Congratulations to Ooligan alum Chris Ross on his nomination for the Eisner Award for best publication design! Chris is nominated along with Ed Piskor for their work on the graphic novel “Wizzywig.”
The Eisner Awards are the comic book industry’s annual awards honoring creative achievement in American comic books. The awards are quite prestigious, often considered to be the comic industry equivalent of the Oscars. They are named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005), who was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry. In 1978, he popularized the term “graphic novel,” which is the industry standard term still in use for longer works in the comic book style that are not periodicals, as regular comic books are.
Chris Ross and Ed Piskor’s nominated graphic novel “Wizzywig” is described on the topshelfcomix.com website as follows:
They say What You See Is What You Get… but Kevin “Boingthump” Phenicle could always see more than most people. In the world of phone phreaks, hackers, and scammers, he’s a legend. His exploits are hotly debated: could he really get free long-distance calls by whistling into a pay phone? Did his video-game piracy scheme accidentally trigger the first computer virus? And did he really dodge the FBI by using their own wiretapping software against them? Is he even a real person? And if he’s ever caught, what would happen to a geek like him in federal prison?
Inspired by the incredible stories of real-life hackers, WIZZYWIG is the thrilling tale of a master manipulator — his journey from precocious child scammer to federally-wanted fugitive, and beyond. In a world transformed by social networks, data leaks, and digital uprisings, Ed Piskor’s debut graphic novel reminds us how much power can rest in the hands of an audacious kid with a keyboard.
The book’s reception has been stellar across the board, including its review from the AV Club saying, “Wizzywig is full of fascinating tidbits…passion for the subject jumps off the page, making Wizzywig both an entertaining read and a powerful argument-starter.” The book has also gotten excellent reviews from The Comics Journal (tcj.com), Publishers Weekly, Wired, and many others; and appears on Barnes & Noble’s Best of 2012 list, as well as the AV Club’s Best of 2012.
The Eisner Awards are presented at the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, in July. Congratulations again to Chris for the nomination, and good luck on winning the award!