Junji Ito wins two Eisner Awards
Horror manga creator Junji Ito has won two Eisner Awards in this year’s ceremony.
Ito won the “Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia” category, the only category solely devoted to manga, Korean manhwa etc. for his sci-fi horror Remina (published by Viz Media). Also nominated were I Had That Same Dream Again, I Wish I Could Say “Thank You”, A Journal Of My Father, Ping Pong and Spy x Family.
Ito also came out on top in the category: “Best Writer/Artist” for both Remina and Venus in the Blind Spot (also released by Viz Media), beating Pascal Jousselin (Mister Invisible: Local Hero), Trung Le Nguyen (The Magic Fish), Craig Thompson (Ginseng Roots), Adrian Tomine (The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist) and Gene Luen Yang (Dragon Hoops).
Ito was the only person from the world of manga to win on the night. Ayami Kazama’s I Don’t Know How to Give Birth! (Yen Press) lost in the “Best Graphic Memoir” to The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, while Deron Bennett, who was up for “Best Lettering” for his work on, among other titles, Ping Pong, lost to Stan Sakai, creator of long-running furry samurai comic Usagi Yojimbo and the big winner on the night as he also won “Best Continuing Series” and “Best Graphic Album – Reprint”.
There is still some manga interest left in the awards, as Moto Hagio is one of the nominees for the Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
