The 2021 Eisner Award winners were announced on July 23, 2021 during the Comic-Con@Home event. As we previously shared, several manga creators and series were nominated. There is also an entire category for the best U.S. editions of international materials from Asia.
For a short refresh, the Eisner Awards are commonly known as the Academy Awards of the comics industry. They were first created in 1988 and currently has 32 categories.
Junji Ito Wins Two Eisner Awards
Well-known horror manga creator Junji Ito received nominations in two categories this year. He took home the Eisner Awards for both nominations in their respective categories:
- Best U.S Edition of International Material – Asia
Remina (translation by Jocelyne Allen) - Best Writer/Artist
Venus in the Blind Spot
In a statement shared by The Japan Times, Ito had this to say on the two wins:
It’s really like a dream. I want to take the fact that the two works I have a deep attachment to have been well evaluated in the United States as food for the mind.
The Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Katsunobu Kato, also offered commentary on Ito’s win in a news conference:
Ito has previously won an Eisner Award in the “Best Adaptation from Another Medium” category in 2019 for his work Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection, which was an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Junji Ito Fans React Online
Alongside Ito and Kato’s comments, fans were celebrating online as well. A number of people posted on Twitter their congratulations to Ito.
For the full list of 2021 Eisner Award winners, check it out here.
Are you excited to check out Junji Ito’s latest works? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter!
