2026 Eisner Award Nominees: DC Dominates with 16 Noms, Deniz Camp Leads

This year’s 2026 Eisner nominations once again showcase the diversity of the medium. Across 32 categories, the list features over 170 print and online titles from 75 publishers and creators worldwide.

DC Comics leads with 16 nominations (plus 10 shared), driven by Absolute Batman and Absolute Martian Manhunter. Fantagraphics earned 14 nominations, while Image Comics follows with 12 (plus 9 shared), including five for Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski’s Assorted Crisis Events and four for James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ Department of Truth. Abrams Imprints earned 9 nominations across 8 categories, with strong showings from Drawn & Quarterly (6 nominations) and Random House (5 nominations).

Other publishers with multiple nominations include Dark Horse Comics (4 plus 4 shared), Henry Holt (4), First Second (4), VIZ Media (4), Marvel (3 plus 5 shared), and Top Shelf (3 plus 1 shared). Several publishers earned three nominations each: Andrews McMeel, New York Review Comics, Pantheon, Peow, Stacked Deck, and Yen Press. IDW Publishing received 2 plus 5 shared nominations, while BOOM! Studios and Oni Press each earned 2 plus 1 shared. Additionally, nine publishers landed 2 nominations each, and 41 companies or individuals received one nomination apiece.

What are the Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards?

Named after legendary comics creator Will Eisner, the Eisner Awards are celebrating their 38th year of honoring the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. This year’s blue-ribbon panel of judges includes writer Regine Sawyer, librarian Jerry Dear, reviewer and journalist Tiffany Babb, comics retailer Katie Pryde, and comics scholar Randy Duncan.

Voting is open online to all professionals in the comic book industry. Those who voted in 2025 or registered by May 14 will automatically receive a ballot. The voting deadline is June 5, 2026. The 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 July 24, 2026.

This year’s nominees include its first work featuring AI?

A notable development in the 2026 Eisner Award nominations is the inclusion of Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology (edited by Van Jensen, Blue Creek Creative) in the Best Anthology category. First reported by Graphic Policy, the book features a contribution created with artificial intelligence by Michael Todasco (under the AI persona Alex Irons). This marks the first time an AI-involved work has been nominated for an Eisner Award. The use of AI was not disclosed during the original crowdfunding campaign, sparking discussion in the comics community.

Disclaimer: The Eisner Awards currently have no specific guidelines regarding the use of AI in submitted works. Neither the official rules nor the FAQ address artificial intelligence, which allowed Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology to receive a nomination despite including an AI-generated contribution.

AD: Are you a new comic book reader looking for a good jumping-on point for DC stories? Check out DC Finest! A collection of earlier stories, celebrated periods, and genres of the DC Universe.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Whatever purchase through the affiliate links helps the site.

Eisner Award Nominees (2026):

Best Short Stories:

Best One-Shot/Single Issue:

Best Continuing Series:

Best Limited Series:

AD: Celebrate Ani-May with these Crunchyroll Collectibles, Available now at Entertainment Earth!

Best New Series:

Best Publication for Early Readers: