Fanbase Press’ coverage of the 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards continues with the “Countdown to the Eisners” series. From Wednesday, May 29, through Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 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 on Friday, July 19.
First awarded in 1988 to Dark Horse Comics’ Concrete by Paul Chadwick, the Best New Series category honors the latest impressive additions to the world of serialized comics. Past winners include Powers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Saga, Black Hammer, and more. Although many of their series have won the award before, this year is a particularly special one for Image Comics, as the legendary publisher has completely dominated the Best New Series category with a clean sweep.
Here are the 2019 Eisner Award nominees for the Best New Series category:
Bitter Root by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
Described by the publisher as “24 action-packed pages of monsters, mayhem, and family dysfunction,” Bitter Root comes from the creative team behind Power Man and Iron Fist. The story focuses on an African American family that slays monsters in the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance, and it and its creators have been featured in the Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. Legendary Studios recently acquired the film rights for Bitter Root in March of this year.
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Crowded by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image)
Providing commentary on the “gig economy,” Crowded sees its two lead characters, Charlie and Vita, as they navigate a world where you can crowd fund assassinations and hire bodyguards through an app like a nightmarish version of Uber or Lyft. Both focused on and created by freelancers, this meta-murder tale is described by co-creator Sebela as taking place “10 minutes in the future, because so much of that aspect is grounded in stuff that’s going on right now.”
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Gideon Falls by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image)
Coming from the same creative team behind Old Man Logan and Green Arrow, Gideon Falls weaves a tale about a mysterious legend about a structure known as The Black Barn. Potentially supernatural and said to appear in more than one location, The Black Barn is a herald of death and madness that will ensnare its lead characters in a story where “rural mystery and urban horror collide,” with the publisher describing the book as a “character-driven meditation on obsession, mental illness, and faith.”
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Isola by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl (Image)
“ISOLA is one of the most beautifully illustrated North American fantasy comics I’ve ever seen. It mixes European and Japanese influences with Fletcher and Kerschl’s considerable charm to make something new and exciting.” -Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, The Lost Boys)
Recommended by the publisher for fans of Studio Ghibli and the work of Hayao Miyazaki, Isola reunites creators (and childhood friends) Fletcher and Kirsch for an epic fantasy tale involving a queen suffering under an evil spell and the Captain of the Royal Guard who must travel to the land of the dead to save his majesty.
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Man-Eaters by Chelsea Cain, Lia Miternique and Kate Niemczyk (Image)
Described by the publisher as “part Cat People, part The Handmaid’s Tale,” Man-Eaters poses what would happen if an unexpected mutation effecting menstruating women suddenly turned them into “ferocious killer wildcats.” Man-Eaters comes from the creative team responsible for the Eisner-nominated Mockingbird series.
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Skyward by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett (Image)
“Skyward reminds me a lot of Y: The Last Man. The book has such a simple and elegant premise that it’s enough to hook the average reader and totally infuriate fellow storytellers.”
– Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, East of West)
Set in a world where Earth’s gravity has been reduced (and, after years, the human population has adapted to this new low-gravity state), Skyward follows the adventures of Willa Fowler, a woman born just after the planet’s gravity adjustment.
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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 2019 Eisner Award Ceremony from the Hilton Bayfront Hotel at San Diego Comic-Con on the evening of Friday, July 19th!
