The Eisner Award trophies will be presented in a gala awards ceremony to be held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel during San Diego Comic-Con 2023 on the evening of the 21st of July. Best Short Story Eisner judges are selected by the Eisner Awards committee, in consultation with its parent organization Comic-Con International: San Diego. Marvel Comics received nine nominations (plus three shared), including two each in the Short Story, Single Issue, and Continued Series categories. Dark Horse had nine (plus two shared), led by two for Jeff Lemire’s Mazebook Dark Horse Direct Edition (Best Graphic Album–Reprint, Best Publication Design). Fantagraphics has 13 nominations, led by Thomas Woodruff's Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral, which received nods for Best Graphic Album–new, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design. In addition, Fantagraphics dominated the Archival Collection categories, with 3 in the Comic Strip category and 2 in the Comic Book category. Fantagraphics Books also released its own statement to accompany Woodruff’s, which reads as follows:

Sixty Years in Winter, by Ingrid Chabbert and Aimée de Jongh, translation by Matt Madden (Europe Comics) Other projects with more than two nominations are The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Best Graphic Album–New, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Letterer; Abrams), and Joe Hill's Rain by David M. Booher and Zoe Thorogood (Best Adaptation from Another Medium, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Cover Artist; Syzygy/Image). Over 20 titles had 2 nominations.

Francis Rothbart!: The Tale of a Fastidious Feral

In the days following the announcement, as a deeper understanding of the book and perspectives revealed by those who worked with Woodruff have come to light, Popverse has been talking with various individuals involved with the Francis Rothbart nominations. On Tuesday, we highlighted the criticism of the book and its author, along with statements from both Fantagraphics and Woodruff. Now, we provide a rare inside look at how this book came to the Eisner Awards judges' attention, how it was nominated, and the general reaction the judges have had following the nomination announcement from the perspective of someone in the proverbial "room where it happened." Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story,by Catherine Pioli, translated by J. T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press) While a petition calls for the Eisner judges to reverse course and de-list Thomas Woodruff and his graphic novel as a nominee, as a former Eisner judge, my understanding is that once the nominations are submitted, then the decision on changes is up to the Eisner Awards committee and Comic-Con International: San Diego itself.

My sophomore year he told me I should just go ahead and drop out bc I’d never make it as an artist. Over a decade later, his words still contribute to my own ongoing severe impostor syndrome,” admitted Eisner award-winning artist Jen Bartel.

James Tynion IV, House of Slaughter, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); The Nice House on the Lake, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country (DC), The Closet, The Department of Truth (Image) Another former student alleged that during a review of a “Lolita” assignment, Woodruff once asked a female junior if she had ever had sex “because this is the most sexless Lolita I’ve ever seen.” Parker: The Martini Edition – Last Call, by Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, and Sean Phillips (IDW) Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge: The Diamond Jubilee Collection, by Carl Barks; edited by David Gerstein (Fantagraphics)

Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge: The Diamond Jubilee Collection by Carl Barks; edited by David Gerstein (Fantagraphics) A Visit to Moscow by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, adapted by Anna Olswanger and Yevgenia Nayberg (Turner)Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 35th year of bringing attention to and highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2023 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of librarian Moni Barrette, educator/collector Peter Jones, retailer Jen King, journalist Sean Kleefeld, scholar/comics creator A. David Lewis, and comics instructor/curator TJ Shevlin. Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, by Lewis Hancox (Scholastic Graphix) Best Graphic Album—New Home to Stay! The Complete Ray Bradbury EC Stories by Ray Bradbury and various; edited by J. Michael Catron (Fantagraphics) Other publishers with multiple nominations include Abrams (with seven plus one shared), Drawn & Quarterly (six), Z2 (six), IDW (five), First Second (four plus one shared), Penn State University/Graphic Mundi (four), Ablaze (three plus one shared), Humanoids (three plus one shared), Andrews McMeel (three), TwoMorrows (three), VIZ Media (three), and BOOM! (two plus one shared). Six companies have two nominations each, and another 33 companies or individuals have one nomination each. Other publishers with multiple nominations include Abrams (with 7 plus 1 shared), Drawn & Quarterly (6), Z2 (6), IDW (5), First Second (4 plus 1 shared), Penn State University/Graphic Mundi (4), Ablaze (3 plus 1 shared), Humanoids (3 plus 1 shared), Andrews McMeel (3), TwoMorrows (3), VIZ Media (3), and BOOM! (2 plus one shared). Six companies have 2 nominations each, and another 33 companies or individuals have 1 nomination each.