In Case You Missed It, IDW Shines a Spotlight on the Best SDCC Moments: Eisner Winners, New Projects, and Secret Reveals
SAN DIEGO, CA (August 4, 2022) – IDW had a wildly fun and successful San Diego Comic-Con 2022, drawing tens of thousands of fans to our booth with our eye-catching “IDW City” aesthetic, creator signings, live art activations, photo ops, and more! Amidst all that hooplah, even the most devoted IDW fan may have missed a news bite or two. For your enjoyment, IDW is happy to share a look back at the award winners, new project announcements, and special panel insights from the event!
EISNER AWARD WINNERS AND HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
At the 34th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, IDW projects took home the top prize in three categories:
Best Publication for Early Readers:
Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis, by Julie & Stan Sakai
Best U.S. Edition of International Material:
The Shadow of a Man, by Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten, translation by Stephen D. Smith
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books:
EC Covers Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier
Additionally, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman and longtime G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero scribe Larry Hama were elected inductees into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
“Of all the Eisners that I’ve gotten, this is the most significant in that it was truly a family effort. I’m really proud of this one,” said Stan Sakai in his acceptance speech.
“I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to create something that will connect parents and adults with their kids,” said Julie Sakai.
“I’ve wanted this for so long. I want to thank the Eisner judges, the people who voted for this awesome book. I am so grateful. I had the honor of translating these beautiful Obscure Cities books by Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten. If you have not discovered The Obscure Cities yet, please do—not because of my translation work but because of the mastery of the writing and the art. To me, Benoît Peeters is the closest thing to a Franz Kafka meets Rod Serling. François Schuiten is an accomplished urban planner and architect in Brussels and a national icon there; his comic pages are so technically precise yet so fluid. And to get this award this year—this is the 40th year of the publication of The Obscure Cities books!” said Smith.
“I’m very happy that Cathy Gaines Mifsud’s line of EC is being recognized tonight because she is the keeper of the flame for EC Comics, and I know this is going to make her very happy. Anybody who knows me knows that my favorite line of comics is EC Comics. I’m very lucky because I get to work on these books that mean so much to me, as a lover of comics and original art,” said Dunbier.
“This is truly a wonderful honor, and unexpected, to be honest. My heartfelt thanks to all my friends and peers who voted for me—it’s very kind, it’s very special, and I’m quite humbled. I really want to give a special shout-out and share the recognition of this award with my co-creator Peter Laird, and to dedicate this honor to Jack Kirby. Peter and I bonded over the King, and none of what we accomplished would have been remotely possible without him and so many others who came before us. Their dreams and visions became my inspiration, and ‘thank you’ simply doesn’t say enough. And I want to give a super-special thanks to all the fans for giving me the greatest job that I could ever imagine,” said Eastman.
“I’m puzzled when people claim to be self-made. I’m a creation of the people who pushed me to get better, showed me the way, opened doors, recommended me up the ladder, and otherwise were unselfishly supportive. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart,” said Hama.
“A heartfelt thank you to the Eisner judges and the entire comics community for recognizing the artistry of this incredible group of creators, and congratulations to Stan, Julie, Benoît, François, Stephen, Scott, and all the people behind the scenes who made these projects happen,” says IDW publisher Nachie Marsham. “We especially want to celebrate the Hall of Fame recognition of Kevin Eastman and Larry Hama, true living legends who have done truly amazing and consistent work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and G.I. Joe, respectively, for so many years at IDW.”
IDW PRESS RELEASES
Dark Spaces: Good Deeds
IDW is excited to announce the first project in an upcoming lineup of comic books curated by the New York Times best-selling author and Dark Spaces: Wildfire creator Scott Snyder. Click here to find out more about 2023’s Dark Spaces: Good Deeds, featuring a new story written by Che Grayson (Batman: Urban Legends, Bitch Planet) with art by Kelsey Ramsay (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 40x40).
Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors—All Hail the King!
A five-issue follow-up to the kid-friendly fan favorite from the creative team of Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening, Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors! Click here to learn more about this series debut coming in October!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
A brand-new adventure with two of the most iconic teen crime-fighting teams coming together once again to save the world from a rising danger that threatens to bring both teams to the brink! Click here to read more about the thrilling MMPR/TMNT sequel by Ryan Parrott and Dan Mora, published by IDW’s partners at BOOM! Studios.
Sonic The Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island and Sonic The Hedgehog: Tails’ 30th Anniversary Special
IDW is thrilled to reveal two upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog comic book projects for 2022 featuring the Blue Blur and his band of buds: Scrapnik Island by Daniel Barnes and Jack Lawrence, and Tails’ 30th Anniversary Special by Ian Flynn and Aaron Hammerstrom! Click here for more information!
Star Trek (2022 Ongoing)
Click here to explore the bold new direction of Star Trek comics, beginning with a brand-new flagship ongoing series that goes where no one has gone before! Debuting in October 2022, Star Trek #1 features art by Ramon Rosanas (Marvel’s Star Wars), and scripts by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, the creative team behind Star Trek: Year Five.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin—The Lost Years
IDW announced a brand-new miniseries that expands the “Roninverse”! Click here to learn how TMNT creator Kevin Eastman, co-writer Tom Waltz, and artists SL Gallant and Ben Bishop have developed a five-issue encore miniseries that adds breadth and scope to one of TMNT’s most ravenously devoured, widely beloved, and critically acclaimed entries of all time!
SECRETS FROM SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON PANELS
New Godzilla Rivals Projects Announced: Rodan Vs. Ebirah, Mothra Vs. Titanosaurus, and Biollante Vs. Destoroyah
Announced at IDW’s “Godzilla: King of the Comic Book Monsters” panel, the format of the Godzilla Rivals line of one-shot specials will change in 2023 to pit unusual kaiju pairings against one another.
Slated for January, Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah will be written by James F. Wright and illustrated by Phillip Johnson. The one-shot sees the titanic beasts of air and sea locked in battle while falling from a science facility in Earth’s orbit, while a brave team tries to stop a velocity that is truly terminal—both for the monsters and all humanity!
Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. Titanosaurus, shipping in March, will be written by Blue Delliquanti and illustrated by Ferio Wind, while Godzilla Rivals: Biollante Vs. Destroyah is slated for May 2023 and will be written by Nick Marino and illustrated by Sean Dove.
“I am so excited for everyone to experience these wonderful stories brought to life by these fantastic creative teams!” said editor Jazmine Joyner.
Best-selling Cartoonist Alan Robert Extends The Beauty of Horror Contract with IDW
At the “IDW Publishing: 2022 and Beyond!” panel, hard-rockin’ horror afficianado Alan Robert announced that Ghouliana—the undead superstar of the best-selling Beauty of Horror coloring book franchise—will continue to haunt the IDW library for years to come, thanks to an extended agreement with the publisher.
“Back in 2009, IDW gave me my first shot at becoming a comics creator. Once they opened their doors to me, I was determined to stay,” said Robert. “I made IDW my home for the last 13 years, and I’ve had an absolute blast creating titles such as Wire Hangers, Crawl To Me, Killogy, and The Beauty of Horror with them. I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be continuing my partnership with IDW to expand on Ghouliana’s world with a slew of new Beauty of Horror products! I’ve still got lots of madness up my sleeve.”
New Project Announced: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game—The Alliance
Announced at IDW’s “TMNT: Secrets of the Roninverse & Armageddon Game” panel, The Alliance is a five-issue official Armageddon Game tie-in written by Erik Burnham (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures) and illustrated by Roi Mercado (Heavy Metal), which debuts in October.
In The Alliance, Oroku Karai is tasked by her estranged grandfather, the Shredder, to protect New York City, and faces her first true test as master of the Foot Clan when four mysterious mutant ninja turtles unleash seemingly random acts of violence against the city. Does Karai have what it takes to play her part and lead her forces against these strange new threats…especially when her own mutant allies question which side the Foot Clan should be playing on?
“Stories focused on Karai have made for some of the most satisfying projects I’ve worked on in comics, and shedding a little more light on her role in the Armageddon Game continues that trend,” said Burnham. “I was excited to step back into this corner of the TMNT world and help show how Karai finds new goals for both the Foot Clan and herself in the middle of this epic story!”
About IDW
IDW (NYSE AMERICAN: IDW) is a leading media company providing uniquely compelling stories and characters in various genres for global audiences across all entertainment platforms. The award-winning IDW Publishing and IDW Entertainment divisions holistically evaluate and acquire IP for franchise development across comics and graphic novels, television, theatrical, games, merchandise, and other entertainment platforms, in addition to bringing world-renowned storytelling to life with our creative partners.
