The Actual Eisner Awards Shakedown Our Shakedown

Predicting outcomes is fun. Checking your predictions can be fun. Finding out that you predicted incorrectly? Maybe not so much fun. But then when it comes to the Eisner’s, there are so many talented nominees in each category, you have to go into your predictions knowing that you’re probably going to get it wrong. This year followed that model, with a few notable exceptions: Mike Mignola was the safest bet on the block, walking away with three Eisner’s and securing his place as the winningest individual of the night, and Dark Horse, the publishing outfit, that won eight Eisner awards. For those of you crunching the numbers, that means they walked away with nearly one-third (30%) of the Eisner awards. Wow.
So how did our predictions turn out? Take a look…
Best Short Story
I said: “Freaks,” by Laura Park, in Superior Showcase #3 (AdHouse)
Actual Winner: “Murder He Wrote,” by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto, and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #14 (Bongo)
I wasn’t confident in this pick from the get-go, acknowledging that the competition here was fierce. Still, I chose, and chose wrong. “Freaks” is still a great story, but so is “Murder He Wrote.” So I have no complaints.
Also, an in-house congratulations is due to Nina Matsumoto for this Eisner victory. Nina publishes Yokaiden through Del Rey Manga and the home team couldn’t be happier!
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Best Limited Series
I said: Hellboy: The Crooked Man, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
Actual Winner: Hellboy: The Crooked Man, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
Mike Mignola’s big night begins. He would go on to collect two more Eisner Awards, making him the night’s biggest individual winner.

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Best Publication for Teens/Tweens
I said: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Actual Winner: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
This is one of two categories that I think we all saw coming. Coraline has enjoyed a monstrous run this year. This award honors the graphic novel that kicked the whole shebang off. Another notch in Neil Gaiman’s belt, well deserved.
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Best Humor Publication
I said: Wondermark: Beards of Our Forefathers, by David Malki (Dark Horse)
Actual Winner: Herbie Archives, by “Shane O’Shea” (Richard E. Hughes) and Ogden Whitney (Dark Horse)
While predicting winners is never easy, humor might be harder still. What makes us laugh is highly subjective (and I’m curious to know what conditions the actual judges used in dolling out this particular award). For my money, Wondermark was one of the funniest entries on the docket. Perhaps it’s artistic sensibilities (which I enjoy) held it back a bit? I really don’t know, but it’s hard to get worked up when you know that it might just be your odd sense of humor clouding your (already limited) vision.
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Best Webcomic
Our Poll Said: Speak No Evil, by Elan Trinidad, http://www.theoryofeverythingcomics.com/SNE/
Actual Winner: Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil, www.shadowlinecomics.com/webcomics/#/finder/
I tried to warn you. I really did. In my summary, I wrote, “Carla Speed McNeil began serializing Finder in 1996–and has spent the past thirteen years creating one of the most complete, persuasive, and fascinating alternate worlds in science fiction and fantasy. With 9 Eisner nominations to her credit, an obsessively loyal fanbase, and her ongoing series Finder just getting better every year, McNeil is pretty much already a legend. It may be time to add a win to that record!” Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks so.
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Best Reality-Based Work
I said: Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story, by Frederik Peeters (Houghton Mifflin)
Actual Winner: What It Is, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
Okay. While I acknowledge that Lynda Barry deserves an Eisner for her work, I’m a little sad that it came here. Don’t get me wrong, she’s talented and deserves to win, but in this category, I really liked Blue Pills better. I’m curious to know what tripped it up (if anything).
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Best Graphic Album–Reprint
I said: Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
Actual Winner: Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
No surprises here for me, the Hellboy Library Editions are gorgeous and lovingly produced. Now if only I had remembered that later on, I would have come out of this with a better average.
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Best Archival Collection/Project–Comic Books
I said: Good-Bye, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
Actual Winner: Creepy Archives, by various (Dark Horse)
The fanboy in me rejoices. In my write-up I wrote, “I’m giving the edge to Good-Bye for it’s emotional weight and the power of Yoshihiro’s writing. But I could be wrong and in my heart of hearts, I’d love to watch Creepy slink away into the shadows with this one.” And so it did.
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Best U.S. Edition of International Material
I said: The Last Musketeer, by Jason (Fantagraphics)
Actual Winner: The Last Musketeer, by Jason (Fantagraphics)
It’s Jason. What more can we say?
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Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Japan
Our Poll Said: Monster by Naoki Urasawa
Actual Winner: Dororo, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
Here I can say that Tricia tried to warn you this might happen. In her write up, she wrote, “Goethe. Proust. Tolstoy. Twain. Dickens. As every other major literary power has its national bard, Japan has Osamu Tezuka.” That’s high praise and the Eisner win here gives it more backing. If you haven’t tried Tezuka, perhaps you should.
In fact, Tricia’s post lays out a case for trying each of the nominees in this category. If you’re new to manga, or looking for a new read, why don’t you pop on over to her post and have a look around?
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Best Writer/Artist
I said: Jason Lutes, Berlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
Actual Winner: Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library (Acme)
Well, my shot in the dark prediction seems to have clanged off a hanging iron skillet and ricocheted off the refrigerator before shooting me in the foot. Which is to say, I was wrong again.
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Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
I said: Lynda Barry, What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly)
Actual Winner: Jill Thompson, Magic Trixie, Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Okay, this one surprised me. I was thinking of a neck and neck race between Lynda Barry and Scott Morse, and predicted Barry due to my (incorrect) belief that she wouldn’t carry her other nominated categories. If not Barry, I would have staked my claim that Morse would have taken it. Jill Thompson is no slouch and deserves the award, I just didn’t see it coming. At all.
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Best Cover Artist
Our Poll Said: James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
Actual Winner: James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
With all due respect to all the other fantastically talented artists who were nominated (and they are all fantastically talented), we all saw this one coming. James Jean is, at the moment, a cover artist on another level.
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Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Our Poll Said: Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)
Actual Winner: Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)
The well-crafted, full-fledged e-zine walks away with a win in one of the Eisner’s most diverse fields. If you remember from my shakedown on the subject, we had the e-zine, a single writer blog, a multi-contributor blog, and a printed periodical. This year, the online magazine comes away with a win. And despite my love for multi-contributer blogs (wink-wink), I have no objections here.
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Best Publication Design
I said: Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! designed by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
Actual Winner: Hellboy Library Editions, designed by Cary Grazzini and Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
Here’s another example where I made a selection knowing full well that the actual winner was looming large. In fact, in my explanation I wrote, “Once again, Hellboy looms (…)” Well, shame on me for not picking it then. Hellboy’s Library Editions are a helluva great collection and, though I chose wrong here, I completely understand the decision.
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So that’s it. Out of the fifteen categories we looked at, we scored six correct answers, giving us a 40% success rate. I guess that means that I won’t be running off to Vegas with my retirement savings (such as it is) anytime soon. Perhaps that’s for the best.
For a complete list of Eisner Winners, visit the official Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards page.