Canadians Mariko Tamaki and Boum among Eisner Award winners, recognizing the year's best comics
The U.S. prizes recognize the best in comic books and graphic novels in 32 categories
Canadian creators Mariko Tamaki and Boum have won prizes at the 2025 Eisner Awards.
The U.S. prizes recognize the best in comic books and graphic novels in 32 categories. The books must be published in the U.S., but nominated creators are from around the world. The winners are chosen through voting by professionals in the comic book industry.
Named after the acclaimed American cartoonist Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 37th anniversary this year.
Tamaki won the best limited series category for Zatanna: Bring Down the House, which she created with Spanish artist Javier Rodriguez.
In Zatanna: Bring Down the House, after a tragic mistake leaves her terrified of her own powers, magician Zatanna has resorted to performing free shows filled with cheap card tricks at the seediest casino on the Las Vegas strip. But when a mysterious stranger appears and unleashes chaos, Zatanna is forced to confront her fears and reclaim the magic she once tried to bury.
Tamaki is a Toronto-born writer who is now based in Oakland, Calif. Her other books include the YA novels (you) Set Me On Fire and Saving Montgomery Sole. She's also the author of many superhero comics for DC Comics, Darkhorse and Marvel. In 2024, she won three Eisner Awards for the graphic novel Roaming, created with her cousin Jillian Tamaki. That book won Best Graphic Album, with Mariko receiving the award for Best Writer and Jillian winning the Best Penciller/Inker award.
Boum, also known as Samantha Leriche-Gionet, won the award for the best U.S. edition of international material for her graphic novel The Jellyfish, which was translated from French by Robin Lang and Helge Dascher.
The Jellyfish follows a 20-something year old named Odette living a normal life until, one day, they begin being haunted by a jellyfish floating in their eye. When the jellyfish begin to multiply, what once was annoyance becomes impossible to ignore.
Boum is an illustrator, animator and comic creator from Montreal. Her other work includes the graphic novel A Small Revolution and her long-running series, Boumeries.
Dascher is a frequent translator of comic books. She's also translated many of Guy Delisle's titles, Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie, White Rapids by Pascal Blanchet and Paul Goes Fishing by Michel Rabagliati.
Lang has been co-translating graphic novels for Pow Pow Press with Dascher since 2017. They have worked together on several titles, including Lonely Boys by Sophie Bédard, which won the 2021 Doug Wright Award for best book. Lang runs a cut-flower farm in the Eastern Townships during the growing season and translates from French to English in the winter.
Montreal cartoonist Joshua Barkman won the best webcomic award for Life After Life, which tells the story of resourceful chickadees. He's also known for his webcomic series False Knees.
American cartoonist Charles Burns is another notable winner in the best writer/artist category. He is recognized for his books Kommix, Unwholesome Love and Final Cut, which was featured in an episode of Bookends with Mattea Roach.
The complete list of this year's winners can be found here.
