Eisner Awards 2026 leak at San Diego Comic-Con: winners revealed early, fandom reacts

The Eisner Awards ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con ended with a surprise beyond the trophies: an apparent early leak of winners circulated online before the official announcement, prompting an investigation into how the results appeared on the convention site and then in Reddit posts. The night still delivered clear winners and several talked-about creative victories that reflect both industry trends and ongoing debates about storytelling in mainstream comics.

Big winners and what they mean

DC-dominated titles spearheaded the evening, with Absolute Batman and Absolute Martian Manhunter taking multiple honors. The results underline a commercial and awards-year tilt toward large franchise projects, even as independent books and creator-driven works continued to claim high-profile categories.

The early circulation of the results — first reported in private chat groups and later mirrored on Reddit by a user named beginendbegin — is under review; sources say the information may have been published accidentally on the official SDCC site. Organizers have launched an inquiry to trace the leak’s origin.

Acceptance moments

Daniel Warren Johnson’s annual for Batman was singled out by voters in the single-issue category. Johnson used his speech to thank DC editors who backed his uncompromising story, saying the publisher’s support allowed him to tell a difficult tale. Javier Rodriguez credited writer Deniz Camp when accepting multiple awards for work on Martian Manhunter, describing their collaboration in lighthearted terms while acknowledging the honor of the recognition.

Other notable wins included Jamal Campbell taking Writer/Artist for Zatanna, Mariko Tamaki winning Best Writer for her graphic novel This Place Kills Me, and Martin Simmonds earning Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for Image’s The Department of Truth. Marvel’s most visible success came in the children’s categories through a book published by Abrams.

Selected major winners

• Best One‑Shot/Single Issue: Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 — Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, Meredith McClaren (DC)
• Best Continuing Series: Absolute Batman — Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, et al. (DC)
• Best Limited Series: Absolute Martian Manhunter — Deniz Camp, Javier Rodriguez (DC)
• Best New Series: Assorted Crisis Events — Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki (Image)
• Best Writer: Mariko Tamaki — This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)
• Best Writer/Artist: Jamal Campbell — Zatanna (DC)

Full list of 2026 Eisner Award winners

• Best Short Story: “Blood Harvest,” Brain Damage — Shintaro Kago; trans. Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)
• Best One‑Shot/Single Issue: Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 — Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, Meredith McClaren (DC)
• Best Continuing Series: Absolute Batman — Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, et al. (DC)
• Best Limited Series: Absolute Martian Manhunter — Deniz Camp, Javier Rodriguez (DC)
• Best New Series: Assorted Crisis Events — Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki (Image)
• Best Publication for Early Readers: All the Hulk Feels — Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare/Marvel)
• Best Publication for Kids: The Cartoonists Club — Raina Telgemeier, Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix)
• Best Publication for Teens: This Place Kills Me — Mariko Tamaki, Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)
• Best Humor Publication: Physics for Cats — Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Best Anthology: DC Pride 2025 — ed. Andrea Shea, Jillian Grant (DC)
• Best Reality‑Based Work: Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance — Ben Passmore (Pantheon)
• Best Graphic Memoir: It Rhymes with Takei — George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf)
• Best Graphic Album — New: Drome — Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. Books)
• Best Graphic Album — Reprint: Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition — Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber (DC)
• Best Adaptation from Another Medium: Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel — William Golding; adapted by Aimée De Jongh (Penguin Classics)
• Best U.S. Edition of International Material: Nocturnos — Laura Perez; trans. Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
• Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia: Purgatory Funeral Cakes — Sanho; trans. Danny Lim (Dark Horse)
• Best Archival Collection — Strips: The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1928–1930 — ed. J. Michael Catron, Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics)
• Best Archival Collection — Comic Books: AKIRA Volumes 1–5 Hardcover Collection — Katsuhiro Otomo; ed. Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA)
• Best Academic/Scholarly Work: Manga’s First Century — Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press)
• Best Comics‑Related Periodical/Journalism: SKTCHD — David Harper (sktchd.com)
• Best Comics‑Related Book: Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life — Dan Nadel (Scribner)
• Best Publication Design: The Essential Peanuts — design by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
• Best Webcomic: Tiger, Tiger — Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com)
• Best Digital Comic: Practical Defense Against Piracy — Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)
• Best Writer: Mariko Tamaki — This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)
• Best Writer/Artist: Jamal Campbell — Zatanna (DC)
• Best Penciller/Inker: Javier Rodriguez — Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
• Best Painter/Multimedia Artist: Martin Simmonds — The Department of Truth (Image)
• Best Cover Artist: Javier Rodriguez — Absolute Martian Manhunter; Batman & Robin: Year One #7; The New Gods #8 (DC)
• Best Coloring: Jordie Bellaire — Absolute Wonder Woman; The Nice House by the Sea; plus work across DC, Image, IDW, Oni Press
• Best Lettering: Hassan Otsmane‑Elhaou — credits across multiple publishers including Absolute Martian Manhunter (shared recognition)
• Hall of Fame — Judges’ Choices: Multiple inductees announced by judges (see full list)
• Hall of Fame — Voters’ Choices: Colleen Doran; Jeff Smith; Akira Toriyama; Chris Ware

Nominees: highlights from the ballot

The nominees this year spanned mainstream tentpoles and smaller-press work, reflecting a wide creative field. Below are selected shortlists from several categories to show the range of contenders.

Best One‑Shot/Single Issue (shortlist)

• Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 — Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, Meredith McClaren (DC)
• Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 — Deniz Camp, Javier Rodriguez (DC)
• Assorted Crisis Events #4 — Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki (Image)
• Coin‑Op no. 10: Wet Cement — Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin‑Op Books)
• Ice Cream Man #43 — W. Maxwell Prince, et al. (Image)
• Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1 — James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM!)

Best Continuing Series (shortlist)

• Absolute Batman — Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta (DC)
• Absolute Wonder Woman — Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman (DC)
• The Department of Truth — James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds (Image)
• FML — Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez (Dark Horse)
• The Power Fantasy — Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard (Image)
• Storm — Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck (Marvel)

Other categories — from Best Graphic Album to Best Webcomic and Best Lettering — included a mix of veteran creators and rising names. The nominees list this year was notable for strong international representation and several translated works.

What to watch next

The awards will likely influence upcoming publishing conversations: how award recognition shapes sales for flagship “Absolute” editions, the role of publishers in supporting contentious stories, and the ongoing visibility of independent and translated material. The leak investigation could also prompt changes to how results are handled and announced at major conventions.

For readers and industry observers, the evening reaffirmed two clear trends: the continuing strength of franchise-sized projects in awards season, and the persistent presence of creator-driven books in headline categories. Both are likely to shape conversations and publishing decisions through the rest of the year.