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.
First awarded in the year 2012, the Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12) category has been bestowed on titles including Ryan North’s Adventure Time, Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts, and more. Given their presence as one of the growing audiences in the industry, modern comics geared towards a child audience are often bold and inventive these days, as this year’s nominees demonstrate.
Here are the 2018 Eisner Award nominees for the Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12) category:
Bolivar by Sean Rubin (Archaia)
Recommended for ages 8 to 99, Bolivar has achieved an impressive “perfect” Amazon rating score (receiving only 5 star ratings, 35 at current count) and tells the tale of young Sybil who lives in Manhattan with the world’s last dinosaur as her neighbor. In the busy adult world of the city around her, no one but Sybil notices Bolivar’s peculiar traits, but an unexpected adventure will lead to a choice where the dinosaur will have to decide whether to stay hidden or reveal himself to the world.
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Home Time (Book One): Under the River by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf)
“Campbell Whyte’s debut graphic novel is cute, funny, scary, exciting, and cleverly constructed. The drawings are always a pleasure, each new art style blending seamlessly into the whole. I’m looking forward to the thrilling conclusion!” – Bryan Lee O’Malley
Described by the publisher as “loosely, but lovingly, inspired by the fantasy worlds of the ’80s and ’90s,” Whyte’s graphic novel tells the story of two twins, Lilly and David, whose vacation plans the summer before high school are thrown out the window when they find themselves in a village of fantastic creatures and must find their way home.
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Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez (Nobrow)
Nobrow Press’ website states that Nightlights blends the reality of a strict Catholic school with a young girl’s boundless imagination, in a beautiful story about fear, insecurity, and creativity. Sandy is an outsider at her school and is delighted when a new girl takes an interest in her drawings. But does this mysterious pale girl have ulterior motives?
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The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
Originally a webcomic by the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After, O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Society is also a Dwayne McDuffie Award nominee this year, as well as part of the ALA Rainbow List. The plot is described as following “the story of a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons,” and critics have called it “warm,” “funny,” and “extremely cute.”
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Wallace the Brave by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)
“If you like the humor in Calvin and Hobbes, you must read Wallace the Brave.”
– Imagination Soup
Henry’s book tells the story of life in Snug Harbor. The son of a fisherman, Wallace spends his time with his best friend Spud and Amelia, the new girl in town. Full of adventure and laughs, young riders are sure to get a kick out of Wallace’s experiences and antics.
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Stay tuned to the Fanbase Press website tomorrow 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 2018 Eisner Award Ceremony from the Hilton Bayfront Hotel at San Diego Comic-Con on the evening of Friday, July 20th!
