Without even looking at my news feed, twitter feed or basically anything on the internet I know there is a collective celebration of the diversity on this list (just kidding I already looked). I'm very happy about that too, in fact you may recall my "What Are You Looking Forward to in 2015" end of the year list in which I wanted more diversity. I just don't think we should celebrate something that should be normal, but hey that's the internet right? Kudos for a shit ton of diversity on this list I'm glad we're taking steps in the right direction and not getting ahead of ourselves. That doesn't mean this was perfect and in my humble opinion there were a lot of snubs. I'm not saying that diversity caused this either, in fact the opposite. Some creators were put on the list several times and really was that needed? Then there were safe answers, ie anything Marvel or DC put on this list because let's be honest neither company had that great of year in fact I would say 2014 was a bum ass year for both of them. There are a few exceptions of course (okay just Ms. Marvel), but it really seems like far too many exceptions were made.

Right off the bat the biggest snub to me is Image Comics or rather anything that was Saga, Walking Dead or Southern Bastards. If we're being real, these aren't Image's best titles just their best-selling titles and I could have sworn that the Eisner's weren't about sales.

The next biggest snub to me comes in the Best Writer/Artist category and that's Terry Moore and Matt Kindt. Now Moore is usually always on this list so he can take a break, but to recognize two other Dark Horse titles over Kindt's masterpiece Mind MGMT is just horse shit. Ultimately it doesn't matter because if Raina Telgemeier doesn't win, it will invalidate the Eisners. If this is all one big popularity contest then she wins because Sisters (which is great read the review) has sold more than anything else on this list (I know it's not about sales, but clearly that factors at some point). It's also reached more new readers than anything the comic industry has done collectively in twenty years. Still, Kindt should have been on this list. No offense to Sakai or Aragones, but how many times have they already been on the list and won?

It's kind of a take your pick with the next snubs for both the "Best Short Story" and "Best Single Issue" as really there's only a handful of picks that aren't just pandering bullshit.

There are some great picks on here and some categories have some really impressive choices. "Best Publications for Kids" has El Deafo (great story) and I Was The Cat (read the review) that stand out instantly.

The "Teens" category is a bloodbath of great titles. My personal pick is Doomboy (you'll see why when you read the review), but then there's Lumberjanes and The Shadow Hero. I never thought I would see Shadow Hero up against Doomboy and so I'm torn.

Another "holy shit this is hard to pick" category is the "Best Graphic Album - New." Which is a strange way to say best graphic novel. A pick that stands out to me instantly is This One Summer (listen to the podcast episode) which was definitely one of the best things I read last year, but then so was Seconds (also on the podcast). If Steve was chiming in he would add The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil which he talked about on our podcast (listen here) and also The Motherless Oven (review here). The kicker is, I've heard great things about Here and Kill My Mother. Hell they're on my "buy list" sitting around here somewhere. This category is going to be brutal, but anyone that wins will have definitely deserved it.

There was a surprise on this years list as Dark Horse wasn't nominated for "Best Anthology." Sadly I can't call this a snub because I think Dark Horse Comics Presents was very weak last year and hasn't been given the proper push this year to bounce back.

Going back to snubs for a moment, how the fuck is Jordie Bellaire not nominated for "Best Colorist"? I'm not saying that the other colorists aren't talented and worthy, but she colors an insane amount of books in the industry and all of them at a high level of quality. This kind of goes back to the Image snub in which I guess Image has gotten to close to the sun or they're having a Peter Parker/JJJ moment.

I know this is a strange one, but not to nominated Ed Brisson for "Best Letterer" is also really crazy to me. Did anyone read The Field? He may have written it as well, but his lettering was fantastic. He's one of the few people that treat lettering like an art form.

I have one WTF as IDW was nominated for 11 Eisners. Thank god they put out Little Nemo with one of the best artists in the industry right?

Shout out to The Superhero Afterlife for its nomination.

I know you're expecting me to say we were snubbed, but come on... really? Really?

That kind of wraps my thoughts on this years Eisners. I won't think or talk about them again until the winners are announced and even then I probably won't really care. I mean stuff like this is great for the people who are nominated and really congrats to all of them, regardless of my opinion of the list. If you're going to SDCC then you can of course check out the Eisners live... I have no idea if it's interesting or if the speeches are worth sitting through an award show for, but maybe.

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If I missed some snubs or you just want to add your thoughts be sure to leave a comment on Eisner Awards: Praises and Snubs!