What is the world coming to? The Eisners were announced, and I have only one concern!

[Brian Cronin]

And that concern is, "How the heck is Astonishing X-Men the best continuing series in comics?"

But beyond that, what great choices!

Best Short Story
"Teenage Sidekick," by Paul Pope, in Solo #3 (DC)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Solo #5, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)

Best Serialized Story
Fables #36-38, 40-41: "Return to the Homelands," by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series
Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)

Best Limited Series
Seven Soldiers, by Grant Morrison and various artists (DC)

Best New Series
All Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC)

Best Publication for a Younger Audience
Owly: Flying Lessons, by Andy Runton (Top Shelf)

Best Anthology
Solo, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)

Best Digital Comic
PVP, by Scott Kurtz, www.pvponline.com

Best Reality-Based Work
Nat Turner, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)

Best Graphic Album-New
Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, by Alan Moore and Gene Ha (ABC)

Best Graphic Album-Reprint
Black Hole, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Strips
The Complete Calvin & Hobbes, by Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books
Absolute Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (DC)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material
The Rabbi's Cat, by Joann Sfar (Pantheon)

Best Writer
Alan Moore, Promethea, Top Ten: The Forty-Niners (ABC)

Best Writer/Artist
Geof Darrow, Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)

Best Writer/Artist-Humor
Kyle Baker, Plastic Man (DC); The Bakers (Kyle Baker Publishing)

Best Penciller/Inker
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Ladronn, Hip Flask: Mystery City (Active Images)

Best Cover Artist
James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); Runaways (Marvel)

Best Coloring
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #16 (ACME Novelty)

Best Lettering
Todd Klein, Wonder Woman, Justice, Seven Soldiers #0 (DC); Desolation Jones (WildStorm/DC); Promethea, Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, Tomorrow Stories Special (ABC); Fables (Vertigo); 1602: New World (Marvel)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition
Aaron Renier (Spiral-Bound)

Best Comics-Related Periodical
Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf)

Best Comics-Related Book
Eisner/Miller, edited by Charles Brownstein and Diana Schutz (Dark Horse Books)

Best Publication Design (tie)
Acme Novelty Library Annual Report to Shareholders, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press Books)

Hall of Fame
Judges' Choices: Floyd Gottfredson, William Moulton Marston
- Vaughn Bodé
- Ramona Fradon
- Russ Manning
- Jim Steranko

I mean, sure, I may differ here or there, but usually, when I read the winners, I'm usually pissed because a book or a creator that I think is waaay worse than a fellow nominee wins.

This year?

Just the one complaint!

Coolness.

-Brian

[JeffreyWKramer]

ASTONISHING was pretty good the first two arcs. Now... well, it's not bad. But best continuing series? Naah...

Better candidates offhand include INVINCIBLE, JONAH HEX, CONAN, LUCIFER, EX MACHINA, DAREDEVIL... Is RUNAWAYS considered a continuing series?

At least the over-rated FABLES didn't win "Best Continuing" as well as "Best Serialized."

[Mike Smash!]

I enjoy ASTONISHING, but I'd never give it that award. Kramer's list has much better choices on it.

Maybe toss Y - THE LAST MAN on it, too.

[Sam T.]

Astonishing X-Men is worthy!!

[JeffreyWKramer]

I enjoy ASTONISHING, but I'd never give it that award. Kramer's list has much better choices on it.

Maybe toss Y - THE LAST MAN on it, too.

Yeah, Y would definitely be a better choice than ASTONISHING.

[Brian Cronin]

And while I have my problems with Astonishing, this is not a "man, Astonishing sucks!" thing. There are a LOT of comics worse than Astonishing.

It's just that there are a sizable amount of comics BETTER.

-Brian

[JeffreyWKramer]

And while I have my problems with Astonishing, this is not a "man, Astonishing sucks!" thing. There are a LOT of comics worse than Astonishing.
Starting with all the other X-books.


It's just that there are a sizable amount of comics BETTER.

Absolutely.

[Brian Cronin]

Ed Brubaker's Uncanny X-Men has been good for two issues. You haven't given it a try, Jeffrey? Do you like Brubaker's other work?

-Brian

[Mike Smash!]

And while I have my problems with Astonishing, this is not a "man, Astonishing sucks!" thing. There are a LOT of comics worse than Astonishing.

It's just that there are a sizable amount of comics BETTER.

-BrianI dig ASTONISHING quite a bit, but if any X-book deserves to be on that list, I'd nominate X-FACTOR first.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Ed Brubaker's Uncanny X-Men has been good for two issues. You haven't given it a try, Jeffrey? Do you like Brubaker's other work?



I like most of Brubaker's stuff (and loved SLEEPER), but I was not impressed by the issues of DARK GENESIS I looked at.

He's doing a bang-up job on DAREDEVIL.

[Bright-Raven]

Hold up there, buckos!

What was Astonishing up against?

Age of Bronze, by Eric Shanower (Image) - Yup. Great series. How many issues came out in the last year, again? There's only been like, 23 issues, and they collected the last trade (issues #10-#19) in 2004! So that means Eric's put in a whopping four issues in like two years! Isn't an ongoing series regularly published on some sort of schedule?! Don't get me wrong, the series is excellent, but c'mon! It didn't rate a nomination.

Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC) - Hm. Strong contender. But it also won the Eisner for best new series last year. Rather unlikely that it would take a best series title two years in a row in today's market.

Fell, by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith (Image). Enh. Half of the reason it's getting noticed is the page count of 16 pages per issue, which flies in the face of the conventions of decompressed storytelling which has been the popular style of writing these past few years. Is that enough reason for it to win, though?

Rocketo, by Marie Taylor and Frank Espinosa (Speakeasy)

With Speakeasy's demise, you have to wonder how much notice this book received.

True Story, Swear to God, by Tom Beland (Clib’s Boy Comics)

Compared to the name presence of both Whedon and the X-Men, Beland didn't stand a chance.

Based on what the choices were for the nominations, ASTONISHING or EX MACHINA would have been the likely choices, and since EX MACHINA won last year for best new series, it really isn't much of a surprise to see ASTONISHING get it.

Now, if you want to gripe about what was actually on the nominations list, go bitch at the people who compiled the list. ;)

[JeffreyWKramer]

That was a remarkably weak set of nominees for such a major category. Lots of ongoing books suck, but still...

Even so, politics and precedent aside, EX MACHINA really deserved the win more than did ASTONISHING.

[Brian Cronin]

I like most of Brubaker's stuff (and loved SLEEPER), but I was not impressed by the issues of DARK GENESIS I looked at.

He's doing a bang-up job on DAREDEVIL.

Deadly Genesis was not that good, I agree.

Uncanny was a lot better.

-Brian

[Gingold]

Yeah, I like Astonishing, but it's not the best ongoing series that Marvel puts out, let alone the entire industry.

[algertman]

Astonishing is fun, but not deserving. Infact the only reason I think it won was because Whedon's name is on it. Not because they actually thought it was that great.

As far as I'm concerned. Brubaker/Captain America is the best ongoing right now.

Actually I think All-Star Superman is the best but I'm not if you owuld count that or not

[Mike Smash!]

What were the nominees that ASTONISHING beat out?

[JeffreyWKramer]

What were the nominees that ASTONISHING beat out?

See Bright-Raven's post (#11), above.

[Indigo Al]

Fell, by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith (Image). Enh. Half of the reason it's getting noticed is the page count of 16 pages per issue, which flies in the face of the conventions of decompressed storytelling which has been the popular style of writing these past few years. Is that enough reason for it to win, though?



I like Astonishing just fine, but Fell, to me, is leaps and bounds better, and it's got nothing to do with compression. It's a $1.99 slab of culture.

[Dan Apodaca]

Based on what the choices were for the nominations, ASTONISHING or EX MACHINA would have been the likely choices, and since EX MACHINA won last year for best new series, it really isn't much of a surprise to see ASTONISHING get it.

I didn't see any surprise, just disagreement. It doesn't really matter what it was up against, if there's still plenty of other better stuff out there.

[Loren]

I dig ASTONISHING quite a bit, but if any X-book deserves to be on that list, I'd nominate X-FACTOR first.

I've heard a great many good things about X-Factor, and I enjoyed the Madrox mini, but the fact that only one issue of X-Factor shipped in 2005 probably disqualifies it as a contender for Best Continuing Series.

[Brian Cronin]

Also, please note that apparently the Eisner judges pick the nominees, and all the other professionals out there get to vote on the WINNERS.

So, any time you have a big group voting, the odds are always greater that a dumb choice will be made, which is why I'm pleased at how well this year's choices turned out.

-Brian

[CE_Rap]

I've heard a great many good things about X-Factor, and I enjoyed the Madrox mini, but the fact that only one issue of X-Factor shipped in 2005 probably disqualifies it as a contender for Best Continuing Series.

When i saw the quote about other X-books, I thought the same thing. Two bad it came out late cuz that would've been a shoe-in.