Dark Horse Comics Announces 12 Eisner Award Nominations

Dark Horse Comics 2016 Eisner Nominees Announced

MILWAUKIE, OR— The nominations are in for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2016!

Dark Horse Comics has 12 nominations (6 shared) in 9 categories.

The nominees, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, reflect the wide range of material being published in comics and graphic novels.

Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are in their twenty-eigth year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels.

DARK HORSE EISNER AWARD NOMINEES 2016

Best Limited Series:

    Lady Killer, by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich

Best New Series:

    Harrow County, by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook

Best Graphic Album-New:

    Nanjing: The Burning City, by Ethan Young

Best Adaptation from Another Medium:

    Two Brothers, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books:

    P. Craig Russell’s Murder Mystery and Other Stories Gallery Edition, edited by Daniel Chabon

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team:

    Joëlle Jones, Lady Killer

Best Cover Artist:

    Rafael Albuquerque, Ei8ht
    Joëlle Jones, Lady Killer

Best Coloring:

    Laura Allred, Lady Killer
    Jordie Bellaire, The Massive
    Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD Hell on Earth, Fight Club 2, Frankenstein Underground, Hellboy in Hell, Hellboy and the BPRD

Best Lettering:

    Steve Dutro, Blood-C, Midnight Society, Plants vs Zombies
    

Congratulations to all the Eisner nominees for 2016.

Voting for the awards is held online. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The ballot will be available at EisnerVote.com. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 22, at Comic-Con International.


About Dark Horse
For 30 years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

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"Lost Art Books" Scores a 2016 Eisner Award Nomination for Niso Ramponi Art Books

"Kremos: The Lost Art of Niso Ramponi" chosen as one of the year's best books by Eisner judges

"We are excited to share our good news with everyone: We've received a Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards nomination in the category for “Best Archival Collection—Strips” for our two-volume set, Kremos: The Lost Art of Niso Ramponi," announced Lost Art Books

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comics world. Named for the pioneering comics creator and graphic novelist Will Eisner, the awards will be given out this year during a ceremony at Comic-Con International in San Diego on Friday, July 22, 2015.

"We couldn’t be more flattered to find ourselves honored in the same category as folks like Fantagraphics Books, IDW, and Sunday Press, all publishers we've admired for years. What a great way for Lost Art Books to continue celebrating our fifth anniversary."

A decade in the making, this two-volume set covers the Italian cartoonist and animator’s entire career. Ramponi was at his most prolific from the mid-1940s through the early 1960s, working with everyone from friend and colleague Federico Fellini to creating the official movie posters for Walt Disney’s post-war releases in Italy. But it was as a cartoonist and cover artist for some of Italy’s more irreverent satirical magazines that Ramponi left his most enduring mark. As contemporary cartoonist Jerry Carr describes in Volume 2’s foreword, “Kremos’s work reminds us of the layouts of Hank Ketcham, the polish of Bill Ward, the humor of Dan DeCarlo, and the grace of Jack Cole—while exemplifying something entirely original.”

Benefiting from careful restoration and translation, Volume 1 collects over 200 of Kremos’s bodacious black and white cartoons and illustrations and is fronted by a 6,000-word introduction by Ramponi’s friend and current-day animator, Mario Verger. Volume 2 adds 250 curvaceous color comics and covers to the set, with a foreword by contemporary comic artist Jerry Carr. Combined, these volumes offer nearly 500 examples of his work and a comprehensive overview of a maverick artist at the height of his creative powers.

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Dark Horse Comics Announces "Hatsune Miku: Mikubon"

New York Times Bestselling Miku returns to manga at Dark Horse with Hatsune Miku: Mikubon

Features the favorite Vocaloids of Unofficial Hatsune Mix

MILWAUKIE, OR—She’s a global cybercelebrity and a cosplay favorite at conventions. It’s Hatsune Miku, the Vocaloid—the synthesizer superstar who’s singing your song! Dark Horse and Ontama are debuting a brand new volume of Miku’s story in Hatsune Miku: Mikubon!

Hatsune Miku and her friends Rin, Len, and Luka are not only back in manga…they’re back to school, enrolling at the St. Diva Academy for Vocaloids! They’re going to give it their best at St. Diva, as a wonderland of friendship, determination, and even love unfolds! But can they stay out of trouble, especially when the mad professor of the Hachune Miku Research Lab is nearby…?

Hatsune Miku: Mikubon is by Ontama, a duo combining the pen names of music producer Otomania and artist Tamago. In 2007, they created the original hit music video to use Miku, the leek-spinning “Ievan Polkka” (“Eva’s Polka”), with over 14 million views on YouTube to date. Ontama’s version of “Ievan Polkka” is currently being used as the background music in Jason Statham’s new commercial for the LG G5 phone!

Dark Horse Comics’ first omnibus manga of the musical adventures (and misadventures!) of Miku and her fellow Vocaloids Rin, Len, Luka, Unofficial Hatsune Mix, landed at #1 on the New York Times Manga Top 10 list and sold out of bookstores across the nation within the first month of release! Unofficial Hatsune Mix featured manga by KEI, Miku’s visual designer—now Dark Horse follows up with Hatsune Miku: Mikubon, featuring manga by Ontama, the pair who first helped to make Miku a worldwide star!

Over 170,000 music videos have been uploaded to YouTube using Miku as the singer. Miku has appeared in ads from Toyota USA, Domino’s, and on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Hatsune Miku: Mikubon is in stores October 5, 2016.


About Dark Horse
For 30 years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

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Image Comics Celebrates 18 Nominations for 2016 Eisner Awards

THE EISNERS ANNOUNCE 18 NOMINATIONS FOR IMAGE COMICS

In celebration, digital editions of all nominated titles will be on sale for a limited time

Comic-Con International announced the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2016 this morning. Fourteen nominations were for books published by Image Comics, and an additional four nominations were shared with other publishers, bringing the total nominations for Image Comics to eighteen. In celebration, digital editions of all nominated titles are on sale at Comixology and ImageComics.com.

FULL LIST OF IMAGE COMICS EISNER 2016 NOMINATIONS

Best Continuing Series: 
INVINCIBLE by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Cliff Rathburn (Image/Skybound)
SOUTHERN BASTARDS by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour

Best Limited Series:
CHRONONAUTS by Mike Millar and Sean Murphy
THE FADE OUT by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
MINIMUM WAGE: SO MANY BAD DECISIONS by Bob Fingerman

Best New Series:
BITCH PLANET by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro
MONSTRESS by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
PAPER GIRLS by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Best Humor Publication:
SEXCASTLE by Kyle Starks

Best Writer:
Ed Brubaker, THE FADE OUT, VELVET, CRIMINAL MAGAZINE
Marjorie Liu, MONSTRESS
Jason Aaron, SOUTHERN BASTARDS (shared nomination)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team:
Cliff Chiang, PAPER GIRLS

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art):
Dustin Nguyen, DESCENDER

Best Cover Artist:
Rafael Albuquerque, HUCK (shared nomination)

Best Coloring:
Elizabeth Breitweiser, THE FADE OUT, CRIMINAL MAGAZINE, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA, VELVET
John Rauch, THE BEAUTY (shared nomination)
Jordie Bellaire, PRETTY DEADLY, THEY’RE NOT LIKE US, THE SURFACE, INJECTION, THE AUTUMNLANDS, PLUTONA, ZERO (shared nomination)

In celebration, Image Comics is offering a sale on digital comics for Eisner-nominated series, available on Comixology and ImageComics.com, now through April 25th.

Voting for the awards will be open soon at www.eisnervote.com. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The 2016 Eisner Awards will be presented at a gala awards ceremony to be held on Friday, July 22, 2016 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.


ABOUT THE EISNER AWARDS:
The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

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DreamWorks Begins Principal Photography on "Office Christmas Party"

DreamWorks Pictures Announces Start of Principal Photography on “Office Christmas Party”

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Pictures today announced that principal photography has commenced on the ensemble comedy “OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY,” directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck. The film is shooting in Atlanta, with additional filming having already taken place in Chicago.

The film stars Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Courtney B. Vance, Vanessa Bayer, Rob Corddry, Randall Park, Abbey Lee, Sam Richardson, and Jamie Chung.

Laura Solon (“Hot in Cleveland”) wrote the most recent draft of the script. Bluegrass Films’ Scott Stuber, and Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady, and Daniel Rappaport will produce, with Gordon, Speck, Richard Vane and Beau Bauman executive producing.

In “OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY,” when the CEO tries to close her hard-partying brother’s branch, he and his Chief Technical Officer must rally their co-workers and host an epic office Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs.

The DreamWorks Pictures production will open in U.S. theaters on December 9, 2016. Paramount Pictures is distributing the film in the U.S. and several international territories while Mister Smith Entertainment will oversee distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Reliance Entertainment will distribute the film in India.


About DreamWorks Pictures
DreamWorks Pictures is a production label of Amblin Partners, a content creation company formed by the former DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One (eOne). The company develops and produces films using the Amblin, DreamWorks Pictures and Participant banners and includes Amblin Television, a longtime leader in quality programming. The company’s first film, “Bridge of Spies,” was released to critical acclaim in October 2015. Other projects in various stages of production include: “The Light Between Oceans,” scheduled for release by Disney in 2016; “The Girl on the Train,” scheduled for release in October 2016; “A Dog’s Purpose,” scheduled for release in January 2017; “Ghost in the Shell,” scheduled for release in March 2017; “Thank You For Your Service,” scheduled for release in 2017; and “Ready Player One,” scheduled for release in March 2018. Upcoming shows from Amblin TV include “All the Way,” an HBO movie directed by Jay Roach and starring Bryan Cranston; and “American Gothic,” a summer series that will air on CBS.

DreamWorks Pictures can be found at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DreamWorksPictures
Twitter: DW_Pictures

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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2016 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominations Announced

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, also simply know as the “Eisner Awards,” are awards annually given for creative achievement in American comic books.  The awards are named for pioneering comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Will Eisner.  Some consider the Eisner Awards to be the preeminent awards that honor American comic books, even referring to the awards as “the Oscars of comic books” (which is so obviously ridiculous).  A "judging panel" picks the nominees.  Eligible voters that meet certain professional criteria vote on winners.

The Eisner Awards also include the Comic Industry's Hall of Fame.  The Eisner Awards are associated with the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, in July.  The Eisner Awards have been given annually since 1988, with the exception of 1990.

The 2016 Eisner Award nominations were announced Tuesday, April 19, 2016.  They winners will be announced Friday, July 22, 2016 at a gala ceremony held during Comic-Con International 2016.

Of note, 49 women received a record 61 nominations.

The 2016 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of journalist/reviewer Brian Doherty, comics writer/editor Danny Fingeroth, retailer Jason Grazulis (BSI Comics, Metairie, LA), librarian Jason M. Poole (Webster Public Library, Webster, NY), Comic-Con International board member Natalie Powell, and academic/scholar Carol Tilley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).

2016 Eisner Award Nominees:

Best Short Story

•     “Black Death in America,” by Tom King and John Paul Leon, in Vertigo Quarterly: Black (Vertigo/DC)
•     “Hand Me Down,” by Kristyna Baczynski, in 24 x 7 (Fanfare Presents)
•     “It’s Going to Be Okay,” by Matthew Inman, in The Oatmeal, theoatmeal.com/comics/plane
•     “Killing and Dying,” by Adrian Tomine, in Optic Nerve #14 (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     “Lion and Mouse,” by R. Sikoryak, in Fable Comics (First Second)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

•     A Blanket of Butterflies, by Richard Van Camp and Scott B. Henderson (HighWater Press)
•     I Love This Part, by Tillie Walden (Avery Hill)
•     Mowgli’s Mirror, by Olivier Schrauwen (Retrofit/Big Planet)
•     Pope Hats #4, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse)
•     Silver Surfer #11: “Never After,” by Dan Slott and Michael Allred (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series

•     Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
•     Giant Days, by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin (BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box)
•     Invincible, by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Cliff Rathburn (Image/Skybound)
•     Silver Surfer, by Dan Slott and Michael Allred (Marvel)
•     Southern Bastards, by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour (Image)

Best Limited Series

•     Chrononauts, by Mark Millar and Sean Murphy (Image)
•     The Fade Out, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
•     Lady Killer, by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich (Dark Horse)
•     Minimum Wage: So Many Bad Decisions, by Bob Fingerman (Image)
•     The Spire, by Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely (BOOM! Studios)

Best New Series

•     Bitch Planet, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro (Image)
•     Harrow County, by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook (Dark Horse)
•     Kaijumax, by Zander Cannon (Oni)
•     Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
•     Paper Girls, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Image)
•     The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (Marvel)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

•     Anna Banana and the Chocolate Explosion, by Dominque Roques and Alexis Dormal (First Second)
•     Little Robot, by Ben Hatke (First Second)
•     The Only Child, by Guojing (Schwartz & Wade)
•     SheHeWe, by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch (Lerner Graphic Universe)
•     Written and Drawn by Henrietta, by Liniers (TOON Books)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)

•     Baba Yaga’s Assistant, by Marika McCoola and Emily Carroll (Candlewick)
•     Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War, by Jessica Dee Humphreys, Michel Chikwanine, and Claudia Devila (Kids Can Press)
•     Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor, by Nathan Hale (Abrams Amulet)
•     Over the Garden Wall, by Pat McHale and Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM!)
•     Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson (Dial Books)
•     Sunny Side Up, by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

•     Awkward, by Svetlana Chmakova (Yen Press)
•     Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, by Don Brown (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
•     March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
•     Moose, by Max de Radiguès (Conundrum)
•     Oyster War, by Ben Towle (Oni)
•     SuperMutant Magic Academy, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Humor Publication

•     Cyanide & Happiness: Stab Factory, by Kris Wilson, Rob DenBleyker, and Dave McElfatrick (BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box)
•     Deep Dark Fears, by Fran Krause (Ten Speed Press)
•     Sexcastle, by Kyle Starks (Image)
•     Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection, by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     UR, by Eric Haven (AdHouse)

Best Digital/Webcomic

•     Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
•     Fresh Romance, edited by Janelle Asselin (Rosy Press/comiXology)
•     The Legend of Wonder Woman, by Renae De Liz (DC Digital)
•     Lighten Up, by Ronald Wimberly (The Nib), thenib.com/lighten-up-4f7f96ca8a7e#.u45ffr3l1
•     These Memories Won’t Last, by Stu Campbell, memories.sutueatsflies.com/

Best Anthology

•     Drawn & Quarterly, Twenty-Five Years of Contemporary, Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels, edited by Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     Eat More Comics: The Best of the Nib, edited by Matt Bors (The Nib)
•     24 x 7, edited by Dan Berry (Fanfare Presents)
•     Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, vol. 3, edited by David Petersen (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)
•     Peanuts: A Tribute to Charles M. Schulz, edited by Shannon Watters (BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM!)

Best Reality-Based Work

•     The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978–1984, by Riad Sattouf (Metropolitan Books)
•     Displacement: A Travelogue, by Lucy Knisley (Fantagraphics)
•     Hip Hop Family Tree, Book 3: 1983–1984, by Ed Piskor (Fantagraphics)
•     Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonist, by Bill Griffith (Fantagraphics)
•     March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
•     The Story of My Tits, by Jennifer Hayden (Top Shelf/IDW)

Best Graphic Album—New

•     Long Walk to Valhalla, by Adam Smith and Matthew Fox (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)
•     Nanjing: The Burning City, by Ethan Young (Dark Horse)
•     Ruins, by Peter Kuper (SelfMadeHero)
•     Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen, by Dylan Horrocks (Fantagraphics)
•     The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, by Sydney Padua (Pantheon)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

•     Angry Youth Comics, by Johnny Ryan (Fantagraphics)
•     Roses in December: A Story of Love and Alzheimer’s, by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers (Kent State University Press)
•     The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal Omnibus, by E. K. Weaver (Iron Circus Comics)
•     Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson (Harper Teen)
•     Soldier’s Heart: The Campaign to Understand My WWII Veteran Father, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

•     Captive of Friendly Cove: Based on the Secret Journals of John Jewitt, by Rebecca Goldfield, Mike Short, and Matt Dembicki (Fulcrum)
•     City of Clowns, by Daniel Alarcón and Sheila Alvarado (Riverhead Books)
•     Ghetto Clown, by John Leguizamo, Christa Cassano, and Shamus Beyale (Abrams ComicArts)
•     Lafcadio Hearn’s “The Faceless Ghost” and Other Macabre Tales from Japan, adapted by Sean Michael Wilson and Michiru Morikawa (Shambhala)
•     Two Brothers, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

•     Alpha . . . Directions, by Jens Harder (Knockabout/Fanfare)
•     The Eternaut, by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano Lòpez (Fantagraphics)
•     A Glance Backward by Pierre Paquet and Tony Sandoval (Magnetic Press)
•     The March of the Crabs, by Arthur de Pins (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)
•     The Realist, by Asaf Hanuka (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

•     Assassination Classroom, vols. 2–7, by Yusei Matsui (VIZ)
•     A Bride’s Story, vol. 7, by Kaoru Mori (Yen Press)
•     Master Keaton, vols. 2–4, by Naoki Urasawa, Hokusei Katsushika, and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ)
•     Showa, 1953–1989: A History of Japan, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
•     A Silent Voice, by Yoshitoki Oima (Kodansha)
•     Sunny, vol. 5, by Taiyo Matsumoto (VIZ)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

•     Beyond Mars, by Jack Williamson and Lee Elias, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/LOAC)
•     Cartoons for Victory, by Warren Bernard (Fantagraphics)
•     The Complete Funky Winkerbean, vol. 4, by Tom Batiuk, edited by Mary Young (Black Squirrel Books)
•     The Eternaut, by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano Lòpez, edited by Gary Groth and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
•     Kremos: The Lost Art of Niso Ramponi, vols. 1 and 2, edited by Joseph V. Procopio (Picture This Press/Lost Art Books)
•     White Boy in Skull Valley, by Garrett Price, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

•     Frank Miller’s Ronin Gallery Edition, edited by Bob Chapman (Graphitti Designs/DC)
•     P. Craig Russell’s Murder Mystery and Other Stories Gallery Edition, edited by Daniel Chabon (Dark Horse)
•     The Puma Blues: The Complete Saga, by Stephen Murphy, Alan Moore, Michael Zulli, Stephen R. Bissette, and Dave Sim, edited by Drew Ford (Dover)
•     Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library, vols. 3–4, edited by David Gerstein (Fantagraphics)
•     Walt Kelly’s Fairy Tales, edited by Craig Yoe (IDW)

Best Writer

•     Jason Aaron, Southern Bastards (Image), Men of Wrath (Marvel Icon), Doctor Strange, Star Wars, Thor (Marvel)
•     John Allison, Giant Days (BOOM Studios!/BOOM! Box)
•     Ed Brubaker, The Fade Out, Velvet, Criminal Special Edition (Image)
•     Marjorie Liu, Monstress (Image)
•     G. Willow Wilson, Ms. Marvel (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist

•     Bill Griffith, Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonist (Fantagraphics)
•     Nathan Hale, Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor (Abrams)
•     Sydney Padua, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage (Pantheon)
•     Ed Piskor, Hip-Hop Family Tree, vol. 3 (Fantagraphics)
•     Noah Van Sciver, Fante Bukowski, Saint Cole (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

•     Michael Allred, Silver Surfer (Marvel); Art Ops (Vertigo/DC)
•     Cliff Chiang, Paper Girls (Image)
•     Erica Henderson, Jughead (Archie), Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Marvel)
•     Joëlle Jones, Lady Killer (Dark Horse), Brides of Helheim (Oni)
•     Nate Powell, March, Book Two (Top Shelf/IDW)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

•     Federico Bertolucci, Love: The Tiger and Love: The Fox (Magnetic Press)
•     Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
•     Carita Lupattelli, Izuna (Humanoids)
•     Dustin Nguyen, Descender (Image)
•     Tony Sandoval, A Glance Backward (Magnetic Press)

Best Cover Artist

•     David Aja, Hawkeye, Karnak, Scarlet Witch (Marvel)
•     Rafael Albuquerque, Ei8ht (Dark Horse), Huck (Image)
•     Amanda Conner, Harley Quinn (DC)
•     Joëlle Jones, Lady Killer (Dark Horse), Brides of Helheim (Oni)
•     Ed Piskor, Hip-Hop Family Tree (Fantagraphics)

Best Coloring

•     Laura Allred, Lady Killer (Dark Horse); Silver Surfer (Marvel); Art OPS (Vertigo/DC)
•     Jordie Bellaire, The Autumnlands, Injection, Plutona, Pretty Deadly, The Surface, They’re Not Like Us, Zero (Image); The X-Files (IDW); The Massive (Dark Horse); Magneto, Vision (Marvel)
•     Elizabeth Breitwiser, The Fade Out, Criminal Magazine, Outcast, Velvet (Image)
•     John Rauch, The Beauty (Image); Batman: Arkham Knight, Earth 2: Society (DC); Runaways (Marvel)
•     Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD Hell on Earth, Fight Club 2, Frankenstein Underground, Hellboy in Hell, Hellboy and the BPRD, (Dark Horse); Sandman: Overture, Twilight Children (Vertigo/DC), Captain America: White (Marvel), Space Dumplins (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Lettering

•     Derf Backderf, Trashed (Abrams)
•     Steve Dutro, Blood-C, Midnight Society, Plants vs Zombies (Dark Horse)
•     Lucy Knisley, Displacement (Fantagraphics)
•     Troy Little, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Top Shelf/IDW)
•     Kevin McCloskey, We Dig Worms! (TOON Books)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

•     Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
•     Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows)
•     Comic Riffs blog by Michael Cavna, washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/
•     Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes (Hogan’s Alley)
•     Jack Kirby Collector, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)

Best Comics-Related Book

•     Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America, by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics)
•     King of the Comics: One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/LOAC)
•     Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear (Abrams ComicArts)
•     Out of Line: The Art of Jules Feiffer, by Martha Fay (Abrams ComicArts)
•     Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel, by Paul Levitz (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

•     The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art, edited by  Frances Gateward and John Jennings (Rutgers)
•     Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan, edited by Mark McLelland et al. (University Press of Mississippi)
•     Graphic Medicine Manifesto, by M. K. Czerwiec et al. (Penn State University Press)
•     Superheroes on World Screens, edited by Rayna Denison and Rachel Mizsei-Ward (University Press of Mississippi)
•     Unflattening, by Nick Sousanis (Harvard University Press)

Best Publication Design

•     Beyond the Surface, designed by Nicolas André, Sam Arthur, Alex Spiro, and Camille Pichon (Nobrow)
•     The Eternaut, designed by Tony Ong (Fantagraphics)
•     Eventually Everything Connects, designed by Loris Lora, Sam Arthur, Alex Spiro, and Camille Pichon (Nobrow)
•     King of the Comics: One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW/LOAC)
•     Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, designed by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
•     Sandman Gallery Edition, designed by Graphitti Designs and Josh Beatman/Brainchild Studios (Graphitti Designs/DC)

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Comic-Con International announced that the Eisner Awards judges selected two individuals to automatically be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2016.  These inductees are Carl Burgos (Golden Age creator of The Human Torch) and Tove Jansson (cartoonist of the internationally popular “Moomins”).

The judges also chose 14 nominees from which voters will select 4 to be inducted in the Hall of Fame this summer. These nominees are Lynda Barry, Kim Deitch, Rube Goldberg, Edward Gorey, Bill Griffith, Matt Groening, Jack Kamen, Francoise Mouly, George Pérez, Antonio Prohias, P. Craig Russell, Rumiko Takahashi, Jacques Tardi, and Herb Trimpe.

VIZ Media Announces "Blanc Et Noir: Takeshi Obata Illustrations"

VIZ MEDIA TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION ART BOOK BLANC ET NOIR: TAKESHI OBATA ILLUSTRATIONS

Special Slipcased Hardcover Features Work By The Artist Of DEATH NOTE, BAKUMAN。And ALL YOU NEED IS KILL As Well As Fold-Out Posters, Artist Commentary And Much More

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, offers something very special for pop culture, pop art and manga fans as it proudly announces the release of BLANC ET NOIR: TAKESHI OBATA ILLUSTRATIONS, a limited edition art book collecting the work of renowned manga artist Takeshi Obata.

BLANC ET NOIR: TAKESHI OBATA ILLUSTRATIONS will debut on May 3rd in an oversized slipcase hardcover edition under the Art of Shonen Jump imprint. This limited edition art book will be released in a print run of only 10,000 copies. BLANC ET NOIR: TAKESHI OBATA ILLUSTRATIONS will carry an MSRP of $99.99 U.S. / $119.99 CAN.

Experience a masterful presentation of legendary artist Takeshi Obata’s works from 2001–2006, including definitive illustrations from smash-hit series DEATH NOTE and HIKARU NO GO, as well as surprises (video game design!), original works created for this art book and rare novel illustrations. This gorgeous oversized art book is encased in a silver-stamped slipcase and is stuffed with 132 pages of full-color art, several massive foldout posters, deluxe paper stock and 12 pages of artist commentary, including a “how to draw” section. The edition also includes three large double-sided laminated posters.

“BLANC ET NOIR: TAKESHI OBATA ILLUSTRATIONS is an extraordinary art book with a beautiful, high-end treatment befitting its limited edition run. It will be a wonderful addition to any ardent DEATH NOTE fan’s personal collection,” says Hope Donovan, Managing Editor. “Takeshi Obata is one of Japan’s foremost manga artists and is internationally acclaimed for his elegantly designed characters and crisp style. We invite fans and collectors to savor this special release!”

Manga artist and illustrator Takeshi Obata first achieved international recognition as the artist of the wildly popular Weekly Shonen Jump title, HIKARU NO GO (also published by VIZ Media), which won the 2003 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize: Shinsei "New Hope" Award and the 2000 Shogakukan Manga Award. He went on to illustrate the smash hit supernatural crime thriller, DEATH NOTE, as well as the hugely successful manga series BAKUMAN。and ALL YOU NEED IS KILL. All three of these titles are published in print and digital editions by VIZ Media.

For additional information on Takeshi Obata and manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC:
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premiere company in the field of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at www.VIZ.com.

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