Some 2020 Eisner Nominees

With the arrival of Comic-Con the Eisner awards can not be too far behind. I suppose I’m a bit behind on things since usually I look up the Eisner nominees as soon as they’re announced. This year, though, with COVID, the social distancing, and the cancellation of normality, I didn’t consider the fact that they were still gonna hold Comic-Con with the @Home version, much less announce the Eisner Award winners at the virtual con.

Now that I know what the deal is, I figured I should take a bit of a look at some of the categories and comics I’ve read.

Best Continuing Series

• Bitter Root
  by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
  In the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance is in full swing, and only the Sangerye Family can save New York-and the world-from the supernatural forces threatening to destroy humanity. But the once-great family of monster hunters has been torn apart by tragedies and conflicting moral codes. The Sangerye Family must heal the wounds of the past and move beyond their differences… or sit back and watch a force of unimaginable evil ravage the human race. DAVID F. WALKER and SANFORD GREENE, the creative team of Power Man and Iron Fist, along with indie veteran CHUCK BROWN (Trench Coats, Cigarettes and Shotguns) bring you 24 action-packed pages more
• Criminal
  by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
  SERIES PREMIERE! THE RETURN OF THE MOST ACCLAIMED CRIME COMIC OF THE 21ST CENTURY! Hot off their bestselling series KILL OR BE KILLED and their original graphic novel MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, crime comic masters ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS finally return to their most-demanded title-as a new MONTHLY SERIES! In this double-sized (at no additional cost!) debut issue, Teeg Lawless is back in town. But he finds himself in more trouble than ever, thanks to his delinquent teenage son-and this time, fists and bullets may not be enough to solve his problems. A perfect introduction to CRIMINAL and its dark, exciting world, this series will also include back page art and articles to bring readers more fully into the noir experience.
• Crowded
  by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image)
  SERIES PREMIERE! Ten minutes in the future, the world runs on an economy of job shares and apps, including Reapr: a crowdfunding platform to fund assassinations. Charlie Ellison leads a quiet, normal life until she’s suddenly targeted by a million-dollar Reapr campaign. Hunted by all of Los Angeles, Charlie hires Vita, the lowest-rated bodyguard on the Dfend app. As the campaign picks up speed, they’ll have to figure out who wants Charlie dead before the campaign’s 30 days-or their lives-are over. From Eisner-nominated writer CHRISTOPHER SEBELA (Heartthrob, We(l)come Back, Harley Quinn), RO STEIN & TED BRANDT (Captain Marvel, Raven: The Pirate Princess), TRIONA FARRELL (Runaways, Mech Cadet Yu), and CARDINAL RAE (BINGO LOVE, ROSE).
• Daredevil
  by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
  Daredevil goes through hell! As Matt Murdock struggles with his inner demons, Detective Cole North continues hunting the vigilantes of New York. And his first target is-Spider-Man! Meanwhile, the Devil still runs the Kitchen, but who – or what – are they? And what happens when dirty cops capture a fake DD? When the ongoing saga of Mayor Wilson Fisk takes a brutal, bloody turn, Matt soon finds himself with no choice but to investigate the corruption in New York’s police force. And without a Man Without Fear to stand in his way, the Owl turns his horrifying sights on both Hell’s Kitchen and Izzy Libris! The city is descending into chaos – and a protector must rise!
• The Dreaming
  by Simon Spurrier, Bilquis Evely et al. (DC)
  From the upheaval of THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1 rises THE DREAMING-a kingdom in chaos. There is a place where stories are born. Today its walls lie slashed and bleeding. Dream has abandoned his realm, and until he is found, its residents must protect its broken borders alone. But the most senior storysmiths are tormented by invasive secrets, the warden Lucien is doubting his own mind-and beyond the gates something horrific waits with tooth and talon. Only Dora, the monstress, finds opportunity in madness, stealing dreams for the highest bidder. But she has no idea how deep the danger lies. Meanwhile, in Dream’s gallery, something new is growing…
• Immortal Hulk
  by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José et al. (Marvel)
  HORROR HAS A NAME.
  You’d never notice the man. He doesn’t like to be noticed. He’s quiet. Calm. Never complains. If someone were to walk up and shoot him in the head… all he’d do is die. Until night falls. And someone else gets up again. The man’s name is Banner. The horror is THE IMMORTAL HULK.

My Experience with the Nominees

These 6 comics have been around for a bit and I’ve actually read a few. Immortal Hulk, in particular has been a favorite of mine. I’ve read through the first two graphic novels and actually have nearly the entire series to read but have fallen behind. It’s currently one of my favorite comic series.

Bitter Root is an interesting read and I enjoyed the mix of Harlem culture and supernatural monsters. I’ve read through a few issues but was waiting until the full story arc came out to finish off…I suppose things are complete if there in the continuing series list.

I’ve heard good things about Criminal and purchased the first issue or two but haven’t taken the time to read them yet. Now that they’re nominated I should give them a look.

The Dreaming is a Sandman related story that kinda intimidates me. While I’ve heard good things about it, I know there’s a lot of background reading to catch up so I’ve left this one alone so far.

Finally, for Daredevil, I’ve read the first story arc but haven’t touched the series since, even though it was a good read. Perhaps I should take another look now that they’ve been nominated.

I guess that wasn’t really ‘finally’ since Crowded is in there but I haven’t read nor heard much about that series so don’t have much to say.

In any case I think there are some really good series in this group and I could easily see a couple coming out of top with the win.

Ramble 2020.03.09 | Some 2020 Eisner Nominees