I'm sure a lot of you reading this already know, but just in case: Panel Patter was nominated for an Eisner Award this year in the Journalism Category.
Wow.
Seriously: Wow.
I know it's cliched to say, "It's an honor just to be nominated" but...it is. It really and truly is. This is an exclusive club picked by a select group of peers, and voted on by a larger group of our peers in the industry--creators, publishers, educators, and more. When I was a teacher, I was honored to be able to vote myself for other great candidates.
Now it's our turn to be told, "You all do good work."
Thank you to the Eisner committee. And thanks to anyone out there who deems us worthy of a vote. Especially because two of my own favorite sources of comics journalism, Zainab Akhtar and Women Write About Comics, were also nominated. (I only have passing familiarity with the other two sites that were nominated, but they appear to be awesome as well!)
When I started writing out my opinions about comics on Live Journal back in 2006, a lot had changed for me. I was coming out of a relationship, out of a longstanding position at work, and wasn't in the best place personally. My friend Emily told me, "You should talk about what you read." So I did. And I never stopped. I ended up taking the plunge and starting this site in late 2008.
The site has grown over time, including adding other writers. It's hard to believe sometimes that we're still here, especially in an age where writing about comics--and *only comics* isn't as common as it used to be, back when I was starting out. Add in the fact that we concentrate on comics outside the Big Two, and I think that we have something special here at the site. Getting an award nomination really makes me--and the rest of the Panel Patter team--feel special.
There are so many people I'd like to thank, and I'm sure after I post this, I'll have forgotten someone. So I apologize in advance. But here's an attempt to recognize those who helped make this site happen in various ways.
First, thanks to my parents, who fed my love of comics from the age of three and never stopped, even today.
Thanks again to Emily, for convincing me doing this was a good idea.
Thanks to Erica, my spouse (and periodic contributor to the site), for encouraging me and never letting me give up on Panel Patter.
Thanks to Scott and James, who are not only two of the best people to have writing about comics, but also two of the best people I know. You are a huge part of why we got this nomination.
Thanks to David Pepose for bringing me on to the Newsarama team, which helped me become a tighter writer, and thanks to Heidi MacDonald at Publisher's Weekly for letting me write about some of the weirder books in the world for a mass audience.
Thanks to Johanna Draper Carlson of Comics Worth Reading, for being my main inspiration as a comics writer. She showed me how to be classy when I didn't like a book, how to make my reviews look more polished overall, and that you don't have to be focused on only one type of comic to make a website work.
Thanks to David Brothers for being an inspiration on how to write long-form on comics. I'll never match David, because he's the gold standard, but I still take lessons from his old work.
Thanks to all the publishers who have supported us over the years.
Thanks especially to all the creators who have supported us over the years. You know who you are.
Thanks to Mark Dickson, Rob Kirby, and AJ for being a part of the site when you're able.
Thanks to all those who formerly contributed to the site. You're a part of this too, even if you're no longer actively writing for us.
And finally, thanks to all of you who come to the site daily. Scott, James, and I really thank you for being a part of this, and we hope you'll continue to read our scribbles about the comics we like (and sometimes the ones we don't!).
My best to all of you. Now let's keep talking about comics!
