In advance of the 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, we here on Suvudu will be running down all the nominees in all the categories. Except this year, we're going to let you tell us who you think will win. So check out a few synopsis, some artwork, and debate the merits of each if you see fit, then cast your vote at the bottom of the post. Be sure to keep an eye out for a few free samples along the way!
Okay then, let's get started. And the nominees are...
Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC)
DC Comics writes of Absolute Justice:
The spectactular 12-issue series by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite is collected in this amazing, oversized, slipcased Absolute edition. The members of the Justice League of America are about to learn they aren't the only ones who can band together toward a common goal. The greatest criminal masterminds of our time appear to be acting in concert -- but with a surprising plan that seeks to achieve more good than the JLA ever could!
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, by Josh Neufeld (Pantheon)
Pantheon introduces A.D. by saying:
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge is a masterful portrait of a city under siege. Cartoonist Josh Neufeld depicts seven extraordinary true stories of survival in the days leading up to and following Hurricane Katrina.
Here we meet Denise, a counselor and social worker, and a sixth-generation New Orleanian; "The Doctor," a proud fixture of the French Quarter; Abbas and Darnell, two friends who face the storm from Abbas's family-run market; Kwame, a pastor's son just entering his senior year of high school; and the young couple Leo and Michelle, who both grew up in the city. Each is forced to confront the same wrenching decision-whether to stay or to flee.
As beautiful as it is poignant, A.D. presents a city in chaos and shines a bright, profoundly human light on the tragedies and triumphs that took place within it.
Be sure to check out the samples found in the widget on Pantheon's A.D. page: A.D. by Josh Neufeld
Alec: The Years Have Pants, by Eddie Campbell (Top Shelf)
Top Shelf Comics writes of Eddie Campbell's volumnious collection:
For the first time ever, the groundbreaking autobiographical comics of master cartoonist Eddie Campbell (FROM HELL) are collected in a single volume!
Brilliantly observed and profoundly expressed, the ALEC stories present a version of Eddie's own life, filtered through the alter ego of "Alec MacGarry." Over many years, we witness Alec's (and Eddie's) progression "from beer to wine" -- wild nights at the pub, existential despair, the hunt for love, the quest for art, becoming a responsible breadwinner, feeling lost at his own movie premiere, and much more! Eddie's outlandish fantasies and metafictional tricks convert life into art, while staying fully grounded in his own absurdity. At every point, the author's uncanny eye for irony and wry self-awareness make even the smallest occasion into an opportunity for wit and wisdom. Quite simply, ALEC is a masterpiece of visual autobiography.
Essex County Collected, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
Top Shelf Comics summarizes Essex County Collected by writing:
Where does a young boy turn when his whole world suddenly disappears? What could change two brothers from an unstoppable team into a pair of bitterly estranged loners? How does the work of one middle-aged nurse reveal the scars of an entire community, and can anything heal the wounds caused by a century of deception?
Critically-acclaimed cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of the Ontario county where he was born. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free.
Hop on over to Top Shelf Comics Essex County Collected page and click on the cover image for a 42-page sample: Essex County Collected | Top Shelf Comics
Map of My Heart: The Best of King-Cat Comics & Stories, 1996-2002, by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly)
Drawn & Quarterly introduces Map of My Heart in saying:
MAP OF MY HEART celebrates the twentieth anniversary of John Porcellino's seminal and influential comics zine, KING CAT COMICS, which he started self publishing in 1989 and which has been his predominant means of expression. In this collection, while Porcellino is living in isolation and experiencing the pain of divorce he crafts a melancholic, tender graphic ballad of heartbreak and reflection. Known for his sad, quiet honesty rendered in his signature deceptively minimalist style, Porcellino has a command of graphic storytelling as sophisticated as the medium's more visually intricate masters. Few other artists are able to so expertly contemplate the sadness, beauty, and wonder of life in so few lines.
Be sure to click over to Drawn & Quarterly's website for a PDF download of a Map of My Heart sample: Map of My Heart | Drawn & Quarterly
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