Windsor-Smith, Tynion IV Are Top Winners at 2022 Eisner Awards

The top winners at the 34th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, held July 22 at the Bayfront San Diego Hilton, during Comic-Con, were Barry Windsor-Smith and James Tynion IV, who each took home three trophies. Smith’s were for his magnum opus, Monsters (published by Fantagraphics), which won for Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer/Artist, and Best Lettering. Gary Groth of Fantagraphics accepted the awards on Smit’s behalf. Tynion was on hand to thank everyone for his Best Writer award and was joined by his co-creators to accept the Best Continuing Series award for Something Is Killing the Children (BOOM!) and Best New Series for The Nice House on the Lake (DC).

Other creators with multiple awards were artists Phil Jimenez (Best Single Issue and Best Penciller/Inker for Wonder Woman Historia) and P. Craig Russell (Hall of Fame inductee; Best Graphic Album–Reprint forThe Complete American Gods), and writer David F. Walker (Best Continuing Series for Bitter Root, Best Reality-Based Work for The Black Panther Party).

Because of the Windsor-Smith wins, Fantagraphics brought home four trophies. DC had three wins plus one shared win (for Tynion), while Image had three wins plus two shared. IDW garnered three awards, including Best Publication for Early Readers for Julie and Stan Sakai’sChibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis. Iron Circus’s You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife won both the anthology and short story categories.

The rest of the awards were spread among 17 other publishers. Most of the recipients were there in person to accept.

Presenters during the gala evening included comic book greats Franz Miller, Neil Gaiman, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Jim Lee; voice actor/comedian Phil LaMarr; actor/writer/director Tom Lennon; Comic-Con special guests Henry Barajas, Amy Chu, and Jock; Eisner nominees John Jennings and Skottie Young; journalist/author Angelique Roché; and Clampett Award winners Bill and Kayre Morrison.

Denis Kitchen presented the Hall of Fame Awards. The Judges’ choices were Marie Duval and Rose O’Neill (pioneers), Max Gaines (accepted by his great-grandson, Corey Mifsud), Mark Gruenwald (accepted by his widow, Catherine Schuller Gruenwald), and Alex Niño and P. Craig Russell (who both accepted in person). The six elected inductees were Howard Chaykin, Kevin Eastman, Moto Hagio, Larry Hama, David Mazzucchelli, and Grant Morrison. Eastman was on hand to accept his trophy—the rest sent their thanks.

The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, presented by Bob’s daughter Ruth, was presented to Annie Koyama (for). The Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award went to artist Luana Vecchio; it was presented by past Russ Manning Award winner Jeff Smith. Ruth was surprised with a special presentation of an Inkpot Award.

The 16th annual Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing was presented by Mark Evanier to two recipients: Bob Bolling and Don Rico. Members of Rico’s family accepted the award on his behalf. Maggie Thompson introduced the special In Memoriam video salute to those from the Comic-Con family who died in the past year.

The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, given to a store that has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large, was awarded by Joe Ferrara to Books with Pictures (Portland, OR). Accepting was the owner, Katie Pride.

The title sponsor for the Eisner Awards this year wasHarperAlley. The afterparty sponsor wasTapas Media. The principal sponsor was Gentle Giant Studios. Supporting sponsors were Alternate Reality Comics (Las Vegas), Atlantis Fantasyworld (Santa Cruz, CA), Diamond Comics Distributors, and Golden Apple Comic and Art Foundation.

Eisner Awards Administrator Jackie Estrada opened and closed the ceremony. 

Eisner Awards Winners 2022

Best Short Story
“Funeral in Foam,” by Casey Gilly and Raina Telgemeier, in You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife (Iron Circus)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Jimenez (DC)

Best Continuing Series (TIE)
Bitter Root, by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
Something Is Killing the Children, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)

Best Limited Series
The Good Asian, by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi (Image)

Best New Series
The Nice House on the Lake, by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (DC Black Label)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)
Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis, by Julie and Stan Sakai (IDW)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)
Salt Magic, by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
The Legend of Auntie Po, by Shing Yin Khor (Kokila/Penguin Random House)

Best Humor Publication
Not All Robots, by Mark Russell and Mike Deodato Jr. (AWA Upshot)

Best Anthology
You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife, edited by Kel McDonald and Andrea Purcell (Iron Circus)

Best Reality-Based Work
The Black Panther Party: A Graphic History, by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson (Ten Speed Press)

Best Graphic Memoir
Run: Book One, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Graphic Album—New
Monsters, by Barry Windsor-Smith (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint
The Complete American Gods, by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton (Dark Horse)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium
George Orwell’s 1984: The Graphic Novel, adapted by Fido Nesti (Mariner Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
The Shadow of a Man , by Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten, translation by Stephen D. Smith (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection , by Junji Ito, translation by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
Popeye: The E.C. Segar Sundays, vol. 1 by E.C. Segar, edited by Gary Groth and Conrad Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
EC Covers Artist’s Edition , edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best Writer
James Tynion IV, House of Slaughter, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); The Nice House on the Lake, The Joker, Batman, DC Pride 2021 (DC); The Department of Truth (Image); Blue Book, Razorblades (Tiny Onion Studios)

Best Writer/Artist
Barry Windsor-Smith, Monsters (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Phil Jimenez, Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons (DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)

Best Cover Artist
Jen Bartel, Future State Immortal Wonder Woman #1 & 2, Wonder Woman Black & Gold #1 , Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary (DC); Women’s History Month variant covers (Marvel)

Best Coloring
Matt Wilson, Undiscovered Country (Image); Fire Power (Image Skybound); Eternals, Thor, Wolverine (Marvel); Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters (Oni)

Best Lettering
Barry Windsor-Smith, Monsters (Fantagraphics)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
WomenWriteAboutComics.com, edited by Wendy Browne and Nola Pfau (WWAC)

Best Comics-Related Book
All of the Marvels, by Douglas Wolk (Penguin Press)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work
Comics and the Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History, by Eike Exner (Rutgers University Press)

Best Publication Design
Marvel Comics Library: Spider-Man vol. 1: 1962–1964 (TASCHEN)

Best Webcomic
Lore Olympus, by Rachel Smythe (WEBTOON)

Best Digital Comic
Snow Angels, by Jeff Lemire and Jock (Comixology Originals)

Hall of Fame

Judges’ Choices:

Marie Duval
Rose O’Neill
Max Gaines
Mark Gruenwald
Alex Niño
P. Craig Russell
Voters’ Choices:
Howard Chaykin
Kevin Eastman
Moto Hagio
Larry Hama
David Mazzucchelli
Grant Morrison

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award
Annie Koyama

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award
Luanna Vecchio

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award
Bob Bolling
Don Rico

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award
Books with Pictures, Portland, OR
Katie Pryde