Jeff Lemire, Mariko Tamaki and Sarah Leavitt among Canadian finalists for 2025 Eisner Awards
The U.S. awards celebrate comic book and graphic novel creators worldwide
Jeff Lemire, Mariko Tamaki and Sarah Leavitt are among the Canadian nominees for 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.
Lemire's graphic novel Minor Arcana is nominated for the award: Best New Series.
Minor Arcana is a graphic novel series that follows Theresa, who reluctantly returns to her hometown to care for her ailing mother — long believed to be a "psychic" fraud. But when she discovers her mother's magic is real, Theresa is pulled into the town's hidden mysteries, forcing her to confront her past, reconcile with her mother and face a community that desperately needs her help.
Lemire is a New York Times Bestselling graphic novelist whose work includes Roughneck, Essex County, The Underwater Welder and Gord Downie's Secret Path. The Toronto comic creator has also worked on Justice League and Green Arrow for DC Comics and Hawkeye for Marvel. In 2017, he won an Eisner Award for Black Hammer in the Best New Series category, and in 2022, he won Best Digital Comic for Snow Angels, a collaboration with Scottish cartoonist Jock.
The graphic novel Zatanna: Bring Down the House by Tamaki and illustrated by Spanish artist Javier Rodriguez is up for the Best Limited Series award.
After a tragic mistake leaves her terrified of her own powers, magician Zatanna in Zatanna: Bring Down the House has resorted to performing free shows filled with sleight-of-hand and 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 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. The book won Best Graphic Album, with Mariko receiving the award for Best Writer and Jillian winning the Best Penciller/Inker award.
Following the medically assisted death of her partner of 22 years, Leavitt began small sketches that quickly became something new and unexpected to her. The abstract images mixed with poetic text, layers of watercolour, ink and coloured pencil combine in Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love to tell a story of love, grief, peace and new beginnings.
Leavitt is a Vancouver comics creator and writing teacher. Her debut book was Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me.
Here is a comprehensive list of Canadian nominees:
- Best new series: Minor Arcana by Jeff Lemire
- Best continuing series: Fantastic Four by Ryan North (created with Spanish artist Carlos Gomez, Italian artist Ivan Fiorelli and others)
- Best graphic memoir: Degrees of Separation: A Decade North of 60 by Alison McCreesh, The Field by David Lapp, I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop, Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love by Sarah Leavitt
- Best adaptation from another medium: The Worst Journey in the World, Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted into comic book by Sarah Airriess (written by Apsley Cherry-Garrard)
- Best publication for teens: The Gulf by Adam de Souza
- Best webcomic: The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux, Life After Life by Joshua Barkman, Motherlover by Lindsay Ishihiro, Practical Defence Against Piracy by Tony Cliff
- Best academic/scholarly work: From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich: The Materiality of Cheap Comics by Neale Barnholden
- Best comics-related periodical/journalism: Zdarsky Comics News by Chip Zdarsky, edited by Allison O'Toole
- Best U.S. edition of international material: The Jellyfish by Boum (translated by Robin Lang and Helge Dascher)
- Best publication for early readers: Club Microbe by Elise Gravel (translated by Florida-based Montana Kane), Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp
- Best limited series: Zatanna: Bring Down the House by Mariko Tamaki (created with Spanish artist Javier Rodriguez)
- Best webcomic: Practical Defence Against Piracy by Tony Cliff
The complete list of this year's nominees can be found here.
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are presented by the San Diego Comic Convention.
The 2025 winners will be announced on July 25.
Last year's winners included Canadian cartoonists Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, whose graphic novel Roaming took home the award for Best Graphic Album. Mariko also won Best Writer, while Jillian received the award for Best Penciller/Inker.
