The 22nd annual Eisner Awards, the
“Oscars” of the comics industry, will be given out at a gala
ceremony at the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront. This year’s special
theme is “Comics Fiesta.” The masters of ceremony are Bongo Comics’
Bill Morrison and voice actor Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain,
Futurama). Presenters include writer/actor Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911, Balls
of Fury), comedian/voice actor Phil LaMarr (Futurama, Family Guy, MadTV, and Free Enterprise),
actor/comics creator Thomas Jane, and lots of cast members from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World; nominees C. Tyler, Laurie Sandell, Peter
Bagge, and James Robinson; and Comic-Con special guests Berkeley Breathed,
Chris Claremont, Milo Manara, Jillian Tamaki, and James Sturm. Other
prestigious awards to be given out include the Russ Manning Promising
Newcomer Award, the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, the Bill Finger Award
for Achievement in Comic Book Writing, and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics
Retailer Award.
We’re going to try and keep this as close to real time as possible, with commentary where appropriate. We’ll include the list of nominees below and boldface the winners.
11:48 PM (all times Eastern Daylight, even though it is neither Eastern nor Daylight): Annnnnd here we go…
11:49 PM: Morbo has welcomed the puny humans to the ceremony!
11:55 PM: Denis Kitchen, the executor of Will Eisner’s literary estate, has just announced that Will’s master work A Contract With God is going to be adapted into a film.
12:03 PM: …but did they have to announce it on the Sabbath?
12:05 AM: And the first winner of the evening… Best Publication for Kids: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young (Marvel).
12:08 AM: Best Publication for Teens: Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
12:11: Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrm vs. the Universe, by Brian Lee O’Malley (Oni) takes Best Humor Publication, with the award presented to O’Malley by the cast of the film.
12:18: A flurry…
Best Cover Artist: J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)
Best Lettering: David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
Best Digital Comic: Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart, www.sintitulocomic.com/
12:38: And another fast flurry…
Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, Umbrella
Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Luna
Park (Vertigo)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist: Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
12:47: Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon (www.comicsreporter.com) Well done, sir.
12:52: Best Comics-Related Book: The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)
12:53: Best Publication Design: Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC)
12:57: If Harvey wins an Eisner this year, does that mean Eisner will win a Harvey?
12:59: Best Anthology: Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe Keatinge (Image). Presented by Thomas Jane and his popgun, so to speak.
1:04: A twofer for Scott Dunbier and IDW:
Best
Archival Collection Project – Comic Strips: Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Best Archival Collection/ Project – Comic Books: The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
1:12: More rapid fire, international division…
Best U.S. Edition of International Material: The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia: A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
1:20: The Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award goes to The Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
1:26: The one and only Sergio Aragonés is up to present the Hall of Fame inductions of Burne Hogarth and Bob Montana. Both are tremendous choices, just for teaching alone.
1:33: More wonderful choices– Steve Gerber, Dick Giordano, Mort Weisinger, and Mike Kaluta– wait, Mike Kaluta? I didn’t know he’d died…
1:57: Best Writer: Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel) Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)
2:00: Best Writer/Artist: David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
2:04: Best Writer/Artist, Non-Fiction: Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt)
2:08: Best Short Story: “Urgent Request,” by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The Eternal Smile (First Second)
2:11: To no one’s surprise… Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): Captain America #601: “Red, White, and Blue-Blood,” by Ed Brubaker and Gene Colan (Marvel)
2:13: Best Adaptation from Another Work: Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) because dammit, Asterios Polyp shouldn’t win everything.
2:17: The 2010 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award goes to Marian Churchland:
2:24: Playing catch-up because I went looking for Marion’s art…
Best Reality-Based Work: A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Graphic Album-Reprint: Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC)
Best Graphic Album-New: Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzucchelli (Pantheon)
2:29: And Dave Gibbons is the final presenter of the night, and the final awards are:
Best New Series: Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
2:32: Best Limited Series or Story Arc: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
2:34: Best Continuing Series: The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image)
(more…)
And I was so proud of us earlier at the convention.
Green Lantern— Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan/Green Lantern), Blake Lively (Carol
The 
AMC has been here in force pushing the adaptation of The Walking Dead, the Image
Collecting a bunch of quick hits between panels:
Continuing our world famous “stuff we heard in the halls” lists…
Good evening, that’s Penn Jillette on the left, and his partner Teller on the right. Together, they are Penn & Teller, stars of stage and screen and hosts of Showtime’s Penn &
Yep, Joss made it official today at Entertainment Weekly’s Visionaries Panel at San Diego with JJ Abrams. Quote: “That is not an official thing. But I’m making that an official thing: I’m directing The Avengers.”
There is a line from C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters: “The devil cannot abide to be mocked.” For some reason, I thought of it today as I contemplated the scene outside the San Diego Convention Center.
