IMAGE RECEIVES TWELVE EISNER NOMINATIONS
Morning Glories, Chew, Marineman, and Image Anthologies Sweep Up This Year's Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominations

BERKELEY, CA -- 8 April, 2011 -- Yesterday afternoon, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards committee announced the nominations for books published in 2010, and Image Comics is pleased to be the publisher behind twelve of the Eisner nominations. Hot on the heels of an explosion of break-out new Image Comics titles, this announcement verifies that the publisher is leading the way with the most successful and the most critically-acclaimed of new creator-owned comics. In fact, Image has tied for the publisher who has the 2nd most nominations this year.

Two of Image's recent big success stories, CHEW and Shadowline's MORNING GLORIES, will go head to head for Best Continuing Series and Best Writer! Industry veteran John Layman and stylistically-singular artist Rob Guillory have brought readers CHEW, the comic about a cibopathic detective that has been both turning stomachs and quenching readers' hunger for fun, well-told supernatural comedic crime stories. Guillory was also nominated for the Best Penciller/Inker award for his work on CHEW.

Meanwhile, in MORNING GLORIES, prolific young writer Nick Spencer and newcomer artist Joe Eisma, are telling a compelling science fiction story about a group of high school students who attend a prestigious but mysterious prep school, The Morning Glory Academy, with readers finding each page posing more questions than the last. Not only that, but MORNING GLORIES has also received a nomination for Best New Series!

Also nominated for Best New Series, Ian Churchill's effervescent hero MARINEMAN makes us hope for a return to a more innocent time, when good guys do win! Churchill's underwater superhero adventure is written and drawn with such genuine heart and soul that it's obvious why he chose to publish this project as a creator-owned title.

Image Comics anthologies such as COMIC BOOK TATTOO and POPGUN, VOL. 3 have won Eisner awards in years past. This year the publisher has continued that trend with multiple nominations from three different anthologies, including a Best Anthology nomination going to LIQUID CITY, VOL. 2, edited by Sonny Liew and Lim Cheng Tju. POPGUN, VOL. 4 brought us Best Short Story nominee “Hamburgers for One,” by Frank Stockton. Silverline Books children's anthology FRACTURED FABLES provided two nominations for Best Short Story: Little Red Riding Hood,” by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d’Errico, and "Cinderella" by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo. And to top it off, Esquejo also got a Best Cover Artist nomination for his memorable painted work for the MORNING GLORIES series' covers!

"As always, we're incredibly proud of all the writers and artists nominated," said Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "It's particularly cool to see John and Rob get nods for a second year running, and more proof that CHEW is one of the best creator-owned books on the market."


Here's the complete list of Image Comics' Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominations:

Best Short Story: “Cinderella,” by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo, in FRACTURED FABLES (Silverline Books/Image)
Best Short Story: “Hamburgers for One,” by Frank Stockton, in POPGUN, VOL. 4 (Image)
Best Short Story: “Little Red Riding Hood,” by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d’Errico, in FRACTURED FABLES (Silverline Books/Image)
Best Continuing Series: CHEW, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
Best Continuing Series: MORNING GLORIES, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (Shadowline/Image)
Best New Series: MARINEMAN, by Ian Churchill (Image)
Best New Series: MORNING GLORIES, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (Shadowline/Image)
Best Anthology: LIQUID CITY, VOL. 2, edited by Sonny Liew and Lim Cheng Tju (Image)
Best Writer: John Layman, CHEW (Image)
Best Writer: Nick Spencer, MORNING GLORIES, SHUDDERTOWN, FORGETLESS, EXISTENCE 3.0 (Image)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: Rob Guillory, CHEW (Image)
Best Cover Artist: Rodin Esquejo, MORNING GLORIES (Shadowline/Image)


MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 1 TP (DEC100470), a full color 200-page trade paperback, is available for order now for a low $9.99. MORNING GLORIES #9 (FEB110469), a full color 32-page comic book, will be in stores on 4/27 for $2.99.
FRACTURED FABLES HC (MAY100407), a full color 160-page hardcover for kids of all ages, is in stores now for $29.99.
LIQUID CITY, VOL. 2 (JUL100414), a 328-page full color trade paperback anthology, is available in stores now for $29.99.
CHEW #18 (DEC100477), a 32-page full color comic book, is available in stores now for $2.99 and CHEW #27 (JAN110597), the time-travelling issue that follows #18, will be available in stores on 5/4 for $2.99.
MARINEMAN #5 (FEB110464), a 32-page full color all ages comic book, will be in stores on 4/27 for $3.99.


ABOUT IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com