The 34th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were held on July 22, 2022, during San Diego Comic-Con. Barry Windsor-Smith and James Tynion IV each won three awards, Phil Jimenez, P. Craig Russell, and David F. Walker each won two awards. Fantagraphics took home four wins, and DC, Image, and IDW each won three.
The Hall of Fame Awards judges’ choices were Marie Duval and Rose O’Neill (pioneers), Max Gaines (accepted by his great-grandson Corey Mifsud), Mark Gruenwald (accepted by his widow Catherine Schuller Gruenwald), and Alex Niño and P. Craig Russell. The six elected inductees were Howard Chaykin, Kevin Eastman, Moto Hagio, Larry Hama, David Mazzucchelli, and Grant Morrison.
The Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award was given to artist Luana Vecchio. Manning’s daughter Ruth was given an Inkpot Award. The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award was given to Books with Pictures and store owner Katie Pride of Portland, Oregon.
The 2022 Eisner Award winners are:
Best Short Story
“Funeral in Foam” by Casey Gilly and Raina Telgemeier in You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife (Iron Circus)
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Jimenez (DC)
Best Continuing Series (tie)
Bitter Root by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
Something Is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)
Best Limited Series
The Good Asian by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi (Image)
Best New Series
The Nice House on the Lake by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (DC Black Label)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)
Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis by Julie and Stan Sakai (IDW)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)
Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor (Kokila/Penguin Random House)
Best Humor Publication
Not All Robots by Mark Russell and Mike Deodato Jr. (AWA Upshot)
Best Anthology
You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife edited by Kel McDonald and Andrea Purcell (Iron Circus)
Best Reality-Based Work
The Black Panther Party: A Graphic History by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson (Ten Speed Press)
Best Graphic Memoir
Run: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell (Abrams ComicArts)
Best Graphic Album – New
Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith (Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Album – Reprint
The Complete American Gods by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton (Dark Horse)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
George Orwell’s 1984: The Graphic Novel adapted by Fido Nesti (Mariner Books)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
The Shadow of a Man by Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten, translation by Stephen D. Smith (IDW)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia
Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito, translation by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Strips
Popeye: The E.C. Segar Sundays vol. 1 by E.C. Segar, edited by Gary Groth and Conrad Groth (Fantagraphics)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books
EC Covers Artist’s Edition edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
Best Writer
James Tynion IV – House of Slaughter, Something Is Killing the Children, and Wynd (BOOM! Studios); The Nice House on the Lake, The Joker, Batman, and DC Pride 2021 (DC); The Department of Truth (Image); and Blue Book and Razorblades (Tiny Onion Studios)
Best Writer/Artist
Barry Windsor-Smith – Monsters (Fantagraphics)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Phil Jimenez – Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons (DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
Sana Takeda – Monstress (Image)
Best Cover Artist
Jen Bartel – Future State Immortal Wonder Woman #1 and 2, Wonder Woman Black & Gold #1, and Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary (DC); and Women’s History Month variant covers (Marvel)
Best Coloring
Matt Wilson – Undiscovered Country (Image); Fire Power (Image Skybound); Eternals, Thor, and Wolverine (Marvel); and Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters (Oni)
Best Lettering
Barry Windsor-Smith – Monsters (Fantagraphics)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
WomenWriteAboutComics.com, edited by Wendy Browne and Nola Pfau (WWAC)
Best Comics-Related Book
All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk (Penguin Press)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work
Comics and the Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History by Eike Exner (Rutgers University Press)
Best Publication Design
Marvel Comics Library: Spider-Man Vol. 1: 1962–1964 (TASCHEN)
Best Webcomic
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe (WEBTOON)
Best Digital Comic
Snow Angels by Jeff Lemire and Jock (Comixology Originals)
