Fanbase Press’ coverage of the 2020 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards continues with the “Countdown to the Eisners” series. From June 22 through July 14, 2020, Fanbase Press will highlight each of the Eisner Awards’ 31 nomination categories, providing comic book industry members and readers alike the opportunity to learn more about the nominees and their work. Stay tuned for Fanbase Press’ continued coverage of the Eisner Awards, including live coverage of the ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2020.
Best Digital Comic
One of the more recently created categories, the Best Digital Comic category has only been around since 2017, with previous winners including Bandette by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover and Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Gideo Kendall.
Here are the 2020 Eisner Award nominees for Best Digital Comic category:
Afterlift, by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo (comiXology Originals)
Written by Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals, Daredevil) and illustrated by Jason Loo (The Pitiful Human-Lizard), Afterlift is the story of a ride-share that goes terribly awry when two passengers, evading otherworldly forces, catch a ride with driver Janice Chen. This title is part of comiXology Originals’ lineup.
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Black Water Lilies, by Michel Bussi, adapted by Frederic Duval and Didier Cassegrain, translated by Edward Gauvin (Europe Comics)
Based on Michel Bussi’s novel and adapted by Frederic Duval and Didier Cassegrain, Black Water Lilies is set in a picturesque Giverny village. Pipeline Comics states that this adaptation is a “very strong piece of work, and a great murder/mystery where every character has their own strong motivation. No stone is left unturned, and the final answer is both surprising and satisfying.” Black Water Lilies is one of four titles from Europe Comics that has been nominated for this category. Edward Gauvin rounds out the creative team as translator.
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Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin, by Tania de Montaigne, adapted by Emilie Plateau, translated by Montana Kane (Europe Comics)
Based on the book, Noire, by Tania de Montaigne, Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin is adapted by Emilie Plateau and translated by Montana Kane. Many are familiar with Rosa Parks, but Claudette Colvin is another young black woman who made the decision not to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. “Even if it happened decades before you were born Plateau makes the indictment relevant and fresh. It’s the short of presentation that challenges us to leave this story in the 1950s but act on it as if it happened the moment you read the book,” states The Comics Beat.
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Elma, A Bear’s Life, Vol 1: The Great Journey, by Ingrid Chabbert and Lea Maze, translated by Jenny Aufiery (Europe Comics)
Per Europe Comics’ description: “Elma is a joyful, free-spirited child who is being raised by a bear she thinks of as her father. But Papa Bear is hiding a secret, and the close-knit duo must make a long and perilous journey to begin a mysterious new life beyond the forest. Adventure and danger are in store as they discover the linked secrets of Elma’s past and future.” Elma, A Bear’s Life, Volume 1: The Great Journey is written by Ingrid Chabbert and illustrated by Lea Maze.
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Mare Internum, by Der-shing Helmer (comiXology; gumroad.com/I/MIPDF)
Mare Internum is a science fiction story following two scientists who discover a subterranean cavern on Mars, and they are not alone. Published between January 2015 and November 2019 by Der-shing Helmer, she is the author of The Meek, another online comic.
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Tales from Behind the Window, by Edanur Kuntman, translated by Cem Ulgen (Europe Comics)
Written/illustrated by Edanur Kuntman and translated by Cem Ulgen, Tales from Behind the Window is a collection of three memories focusing on the plight of women who suffer from a patriarchal societal structure. The Comics Beat states, “Kuntman’s admirable work here provides a worthy account of not only how long such injustices can lurk under the international radar, but how they can have a direct effect on the personal stories of people you might even know.”
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Best Webcomic
Originally part of the Best Digital Comic Award, the Eisner Award for Best Webcomic spun off into its own category in 2017 and honors the best of online comics. Prior comics which have received the award include Scott Kurtz’s PvP, Katie O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Society, and Steve Purcell’s Sam & Max: The Big Sleep.
Here are the 2020 Eisner Award nominees for Best Webcomic category:
Cabramatta, by Matt Huynh
Posted at Believer Magazine, writer/illustrator Matt Huynh describes the interactive Cabramatta as “an autobiographical comic about growing up in a community of Vietnam War refugees resettled in Australia’s heron capital.”
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Chuckwagon at the End of the World, by Erik Lundy
Written and illustrated by Erik Lundy, Chuckwagon at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic tale set in the wastelands of Kansas where two men hunt killer unicorns.
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The Eyes, by Javi de Castro
The Eyes is a five-episode series featuring stories about eyes, the act of seeing, and visual perceptions and written/illustrated by Javi de Castro.
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Fried Rice Comic, by Erica Eng
Erica Eng is an animator/illustrator who is attending San Francisco’s Academy of Art University; she is the creator of Fried Rice Comic. The webcomic follows Min, a young woman from Batu Pahat, and Johor who is an artist visiting her cousin. According to Eng’s About page, the comic “is a work of autobiographical fiction.”
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reMIND, by Jason Brubaker
According to Coffee Table Comics, reMIND is “an all-ages sci-fi story about faith, underwater lizard-men, and brain transplantation. All Sonja wanted was to find her cat, Victuals. But when he washing up on the shore of her sleepy coastal town several days later with a head full of stitches and the startling ability to speak — and no memory of how he got that way, her quiet life changed forever.”
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Third Shift Society, by Meredith Moriarty
Writer/illustrator Meredith Moriarty summarizes Third Shift Society as a “supernatural action comic about two paranormal detectives: Ellie, a plucky 20-something who recently discovered her own otherworldly powers; and Ichabod, a calm, intelligent man who happens to have a pumpkin for a head. Together, they navigate a world full of ghosts, vampires, witches, and demons…and those are just the clients!”
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Stay tuned to the Fanbase Press website each day as we continue our “Countdown to the Eisners” coverage! Plus, follow Fanbase Press’ Facebook, Twitter (@Fanbase_Press), and Instagram (@fanbasepress) with the hashtag #FPSDCC to stay up to date on our SDCC and Eisner Awards updates, including a live-tweet of the 2020 Eisner Award Ceremony!
