Dark Horse Cleans Up At This Years Eisner Awards

Source: Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics proudly dominated the twenty-first annual Eisner Awards in San Diego, bringing home eight prestigious awards. Having been nominated for sixteen different projects (four of which were shared), accounting for nearly half of the total awards, Dark Horse often found itself with two nominations in the same category fighting for the top spot. The 2008 Eisners awarded to Dark Horse are as follows:

Best Painter-Eric Powell for Chinatown
Best Cover Artist-James Jean for Umbrella Academy (and Fables for DC and Process Recess 2 for AdHouse)
Best Coloring-Dave Stewart for B.P.R.D., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cut, Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, The Umbrella Academy (and The Spirit for DC)
Best Limited Series-The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá
Best Humor Publication-Perry Bible Fellowship by Nicholas Gurewitch
Best Writer/Artist (Humor)-Eric Powell for The Goon
Best Online Comic-Sugarshock on MySpace / Dark Horse Presents by Joss Whedon and Fábio Moon
Best New Series-Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

With eight of these awards in tow this year alone, Dark Horse continues to shake up the comics world by outshining industry giants DC and Marvel combined (DC took six Eisners, topping Marvel with one).

"Our performance this year at the Eisners is another indication of the level of talent now working with Dark Horse," said Dark Horse President Mike Richardson. "It is particularly rewarding to see these committed creators, who have invested so much of themselves into their work, being recognized by our entire industry."

Dark Horse would also like to extend a special congratulation to Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon's award for Best Anthology for their work on 5.

Considered the "Oscars" of the comics industry, the Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture. In their twentieth year, the awards are named for the late Will Eisner, a pioneering creator in both comic books and graphic novels.

See Also: Tekkonkinkreet Wins 2008 Eisner Award / Dark Horse Resurrecting Alien And Predator Comic Book Titles / Dark Horse Does Doughnuts For Domo

Tekkonkinkreet Wins 2008 Eisner Award

Source: Media Lab

VIZ Media has announced that its manga, TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE, by acclaimed creator Taiyo Matsumoto, won a 2008 Eisner Comic Industry Award for the Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan. Named for pioneering writer and comic artist Will Eisner, the awards recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings and are given each year as part of the annual Comic-Con International convention.

The manga, which is published by VIZ Media under its Signature imprint, was also the inspiration behind the Tekkonkinkreet animated feature film from Sony Pictures directed by noted visual effects artist and producer Michael Arias (The Abyss, Princess Mononoke, The Animatrix).

TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE presents a gritty depiction of urban and social chaos surrounding a pair of outcast kids. Orphaned on the mean streets of Treasure Town, Black and White steal and fight to survive but remain fiercely loyal to each other. The result? The citizens of Treasure Town are afraid of them, the police are afraid of them, and even the local yakuza gangsters are afraid of them…and when a crime boss known as the "Rat" returns to Treasure Town, a confrontation is set to occur.

VIZ Media released TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE in August 2007 and bundled all three volumes of the original series into a new, premium omnibus edition that includes a color poster insert and 12 additional full-color manga pages – the first time these pages were published in the U.S. An insightful interview with Michael Arias and screenwriter Anthony Weintraub is also featured in the foreword. TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE is rated “M” for Mature Audiences and has a Suggested Retail Price of $29.95. In addition to TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE, Matsumoto’s other notable works include BLUE SPRING and NO. 5 (both published by VIZ Media) and PING PONG, which was also adapted into an award-winning live action film that is available domestically from VIZ Pictures.

“We are extremely honored to have TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE recognized by the comics industry with this notable award,” says Alvin Lu, Vice President, Publishing, VIZ Media. “Taiyo Matsumoto has won international critical acclaim for his honest and unflinching depictions of young peoples’ lives and for his unique, immediately recognizable art style that blends both Japanese and European influences. We invite everyone to explore this award-winning series now available in a gorgeous omnibus edition from VIZ Media!”