Francis Rothbart! The Tale Of A Fastidious Feral

Product Information

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. Pat Brosseau, Batman: The Knight, Wonder Woman: The Villainy of Our Fears (DC): Creepshow, Dark Ride, I Hate This Place, Skybound Presents: Afterschool (Image Skybound)

Woodruff and his publisher Fantagraphics respond; the Eisner organizers don't (yet) Image credit: Fantagraphics

Former students of Thomas Woodruff step forward to talk of abusive behavior

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! Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects, by Benjamin L. Clark and Nat Gertler (Schulz Museum) 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.

The Deluxe Gimenez: The Fourth Power & The Starr Conspiracy, by Juan Gimenez, edited by Alex Donoghue and Bruno Lesigne (Humanoids) WINNER: 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)When the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards announced this year's nominees, it gave a bright spotlight to a late 2022 comic called Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral and its author, Thomas Woodruff. Francis Rothbart and Woodruff appear in the categories for 'Best Graphic Album - New,' 'Best Painter/Multimedia Artist,' 'Best Lettering,' and 'Best Publication Design,' making Woodruff tied for second-most nominations for this year's awards.

Of the nominees, Image Comics has the most nominations with 20, and Fantagraphics with 13. Of the “Big Two” DC Comics had 16 nominations with Marvel right behind them with 12 total. Other publishers with multiple nominations include Abrams (8), Drawn & Quarterly (6), Z2 (6), IDW (5), First Second (5), Penn State University/Graphic Mundi (4), Ablaze (4), Humanoids (4), Andrews McMeel (3), TwoMorrows (3), VIZ Media (3), and BOOM! (2). Six companies have two nominations each, and another 33 companies or individuals have one nomination each.The purpose of the judging was to sincerely put forward some of the best work submitted for consideration, and to have missed the problematic aspects of the book's narrative has been hugely disappointing," says our source familiar with the situation. (The book has been criticized for potentially racist depictions of characters, as well as scenes of child sexuality.) "The judges, I think, took the book as highly experimental and abstract, not accounting for the more concrete, racial elements to it." The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions , edited by Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren (University Press of Mississippi) When asked what this year's Eisner judges thought of the new information and points-of-view brought to light about Francis Rothbart! and its author Thomas Woodruff, our source summed it up as "Distress and some recriminations, really." Other projects with more than two nominations are The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Best Graphic Album–New, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Letterer; Abrams), and Joe Hill’s Rain by David M. Booher and Zoe Thorogood (Best Adaptation from Another Medium, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Cover Artist; Syzygy/Image). Over 20 titles had 2 nominations.