Women Get Record Nominations for 2016 Eisner Comics Awards
A record number of women have been nominated for the 2016 Will Eisner Comic Industry awards, organized annually by the San Diego Comic-Com International to honor the best comics and graphic novels of the previous year.
49 women received 61 nominations this year. Last year 44 women received nominations. In addition, two women artists, Colleen Couver (Bandette) and Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Brides of Helheim), received three nominations each. There were also four women artists with 2 nominations each: Erica Henderson (Squirrel Girl, Jughead), Lucy Knisley (Displacement: A Travelogue), Marjorie Liu (Monstress), and Sydney Padua (The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage).
Fantagraphics led all publishers with 17 nominations, followed by Boom! Studios with 11 nominations and Abrams ComicArts with 8. Dark Horse (6), Marvel (5), DC (5) also had a number of shared nominations.
Among the book/graphic novel category nominees were Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl (Dial Books), Jennifer and Matthew Holm’s Sunny Side Up (Scholastic Graphix) for best kids publication (ages 9-12). March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW) was nominated for best publication for teens. In addition March Book Two and Lucy Knisley’s Displacement: A Travelogue (Fantagraphics) were among the titles nominated for best reality-based work.
Nick Sousanis’s Unflattening (Harvard University Press) was among the books nominated for best academic work; and Drawn & Quarterly, Twenty-Five Years of Contemporary, Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels, edited by Tom Devlin (D&Q) was among books nominated for best anthology.
In addition, Peter Kuper’s Ruins (SelfMadeHero), Sydney Padua’s Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage (Pantheon) and Dylan Horrocks Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen (Fantagraphics) were among the titles nominated for best new graphic novel.
Named after the celebrated comics artist, The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards will be presented at a gala event held July 22 at the San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego.
