IDW Publishing Honored With 12 Eisner Award Nominations

SAN DIEGO, CA (April 26, 2019) – The 2019 Eisner Award judges recognized IDW Publishing and its imprints, Top Shelf, Library of American Comics, Black Crown, and Artist’s Editions, with a combined twelve nods this year (ten nominations and two shared nominations). The prestigious award ceremony, held annually at Comic-Con International, honors exemplary work from the previous year in comics publishing.  IDW’s 2019 Eisner Nominees include: Best Publication for Early Readers: Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf/IDW) Best Publication for Teens: Gumballs, by Erin Nations (Top Shelf/IDW) Best Anthology: Femme Magnifique: 50 Magnificent Women Who Changed the World, edited by Shelly Bond (Black Crown/IDW) Best Graphic Album — New: Come Again, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW) Best Graphic Album — Reprint: Girl Town, by Carolyn Nowak (Top Shelf/IDW) Best Archival Collection/Project — Strips: Star Wars: Classic Newspaper Strips, Vol. 3, by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, edited by Dean Mullaney (Library of American Comics/IDW) Best Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books: Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and Moon Knights Artifact Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW) Best Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books: Madman Quarter Century Shindig, by Mike Allred, edited by Chris Ryall, designed by Shawn Lee (IDW) Best Writer/Artist: David Lapham, Lodger (Black Crown/IDW) Best Writer/Artist: Nate Powell, Come Again (Top Shelf/IDW) Best Academic/Scholarly Work: The Goat Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics, by Eddie Campbell (Library of American Comics/IDW/Ohio State University Press) Best Lettering: Todd Klein, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest (Top Shelf/IDW) "It's such an honor to see the Eisner judges celebrate the diverse range of graphic novels that Top Shelf has published lately — with James Kochalka celebrating the whimsical anarchy of young boys, Erin Nations introducing teens to a wide spectrum of queer and trans experience, Carolyn Nowak animating millennial womanhood with comedy and pathos, and Nate Powell exploring the dark terrors of parenting. These nominations (and these books) demonstrate the persistent truth that 'weird personal comics' can in fact be universal, because they let us see inside each other's hearts," says Leigh Walton, Top Shelf marketing director and editor.   “As we approach the landmark 200th release in the Library of American Comics, we’re proud to help preserve the history of comics one book at a time,” says creative director Dean Mullaney. “The Goat Getters especially breaks new ground in comics scholarship."   “On behalf of my Femme Magnifique co-curators, Brian and Kristy Miller, over 100 of your favorite writers and artists, and IDW, I’m honored to be in such magnificent company,” says Black Crown curator/editor Shelly Bond. “Congrats to all the Eisner nominees, especially the Laphams, who continue to crush our expectations of crime noir.”   Scott Dunbier, IDW’s Director of Special Projects, says, “Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and Moon Knightscharts Bill's evolution through different stages of his career. Watching him progress from a talented new artist to a true innovator is fascinating to behold — it was an honor to work on this book, and to be nominated for an Eisner Award.”   Chris Ryall, IDW’s Publisher & President/CCO and editor on the nominated Madman Quarter Century Shindig book, added, “To directly quote Madman creator Michael Allred when notified about the nomination, this is Super Ginchy! It’s a thrill to see such diverse nominations for IDW’s equally wide-ranging output.”