The 2002 Eisner Award Winners were announced at the recent San Diego Comic-Con, and the love was spread around. Four titles won multiple awards: 100 Bullets with three, and Eightball, Dork, and Akira with two each. DC took seven, Dark Horse four, Fantagraphics three, and Marvel two awards; all other publishers were single winners. As always, these make a great display of high quality products likely to bring back satisfied customers, and it's also always worth a look to see if there's a new title that isn't getting the air it needs to breathe.
2002 Eisner Award Winners (for 2001 publications)
Best Short Story:
'The Eltingville Club in 'The Intervention,'' by Evan Dorkin, in Dork #9 (Slave Labor)
Best Single Issue:
Eightball #22, by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics)
Best Serialized Story:
Amazing Spider-Man #30-35: 'Coming Home,' by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., and Scott Hanna (Marvel)
Best Continuing Series:
100 Bullets, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo/DC)
Best Limited Series:
Hellboy: Conqueror Worm, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
Best New Series:
Queen & Country, by Greg Rucka and Steve Rolston (Oni)
Best Title for a Younger Audience:
Herobear and the Kid, by Mike Kunkel (Astonish)
Best Humor Publication:
Radioactive Man, by Batton Lash, Abel Laxamana, Dan De Carlo, Mike DeCarlo, and Bob Smith (Bongo)
Best Anthology:
Bizarro Comics, edited by Joey Cavalieri (DC)
Best Graphic Album -- New:
The Name of the Game, by Will Eisner (DC)
Best Graphic Album -- Reprint:
Batman: Dark Victory, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (DC)
Best Archival Collection/Project:
Akira, by Katsuhiro Otomo (Dark Horse)
Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material:
Akira, by Katsuhiro Otomo (Dark Horse)
Best Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis, Powers (Image), Alias, Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man (Marvel)
Best Writer/Artist:
Dan Clowes, Eightball (Fantagraphics)
Best Writer/Artist -- Humor:
Evan Dorkin, Dork (Slave Labor)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team:
Eduardo Risso, 100 Bullets (Vertigo/DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art):
Charles Vess, Rose (Cartoon Books)
Best Coloring:
Laura DePuy, Ruse (CrossGen); Ministry of Space (Image)
Best Lettering:
Todd Klein, Promethea, Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, Tomorrow Stories, Top 10, Greyshirt (ABC); The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreams But Were Afraid to Ask (Vertigo/DC); Detective Comics, The Dark Knight Strikes Again (DC); Castle Waiting (Olio); Universe X (Marvel)
Best Cover Artist:
Dave Johnson, Detective Comics (DC), 100 Bullets (Vertigo/DC)
Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition:
Dylan Horrocks (Hicksville, Atlas)
Best Comics-Related Periodical:
Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon Cooke (TwoMorrows)
Best Comics-Related Book:
Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz, edited by Chip Kidd (Pantheon)
Best Comics-Related Item:
Dark Horse classic comic characters statuettes, sculpted by Yoe Studio (Dark Horse)
Best Publication Design:
Acme Novelty Library #15, designed by Chris Ware (Fantagraphics)
Hall of Fame:
Judges' Choices: Charles Biro, Osamu Tezuka
Winners: Sergio Aragones, John Buscema, Dan De Carlo, John Romita
Eisner Spirit of Comics Award:
Source Comics and Games (Falcon Heights, MN)