The nominees for the 2022 Will Eisner Comic Awards were announced on Friday on the official Comic-Con website. Said to be the Oscars of comic book awards, winning an Eisner is a high honor to anyone in the industry, including our favorite manga creators. Here are the following manga that received a nomination at this year’s awards:
Chainsaw Man
Story and art by Tatsuki Fujimoto, translated by Amanda Haley (VIZ Media)
Award Category: Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
Chainsaw Man is making another big return this year looking to take home the award for “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia” at the 2022 Will Eisner Comic Awards. The series already has an impressive lineup of awards over the past year, including “Best Manga” at the 2021 Harvey Awards and “Best Shōnen Manga” at both the 66th Shogakukan Manga Awards and the 27th Manga Barcelona.
According to the US Monthly Bookscan report released for April 2022, Chainsaw Man surpassed other big-name series such as Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Attack on Titan to become the best-selling manga in North America. The series has held the top spot for three out of the first four months this year. As of December 2021, Chainsaw Man has over 12 million copies in circulation.
Fujimoto’s previous works include Chainsaw Man Buddy Stories (2021), Look Back (2021), and Fire Punch (2018). His most recent one-shot Goodbye, Eri (2022) will also be receiving a physical manga release this summer.
Spy x Family
Story and art by Tatsuya Endo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)
Award Category: Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
Thanks to the anime adaptation of the hit manga series, Spy x Family is plastered everywhere we look. Once nominated for the same in 2021, Spy x Family is looking to finally take home the award for “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia”. This is now the series’ 10th award nomination since its serialization in 2019, more than any other series among the nominees in this category.
Spy x Family won in the “Web Manga” category at the 2019 Next Manga Awards and in the following year under the “Next Hit” category at the 4th Tsutaya Comic Awards. As of May 2022, Spy x Family currently has a whopping 18 million copies in circulation.
Spy x Family is Endo’s fourth manga publication with past works that include Gekka Bijin (2010), Shihou Yuugi (2008), and TISTA (2007).
Robo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow (Omnibus)
Story and art by Toranosuke Shimada, translation by Adrienne Beck (Seven Seas)
Award Category: Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
While Robo Sapiens is one of the lesser-known nominees this year, it’s certainly one to not be overlooked. The sci-fi seinen manga by Toranosuke Shimada previously won the Manga Division’s Grand Prize at the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. This will be the series’ third award nomination in its history—previously at the 51st Seiun Awards and 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2020.
But the notoriety doesn’t end there. In 2020, Robo Sapiens also landed at #2 on the Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of the best manga for male readers, with its original first volume being rated as one of the top-10 manga of 2021 by the School Library Journal.
Robo Sapiens is Shimada’s fourth manga publication and is undoubtedly his most successful. Other manga works of his include Kugatsu Juugatsu (2014), Danny Boy (2008), and Traumerei (2007).
Kaiju No. 8
Story and art by Naoya Matsumoto, translation by David Evelyn (VIZ Media)
Award Category: Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
This is Kaiju No. 8‘s fifth award nomination since being serialized back in 2020. The highly regarded series won in the “Web Manga” category at the 2021 Next Manga Awards and the grand prize earlier this year at the eBook Initiative Japan Manga Awards.
In June 2021, the first three copies of Kaiju No. 8 surpassed 2.5 million copies in circulation, breaking a Shonen Jump+ record. Now, the series has over 100 million views on the Jump+ website and even ranked 10th on Anime Japan’s “Most Wanted Anime Adaptation” list earlier this year as well.
As of December 2021, the manga has over 5.5 million copies in circulation. Previous works of Matsumoto included Pochi Kuro (2014) and Nekowappa! (2009).
Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection
Story and Art by Junji Ito, translation by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
Award Categories: Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia , Best Writer/Artist
The most iconic author in horror manga is up for the same award as he won last year. Previously winning last year for Remina in the best Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia category, Ito is looking to win the award in back-to-back years, this time around for Lovesickness. Ito also won in the “Best Writer/Artist” category at last year’s Eisner Awards for Remina as well.
Ito has some more history with the Eisner Awards. Back in 2003, Uzumaki was a nominee in the category of “Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material”. Almost two decades later, the news broke in June 2021 that Uzumaki will be receiving an anime adaptation. The anime is now slated to air later this year in October.
Lovesickness is only one of two manga up for another award this year besides the “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia” category. Ito is also up for the “Best Writer/Artist” award, again, for his work in Lovesickness and Deserter.
The final nominee in the “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia” category is also another manga up for two awards this year…
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Story by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata, translation by Nova Skipper (VIZ Media)
Award Categories: Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia , Best Humor Publication
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is looking to make a splash at this year’s Eisner Awards. The comedy-horror manga is nominated for both the “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia” and “Best Humor Publication” awards. These are the manga’s first award nominations since it began serialization in 2018.
Don’t call it a comeback! What makes Zom 100 an even more exciting nominee this year at the awards is that Aso came out of retirement after finishing Alice in Borderland in 2016. Now, four years since being serialized, Zom 100 currently has 10 volumes published in Japanese, 7 volumes in English, and is a nominee for two prestigious awards at this year’s Eisner Awards.
Disney Cruella
Adapted by Hachi Ishie (VIZ Media)
Award Category: Best Adaptation from Another Medium
A direct manga adaptation of the 2021 film Cruella, Disney Cruella: Black, White, and Red is looking to take home the award for “Best Adaptation from Another Medium”. It’s the only manga among the nominees for the award. The adaptation is directly done by Ishie, also known as ZAKK, who is most notably known for Canis (2012) and Rojiura Brothers (2014).
The winners of the 2022 Will Eisner Comic Awards will be announced during Comic-Con on July 22!
Source: Comic-Con Official Website
Thumbnail by Eric Himmelheber
