‘My Favorite Thing Is Monsters’ and ‘Monstress’ lead 2018 Eisner Awards nominations

The nominations for the 2018 Eisner Awards were announced Thursday, and a couple of “monsters” are leading the pack.

Emil Ferris’ debut graphic novel, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters,” and Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s fantasy comic book series, “Monstress,” are this year’s top nominees with five nominations a piece.

Set in 1960s Chicago, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” centers on young Karen Reyes, whose favorite thing is monsters — so much so that she even sees herself as a literal monster.

Presented as a diary, the book touches on many aspects of Karen’s life, including her investigation into the death of her neighbor. The book is nominated in the categories for new graphic album, writer/artist, coloring, lettering and publication design.

“Monstress” by author Liu and artist Takeda, is a fantasy epic set in a matriarchal world of warring magical creatures and mystics following the adventures of Maika Halfwolf. The series has earned multiple Eisner nominations since its 2015 debut.

This year the comic has been nominated in the continuing series and publication for teens categories, with Liu among the nominated writers and Takeda nominated as painter and cover artist.

Sometimes referred to as “the Oscars of the comic book industry,” the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards honor the top comics creators as well as publications of comics and graphic novels.

Other works with multiple nominations include DC’s “Mister Miracle” and “The Flinstones” as well as Groundwood Books’ “Louis Undercover” and Dark Horse’s “Black Hammer.”

In addition to Ferris, Takeda and Liu, David Rubín, Mark Russell, Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Isabelle Arsenault are among the individual creators with the most nominations.

Held during San Diego Comic-Con, this year’s awards will be presented on July 20.

Here’s a complete list of nominations.

Short Story

• “Ethel Byrne” by Cecil Castelluci and Scott Chantler, in “Mine: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood” (ComicMix)
• “Forgotten Princess” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Antonio Sandoval, in “Adventure Time Comics” No. 13 (kaboom!)
• “A Life in Comics: The Graphic Adventures of Karen Green” by Nick Sousanis, in Columbia Magazine (Summer 2017),
• “Small Mistakes Make Big Problems” by Sophia Foster-Dimino, in “Comics for Choice” (Hazel Newlevant)
• “Trans Plant” by Megan Rose Gedris, in “Enough Space for Everyone Else” (Bedside Press)

Single Issue/One-Shot

• “Barbara” by Nicole Miles (ShortBox)
• “Hellboy: Krampusnacht” by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse)
• “Pope Hats” No. 5 by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
• “The Spotted Stone” by Rick Veitch (Sun Comics)
• “What Is Left” by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (ShortBox)

Continuing Series

• “Black Hammer” by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and David Rubín (Dark Horse)
• “Giant Days” by John Allison, Max Sarin and Liz Fleming (BOOM! Box)
• “Hawkeye” by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero and Mike Walsh (Marvel)
• “Monstress” by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
• “The Wicked + The Divine” by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie (Image)

Limited Series

• “Black Panther: World of Wakanda” by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez (Marvel)
• “Extremity” by Daniel Warren Johnson (Image/Skybound)
• “The Flintstones” by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi and Scott Hanna (DC)
• “Mister Miracle” by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)
• “X-Men: Grand Design” by Ed Piskor (Marvel)

New Series

• “Black Bolt” by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward (Marvel)
• “Grass Kings” by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins (BOOM! Studios)
• “Maestros” by Steve Skroce (Image)
• “Redlands” by Jordie Belaire and Vanesa Del Rey (Image)
• “Royal City” by Jeff Lemire (Image)

Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

• “Adele in Sand Land” by Claude Ponti, translated by Skeeter Grant and Françoise Mouly (Toon Books)
• “Arthur and the Golden Rope” by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye/Nobrow)
• “Egg” by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books)
• “Good Night” Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books)
• “Little Tails in the Savannah” by Frederic Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci, translated by Mike Kennedy (Lion Forge/Magnetic)

Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)

• “Bolivar” by Sean Rubin (Archaia)
• “Home Time (Book One): Under the River” by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf)
• “Nightlights” by Lorena Alvarez (Nobrow)
• “The Tea Dragon Society” by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
• “Wallace the Brave” by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)

Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

• “The Dam Keeper” by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (First Second/Tonko House)
• “Jane” by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)
• “Louis Undercover” by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault, translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
• “Monstress” by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
• “Spinning” by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Humor Publication

• “Baking With Kafka” by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
• “Batman/Elmer Fudd Special” No. 1 by Tom King, Lee Weeks and Byron Vaughns (DC)
• “The Flintstones” by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi and Scott Hanna (DC)
• “Rock Candy Mountain” by Kyle Starks (Image)
• “Wallace the Brave” by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)

Anthology

• “A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn” by Max B. Perlson, Trina Robbins et al. (Bedside Press)
• “A Castle in England” by Jamie Rhodes et al. (Nobrow)
• “Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color” edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press)
• “Now” No. 1 edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• “The Spirit” Anthology edited by Sean Phillips (Lakes International Comic Art Festival)

Reality-Based Work

• “Audubon: On the Wings of the World” by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)
• “The Best We Could Do” by Thi Bui (Abrams ComicArts)
• “Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852–1903” by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (IDW)
• “Lennon: The New York Years” by David Foenkinos, Corbeyran and Horne, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger (IDW)
• “Spinning” by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Graphic Album — New

• “Crawl Space” by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
• “Eartha” by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)
• “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
• “Stages of Rot” by Linnea Sterte (Peow)
• “The Story of Jezebel” by Elijah Brubaker (Uncivilized Books)

Graphic Album — Reprint

• “Boundless” by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
• “Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Black Hole by Charles Burns” edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• “Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection” by Colleen Coover (Oni/Limerence)
• “Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero” by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
• “Unreal City” by D.J. Bryant (Fantagraphics)

Adaptation from Another Medium

• “Beowulf” adapted by Santiago García and David Rubín (Image)
• “H. P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories” adapted by Gou Tanabe, translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse)
• “Herman Melville’s Moby Dick” adapted by Christophe Chabouté, translated by Laure Dupont (Dark Horse)
• “Kindred” by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)

U.S. Edition of International Material

• “Audubon: On the Wings of the World” by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)
• “Flight of the Raven” by Jean-Pierre Gibrat, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (EuroComics/IDW)
• “FUN” by Paolo Bacilieri, translated by Jamie Richards (SelfMadeHero)
• “Ghost of Gaudi” by El Torres and Jesús Alonso Iglesias, translated by Esther Villardón Grande (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
• “The Ladies-in-Waiting” by Santiago García and Javier Olivares, translated by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics)
• “Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for the Freedom” by Marcelo D’Salete, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)

U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia

• “Furari” by Jiro Taniguchi, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• “Golden Kamuy” by Satoru Noda, translated by Eiji Yasuda (VIZ Media)
• “My Brother’s Husband,” vol. 1, by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon)
• “Otherworld Barbara,” vol. 2, by Moto Hagio, translated by Matt Thorn (Fantagraphics)
• “Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories” by Junji Ito, translated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)

Archival Collection/Project — Strips

• “Celebrating Snoopy” by Charles M. Schulz, edited by Alexis E. Fajardo and Dorothy O’Brien (Andrews McMeel)
• “Crazy Quilt: Scraps and Panels on the Way to Gasoline Alley” by Frank King, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
• “Foolish Questions and Other Odd Observations” by Rube Goldberg, edited by Peter Maresca and Paul C. Tumey (Sunday Press Books)
• “Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Dailies” by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Daniel Herman (Hermes Press)
• “Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Strips,” vol. 1, by Russ Manning et al., edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)

Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books

• “Akira 35th Anniversary Edition” by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha)
• “Behaving MADly” edited by Craig Yoe (Yoe Books/IDW)
• “The Collected Neil the Horse” by Arn Saba/Katherine Collins, edited by Andy Brown (Conundrum)
• “Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez” edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
• “Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017” by Paul Gravett, Denis Kitchen and John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Writer

• Tom King, “Batman,” “Batman Annual” No. 2, “Batman/Elmer Fudd Special” No. 1, “Mister Miracle” (DC)
• Matt Kindt, “Grass Kings” (BOOM! Studios); “Ether” (Dark Horse); “Eternity,” “X-O Manowar” (Valiant)
• Jeff Lemire, “Black Hammer” (Dark Horse); “Descender” (Image)
• Marjorie Liu, “Monstress” (Image)
• Mark Russell, “The Flintstones” (DC)

Writer/Artist

• Lorena Alvarez, “Night Lights” (Nobrow)
• Chabouté, “Moby Dick” (Dark Horse); “Alone,” “The Park Bench” (Gallery 13/Simon & Schuster)
• Emil Ferris, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” (Fantagraphics)
• Cathy Malkasian, “Eartha” (Fantagraphics)
• Jiro Taniguchi, “Furari,” “Louis Vuitton Travel Guide: Venice” (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Isabelle Arsenault, “Louis Undercover” (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
• Mitch Gerads, “Mister Miracle” (DC)
• Gary Gianni, “Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea” (Dark Horse)
• Ramón K. Perez, “Jane” (Archaia)
• David Rubín, “Black Hammer” Nos. 9 & 12, “Ether,” “Sherlock Frankenstein” No. 1–3 (Dark Horse); “Beowulf” (Image)

Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Federico Bertolucci, “Love: The Dinosaur,” “Little Tails” (Lion Forge/Magnetic)
• EFA, “Monet: Itinerant of Light” (NBM)
• Jean-Pierre Gibrat, “Flight of the Raven” (EuroComics/IDW)
• Cyril Pedrosa, “Portugal” (NBM)
• Sana Takeda, “Monstress” (Image)

Cover Artist

• Jorge Corona, “No. 1 With a Bullet” (Image)
• Nick Derington, “Mister Miracle” (DC); “Doom Patrol” (DC Young Animal)
• Brian Stelfreeze, “Black Panther” (Marvel)
• Sana Takeda, “Monstress” (Image)
• Julian Totino Tedesco, “Hawkeye” (Marvel)

Coloring

• Emil Ferris, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” (Fantagraphics)
• Mitch Gerads, “Mister Miracle” (DC)
• Ed Piskor, “X-Men: Grand Design” (Marvel)
• David Rubín, “Ether,” “Black Hammer,” “Sherlock Frankenstein” (Dark Horse); “Beowulf” (Image)
• Dave Stewart, “Black Hammer,” “BPRD: Devil You Know,” “Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea,” “Sherlock Frankenstein,” “Shaolin Cowboy” (Dark Horse); “Maestros” (Image)
• Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, “What Is Left” (ShortBox)

Lettering

• Isabelle Arsenault, “Louis Undercover” (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)
• Clayton Cowles, “Bitch Planet: Triple Feature,” “Redlands,” “The Wicked + The Divine” (Image); “Black Bolt,” “Spider-Gwen,” “Astonishing X-Men,” “Star Wars” (Marvel)
• Emil Ferris, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” (Fantagraphics)
• Stan Sakai, “Usagi Yojimbo,” “Groo: Slay of the Gods” (Dark Horse)
• John Workman, “Mother Panic” (DC Young Animal); “Ragnorak” (IDW)

Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• “Alter Ego” edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
• “The Comics Journal” edited by Dan Nadel, Timothy Hodler, and Tucker Stone, tcj.com (Fantagraphics)
• “Hogan’s Alley” edited by Tom Heintjes
• “Jack Kirby Collector” edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)
• “PanelXPanel” magazine edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com

Comics-Related Book

• “Deconstructing the Incal” by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius” by Jean Annestay and Christophe Quillien (Humanoids)
• “How Comics Work” by Dave Gibbons and Tim Pilcher (Wellfleet Press/Quarto Group)
• “How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels” by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (Fantagraphics)
• “Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini” by Richard Pini (Flesk)
• “Monograph” by Chris Ware (Rizzoli)
• “To Laugh That We May Not Weep: The Life and Times of Art Young” by Glenn Bray and Frank M. Young (Fantagraphics)

Academic/Scholarly Work

• “The Comics of Charles Schulz: The Good Grief of Modern Life” edited by Jared Gardner and Ian Gordon (University Press of Mississippi)
• “Ethics in the Gutter: Empathy and Historical Fiction in Comics” by Kate Polak (Ohio State University Press)
• “Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics” by Frederick Luis Aldama (University of Arizona Press)
• “Neon Visions: The Comics of Howard Chaykin” by Brannon Costello (LSU Press)
• “Picturing Childhood: Youth in Transnational Comics” edited by Mark Heimermann and Brittany Tullis (University of Texas Press)

Publication Design

• “Akira 35th Anniversary Edition” designed by Phil Balsman, Akira Saito (Veia), NORMA Editorial, and MASH•ROOM (Kodansha)
• “Celebrating Snoopy” designed by Spencer Williams and Julie Phillips (Andrews McMeel)
• “Monograph” designed by Chris Ware (Rizzoli)
• “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)
• “Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration,” 1917-2017, designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Digital Comic

• “Bandette” by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
• “Barrier” by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate)
• “The Carpet Merchant of Konstaniniyya” by Reimena Yee (reimenayee.com/the-carpet-merchant)
• “Contact High” by James F. Wright and Josh Eckert (gumroad.com/l/YnxSm)
• “Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost” by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler and Gideo Kendall (comiXology Originals/Kitchen, Lind & Associates)
• “Quince” by Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner and Emma Steinkellner, translated by Valeria Tranier (Fanbase Press/comiXology)

Webcomic

• “Awaiting a Wave” by Dale Carpenter and Nate Powell (The Weather Channel Digital)
• “Brothers Bond” by Kevin Grevioux and Ryan Benjamin (LINE Webtoon)
• “Dispatch From a Sanctuary City” by Mike Dawson (The Nib)
• “The Tea Dragon Society” by Katie O’Neill (teadragonsociety.com)
• “Welcome to the New World” by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan (New York Times Sunday Review)

tracy.brown@latimes.com

Twitter: @tracycbrown