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The winners of the 2025 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced, with the prizes awarded during a ceremony Friday, July 25 at San Diego Comic-Con. 

The annual awards — likened to the Academy Awards of the comic book industry — recognize the best in comics as seen by professionals inside the industry, and this year's big winners include DC, which took away five awards (two shared with other publishers) and creator Gene Luen Yang, whose Lunar New Year Love Story from First Second (co-created with LeUyen Pham) won three of its four nominated categories, including Best Writer for Yang. 

Perhaps the biggest news from the 2025 award ceremony wasn't the winners, however; Jackie Estrada, who has organized the awards for the past 35 years, announced that she's stepping down from her position, with this year's awards being the last she'll oversee. 

Read on below for this year’s full list of nominees, with winners in bold.

BEST SHORT STORY

• “Spaces,” by Phil Jimenez, in DC Pride 2024 #1 (DC)
• “Anything Sinister,” by Ross Murray, in NOW #13 (Fantagraphics)
• “Day 1703,” by Chris Ware, in Smoke Signal #43 (Desert Island)
• “Pig” by Stacy Gougoulis, in NOW #13 (Fantagraphics)
• “Water I’ve Loved: Moving Day” by Pam Wye, in MUTHA magazine, https://www.muthamagazine.com/2024/05/water-ive-loved-moving-day/
• “You Cannot Live on Bread Alone” by Kayla E., in NOW #13 (Fantagraphics)

BEST SINGLE ISSUE/ONE-SHOT

• The War on Gaza, by Joe Sacco (Fantagraphics)
• Abortion Pill Zine: A Community Guide to Misoprostol and Mifepristone by Isabella Rotman, Marnie Galloway, and Sage Coffey (Silver Sprocket)
• Ice Cream Man #39: “”Decompression in a Wreck, Part One,” by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo (Image Comics)
• PeePee PooPoo #1, by Caroline Cash (Silver Sprocket)
• Sunflowers, by Keezy Young (Silver Sprocket)
• Unwholesome Love, by Charles Burns (co-published with Partners and Son)

BEST CONTINUING SERIES

• Santos Sisters, by Greg & Fake, Graham Smith, Dave Landsberger, and Marc Koprinarov (Floating World)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• Detective Comics: Detective Comics, by Ram V, Tom Taylor, Riccardo Federici, Stefano Raffaele, Javier Fernandez, Christian Duce, March, and Mikel Janín (DC)
• Fantastic Four, by Ryan North, Carlos Gomez, Ivan Fiorelli, and others (Marvel)
• Ultimate Spider-Man, by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
• Wonder Woman, by Tom King and Daniel Sampere (DC)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

• Zatanna: Bring Down the House, by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
• Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey (DC)
• Animal Pound, by Tom King and Peter Gross (BOOM! Studios)
• The Deviant, by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson (Image)
• Helen of Wyndhorn. by Tom King and Bilquis Evely (Dark Horse)
• Rare Flavours, by Ram V and Filipe Andrade (BOOM! Studios)

BEST NEW SERIES

• Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman (DC)
• Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta (DC)
• Minor Arcana, by Jeff Lemire (BOOM! Studios)
• The Pedestrian, by Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman (Magma Comix)
• The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)
• Uncanny Valley, by Tony Fleecs and Dave Wachter (BOOM! Studios)

BEST PUBLICATION FOR EARLY READERS

• Hilda and Twig Hide from the Rain, by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye)
• Bog Myrtle, by Sid Sharp (Annick Press)
• Club Microbe, by Elise Gravel, translated by Montana Kane (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Night Stories, by Liniers (Astra Books)
• Poetry Comics, by Grant Snider (Chronicle Books)

BEST PUBLICATION FOR KIDS

• Plain Jane and the Mermaid, by Vera Brosgol (First Second/Macmillan)
• How It All Ends, by Emma Hunsinger (Greenwillow/HarperCollins Early Readers)
• Next Stop, by Debbie Fong (Random House Graphic/Random House Children’s Books)
• Weirdo, by Tony Weaver Jr. and Jes & Cin Wibowo (First Second/Macmillan)
• Young Hag and the Witches’ Quest, by Isabel Greenberg (Abrams Fanfare)

BEST PUBLICATION FOR TEENS

• Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (First Second/Macmillan)
• Ash’s Cabin, by Jen Wang (First Second/Macmillan)
• Big Jim and the White Boy, by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson (Ten Speed Graphic)
• The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag (Scholastic)
• The Gulf, by Adam de Souza (Tundra)
• Out of Left Field, by Jonah Newman (Andrews McMeel)

BEST HUMOR PUBLICATION

• Processing: 100 Comics That Got Me Through It, by Tara Booth (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Adulthood is a Gift! by Sarah Andersen (Andrews McMeel)
• Forces of Nature, by Edward Steed (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Kids Are Still Weird: And More Observations from Parenthood, by Jeffrey Brown (NBM)
• A Pillbug Story, by Allison Conway (Black Panel Press)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

• Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary, edited by Jake Williams and others (IDW)
• EC Cruel Universe, edited by Sierra Hahn and Matt Dryer (Oni Press)
• Now: The New Comics Anthology #13, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Peep #1, edited by Sammy Harkham and Steve Weissman (Brain Dead/Kyle Ng)
• So Buttons #14: “Life and Death,” by Jonathan Baylis and various artists (So Buttons Comix)

BEST REALITY-BASED WORK

• Suffrage Song: The Haunted History of Gender, Race, and Voting Rights in the U.S., by Caitlin Cass (Fantagraphics)
• Djuna, by Jon Macy (Street Noise Books)
• The Heart That Fed: A Father, a Son, and the Long Shadow of War, by Carl Sciacchitano (Gallery 13/S&S)
• The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix (Abrams Fanfare)
• The Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History, by John Vasquez Mejias (Union Square)

BEST GRAPHIC MEMOIR

• Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir, by Tessa Hulls (MCD/Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• Degrees of Separation: A Decade North of 60, by Alison McCreesh (Conundrum)
• The Field, by David Lapp (Conundrum)
• I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together: A Memoir, by Maurice Vellekoop (Pantheon)
• Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love, by Sarah Leavitt (Arsenal Pulp Press)

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM—NEW

• Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (First Second/Macmillan)
• Final Cut, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
• My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
• Sunday, by Olivier Schrauwen (Fantagraphics)
• Victory Parade, by Leela Corman (Pantheon)

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM—REPRINT

• The One Hand and The Six Fingers, by Ram V, Dan Watters, Laurence Campbell, and Sumit Kumar (Image)
• Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story, by Patrick McDonnell (Abrams ComicArts)
• Lackadaisy, vols. 1–2, by Tracy J. Butler (Iron Circus)
• Rescue Party: A Graphic Anthology of COVID Lockdown, edited by Gabe Fowler (Pantheon)
• Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience, by Kelly Goto and Sam Goto (Chin Music Press)
• UM Volume One, by buttercup (Radiator Comics)

BEST ADAPTATION FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM

• The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, adapted by Manu Larcenet (Abrams)
• Thomas Piketty’s Capital & Ideology: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, by Clare Alot and Benjamin Adam (Abrams ComicArts)
• The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, adapted by Benjamin Flao and Fred Bernard (Greystone)
• Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne, adapted by Travis Dandro (Drawn & Quarterly)
• The Worst Journey in the World, Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, adapted by Sarah Airriess (Iron Circus)

BEST U.S. EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL MATERIAL

• The Jellyfish, by Boum, translated by Robin Lang and Helge Dascher (Pow Pow Press)
• All Princesses Die Before Dawn, by Quentin Zuttion (Abrams ComicArts)
• Mothballs, by Sole Otero; translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
• Return to Eden, by Paco Roca; translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
• Sunday, by Olivier Schrauwen (Fantagraphics)

BEST U.S. EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL MATERIAL—ASIA

• Tokyo These Days, vols. 1–3, by Taiyo Matsumoto, translated by Michael Arias (VIZ Media)
• Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba, translated by Asa Yonola (Kodansha)
• Hereditary Triangle, by Fumiya Hayashi, translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley (Yen Press)
• Kagurabachi, vol. 1, by Takeru Hokazono, translated by Camellia Nieh (VIZ Media)
• Last Quarter, vol. 1, by Ai Yazawa, translated by Max Greenway (VIZ Media)
• Search and Destroy vol. 1, by Atsushi Kaneko, based on the work of Osamu Tezuka; translated by Ben Applegate (Fantagraphics)

BEST ARCHIVAL COLLECTION/PROJECT—STRIPS

• Thorn: The Complete Proto-BONE Strips 1982–1986, and Other Early Drawings, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
• All In Line, by Saul Steinberg (New York Review Books)
• Frank Johnson, Secret Pioneer of American Comics, vol. 1, edited by Chris Byrne and Keith Mayerson (Fantagraphics)
• Stan Mack’s Real-Life Funnies: The Collected Conceits, Delusions, and Hijinks of New Yorkers from 1974 to 1995, by Stan Mack, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

BEST ARCHIVAL COLLECTION/PROJECT—COMIC BOOKS

• David Mazzucchelli’s Batman Year One Artist’s Edition, by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
• The Complete Web of Horror, edited by Dana Marie Andra (Fantagraphics)
• DC Comics Style Guide (Standards Manual)
• The Farewell Song of Marcel LaBrume, by Attilio Micheluzzi, edited by Gary Groth and Conrad Groth (Fantagraphics)
• Wally Wood from Witzend: Complete Collection, commentary by J. David Spurlock (Vanguard)
• X-Men: The Manga Remastered, vol. 1, edited by Glenn Greenberg and others (VIZ Media)

BEST COMICS-RELATED PERIODICAL/JOURNALISM

• The Beat, edited by Heidi MacDonald and others, https://www.comicsbeat.com
• ICv2: The Business of Pop Culture, edited by Milton Griepp, icv2.com
• INKS, The Journal of the Comics Studies Society, edited by Susan Kirtley (Ohio State University Press)
• SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press)
• Zdarsky Comics News, edited by Allison O’Toole (Chip Zdarsky)

BEST COMICS-RELATED BOOK

• Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund, by Caitlin McGurk (Fantagraphics)
• American Comic Book Chronicles: 1945-49, by Keith Dallas, John Wells, Richard Arndt, and Kurt Mitchell (TwoMorrows)
• Kate Carew: America’s First Great Woman Cartoonist, by Eddie Campbell with Christine Chambers (Fantagraphics)
• Q&A, by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Reading Love and Rockets, by Marc Sobel (Fantagraphics)
• Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: The Ultimate History, edited by Daniel Kothen Schulte with text by David Gerstein and J. B. Kaufman (TASCHEN)

BEST ACADEMIC/SCHOLARLY WORK

• Drawing (in) the Feminine: Bande Dessinée and Women, edited by Margaret C. Flinn (Ohio State University Press)
• Comics and Modernism: History, Form, and Culture, edited by Jonathan Najarian (University Press of Mississippi)
• From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich: The Materiality of Cheap Comics, by Neale Barnholden (University Press of Mississippi)
• Petrochemical Fantasies: The Art and Energy of American Comics, by Daniel Worden (Ohio State University Press)
• Singular Sensations: A Cultural History of One-Panel Comics in the United States, by Michelle Ann Abate (Rutgers University Press)

BEST PUBLICATION DESIGN

• David Mazzucchelli’s Batman Year One Artist’s Edition, designed by Chip Kidd (IDW)
• Bill Ward: The Fantagraphics Studio Edition, designed by Kayla E. (Fantagraphics)
• Brian Bolland: Batman The Killing Joke and Other Stories & Art, Gallery Edition, designed by Josh Beatman (Graphitti Designs)
• One Bite at a Time, designed by Ryan Claytor (Elephant Eater Comics)
• Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary Color Hardcover Box Set, designed by Patrick Crotty (Oni Press)
• Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: The Ultimate History, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)

BEST DIGITAL COMIC

• My Journey to Her, by Yuna Hirasawa (Kodansha)
• The Beauty Salon, based on the novella by Mario Bellatin, adapted by Quentin Zuttion; translated by M. B. Valente (Europe Comics)
• Beyond the Sea, by Anaïs Flogny; translated by Dan Christensen (Europe Comics)
• Gonzo: Fear and Loathing in America, by Morgan Navarro; translated by Tom Imber (Europe Comics)
• The Spider and the Ivy, by Grégoire Carle; translated by M. B. Valente (Europe Comics)

BEST WEBCOMIC

• Life After Life, by Joshua Barkman, https://falseknees.com/comics/24ink1.html (False Knees)
• The Accidental Undergrad, by Christian Giroux, https://solrad.co/tag/the-accidental-undergrad (Fieldmouse Press)
• Motherlover, by Lindsay Ishihiro, https://motherlovercomic.com (Iron Circus) Practical Defence Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff, https://www.delilahdirk.com/dd4/dd4-p188.html
• Rigsby WI, by S. E. Case, https://rigsbywi.com (Iron Circus)

BEST WRITER

• Gene Luen Yang, Lunar New Year Love Story (First Second/Macmillan)
• Tom King, Archie: The Decision (Archie); Animal Pound (BOOM! Studios); Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse); Jenny Sparks, The Penguin, Wonder Woman (DC)
• Ram V, Rare Flavours (BOOM! Studios); Dawnrunner (Dark Horse); The One Hand (Image); Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! (Image Skybound)
• Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Scarlett (Image Skybound); Venom War: It’s Jeff #1 (Marvel)
• James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); Blue Book, The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos (Dark Horse); Spectregraph (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, The Deviant, WORLDTR33 (Image)

BEST WRITER/ARTIST

• Charles Burns, Kommix (Fantagraphics); Final Cut (Pantheon); Unwholesome Love (co-published with Partners & Son)
• Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two (Fantagraphics)
• Jon Macy, Djuna (Street Noise Books)
• Paco Roca, Return to Eden (Fantagraphics)
• Olivier Schrauwen, Sunday (Fantagraphics)
• Maria Sweeney, Brittle Joints (Street Noise Books)

BEST PENCILLER/INKER OR PENCILLER/INKER TEAM

• Bilquis Evely, Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse)
• Filipe Andrade, Rare Flavours (BOOM! Studios)
• Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman (DC)
• Manu Larcenet, The Road (Abrams ComicArts)
• Javier Rodriguez, Zatanna: Bring Down the House (DC)
• LeUyen Pham, Lunar New Year Love Story (First Second/Macmillan)

BEST PAINTER/MULTIMEDIA ARTIST

• Eduardo Risso, The Blood Brothers Mother (DSTLRY)
• Frederic Bremaud and Federico Bertolucci, Donald Duck: Vacation Parade (Fantagraphics)
• Leela Corman, Victory Parade (Pantheon)
• Benjamin Flao The Hidden Life of Trees (Greystone)
• Merwan, Aster of Pan (Magnetic Press)
• Maria Sweeney, Brittle Joints (Street Noise Books)

BEST COVER ARTIST

• Tula Lotay, Helen of Wyndhorn #1, Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #3, Dawnrunner #1, Barnstormers TPB (Dark Horse); Somna and other titles (DSTLRY); The Horizon Experiment (Image)
• Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); Godzilla Skate or Die, TMNT Nightwatcher and others (IDW)
• Evan Cagle, Dawnrunner (Dark Horse), New Gods, Detective Comics
• Bilquis Evely, Animal Pound (BOOM!); Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse)
• Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns, Superman, Ape-ril, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) (DC)

BEST COLORING

• Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW; W0rldtr33 (Image); G.I. Joe, Duke (Image Skybound)
• Matheus Lopes, Batman & Robin: Year One (DC); Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse)
• Justin Prokowich, Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze (Titan Comics)
• Javier Rodriguez, Zatanna: Bring Down the House) (DC)
• Dave Stewart, Dawnrunner, Free Comic Book Day Comic 2024 [general], The Serpent in the Garden, Hellboy, Hellboy and the BPRD, Paranoid Gardens, Shaolin Cowboy Cruel to Be Kin Silent but Deadly Edition (Dark Horse); Ultramega, Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! (Image Skybound)
• Quentin Zuttion, All Princesses Die Before Dawn (Abrams ComicArts); Beauty Salon (Europe Comics)

BEST LETTERING

• Clayton Cowles, Animal Pound (BOOM! Studios); FML, Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman & Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Jenny Sparks, Wonder Woman (DC); Strange Academy, Venom (Marvel)
• Becca Carey, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Plastic Man No More! (DC); Radiant Black, Rogue Sun (Image); When the Blood Has Dried, Murder Kingdom (Mad Cave Studios)
• Leela Corman, Victory Parade (Pantheon)
• Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book Two (Fantagraphics)
• Nate Powell, Fall Through (Abrams ComicArts); Lies My Teacher Told Me (New Press)

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.