As the countdown begins for the organization known as the “Oscars of comics”, which is considered the most prestigious honor of comic book art worldwide, the 2026 Eisner Awards candidates were announced to the public with the official announcement made by Comic-Con. In this year’s nomination lists, DC Comics made its mark on the industry with 16 nominations for its own publications and 10 additional nominations from projects in partnership with other publishers.
While the success of the “Absolute” universe was particularly noteworthy, Absolute Martian Manhunter was nominated in six categories and became the most talked about work of the year. Absolute Batman followed with five nominations. Among independent publishers, Fantagraphics continued its success with 14 nominations, while Image Comics strengthened its place in the competition with 12 main and 9 common nominations. Jury Panel and Voting Process An expert jury panel from different disciplines of the comic book industry served in the process of determining the candidates.
This year’s selection committee included author Regine Sawyer, librarian Jerry Dear, critic and journalist Tiffany Babb, comic book retailer Katie Pryde and academic Randy Duncan. Once the nominations are finalized, professional comic book artists, writers and editors will participate in the voting process to determine the winners. The winners will be announced at a magnificent ceremony to be held during Comic-Con on July 24.
2026 Eisner Awards Nomination List Best Short Story “Blood Harvest,” in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics) “The Curse Room,” in Brain Damage, written by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics) “Football Is Not War,” written by R. K. Russell and Wilfred Santiago, in Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project (Stacked Deck Press) “Red Snapper in the Rea,” by Michael D.
Kennedy, in Milk White Steed (Drawn 10: Wet Cement, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books) Ice Cream Man Studios) Crownsville, written by Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press) Everything Dead and Dying, written by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics) Out of Alcatraz, written by Christopher Cantwell Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov (Marvel Comics) Exquisite Corpses, written by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Pornsak Pichetshote et al (Image Comics) Ghost Pepper, written by Ludo Lullabi (Image Comics) Temporal, written by Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore (Mad Cave Studios) Best Early Reader Release All the Hulk Feels, written by Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare/Marvel Comics) The Faraway Forest: Wally’s Route, by Debbie Fong (Chronicle Books) The Fire-Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (TOON Books) Night Light, by Michael Emberley (Holiday House) Steve, A Rare Egg, by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press) Best Children’s Publication The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix) Chickenpox, by: Remy Lai (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) Creature Clinic, by Gavin Aung Than (First Second Books) Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness!
by Mika Song (Random House Graphic) Oasis, by Guojing (Godwin Books/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) A Song for You and I, by K. O’Neill (Random House Graphic) Best Teen Release Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic) Clementine: Book Three, by Tillie Walden (Image Comics/Skybound) Everyone Sux But You, written by K. Wroten (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young (Little, Brown Ink) This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare) Trumpets of Death, by Simon Bournel-Bosson, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe/Lerner) Best Humor Publication And to Think We Started as a Book Club, by Tom Toro (Andrews McMeel Universal) Ew, It’s Beautiful: A False Knees Comics Collection, written by Joshua Barkman (Andrews McMeel Universal) The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt, written by John Allison and Max Sarin (Dark Horse Comics) Jeff the Land Shark, written by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro (Marvel Comics) Physics for Cats, written by Tom Gauld (Drawn a Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon) Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, by Mimi Pond (Drawn) (Fantagraphics) Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics) Talking to My Father’s Ghost: An Almost True Story, by Alex Krokus (Chronicle) Best Graphic Album – New Cannon, written by Lee Lai (Drawn) Books) The Fable of Erkling Woods, by Juni Ba (Goats Flying Press) A Garden of Spheres, by Linnea Sterte (Peow2) More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey (Top Shelf Productions) Shadows of the Sea, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics) Best Graphic Album – Reprint Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Storybook Edition, by Patrick Horvath (IDW) Publishing) Ginseng Roots: A Memoir, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon) Goes Like This, by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics) Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC Comics) Tongues, by Anders Nilsen (Pantheon) Best Adapted from Another Medium Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), written by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Vita Ayala and Sama Beck (Abrams Fanfare) The Compleat Angler: A Graphic Adaptation, written by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero) Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition, written by Sister Helen Prejean, adapted by Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Grünewald (Random House) Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel, written by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Setor Fiadzigbey (Little, Brown Ink) Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, by William Golding, adapted by Aimée De Jongh (Penguin Classics) A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, written by Ursula K.
Le Guin, adapted by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books) Best International Material US Publication Buff Soul, written by Moa Romanova, translated by Melissa Bowers (Fantagraphics) Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog, written by Marc Torices, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Drawn and Philip Nel (Fantagraphics) The George Herriman Library: Krazy Michael Catron and Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics) Rea Irvin’s The Smythes, edited by R.
Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw (NYRC) Terminal Exposure: Comics, Sculpture, and Risky Behavior, edited by Michael McMillan, edited by Lucas Adams (NYRC) Best Archival Collection/Project – Comics AKIRA Volume 1–5 Hard Cover Collection, edited by Katsuhiro Otomo, editors: Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA Publishing) The Atlas Comics Library No. 7: Girl Comics, edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo (Fantagraphics) Comics of the Movement Lent (University Press of Mississippi) Comics of the Anthropocene: Graphic Narrative at the End of Nature, by José Alaniz (University Press of Mississippi) Graphic Narratives of Resistance, by Jennifer Boum Make and Charly Verstraet (Edinburgh University Press) Latinx Comics Studies: Critical and Creative Crossings, edited by Fernanda Díaz-Basteris and Maite Urcaregui (Rutgers University Press) Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905–1989, by Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press) Best Comic Book-Linked Periodical/Journalism CANON, edited by Colin Blanchette and Alex Eklund Comic Book Creator, edited by Jon B.
Cooke (TwoMorrows) Dummy, edited by John Kelly (The Dummy Corporation) Shelfdust, edited by Steve Morris, www.shelfdust.com SKTCHD, edited by David Harper, www.sktchd.com SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press) Best Comic Book Tie-in Book Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, written by Dan Nadel (Scribner) Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic) How Comics Are Made, by Glenn Fleishman (Andrews McMeel) Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narrative, by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts) Only What’s Necessary: Charles M.
Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by: Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts) Ooops…I Just Catharted!: Fifty Years of Cathartic Comics, written by Rupert Kinnard, edited by William O. Tyler (Stacked Deck Press) Best Publication Design The Art of Manga, design by Tessa Lee (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco/VIZ Media) The Essential Peanuts, design by Shawn Dahl and Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts) Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Collector’s Edition) Aldridge (sablecomic.com) Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON) Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden (pauljholden.com) Tiger, Tiger, by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com) Best Digital Comic DeadAss, by hakei (VIZ Media) In the Real Dark Night, by Jimmy Gownley (G-Ville Comics) The Lycan, by Mike Carey, Thomas Jane, David James Kelly and Diego Yapur (Comixology Originals) Overwatch 2: Against the Tide, by Brandon Chen and Velinxi (Blizzard Entertainment) Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com) The World of Lublu, by Charbak Dipta (The Charbax Store) Best Writer Deniz Camp, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC Comics); Assorted Crisis Events (Image Comics); The Ultimates (Marvel Comics) Scott Snyder, Absolute Batman, Batman/Deadpool (DC Comics); By a Thread: Book 2 (comiXology Originals), You Won’t Feel a Thing (DSTLRY) Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare) Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel Comics) James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd: The Power of the Blood (BOOM!
Studios); Let This One Be a Devil, Red Book (Dark Horse Comics); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image Comics); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Comics/Skybound) Stephanie Williams, Street Sharks (IDW Publishing); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave Studios) Best Writer/Illustrator Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC Comics); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image) Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC Comics) Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St.
Books) Chang Sheng, Yan, vol. 1–2 (Titan Manga) Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow2) Kazumi Yamashita, Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press) Best Illustrator/Inker Elsa Charetier, The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY) Sean Phillips, Giant Size Criminal (Random House Graphic) Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow) Best Cover Artist Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW Publishing); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image Comics) Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman Terrific: Year One variants (DC Comics); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel Comics) Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman Books) Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC Comics); The Seasons (Image Comics) Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC Comics) José Villarrubia, This Ink Runs Cold (Alan Spiegel Fine Arts); Ghostbox (comiXology Originals); Dracula Book 2: The Brides, The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly (Dark Horse); Hunger (The Lab Press); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf Productions) Best Writing Janice Chiang, Acro and the Cat, All Upon a Time, Beyond the Aural Vault, Republica, Solarblader (Sandstorm); John Carpenter’s Blood of the Taken: Next of Kin, Pause, Tales of Science Fiction (Storm King) Clayton Cowles, Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman , American Caper Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons
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