Eisner Awards 2012 - Best limited series?

[rolacka]

Next week, on Friday 13th July, the 2012 Eisner awards are being announced.

http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_pr1...s_nominees.php

I like the best limited series category as it gives me something easy on the wallet to check out. So, which do people think is the best?

Best Limited Series
Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X, by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener (Red 5)
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)
Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo/DC)
The New York Five, by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly (Vertigo/DC)
Who Is Jake Ellis? by Nathan Edmondson & Tonci Zonjic (Image)

I have read the top two of these, and think they are both fantastic. The best arcs of their respective series, and these are probably my two favourite series generally. It is really tough to choose between them, and both really deserve it. Overall I would put my vote towards Criminal I think, just because of the emotional impact. Or maybe Atomic Robo: that first issue is perfect in every way imaginable. Or maybe Criminal based soley on the cover to the first issue. Or maybe Robo, for... (this could take a while)

What are the other three like - should I pick them up?

Also I think this is a better place than the community forum for this. Four of the five are creator-owned, which I class as independent.

[BeastieRunner]

I'm a big Criminal fan but that arc of Robo was the best of the series ... the most recent Criminal is better than 99% of the stuff out there right now. The other 1% that is better was Atomic Robo.

[rolacka]

Yeah, it really could be decided by a coin toss for me.

Both would rank in my top five comic stories (I something that could fit in one trade). I think had I started this thread yesterday I might have voted Atomic Robo instead.

Because these two are so good it has me curious about the other three.

[dupont2005]

I haven't read any of the nominees. I have read the first criminal run and thought it was good though.

[rolacka]

I haven't read any of the nominees. I have read the first criminal run and thought it was good though.

It would be well worth you picking up Last of the Innocent if you enjoyed the first run. Does that mean the first, or first two story arcs btw?. I think the third and fourths arcs 'Dead and the Dying', 'Bad Night' and now the sixth 'Last of the Innocent' are the best three stories of the six.

[rolacka]

So Criminal won it:

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com...eisner-awards/

I am simultaneously happy that Criminal won and disappointed Atomic Robo didn't. Just because of the relative sales I think I would have preferred Atomic Robo to win (although after much debate I decided Criminal was FRACTIONALLY better), to draw more attention to it.

So, what did others think of the winner?

[dupont2005]

It would be well worth you picking up Last of the Innocent if you enjoyed the first run. Does that mean the first, or first two story arcs btw?. I think the third and fourths arcs 'Dead and the Dying', 'Bad Night' and now the sixth 'Last of the Innocent' are the best three stories of the six.

I'm not sure. I have like the first five or six issues that came out, including a preview booklet. I thought it was a limited series and I had read all of it until just a few months ago when I found out new installments have been released. I bought my run off eBay cheap just looking for something new to read.