As promised, here is my breakdown of a few categories of the 2008 Eisner Awards as they pertain to my interests and this website and podcast (also, I can’t tell one Letterer from the next).

The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 25 at Comic-Con International.

Best Anthology

• Best American Comics 2007, edited by Anne Elizabeth Moore and Chris Ware (Houghton Mifflin)
• 5, by Gabriel Bá, Becky Cloonan, Fabio Moon, Vasilis Lolos, and Rafael Grampa (self-published)
• Mome, edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriguez (Villard)
• 24Seven, vol. 2, edited by Ivan Brandon (Image)

What should win: Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened. A wonderful representation of what happens when creative minds peak.

What will win: Best American Comics 2007. Everyone loves Chris Ware.

Best Graphic Album-New

• The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
• Bookhunter, by Jason Shiga (Sparkplug Books)
• Essex County, vols. 1-2: Tales from the Farm/Ghost Stories, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
• Exit Wounds, by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Percy Gloom, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

What should win: The Arrival. Monsters in NYC with no words. How cool is that?

What will win: Exit Wounds. Going strictly by Dick Hyacinth’s Top 10 list of 2007

Best Graphic Album-Reprint

• Agents of Atlas Hardcover, by Jeff Parker, Leonard Kirk, and Kris Justice (Marvel)
• Gødland Celestial Edition, by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli (Image)
• James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems, by James Sturm (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, by David Petersen (Archaia)
• Super Spy, by Matt Kindt (Top Shelf)

What should win: Agents of Atlas. A great revival story is collected with all the online pieces. Also includes the original #1′s of each character – all for $25. this was the CCL’s Book of the Year.

What will win: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152. Peterson is Hot Hot Hot and this is a great story. The RPG rights just sold this week, the film rights can’t be far behind.

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Strips

• (The Complete) Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, by Winsor McCay (Ulrich Merkl)
• Complete Terry and the Pirates, vol. 1, by Milton Caniff (IDW)
• Little Sammy Sneeze, by Winsor McCay (Sunday Press)
• Popeye, vol. 2: Well Blow Me Down, by E. C. Segar (Fantagraphics)
• Sundays with Walt and Skeezix, by Frank King (Sunday Press)

What should win: Complete Terry and the Pirates. Although this has been previouly released, we now have the HD version in 2008.

What will win: Sundays with Walt and Skeezix. Walt and his old pal got passed on last year by Peanuts. This is their year.

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books

• Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus, vol. 1, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Marvel)
• Apollo’s Song, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
• The Completely MAD Don Martin, by Don Martin (Running Press)
• Daredevil Omnibus, by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson (Marvel)
• I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks (Fantagraphics)

What should win: The Completely MAD Don Martin. But did anyone actually read it outside of the free “look at” copy at Borders?

What will win: I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! Classic Golden Age icon Fletcher Hanks will get recognized. Just what this category is.

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• Comic Art #9, edited by Todd Hignite (Buenaventura Press)
• Comic Foundry, edited by Tim Leong (Comic Foundry)
• The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
• The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon and Jordan Raphael
• Newsarama, produced by Matt Brady and Michael Doran

What should win: The Comics Reporter. Everything, I mean everything, is done in digital these days, including making comics. Publishing comics on the other hand is done on paper and sadly this site (and others) will get passed over this year. It’s a real shame since everyone in the industry reads Tom’s blog on a daily basis.

What will win: The Comics Journal. It was passed up last year.

Best Comics-Related Book

• The Art of P. Craig Russell, edited by Joe Pruett (Desperado)
• The Artist Within, by Greg Preston (Dark Horse)
• Manga: The Complete Guide, by Jason Thompson (Del Rey Manga)
• Meanwhile . . . A Biography of Milton Caniff, by R. C. Harvey (Fantagraphics)
• Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean, by Douglas Wolk (Da Capo Press)
• Understanding Manga and Anime, by Robin Brenner (Libraries Unlimited/Greenwood Publishing)

What should win: Meanwhile . . . A Biography of Milton Caniff. Since Terry and the Pirates won’t win, neither can this excellent book.

What will win: Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean. A book that tells us how to read. I’ll never quite figure this one out.

Best Publication Design

• (The Complete) Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, designed by Ulrich Merkl (Ulrich Merkl)
• Complete Terry and the Pirates, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW)
• Heroes, vol. 1, designed by John Roshell/Comicraft (WildStorm/DC)
• Little Sammy Sneeze, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press)
• Process Recess 2, designed by James Jean and Chris Pitzer (AdHouse)
• Sundays with Walt and Skeezix, designed by Chris Ware (Sunday Press)

What should win: (The Complete) Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. Winsor McCay’s title made sence 100 years ago – and so did the strip itself.

What will win: Heroes, vol. 1. But not the Jim Lee cover, give me the Alex Ross one, please.