Francis Rothbart! The Tale Of A Fastidious Feral

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Likely, I should not include this in my children's/YA goodreads account (because it does not belong even in a high school library), but it IS graphic (as in "graphic opera"). "images recall the fictive gardens of a paradise lost that lingers somewhere deep in all our souls, moist and dark like the caves of the pious saints" and operatic it is, indeed. The visual images are at once striking, stunning in fact, and of the "you can't look but you can't look away" variety. As the intro describes, it is the story of a feral child who is raised by a clever but loving mother fox and magpies and secondarily other animals, who makes his way in the vernal world, outside and unbeknownst to the village townspeople, until old enough and curious enough and circumstances provide access to the villagers. Each interaction with humans, i.e., the villagers, ends in disaster and he retreats to the less cruel and unpredictable nature of the forest. Thomas Woodruff, Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral (Fantagraphics) Best Publication Design In my work as an artist and educator in my over 40 year career, I have attempted to help break and blur some cultural barriers that are still deeply enmeshed within our present day society. Artists must be brave, particularly telling the stories that they need to tell. Francis challenges the torches and pitchforks, he is stronger than the misunderstandings, the bullying, and the hate. I am too!”

Pat Brosseau, Batman: The Knight, Wonder Woman: The Villainy of Our Fears (DC): Creepshow, Dark Ride, I Hate This Place, Skybound Presents: Afterschool (Image Skybound) The Eisner Award trophies will be presented in a gala awards ceremony to be held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel during Comic-Con on the evening of 21st July 2023.Tiki: A Very Ruff Year, by David Azencot and Fred Leclerc, translation by Nanette McGuinness (Life Drawn/Humanoids) Pogo The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips: Volume 8: Hijinks from the Horn of Plenty,by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics) Geneviève Castrée: Complete Works,by Geneviève Castrée, translation by Phil Elverum and Aleshia Jensen (Drawn & Quarterly) The purpose of the judging was to sincerely put forward some of the best work submitted for consideration, and to have missed the problematic aspects of the book's narrative has been hugely disappointing," says our source familiar with the situation. (The book has been criticized for potentially racist depictions of characters, as well as scenes of child sexuality.) "The judges, I think, took the book as highly experimental and abstract, not accounting for the more concrete, racial elements to it." WINNER: Shuna’s Journey, by Hayao Miyazaki; translation by Alex Dudok de Wit (First Second/Macmillan)

The Art of the News: Comics Journalism, edited by Katherine Kelp-Stebbins and Ben Saunders (Oregon State University Press) One of this year's judges, Sean Kleefeld, shared some insight earlier this month as to how final judging, which typically includes a multi-day meeting of all the judges at Comic-Con International: San Diego's offices in San Diego, works in general. In that piece ( written before the meeting and the decision on nominations), Kleefeld wrote about the contrasting opinions that could be at play for some more contentious comics. Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story, by Catherine Pioli, translated by J. T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press)

The Art of the News: Comics Journalism,edited by Katherine Kelp-Stebbins and Ben Saunders (Oregon State University Press) Other publishers with multiple nominations include Abrams (with 7 plus 1 shared), Drawn & Quarterly (6), Z2 (6), IDW (5), First Second (4 plus 1 shared), Penn State University/Graphic Mundi (4), Ablaze (3 plus 1 shared), Humanoids (3 plus 1 shared), Andrews McMeel (3), TwoMorrows (3), VIZ Media (3), and BOOM! (2 plus one shared). Six companies have 2 nominations each, and another 33 companies or individuals have 1 nomination each. Fantagraphics has 13 nominations, led by Thomas Woodruff’s Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral,which received nods for Best Graphic Album–new, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design. In addition, Fantagraphics dominated the Archival Collection categories, with 3 in the Comic Strip category and two in the Comic Book category. Parker: The Martini Edition—Last Call, by Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, and Sean Phillips (IDW) But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust,edited by Charlotte Schallié (University of Toronto Press)

Geneviève Castrée: Complete Works, by Geneviève Castrée, translation by Phil Elverum and Aleshia Jensen (Drawn & Quarterly) How Comics Travel: Publication, Translation, Radical Literacies,by Katherine Kelp-Stebbins (Ohio State University Press) Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects,by Benjamin L. Clark and Nat Gertler (Schulz Museum) Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story, by Catherine Pioli, translated by J. T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press) WINNER: Parker: The Martini Edition—Last Call, by Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, and Sean Phillips (IDW)Popverse has reached out to the Eisner Awards organiation and its parent company Comic-Con International: San Diego for comment. Inside the 2023 Eisner Awards judging Image credit: Comic-Con International: San Diego Marvel Comics received 9 nominations (plus 3 shared), including 2 each in the Short Story, Single Issue, and Continued Series categories. Dark Horse had 9 (plus 2 shared), led by 2 for Jeff Lemire’s Mazebook Dark Horse Direct Edition (Best Graphic Album–Reprint, Best Publication Design).

The book, published by Fantagraphics, was called a "grotesque-erotic epic" in an unsigned Publishers Weekly review upon its publication, even then warning it could raise "eyebrows and questions about the boundaries of art publishing." While the initial publishing of Francis Rothbart by Fantagraphics hadn't recieved widespread criticism, the four Eisner Awards nominations certainly did, launching conversation about Woodruff's professional behavior during his tenure as a university leader of a major comics division and as well as concerns about the subject and content of his book. Daisy FM:Ugh. Once I directly asked Thomas Woodruff why SVA didn't have a business classes for the Comics major. Illustration had a business class! Animation had two! Why not Comics? He told me he didn't want the students to become too "business savvy" and "lose their artistic soul." Once Thomas Woodruff came to my class & told us, "the theme for the thesis is Greek myths, but don't be too literal!" Then he came again after we'd all made these beautiful metaphorical comics said, "What are you guys DOING? These don't seem very GREEK." When I had my senior year portfolio review with Thomas Woodruff, do you know what he critiqued? You'll never guess. MY OUTFIT! HE MADE FUN OF MY HAT! Tom King, Batman: Killing Time, Batman: One Bad Day, Gotham City: Year One, The Human Target, Love Everlasting, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (DC)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

Tom King, Batman: Killing Time, Batman: One Bad Day, Gotham City: Year One, The Human Target, Love Everlasting, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (DC) The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1922-1924, by George Herriman, edited by J. Michael Catron (Fantagraphics) Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 35th year of bringing attention to and highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2023 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of librarian Moni Barrette, educator/collector Peter Jones, retailer Jen King, journalist Sean Kleefeld, scholar/comics creator A. David Lewis, and comics instructor/curator TJ Shevlin.