The winners of the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced Friday night in San Diego, after being inadvertently leaked a few days before.
Javier Rodriguez had a big night, taking home three Eisners, all tied to Absolute Martian Manhunter: Best Limited Series, Best Penciller/Inker and Best Cover Artist. His collaborator, Deniz Camp, wasn’t far behind with two wins for, again, Best Limited Series for Absolute Martian Manhunter and Best New Series for Assorted Crisis Events.
In addition to the Eisners, other awards given out included:
- The Bill Finger Award, which went to Jenny Blake Isabella and Martin Pasko.
- The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, which went to Stipan Morian.
- The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, presented to Richard and Wendy Pini.
- The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award, which went to Books With Pictures in Eugene, Oregon.
- And of course the Will Eisner Hall of Fame, which had 23 inductees this year.
Congrats to this year’s winners!
Best Short Story: “Blood Harvest,” in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)
Best One-Shot/Single Issue: Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1, by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren (DC)
Best Continuing Series: Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and others (DC)
Best Limited Series: Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
Best New Series: Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers: All the Hulk Feels, by Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare/Marvel)
Best Publication for Kids: The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix)
Best Publication for Teens: This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)
Best Humor Publication: Physics for Cats, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Anthology: DC Pride 2025, edited by Andrea Shea and Jillian Grant (DC)
Best Reality-Based Work: Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon)
Best Graphic Memoir: It Rhymes with Takei, by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf)
Best Graphic Album–New: Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. Books)
Best Graphic Album–Reprint: Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium: Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, by William Golding, adapted by Aimée De Jongh (Penguin Classics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material: Nocturnos, by Laura Perez, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia: Purgatory Funeral Cakes, by Sanho, translated by Danny Lim (Dark Horse)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips: The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1928–1930, edited by J. Michael Catron and Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: AKIRA Volumes 1–5 Hardcover Collection, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA Publishing)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work: Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905–1989, by Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: SKTCHD, by David Harper, www.sktchd.com
Best Comics-Related Book: Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, by Dan Nadel (Scribner)
Best Publication Design: The Essential Peanuts, designed by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
Best Webcomic: Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com)
Best Digital Comic: Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)
Best Writer: Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)
Best Writer/Artist: Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC)
Best Penciller/Inker: Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist: Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)
Best Cover Artist: Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman & Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)
Best Coloring: Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)
Best Lettering: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)