SDCC 2014: Eisner Award winners announced

One of the highlights of the annual Comic-Con International in San Diego is the announcement of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The winners of the 2013 Eisner Awards were announced at a gala ceremony held during Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Once again Saga was a big winner, with wins for Best Continuing Series, Best Writer for Brian K. Vaughan and Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) for Fiona Staples. Hawkeye #11 took out best single issue for the infamous “Pizza Dog”, with David Aja also earning a prize as Best Cover Artist.

The Property was awarded Best Graphic Album (New), while unsurprisingly, The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story took out the Best Reality-Based Work category.

Other major prizes included the Bill Finger Awards which went to to Robert Kanigher, Bill Mantlo, and Jack Mendelsohn. and Bob Clampett The Humanitarian Award was given to Joe Field. As we already knew in advance, Hayao Miyazaki, Alan Moore, Dennis O’Neil and Bernie Wrightson were inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Hall Of Fame Judges’ Choice Orrin C. Evans, Irwin Hasen and Sheldon Moldoff also honoured.

Exciting for Australians is that a local store tied for the Spirit Of Retailing award. All Star Comics, Melbourne, Australia and  Legends Comics & Coffee, Omaha, NE took this one out.

You can find the full list of nominees here. Winners are listed below.

Best Short Story

• “Untitled,” by Gilbert Hernandez, in Love and Rockets: New Stories #6 (Fantagraphics)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

• Hawkeye #11: “Pizza Is My Business,” by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel) (PIZZA DOG!!!)

Best Continuing Series

• Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Limited Series

• The Wake, by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy (Vertigo/DC)

Best New Series

• Sex Criminals, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

• Itty Bitty Hellboy, by Art Baltazar and Franco (Dark Horse)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)

• The Adventures of Superhero Girl, by Faith Erin Hicks (Dark Horse)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

• Battling Boy, by Paul Pope (First Second)

Best Humor Publication

• Vader’s Little Princess, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)

Best Anthology

• Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Digital/Webcomic

• The Oatmeal by Matthew Inman, theoatmeal.com

Best Reality-Based Work

• The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker (M Press/Dark Horse)

Best Graphic Album—New

• The Property, by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

• Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground, by Donald Westlake, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

• RASL, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

• Tarzan: The Complete Russ Manning Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

• Will Eisner’s The Spirit Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

• Goddam This War! by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Pierre Verney (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

• The Mysterious Underground Men, by Osamu Tezuka (PictureBox)

Best Writer

• Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist

• Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories #6 (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Sean Murphy, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)

Best Cover Artist

• David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)

Best Coloring

• Jordie Bellaire, The Manhattan Projects, Nowhere Men, Pretty Deadly, Zero (Image); The Massive (Dark Horse); Tom Strong (DC); X-Files Season 10 (IDW); Captain Marvel, Journey into Mystery (Marvel); Numbercruncher (Titan); Quantum and Woody (Valiant)

Best Lettering

• Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground (IDW)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland, www.comicbookresources.com

Best Comics-Related Book

• Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell (LOAC/IDW)

Best Scholarly/Academic Work

• Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation, edited by Sheena C. Howard and Ronald L. Jackson II (Bloomsbury)

Best Publication Design

• Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)