# 2005 Eisner Award nominations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 15, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467 "2005-04-15T13:00:22Z")\
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**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/1 "2005-04-15T13:00:22Z")

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Here are the nominations for the 2005 Eisner Awards, for outstanding achievement in the field of excellence in comics. The awards ceremony is always held at the San Diego Comic Convention, usually in July or August. What have you read, and who do you want to see win?

MASTER NOMINEE LIST, 2005 Eisner Awards  
Best Short Story  
“Eve O’ Twins,” by Craig Thompson, in Rosetta 2 (Alternative)  
“Glenn Ganges: Jeepers Jacobs,” by Kevin Huizenga, in Kramer’s Ergot 5 (Gingko Press)  
“God” (story on wrap-around dust jacket) by Chris Ware, in McSweeney’s Quarterly #13 (McSweeney’s)  
“The Price,” by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli, in Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Books)  
“Unfamiliar,” by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft (Dark Horse Books)  
“Where Monsters Dine,” by Troy Hickman, Angel Medina, and Jon Holdredge, in Common Grounds #5 (Top Cow/Image)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)  
Demo #7: “One Shot, Don’t Miss,” by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan (AiT/Planet Lar)  
Eightball #23: “The Death Ray,” by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics)  
Ex Machina #1: “The Pilot,” by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)  
Global Frequency #12: “Harpoon,” by Warren Ellis and Gene Ha (WildStorm/DC)  
The Goon #6: “Ilagarto Hombre!,” by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Best Serialized Story  
Astonishing X-Men #1-6: “Gifted,” by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)  
Ex Machina #2-5: “State of Emergency,” by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)  
Fables #19-27: “March of the Wooden Soldiers,” by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC)  
Planetary #19-20: “Mystery in Space/Rendezvous,” by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday (WildStorm/DC)  
Y: The Last Man #18-20: “Safeword,” by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series  
Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)  
Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC)  
The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)  
Stray Bullets, by David Lapham (El Capitan)  
Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Limited Series  
DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)  
Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan (AiT/Planet Lar)  
30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith (IDW)  
WE3, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Vertigo/DC)  
Wanted, by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones (Top Cow/Image)

Best New Series  
Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)  
Doc Frankenstein, by the Wachowski Brothers and Steve Scroce (Burlyman)  
Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC)  
The Shaolin Cowboy, by Geof Darrow (Burlyman)

Best Publication for a Younger Audience  
Amelia Rules!, (Renaissance Press) and Amelia Rules! What Makes You Happy (iBooks) by Jimmy Gownley  
Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom, by Ted Naifeh (Oni)  
Owly, by Andy Runton (Top Shelf)  
Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)  
Tommysaurus Rex, by Doug TenNapel (Image)

Best Humor Publication  
Angry Youth Comix, by Johnny Ryan (Fantagraphics)  
Birth of a Nation, by Aaron McGruder, Reginald Hudlin, and Kyle Baker (Crown)  
The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)  
Kyle Baker, Cartoonist, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)  
Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)

Best Anthology  
Common Grounds, by Troy Hickman and others, edited by Jim McLauchlin (Top Cow/Image)  
The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, edited by Scott Allie (Dark Horse Books)  
The Matrix Comics, vol. 2, edited by Spencer Lamm (Burlyman)  
McSweeney’s Quarterly #13, edited by Chris Ware (McSweeney’s)  
Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, edited by Diana Schutz and David Land (Dark Horse)

Best Digital Comic  
Athena Voltaire, by Steve Bryant [www.athenavoltaire.com](http://www.athenavoltaire.com)  
Bento & Starchky, by zer0 (Peter Branting) [http://www.noapologiespress.com/zer0comics/bento.htm](http://www.noapologiespress.com/zer0comics/bento.htm)  
Copper, by Kazu [www.boltcity.com/copper\_home.htm](http://www.boltcity.com/copper_home.htm)  
Jonny Crossbones, by Les McClaine [www.evilspacerobot.com/comics/jonnycrossbones/index.htm](http://www.evilspacerobot.com/comics/jonnycrossbones/index.htm)  
Mom’s Cancer, by Brian Fies [www.momscancer.com/eisner.htm](http://www.momscancer.com/eisner.htm)  
ojingogo, by matt forsythe [www.comingupforair.net/comics/ojingogo.html](http://www.comingupforair.net/comics/ojingogo.html)

Best Graphic Album—New  
Blacksad Book 2: Arctic Nation, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (iBooks)  
It’s a Bird . . ., by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen (Vertigo/DC)  
The Originals, by Dave Gibbons (Vertigo/DC)  
Suspended in Language, by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis (GT Labs)  
Tommysaurus Rex, by Doug TenNapel (Image)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint  
Age of Bronze: Sacrifice, by Eric Shanower (Image)  
Bone One Volume Edition, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)  
The Book of Ballads, by Charles Vess and others (Tor)  
Clyde Fans, by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)  
In the Shadow of No Towers, by art spiegelman (Pantheon)  
Locas, by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project  
The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker, edited by Robert Mankoff (Black Dog & Leventhal)  
The Complete Peanuts, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)  
DC Comics Rarities Archives, vol. 1, edited by Dale Crain (DC)  
Krazy and Ignatz, edited by Bill Blackbeard and Derya Ataker (Fantagraphics)  
Russ Manning’s Magnus, Robot Fighter, vol. 1, edited by Katie Moody, Mike Carriglitto, and David Land (Dark Horse Books)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material  
Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima, vols. 1-2, by Keiji Nahazawa (Last Gasp)  
Blacksad Book 2: Arctic Nation, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (iBooks)  
Buddha, vols. 3-4 by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)  
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)  
Tokyo Tribes, by Santa Inoue (TOKYOPOP)

Best Writer  
Steve Niles, 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow; 30Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales; Aleister Arcane (IDW); Freaks of the Heartland; Last Train to Deadsville (Dark Horse)  
Greg Rucka, Queen & Country (Oni); Gotham Central (DC)  
Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC); Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC); Runaways (Marvel)  
Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel)  
Bill Willingham, Fables (Vertigo/DC)

Best Writer/Artist  
Paul Chadwick, Concrete: The Human Dilemma (Dark Horse)  
Dan Clowes, Eightball #23 (Fantagraphics)  
David Lapham, Stray Bullets (El Capitan)  
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)  
Adrian Tomine, Optic Nerve #9 (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer/Artist—Humor  
Kyle Baker, Plastic Man (DC); Kyle Baker, Cartoonist (Kyle Baker Publishing)  
Phil Foglio, Girl Genius (Airship Entertainment)  
Scott Kurtz, PvP (Image)  
Eric Powell, The Goon (Dark Horse)  
Johnny Ryan, Angry Youth Comix (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team  
Charles Adlard, The Walking Dead (Image)  
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC)  
Geof Darrow, Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)  
Cary Nord/Thomas Yeates, Conan (Dark Horse)  
Frank Quitely, WE3 (Vertigo/DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)  
Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad, Book 2: Arctic Nation (iBooks)  
Teddy Kristiansen, It’s a Bird . . . (Vertigo/DC)  
David Mack, Kabuki (Marvel)  
Ben Templesmith, 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow (IDW)  
Michael Zulli, Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Books)

Best Coloring  
Peter Doherty, Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)  
Steven Griffen, Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort (Image)  
Laura Martin, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Ministry of Space (Image); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC)  
J. D. Mettler, Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC)  
Dave Stewart, Daredevil, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Six, Captain America (Marvel); Conan, BPRD (Dark Horse)l DC: The New Frontier (DC)

Best Lettering  
Todd Klein, Promethea; Tom Strong; Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales (ABC); Wonder Woman (DC); Books of Magick: Life During Wartime; Fables; WE3 (Vertigo/DC); Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse)  
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)  
Dave Sim, Cerebus (Aardvark Vanaheim)  
Craig Thompson, Carnet de Voyage (Top Shelf); “Eve O’ Twins” in Rosetta 2 (Alternative)

Best Cover Artist  
Kieron Dwyer, Remains (IDW)  
James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); Green Arrow, Batgirl (DC)  
Tony Moore, The Walking Dead (Image)  
Frank Quitely, Bite Club; WE3 (Vertigo/DC)  
Michael Turner, Identity Crisis (DC)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition  
Frank Cammuso (Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective)  
Bosch Fawstin (Table for One)  
Matt Kindt (Two Sisters; Pistolwhip)  
Sean McKeever (A Waiting Place; Mary Jane; Inhumans; Sentinels)  
Raina Telgemeier (“Smile,” Takeout)

Best Comics-Related Periodical  
Comic Art, edited by M. Todd Hignite (Comic Art)  
Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf)  
Draw!, edited by Mike Manley (TwoMorrows)  
Indy Magazine online ( [www.indyworld.com](http://www.indyworld.com)), edited by Bill Kartalopoulos (Alternative)

Best Comics-Related Book  
The Art of Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse Books)  
Chris Ware, by Daniel Raeburn (Monographics/Yale University Press)  
Give Our Regards to the Atom Smashers, edited by Sean Howe (Pantheon)  
Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones (Basic Books)  
Strangers in Paradise Treasury Edition, by Terry Moore (HarperCollins Perennial)

Best Publication Design  
The Art of Usagi Yojimbo, designed by Cary Grazzini (Dark Horse Books)  
Clyde’s Fans, designed by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)  
The Complete Peanuts, designed by Seth (Fantagraphics)  
In the Shadow of No Towers, designed by art spiegelman (Pantheon)  
McSweeney’s Quarterly #13, designed by Chris Ware (McSweeney’s)  
Hall of Fame  
Judges’ Choices: Lou Fine; René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Four will be selected from:

Matt Baker  
Wayne Boring  
Nick Cardy  
Yves Chaland  
Gene Colan  
Johnny Craig  
Reed Crandall  
Floyd Gottfredson  
Frank Hampson  
Graham Ingels  
Robert Kanigher  
William Moulton Marston  
Hugo Pratt  
Frank Robbins

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/2 "2005-04-15T13:30:14Z")

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Vaughan needs to win one of these. His vote will get split between Y and Ex Machina for Best Series and Best Story. Will Whedon get best writer just because of the name recognition? Probably not – the Eisners are awarded by people in the biz, who are going to be less likely to be swayed and also more likely to have read a greater percentage of the material. (Unlike, say, the Wizard Fan Awards, where everybody always just ticks off the people from things they read.)

–Cliffy

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**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/3 "2005-04-15T15:36:59Z")

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[Penny Arcade’s](http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3) strip in response to Scott Kurtz’ nomination 😃 .

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/4 "2005-04-15T15:42:23Z")

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who does the voting?

I’d like to see Foglio get his due.

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/5 "2005-04-15T15:47:02Z")

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I don’t know exactly who gets to vote, but it includes creators, retailers, and publishers – folks in the biz.

–Cliffy

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**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/6 "2005-04-15T15:50:45Z")

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Industry professionals vote for these awards, so usually really meritorious works win the awards. I’d love to see Matt Baker join the Hall of Fame, since he produced some beautiful work in the Phantom Lady comics of the 1940s. Good to see Lou Fine (another Quality Comics artist from the Golden Age) getting some recognition as well.

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**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/7 "2005-04-15T16:16:59Z")

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[A link to the call for entries, which explains a little about the nominations and judges](http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml)

Normally I read over the list of nominations and have read a much larger percentage than I managed this year. However, I’m not going to let relative ignorance prevent me from cheering for:

**Ex Machina** , **Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom** , **It’s a Bird** for Best New Graphic Album (narrowly beating out Blacksad IMO), **Age of Bronze: Sacrifice** on general principle, , **Persepolis 2** for U.S. edition of Foreign Material (again, narrowly edging out Blacksad).

As for the people, I’m going to have to go with _Greg Rucka_ for Best Writer, _Phil Foglio_ for humor (Kyle Baker’s The Man, but _Plastic Man_ left me cold), _John Cassaday_ for Penciller, _Juanju Guarnido_ for Interior Painter.

As for coloring, does _Dave Stewart_ sleep? Ever? Does he have superpowers we don’t know about? Either he or _Laura Martin_ would have my vote - both are amazing artists.

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/8 "2005-04-15T20:25:46Z")

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One unhappy fact about the awards is that in previous years, recipients actually were handed their awards by Will Eisner himself.

☹

–Cliffy

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**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/9 "2005-04-15T20:36:56Z")

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> [@shy guy](#):
>
> [Penny Arcade’s](http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3) strip in response to Scott Kurtz’ nomination 😃 .

Just an FYI for those who aren’t familiar with Penny Arcade / PVP. That strip is a combination of friends-ribbing-friends and professional jealousy. PA and PVP have long had a professional rivalry, but seem to respect each other for the most part.

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**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/10 "2005-04-16T01:40:05Z")

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Didn’t Dave Sim finish his megaseries this past year? And he gets nominated for “Best Lettering”?

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/11 "2005-04-16T20:34:34Z")

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> [@pesch](#):
>
> Didn’t Dave Sim finish his megaseries this past year? And he gets nominated for “Best Lettering”?

Dave Sim doesn’t deserve “Best Washroom Attendant”. :rolleyes:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/12 "2005-04-17T00:18:06Z")

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> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#):
>
> Dave Sim doesn’t deserve “Best Washroom Attendant”. :rolleyes:

You’d get no argument from me. I quit reading long about 155. But still, it’s an interesting measurement of what the rest of the industry thought about “Cerebus”

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**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-eisner-award-nominations/299467/13 "2005-04-17T01:40:42Z")

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Oh, wow. Some of these category nominations are a joke! Michael Turner, Best Cover artist for IDENTITY CRISIS? Are they fucking kidding me?

Bill Willingham beat out Grant Morrison for best writer nominee?

Paul Chadwick’s two black and white issues of CONCRETE: THE HUMAN DILEMMA beat out Darwyn Cooke’s six double sized issues of DC: THE NEW FRONTIER in best writer/artist category? (Why, because Dr. Vonnegut finally stripped for Concrete? Yeesh.)

Kyle Baker got nominated THREE times in the best humor publication category and not TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD?

Troy Hickman’s “When Monsters Dine” is a best short story nominee of ALL last year?? I don’t even see how Troy Hickman’s COMMON GROUNDS is in the anthology category at all – it’s redrawn material from HOLY CRULLERS using the same writer and different artists.

What’s the cut-off date? Why don’t I see J.H. Williams listed as best cover artist for his amazing final issue of PROMETHEA??

Scott Kurtz still gets nominated for this thing?
