The issue here isn’t that he may have had opinions that frustrated others. The issue is that he is saying that he can make a story about “feral” native peoples, because he is gay. Editor's note: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly identified former SVA admissions counseler Jennifer Lloyd. But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust, edited by Charlotte Schallié (University of Toronto Press) The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions,edited by Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren (University Press of Mississippi)

As a openly gay man in my late sixties, I have been called “f—-t” more times than I would choose to remember, and seen too many die too young during the AIDs epidemic. Once again, this year’s nominees in 32 categories reflect the wide range of material being published in the U.S. today in comics and graphic novels, representing some 150 print and online titles from over 50 publishers, produced by creators from all over the world. The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions, edited by Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren (University Press of Mississippi)Likely, I should not include this in my children's/YA goodreads account (because it does not belong even in a high school library), but it IS graphic (as in "graphic opera"). "images recall the fictive gardens of a paradise lost that lingers somewhere deep in all our souls, moist and dark like the caves of the pious saints" and operatic it is, indeed. The visual images are at once striking, stunning in fact, and of the "you can't look but you can't look away" variety. As the intro describes, it is the story of a feral child who is raised by a clever but loving mother fox and magpies and secondarily other animals, who makes his way in the vernal world, outside and unbeknownst to the village townspeople, until old enough and curious enough and circumstances provide access to the villagers. Each interaction with humans, i.e., the villagers, ends in disaster and he retreats to the less cruel and unpredictable nature of the forest. Sixty Years in Winter, by Ingrid Chabbert and Aimée de Jongh, translation by Matt Madden (Europe Comics) One of this year's judges, Sean Kleefeld, shared some insight earlier this month as to how final judging, which typically includes a multi-day meeting of all the judges at Comic-Con International: San Diego's offices in San Diego, works in general. In that piece ( written before the meeting and the decision on nominations), Kleefeld wrote about the contrasting opinions that could be at play for some more contentious comics. The Beekeeper’s Due,” by Jimmy Stamp and Débora Santos, in Scott Snyder Presents: Tales from the Cloakroom (Cloakroom Comics) In response to all of this activity, Woodruff released the following statement via the publisher of Francis Rothbart, Fantagraphics Books. The statement is presented in its entirety.

Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story, by Catherine Pioli, translated by J. T. Mahany (Graphic Mundi/Penn State University Press) Image and DC received the most nominations: Image with 20 (plus 6 shared) and DC with 11 (plus 5 shared). Image’s nominees span a spectrum of titles, with multiple nominations for Clementine, The Department of Truth, It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, Killadelphia, Love Everlasting, Monstress, and Rain. Topping DC’s nominees are Human Target and Nightwing, with 3 each. Another rather bizarre comment attributed to Woodruff was when a student ask why there were no “ business classes for the Comics major.” Winners of this year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are scheduled to be announced during a ceremony on July 21 at San Diego Comic-Con. In a statement from Woodruff forwarded to the public by Francis Rothbart! publisher Fantagraphics, the author announced his decision to decline the nominations. Woodruff expressed his appreciation for "the people at Fantagraphics and the Eisner Organization for their support of my metaphorical comics fable about an outsider and his struggles for acceptance in a hostile society." The author also said that being recognized by the Eisner's panel of six judges was a "wonderful honor," adding, "I wish the best to all of the deserving and talented other nominees, and I applaud their achievements." The Eisner Awards' Controversy With Woodruff, ExplainedThe LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions, edited by Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren (University Press of Mississippi) James Tynion IV, House of Slaughter, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); The Nice House on the Lake, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country (DC), The Closet, The Department of Truth (Image)

Zoe Thorogood received the most personal nominations, totaling five, with three for “Rain,” and two for her memoir “It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth.” Thomas Woodruff and Tom King tied in second place, with Woodruff earning four nominations for “Francis Rothbart!,” while King was nominated for “Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler,”“Love Everlasting,” and “The Human Target.” In my work as an artist and educator in my over 40 year career, I have attempted to help break and blur some cultural barriers that are still deeply enmeshed within our present day society. Artists must be brave, particularly telling the stories that they need to tell. Francischallenges the torches and pitchforks, he is stronger than the misunderstandings, the bullying, and the hate. I am too!Former SVA admissions counselor Jennifer 'Steen' Lloyd (who worked with the institution while Woodruff was a department chair) alleges that Woodruff advocated in meetings that certain nationalities be limited in terms of admissions to the programs. The 2023 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of librarian Moni Barrett, educator/collector Peter Jones, retailer Jen King, journalist Sean Kleefeld, scholar/comics creator A. David Lewis, and instructor/curator TJ Shevlin.

Barnstormers, by Scott Snyder and Tula Lotay (Comixology Originals) Behind the Curtain, by Sara del Giudice, translation by M. B. Valente (Europe Comics) Diana Sousa, Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins; The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha Nydoorin; The Mighty Nein Origins: Fjord Stone; The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast (Dark Horse) Another former student alleged that during a review of a “Lolita” assignment, Woodruff once asked a female junior if she had ever had sex “because this is the most sexless Lolita I’ve ever seen.”

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

According to a source familiar with this year's Eisner Awards judging process, the 2022 graphic novel Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral by Thomas Woodruff was submitted for consideration by its publisher, Fantagraphics (as is customary with the Eisner process over the years). Released to the public in the final days of 2022, the book wasn't widely known - even to the the judges. While I think it's unlikely anything will change this year, I do hope that this will promote greater transparency with the process and more diversity with the judges," says our source. Parker: The Martini Edition — Last Call, by Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, and Sean Phillips (IDW)