Robot 6
The good, the bad and the Eisner reactions
2009 Eisner Awards
The comics Internet has, of course, been humming since the nominees were announced yesterday for the 2009 Eisner Awards.
There’s the usual armchair-quarterbacking questioning how X was nominated but not Y, and suggestions of elitism or bias (the phrase “hoitie-toitie” has been spotted). But the consensus, I think, is that it’s a fairly well-rounded list — even if some favorites didn’t receive nods this year.
“holy crap, so many nice eisner nods,” Viking writer Ivan Brandon posted yesterday on Twitter.
Brian Michael Bendis jokingly responded: “to be fair there are some blindingly terrible ones as well.”
Don MacPherson has some thoughts on the nominations, most notably the inclusion of finite series All-Star Superman in the Best Limited Series category, and the relaunched Invincible Iron Man in Best New Series.
Brigid Alverson, meanwhile, notes that “Manga is pretty sparse among this year’s nominations, and weirdly, none of the titles in the Best Publications for Teens/Tweens is manga.”
Evan Dorkin has a nice mix of congratulations and critique, but reserves the best for the subsequent comments thread.
In response to a question about the comics industry naming awards for creators while those creators were still alive, Dorkin writes:
As I’m sure you realize, this is an entertainment/art industry unlike any other. Everything “nice” or “for comics” has been done on the cheap, on the fly, for nothing or for a pittance, usually just for the sake of doing it. Our awards programs are much like some of our comics, initially done — and perhaps still done — out of love, out of need, perhaps a desire to be part of something, to give back, to socialize and recognize. No one gets any calls from their agent after winning an Eisner of Harvey or whatever the heck telling them they have received a slew of offers for projects, that they’ve lined up thirty interviews with the media, that their page rate has gone up and their award-winning book has shot up in sales. This is the small-time, welcome to it. They did what they did to honor Eisner and Kirby and Kurtzman, who was dead, iirc, when that honor was bestowed. And after the Kirby Awards was dismantled by in-fighting and horseshit. Welcome to it. There used to be something called the Shazam awards, and some other ones that died on the vine. We didn’t have awards, for good or bad, for much of the medium’s existence. What can you do?
But the big question seems to be: Where’s the name of 13-time Best Lettering winner Todd Klein?
“I’ve already gotten a few emails expressing surprise,” Klein wrote on his blog, “but I’ve actually been expecting it for years. I’ve had a good run, lots of nominations, lots of wins. I’m fine with giving others a chance, and look forward to applauding the winner at this year’s ceremony. And cheering on my friends who are nominated, while calmly enjoying myself, and without the usual nervous stomach for a potential trip to the podium.”
- April 8, 2009 @ 06:57 AM by Kevin Melrose
5 Comments
Kirk Warren
April 8, 2009 at 7:10 am
There were some really odd choices for the Eisners this year. All Star Superman stood out like a sore thumb since it’s not an ongoing or “continuing” series and put out liek 3 issues in the past year. It’s an amazing comic, but I think it’s insulting to other creators that put out equally as good work at the standard monthly schedule. It’s also odd that it wasn’t included with The Twelve in the maxiseries category.
Actually, The Twelve probably shouldn’t be on there either sicne it’s on ‘hiatus’ and isn’t even publishing or finished.
Invincible Iron Man was the other oddity to me. It’s an okay book, but I don’t think it’s top of the class either. The traced looking artwork doesn’t help my feelings in regards to it, but there are far worse choices that could have been made than IIM.
Was happy to see Fables and Madame Xanadu get a lot of love.
Simon DelMonte
April 8, 2009 at 8:29 am
This was a surprisingly non-commercial slate. Which says volumes about the output of the more commercial comic book lines in 2008. DC (distinct from Vertigo), Marvel, Image, even Dark Horse are not pushing the envelope very much now.
Was disappointed, though, that Girl Genius was not nominated for webcomic.
Jason Baur
April 8, 2009 at 8:49 am
To be fair (any maybe a bit pedantic), Invincible Iron Man is not a relaunch per se, as it ran along side the pre-existing Iron Man series for several months. Which produces something of a gordian knot of numbering schemes if Marvel ever decides to reset Iron Man’s numbering. But Invincible IM is legitimately a new series. The All-Star Superman classification still doesn’t make any sense though.
J. Jonah
April 8, 2009 at 9:40 am
All-Star Superman was merely OK. It wasn’t as good as everyone seems to think it was.
I wasn’t impressed with many of the nominees. I may be in the extreme minority but the MOST OVERRATED Series EVER is Fables by Bill Willingham. I fail to see why this series is so damn “wonderful”. Some idiots have actually made the preposterous claim that it’s even better than Sandman.
Thor by Straczynski is again only OK.
Invincible Iron Man is BORING BORING BORING.
Madame Xanadu SHOULD NOT EVEN BE ON THE LIST. Talk about overrated. Another Cloying Boring Mess from Vertigo.
As to what should be nominated: What about Anna Mercury by Warren Ellis? What about Gravel by Warren Ellis? No Hero by Warren Ellis? Lobster Johnson by Mike Mignola? BPRD 1946 by Mike Mignola and Joshua Dysart? What about Buffy Season 8?
The EISNERS have really dropped the ball.
Kevin
April 9, 2009 at 9:20 am
Some excluded options…
Best Writer/Artist
Jeff Smith, RASL
Best New Series
Captain Britain and MI:13 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk (Marvel Comics)
RASL by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
Best Continuing Series
Doktor Sleepless by Warren Ellis and Ivan Rodriguez (Avatar)
Best Writer
Warren Ellis, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel), No Hero, Anna Mercury, Doktor Sleepless (Avatar)
Robert Kirkman, Invincible, The Astounding Wolf-Man, The Walking Dead (Image)
Mark Millar, Wolverine, Fantastic Four, 1985 (Marvel), Kick-Ass (Marvel/Icon), War Heroes (Image)