2005 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (original) (raw)

Comic Book Awards Almanac

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The nominated creators have been recognized by their peers for having produced some of the outstanding achievements in comics in 2004.
(Winners are in bold and marked with *)

Best Short Story

• "Eve O' Twins," by Craig Thompson, in Rosetta 2 (Alternative)
• "Glenn Ganges: Jeepers Jacobs," by Kevin Huizenga, in Kramer's Ergot 5 (Gingko Press)
• "God" (story on wrap-around dust jacket) by Chris Ware, in McSweeney's Quarterly #13 (McSweeney's)
• "The Price," by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli, in Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Books)
• "Unfamiliar," by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft (Dark Horse Books) *
• "Where Monsters Dine," by Troy Hickman, Angel Medina, and Jon Holdredge, in Common Grounds #5 (Top Cow/Image)

Best Single Issue or One-Shot

• Demo #7: "One Shot, Don't Miss," by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan (AiT/PlanetLar)
• Eightball #23: "The Death Ray," by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics) *
• Ex Machina #1: "The Pilot," by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
• Global Frequency #12: "Harpoon," by Warren Ellis and Gene Ha (WildStorm/DC)
• The Goon #6: "Ilagarto Hombre!," by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Best Serialized Story

• Astonishing X-Men #1-6: "Gifted," by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
• Ex Machina #2-5: "State of Emergency," by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
• Fables #19-27: "March of the Wooden Soldiers," by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC) *
• Planetary #19-20: "Mystery in Space/Rendezvous," by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday (WildStorm/DC)
• Y: The Last Man #18-20: "Safeword," by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series

• Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
• Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC)
• The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse) *
• Stray Bullets, by David Lapham (El Capitan)
• Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Limited Series

• DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC) *
• Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan (AiT/Planet Lar)
• 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith (IDW)
• WE3, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Vertigo/DC)
• Wanted, by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones (Top Cow/Image)

Best New Series

• Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
• Doc Frankenstein, by the Wachowski Brothers and Steve Scroce (Burlyman)
• Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC) *
• The Shaolin Cowboy, by Geof Darrow (Burlyman)

Best Title for a Younger Audience

• Amelia Rules! (Renaissance Press), and Amelia Rules! What Makes You Happy (iBooks), by Jimmy Gownley
• Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom, by Ted Naifeh (Oni)
• Owly, by Andy Runton (Top Shelf)
• Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC) *
• Tommysaurus Rex, by Doug TenNapel (Image)

Best Humor Publication

• Angry Youth Comix, by Johnny Ryan (Fantagraphics)
• Birth of a Nation, by Aaron McGruder, Reginald Hudlin, and Kyle Baker (Crown)
• The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse) *
• Kyle Baker, Cartoonist, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)
• Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)

Best Anthology

• Common Grounds, by Troy Hickman and others, edited by Jim McLauchlin (Top Cow/Image)
• The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, edited by Scott Allie (Dark Horse Books)
• The Matrix Comics, vol. 2, edited by Spencer Lamm (Burlyman)
• McSweeney's Quarterly #13, edited by Chris Ware (McSweeney's)
• Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, edited by Diana Schutz and David Land (Dark Horse) *

Best Digital Comic

• Athena Voltaire, by Steve Bryant
• Copper, by Kazu
• Jonny Crossbones, by Les McClaine
• Mom's Cancer, by Brian Fies *
• ojingogo, by Matt Forsythe

Best Graphic Album--New

• Blacksad Book 2: Arctic Nation, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (iBooks)
• It's a Bird..., by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen (Vertigo/DC)
• The Originals, by Dave Gibbons (Vertigo/DC) *
• Suspended in Language, by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis (GT Labs)
• Tommysaurus Rex, by Doug TenNapel (Image)

Best Graphic Album--Reprint

• Age of Bronze: Sacrifice, by Eric Shanower (Image)
• Bone One Volume Edition, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books) *
• The Book of Ballads, by Charles Vess, et al. (Tor)
• Clyde Fans, by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
• In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
• Locas, by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project

• The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker, edited by Robert Mankoff (Black Dog & Leventhal)
• The Complete Peanuts, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) *
• DC Comics Rarities Archives, vol. 1, edited by Dale Crain (DC)
• Krazy and Ignatz, edited by Bill Blackbeard and Derya Ataker (Fantagraphics)
• Russ Manning's Magnus, Robot Fighter, vol. 1, edited by Katie Moody, Mike Carriglitto, and David Land (Dark Horse Books)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material

• Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima, vols. 1-2, by Keiji Nahazawa (Last Gasp)
• Blacksad Book 2: Arctic Nation, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (iBooks)
• Buddha, vols. 3-4 by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical) *
• Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
• Tokyo Tribes, by Santa Inoue (Tokyopop)

Best Writer

• Steve Niles, for 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow; 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales; Aleister Arcane (IDW); Freaks of the Heartland; Last Train to Deadsville (Dark Horse)
• Greg Rucka, for Queen & Country (Oni); Gotham Central (DC)
• Brian K. Vaughan, for Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC); Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC); Runaways (Marvel) *
• Joss Whedon, for Astonishing X-Men (Marvel)
• Bill Willingham, for Fables (Vertigo/DC)

Best Writer/Artist

• Paul Chadwick, for Concrete: The Human Dilemma (Dark Horse) *
• Dan Clowes, for Eightball #23 (Fantagraphics)
• David Lapham, for Stray Bullets (El Capitan)
• Stan Sakai, for Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
• Adrian Tomine, for Optic Nerve #9 (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer/Artist--Humor

• Kyle Baker, for Plastic Man (DC); Kyle Baker, Cartoonist (Kyle Baker Publishing) *
• Phil Foglio, for Girl Genius (Airship Entertainment)
• Scott Kurtz, for PvP (Image)
• Eric Powell, for The Goon (Dark Horse)
• Johnny Ryan, for Angry Youth Comix (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Charles Adlard, for The Walking Dead (Image)
• John Cassaday, for Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC) * (tie)
• Geof Darrow, for Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)
• Cary Nord & Thomas Yeates, for Conan (Dark Horse)
• Frank Quitely, for WE3 (Vertigo/DC) * (tie)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Juanjo Guarnido, for Blacksad, Book 2: Arctic Nation (iBooks)
• Teddy Kristiansen, for It's a Bird... (Vertigo/DC) *
• David Mack, for Kabuki (Marvel)
• Ben Templesmith, 30 for Days of Night: Return to Barrow (IDW)
• Michael Zulli, for Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Books)

Best Coloring

• Peter Doherty, for Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)
• Steven Griffen, for Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort (Image)
• Laura DePuy Martin, for Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Ministry of Space (Image); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC)
• J. D. Mettler, for Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC)
• Dave Stewart, for Daredevil, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Six, Captain America (Marvel); Conan, BPRD (Dark Horse); DC: The New Frontier (DC) *

Best Lettering

• Todd Klein, for Promethea; Tom Strong; Tom Strong's Terrific Tales (ABC); Wonder Woman (DC); Books of Magick: Life During Wartime; Fables; WE3 (Vertigo/DC); Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse) *
• Stan Sakai, for Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
• Dave Sim, for Cerebus (Aardvark Vanaheim)
• Craig Thompson, for Carnet de Voyage (Top Shelf); "Eve O' Twins" in Rosetta 2 (Alternative)

Best Cover Artist

• Kieron Dwyer, for Remains (IDW)
• James Jean, for Fables (Vertigo/DC); Green Arrow, Batgirl (DC) *
• Tony Moore, for The Walking Dead (Image)
• Frank Quitely, for Bite Club; WE3 (Vertigo/DC)
• Michael Turner, for Identity Crisis (DC)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition

• Frank Cammuso (Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective)
• Bosch Fawstin (Table for One)
• Matt Kindt (Two Sisters; Pistolwhip)
• Sean McKeever (A Waiting Place; Mary Jane; Inhumans; Sentinels) *
• Raina Telgemeier ("Smile," Takeout)

Best Comics-Related Periodical

• Comic Art, edited by M. Todd Hignite (Comic Art)
• Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf) *
• Draw!, edited by Mike Manley (TwoMorrows)
• Indy Magazine online (www.indyworld.com), edited by Bill Kartalopoulos (Alternative)

Best Comics-Related Book

• The Art of Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse Books)
• Chris Ware, by Daniel Raeburn (Monographics/Yale University Press)
• Give Our Regards to the Atom Smashers, edited by Sean Howe (Pantheon)
• Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones (Basic Books) *
• Strangers in Paradise Treasury Edition, by Terry Moore (HarperCollins Perennial)

Best Publication Design

• The Art of Usagi Yojimbo, designed by Cary Grazzini (Dark Horse Books)
• Clyde's Fans, designed by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
• The Complete Peanuts, designed by Seth (Fantagraphics) *
• In the Shadow of No Towers, designed by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
• McSweeney's Quarterly #13, designed by Chris Ware (McSweeney's)

Hall of Fame

Judges' Choices: (Automatically inducted)

• Lou Fine *
• René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo *
  Voters choices:
• Matt Baker
• Wayne Boring
• Nick Cardy *
• Yves Chaland
• Gene Colan *
• Johnny Craig *
• Reed Crandall
• Floyd Gottfredson
• Frank Hampson
• Graham Ingels
• Robert Kanigher
• William Moulton Marston
• Hugo Pratt *
• Frank Robbins

2005 Eisner Awards Judges

• Gib Bickel (co-owner of the The Laughing Ogre shop in Columbus, Ohio)
• Steve Conley (cartoonist, self-publisher, co-creator of comicon.com, manager of The Pulse comics news website and executive director of SPX)
• Katharine Kan (librarian/consultant; writer of the first column devoted to graphic novels in library literature, "Graphically Speaking," which is published in the Voice of Youth Advocates journal; reviewer for the Diamond Bookshelf website; and chair of the Graphic Novel Task Force for Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association)
• Tom McLean (associate editor in special reports at Variety, and writer of "Bags and Boards," Variety's daily weblog on the business of comics)
• Tom Russo (freelance writer/reviewer, regularly covers comic book movies and related genres as a contributing writer for Entertainment Weekly and Premiere magazine)