Jason Shiga


Jason Shiga is the creator of "Bookhunter," which recently made Salon's list of the best graphic novels of 2007. For more info, visit shigabooks.com.

Asian American comic book creators have been nominated in multiple categories for this year's Eisner Awards. Click here to see all the nominees; see below for a list of the Asian American nominees. (Full disclosure: Ann Marie Fleming is Asian Canadian and Shaun Tan is Asian Australian, but we'll take 'em!)

Congrats to all!

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Johnny Hiro #1, by Fred Chao (AdHouse)

Best New Series
Johnny Hiro, by Fred Chao (AdHouse)

Best Humor Publication
Johnny Hiro, by Fred Chao (AdHouse)

Best Reality-Based Work
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, by Ann Marie Fleming (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group)

Best Graphic Album-New
The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
Bookhunter, by Jason Shiga (Sparkplug Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)

Best Writer/Artist
Shaun Tan, The Arrival (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)

Best Writer/Artist-Humor
Fred Chao, Johnny Hiro (AdHouse)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Jae Lee, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)

Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Ann-Marie Fleming, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group)

Best Cover Artist
James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Process Recess 2; Superior Showcase 2 (AdHouse)
Jae Lee, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
Jim Lee, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (DC); World of Warcraft (WildStorm/DC)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Comic Foundry, edited by Tim Leong (Comic Foundry)

Best Publication Design
Process Recess 2, designed by James Jean and Chris Pitzer (AdHouse)


Two Asian Canadians, an Asian American, and an Asian Australian dominate the "Best of 2007" lists posted by last year's Eisner judges at Bookslut.com.

Shaun Tan's "The Arrival" makes two lists -- here's an excerpt from Chris Reilly's blurb:

Sublime and visually stunning, this book tells the wordless story of an immigrants "arrival." The imagery is abstract and beautiful and refreshingly not Photoshopped. The images are alien and so perfectly depict how frightening it is to be a stranger in a strange land, with little more than the clothes on his back and lint in your pockets.... The landscapes, language (there is an unreadable alphabet) and even animals/monster/creatures here are so strange that you really become this guy.
For more about Tan, who grew up in Australia and won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist, visit www.shauntan.net.

Anne Marie Fleming's "Magical Life of Long Tack Sam" makes Robin Brenner's list. Here's a bit of the blurb:

This book shines for its sense of humor and the way it conveys the grand adventure of digging through your ancestors pasts and discovering how learning a little bit here and a little bit there may uncover a treasure trove of history.
Brenner also cites Jason Shiga's "Bookhunter":
This book is fantastic in the way it takes a look at crimes very close to reality (the most famous book thieves are intriguingly odd characters, and often quite genius in how they commit their crimes) and then cranks it up into a great procedural drama everyone can enjoy. And... there's a climactic chase scene with book carts!
And James Sime cites Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4":
If you like rock and roll, half-ninjas, battling ex-boyfriends, rail-slides, failed job interviews, leveling up, and the endless laughs that boy-meets-girl creates, this is a must-read series for you to sink your teeth into.
As an extra bonus, former Eisner judge Whitney Matheson cites both "Magical Life of Long Tack Sam" and Adrian Tomine's "Shortcomings" on her Best of 2007 list at usatoday.com.

Via ComicMix.com.

The Comics Journal has published its list of the Best Comics of 2007 -- and Jason Shiga's "Bookhunter," Adrian Tomine's "Shortcomings," and Greg Pak's "World War Hulk" all made the cut. Click here to view the index. Full details are in The Comics Journal #288, coming soon to newsstands and comic shops.

All Jason Shiga Entries

04.15.08Asian Americans score approximately one billion Eisner nominations
03.06.08Tons of Asian American (and Canadian and Australian) creators cited in Bookslut's Best of 2007 lists
02.17.08Shiga, Tomine, and Pak make the Comics Journal's Best of 2007 lists