2016 Eisner Awards Nominees Announced

Today the nominees for the 2016 Eisner Awards, one of the top awards in comic books, were announced. Presented annually at San Diego Comic-Con, the Eisner Awards are named after the legendary Will Eisner. This year’s nominees cover 30 different categories and include mainstream comics, independent publishers, web-comics, comics scholarship and journalism.     One of the big points of note in this year’s nominees is a strong presence by female creators. According to io9, there are women in 27 out of the 30 categories, encompassing a total of 61 nominations. Of course, that is still less than half of the nominees, but it is a major step forward from previous years. There are women represented in important categories, too. Marjorie Liu (Monstress) and G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel) were nominated for Best Writer, along with Jason Aaron (numerous series), John Allison (Giant Days) and Ed Brubaker (The Fade Out, Velvet).   In the art category, Michael Allred, Cliff Chiang, Erica Henderson, Joëlle Jones and Nate Powell were nominated. Jones was also nominated for best cover artist, along with David Aja, Raphael Albuquerque, Amanda Connor, and Ed Piskor. In the Coloring category, Elizabeth Breitweiser, whose work I have praised in reviews for The Fade Out and Velvet, is nominated, as is Laura Allred, Jordie Bellaire, John Rauch, and Dave Stewart.     In categories related to specific series, there were many fan favorites highlighted and even some surprises. Best New Series is very competitive this year, with Bitch Planet, Paper Girls, Harrow County, Kaijumax, Monstress and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl getting nominations. Silver Surfer was given a nomination for Best Continuing Series and Best Single Issue/One Shot for Silver Surfer #11. The other nominees in Best Continuing Series are Bandette, Giant Days, Invincible and Southern Bastards. In Best Limited Series, Chrononauts, The Fade Out, Lady Killer, Minimum Wage and The Spire were nominated.   For a complete list of nominees, check out the Comic-Con International website. The awards will be presented on Friday, July 22nd.