The winners of the 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced. Follow the links below for free samples of books by some of the winners.
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples won the prize for “Best Continuing Series” for Saga. Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker came out on top in the “Best Reality-Based Work” category for The Fifth Beatle. Matthew Inman took home the “Best Digital Comic” award for The Oatmeal.
Here’s more from the press release: “Named for acclaimed comics creator the Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 26th year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2014 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of comics retailer Kathy Bottarini (Comic Book Box, Rhonert Park, CA), author/educator William H. Foster (Untold Stories of Black Comics), reviewer Christian Lipski (Portland, OR Examiner), Comic-Con International board member Lee Oeth, library curator Jenny Robb (Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum), and Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist/critic James Romberger (Post York, 7 Miles a Second).”
2014 Eisner Award Winners
Best Continuing Series: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)
Best New Series: Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (Image)
Best Limited Series: The Wake by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy (Vertigo/DC)
Best Digital Comic: The Oatmeal by Matthew Inman
Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)
Best Writer-Artist: Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets New Stories No. 6 (Fantagraphics)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: Sean Murphy, The Wake (DC/Vertigo)
Best Cover Artist: David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art): Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
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 Graphic Album – New: The Property by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Graphic Album – Reprint: RASL, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): Hawkeye No. 11: Pizza Is My Business, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
Best Humor Publication: Vader’s Little Princess, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
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 Short Story: Untitled, by Gilbert Hernandez, in Love and Rockets: New Stories No. 6 (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material: …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 Adaptation From Another Medium: Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground, by Donald Westlake, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books: Will Eisner’s The Spirit Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Strips: Tarzan: The Complete Russ Manning Newspaper Strips, Vol. 1, edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
Best Publication for Teens: Battling Boy, by Paul Pope (First Second)
Best Publication for Kids: The Adventures of Superhero Girl, by Faith Erin Hicks (Dark Horse)
Best Publication for Early Readers: Itsy Bitsy Hellboy, by Art Baltazar and Franco (Dark Horse)
Best Publication Design: Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)
Best Comics-Related Journalism: Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland
Best Scholarly/Academic Work: Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation, edited by Sheena C. Howard and Ronald L. Jackson II (Bloomsbury)
Best Comics-Related Book: Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell (LOAC/IDW)
Recipient of the Bill Finger Excellence in Comics Writing Award: Robert Kanigher; Bill Mantlo; Jack Mendelsohn
Recipient of the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Joe Field
Recipient of the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award: All-Star Comics of Melbourne, Australia; Legends Comics and Coffee of Omaha, Neb.
Recipient of the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award: Aaron Conley