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The 2026 Eisner Awards Nominees Have Been Revealed

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Eisner Awards Nominee

Comic-Con has announced the nominees for the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The nominations cover works published between January 1 and December 31, 2025 and was chosen by a panel of judges.

This year’s nominees cover 32 categories, with over 170 print and online titles, from around 75 publishers.

DC was the most decorated publisher with 16 nominations plus 10 shared, Image Comics received 12 nominations and 9 shared, and Fantagraphics received 14 nominations.

Deniz Camp was the most nominated creator with 5 nominations. James Tynion IV received 4 nominations.

The Eisner Award trophies will be presented in an awards ceremony to be held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel during Comic-Con on the evening of July 24.

Below is the full list of this year’s nominees:

Best Short Story

  • “Blood Harvest,” in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)
  • “The Curse Room,” in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)
  • “Football Is Not War,” by R. K. Russell and Wilfred Santiago, in Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project (Stacked Deck Press)
  • “Red Snapper in the Rea,” by Michael D. Kennedy, in Milk White Steed (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • “trAPPed” by Anand RK, Suparna Sharma, and Natalie Obiko Pearson (Bloomberg News)

Best One-Shot/Single Issue

  • Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1, by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren (DC)
  • Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
  • Assorted Crisis Events #4, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
  • Coin-Op no. 10: Wet Cement, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)
  • Ice Cream Man #43: “One Page Horror Stories,” by W. Maxwell Prince and others (Image)
  • Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)

Best Continuing Series

  • Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and others (DC)
  • Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)
  • The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
  • FML, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez (Dark Horse)
  • The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)
  • Storm, by Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, and others (Marvel)

Best Limited Series

  • Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
  • Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)
  • Bronze Faces, by Shobo, Shof, and Alexandre Tefenkgi (BOOM! Studios)
  • Crownsville, by Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press)
  • Everything Dead and Dying, by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips (Image)
  • Out of Alcatraz, by Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook (Oni Press)

Best New Series

  • Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
  • Batman Vol. 4, by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez (DC)
  • Black Cat, by G. Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov (Marvel)
  • Exquisite Corpses, by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Pornsak Pichetshote, and others (Image)
  • Ghost Pepper, by Ludo Lullabi (Image)
  • Temporal, by Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore (Mad Cave)

Best Publication for Early Readers

  • All the Hulk Feels, by Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare/Marvel)
  • The Faraway Forest: Wally’s Route, by Debbie Fong (Chronicle Books)
  • The Fire-Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (TOON Books)
  • Night Light, by Michael Emberley (Holiday House)
  • Steve, A Rare Egg, by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press)

Best Publication for Kids

  • The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Chickenpox, by Remy Lai (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • Creature Clinic, by Gavin Aung Than (First Second)
  • Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! By Mika Song (Random House Graphic)
  • Oasis, by Guojing (Godwin Books/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • A Song for You and I, by K. O’Neill (Random House Graphic)

Best Publication for Teens

  • Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)
  • Clementine: Book Three, by Tillie Walden (Image Skybound)
  • Everyone Sux But You, by K. Wroten (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young (Little, Brown Ink)
  • This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)
  • Trumpets of Death, by Simon Bournel-Bosson, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe/Lerner)

Best Humor Publication

  • And to Think We Started as a Book Club, by Tom Toro (Andrews McMeel Universal)
  • Ew, It’s Beautiful: A False Knees Comics Collection, by Joshua Barkman (Andrews McMeel Universal)
  • The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt, by John Allison and Max Sarin (Dark Horse)
  • Jeff the Land Shark, by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro (Marvel)
  • Physics for Cats, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Spent: A Comic Novel, by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)

Best Anthology

  • Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, edited by Meghan Kemp-Gee and Megan Praz (Stacked Deck Press)
  • DC Pride 2025, edited by Andrea Shea and Jillian Grant (DC)
  • Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics)
  • Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen (Blue Creek Creative)
  • 2000AD 2026 Annual Featuring Judge Dredd, edited by Oliver Pickles (Rebellion)

Best Reality-Based Work

  • Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon)
  • Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, by Mimi Pond (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Fela: Music Is the Weapon, by Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery (Amistad)
  • Globetrotters: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s World Tour, by Julian Voloj and Julie Rocheleau (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Muybridge, by Guy Delisle, translated by Helge Daschert and Rob Aspinal (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Surrounded: America’s First School for Black Girls, 1832, by Wilfrid Lupano and Stéphane Fert (ABLAZE)

Best Graphic Memoir

  • The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)
  • My Life in 24 Frames Per Second, by Rintaro (Kana Manga US)
  • It Rhymes with Takei, by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf)
  • Precious Rubbish, by Kayla E. (Fantagraphics)
  • Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)
  • Talking to My Father’s Ghost: An Almost True Story, by Alex Krokus (Chronicle)

Best Graphic Album–New

  • Cannon, by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. Books)
  • The Fable of Erkling Woods, by Juni Ba (Goats Flying Press)
  • A Garden of Spheres, by Linnea Sterte (Peow2)
  • More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey (Top Shelf)
  • Shadows of the Sea, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album–Reprint

  • Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Storybook Edition, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)
  • Ginseng Roots: A Memoir, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)
  • Goes Like This, by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)
  • Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
  • Tongues, by Anders Nilsen (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

  • Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Vita Ayala and Sama Beck (Abrams Fanfare)
  • The Compleat Angler: A Graphic Adaptation, by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero)
  • Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition, by Sister Helen Prejean, adapted by Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Grünewald (Random House)
  • Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel, by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Setor Fiadzigbey (Little, Brown Ink)
  • Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, by William Golding, adapted by Aimée De Jongh (Penguin Classics)
  • A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

  • Buff Soul, by Moa Romanova, translated by Melissa Bowers (Fantagraphics)
  • Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog, by Marc Torices, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • In the End We All Die, by Tobias Aeschbacher, translated by Andrew Shields (Helvetiq)
  • Nocturnos, by Laura Perez, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
  • Raging Clouds, by Yudori (Fantagraphics)
  • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, by Anaïs Flogny, translated by Dan Christensen (Abrams ComicArts)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia

  • Hirayasumi, vols. 4–7, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash (VIZ Media)
  • Land, vol. 1, by Kazumi Yamashita, translated by Kevin Gifford (Yen Press)
  • Purgatory Funeral Cakes, by Sanho, translated by Danny Lim (Dark Horse)
  • Tokyo Alien Bros., vols. 1–3, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)
  • Yan, vols. 1–2, by Chang Sheng, translated by Vanessa Liu (Titan Manga)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

  • Arthur Ferrier’s Pin-Up Parade Box Set, edited by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)
  • Barnaby, vol. 5: 1950–1952, by Crockett Johnson, edited by Eric Reynolds and Philip Nel (Fantagraphics)
  • The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1928–1930, edited by J. Michael Catron and Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics)
  • Rea Irvin’s The Smythes, edited by R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw (NYRC)
  • Terminal Exposure: Comics, Sculpture, and Risky Behavior, by Michael McMillan, edited by Lucas Adams (NYRC)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

  • AKIRA Volumes 1–5 Hardcover Collection, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA Publishing)
  • The Atlas Comics Library No. 7: Girl Comics, edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo (Fantagraphics)
  • Comics of the Movement #1, by Courtland Cox, Jennifer Lawson, Alfred Hassler, and Benton Resnik (Good Trouble Comics)
  • Hothead Paisan, by Diane DiMassa, organized by Anika Banister (NYRC)
  • Scream! The Specials 1985–2024, edited by Chiara Mestieri (Rebellion)
  • Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, edited by Grant Geissman (TASCHEN)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

  • Comic Art in Korea, by John A. Lent (University Press of Mississippi)
  • Comics of the Anthropocene: Graphic Narrative at the End of Nature, by José Alaniz (University Press of Mississippi)
  • Graphic Narratives of Resistance, by Jennifer Boum Make and Charly Verstraet (Edinburgh University Press)
  • Latinx Comics Studies: Critical and Creative Crossings, edited by Fernanda Díaz-Basteris and Maite Urcaregui (Rutgers University Press)
  • Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905–1989, by Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

  • CANON, by Colin Blanchette and Alex Eklund
  • Comic Book Creator, edited by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows)
  • Dummy, edited by John Kelly (The Dummy Corporation)
  • Shelfdust, edited by Steve Morris, http://www.shelfdust.com
  • SKTCHD, by David Harper, http://www.sktchd.com
  • SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, http://www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press)

Best Comics-Related Book

  • Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, by Dan Nadel (Scribner)
  • Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)
  • How Comics Are Made, by Glenn Fleishman (Andrews McMeel)
  • Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narrative, by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Ooops…I Just Catharted!: Fifty Years of Cathartic Comics, by Rupert Kinnard, edited by William O. Tyler (Stacked Deck Press)

Best Publication Design

  • The Art of Manga, designed by Tessa Lee (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco/VIZ Media)
  • The Essential Peanuts, designed by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Collector’s Edition #13), designed by Wendy Chan (Yen Press)
  • Red Light Properties: Unfinished Business, designed by Dan Goldman (Kinjin Storylab)
  • The Marvel Art of Michael Allred Slipcase Edition, designed by Kurtis Findlay (Clover Press)
  • Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)

Best Webcomic

  • The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux (Fieldmouse Press)  
  • Keeping Time by Kody Okamoto (keepingtimecomic.com) 
  • The Legend of Parvaterra by Raúl Arnáiz (WEBTOON)
  • Sable: A Ghost Story, by Ethan M. Aldridge (sablecomic.com) 
  • Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON) 
  • Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden (pauljholden.com) 
  • Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com) 

Best Digital Comic

  • DeadAss, by hakei (VIZ Media)
  • In the Real Dark Night, by Jimmy Gownley (G-Ville Comics)
  • The Lycan, by Mike Carey, Thomas Jane, David James Kelly, and Diego Yapur (Comixology Originals)
  • Overwatch 2: Against the Tide, by Brandon Chen and Velinxi (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)
  • The World of Lublu, by Charbak Dipta (The Charbax Store)

Best Writer

  • Deniz Camp, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC); Assorted Crisis Events (Image); The Ultimates (Marvel)
  • Scott Snyder, Absolute Batman, Batman/Deadpool (DC); By a Thread: Book 2 (Comixology Originals), You Won’t Feel a Thing (DSTLRY)
  • Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)
  • Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel)
  • James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd: The Power of the Blood (BOOM! Studios); Let This One Be a Devil, Red Book (Dark Horse); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Skybound)
  • Stephanie Williams, Street Sharks (IDW); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave)

Best Writer/Artist

  • Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
  • Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC)
  • Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
  • Chang Sheng, Yan, vols. 1–2 (Titan Manga)
  • Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow2)
  • Kazumi Yamashita, Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press)

Best Penciller/Inker

  • Elsa Charetier, The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY)
  • Sean Phillips, Giant Size Criminal #1, The Knives: A Criminal Book (Image)
  • Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
  • Chris Samnee, Batman and Robin: Year One (DC)
  • Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns (DC)
  • Eric Zawadzki, Assorted Crisis Events (Image)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

  • Teddy Kristiansen, Black Hammer: Spiral City (Dark Horse)
  • Cathy Malkasian, Shadows of the Sea (Fantagraphics)
  • Qu, Slices of Life: A Comic Montage (Bulgilhan Press)
  • Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)
  • Mika Song, Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! (Random House Graphic)
  • Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow)

Best Cover Artist

  • Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
  • Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman #1, Batman/Deadpool (DC)
  • Francesco Francavilla, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman: Full Moon, Nightwing variants (DC); Green Hornet/Miss Fury (Dynamite); Star Trek: The Last Starship, Twilight Zone (IDW); Dick Tracy (Mad Cave)
  • Mateus Manhanini, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific: Year One variants (DC); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel)
  • Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman & Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)
  • Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns #3-12 (DC)

Best Coloring

  • Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)
  • Ninakupenda Gaillard, Chickenpox (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
  • Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC); The Seasons (Image)
  • Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
  • José Villarrubia, This Ink Runs Cold (Alan Spiegel Fine Arts); Ghostbox (Comixology Originals); Dracula Book 2: The Brides, The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly (Dark Horse); Hunger (The Lab Press); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf)

Best Lettering

  • Janice Chiang, Acro and the Cat, All Upon a Time, Beyond the Aural Vault, Republica, Solarblader (Sandstorm); John Carpenter’s Blood of the Taken: Next of Kin, Pause, Tales of Science Fiction (Storm King)
  • Clayton Cowles, Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman & Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Black Canary: Best of the Best, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, (DC); Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3 (Marvel)
  • Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)
  • Nate Piekos, American Caper #1, Archie Vs. Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons, The Umbrella Academy Plan B, Welcome to Twilight (Dark Horse); I Hate Fairyland (Image)
  • Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story (Top Shelf)

The 2026 Eisner Nominations Includes the First Work Featuring AI?

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The nominees for the 2026 Eisner awards were announced today and with it some controversy. We’re not talking the usual frustration with who was chosen and who was omitted. This year’s nominees includes what might be the first inclusion of work featuring AI.

Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology was nominated this year under “Best Anthology.” Managed by Van Jensen, the anthology was backed with an impressive amount of talent and raised over $39,000 from 614 supporters on the Zoop crowdfunding platform.

One of those who contributed was Michael Todasco using his “AI persona,” Alex Irons for an included page. Todasco seemed to have boasted of the inclusion on LinkedIn and you can see his page further below.

My AI persona, Alex Irons, is being published in a new comic book compilation starring the 1940s, public domain superhero, Stardust the Super Wizard. I trained a model on the original Fletcher Hanks artwork and story structure, and the AI generated the published tale. However, don't buy it for that reason. There are 139 pages of insanely talented human creators who fill the rest of the book, including legends like Mike Allred. A couple of days remain to pre-order a copy.

The inclusion of the AI generated story wasn’t disclosed in the original campaign and Todasco nor “Alex Irons” are mentioned on the campaign page but are in the table of content in a story unironically called, “Artificial.”

When it comes to the use of AI in Eisner submissions, we can’t find anything that prohibits it. The FAQ and “call for entries” don’t mention the topic. We’ve reached out to the team for any clarification and will update this article when/if we hear back. The eligibility is rather simple:

Eligibility: Any comic, graphic novel/album, or comics-related periodical/book shipped to retailers or bookstores or first made available online in the U.S. between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 is eligible. Publications must not be more than 50 percent reprint material (except in the graphic album– reprint and archival categories); international material published for the first time in English the United States in 2025 is eligible.

So, congrats to whatever system that was trained on the hard work Fletcher Hanks and your Eisner nomination!

Below is the page in question.

Stardust AI page

SDCC 2026: Sideshow and Hot Toys Returns to the Convention

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Sideshow at SDCC 2026

Sideshow and Hot Toys will be returning to San Diego Comic-Con in 2026, taking place July 23-26, 2026, and featuring an expansive showcase of Hot Toys 1:6 scale action figures alongside premium statues inspired by the worlds of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, and more. Sideshow’s artists first exhibited at SDCC in the year 2000.

From longtime collectors to first-time attendees, fans will find a refreshed home base where they can connect, explore, and experience the characters they love through highly detailed statues, art prints, and action figures.

For decades, Sideshow has been the place to meet at SDCC. It’s the spot you use as a landmark between Hall H and Artist’s Alley, and the corner of the show floor where you can slow down and share a moment with your people.

Now, in 2026, Sideshow and Hot Toys have a new home base near the entrance of Hall C at booth #2401.

For fans who won’t be at SDCC, and collectors who just can’t get enough geeky content – you’ll be able to join Sideshow and Hot Toys online all week for fun and festivities at Sideshow.com!

They’ll be starting the celebration early, with online-exclusive coverage, activities, and more beginning Monday, July 20, 2026, and continuing throughout the week. Fans can now pre-register for free to receive the latest news and updates as they are revealed, and earn Sideshow Rewards to use at Sideshow.com.

16 Nominated for the 2026 Eisner Hall of Fame

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Eisner Awards

The Eisner Awards Hall of Fame judges have chosen 16 individuals to nominate for the 2026 induction. Four will be chosen and join the 19 individuals already chosen for the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame judging panel consists of Michael T. Gilbert, Karen Green, Alonso Nuñez, Diana Schutz, Jim Thompson, and Maggie Thompson.

Voting is held online with a two-step voting process to enhance security. Those that want to vote can apply here. Eligible voters are then invited to participate.

Comic book/graphic novel/webcomic creators (writers, artists, cartoonists, pencillers, inkers, letterers, colorists); comic book/graphic novel publishers and editors; comics historians and educators; graphic novel librarians; and owners and managers of comic book specialty retail stores are all eligible to vote.

Voting ends on March 6.

The full list of nominees is below and congrats to all!

Kate Carew (1869–1961)

Mary Williams, who used the pseudonym Kate Carew, studied at the San Francisco School of Design and started her career in illustrating in 1889, when she was employed by the San Francisco Examiner. A year later, she moved to New York to work for The New York Globe, where she created several comics, including “The Angel Child.” Her caricatures and interviews became so popular that she was sent to Europe to make the series “Kate Carew Abroad.” In 1911, she settled in London and did work for The Patrician and Tatler. At the start of World War I she moved back to the States and continued working for newspapers such as The New York Tribune. 

Colleen Doran (1964– )

Award-winning writer/artist Colleen Doran came on to the comics scene in the early 1980s with her creator-owned series A Distant Soil. Her published works now number in the hundreds, with clients such as The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, Image Comics, Lucasfilm, Dark Horse, Harper Collins, Houghton Mifflin, Sony, and Scholastic. Her credits include Amazing Spiderman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Sandman, Wonder Woman, The Legion of Superheroes, Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, A Distant Soil, The Silver Surfer, Neil Gaimon’s Chivalry, and Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible Stan Lee, among many others.



George Evans (1920–2001)

After working for Fiction House and Fawcett in the late 1940s, artist George Evans joined EC Comics in 1953, working for Harvey Kurtzman on Two Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat and with Al Feldstein on The Haunt of Fear and Weird Science. When EC collapsed in 1956, he went to Gilberton’s Classics Illustrated line and did “Space Conquerors” for Boy’s Life magazine. In the early 1960s he worked for DC (Blackhawk) and Gold Key (Twilight Zone, Hercules Unchained), and then Warren’s Eerie and Creepy. In 1980, he succeeded Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson on Secret Agent Corrigan, a syndicated comic strip he continued until 1996. During the 1980s and 1990s, he also drew for such publishers as Pacific (Vanguard Illustrated), Eclipse (Airboy), Marvel (The Nam) and Dark Horse (Classic Star Wars).

Crockett Johnson (1906–1975) 

Crockett Johnson achieved lasting comic strip industry fame when he created the enormously popular syndicated strip “Barnaby” in 1941. It lasted 21 years and was adapted for a book, a play, television, and radio. In 1940 Johnson married children’s author Ruth Krauss, with whom he would collaborate on four children’s books. He wrote and illustrated Harold and the Purple Crayon, a critically acclaimed story of an imaginative boy who draws fantastic landscapes with his crayon, in 1955. Harold enjoyed further adventures in six sequels between 1956 and 1963, as well as being adapted for animated films and television. 

Peter Kuper (1958– )

Peter Kuper has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker, The Nation, and MAD magazine, where he wrote and drew “SPY vs. SPY” every issue from 1997 to 2022. His “Eye of the Beholder” was the first comic strip to ever regularly appear in the New York Times. He is the co-founder and editor of World War 3 Illustrated, a political graphics magazine that has given a forum to political artists for over 40 years. He has produced over two dozen books, including The System, Diario de Oaxaca, Ruins, and adaptations of many of Franz Kafka’s works into comics. His latest graphic novel is Insectopolis, a graphic novel on the history of insects.

George McManus (1884–1954)

George McManus dropped out of school at age 15 and started working at the St. Louis Republic. This newspaper published his first comic, “Alma and Oliver.” In 1904, he moved to New York and was employed by the New York World, where he worked on several strips, including “The Newlyweds,” about an elegant young couple and their baby, Snookums. This series, the first family strip in an American newspaper, became quite popular and caused rival newspaper The New York American to invite McManus to work for them, which he did from 1912 on. He continued “The Newlyweds” and started up several other daily comics, most notably “Bringing Up Father.” This comic about an Irish immigrant worker, Jiggs, and his wife Maggie, inspired several movies—in four of them, McManus himself played the role of Jiggs. McManus influenced a great number of artists, including Herge and Joost Swarte. 

Kevin Nowlan (1958– ) 

Artist Kevin Nowlan has worked for both Marvel (Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and others) and DC (Superman vs Aliens and others), as well as Dark Horse (Aliens Salvation with writer Dave Gibbons and penciller Mike Mignola) and other publishers. Perhaps his most prominent contribution to the comic book world is the creation of Jack B. Quick with writer Alan Moore. This character appeared several times in Alan Moore’s Tomorrow Stories under Moore’s America’s Best Comics imprint. 

Mimi Pond (1956– )

Mimi Pond sold her first comics to National Lampoon while working as a waitress. In 1982, her book The Valley Girls Guide to Life (Dell) became a bestseller and launched her career. From that moment on, she published several other humor books, including Secrets of the Powder Room (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983), Shoes Never Lie (Berkley Books, 1985), A Groom of One’s Own (Dutton, 1991) and Splitting Hairs (Simon and Schuster, 1998). Her more recent graphic novels include the memoirs Over Easy, The Customer Is Always Wrong, and Do Admit: the Mitford Sisters and Me. Pond also wrote scripts for several TV series, including Designing Women (1986–1993), Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1990), and the pilot episode of The Simpsons: “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” (1989). 

Posy Simmonds (1945– )

British cartoonist Rosemary Elizabeth “Posy” Simmonds has managed to make her mark in the graphic novel publishing world by reinventing classic literature into illustrated novels for adults. She is best known for her long association with London’s The Guardian, where she serialized Gemma Bovery (2000; made into a film in 2014) and Tamara Drewe (2005–2006; made into a film in 2010) before their publication in book form. In 1987, she began to write and illustrate children’s books, creating such works as Lulu and the Flying Babies (1988) and Fred (1987), the film version of which was nominated for an Oscar. She was made a Member of the British Empire in 2002 for her services to the newspaper industry, and she received the Grand Prix de la ville d’Angoulême in 2024.

Jeff Smith (1960– )

Jeff Smith is the creator of the award-winning comic book series Bone. He and his wife Vijaya Iyer established Cartoon Books in 1991 to self-publish the series. Jeff was a pioneer in comics publishing for kids when Bone launched Scholastic’s graphic novel imprint Graphix Books in 2005. Smith’s other award-winning and acclaimed comics include SHAZAM! The Monster Society of Evil, RASL, Little Mouse Gets Ready!, ROSE, and Bone: Tall Tales. His most recent project, TUKI, ran as a webcomic series from 2013 to 2016, followed by two graphic novels. In 2015 Jeff helped found the annual Cartoon Crossroads Columbus festival.

Paul Smith (1953– ) 

Paul Smith’s comics career began at Marvel in the early 1980s, with runs as the artist on Uncanny X-Men and Doctor Strange. Often described as having a “smooth” and elegant, animation-influenced style, Smith is considered a fan-favorite artist who helped define the look of iconic characters during his relatively short but impactful run. He famously designed the iconic “punk” look for Storm (black leather, mohawk), which debuted in Uncanny X-Men #173. Smith subsequently worked on a range of comics titles, including The Golden Age (DC) and Leave It to Chance (Marvel), both collaborations with writer James Robinson. Smith also contributed art to a number of First Comics titles, including American Flagg!, Nexus, and GrimJack, and Marvel’s Kitty Pryde: Shadow and Flame limited series.

Leonard Starr (1925–2015)

Leonard Starr began his career in the early 1940s Golden Age of comic books, drawing Sub-Mariner and Human Torch stories for Timely and Don Winslow stories for Fawcett. He also worked for a variety of other publishers, including Better Publications, Consolidated Book, Croyden Publications, E. R. Ross Publishing, Hillman Periodicals, and Crestwood. His first work for newspapers was ghosting the Flash Gordon strip for King Features in the mid-1950s. His own strip, Mary Perkins On Stage, began via the Chicago Tribune–New York News Syndicate in 1957; he drew it until 1979. He was then hired by the same syndicate to revive the Little Orphan Annie strip, which he wrote and drew until his retirement in 2000. He also, in tandem with fellow strip artist Stan Drake, created a series of popular graphic novels named for their title character, Kelly Green.

Akira Toriyama (1955–2024)

Akira Toriyama became well known for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball. In 1981, he won the Shogakukan Manga Award for Dr. Slump, which sold over 35 million copies in Japan and was also made into a successful anime TV show. Dragon Ball has become one of the most popular manga worldwide. It sold 260 million copies, making it one of the bestselling manga series ever. The Dragon Ball anime shows helped make anime popular in Western countries. Toriyama also designed characters for many popular video games.

Mark Waid (1962– )

Over the course of his four decades in the comic book industry, Mark Waid has developed characters and written stories for Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, The Avengers, X-Men, Archie, Star Wars, The Incredibles, Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman, Daredevil, Captain America and almost every other franchise currently enjoying success across all media platforms. Kingdom Come, which he co-created for DC Comics, has become one of the best-selling graphic novels in history. Many of the storylines and characters he wrote and created in his eight-year run on The Flash comic were featured on the hit television series. Outside the realm of superheroes, Mark has created and written the detective procedural Potter’s Field and the horror mystery The Unknown, among others. 

Chris Ware (1967– )

Known for his New Yorker magazine covers, award-winning cartoonist Chris Ware is hailed as a master of the comics artform. His complex graphic novels tell stories about people in suburban Midwestern neighborhoods, poignantly reflecting on the role memory plays in constructing identity. Stories featuring many of Ware’s protagonists—Quimby the Mouse, Rusty Brown, and Jimmy Corrigan—often first appeared in serialized form, in publications such as The New York Times, the Guardian, or Ware’s own ongoing comic book series Acme Novelty Library, before being organized into their own stand-alone books. His work has appeared in many national and international art exhibits, including solo exhibitions at the Gavle Kunstcentrum in Sweden, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and as part of the Masters of American Comics traveling exhibit.

S. Clay Wilson (1941–2021)

Perhaps the most outrageous of the underground comix artists, S. Clay Wilson created wild illustrations full of violent and sexual imagery that crossed every boundary of taste. His signature series was “The Checkered Demon” (1968–1994), which debuted in the second issue of ZAP Comix. Wilson was an influence on many comics creators, among them Alan Moore as well as his own colleagues in the underground comix scene. Wilson’s work appeared in Arcade, The Realist, Playboy, Hustler, Weirdo, and LA Weekly, among other publications. In the 1990s he also illustrated the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, collected as Wilson’s Andersen: Seven Stories by Andersen (1994) and Wilson’s Grimm (1999). In 2008 Wilson suffered a traumatic brain injury and was severely disabled until his death in 2021.

19 announced for the 2026 Eisner Hall of Fame

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Eisner Awards

Comic-Con has posted on social media that 19 individuals have been selected to be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2026. These inductees include 8 deceased comics pioneers and 11 living persons. 

The Hall of Fame trophies will be presented in a special ceremony at the San Diego Convention Center on the morning of July 24. The Eisner Awards in 30+ other categories will be presented in the traditional Friday evening ceremony at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel.

The 19 are:

  • Edwina Dumm
  • Oliver Harrington
  • Don Heck
  • Abe Kanegson
  • Paul S. Newman
  • Hector German Osterheld
  • Tom Palmer Sr.
  • Jimmy Swinnerton
  • Bob Bolling
  • Gerry Conway
  • Denys Cowan
  • Mike Freidrich
  • Lee Marrs
  • Go Nagai
  • Bud Plant
  • Mike Royer
  • Dave Sim
  • Carol Tyler
  • Rick Veitch

Congrats to all!

Update: San Diego Comic-Con Quietly Updates its Art Show AI Policy Reversing Course

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San Diego Comic-Con 2026 is gearing up and had a bit of a dust-up already when it comes to AI’s presence at this year’s convention. Policies and more were released concerning the art show at the convention, which initially allowed “material produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI).” As you can imagine, with a convention built on artists that went over exactly like a turd in a pool.

Less than 24 hours after the issue was raised, the convention quietly updated the policy reversing the decision:

(3) Material created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability.

We imagine extra scrutiny will be given towards every policy, presentation, exhibitor, when it comes to this year’s convention after this and speaking up can create positive outcomes.

Also, fuck AI.

Update: Glen Wooten, the individual in charge of the art show, gives much more context of the situation, explaining that the language has been that way for years but flew under the radar due to the fact the use of AI wasn’t as much of a thing. But, with the issue front and center, it needed to be updated instead of discouraging, outright banning its use. A check of the Wayback Machine has the language present in 2024.

Here’s an email exchange I had with Glen Wooten, the person in charge of SDCC’s Art Show. The previous language has been in place for a couple of years & was a compromise between himself & the higher ups. This whole ruckus convinced them that they needed more forceful language, so that’s great.

— Dane is home for a bit. (@monkeyminion.com) 2026-01-15T02:22:38.088Z

SDCC 2025: American Caper looks like it’ll bring some solid action and satire in November

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Dark Horse Comics and Absurd Ventures present American Caper, a new crime fiction comic series created and written by Dan Houser, who was co-founder of Rockstar Games and longtime head writer and creative director of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. American Caper boasts a murderer’s row of crime fiction and comics talent including fellow Grand Theft Auto veteran Lazlow, who is producing and contributing additional writing to the series. Illustrated by Eisner Award-winning artist David Lapham with finishes by Chris Anderson, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Nate Piekos, the American Caper saga is a brutal crime fiction satire set against the backdrop of our current, hopelessly fractured, preposterous political nightmare.

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Order the first issues from your local comic shop!

SDCC 2025: The Ignition Press 2025 First Look teases three upcoming comic book series!

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This special preview book contains black-and-white teasers from three of Ignition Press‘ upcoming titles, as well as introductions by the authors.

  • ROOTS OF MADNESS – a cosmic horror tale from Stephanie Williams (Nubia & the Amazons) and Letizia Cadonici (Something Is Killing the Children)
  • THE BEAUTY – a return of the indie sensation by writers Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, with art by Emanuela Lupacchino (World’s Finest: Teen Titans)
  • ARCADIA – a fantasy/sci-fi epic from the Miranda Brothers (We Live)

Story: Stephanie Williams, Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, Inaki Miranda, Roy Miranda
Art: Letizia Cadonici, Emanuela Lupacchino, Inaki Miranda
Letterer: Andworld Design, Dave Sharpe

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Order the first issues from your local comic shop!
Get the Ignition Press 2025 First Look from Ignition Press

Ignition Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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