Earlier this year Comic-Con announced the nominees for the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for works published between January 1 and December 31, 2025, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges.

Once again, this year’s nominees in 32 categories reflect the wide range of material being published in the U.S. in comics and graphic novels, representing over 150 print and online titles from some 70 publishers, produced by creators from all over the world.

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Full List of Eisner Nominees: And The Nominees For The 2026 Eisner Awards Are….

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This week the Comics Watchers prognosticate the winners of this year’s Eisner Awards…

AND THE NOMINEES ARE….

Best Writer

• Deniz Camp: Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC); Assorted Crisis Events (Image); The Ultimates (Marvel)
• Scott Snyder: Absolute Batman, Batman/Deadpool (DC); 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)
• 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); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Skybound)
• Stephanie Williams: Street Sharks (IDW); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave)

Matt’s Pick: Kelly Thompson

Chad’s Pick: Deniz Camp

Best Writer/Artist

• Juni Ba: The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
• Jamal Campbell: Zatanna (DC)
• Jesse Lonergan: Drome (23rd St. Books)
• Chang Sheng: Yan, vols. 1–2 (Titan Manga)
• Linnea Sterte: A Garden of Spheres (Peow2)
• Kazumi Yamashita: Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press)

Matt’s Pick: Jamal Campbell

Chad’s Pick: Juni Ba

Best Penciller/Inker

• Elsa Charetier: The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY)
• Sean Phillips: Giant Size Criminal #1, The Knives: A Criminal Book (Image)
• Javier Rodriguez: Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
• Chris Samnee: Batman and Robin: Year One (DC)
• Hayden Sherman: Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns (DC)
• Eric Zawadzki: Assorted Crisis Events (Image)

Matt’s Pick: Hayden Sherman

Chad’s Pick: Javier Rodriguez

Best One-Shot/Single Issue

• Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1, by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren (DC)
• Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
• Assorted Crisis Events #4, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
• Coin-Op no. 10: Wet Cement, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)
• Ice Cream Man #43: “One Page Horror Stories,” by W. Maxwell Prince and others (Image)
• Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Walks into a Bar #1, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)

Matt’s Pick: Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)

Chad’s Pick: Assorted Crisis Events #4, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski

Best Continuing Series

• Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and others (DC)
• Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• FML, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez (Dark Horse)
• The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)
• Storm, by Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, and others (Marvel)

Matt’s Pick: Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)

Chad’s Pick: Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)

Best Limited Series

• Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
• Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)
• Bronze Faces, by Shobo, Shof, and Alexanre Tefenkgi (BOOM! Studios)
• Crownsville, by Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press)
• Everything Dead and Dying, by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips (Image)
• Out of Alcatraz, by Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook (Oni Press)

Matt’s Pick: Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)

Chad’s Pick: Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)

Best New Series

• Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
• Batman Vol. 4, by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez (DC)
• Black Cat, by G. Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov (Marvel)
• Exquisite Corpses, by James Tynion IV, Pornsak Pichetshote, Michael Walsh, and others (Image)
• Ghost Pepper, by Ludo Lullabi (Image)
• Temporal, by Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore (Mad Cave)

Matt’s Pick: Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)

Chad’s Pick: Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)

Best Cover Artist

• Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
• Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman #1, Batman/Deadpool (DC)
• Francesco Francavilla, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman: Full Moon, Nightwing variants (DC); Green Hornet/Miss Fury (Dynamite); Star Trek: The Last Starship, Twilight Zone (IDW); Dick Tracy (Mad Cave)
• Mateus Manhanini, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific: Year One variants (DC); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel)
• Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman & Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)
• Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns #3-12 (DC)

Matt’s Pick: Javier Rodriguez

Chad’s Pick: Francesco Francavilla

Best Coloring

• Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)
• Ninakupenda Gaillard, Chickenpox (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
• Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
• Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC); The Seasons (Image)
• Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
• 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); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf)

Matt’s Pick: Javier Rodriguez

Chad’s Pick: Jordie Bellaire

Best Lettering

• 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 & Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Black Canary: Best of the Best, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, (DC); Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3 (Marvel)
• Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)
• Nate Piekos, American Caper #1, Archie Vs. Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons, The Umbrella Academy Plan B, Welcome to Twilight (Dark Horse); I Hate Fairyland (Image)
• Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story (Top Shelf)

Matt’s Pick: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Chad’s Pick: Clayton Cowles

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

• Teddy Kristiansen, Black Hammer: Spiral City (Dark Horse)
• Cathy Malkasian, Shadows of the Sea (Fantagraphics)
• Qu, Slices of Life: A Comic Montage (Bulgilhan Press)
• Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)
• Mika Song, Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! (Random House Graphic)
• Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow)

Matt’s Pick: Martin Simmonds

Chad’s Pick: Martin Simmonds

Best Publication for Kids

• 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)
• 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)

Matt’s Pick: The Cartoonists Club

Chad’s Pick: The Cartoonists Club

Best Publication for Teens

• Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)
• Clementine: Book Three, by Tillie Walden (Image Skybound)
• Everyone Sux But You, 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)

Matt’s Pick:

Chad’s Pick: This Place Kills Me

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, by Joshua Barkman (Andrews McMeel Universal)
• The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt, by John Allison and Max Sarin (Dark Horse)
• Jeff the Land Shark, by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro (Marvel)
• Physics for Cats, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Spent: A Comic Novel, by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)

Matt’s Pick:

Chad’s Pick: The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt

Best Anthology

• Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, edited by Meghan Kemp-Gee and Megan Praz (Stacked Deck Press)
• DC Pride 2025, edited by Andrea Shea and Jillian Grant (DC)
• Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics)
• Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen (Blue Creek Creative)
• 2000AD 2026 Annual Featuring Judge Dredd, edited by Oliver Pickles (Rebellion)

Matt’s Pick:

Chad’s Pick: Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project

Best Graphic Album–New

• Cannon, by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. 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)  – Interview: NYCC 2025 – IDW Booth: Ben Wickey – More Weight: A Salem Story
• Shadows of the Sea, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

Matt’s Pick:

Chad’s Pick: More Weight: A Salem Story

Best Graphic Album–Reprint

• Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Storybook Edition, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)
• 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)
• Tongues, by Anders Nilsen (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

• Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Vita Ayala and Sama Beck (Abrams Fanfare)
• The Compleat Angler: A Graphic Adaptation, by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero) Interview: Gone Fishing: Gareth Brooks And The 2026 Eisner-Nominated Graphic Adaption Of The Compleat Angler
• Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition, by Sister Helen Prejean, adapted by Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Grünewald (Random House)
• Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel, 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) – Interview: Lord Of The Flies Gets Graphic Novel Treatment From Amiee De Jongh
• A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books)

Matt’s Pick:

Chad’s Pick: Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel

Come back Monday for a complete rundown of the winners and see how the Watchers did with their predictions,