Press Release
Archaia Entertainment is proud to announce two of its titles published in 2012 have earned nominations in the 25th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (“The Eisners”), as was revealed today by Jackie Estrada, administrator of the awards. The edgy and entertaining Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse, by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos, is nominated for “Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12).” The fun and spirited Spera Vol. 1, by Josh Tierney, Emily Carroll, Afu Chan, Hwei Lin Lim, Olivier Pichard, and Kyla Vanderklugt, is nominated for “Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17).” The winners will be announced during a ceremony to be held during Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif.
“We are delighted for and proud of Nate, Chris, Josh, and the entire teams for producing two great books recognized by the industry which appeal to such important groups of readers,” conveyed Jack Cummins, Archaia President & COO. “We are similarly thankful to be nominated once again for the comic industry’s highest honor.”
“It’s an honor for our creators and for Archaia as a company to be recognized for our all-ages material,” added Archaia Editor-in-Chief Stephen Christy. “Nate and Chris have created something timeless and very special with Cow Boy, and Josh’s Spera is a great story married with artwork from some of the best up-and-coming artists in the industry. The creators of both these books put their hearts and souls into their work, and we’re so honored that the Eisner Award judges recognized them for their efforts.”
Featuring words by Cosby (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller) and illustrations by Eliopoulos (Franklin Richards), Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse is the story of Boyd Linney, a 10-year-old bounty hunter determined to send his entire outlaw family to jail. With a lovable character that kids love and a story that adults can enjoy, Cow Boy is truly an all-ages-appropriate title. The book, one of Archaia’s best-reviewed titles of 2012, also features short stories by Roger Langridge (The Muppet Show comic book), Brian Clevinger & Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo), and Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space) & Colleen Coover (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller).
“It’s truly an honor to be nominated with such talented people and wonderful all-ages books!” exclaimed Cosby and Eliopoulos.
Written, co-edited, and created by Tierney, Spera Vol. 1 sprang from an immensely popular fantasy webcomic about the adventures of two princesses, Lono and Pira, and a fire spirit in the form of a dog named Yonder. When evil rears its ugly head, the trio set off for the magical realm of Spera in the hopes of surviving the oncoming threat! Spera Vol. 1 is a collaboration of artists from around the world, illustrated and told in consecutive sections. Each hand-picked artist brings their own unique designs to the world of Spera, creating a fantastic realm of adventure and wonder.
“It really is a crazy, unexpected honor to have Spera be nominated for an Eisner,” said Tierney. “I want to congratulate the many artists on this first book (10 of them! 16 when counting pin-ups!), who, along with designer Scott Newman and production editor Rebecca Taylor, helped shape the book into what it is. I’ve been following the Eisners since I was a kid, and always got super excited to see my heroes get nominated. This nomination means a lot to me and all the artists, and I must thank Archaia for taking a chance on something as collaborative and experimental as Spera.”
Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse ($19.95, hardcover, 96 pages, full color, 6” x 9”, ISBN: 978-1-936393-67-1) and Spera Vol. 1 ($19.95, hardcover, 176 pages, full color, 6” x 9”, ISBN: 978-1-936393-30-5) are both available for sale or for order now at your local comic book shop. To find your closest comic book shop, visit www.comicshoplocator.com. They are also available for order through the Archaia webstore (store.archaia.com) and wherever books are sold (use the books’ ISBN numbers to help you search for them).
About Archaia Entertainment, LLC
Archaia is a multi-award-winning graphic novel publisher with more than 75 renowned publishing brands, including such domestic and international hits as Mouse Guard, Rust, Cow Boy, Cursed Pirate Girl, Gunnerkrigg Court, and Artesia. Archaia has also published an entire line of graphic novels in partnership with The Jim Henson Company, including the multiple award-winning Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand and such beloved tales as The Dark Crystal, The Storyteller, and Fraggle Rock. Alongside these celebrated titles, Archaia has released English translations of numerous renowned foreign titles to much fanfare, including The Killer, Sergio Toppi’s Sharaz-De, and The Secret History.
This year, Archaia was honored with two Eisner nominations, and in 2012, Archaia was honored with six Harvey Award nominations, two Harvey Awards, six Eisner nominations, and three Eisner Awards (Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand won for Best Graphic Album–New, Best Penciller/Inker, and Best Publication Design). Also in 2012, Archaia earned both Gold and Silver awards from ForeWord Reviews. Archaia was honored with nine 2011 Eisner Awards nominations and two Eisner Awards for Best Graphic Album and Best Anthology.
In addition to its partnership with The Jim Henson Company, Archaia has forged creative partnerships with storytellers in all facets of the entertainment industry, resulting in print and digital expansions of such noted properties as Bleedout and HAWKEN (video games), Immortals and Planet of the Apes (film), and Space: 1999 (television).
Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation within the creator community for producing meaningful, transformative content, building one of the industry’s most visually stunning and eclectic slates of graphic novels.
