each quarter with entries from around the world.
Dave Wolverton, himself a Writers of the Future winner from the 3rd year of the contest, is the Coordinating Judge for the Writer Contest and was asked to help in the selection of a 1st reader to keep pace with the expansion. “Obviously, I’ve had a number of amazing authors that I’ve helped mentor over the years, and so when I considered who I might ask to help out as a first reader, I really suffered from an embarrassment of riches. A dozen names almost instantly leapt to mind, but Kary English was right near the top.
He continued, “I wanted someone with a great eye for style, someone who understood storytelling well. Kary, as an award-winning author, has proven over and over to have a great eye, but more than that, her strong support for and commitment to helping new authors spoke volumes….”
Alison Tellure had a very small but very memorable body of work. “Lord of All it Surveys,” “Skysinger,” “Green-Eyed Lady, Laughing Lady,” and “Low Midnight” are all set on an alien world dominated by a single, vast, godlike creature. Existence there is complicated by the presence of competing, considerably tinier beings not entirely unlike humans. Contributors over on my blog, More Words, Deeper Hole, dug up biographical details from old Analog Biologs and con appearances, but the exchange raised more questions than it answered. As far as I know, Tellure never had a single author collection, but readers might be able to track down the June 1977 issue of Analog, which contains “Lord of All it Surveys.”
The Last Adventure of Constance Verity, by A. Lee Martinez
Sometimes, having a fairy godmother really backfires. That is certainly the case for Constance Verity, blessed with (cursed by?) a life of being the world’s greatest adventurer. She’s got a history of adventuring filled with just about every genre trope and cliché you could imagine, and she’s on a mission to end it—by killing that darned godmother. This final quest puts the idea of destiny—and the monomyth—into its crosshairs with a wink and an absurdist sense of humor—Martinez’ specialties.
Grindstaff worked with Jack Finlay and Joseph Sorokin on Star Trek. Together they created the background sounds for the iconic series, including the iconic red alert klaxon and the sound the doors make when they slide open. They also developed the sounds of space battle in the Star Trek universe, transporter materialization, and sickbay scanners.
In a 2016 interview with Audible Range, Grindstaff discussed working with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
“And he wanted sounds everywhere. One time I asked him, ‘Don’t you think we’re getting too cartoony?’ Because I felt it should be a little more dignified, but he wanted sound for everything. For example, I worked on one scene where [Dr. McCoy] is giving someone a shot. Gene says, ‘Doug, I’m missing one thing. The doctor injects him and I don’t hear the shot.’ I said, ‘You wouldn’t hear a shot, Gene.’ He said, ‘No, no, this is Star Trek, we want a sound for it.’
(11) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Born August 2 — Edward Furlong, 41. John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Pet Sematary II (Cat Eldridge notes, “Courtesy of knowing the on-site medics, I visited the props room fort he original Pet Sematary — weird seeing actual props of dead people and lots of pets managed horribly”), various Terminator shorts, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, and Star Trek: Renegades (“…which I think is fanfic.”)
Born August 2 — Sam Worthington, 42. Avatar film franchise, Clash of The Titans and its sequel Wrath Of The Titans, and The Titan, a space exploration film that may or may be a horror film.
Born August 2 — Simon Kinberg, 45. Genre director for a very long list of projects including the forthcoming Logan’s Run, an X-Men one-off called Multiple Man, the Boba Fett project, The Martian, the Legion series, and the animated Star Wars: Rebels series. Also the writer for another X-Men one-off titled X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Born August 2 — Jacinda Barrett, 46. Genre roles include series work in Campfire Tales, Zero Hour, Millennium, NightMan and Hercules: The Legendary Journey.
Born August 2 — Matthew Del Negro, 46. Genre roles in Teen Wolf, Stargate: Atlantis and Eastwick series, horror films such as Ghost Image and Trailer Park of Terror.
Born August 2 — Kevin Smith, 48. Well-loved comics writer with work for DC, Marvel and other venues with work on both Daredevil Green Arrow. He directed the pilot for the CW supernatural comedy series Reaper, produced and appeared in reality television series Comic Book Men, and appeared as a character in the animated Superman: Doomsday as a commentary on a Superman unusedscript he wrote.
Born August 2 — Mary-Louise Parker, 54. Genre roles are the R.I.P.D. fil, The Spiderwyck Chronicles and Persephone, a generation ship film that may or may not happen.
(12) TRUE CONFESSION. JY Yang shares a writing crisis —
Me: Oh my god I need to come up with a name for the planetary system one of my protags is from QUICK BRAIN THINK OF SOMETHING ?: uh uhm RYMDMARK?? ME: THAT’S LITERALLY SWEDISH FOR “SPACELAND” YOU SPOON
The astronauts on the International Space Station are obviously busy people, but even busy people need some time to relax and unwind. In addition to a well-stocked film library (particularly strong on movies with a space theme, including 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gravity), there are also plenty of books in their informal library.
Some are brought up by the astronauts – Susan Helms was allowed ten paperbacks and chose Gone With the Wind, Vanity Fair and War and Peace in her carryon. Others come with space tourists such as billionaire businessman Charles? Simonyi, who brought Faust and Robert Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
Comic book writer and the lead singer of Say Anything Max Bemis, artist Eoin Marron, and letterer Taylor Esposito decided to use Atari’s Centipede intellectual property in a Dynamite Comics published book to attack fellow comic book writer Jon Del Arroz.
What’s supposed to be a balloon full of alien gibberish becomes all too easy to understand if you turn it upside-down.
In Centipede #4, which was published on October 25, 2017, Bemis writes, “Jon Del Arroz is a never was fat piece of sh**who blames everyone but himself for his ineptness.”
As you can tell Bemis and letterer Taylor Esposito tried to disguise the personal attack through an alien language. Not only did they disguise it as an alien language they also inverted it.
We’ve inverted the image so you can read it better.
Several more examples from the same comic are at the post.
Last night I discovered that a print book of Atari’s Centipede property referenced me in multiple places by name in an effort to defame and diminish me as a comic creator and a human being….
However, I have been in contact with Dynamite Entertainment, who apologized themselves and said they were unaware of the situation and that it slipped past editorial by mistake. They also say it’s been corrected for the trade paperback edition. They also very cordially said they would support my Flying Sparks indiegogo effort as I’m trying to launch my own comic career.
I believe them.
It would have been very easy for Dynamite to ignore me and to let this go, but they in their quick response and quick taking action to remedy this are doing the right thing. The company was hoodwinked by a rogue contractor who has lost the trust of the entire industry by inserting personal animus into a book, and saying the most horrific things about a fellow creator. They understand this, they are doing what they can to make it right even though the hurtful damage has been done.
I do not want my fans and followers to boycott Dynamite or take any action to try to harm them. As I said, the company has been consummate professionals to me and I appreciate their efforts they’re going to to make this right….
But what if the shift in humanity’s daily life is beyond explanation, bordering on paranormal? And what if the alien force that is bringing about that change is so far removed from known biology that it appears extra-dimensional? Daniel F. Galouye’s new book, Lords of the Psychon, takes the reader to that terrifying reality with an invader that is unnervingly simple – a large, floating, metallic sphere – and their mission which can be surmised as absorbing compatible human minds and letting the rest die in the grip of mind shredding madness.
(16) ON THE ROAD. They came, they saw, they rocked? “First Stonehenge residents came from west Wales”. Isotopes identify oldest cremains as coming from same area as the stones themselves. No explanation for the unusual eastward movement.
… While it is already known that the “bluestones” that were first used to build Stonehenge were transported from 150 miles (240 km) away in modern-day Pembrokeshire, almost nothing is known about the people involved.
The scientists’ work shows that both people and materials were moving between the regions and that, for some of these people, the move was permanent.
When their lives ended, their cremated remains were placed under the ancient monument in what is now Wiltshire. …
However, Dr Rick Schulting, senior author on the study, said: “These must have been important people. Being buried at Stonehenge is the ancient equivalent of being interred in Westminster Cathedral today.”
He said: “The evidence suggests that some of the people buried at Stonehenge must have spent much of their last 10 or so years in Wales. Although we tend to think that immigration is a new thing, these people were obviously able to travel substantial distances across difficult terrain.”
(17) SLIP SLIDING AWAY. BBC knows “How Greenland scorched its underside”. All of Greenland slid over the hotspot that later created and is now augmenting Iceland.
It’s like the underside of the island got a good roasting in the distant past and still has the big scar to prove it.
That hotspot, by the way, is the one which today is building Iceland in the middle of the North Atlantic.
The plume of broiling rock rising from deep inside the Earth has broken through the thin ocean floor at Iceland’s location and is now creating new land with regular eruptions of lava.
(18) A THOUSAND AND ONE FLAVORS. “The world’s oldest ice cream?” The BBC video feature says Iran had ice storage to make chilled treats over 2000 years ago.
(19) ROBOTS IN THE MUSEUM. The Robot Show is on display at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California from August 4 through September 26.
The Robot Show is comprised of eight exhibitions exploring the place robots, and other forms of artificial intelligence, have in a contemporary social landscape – from popular culture to nature and spirituality. Featured in the Main Gallery at MOAH is a retrospective of Emmy-nominated artist and animator, Dave Pressler. The Robot Show also showcases the solo exhibitions of Jeff Soto, Patrick McGilligan, Robert Nelson and Karen Hochman Brown, with site specific installations by artists Cristopher Cichocki, Alexander Kritselis, and Chenhung Chen.
Dave Pressler’s 20-year retrospective, Idea to Object, is a narrative of his career, which focuses on how he made his ideas a reality. Pressler’s robots are fixtures in popular culture and he is best known for his Emmy-nominated Nickelodeon series, Robot and Monster. “Pressler’s work appeals to audiences of all ages,” says Andi Campognone, Curator at MOAH. “His work is a great example of the combination of strong contemporary concepts and expert craft, and we are so excited to exhibit his work for both the Lancaster and greater Los Angeles communities.”
Jeff Soto, in the East Gallery, is a pop-surrealist who also features robots prominently in his bold paintings and murals, which are meant to evoke nostalgia and the natural environment. In the South Gallery, Cristopher Cichocki furthers this connection between the artificial and the natural with his newest body of work, Divisions of Land and Sea, which combines audiovisual performance and black light painting into an immersive environment. Karen Hochman Brown’s digital photographic compositions will be highlighted in the North Gallery joining Robert Nelson’s robot paintings in the Wells Fargo Gallery along with Patrick McGilligan’s work in the Museum’s lobby and atrium. Alexander Kritselis will feature one of his multimedia installations in windows of the Museum’s Hernando and Fran Marroquin Family Classroom. Rounding out this exhibition is Chenhung Chen, a Los Angeles-based artist, who will be installing her technology-based towers in the Vault Gallery.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Cat Eldridge, JJ, Chip Hitchcock, Martin Morse Wooster, ULTRAGOTHA, Mike Kennedy, Carl Slaughter, Daniel Dern, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Xtifr.]
Topping the nominations are two works done by women. My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics) by first-time graphic novelist Emil Ferris is nominated in 5 categories: Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer/Artist, Best Coloring, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design. Image’s Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is nominated for Best Continuing Series and Best Publication for Teens, Liu is nominated for Best Writer, and Takeda is nominated for Best Painter and Best Cover Artist.
The 2018 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of librarian Candice Mack (Los Angeles Public Library), comics reviewer/journalist Graeme McMillan (i09, Wired, Hollywood Reporter), comics retailer Tate Ottati (Tate’s Comics, Lauderhill, FL), comics scholar Nhora Serrano (Hamilton College, Clinton, NY), writer/artist/educator Alexander Simmons (Blackjack, Scooby Doo, Archie; Kids Comic Con), and longtime Comic-Con volunteer William Wilson (anime/manga expert).
Best Short Story
“Ethel Byrne,” by Cecil Castelluci and Scott Chantler, in Mine: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood (ComicMix)
“Forgotten Princess,” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Antonio Sandoval, in Adventure Time Comics #13 (kaboom!)
“Small Mistakes Make Big Problems,” by Sophia Foster-Dimino, in Comics for Choice (Hazel Newlevant)
“Trans Plant,” by Megan Rose Gedris, in Enough Space for Everyone Else (Bedside Press)
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
Barbara, by Nicole Miles (ShortBox)
Hellboy: Krampusnacht, by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse)
Pope Hats #5, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
The Spotted Stone, by Rick Veitch (Sun Comics)
What Is Left, by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (ShortBox)
Best Continuing Series
Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and David Rubín (Dark Horse)
Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Liz Fleming (BOOM! Box)
Hawkeye, by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Mike Walsh (Marvel)
Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie (Image)
Best Limited Series
Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez (Marvel)
Extremity, by Daniel Warren Johnson (Image/Skybound)
The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC)
Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)
X-Men: Grand Design, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)
Best New Series
Black Bolt, by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward (Marvel)
Grass Kings, by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins (BOOM! Studios)
Maestros, by Steve Skroce (Image)
Redlands, by Jordie Belaire and Vanesa Del Rey (Image)
Royal City, by Jeff Lemire (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)
Adele in Sand Land, by Claude Ponti, translated by Skeeter Grant and Françoise Mouly (Toon Books)
Arthur and the Golden Rope, by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye/Nobrow)
Egg, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books)
Good Night, Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books)
Little Tails in the Savannah, by Frederic Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci, translated by Mike Kennedy (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)
Bolivar, by Sean Rubin (Archaia)
Home Time (Book One): Under the River, by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf)
Nightlights, by Lorena Alvarez (Nobrow)
The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
The Dam Keeper, by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (First Second/Tonko House)
Jane, by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)
Louis Undercover, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault, translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)
Best Humor Publication
Baking with Kafka, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, by Tom King, Lee Weeks, and Byron Vaughn (DC)
The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC)
Rock Candy Mountain, by Kyle Starks (Image)
Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)
Best Anthology
A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn, by Max B. Perlson, Trina Robbins et al. (Bedside Press)
A Castle in England, by Jamie Rhodes et al. (Nobrow)
Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press)
Now #1, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
The Spirit Anthology, edited by Sean Phillips (Lakes International Comic Art Festival)
Best Reality-Based Work
Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)
The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui (Abrams ComicArts)
Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852–1903, by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (IDW)
Lennon: The New York Years, by David Foenkinos, Corbeyran, and Horne, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger (IDW)
Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)
Best Graphic Album—New
Crawl Space, by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
Eartha, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
Stages of Rot, by Linnea Sterte (Peow)
The Story of Jezebel, by Elijah Brubaker (Uncivilized Books)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
Boundless, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Black Hole by Charles Burns, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection, by Colleen Coover (Oni/Limerence)
Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero, by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
Unreal City, by D. J. Bryant (Fantagraphics)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
Beowulf, adapted by Santiago García and David Rubín (Image)
H. P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories, adapted by Gou Tanabe, translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse)
Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, adapted by Christophe Chabouté, translated by Laure Dupont (Dark Horse)
Kindred, by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)
Flight of the Raven, by Jean-Pierre Gibrat, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (EuroComics/IDW)
FUN, by Paolo Bacilieri, translated by Jamie Richards (SelfMadeHero)
Ghost of Gaudi, by El Torres and Jesús Alonso Iglesias, translated by Esther Villardón Grande (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
The Ladies-in-Waiting, by Santiago García and Javier Olivares, translated by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics)
Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for the Freedom, by Marcelo D’Salete, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
Furari, by Jiro Taniguchi, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Golden Kamuy, by Satoru Noda, translated by Eiji Yasuda (VIZ Media)
My Brother’s Husband, vol. 1, by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon)
Otherworld Barbara, vol. 2, by Moto Hagio, translated by Matt Thorn (Fantagraphics)
Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories, by Junji Itotranslated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
Celebrating Snoopy, by Charles M. Shulz, edited by Alexis E. Fajardo and Dorothy O’Brien (Andrews McMeel)
Crazy Quilt: Scraps and Panels on the Way to Gasoline Alley, by Frank King, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
Foolish Questions and Other Odd Observations, by Rube Goldberg, edited by Peter Maresca and Paul C. Tumey (Sunday Press Books)
Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Dailies, by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Daniel Herman (Hermes Press)
Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, by Russ Manning et al., edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha)
Behaving MADly, edited by Craig Yoe (Yoe Books/IDW)
The Collected Neil the Horse, by Arn Saba/Katherine Collins, edited by Andy Brown (Conundrum)
Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, by Paul Gravett, Denis Kitchen, and John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Best Writer
Tom King, Batman, Batman Annual #2, Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, Mister Miracle (DC)
Comicazi, Robert Howard, David Lockwood, Michael Burke. Somerville, MA
The five finalists were:
Comicazi, Robert Howard, David Lockwood, Michael Burke. Somerville, MA
The Comic Bug, Jun Goeku, Mike Wellman. Manhattan Beach, CA
Illusive Comics and Games, Anna Warren Cebrian. Santa Clara, CA
Kingpin Books, Mário Freitas. Lisbon, Portugal
Space Cadets Collection Collection, Jen King. Oak Ridge North, TX
The Spirit of Comics award judges were:
John Hertzler (actor, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Josh Geppi (president, Diamond International Galleries)
Victoria Jamieson (graphic novelist, Roller Girl, The Great Pet Escape)
Adam Sherif (2016 Spirit Award winner, Orbital Comicz, London, UK)
Bill Morrison (executive editor, MAD magazine)
BILL FINGER AWARD WINNERS
Jack Kirby
Bill Messner-Loebs
RUSS MANNING AWARD
Anne Szabla, writer-artist of Bird Boy (Dark Horse)
The award is presented to a comics artist who, early in his or her career, shows a superior knowledge and ability in the art of creating comics. It is named for Russ Manning, the artist best known for his work on the Tarzan and Star Wars newspaper strips and the Magnus, Robot Fighter comic book, and a popular guest at the San Diego convention in the 1970s.
The 2017 nominees were:
Rafael de Latorre, artist of Animosity and Superzero (AfterShock)
Riana Dorsey, artist of Cloud Riders (Hashtag Comics)
Mindy Lee, artist of Bounty (Dark Horse)
Leila Leiz, artist of Alters (AfterShock)
Anne Szabla, writer/artist of Bird-Boy (Dark Horse)
The longlist for the 2017 Eisner Spirit of Comics Award has been announced.
Comic-Con International gives the award yearly to retailers who have done an outstanding job of supporting the comics medium both in the industry at large and in their local community. The nominations come from comics fans via the Comic-Con International website.
This year’s nominee list includes 19 comic retail stores from across the United States, plus Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Israel, and Portugal. The judges will announce the finalists during the week of Comic-Con. The winner will be revealed at the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on July 21.
Even at this early stage, people at home and far afield were willing to spend time and effort on the concept of a Worldcon in Ireland. Prepared to keep a secret. By Octocon the same year, it was clear that a bid would be viable, and a moment I will never forget was when Gareth Kavanagh with a level of seriousness that was impressive, asked for videos to be halted, recording devices turned off, and at the closing ceremony in front of a large chunk of Irish fandom, I asked the room to keep a secret. Even with site visits, with huge levels of engagement and public gatherings, no one spoke. No one publicised it, hundreds were now so committed to the idea of a Worldcon in Ireland, but they kept it quiet.
Five years after that meeting in the CCD, it is now 100 days until the vote in Helsinki.
There is a lot of work going on right now, and there will be a lot more in the next 100 days. Thanks to work by so many people we are where we are, looking at a place where we could be a seated Worldcon.
(2) KEEP ‘EM COMING. James Davis Nicoll has another request for the next round of Young People Read Old SFF:
MY current Young People suggested it might be an idea to toss in a handful of modern stories — let’s say post 2000 — so they can see where the field is. Also open to suggestions on that.
(3) I KNOW THAT NAME. T. Kingfisher’s highly-awaited new collection Jackalope Wives And Other Stories is available. Feel free to buy it under a pseudonym of your own.
From award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes a collection of short stories, including “Jackalope Wives,” “The Tomato Thief,” “Pocosin,” and many others. By turns funny, lyrical, angry and beautiful, this anthology includes two all-new stories, “Origin Story” and “Let Pass The Horses Black,” appearing for the first time in print.
Following the announcement of the nominees on May 2, the IDW Publishing/DC Comics anthology Love is Love has since been added in the “Best Anthology” category. Eisner Awards organizer Jackie Estrada said that the book was originally overlooked due to Amazon listing it as a January 2017 release, despite being on-sale with comic book retailers on December 28, 2016 – just inside the cut-off for these awards, which are for 2016 releases. The original list of nominees below has been amended to include Love is Love.
(5) CASSINI TAKES A DIVE. These images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft show the view as the spacecraft swooped over Saturn during the first of its Grand Finale dives between the planet and its rings on April 26.
As the movie frames were captured, the Cassini spacecraft’s altitude above the clouds dropped from 45,000 to 4,200 miles (72,400 to 6,700 kilometers). As this occurred, the smallest resolvable features in the atmosphere changed from 5.4 miles (8.7 kilometers) per pixel to 0.5 mile (810 meters) per pixel.
“The images from the first pass were great, but we were conservative with the camera settings. We plan to make updates to our observations for a similar opportunity on June 28 that we think will result in even better views,” said Andrew Ingersoll, a member of the Cassini imaging team based at Caltech in Pasadena, California.
(6) LUCKY FOR US. Flyover Fandom has the first part of an interview with Walter Jon Williams, who never planned to become a science fiction writer.
DAF: You brought up the Maijstral series which was the first series of science fiction you converted to ebooks. What is it that brought you to science fiction? Because you first started with historical fiction right?
WJW: Yes, I started with historical fiction. I started writing it because I was qualified for it, and secondly there was a historical fiction boom in the late 70s. I wrote five books of a projected ten-book series, and then the boom turned into a bust and I had no work. So I madly started sending off proposals in all directions for books that I thought I might be able to write: literary novels, mysteries, historicals with a different approach, and then there was this old science fiction proposal that had been bumping around for a few years. And the science fiction proposal was the one that sold.
I honestly hadn’t intended to become a science fiction writer, but it turned out lucky that I did— the response I got to all my other proposals is that they were just too weird. You hardly ever hear that as a criticism in science fiction.
(7) POLISHED PROS.Nerdlacquer is offering nail polish colors named for SF authors (apparently inspired by color schemes for their book covers). Here’s screen full of samples to look at. So, you can wear Abercrombie, Scalzi, Corey, Leckie, Le Guin, Jemisin. Or, if you don’t like authors, Ithaqua, Azathoth, Cthulhu, General Effing Leia, Kylo, etc.
File 770 covered this in May 2016, but with John Scalzi tweeting images of his polished nails this week, a reminder is timely.
Reenu-You, a sci-fi thriller novella from newcomer Michele Tracy Berger, opens on a summer morning in 1990s New York City. Five women of color wake up with disfiguring purple lesions all over their bodies. Though doctors dismiss it as skin rash, caused perhaps by a new hair product known as Reenu-You, hysteria grows as this unknown disease spreads throughout the city.
At the center of a looming epidemic, these women begin to develop strange powers while medical providers face charges of conspiracy, cover-up and coercion from minority communities as this new malady begins to kill.
Inspired by a true story of company negligence and reminiscent of the early AIDS crisis, ?Reenu-You tackles important ideas about hair, identity, and minority women. Berger also explores friendship and the hidden strength of unlikely heroines forced to confront their deepest fears to save themselves—and their city.
(9) ALSO APPEARING. Who can you see at Worldcon 75? The con has posted a list of program participants with nearly 150 names.
The following are just some of the people who we expect to appear at Worldcon 75. This may include appearing on panels, holding signing sessions, participating in literary beers and Kaffeeklatsches, or taking part in Strolling with the Stars. We will publish more detailed information in the programme guide shortly before the convention.
(10) TODAY’S DAY
Paranormal Day
How to Celebrate Paranormal Day There are lots of fun and interesting ways to spend this day. If you’re a fan of scary movies, you’re in loads of luck because ghosts, unidentifiable monsters and aliens are among the most popular horror movie topics in existence. In fact, there is even a movie you may have heard of titled Paranormal Activity about a couple witnessing increasingly disturbing paranormal occurrences in their house. You may have never thought a sheet could be scary, but you may well change your mind after and evening spent watching this movie in the dark!
As anticipated, streaming site Hulu has officially launched its Live TV service—albeit with a “beta” tag hung on it because, you know, it’s a web service and that’s just the way those things are done—offering a large slate of channels for one $40-per-month price tag….
But one place where Hulu has set itself apart from its competitors is by bundling in access to its extensive library of on-demand shows. When you sign up for the Live TV plan, you essentially get the Hulu service—which costs $8/month on its own—for free.
Sadly, it’s not the commercial-free plan; you’ll still get ads unless, it seems, you pony up the additional $4 monthly fee to go without them. (And even if you do, you won’t be able to skip commercials in the Live TV content; for DVR shows, you’ll need to pay extra for the “Enhanced DVR” plan which also includes more storage.)
(12) GETTING CONNECTED. Doug Ellis at Black Gate explains “Why You Should Go to Conventions”, especially if you’re an art collector. Not all con art shows are what they once were, however, there’s another big reason to go:
In thinking about it further, I think that my answer was unintentionally deficient in one regard, tied in to conventions. While conventions are often a great place at which to find art, perhaps even more importantly, they’re an incredible place to meet dealers, artists and fellow art collectors and make friends. A network of collecting friends is invaluable if you want to collect; I think that’s likely true no matter what it is that you collect. At least I’ve found that to be true when it comes to collecting pulps – my first collecting passion – as well as illustration art. I’ve probably bought or traded for dozens of pieces of art (and bought thousands of pulps), not at conventions, but through friends that I made at conventions.
Drew Friedman’s two recent books Heroes of the Comics and More Heroes of the Comics, published by Fantagraphics books, depicted the great early comic book creators who entered into the dawn of the business between 1935–1955, a milestone in the early history of comic books. The Museum of Illustration at the Society of Illustrators is proud to present 100 original, meticulous color illustrations from Friedman’s two books.
Among the colorful subjects are comics pioneer Max (M.C.) Gaines, the creators of Superman Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Superman publishers Harry Donenfled and Jack Liebowitz, and comic book legends including Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Will Eisner, (the subject of a large concurrent exhibition also at SI celebrating his 100th birthday), Jack Kirby, Martin Goodman, Harvey Kurtzman, Stan Lee, Wally Wood, William M. Gaines, C.C. Beck, Joe Kubert, Jack Cole, Steve Ditko, Al Jaffee, Carl Barks, Jules Feiffer, James Warren, and many more. Also included in the gallery will be several early female creators including Marie Severin and author Patricia Highsmith who began her career writing for comics, and several African American creators, among them Matt Baker, Alvin Hollingsworth and Orrin C. Evans. The greats and the near greats, many long forgotten with the passage of time but who deserve recognition for their work, now revived in Friedman’s two books and this exhibition.
(14) KEEP CALM. ScreenRant sends word that “Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water Receives an R Rating”. Why is that news, you wonder, because when did Del Toro ever make a G-rated movie? Well, that track record seems to be creating issues with the picture he’s making this time.
Del Toro announced on his Twitter account on Tuesday that the Motion Picture Association of America has officially given The Shape of Water an R rating. Perhaps to quell concerns about the movie venturing into horror territory, del Toro later clarified on Twitter that The Shape of Water is not a horror movie but a “bit of a fairy tale” and a “fable set in early 1960’s America.”
(15) OKAY, DON’T KEEP CALM. Terence Eden is plenty pissed-off about “Amazon Alexa and Solar Panels”. People who write software will probably enjoy his rant the most, but even I understand this part —
This isn’t AI. Voice interfaces are the command line. But you don’t get tab-to-complete.
Amazon allow you to test your code by typing rather than speaking. I spent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to work out why my example code didn’t work. Want to know why? I was typing “favourite” rather than the American spelling. Big Data my shiny metal arse.
(16) A DIFFERENT VELDT. WWF Hungary–Paper World, on Vimeo, is an animation in which pieces of paper turn into large animals, and was done for the Hungarian branch of the World Wildlife Fund.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Steven H Silver, Martin Morse Wooster, Cat Eldridge, JJ, Andrew Porter, and Mark-kitteh for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day clack.]
