The Manga Curmudgeon

Spending too much on comics, then talking too much about them

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And the nominees are…

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Tom (The Comics Reporter) Spurgeon was first out of the gate to post this year’s Eisner Awards nominations, and I thought I’d pull out the manga- and manhwa-related nominees with a little commentary.

Best Continuing Series

  • Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

    • This delights me, as I like 20th Century Boys just slightly more than Pluto, so I’m glad to see it get a nomination in this very high-profile category.

    I was a bit disappointed by the absence of manga in the Best Publication for Teens category, but the slate seems crazy strong, at least based on reviews that I’ve seen of the chosen works.

    Best Reality-Based Work

  • A Drifting Life, Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)

    • A nomination for this excellent book was never really in question. It was just a matter of wondering which category (or categories) would claim it.

    Best Graphic Album — New

  • A Distant Neighborhood Vols. 1-2, by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

    • I’m a bit surprised that GoGo Monster didn’t snag a slot here (or anywhere). But Taniguchi does admirable work, and I’m very thrilled that Fanfare/Ponent Mon’s splendid My Mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill is keeping A Distant Neighborhood company.

    Again, I’ll express some mild disappointment that there was no nod for Black Jack in the Best Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books category. That’s an impressive effort on Vertical’s part, and they deserve plaudits for it.

    Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia

  • The Color Trilogy, Kim Dong Hwa (First Second)
  • A Distant Neighborhood Vols. 1-2, by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
  • A Drifting Life, Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Oishinbo a la Carte, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki (VIZ Media)
  • Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ Media)
  • Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

    • On the one hand, this is a generally excellent slate, and I’m thrilled to see Oishinbo included. I think I’m the only person in the world who didn’t like The Color Trilogy, so I’ll keep my opinions to myself on that front. And I don’t think it’s wrong to suggest that there might have been room here for some of the excellent works created by women, like Junko Mizuno’s Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu, Kaoru Mori’s Emma, or Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ôoku: The Inner Chambers, as they really were as good as just about any other comic published last year.

    Best Writer/Artist

  • Naoki Urasawa, Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka (VIZ Media)

    • Is there some kind of record for most nominations for a single creator?

    Best Lettering

  • Adrian Tomine, A Drifting Life (Drawn & Quarterly)

    • Best Comics-Related Book

  • The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Helen McCarthy (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, Eric P. Nash (Abrams ComicArts)

    • It wouldn’t be an Eisner slate if Tezuka wasn’t in there somewhere. As it should be.

    Here’s a link to my post of suggestions for the Eisner nominating committee, just in case anyone feels like looking back.