Image Comics Leads This Year's Eisner Award Nominees

This year's nominees for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been revealed, with publishers Image Comics and Fantagraphics having the highest number of nominations between them. Image holds 17 nominations and shares 11 of its other industry nods, while Fantagraphics has clocked 18 nominations in total.

Industry giants such as DC Comics and Marvel had a smaller number of nominations in comparison with titles such as Far Sector, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, Black Widow, Daredevil, and X-Men earning a spot on the nominee's list.

In terms of individual comic books, Decorum and The Department of Truth have secured four nominations each, while artists such as Marco Chechetto, Jorge Corona, and Sanford Greene have been nominated for their work on Daredevil, Middlewest, and Bitter Root respectively.

This year's judging panel consists of comics retailer Marco Davanzo, Comic-Con Board member Shelley Fruchey, librarian Pamela Jackson, publisher Keithan Jones, educator Alonso Nunez, and comic book historian Jim Thompson.

You can see the full list of nominees on the official Eisner website, and a highlighted selection below of the biggest awards for this, where critically-acclaimed comic books such as Gideon Falls, Daredevil, will be voted on. The results of the voting will be announced in July in a virtual ceremony as part of Comic-Con@Home.

2021 Eisner Awards Nominations

Best Continuing Series

• Bitter Root, by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
• Daredevil, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image)
• Stillwater, by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K Pérez (Image/Skybound)
• Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (IDW)

Best Limited Series

• Barbalien: Red Planet, by Jeff Lemire, Tate Brombal, and Gabriel Hernandez Walta (Dark Horse)
• Decorum, by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Huddleston (Image)
• Far Sector, by N. K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell (DC)
• Strange Adventures, by Tom King, Mitch Gerads, and Evan “Doc” Shaner (DC Black Label)
• Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
• We Live, by Inaki Miranda and Roy Miranda (AfterShock)

Best New Series

• Black Widow, by Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande (Marvel)
• Crossover, by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (Image)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• Killadelphia, by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander (Image)
• We Only Find Them When They're Dead, by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo (BOOM! Studios)

Best Single Issue

• The Burning Hotels, by Thomas Lampion (Birdcage Bottom Books)
• Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan (Image)
• The Other History of the DC Universe #1, by John Ridley and Giuseppe Camuncoli (DC)
• Sports Is Hell, by Ben Passmore (Koyama Press)
• Stanley's Ghost: A Halloween Adventure, by Jeff Balke, Paul Storrie, and Dave Alvarez (Storm Kids)

Best Writer

• Ed Brubaker, Pulp, Reckless (Image); Friday (Panel Syndicate)
• Matt Fraction, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC); Adventureman, November vols. 2–3, Sex Criminals (Image)
• Jonathan Hickman, Decorum (Image); Giant-Size X-Men, X-Men (Marvel)
• Jeff Lemire, Barbalien, Black Hammer, Colonel Weird: Cosmagog (Dark Horse); The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage (DC Black Label); Family Tree, Gideon Falls (Image)
• James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); Batman (DC); The Department of Truth (Image); Razorblades (Tiny Onion)
• Chip Zdarsky, Stillwater (Image/Skybound), Daredevil, Fantastic Four/X-Men (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist

• Junji Ito, Remina, Venus in the Blind Spot (VIZ Media)
• Pascal Jousselin, Mister Invincible: Local Hero (Magnetic Press)
• Trung Le Nguyen, The Magic Fish (RH Graphic/RH Children's Books)
• Craig Thompson, Ginseng Roots (Uncivilized)
• Adrian Tomine, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Gene Luen Yang, Dragon Hoops (First Second/Macmillan)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Michael Allred, Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams (Insight Editions)
• Marco Chechetto, Daredevil (Marvel)
• Jorge Corona, Middlewest (Image)
• Bertrand Gatignol, Pistouvi (Magnetic Press)
• Mitch Gerads/Evan “Doc” Shaner, Strange Adventures (DC Black Label)
• Sanford Greene, Bitter Root (Image)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Benjamin Adam, Soon (Europe Comics)
• Alice Chemama, The Zolas (Europe Comics)
• Jared Cullum, Kodi (Top Shelf)
• Decur, When You Look Up (Enchanted Lion Books)
• Antonio Lapone, Gentlemind (Europe Comics)
• Anand RK/John Pearson, Blue in Green (Image)

Best Cover Artist

• Jamal Campbell, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (BOOM! Studios); Far Sector (DC)
• Simone Di Meo, We Only Find Them When They're Dead (BOOM! Studios)
• Mike Huddleston, Decorum (Image)
• Dave Johnson, Butcher of Paris (Dark Horse)
• Peach Momoko, Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19, Mighty Morphin #2, Something Is Killing the Children #12, Power Rangers #1 (BOOM! Studios); DIE!namite, Vampirella (Dynamite); The Crow: Lethe (IDW); Marvel Variants (Marvel
• Ramón K. Pérez, Stillwater (Image/Skybound)

Best Coloring

• Laura Allred, X-Ray Robot (Dark Horse); Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams (Insight Editions)
• Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Middlewest (Image)
• Gipi, One Story (Fantagraphics)
• Marte Gracia, Empyre, X of Swords (Marvel)
• Dave Stewart, Promethee 13:13 (comiXology); Black Hammer (Dark Horse); Gideon Falls (Image); Spider-Man #4-#5 (Marvel)
• Matt Wilson, Undiscovered Country (Image); Fire Power (Image/Skybound); Thor (Marvel)

Best Lettering

• Mike Allred, Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams (Insight Editions)
• Deron Bennett, Bear, The Sacrifice of Darkness (Archaia); King of Nowhere, Something Is Killing the Children, We Only Find Them When They'e Dead (BOOM! Studios); Far Sector, Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red, Martian Manhunter (DC); Excellence (Image/Skybound); A Dark Interlude, Dark One, Relics of Youth, Resonant, Shadow Service, Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter's Teeth (Vault); Ping Pong (VIZ Media)
• Aditya Bidikar, Barbalien: Red Planet, Grafity's Wall Expanded Edition (Dark Horse); John Constantine, Hellblazer (DC); A Map to the Sun (First Second); The Department of Truth, Lost Soldiers (Image); Giga, The Picture of Everything Else (Vault)
• Clayton Cowles, Aquaman, Batman, Batman and the Outsiders, Strange Adventures, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC); Adventureman, Bitter Root, Bog Bodies, Die (Image); Reaver (Image/Skybound); Morbius, X Of Swords (Marvel)
• Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (IDW)
• Rus Wooton, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth (DC); Decorum, Monstress (Image); Die!Die!Die!, Fire Power, Oblivion Song, Outcast, Stillwater (Image/Skybound)

Best Digital Comic

• Friday, by Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate)
• Genius Animals? by Vali Chandrasekaran and Jun-Pierre Shiozawa, geniusanimals.net
• Gentlemind, by Juan Díaz Canales, Teresa Valero, and Antonio Lapone, translation by Jeremy Melloul (Europe Comics)
• Promethee 13:13, by Andy Diggle and Shawn Martinbrough (comiXology Originals/Delcourt)
• Olive, by Véro Cazot and Lucy Mazel, translation by Jessie Aufiery (Europe Comics)
• Soon, by Thomas Cadène and Benjamin Adam, translation by Margaret Besser (Europe Comics)