Dark Horse with five outright awards and DC Comics with four led all publishers in the 2008 Eisners, while Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, and Archaia Studio Press each won two.  Dan Clowes won “Best Short Story” for “Mr. Wonderful,” which was serialized in the New York Times Magazine, while Brad Meltzer and Gene Ha won “The Best Single Issue” for JLA #11, and Brian K. Vaughan took the “Best Continuing Series” for Y: The Last Man and Gerard Way’s Umbrella Academy was voted “Best Limited Series.”

Other key awards include “Best New Series” won by Joss Whedon and company for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, “Best Graphic Album” won by Rutu Modan’s Exit Wounds, and “Best Reality-Based Work,” which went to James Sturm and Rich Tommaso’s Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow.  David Petersen’s Mouse Guard 1152 won two awards, “Best Publication for Kids” and “Best Graphic Album-Reprint,” while Viz Media took home “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan for Tekkonkinkreet: Black and White, and IDW won “Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Strips” for its Complete Terry and the Pirates Vol. 1.  

Ed Brubaker was named “Best Writer,” while Chris Ware took home Best Writer/Artist, and Eric Powell won both “Best Writer/Artist—Humor” and “Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art).”  Atom! and Portlyn Freeman of Brave New World comic shop of Newhall, California won the prestigious ‘Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award.”

The complete list of 2008 Eisner Winners:

Best Short Story: “Mr. Wonderful,” by Dan Clowes, serialized in New York Times Sunday Magazine

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): Justice League of America #11: “Walls,” by Brad Meltzer and Gene Ha (DC)

Best Continuing Series: Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and Jose Marzan, Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Limited Series:The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)

Best New Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty, and Andy Owens (Dark Horse)

Best Publication for Kids: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 and Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, by David Petersen (Archaia)

Best Publication for Teens: Laika, by Nick Abadzis (First Second)

Best Humor Publication: Perry Bible Fellowship: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, by Nicholas Gurewitch (Dark Horse)

Best Anthology: 5, by Gabriel Bá, Becky Cloonan, Fabio Moon, Vasilis Lolos, and Rafael Grampa (self-published)

Best Digital Comic: Sugarshock!, by Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon, http://www.myspace.com/darkhorsepresents?issuenum=1&storynum=2

Best Reality-Based Work: Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)

Best Graphic Album—New: Exit Wounds, by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, by David Petersen (Archaia)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Strips: Complete Terry and the Pirates, vol. 1, by Milton Caniff (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material: I Killed Adolf Hitler, by Jason (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan: Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White, by Taiyo Matsumoto (Viz)

Best Writer: Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Criminal, Daredevil, Immortal Iron Fist (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist: Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #18 (Acme Novelty)

Best Writer/Artist—Humor: Eric Powell, The Goon (Dark Horse)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: Pia Guerra/Jose Marzan, Jr., Y: The Last Man (Vertical/DC)

Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art): Eric Powell, The Goon: Chinatown (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist: James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Process Recess 2; Superior Showcase 2 (AdHouse)

Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, BPRD, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cut, Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); The Spirit (DC)

Best Lettering: Todd Klein, Justice, Simon Dark (DC); Fables, Jack of Fables, Crossing Midnight (Vertigo/DC); League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier (WildStorm/DC); Nexus (Rude Dude)

Special Recognition: Chuck BB, Black Metal (artist, Oni)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: Newsarama, produced by Matt Brady and Michael Doran

Best Comics-Related Book: Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean, by Douglas Wolk (Da Capo Press)

Best Publication Design: Process Recess 2, designed by James Jean and Chris Pitzer (AdHouse)

Hall of Fame: Judges’ Choices: R. F. Outcault, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson; Voters’ Choices: John Broome, Arnold Drake, Len Wein, Barry Windsor-Smith

Other Awards:

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Paul Levitz

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Cathy Malkasian

Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing: Archie Goodwin, Larry Lieber

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award: Atom! and Portlyn Freeman of Brave New World

For the nominees for this year’s Eisner Awards, see “Eisner Noms Share the Wealth,” and “Manning Nominees Announced.”