The quick version:
Thomas Woodruff received nominations in four categories in the 2023 Eisner Awards , including “Best Graphic Album—New” and “Best Painter/Multimedia Artist.”
Many people, including his former students, raised an issue with his nominations, with the points of contention being a) accusations of mistreatment of students while he was the head of the illustration and cartooning departments at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and b) that the work itself, about a feral child with brown skin, has racist overtones. A petition aimed at the Eisners was started to have his nominations withdrawn.
After Woodruff and his publisher, Fantagraphics, released statements mid-week defending the work, Woodruff has since withdrawn himself for consideration for the awards.
So what’s this all about? Let’s break it down …
Let’s start at the beginning. Who’s involved here?
Francis Rothbart!: The Tale of a Fastidious Feral , a graphic novel by Thomas Woodruff , was published by Fantagraphics at the end of last year and nominated for multiple Eisner Awards this month, including:
Best Graphic Album—New
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
Best Lettering
Best Publication Design
Woodruff was the head of the illustration and cartooning departments at the School of Visual Arts in New York for roughly 20 years, before he left that position in 2021 . He’s still listed on their website as “Chair Emeritus.” It notes that he had an art book published in 2006 , and that his work has appeared in Esquire, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, The New Yorker, Juxtapoz and many other publications. His work has also been feature din exhibits everywhere from the Brooklyn Museum to Australia to Honolulu.
Fantagraphics has published comics, graphics novels and more since the 1970s. Creators they’ve published include the Hernandez Brothers, Dan Clowes, Jason, Joe Sacco, Simon Hanselmann, Emil Ferris, Kevin Huizenga, David B., Chris Ware and many more. They’ve been a staple of any Eisner nomination ballot since the awards came into existence. This year they received 13 nominations, including the four for Francis Rothbart! On their About page , they note that they “honor the rich history of comics while providing a platform for bold new stories, styles and perspectives that push the boundaries of the medium.” They are no strangers to controversy .
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards , commonly referred to as simply the Eisner Awards, are a comics industry awards program run by Comic-Con International, also known as the San Diego Comic Con. They are named after The Spirit creator Will Eisner and have given out awards since 1988 in a number of categories.
When did the controversy around this book begin?
The book itself was released in late 2022 — Dec. 14, according to Diamond Comics Distributor . As someone who does a weekly round-up of what’s hitting comic shops every week, I honestly didn’t remember seeing the book on Diamond’s list at the time, and it didn’t garner much press in comic circles. There were a few press outlets that interviewed Woodruff at the time, including Print Magazine , and it was mentioned briefly in a New York Times round-up of new books. The AV Club also included it in a round-up , saying :
This “graphic opera” from artist Thomas Woodruff, the recently retired head of the School of Visual Arts’ illustration and cartooning departments, is gorgeous and beguiling from beginning to end. Hand-lettered with lush color paintings and moody charcoal drawings, Francis Rothbart! is a supremely sui generis illustrated story told alternately in melodic prose and rhyming verse. The infant son of nudist balloonists, Francis is orphaned in the wild by a lightning strike. Protected and nurtured by an ensemble of affectionate animals and maternal magpies, he survives and grows into a strong youth, with subsequent lightning strikes seeming to imbue him with otherworldly powers. After twins from a nearby town discover his presence, Francis attempts to connect with the locals via progressively stunning costumery, with decidedly dramatic results. Fans of arty graphic novels will want to move this oversized hardcover to the top of their reading pile immediately.
Publisher’s Weekly had a less-than-stellar take on the $75 volume, noting its stunning art but calling out the disturbing sexual themes it contains. “This grotesque-erotic epic will call to curious and particular collectors, while raising eyebrows and questions about the boundaries of art publishing.”
But the work did not appear to be discussed much or even widely reviewed prior to the Eisner nominations, which seem to be the catalyst for this controversy, particularly as it spread across social media. I’m not sure who started the petition, but this is where I first saw it:
