{"id":1935669,"date":"2026-05-14T20:15:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1935669"},"modified":"2026-05-14T20:15:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:15:38","slug":"dcs-absolute-universe-dominates-the-2026-eisner-award-nominations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1935669","title":{"rendered":"DC\u2019s Absolute Universe Dominates the 2026 Eisner Award Nominations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-cy=\"article-content\" class=\"jsx-2870106660 article-content page-0\">\n<section data-cy=\"article-subtitle\" class=\"article jsx-3932497636 article-section jsx-28683165 news\" data-autopogo=\"true\">\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The list of nominees for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/awards\/eisner-awards\/\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards<\/a> has been revealed. Essentially the equivalent of the Oscars for the comic book industry, the Eisners highlight the best and most noteworthy releases of the 2025 calendar year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">DC is the most widely represented publisher in this year&#8217;s lineup of nominees, with 16 nominations (plus 10 shared). That&#8217;s heavily fueled by the Absolute Universe line, with 6 total nominations for Absolute Martian Manhunter and 5 for Absolute Batman. Meanwhile, Fantagraphics has 14 nominations, Image Comics has 12 nominations (plus 9 shared), and Abrams has 9 nominations.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Best Comic Book or Original Graphic Novel of 2025<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"There\u2019s never really a bad time to be reading comics, but 2025 proved to be an especially strong year for the industry. From DC\u2019s Absolute Universe and Marvel\u2019s Ultimate Universe to Skybound\u2019s Energon Universe and IDW\u2019s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles relaunch, it\u2019s never been easier or more rewarding to dive into the big franchises. And this was an equally great year for indie titles at publishers like Image Comics and Dark Horse.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nEach December, the IGN team looks back at all the comics they\u2019ve read over the past year and votes on which one they think is the greatest of them all. Now, the time has come to narrow down 2025\u2019s lineup to the absolute best of the best and pick a winner. Keep reading to find out which book came out on top.\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Honorable Mentions&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nAs mentioned above, there\u2019s rarely been a better time to dive into the big superhero properties, as publishers are making things more accessible than ever with reboots and relaunches like the Absolute Universe and Ultimate Universe. In fact, last year\u2019s winner was Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri\u2019s The Ultimates, and that remains one of the best books on the stands. The same goes for Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto\u2019s Ultimate Spider-Man, Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra\u2019s TMNT, and Daniel Warren Johnson\u2019s Transformers.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nElsewhere in the industry, we were enamored by several Image Comics projects in 2025, including Johnson and Riley Rossmo\u2019s fantasy adventure The Moon Is Following Us and Matt Rosenberg and Stefano Landini\u2019s spy\/revenge thriller We\u2019re Taking Everyone Down With Us. It was also a great year for original graphic novels, including Mike Mignola\u2019s Bowling With Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown, Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux\u2019s This Place Kills Me, and Craig Thompson\u2019s Ginseng Roots.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 7 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Assorted Crisis Events&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nOne of the challenges this year was figuring out which of Deniz Camp\u2019s various projects to single out. The Ultimates is still great, and his collaboration with Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, is equally strong. But in the end, we had to give the nod to Camp and Eric Zawadzki\u2019s Image Comics series Assorted Crisis Events.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nAssorted Crisis Events is a sci-fi anthology series set in a world where a cosmic calamity is causing the very laws of time and space to break down. It\u2019s like Crisis on Infinite Earths, only it focuses on the ordinary men and women who have to soldier on as the world collapses around them. It\u2019s a high-concept, deeply character-focused series that never fails to tug at the heartstrings.   \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Batman - Dark Patterns&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nDC publishes so many Batman comics that, statistically, one of them was bound to end up on this list. But as much as we\u2019re enjoying the flagship Batman title from Matt Fraction and Jorge Jim\u00e9nez and the bombastic thrill-ride that is Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta\u2019s Absolute Batman, there\u2019s a slightly more under-the-radar Bat-book that has truly consumed our attention this year. That would be Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman\u2019s Batman: Dark Patterns. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nIn many ways, Dark Patterns is the spiritual successor to the classic Legends of the Dark Knight series. It\u2019s set earlier in Batman\u2019s career and takes more of a detective, noir-laden approach to his nightly adventures. It\u2019s also an expertly plotted, gorgeously rendered series that trades blows with any superhero book on the stands. It\u2019s just a shame we only got 12 issues. \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Drome&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nOf the many great graphic novels released in 2025, none left quite as strong an impression as Jesse Lonergan\u2019s Drome. Lonergan has been one of the most exciting new cartoonists to hit the scene in recent years, and he truly levels up with this massive fantasy epic. Drome is essentially a sci-fi creation myth following a demigoddess sent to lead mankind away from its darker impulses. It\u2019s a stark, beautifully rendered story, with all the inventive panel work and use of color we\u2019ve come to expect from Lonergan. \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Ice Cream Man&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nIce Cream Man has easily ranked among Image Comics\u2019 best ongoing series for the past several years. Writer W. Maxwell Prince and artist Mart\u00edn Morazzo have crafted one of the most unique horror comics on the stands. It\u2019s an anthology series loosely tied together by the sinister title character, and one crammed full of disturbing, unsettling sights. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nPart of the fun with Ice Cream Man is that the creators are never content to rest on their laurels and follow the same formula month-to-month. They\u2019re always finding ways to experiment. Case in point - issue #43 features a number of guest creators (including Grant Morrison and Patton Oswalt) crafting one-page tales of terror. It\u2019s risks like that that make Ice Cream Man one of the most rewarding comics you\u2019ll find today.  \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Scroll down to see the full list of Eisner nominees. The winners will be revealed during San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, at a ceremony at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel.  <\/p>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Short Story<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>\u201cBlood Harvest,\u201d in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe Curse Room,\u201d in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFootball Is Not War,\u201d by R. K. Russell and Wilfred Santiago, in Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project (Stacked Deck Press)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cRed Snapper in the Rea,\u201d by Michael D. Kennedy, in Milk White Steed (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>\u201ctrAPPed\u201d by Anand RK, Suparna Sharma, and Natalie Obiko Pearson (Bloomberg News)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best One-Shot\/Single Issue<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1, by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Assorted Crisis Events #4, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Coin-Op no. 10: Wet Cement, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)<\/li>\n<li>Ice Cream Man #43: \u201cOne Page Horror Stories,\u201d by W. Maxwell Prince and others (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell\u2019Edera (BOOM! Studios)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Continuing Series<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and others (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)<\/li>\n<li>The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)<\/li>\n<li>FML, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Storm, by Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, and others (Marvel)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Limited Series<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)<\/li>\n<li>Bronze Faces, by Shobo, Shof, and Alexandre Tefenkgi (BOOM! Studios)<\/li>\n<li>Crownsville, by Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press)<\/li>\n<li>Everything Dead and Dying, by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Out of Alcatraz, by Christopher Cantwell &amp; Tyler Crook (Oni Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best New Series<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Batman Vol. 4, by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jim\u00e9nez (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Black Cat, by G. Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Exquisite Corpses, by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Pornsak Pichetshote, and others (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Ghost Pepper, by Ludo Lullabi (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Temporal, by Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication for Early Readers<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>All the Hulk Feels, by Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare\/Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>The Faraway Forest: Wally\u2019s Route, by Debbie Fong (Chronicle Books)<\/li>\n<li>The Fire-Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (TOON Books)<\/li>\n<li>Night Light, by Michael Emberley (Holiday House)<\/li>\n<li>Steve, A Rare Egg, by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication for Kids<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix)<\/li>\n<li>Chickenpox, by Remy Lai (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>Creature Clinic, by Gavin Aung Than (First Second)<\/li>\n<li>Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! By Mika Song (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<li>Oasis, by Guojing (Godwin Books\/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>A Song for You and I, by K. O\u2019Neill (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication for Teens<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<li>Clementine: Book Three, by Tillie Walden (Image Skybound)<\/li>\n<li>Everyone Sux But You, by K. Wroten (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young (Little, Brown Ink)<\/li>\n<li>This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)<\/li>\n<li>Trumpets of Death, by Simon Bournel-Bosson, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe\/Lerner)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Humor Publication<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>And to Think We Started as a Book Club, by Tom Toro (Andrews McMeel Universal)<\/li>\n<li>Ew, It\u2019s Beautiful: A False Knees Comics Collection, by Joshua Barkman (Andrews McMeel Universal)<\/li>\n<li>The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt, by John Allison and Max Sarin (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>Jeff the Land Shark, by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Physics for Cats, by Tom Gauld (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Spent: A Comic Novel, by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Anthology<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, edited by Meghan Kemp-Gee and Megan Praz (Stacked Deck Press)<\/li>\n<li>DC Pride 2025, edited by Andrea Shea and Jillian Grant (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics)<\/li>\n<li>Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen (Blue Creek Creative)<\/li>\n<li>2000AD 2026 Annual Featuring Judge Dredd, edited by Oliver Pickles (Rebellion)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Reality-Based Work<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon)<\/li>\n<li>Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, by Mimi Pond (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Fela: Music Is the Weapon, by Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery (Amistad)<\/li>\n<li>Globetrotters: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland\u2019s World Tour, by Julian Voloj and Julie Rocheleau (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Muybridge, by Guy Delisle, translated by Helge Daschert and Rob Aspinal (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Surrounded: America\u2019s First School for Black Girls, 1832, by Wilfrid Lupano and St\u00e9phane Fert (ABLAZE)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Graphic Memoir<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>My Life in 24 Frames Per Second, by Rintaro (Kana Manga US)<\/li>\n<li>It Rhymes with Takei, by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<li>Precious Rubbish, by Kayla E. (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Talking to My Father\u2019s Ghost: An Almost True Story, by Alex Krokus (Chronicle)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Graphic Album\u2013New<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Cannon, by Lee Lai (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. Books)<\/li>\n<li>The Fable of Erkling Woods, by Juni Ba (Goats Flying Press)<\/li>\n<li>A Garden of Spheres, by Linnea Sterte (Peow2)<\/li>\n<li>More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<li>Shadows of the Sea, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Graphic Album\u2013Reprint<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Storybook Edition, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)<\/li>\n<li>Ginseng Roots: A Memoir, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)<\/li>\n<li>Goes Like This, by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Superman\u2019s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Tongues, by Anders Nilsen (Pantheon)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Adaptation from Another Medium<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Vita Ayala and Sama Beck (Abrams Fanfare)<\/li>\n<li>The Compleat Angler: A Graphic Adaptation, by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero)<\/li>\n<li>Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition, by Sister Helen Prejean, adapted by Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Gr\u00fcnewald (Random House)<\/li>\n<li>Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel, by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Setor Fiadzigbey (Little, Brown Ink)<\/li>\n<li>Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, by William Golding, adapted by Aim\u00e9e De Jongh (Penguin Classics)<\/li>\n<li>A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best U.S. Edition of International Material<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Buff Soul, by Moa Romanova, translated by Melissa Bowers (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog, by Marc Torices, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>In the End We All Die, by Tobias Aeschbacher, translated by Andrew Shields (Helvetiq)<\/li>\n<li>Nocturnos, by Laura Perez, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Raging Clouds, by Yudori (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, by Ana\u00efs Flogny, translated by Dan Christensen (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best U.S. Edition of International Material\u2013Asia<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Hirayasumi, vols. 4\u20137, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash (VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>Land, vol. 1, by Kazumi Yamashita, translated by Kevin Gifford (Yen Press)<\/li>\n<li>Purgatory Funeral Cakes, by Sanho, translated by Danny Lim (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>Tokyo Alien Bros., vols. 1\u20133, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>Yan, vols. 1\u20132, by Chang Sheng, translated by Vanessa Liu (Titan Manga)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Archival Collection\/Project\u2014Strips<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Arthur Ferrier\u2019s Pin-Up Parade Box Set, edited by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)<\/li>\n<li>Barnaby, vol. 5: 1950\u20131952, by Crockett Johnson, edited by Eric Reynolds and Philip Nel (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>The George Herriman Library: Krazy &amp; Ignatz 1928\u20131930, edited by J. Michael Catron and Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Rea Irvin\u2019s The Smythes, edited by R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw (NYRC)<\/li>\n<li>Terminal Exposure: Comics, Sculpture, and Risky Behavior, by Michael McMillan, edited by Lucas Adams (NYRC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Archival Collection\/Project\u2014Comic Books<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>AKIRA Volumes 1\u20135 Hardcover Collection, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA Publishing)<\/li>\n<li>The Atlas Comics Library No. 7: Girl Comics, edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Comics of the Movement #1, by Courtland Cox, Jennifer Lawson, Alfred Hassler, and Benton Resnik (Good Trouble Comics)<\/li>\n<li>Hothead Paisan, by Diane DiMassa, organized by Anika Banister (NYRC)<\/li>\n<li>Scream! The Specials 1985\u20132024, edited by Chiara Mestieri (Rebellion)<\/li>\n<li>Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, edited by Grant Geissman (TASCHEN)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Academic\/Scholarly Work<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Comic Art in Korea, by John A. Lent (University Press of Mississippi)<\/li>\n<li>Comics of the Anthropocene: Graphic Narrative at the End of Nature, by Jos\u00e9 Alaniz (University Press of Mississippi)<\/li>\n<li>Graphic Narratives of Resistance, by Jennifer Boum Make and Charly Verstraet (Edinburgh University Press)<\/li>\n<li>Latinx Comics Studies: Critical and Creative Crossings, edited by Fernanda D\u00edaz-Basteris and Maite Urcaregui (Rutgers University Press)<\/li>\n<li>Manga\u2019s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905\u20131989, by Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Comics-Related Periodical\/Journalism<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>CANON, by Colin Blanchette and Alex Eklund<\/li>\n<li>Comic Book Creator, edited by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows)<\/li>\n<li>Dummy, edited by John Kelly (The Dummy Corporation)<\/li>\n<li>Shelfdust, edited by Steve Morris, www.shelfdust.com<\/li>\n<li>SKTCHD, by David Harper, www.sktchd.com<\/li>\n<li>SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Comics-Related Book<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Crumb: A Cartoonist\u2019s Life, by Dan Nadel (Scribner)<\/li>\n<li>Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)<\/li>\n<li>How Comics Are Made, by Glenn Fleishman (Andrews McMeel)<\/li>\n<li>Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narrative, by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Only What\u2019s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Ooops\u2026I Just Catharted!: Fifty Years of Cathartic Comics, by Rupert Kinnard, edited by William O. Tyler (Stacked Deck Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication Design<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Art of Manga, designed by Tessa Lee (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco\/VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>The Essential Peanuts, designed by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Collector\u2019s Edition #13), designed by Wendy Chan (Yen Press)<\/li>\n<li>Red Light Properties: Unfinished Business, designed by Dan Goldman (Kinjin Storylab)<\/li>\n<li>The Marvel Art of Michael Allred Slipcase Edition, designed by Kurtis Findlay (Clover Press)<\/li>\n<li>Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Webcomic<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux (Fieldmouse Press)  <\/li>\n<li>Keeping Time by Kody Okamoto (keepingtimecomic.com) <\/li>\n<li>The Legend of Parvaterra by Ra\u00fal Arn\u00e1iz (WEBTOON)<\/li>\n<li>Sable: A Ghost Story, by Ethan M. Aldridge (sablecomic.com) <\/li>\n<li>Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON) <\/li>\n<li>Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden (pauljholden.com) <\/li>\n<li>Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com) <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Digital Comic<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>DeadAss, by hakei (VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>In the Real Dark Night, by Jimmy Gownley (G-Ville Comics)<\/li>\n<li>The Lycan, by Mike Carey, Thomas Jane, David James Kelly, and Diego Yapur (Comixology Originals)<\/li>\n<li>Overwatch 2: Against the Tide, by Brandon Chen and Velinxi (Blizzard Entertainment)<\/li>\n<li>Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)<\/li>\n<li>The World of Lublu, by Charbak Dipta (The Charbax Store)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Writer<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Deniz Camp, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC); Assorted Crisis Events (Image); The Ultimates (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Scott Snyder, Absolute Batman, Batman\/Deadpool (DC); By a Thread: Book 2 (Comixology Originals), You Won\u2019t Feel a Thing (DSTLRY)<\/li>\n<li>Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)<\/li>\n<li>Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd: The Power of the Blood (BOOM! Studios); Let This One Be a Devil, Red Book (Dark Horse); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Skybound)<\/li>\n<li>Stephanie Williams, Street Sharks (IDW); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Writer\/Artist<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)<\/li>\n<li>Chang Sheng, Yan, vols. 1\u20132 (Titan Manga)<\/li>\n<li>Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow2)<\/li>\n<li>Kazumi Yamashita, Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Penciller\/Inker<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Elsa Charretier, The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY)<\/li>\n<li>Sean Phillips, Giant Size Criminal #1, The Knives: A Criminal Book (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Chris Samnee, Batman and Robin: Year One (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Eric Zawadzki, Assorted Crisis Events (Image)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Painter\/Multimedia Artist<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Teddy Kristiansen, Black Hammer: Spiral City (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>Cathy Malkasian, Shadows of the Sea (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Qu, Slices of Life: A Comic Montage (Bulgilhan Press)<\/li>\n<li>Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Mika Song, Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<li>Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Cover Artist<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman #1, Batman\/Deadpool (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Francesco Francavilla, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman: Full Moon, Nightwing variants (DC); Green Hornet\/Miss Fury (Dynamite); Star Trek: The Last Starship, Twilight Zone (IDW); Dick Tracy (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<li>Mateus Manhanini, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific: Year One variants (DC); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman &amp; Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns #3-12 (DC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Coloring<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image\/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)<\/li>\n<li>Ninakupenda Gaillard, Chickenpox (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)<\/li>\n<li>Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC); The Seasons (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Jos\u00e9 Villarrubia, This Ink Runs Cold (Alan Spiegel Fine Arts); Ghostbox (Comixology Originals); Dracula Book 2: The Brides, The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly (Dark Horse); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Lettering<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Janice Chiang, Acro and the Cat, All Upon a Time, Beyond the Aural Vault, Republica, Solarblader (Sandstorm); John Carpenter\u2019s Blood of the Taken: Next of Kin, Pause, Tales of Science Fiction (Storm King)<\/li>\n<li>Clayton Cowles, Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman &amp; Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Black Canary: Best of the Best, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, (DC); Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3 (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<li>Nate Piekos, American Caper #1, Archie Vs. Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons &amp; Dragons, The Umbrella Academy Plan B, Welcome to Twilight (Dark Horse); I Hate Fairyland (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Check out <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-best-comic-book-or-original-graphic-novel-of-2025\">IGN&#8217;s Best Comic Book Series or Original Graphic Novel of 2025 award<\/a> to see what we thought the best books of last year were.<\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/jschedeen.bsky.social\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em> <\/em><u><em>following @jschedeen on BlueSky<\/em><\/u><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-1475529924\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 bobble bobble-1 pogocnt pg-article\">\n<div data-mix-name=\"secondaryMedrec\" data-pos=\"1\" data-pogo-hide=\"1\" class=\"jsx-343126785 pogo-slot\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The list of nominees for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/awards\/eisner-awards\/\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards<\/a> has been revealed. Essentially the equivalent of the Oscars for the comic book industry, the Eisners highlight the best and most noteworthy releases of the 2025 calendar year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">DC is the most widely represented publisher in this year&#8217;s lineup of nominees, with 16 nominations (plus 10 shared). That&#8217;s heavily fueled by the Absolute Universe line, with 6 total nominations for Absolute Martian Manhunter and 5 for Absolute Batman. Meanwhile, Fantagraphics has 14 nominations, Image Comics has 12 nominations (plus 9 shared), and Abrams has 9 nominations.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Best Comic Book or Original Graphic Novel of 2025<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"There\u2019s never really a bad time to be reading comics, but 2025 proved to be an especially strong year for the industry. From DC\u2019s Absolute Universe and Marvel\u2019s Ultimate Universe to Skybound\u2019s Energon Universe and IDW\u2019s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles relaunch, it\u2019s never been easier or more rewarding to dive into the big franchises. And this was an equally great year for indie titles at publishers like Image Comics and Dark Horse.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nEach December, the IGN team looks back at all the comics they\u2019ve read over the past year and votes on which one they think is the greatest of them all. Now, the time has come to narrow down 2025\u2019s lineup to the absolute best of the best and pick a winner. Keep reading to find out which book came out on top.\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Honorable Mentions&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nAs mentioned above, there\u2019s rarely been a better time to dive into the big superhero properties, as publishers are making things more accessible than ever with reboots and relaunches like the Absolute Universe and Ultimate Universe. In fact, last year\u2019s winner was Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri\u2019s The Ultimates, and that remains one of the best books on the stands. The same goes for Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto\u2019s Ultimate Spider-Man, Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra\u2019s TMNT, and Daniel Warren Johnson\u2019s Transformers.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nElsewhere in the industry, we were enamored by several Image Comics projects in 2025, including Johnson and Riley Rossmo\u2019s fantasy adventure The Moon Is Following Us and Matt Rosenberg and Stefano Landini\u2019s spy\/revenge thriller We\u2019re Taking Everyone Down With Us. It was also a great year for original graphic novels, including Mike Mignola\u2019s Bowling With Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown, Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux\u2019s This Place Kills Me, and Craig Thompson\u2019s Ginseng Roots.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 7 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Assorted Crisis Events&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nOne of the challenges this year was figuring out which of Deniz Camp\u2019s various projects to single out. The Ultimates is still great, and his collaboration with Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, is equally strong. But in the end, we had to give the nod to Camp and Eric Zawadzki\u2019s Image Comics series Assorted Crisis Events.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nAssorted Crisis Events is a sci-fi anthology series set in a world where a cosmic calamity is causing the very laws of time and space to break down. It\u2019s like Crisis on Infinite Earths, only it focuses on the ordinary men and women who have to soldier on as the world collapses around them. It\u2019s a high-concept, deeply character-focused series that never fails to tug at the heartstrings.   \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Batman - Dark Patterns&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nDC publishes so many Batman comics that, statistically, one of them was bound to end up on this list. But as much as we\u2019re enjoying the flagship Batman title from Matt Fraction and Jorge Jim\u00e9nez and the bombastic thrill-ride that is Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta\u2019s Absolute Batman, there\u2019s a slightly more under-the-radar Bat-book that has truly consumed our attention this year. That would be Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman\u2019s Batman: Dark Patterns. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nIn many ways, Dark Patterns is the spiritual successor to the classic Legends of the Dark Knight series. It\u2019s set earlier in Batman\u2019s career and takes more of a detective, noir-laden approach to his nightly adventures. It\u2019s also an expertly plotted, gorgeously rendered series that trades blows with any superhero book on the stands. It\u2019s just a shame we only got 12 issues. \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Drome&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nOf the many great graphic novels released in 2025, none left quite as strong an impression as Jesse Lonergan\u2019s Drome. Lonergan has been one of the most exciting new cartoonists to hit the scene in recent years, and he truly levels up with this massive fantasy epic. Drome is essentially a sci-fi creation myth following a demigoddess sent to lead mankind away from its darker impulses. It\u2019s a stark, beautifully rendered story, with all the inventive panel work and use of color we\u2019ve come to expect from Lonergan. \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Runner-Up: Ice Cream Man&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nIce Cream Man has easily ranked among Image Comics\u2019 best ongoing series for the past several years. Writer W. Maxwell Prince and artist Mart\u00edn Morazzo have crafted one of the most unique horror comics on the stands. It\u2019s an anthology series loosely tied together by the sinister title character, and one crammed full of disturbing, unsettling sights. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nPart of the fun with Ice Cream Man is that the creators are never content to rest on their laurels and follow the same formula month-to-month. They\u2019re always finding ways to experiment. Case in point - issue #43 features a number of guest creators (including Grant Morrison and Patton Oswalt) crafting one-page tales of terror. It\u2019s risks like that that make Ice Cream Man one of the most rewarding comics you\u2019ll find today.  \n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Scroll down to see the full list of Eisner nominees. The winners will be revealed during San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, at a ceremony at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel.  <\/p>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Short Story<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>\u201cBlood Harvest,\u201d in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe Curse Room,\u201d in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFootball Is Not War,\u201d by R. K. Russell and Wilfred Santiago, in Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project (Stacked Deck Press)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cRed Snapper in the Rea,\u201d by Michael D. Kennedy, in Milk White Steed (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>\u201ctrAPPed\u201d by Anand RK, Suparna Sharma, and Natalie Obiko Pearson (Bloomberg News)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best One-Shot\/Single Issue<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1, by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Assorted Crisis Events #4, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Coin-Op no. 10: Wet Cement, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)<\/li>\n<li>Ice Cream Man #43: \u201cOne Page Horror Stories,\u201d by W. Maxwell Prince and others (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell\u2019Edera (BOOM! Studios)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Continuing Series<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and others (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)<\/li>\n<li>The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)<\/li>\n<li>FML, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Storm, by Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, and others (Marvel)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Limited Series<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)<\/li>\n<li>Bronze Faces, by Shobo, Shof, and Alexandre Tefenkgi (BOOM! Studios)<\/li>\n<li>Crownsville, by Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press)<\/li>\n<li>Everything Dead and Dying, by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Out of Alcatraz, by Christopher Cantwell &amp; Tyler Crook (Oni Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best New Series<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Batman Vol. 4, by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jim\u00e9nez (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Black Cat, by G. Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Exquisite Corpses, by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Pornsak Pichetshote, and others (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Ghost Pepper, by Ludo Lullabi (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Temporal, by Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication for Early Readers<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>All the Hulk Feels, by Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare\/Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>The Faraway Forest: Wally\u2019s Route, by Debbie Fong (Chronicle Books)<\/li>\n<li>The Fire-Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (TOON Books)<\/li>\n<li>Night Light, by Michael Emberley (Holiday House)<\/li>\n<li>Steve, A Rare Egg, by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication for Kids<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix)<\/li>\n<li>Chickenpox, by Remy Lai (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>Creature Clinic, by Gavin Aung Than (First Second)<\/li>\n<li>Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! By Mika Song (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<li>Oasis, by Guojing (Godwin Books\/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>A Song for You and I, by K. O\u2019Neill (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication for Teens<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<li>Clementine: Book Three, by Tillie Walden (Image Skybound)<\/li>\n<li>Everyone Sux But You, by K. Wroten (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young (Little, Brown Ink)<\/li>\n<li>This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)<\/li>\n<li>Trumpets of Death, by Simon Bournel-Bosson, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe\/Lerner)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Humor Publication<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>And to Think We Started as a Book Club, by Tom Toro (Andrews McMeel Universal)<\/li>\n<li>Ew, It\u2019s Beautiful: A False Knees Comics Collection, by Joshua Barkman (Andrews McMeel Universal)<\/li>\n<li>The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt, by John Allison and Max Sarin (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>Jeff the Land Shark, by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Physics for Cats, by Tom Gauld (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Spent: A Comic Novel, by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Anthology<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, edited by Meghan Kemp-Gee and Megan Praz (Stacked Deck Press)<\/li>\n<li>DC Pride 2025, edited by Andrea Shea and Jillian Grant (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics)<\/li>\n<li>Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen (Blue Creek Creative)<\/li>\n<li>2000AD 2026 Annual Featuring Judge Dredd, edited by Oliver Pickles (Rebellion)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Reality-Based Work<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon)<\/li>\n<li>Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, by Mimi Pond (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Fela: Music Is the Weapon, by Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery (Amistad)<\/li>\n<li>Globetrotters: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland\u2019s World Tour, by Julian Voloj and Julie Rocheleau (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Muybridge, by Guy Delisle, translated by Helge Daschert and Rob Aspinal (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Surrounded: America\u2019s First School for Black Girls, 1832, by Wilfrid Lupano and St\u00e9phane Fert (ABLAZE)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Graphic Memoir<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>My Life in 24 Frames Per Second, by Rintaro (Kana Manga US)<\/li>\n<li>It Rhymes with Takei, by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<li>Precious Rubbish, by Kayla E. (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Talking to My Father\u2019s Ghost: An Almost True Story, by Alex Krokus (Chronicle)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Graphic Album\u2013New<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Cannon, by Lee Lai (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. Books)<\/li>\n<li>The Fable of Erkling Woods, by Juni Ba (Goats Flying Press)<\/li>\n<li>A Garden of Spheres, by Linnea Sterte (Peow2)<\/li>\n<li>More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<li>Shadows of the Sea, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Graphic Album\u2013Reprint<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Storybook Edition, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)<\/li>\n<li>Ginseng Roots: A Memoir, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)<\/li>\n<li>Goes Like This, by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Superman\u2019s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Tongues, by Anders Nilsen (Pantheon)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Adaptation from Another Medium<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Vita Ayala and Sama Beck (Abrams Fanfare)<\/li>\n<li>The Compleat Angler: A Graphic Adaptation, by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero)<\/li>\n<li>Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition, by Sister Helen Prejean, adapted by Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Gr\u00fcnewald (Random House)<\/li>\n<li>Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel, by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Setor Fiadzigbey (Little, Brown Ink)<\/li>\n<li>Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, by William Golding, adapted by Aim\u00e9e De Jongh (Penguin Classics)<\/li>\n<li>A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best U.S. Edition of International Material<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Buff Soul, by Moa Romanova, translated by Melissa Bowers (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog, by Marc Torices, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Drawn &amp; Quarterly)<\/li>\n<li>In the End We All Die, by Tobias Aeschbacher, translated by Andrew Shields (Helvetiq)<\/li>\n<li>Nocturnos, by Laura Perez, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Raging Clouds, by Yudori (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, by Ana\u00efs Flogny, translated by Dan Christensen (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best U.S. Edition of International Material\u2013Asia<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Hirayasumi, vols. 4\u20137, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash (VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>Land, vol. 1, by Kazumi Yamashita, translated by Kevin Gifford (Yen Press)<\/li>\n<li>Purgatory Funeral Cakes, by Sanho, translated by Danny Lim (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>Tokyo Alien Bros., vols. 1\u20133, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>Yan, vols. 1\u20132, by Chang Sheng, translated by Vanessa Liu (Titan Manga)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Archival Collection\/Project\u2014Strips<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Arthur Ferrier\u2019s Pin-Up Parade Box Set, edited by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)<\/li>\n<li>Barnaby, vol. 5: 1950\u20131952, by Crockett Johnson, edited by Eric Reynolds and Philip Nel (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>The George Herriman Library: Krazy &amp; Ignatz 1928\u20131930, edited by J. Michael Catron and Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Rea Irvin\u2019s The Smythes, edited by R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw (NYRC)<\/li>\n<li>Terminal Exposure: Comics, Sculpture, and Risky Behavior, by Michael McMillan, edited by Lucas Adams (NYRC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Archival Collection\/Project\u2014Comic Books<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>AKIRA Volumes 1\u20135 Hardcover Collection, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA Publishing)<\/li>\n<li>The Atlas Comics Library No. 7: Girl Comics, edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Comics of the Movement #1, by Courtland Cox, Jennifer Lawson, Alfred Hassler, and Benton Resnik (Good Trouble Comics)<\/li>\n<li>Hothead Paisan, by Diane DiMassa, organized by Anika Banister (NYRC)<\/li>\n<li>Scream! The Specials 1985\u20132024, edited by Chiara Mestieri (Rebellion)<\/li>\n<li>Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, edited by Grant Geissman (TASCHEN)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Academic\/Scholarly Work<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Comic Art in Korea, by John A. Lent (University Press of Mississippi)<\/li>\n<li>Comics of the Anthropocene: Graphic Narrative at the End of Nature, by Jos\u00e9 Alaniz (University Press of Mississippi)<\/li>\n<li>Graphic Narratives of Resistance, by Jennifer Boum Make and Charly Verstraet (Edinburgh University Press)<\/li>\n<li>Latinx Comics Studies: Critical and Creative Crossings, edited by Fernanda D\u00edaz-Basteris and Maite Urcaregui (Rutgers University Press)<\/li>\n<li>Manga\u2019s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905\u20131989, by Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Comics-Related Periodical\/Journalism<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>CANON, by Colin Blanchette and Alex Eklund<\/li>\n<li>Comic Book Creator, edited by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows)<\/li>\n<li>Dummy, edited by John Kelly (The Dummy Corporation)<\/li>\n<li>Shelfdust, edited by Steve Morris, www.shelfdust.com<\/li>\n<li>SKTCHD, by David Harper, www.sktchd.com<\/li>\n<li>SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Comics-Related Book<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Crumb: A Cartoonist\u2019s Life, by Dan Nadel (Scribner)<\/li>\n<li>Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)<\/li>\n<li>How Comics Are Made, by Glenn Fleishman (Andrews McMeel)<\/li>\n<li>Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narrative, by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Only What\u2019s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Ooops\u2026I Just Catharted!: Fifty Years of Cathartic Comics, by Rupert Kinnard, edited by William O. Tyler (Stacked Deck Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Publication Design<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Art of Manga, designed by Tessa Lee (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco\/VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>The Essential Peanuts, designed by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)<\/li>\n<li>Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Collector\u2019s Edition #13), designed by Wendy Chan (Yen Press)<\/li>\n<li>Red Light Properties: Unfinished Business, designed by Dan Goldman (Kinjin Storylab)<\/li>\n<li>The Marvel Art of Michael Allred Slipcase Edition, designed by Kurtis Findlay (Clover Press)<\/li>\n<li>Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Webcomic<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux (Fieldmouse Press)  <\/li>\n<li>Keeping Time by Kody Okamoto (keepingtimecomic.com) <\/li>\n<li>The Legend of Parvaterra by Ra\u00fal Arn\u00e1iz (WEBTOON)<\/li>\n<li>Sable: A Ghost Story, by Ethan M. Aldridge (sablecomic.com) <\/li>\n<li>Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON) <\/li>\n<li>Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden (pauljholden.com) <\/li>\n<li>Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com) <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Digital Comic<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>DeadAss, by hakei (VIZ Media)<\/li>\n<li>In the Real Dark Night, by Jimmy Gownley (G-Ville Comics)<\/li>\n<li>The Lycan, by Mike Carey, Thomas Jane, David James Kelly, and Diego Yapur (Comixology Originals)<\/li>\n<li>Overwatch 2: Against the Tide, by Brandon Chen and Velinxi (Blizzard Entertainment)<\/li>\n<li>Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)<\/li>\n<li>The World of Lublu, by Charbak Dipta (The Charbax Store)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Writer<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Deniz Camp, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC); Assorted Crisis Events (Image); The Ultimates (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Scott Snyder, Absolute Batman, Batman\/Deadpool (DC); By a Thread: Book 2 (Comixology Originals), You Won\u2019t Feel a Thing (DSTLRY)<\/li>\n<li>Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)<\/li>\n<li>Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd: The Power of the Blood (BOOM! Studios); Let This One Be a Devil, Red Book (Dark Horse); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Skybound)<\/li>\n<li>Stephanie Williams, Street Sharks (IDW); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Writer\/Artist<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)<\/li>\n<li>Chang Sheng, Yan, vols. 1\u20132 (Titan Manga)<\/li>\n<li>Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow2)<\/li>\n<li>Kazumi Yamashita, Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Penciller\/Inker<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Elsa Charretier, The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY)<\/li>\n<li>Sean Phillips, Giant Size Criminal #1, The Knives: A Criminal Book (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Chris Samnee, Batman and Robin: Year One (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Eric Zawadzki, Assorted Crisis Events (Image)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Painter\/Multimedia Artist<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Teddy Kristiansen, Black Hammer: Spiral City (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n<li>Cathy Malkasian, Shadows of the Sea (Fantagraphics)<\/li>\n<li>Qu, Slices of Life: A Comic Montage (Bulgilhan Press)<\/li>\n<li>Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Mika Song, Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! (Random House Graphic)<\/li>\n<li>Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Cover Artist<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman #1, Batman\/Deadpool (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Francesco Francavilla, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman: Full Moon, Nightwing variants (DC); Green Hornet\/Miss Fury (Dynamite); Star Trek: The Last Starship, Twilight Zone (IDW); Dick Tracy (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<li>Mateus Manhanini, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific: Year One variants (DC); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman &amp; Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns #3-12 (DC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Coloring<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image\/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)<\/li>\n<li>Ninakupenda Gaillard, Chickenpox (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)<\/li>\n<li>Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)<\/li>\n<li>Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC); The Seasons (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)<\/li>\n<li>Jos\u00e9 Villarrubia, This Ink Runs Cold (Alan Spiegel Fine Arts); Ghostbox (Comixology Originals); Dracula Book 2: The Brides, The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly (Dark Horse); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Best Lettering<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list jsx-4224303756\" data-cy=\"list\">\n<li>Janice Chiang, Acro and the Cat, All Upon a Time, Beyond the Aural Vault, Republica, Solarblader (Sandstorm); John Carpenter\u2019s Blood of the Taken: Next of Kin, Pause, Tales of Science Fiction (Storm King)<\/li>\n<li>Clayton Cowles, Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman &amp; Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Black Canary: Best of the Best, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, (DC); Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3 (Marvel)<\/li>\n<li>Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)<\/li>\n<li>Nate Piekos, American Caper #1, Archie Vs. Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons &amp; Dragons, The Umbrella Academy Plan B, Welcome to Twilight (Dark Horse); I Hate Fairyland (Image)<\/li>\n<li>Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story (Top Shelf)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Check out <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-best-comic-book-or-original-graphic-novel-of-2025\">IGN&#8217;s Best Comic Book Series or Original Graphic Novel of 2025 award<\/a> to see what we thought the best books of last year were.<\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/jschedeen.bsky.social\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em> <\/em><u><em>following @jschedeen on BlueSky<\/em><\/u><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The list of nominees for the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards has been revealed. Essentially the equivalent of the Oscars for the comic book industry, the Eisners highlight the best and most noteworthy releases of the 2025 calendar year. DC is the most widely represented publisher in this year&#8217;s lineup of nominees, with 16 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-1935669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1935669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935669\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1935669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1935669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1935669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}