Eisner Awards 2017

Comic Con is in full swing and that means the Eisner Awards are coming. These are the awards given out for creative achievement in American comic books, named for the pioneering writer and artist, Will Eisner. Here are my picks from this year’s nominees. (I've listed all the categories they are nominated for, and I hope they all win something!)

Mockingbird (Best New Series, Best Writer) – Written by novelist Chelsea Cain with art by Kate Niemczyk, this eight issue series about scientist/special agent, Bobbi Morse was on the top of my best-of list last year. It was a funny, feminist, and sharply written series. I cannot recommend this comic highly enough. John and I discuss Mockingbird on our most recent podcast – check it out! 

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Best Publication for Teens) - Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl is about to make a big splash. The character is slated to appear in Marvel’s New Warriors a show premiering next year on Freeform, but for the past two years, Squirrel Girl has starred in her own solo series written by Ryan North and drawn by Erica Henderson. It’s a colorful, clever series that is easily enjoyed by any reader.

Wonder Woman: The True Amazon (Best Graphic Album, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist) – With the release of the blockbuster adaptation of Wonder Woman, DC has published a few new standalone graphic novels to try and introduce Wonder Woman to a new group of readers. Wonder Woman: The True Amazon is a retelling of her origin with both art and story by Jill Thompson. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking to get into Wonder Woman comics and it also boasts some of the most beautiful interiors of any graphic novel I’ve read.

Paper Girls (Best Continuing Series, Best Writer, Best Coloring) – Written by one of our favorite comic authors, Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang, this series takes place in a 1980s Cleveland suburb. It’s a mystery/science fiction story starring four paper girls who face some sort of alien invasion from the future. If you liked Netflix’s series, Stranger Things you will definitely want to check this comic out.

Mooncop (Best Graphic Album, Best Writer/Artist, Best Lettering) – A lonely police officer on the moon is stuck patrolling a near abandoned colony. Mooncop captures the exhaustion and melancholy of our culture. Though Author and artist Tom Gauld takes a minimalist approach to his story, he manages to pack quite an emotional punch.

These are my picks; we'll see tomorrow if they win!

~Meredith