Every year, the Eisner Awards, named after iconic cartoonist and creator of The Spirit Will Eisner, celebrate the best comics, writers, and artists in the comic book industry. As with every major awards event across the media spectrum, though, there are bound to be some titles that fans feel are left out of contention.
This year's Eisner nominees cover a broad spectrum of genres and publishers, featuring mainstream superhero comics from Marvel and DC Comics alongside titles from Image, IDW, and many other publishers. Across its 32 categories, the 2021 Eisner nominees are recognizing plenty of talent, but there are a few notable omissions that have comics fans scratching their heads.
10 Hawkeye: Freefall
Just a few years after Matt Fraction's take on the iconic archer redefined how fans saw Hawkeye (for which artist David Aja won several Eisners), another exciting Hawkeye title has come along in time for the already-cast TV series. In Hawkeye: Freefall, Clint Barton suffers a crisis of conscience surrounding the rise of a new Ronin.
Critics and fans alike have praised Freefall's combination of humor and psychological exploration, achieved through both Matthew Rosenberg's writing and Otto Schmidt's dynamic artwork. With exciting action and several guest appearances from Marvel heavy hitters, as well, Freefall seemed like a shoo-in for Eisner attention that it didn't get.
9 Billionaire Island
Published by the relatively new publisher Ahoy Comics, Billionaire Island is a lesser-known, but nonetheless highly acclaimed, satirical limited series centered on the titular island. Writer Mark Russell and artist Steve Pugh (who also teamed up for DC's Eisner-nominated The Flintstones), brought the comic to life.
The story centers on an island for the mega-rich to escape to that is suddenly upended by residents who wish to disrupt the status quo. Critics and fans love the series' zany art and over-the-top approach to satirical humor, so the lack of Eisner attention is quite surprising.
8 Wonder Woman: Dead Earth
A very different kind of Wonder Woman tale, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth is a post-apocalyptic limited series penned and drawn by celebrated creator Daniel Warren Johnson. In a dread-inducing future, Wonder Woman must protect a settlement of survivors and reckon with the cause of this dead Earth.
Although this series published by DC Black Label did receive a little Eisner recognition as part of Rus Wooton's nomination for Best Lettering, its omission in other categories is notable. Johnson's grim writing and heavy-metal artwork have both been acclaimed across the board, but both he and the series remain unnominated this year.
7 Hawkman
Since 2018, Robert Venditti's take on Hawkman has surprised comics fans with its unique perspective on the classic hero and his cyclical resurrection. Last year, the series came to a close with a run that was mostly illustrated by Fernando Pasarin, which many readers agree was a stunning end to the series.
Nonetheless, the Eisner Awards did not nominate the DC title in any categories, which has confused fans and critics who see it as one of the best superhero titles on the market. Venditti's sweeping story and Pasarin's stunning art from the comic's 2020 run, however, will live on in many fans' hearts.
6 Once & Future
One of the hottest series of Boom! Studios lineup for the past couple of years has been the fantasy comic Once & Future from writer Kieron Gillen and artist Dan Mora. This take on Arthurian legend brings the sword and sorcery of myth to the present day, as its characters reckon with their mythic lineage and the consequences of history.
Although Once & Future did not garner any Eisner nominations this year, its readers have praised the series' use of Arthurian lore to enrich the story, as well as Gillen's compelling story structure. Mora's renderings of the comic's action sequences have also been highly acclaimed.
5 Undiscovered Country
Previously nominated for the Best New Series Eisner in 2020, Undiscovered Country has not had as much recognition in this year's nominations, with its only mention as part of Matt Wilson's nomination for Best Coloring. This Image series, though, has garnered lots of support from fans and critics.
The series (written by Charles Soule and Scott Snyder) begins with the concept that America has walled itself off from the rest of the world, and a team of investigators journey into the lost country. What has followed in the series' run is a strange and horrifying post-apocalyptic story brought to life by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini's acclaimed art.
4 Die
With a premise as intriguing as Dungeons & Dragons meets Jumanji, it's no wonder Image Comics title Die has become a hit among readers and critics alike. A dark fantasy written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Stephanie Hans, the series follows a group of friends who are sucked into a horrific fantasy RPG world as children and return as adults.
Fans of the series keep coming back for its complex characters, grim storytelling, and Hans' rendering of the world, while critics have generally called this one of the best titles available and praised its emotional highs and lows. The comic did get some recognition this year, though, as Clayton Cowles' Best Lettering nomination includes his work on Die.
3 Mirka Andolfo's Mercy
Acclaimed artist Mirka Andolfo brought her talents to this title from Image last year with great anticipation and, once the limited series concluded, much acclaim. Mirka Andolfo's Mercy, however, was not nominated for any Eisner Awards, much to the chagrin of the supernatural title's fans.
Following a town plagued by murders and supernatural horrors, Mercy tells a Gothic horror story laced with elements of classic vampire fiction that drew in readers of all kinds. Both critics and fans praised the series' slowly unraveling mysteries, as well as Andolfo's striking artwork which combines the horrifying with the beautiful.
2 John Constantine: Hellblazer
Aside from being one of the titles that Aditya Bidikar received his Best Lettering nomination for, this highly acclaimed and unique take on the DC Comics character received no Eisner nominations this year. In John Constantine: Hellblazer, writer Simon Spurrier and artists Aaron Campbell and Matias Bergara have crafted a captivating, time-bending story.
Constantine faces plenty of mystical threats in this series, like the terrifying monsters DC is known for, but critics have specifically loved the complexity of the character and the obstacles he faces under Spurrier's direction. Fans have called this series one of the best runs in the character's history, too, while praising the dark, imaginative art.
1 Immortal Hulk
Although it has previously been nominated for an Eisner, Al Ewing's acclaimed Immortal Hulk series that began in 2018 did not receive a nomination this year. The horror-inflected Marvel title provides a whole new perspective on the titular green monster and his relationship with Bruce Banner.
Al Ewing's nuanced and inspired writing has been acclaimed, as has the comic's terrifying artwork, which has, for most of its run, been drawn by Joe Bennett. While the most recent issue was published in summer of 2020, the series looms large enough with both fans and critics to be a surprising Eisner omission.
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