Fanbase Press’ coverage of the 2018 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards continues with the “Countdown to the Eisners” series. From Monday, June 4, through Friday, July 13, 2018, 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 20.
Having existed as a category since the year 2010, the Best Single Issue/One-Shot category seeks to honor those who have shown outstanding talent in the craft of sequential art storytelling when it comes to single, standalone issues featuring a self-contained story that is not part of a larger ongoing series or miniseries. Here are the 2018 Eisner Award nominees for the Best Single Issue/One-Shot category:
Barbara by Nicole Miles (ShortBox)
Barbara is a comic exploration of one woman’s relationship with food and revolves around the lead character Jayda and her new friend, Barbara… a cactus. As the publisher’s website explains, “When Jayda begins to have strange thoughts about food, her friend, Barbara, suggests a change of diet which leaves Jayda feeling out of her depth and more than a little isolated. But Barbara’s life is so uncomplicated and calm. She probably knows best.”
Nicole Miles is an illustrator who hails from The Bahamas. She now lives in the UK with respectable high scores in both Tetris and Sudoku.
Click here to purchase.
Hellboy: Krampusnacht by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse)
Set in 1975, Hellboy: Krampusnacht is the third Hellboy winter special one-shot and argues that the only thing more exciting than pitting Hellboy against a Satanic spin on Santa Claus is the team-up of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and iconic artist Adam Hughes.
The one-shot serves as Hughes’ debut on the Hellboy Universe books, and the issue was released, appropriately, last December. The one-shot was lettered by Clem Robins and edited by Scott Allie and Katii O’Brien.
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Pope Hats #5 by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
Pope Hats has been described by the publisher as a story that “follows the trials of a young woman named Frances Scarland, whose social circle mainly consists of an alcoholic actress and an inept ghost named Saarsgard. The comic is an engaging slice-of-life story about young people navigating their own daily shortcomings.” The first issue was the winner of a 2008 Xeric Foundation Grant, and Pope Hats #5 serves as the long anticipated return to Scarland’s story, where the character finds herself flourishing in Los Angeles while attempting to endure her ever-shifting law firm job, become a grounded person, and not drink too much.
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The Spotted Stone by Rick Veitch (Sun Comics)
“Rick Veitch sent me his new wordless graphic book, The Spotted Stone. I read it & bought 25 copies to give to friends” – Neil Gaiman
Described by Veitch as a “kissing cousins” story, the wordless visual narrative deals with the lead female character opening a dimensional doorway with the power of the mysterious Spotted Stone. Our heroine finds herself in “a strange land and a new life unfettered by technology,” but the question is whether she will “find fulfillment before the Stone returns?”
The Spotted Stone was not distributed through Diamond, but Veitch has mentioned on his personal website that “a handful of brave retailers have ordered it direct from me for their customers.” The book is available from Amazon at the link below.
Click here to purchase.
What Is Left by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (ShortBox)
ShortBox describes What is Left as the story of “a ship that runs on the memories of one of its occupants that malfunctions and collapses in on itself in the dead of space. Alive but trapped inside the reservoir of the ship’s memories, an engineer who survives the wreckage finds herself alone and stranded in a patchwork dream of someone else’s life.”
What is Left is a double Eisner nominee this year, featured in both the Best Single Issue/One-Shot category and the Best Coloring category.
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Stay tuned to the Fanbase Press website tomorrow as we continue our “Countdown to the Eisners” coverage with the Best Continuing Series! 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 2018 Eisner Award Ceremony from the Hilton Bayfront Hotel at San Diego Comic-Con on the evening of Friday, July 20th!
