Eisner Cover Artist Nominations

When I first glanced at the Eisner nominations, I didn't notice it. I recall seeing other nominees for best cover artist. I guess I must have blocked it out.

Today, when reading The Beat, I discovered that Michael Turner has received an Eisner nomination for drawing the Identity Crisis covers. With respect to Turner's efforts, I believe that there are many cover artists that are more deserving of a nomination. Names like Jae Lee, John Cassidy, Tony Harris, J.H. Williams, Dave Johnson, and Tim Bradstreet spring to mind. I could name several more.

While I think its great to mix things up and not nominate the same artists year after year, the Eisner nominations should stand for something. Not merely for good or ok work. Not merely for comics that have sold a lot of copies, but for what can arguably be called the best in comics. In my opinion, Michael Turner is not a consistent enough cover artist to be ranked among the best. As a result, my respect for the Eisners has been greatly diminished.

Franklin Harris is much less kind.