Ladies and gentlemen… Tom King has won another Eisner Award. Friday night, King won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best Writer for his work on Batman, Mister Miracle, Heroes in Crisis, and Swamp Thing Winter Special. For many, this win will be shocking. For many others, it will be validation. Where do you fall?
Considering King’s work has been quite polarizing over the past year – with Batman and Heroes in Crisis drastically and passionately dividing fans – I personally find this win surprising. Then again, there are the likes of Mister Miracle and the Swamp Thing Winter Special. These are both incredible books that I, as well as many others, loved. And despite my dislike for Batman and Heroes in Crisis, there are many who do not share my opinion. Plus, when you consider that King himself was nominated for a total of five awards this year, as well as Mister Miracle receiving four nominations on its own, King winning Best Writer starts to feel less surprising, and more like an expected outcome.
Now, I’ve been quite vocal in my reviews about King’s run on Batman and Heroes in Crisis, and I stand by those opinions. I wasn’t a fan of either title for many reasons. However, I’ve never felt King himself is a bad writer. In fact, I think he’s one of the better writers in the industry right now. Two of his titles aren’t jiving with me at the moment. There’s a good chance they never will, and that’s ok. Regardless, I congratulate King on his win and look forward to seeing what he has in store for the future.
What are your thoughts on King’s win? Do you feel the right writer snagged the award? Sound off in the comments below!
