Whedonesque : Comments on 16067 : Joss Whedon, Sugarshock! and Buffy Season 8 nominated for 2008 Eisner Awards.

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April 14 2008

Joss Whedon, Sugarshock! and Buffy Season 8 nominated for 2008 Eisner Awards. Buffy is nominated for "Best Continuing Series" and "Best New Series", Sugarshock! for "Best Digital Comic" and Joss is up for "Best Writer".

Other relevant nominees include Brian K. Vaughan for "Best Writer", Dave Stewart for "Best Colorist" and John Cassaday for "Best Cover Artist".

Simon | Printed matter | 16:02 CET | 40 comments total | tags: sugarshock, eisner awards, joss whedon, buffy season 8

This is excellent news. Way to go, Joss and crew!

Furball | April 14, 16:05 CET

Aye these are really prestigious awards so kudos to everyone who got nominated.

Simon | April 14, 16:07 CET

Oh Gods, I feel traitorous for saying this, but I'd rather Y: The Last Man win Best Series instead of Buffy...

Buffy will always be the greatest thing in the world to me, but as far as comics go, Y is one of the best I've ever read.

UnpluggedCrazy | April 14, 16:11 CET

Woot! If either Buffy or Y wins, I'm happy.

Sunfire | April 14, 16:17 CET

How could Jo Chen NOT be up for best cover artist?

kmb99 | April 14, 16:25 CET

I echo kmb99's question. Jo Chen's covers are phenomenal. I am quite biased, but her work should be rewarded by someone!

hobnail | April 14, 16:37 CET

You forgot to mention that "Sugarshock!" is up for Best Digital Comic.

bodamander | April 14, 16:56 CET

Since 'Y: The Last Man' won't be up in future (I assume), i'd also rather it won this time round. I'm sure Buffy will get another chance but even if not, to be perfectly honest I think Y is the better comic (as of right now but who knows, Buffy might well overtake it).

And yeah second the puzzlement at Jo Chen being left out (though I guess technically she's only done one Buffy cover in 2008, even if it was the lovely 'Peter Pan'ish one to issue 10 - is it actually for work published in 2008 ?). Out of that list i'd say Jae Lee for the 'Dark Tower' comic though some of JG Jones' stuff on '52' was also very nice.

Saje | April 14, 16:57 CET

I don't like season 8. There, I said it. I am a horrible, horrible person.

But I guess for a comic it might be good, so that's why I partially understand that it gets nominated for awards.

Donnie | April 14, 17:16 CET

I'm no comics award expert, but maybe the voters will give Best Series to "Y" as a tribute to its impact on comics in general. If Joss picks up awards in other catagories, it's still all good. It'll be fine.

impalergeneral | April 14, 17:20 CET

You forgot to mention that "Sugarshock!" is up for Best Digital Comic.

I MISSED THAT. Go Sugarshock! Is there a more easily parsed list by category out there somewhere?

Sunfire | April 14, 17:21 CET

You forgot to mention that "Sugarshock!" is up for Best Digital Comic.

I did indeed miss that one. It's now corrected, cheers for the heads up.

And a big huzzah for The Infinite Horizon getting a nomination. That comic book series is a gem.

Simon | April 14, 17:30 CET

Congratulations to Joss Whedon, Georges Jeanty and crew for the nomination!

That said, I'm rooting for BKV, Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan to win for Y: The Last Man. That's the best comic series I've ever read in my life, and the last few issues were especially moving.

Saturn Girl | April 14, 17:33 CET

Yay for Sugershock!

I haven't read much of the Buffy comic yet (issue 1-5) (The only comic store I know that ships American comics in, won't ship the singles and I'm not willing to pay about $8 for shipping everytime either, so I'm waiting for the second volume.) So far I think it's decent, but not much more. But I'm still looking forward to read the rest of it. Especially now I know Fray will be brought in to play at some point.

[ edited by the Groosalugg on 2008-04-14 17:46 ]

the Groosalugg | April 14, 17:41 CET

Oh Gods, I feel traitorous for saying this, but I'd rather Y: The Last Man win Best Series instead of Buffy...

Ha! I feel the same way, sorta. I'm catching up on the series now that it's ended (I stopped reading years ago when my source dried up), and it's fucking addictive even though I'm still reading issues I've read before, and I love it, and I've only read the first Buffy trade, which was...all right, so when I saw this news, I thought, "Eisner? Really?" Also, how is it up for Best NEW Series and Best CONTINUING Series at the same time?

That said, I'm rooting for BKV, Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan to win for Y: The Last Man. That's the best comic series I've ever read in my life, and the last few issues were especially moving.

I'm glad to hear that! I'm really excited to get through it. I hope no one spoils it in here.

And, ooh, James Jean is up for covers? I love his Fables covers.

Polter-Cow | April 14, 18:10 CET

Congratulations to everyone who has been nominated! I really hope 'Sugarshock!' will win in its category.

Ameer | April 14, 18:18 CET

I have to second (or third?) the outrage toward Jo Chen not getting nominated for cover artist. I hope it was a technicality like Saje mentioned, because her covers are simply breathtaking. I have the cover for 'The Chain' on display in my room, and I refuse to even purchase my copy if its an alternative cover. With that said congrats to everyone nominated! I am also hoping Y wins, but I'll be rooting for Buffy next year.

TOASTERslayer | April 14, 18:18 CET

Jumping on the 'Buffy's good, but Y should win' train. Y is my second favorite comic ever, just a fraction of a smidgen of a tiny, tiny hair behind Preacher.

And I have to cheer for Scalped in the 'Best New' category. Again, as much as I love Buffy, Scalped is fucking transcendent. Month by month, the best thing on the stands. Plus, it needs all the attention it can get. It's insane that it doesn't sell more than it does, and it'd be a crime against storytelling if it's canceled before its time.

Buffy'll have plenty of time to win awards, and I'm sure it will. It just picked a hell of a year to start up, competition-wise. Rooting for Sugarshock, though. Most fun I've had on the web in ages.

And the best writer category - Eeeeesh. Talk about stiff competition. I'm not even going to venture a guess there.

Also, just looking at the entire list of nominations... It's been a good year. But then, I'd argue that of all the entertainment mediums, comics actually have the best gold-to-crap ratio, even with all the superhero comics included. The sheer amount of great stuff that comes out every week is so vast I can't possibly hope to keep up on all of it - a 'problem' I've never had with TV or movies.

Winther | April 14, 18:36 CET

Jumping on the 'Buffy's good, but Y should win' train. Y is my second favorite comic ever, just a fraction of a smidgen of a tiny, tiny hair behind Preacher.

Oh, nice. I have all of Preacher borrowed from a friend to read after I catch up on Y and Ex Machina. And AXM.

Is Sugarshock more than that one issue I saw on the MySpace? I haven't taken the time to read it.

Polter-Cow | April 14, 18:51 CET

Seems like a good time for Joss and Brian :-)
I can't believe Jo didn't get nominated. Best. Covers. Ever.

Valentyn | April 14, 18:58 CET

Great news. Since Buffy is the only nominated series that I've actually been reading, I'm rooting for it, but I have heard lotsa good things about Y, and I've always wanted to check it out. So, if either wins, that'd be great. Buffy will always have next year (I'd imagine).

Haven't read Sugarshock, but I'll blindly support it. I'm like that. And, yeah, Chen definitely got robbed there. Her covers are amazing.

Supersymmetrical | April 14, 19:07 CET

@Polter-Cow:

Sugarshock was 3 'issues' in all. Here are the links to the first, second and third parts of the story.

Winther | April 14, 19:12 CET

Thanks, Winther!

Did Jo Chen do the covers for the first five issues? Those were really great!

Polter-Cow | April 14, 19:20 CET

I think Jo Chen should of been nominated.Congratulations to who was.

Buffyfantic | April 14, 19:37 CET

Y will be eligible next year, because it had its last issue published this year.

Congratulations Joss! Very well deserved nomination (his first as Best Writer, I believe). You're one of the gang now!

I'd honour BKV with the same but he betrayed us all by shutting down the Cabal and I don't think I'll ever quite forgive him. :(

daylight | April 14, 20:00 CET

I just realized something... The whole time Joss has been working on comic books he hasn't been working on a TV show.
I was reading an old article about Rob Thomas talking about why he couldn't do a Veronica Mars comic book continuation. (This was last summer.) He said that he didn't have the time to work on it because, at the time, he was the show runner on Miss/Guided.
Joss says he's like an excutive producer on Buffy Season Eight, and now he has Dollhouse as well. And then there's everything else. Could this mean he's not going to focus on Buffy as much as he has been... or could Dollhouse not get as much attention? Or is Joss going to work so much that he'll explode, releasing all he's creative energy on the unexpecting populous, allowing everyone to be just as magically as he is?
I'm thinking Rob Thomas (who is working on three different pilots for next season!) just wasn't ready for so much at once. But still I'm starting to get a little worried... :(
Someone please reassure me...

xerox | April 14, 20:02 CET

Y has got to win this.
I don't think I can feel about Season 8 the way I do about Y until Season 8 is finished. If that makes any sense.
But, of course, I'm still glad Joss got the nomination.

jcs | April 14, 20:31 CET

I dunno... I don't want Joss to get all overworked and crazy and tired like he did on Buffy/Angel/Firefly - you know? And now they've got the kids, and I know he likes to keep busy, but...

*mama-hens about his stress-levels & health, which are really none of her business...*

Yoga! Do that yoga!

*shuts up now.*

Oh, and I dunno if a particular issue is used to submit the series for the award - hence the narrow list of Buffy co-nominees - but I have to second the Jo Chen love.

Gratz to Joss and everyone for the Eisner noms - very cool and all well-deserved. I'm especially fond of Sugar~~shack~~shock.

Yeppity-sir.

QuoterGal | April 14, 20:34 CET

xerox, it's a comic. It's nowhere near as intense an activity as running a TV show - and he was running four at once, along with writing the end of Fray, at one point. (If you include the scuppered Buffy cartoon.) He'll be fine. :)

daylight | April 14, 20:43 CET

Rooting for Season 8, obviously, but I think the real underdog here is Sugarshock.

Perseo | April 14, 20:45 CET

Daylight, Fray had many delays because of Joss' TV commitments and even though he isn't writing every single issue he has to approve everything. Plus it seems like he announces a new project every month. But yeah he'll probably be fine... I just worry about everything that is worryable.

xerox | April 14, 21:38 CET

I loved Sugarshock, and really hope it wins its category. It is actually my second favourite of Joss's comics, after AXM. But don't get me wrong. I am enjoying Buffy Season 8. I just don't love it quite as much as those.

I also love Jo Chen's covers. But Cassaday is wonderful. He's a big part of why AXM is my favourite of the comics (although I do like Georges Jeanty's Buffy artwork, it's very different, I know, but he's just not in the same class as Cassaday, to me).

Congrats are due to all, anyway.

Kiddo | April 15, 00:51 CET

This is utterly fantabulous news!

I feel a bit like a parrot today, nodding my head and agreeing with the points that everyone has already made.
1. Yes, 'Y' deserves to win.
Buffy Season 8 has had its' moments, but still has a lot of ground to cover. Giving it the award now would be like the Academy only watching The Godfather to the horses head bit, switching off and giving it the Oscar anyway.
2. Jo Chen was robbed. 'Nuff said.
3. Sugarshack just may be the little piece of off-the-cuff-fluff that could.

And coming from someone who had never even BOUGHT a comic in their life this time last year, it's scary that I know exactly what everyone is talking about. And yet, awesome!

missb | April 15, 01:39 CET

Yay, "Sugarshock"! and "Y"! (tho' I was expecting the "Y" nom, he said, much less coolly than he thought).

Jo Chen's day will come.

aimstomisbehave | April 15, 02:26 CET

Since I didn't see this answered...

Also, how is it up for Best NEW Series and Best CONTINUING Series at the same time?

A new series is, well, a new series, one that started in the required time period (which, I think, is just 2007, though I didn't see it mentioned in the article). A continuing series is an on-going series, as opposed to a limited series (which is a different category). So it's not mutually exclusive.

I like Chen's covers and it'd have been nice to see them get nominated. But I would have had to vote for JG Jones' covers to 52 anyway. Best series of covers I've seen in years.

And as someone mentioned up thread, Y #60 was published in January, so it could be nominated next year too. Though I don't know if the judges next year will feel it worthwhile to nominate a series that only had one issue out in the time period.

Mad Axe | April 15, 04:36 CET

Ah right, so it's the previous year's published work ? Makes sense though it does make me wonder even more about Chen's exclusion. Cassaday's panel art is astonishing (low fruit, it's where I live ;) but, must admit, his AXM covers usually leave me pretty underwhelmed.

(seems like it'd be a bit of an indictment of the upcoming year's comics if a series with one qualifying issue got a 2009 nomination but I guess awards can be weird that way)

Saje | April 15, 09:22 CET

My pollster tells me Sugarshock lost the Viking vote, the squirrel vote looks a bit iffy as well and if someone says "They are not here to vote" run for it.

jpr | April 15, 10:25 CET

A continuing series is an on-going series, as opposed to a limited series (which is a different category). So it's not mutually exclusive.

Oooh, thanks, Mad Axe! I was reading it in the vein of TWoP's "Best Returning Show" category. Thanks for explaining.

Polter-Cow | April 15, 18:02 CET

This is really amazing and so well deserved. I really hope our people win!

JCapra | April 15, 18:45 CET

Okay, I just read Sugarshock, and that was good, cracked-out fun. And it only took me seventeen minutes.

Polter-Cow | April 17, 00:19 CET

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