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2005 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

The nominated creators have been recognized by their peers for having produced some of the outstanding achievements in comics in 2004.
(Winners are in bold and marked with *)

Best Short Story

  • "Eve O' Twins," by Craig Thompson, in Rosetta 2 (Alternative)
  • "Glenn Ganges: Jeepers Jacobs," by Kevin Huizenga, in Kramer's Ergot 5 (Gingko Press)
  • "God" (story on wrap-around dust jacket) by Chris Ware, in McSweeney's Quarterly #13 (McSweeney's)
  • "The Price," by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli, in Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Books)
  • "Unfamiliar," by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft (Dark Horse Books) *
  • "Where Monsters Dine," by Troy Hickman, Angel Medina, and Jon Holdredge, in Common Grounds #5 (Top Cow/Image)

Best Single Issue or One-Shot

  • Demo #7: "One Shot, Don't Miss," by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan (AiT/PlanetLar)
  • Eightball #23: "The Death Ray," by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics) *
  • Ex Machina #1: "The Pilot," by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
  • Global Frequency #12: "Harpoon," by Warren Ellis and Gene Ha (WildStorm/DC)
  • The Goon #6: "Ilagarto Hombre!," by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Best Serialized Story

  • Astonishing X-Men #1-6: "Gifted," by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
  • Ex Machina #2-5: "State of Emergency," by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
  • Fables #19-27: "March of the Wooden Soldiers," by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC) *
  • Planetary #19-20: "Mystery in Space/Rendezvous," by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday (WildStorm/DC)
  • Y: The Last Man #18-20: "Safeword," by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series

  • Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
  • Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC)
  • The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse) *
  • Stray Bullets, by David Lapham (El Capitan)
  • Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Limited Series

  • DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC) *
  • Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan (AiT/Planet Lar)
  • 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith (IDW)
  • WE3, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Vertigo/DC)
  • Wanted, by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones (Top Cow/Image)

Best New Series

  • Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
  • Doc Frankenstein, by the Wachowski Brothers and Steve Scroce (Burlyman)
  • Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC) *
  • The Shaolin Cowboy, by Geof Darrow (Burlyman)

Best Title for a Younger Audience

  • Amelia Rules! (Renaissance Press), and Amelia Rules! What Makes You Happy (iBooks), by Jimmy Gownley
  • Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom, by Ted Naifeh (Oni)
  • Owly, by Andy Runton (Top Shelf)
  • Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC) *
  • Tommysaurus Rex, by Doug TenNapel (Image)

Best Humor Publication

  • Angry Youth Comix, by Johnny Ryan (Fantagraphics)
  • Birth of a Nation, by Aaron McGruder, Reginald Hudlin, and Kyle Baker (Crown)
  • The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse) *
  • Kyle Baker, Cartoonist, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)
  • Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)

Best Anthology

  • Common Grounds, by Troy Hickman and others, edited by Jim McLauchlin (Top Cow/Image)
  • The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, edited by Scott Allie (Dark Horse Books)
  • The Matrix Comics, vol. 2, edited by Spencer Lamm (Burlyman)
  • McSweeney's Quarterly #13, edited by Chris Ware (McSweeney's)
  • Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, edited by Diana Schutz and David Land (Dark Horse) *

Best Digital Comic

Best Graphic Album--New

  • Blacksad Book 2: Arctic Nation, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (iBooks)
  • It's a Bird..., by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen (Vertigo/DC)
  • The Originals, by Dave Gibbons (Vertigo/DC) *
  • Suspended in Language, by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis (GT Labs)
  • Tommysaurus Rex, by Doug TenNapel (Image)

Best Graphic Album--Reprint

  • Age of Bronze: Sacrifice, by Eric Shanower (Image)
  • Bone One Volume Edition, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books) *
  • The Book of Ballads, by Charles Vess, et al. (Tor)
  • Clyde Fans, by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
  • Locas, by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project

  • The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker, edited by Robert Mankoff (Black Dog & Leventhal)
  • The Complete Peanuts, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) *
  • DC Comics Rarities Archives, vol. 1, edited by Dale Crain (DC)
  • Krazy and Ignatz, edited by Bill Blackbeard and Derya Ataker (Fantagraphics)
  • Russ Manning's Magnus, Robot Fighter, vol. 1, edited by Katie Moody, Mike Carriglitto, and David Land (Dark Horse Books)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material

  • Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima, vols. 1-2, by Keiji Nahazawa (Last Gasp)
  • Blacksad Book 2: Arctic Nation, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (iBooks)
  • Buddha, vols. 3-4 by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical) *
  • Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
  • Tokyo Tribes, by Santa Inoue (Tokyopop)

Best Writer

  • Steve Niles, for 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow; 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales; Aleister Arcane (IDW); Freaks of the Heartland; Last Train to Deadsville (Dark Horse)
  • Greg Rucka, for Queen & Country (Oni); Gotham Central (DC)
  • Brian K. Vaughan, for Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC); Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC); Runaways (Marvel) *
  • Joss Whedon, for Astonishing X-Men (Marvel)
  • Bill Willingham, for Fables (Vertigo/DC)

Best Writer/Artist

  • Paul Chadwick, for Concrete: The Human Dilemma (Dark Horse) *
  • Dan Clowes, for Eightball #23 (Fantagraphics)
  • David Lapham, for Stray Bullets (El Capitan)
  • Stan Sakai, for Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
  • Adrian Tomine, for Optic Nerve #9 (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer/Artist--Humor

  • Kyle Baker, for Plastic Man (DC); Kyle Baker, Cartoonist (Kyle Baker Publishing) *
  • Phil Foglio, for Girl Genius (Airship Entertainment)
  • Scott Kurtz, for PvP (Image)
  • Eric Powell, for The Goon (Dark Horse)
  • Johnny Ryan, for Angry Youth Comix (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

  • Charles Adlard, for The Walking Dead (Image)
  • John Cassaday, for Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC) * (tie)
  • Geof Darrow, for Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)
  • Cary Nord & Thomas Yeates, for Conan (Dark Horse)
  • Frank Quitely, for WE3 (Vertigo/DC) * (tie)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

  • Juanjo Guarnido, for Blacksad, Book 2: Arctic Nation (iBooks)
  • Teddy Kristiansen, for It's a Bird... (Vertigo/DC) *
  • David Mack, for Kabuki (Marvel)
  • Ben Templesmith, 30 for Days of Night: Return to Barrow (IDW)
  • Michael Zulli, for Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Books)

Best Coloring

  • Peter Doherty, for Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)
  • Steven Griffen, for Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort (Image)
  • Laura DePuy Martin, for Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Ministry of Space (Image); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC)
  • J. D. Mettler, for Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC)
  • Dave Stewart, for Daredevil, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Six, Captain America (Marvel); Conan, BPRD (Dark Horse); DC: The New Frontier (DC) *

Best Lettering

  • Todd Klein, for Promethea; Tom Strong; Tom Strong's Terrific Tales (ABC); Wonder Woman (DC); Books of Magick: Life During Wartime; Fables; WE3 (Vertigo/DC); Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse) *
  • Stan Sakai, for Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
  • Dave Sim, for Cerebus (Aardvark Vanaheim)
  • Craig Thompson, for Carnet de Voyage (Top Shelf); "Eve O' Twins" in Rosetta 2 (Alternative)

Best Cover Artist

  • Kieron Dwyer, for Remains (IDW)
  • James Jean, for Fables (Vertigo/DC); Green Arrow, Batgirl (DC) *
  • Tony Moore, for The Walking Dead (Image)
  • Frank Quitely, for Bite Club; WE3 (Vertigo/DC)
  • Michael Turner, for Identity Crisis (DC)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition

  • Frank Cammuso (Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective)
  • Bosch Fawstin (Table for One)
  • Matt Kindt (Two Sisters; Pistolwhip)
  • Sean McKeever (A Waiting Place; Mary Jane; Inhumans; Sentinels) *
  • Raina Telgemeier ("Smile," Takeout)

Best Comics-Related Periodical

  • Comic Art, edited by M. Todd Hignite (Comic Art)
  • Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf) *
  • Draw!, edited by Mike Manley (TwoMorrows)
  • Indy Magazine online (www.indyworld.com), edited by Bill Kartalopoulos (Alternative)

Best Comics-Related Book

  • The Art of Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse Books)
  • Chris Ware, by Daniel Raeburn (Monographics/Yale University Press)
  • Give Our Regards to the Atom Smashers, edited by Sean Howe (Pantheon)
  • Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones (Basic Books) *
  • Strangers in Paradise Treasury Edition, by Terry Moore (HarperCollins Perennial)

Best Publication Design

  • The Art of Usagi Yojimbo, designed by Cary Grazzini (Dark Horse Books)
  • Clyde's Fans, designed by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • The Complete Peanuts, designed by Seth (Fantagraphics) *
  • In the Shadow of No Towers, designed by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
  • McSweeney's Quarterly #13, designed by Chris Ware (McSweeney's)

Hall of Fame

    Judges' Choices: (Automatically inducted)
  • Lou Fine *
  • René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo *

    Voters choices:

  • Matt Baker
  • Wayne Boring
  • Nick Cardy *
  • Yves Chaland
  • Gene Colan *
  • Johnny Craig *
  • Reed Crandall
  • Floyd Gottfredson
  • Frank Hampson
  • Graham Ingels
  • Robert Kanigher
  • William Moulton Marston
  • Hugo Pratt *
  • Frank Robbins

2005 Eisner Awards Judges

  • Gib Bickel (co-owner of the The Laughing Ogre shop in Columbus, Ohio)
  • Steve Conley (cartoonist, self-publisher, co-creator of comicon.com, manager of The Pulse comics news website and executive director of SPX)
  • Katharine Kan (librarian/consultant; writer of the first column devoted to graphic novels in library literature, "Graphically Speaking," which is published in the Voice of Youth Advocates journal; reviewer for the Diamond Bookshelf website; and chair of the Graphic Novel Task Force for Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association)
  • Tom McLean (associate editor in special reports at Variety, and writer of "Bags and Boards," Variety's daily weblog on the business of comics)
  • Tom Russo (freelance writer/reviewer, regularly covers comic book movies and related genres as a contributing writer for Entertainment Weekly and Premiere magazine)