| Year | Nominee | Titles | Ref. |
|---|
| 1990s |
| 1992 | Brian Bolland | Animal Man (DC) | [1] |
|---|
| Simon Bisley | Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham (DC), Doom Patrol (DC) |
| Dave Dorman | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Dark Horse), Star Wars (Dark Horse) |
| Brendan McCarthy | Shade, the Changing Man (DC Comics) |
| 1993 | Brian Bolland | Animal Man (DC), Wonder Woman (DC) | [2] |
|---|
| Simon Bisley | Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse), The Terminator: Enemy Within (Dark Horse), Doom Patrol (DC) |
| Glenn Fabry | Hellblazer (DC), The Spectre (DC) |
| Dave Sim/Gerhard | Cerebus (Aardvark-Vanaheim) |
| Brendan McCarthy | Shade, the Changing Man (DC Comics) |
| Dave McKean | Cages (Tundra), The Sandman (DC) |
| Steve Rude | World's Finest trade paperback (DC), Nexus: The Origin (Dark Horse) |
| Matt Wagner | "Faces," Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (DC) |
| 1994 | Brian Bolland | Animal Man (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 (DC) | [3] |
|---|
| John Bolton | Aliens/Predator: The Deadliest of the Species (Dark Horse) |
| Glenn Fabry | Hellblazer (DC/Vertigo), Vertigo Jam (DC/Vertigo) |
| Alex Ross | Marvels (Marvel) |
| Dave Sim/Gerhard | Cerebus (Aardvark-Vanaheim) |
| 1995 | Glenn Fabry | Hellblazer (DC/Vertigo) | [4] |
|---|
| Tony Harris | Starman (DC) |
| Terry Moore | Strangers in Paradise (Abstract Studio) |
| Don Rosa | Uncle Scrooge (Gladstone) |
| Rick Veitch | Roarin' Rick's Rare Bit Fiends (King Hell) |
| Charles Vess | The Books of Magic (DC/Vertigo) |
| 1996 | Alex Ross | Kurt Busiek's Astro City (Jukebox Productions/Image) | [5] |
|---|
| Frank Miller | X #18-21 (Dark Horse), Sin City: The Big Fat Kill (Dark Horse), Silent Night (Dark Horse) |
| Charles Vess | The Books of Magic (DC/Vertigo), Ice Age on the World of Magic the Gathering (Acclaim/Armada), The Book of Ballads and Sagas #1 (Green Man Press) |
| Chris Ware | Acme Novelty Library (Fantagraphics), BLAB! #8 (Kitchen Sink) |
| Phil Winslade | Goddess (DC/Vertigo), Vamps: Hollywood & Vein (DC/Vertigo) |
| Jim Woodring | Jim (Fantagraphics), Jim Special (Fantagraphics) |
| 1997 | Alex Ross | Kingdom Come, (DC), Kurt Busiek's Astro City (Jukebox Productions/Homage) | [6] |
|---|
| Mark Chiarello | Terminal City (DC/Vertigo) |
| Tony Harris | Starman (DC) |
| Michael Kaluta | The Books of Magic (DC/Vertigo), Vermillion (Helix) |
| Jerry Ordway | The Power of Shazam! (DC) |
| Steve Rude | Nexus: Executioner's Song (Dark Horse), Nexus Meets Madman (Dark Horse) |
| 1998 | Alex Ross | Kurt Busiek's Astro City, (Jukebox Productions/Homage), Uncle Sam (DC/Vertigo) | [7] |
|---|
| Mike Allred | Red Rocket 7 (Dark Horse) |
| Mark Crilley | Akiko (Sirius) |
| Glenn Fabry | Preacher (DC/Vertigo), Preacher Specials (DC/Vertigo) |
| Jerry Ordway | The Power of Shazam! (DC) |
| Steve Rude | Nexus: Nightmare in Blue (Dark Horse), Nexus: God Con (Dark Horse) |
| Ty Templeton | Batman & Robin Adventures (DC) |
| 1999 | Brian Bolland | The Invisibles (DC/Vertigo) | [8] |
|---|
| Glenn Fabry | Preacher (DC/Vertigo), Hellblazer (DC/Vertigo), Aliens vs. Predator: Eternal (Dark Horse) |
| Dave McKean | The Dreaming (DC/Vertigo) |
| Frank Miller and Lynn Varley | 300 (Dark Horse) |
| Joe Quesada/Jimmy Palmiotti | Daredevil (Marvel), Painkiller Jane/DarkChylde (Event), Painkiller Jane/Hellboy (Event) |
| 2000s |
| 2000 | Alex Ross | Batman: No Man's Land (DC), Batman: Harley Quinn (DC), Batman: War on Crime (DC), Kurt Busiek's Astro City (Homage/DC/WildStorm), ABC alternate #1 covers (ABC) | [9] |
|---|
| John Cassaday | Planetary (DC/WildStorm) |
| Frank Cho | Liberty Meadows (Insight Studios) |
| Glenn Fabry | Preacher (DC/Vertigo) |
| Dave McKean | The Dreaming (DC/Vertigo) |
| 2001 | Brian Bolland | Batman: Gotham Knights (DC), The Flash (DC), The Invisibles (Vertigo/DC) | [10] |
|---|
| Duncan Fegredo | Lucifer (Vertigo/DC) |
| Phil Hale | Swamp Thing (Vertigo/DC), Vertigo Secret Files (Vertigo/DC), Flinch #11 (Vertigo/DC) |
| Dave Johnson | Detective Comics (DC), 100 Bullets (Vertigo/DC) |
| Chris Ware | Acme Novelty Library (Fantagraphics), Jimmy Corrigan (Pantheon), Drawn & Quarterly vol. 3 (Drawn & Quarterly) |
| 2002 | Dave Johnson | Detective Comics (DC), 100 Bullets (Vertigo/DC) | [11] |
|---|
| Tim Bradstreet | Hellblazer (DC/Vertigo) |
| J. G. Jones | Codename: Knockout (DC/Vertigo), Transmetropolitan (DC/Vertigo) |
| Jae Lee | Our Worlds at War specials (DC), Fantastic Four: 1234 (Marvel) |
| Mike Mignola | Hellboy: Conqueror Worm (Dark Horse Maverick) |
| 2003 | Adam Hughes | Wonder Woman (DC) | [12] |
|---|
| Kaare Andrews | The Incredible Hulk (Marvel) |
| Dave Johnson | Detective Comics (DC), 100 Bullets (DC/Vertigo) |
| Terry Moore | Strangers in Paradise (Abstract Studio) |
| J. H. Williams III | Promethea (ABC) |
| 2004 | James Jean | Batgirl (DC), Fables (Vertigo/DC) | [13] |
|---|
| Dave Johnson | Batman # 620-622 (DC), 100 Bullets (DC/Vertigo) |
| Scott McKowen | 1602 (Marvel) |
| Joshua Middleton | NYX (Marvel), X-Men Unlimited (Marvel), New Mutants (Marvel) |
| Sean Phillips | Sleeper (WildStorm/DC) |
| Brian Wood | Global Frequency (WildStorm/DC) |
| 2005 | James Jean | Fables (Vertigo/DC), Green Arrow (DC), Batgirl (DC) | [14] |
|---|
| Kieron Dwyer | Remains (IDW) |
| Tony Moore | The Walking Dead (Image) |
| Frank Quitely | Bite Club (Vertigo/DC), We3 (Vertigo/DC) |
| Michael Turner | Identity Crisis (DC) |
| 2006 | James Jean | Fables (Vertigo/DC), Runaways (Marvel) | [15] |
|---|
| Frank Espinosa | Rocketo (Speakeasy) |
| Tony Harris | Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC) |
| Jock | The Losers (Vertigo/DC) |
| Eric Powell | The Goon (Dark Horse), Universal Monsters: Cavalcade of Horror (Dark Horse) |
| 2007 | James Jean | Fables (Vertigo/DC), Jack of Fables (Vertigo/DC), 1001 Nights of Snowfall (Vertigo/DC) | [16] |
|---|
| John Cassaday | Astonishing X-Men (Marvel), Conan (Dark Horse), The Lone Ranger (Dynamite) |
| Tony Harris | Conan (Dark Horse), Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC) |
| Dave Johnson | 100 Bullets (DC/Vertigo), Zombie Tales (Boom!), Cthulhu Tales (Boom!), The Black Plague (Boom!) |
| J. G. Jones | 52 (DC) |
| 2008 | James Jean | Fables (Vertigo/DC), The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse), Process Recess 2 (AdHouse), Superior Showcase 2 (AdHouse) | [17] |
|---|
| John Cassaday | Astonishing X-Men (Marvel), The Lone Ranger (Dynamite) |
| J. G. Jones | 52 (DC) |
| Jae Lee | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel) |
| Jim Lee | All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder (DC), World of Warcraft (WildStorm/DC) |
| 2009 | James Jean | Fables (Vertigo/DC), The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse) | [18][19] |
|---|
| Gabriel Bá | Casanova (Image), The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse) |
| Jo Chen | Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse) |
| Amy Reeder Hadley | Madame Xanadu (DC/Vertigo) |
| Matt Wagner | Zorro (Dynamite) |
| 2010s |
| 2010 | J. H. Williams III | Detective Comics (DC) | [20][21] |
|---|
| John Cassaday | Irredeemable (Boom!), The Lone Ranger (Dynamite) |
| Salvador Larroca | The Invincible Iron Man (Marvel) |
| Sean Phillips | Criminal (Marvel/Icon), Incognito (Marvel/Icon), 28 Days Later (Boom!) |
| Alex Ross | Astro City: The Dark Age (WildStorm), Project Superpowers (Dynamite) |
| 2011 | Mike Mignola | Hellboy (Dark Horse), Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Dark Horse) | [22][23] |
|---|
| Rodin Esquejo | Morning Glories (Shadowline/Image) |
| Dave Johnson | Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plain (Dark Horse), Unknown Soldier (Vertigo/DC), Punisher Max (Marvel), Deadpool (Marvel) |
| David Petersen | Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard (Archaia) |
| Yuko Shimizu | The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC) |
| 2012 | Francesco Francavilla | Black Panther (Marvel), The Lone Ranger (Dynamite), Lone Ranger/Zorro (Dynamite), Dark Shadows (Dynamite), Warlord of Mars (Dynamite), Archie Meets Kiss (Archie) | [24][23] |
|---|
| Michael Allred | iZOMBIE (Vertigo/DC) |
| Viktor Kalvachev | Blue Estate (Image) |
| Marcos Martín | Daredevil (Marvel), The Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel) |
| Sean Phillips | Criminal: The Last of the Innocent (Marvel/Icon) |
| Yuko Shimizu | The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC) |
| 2013 | David Aja | Hawkeye (Marvel) | [25][23] |
|---|
| Brandon Graham | King City (Image), Multiple Warheads (Image), Elephantmen #43 (Image) |
| Sean Phillips | Fatale (Image) |
| Yuko Shimizu | The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC) |
| J. H. Williams III | Batwoman (DC) |
| 2014 | David Aja | Hawkeye (Marvel) | [26][23] |
|---|
| Mike del Mundo | X-Men: Legacy (Marvel) |
| Sean Murphy/Jordie Bellaire | The Wake (DC/Vertigo) |
| Emma Ríos | Pretty Deadly (Image) |
| Chris Samnee | Daredevil (Marvel) |
| Fiona Staples | Saga (Image) |
| 2015 | Darwyn Cooke | DC Comics Darwyn Cooke Month Variant Covers (DC) | [27][23] |
|---|
| Mike del Mundo | Elektra (Marvel), X-Men: Legacy (Marvel), A+X (Marvel), Dexter (Marvel), Dexter Down Under (Marvel) |
| Francesco Francavilla | Afterlife with Archie (Archie), Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight (Dark Horse), The Twilight Zone (Dynamite), Django/Zorro (Dynamite); X-Files (IDW) |
| Jamie McKelvie/Matthew Wilson | The Wicked + The Divine (Image), Ms. Marvel (Marvel) |
| Phil Noto | Black Widow (Marvel) |
| Alex Ross | Astro City (Vertigo/DC), Batman '66: The Lost Episode, Batman '66 Meets Green Hornet (DC/Dynamite) |
| 2016 | David Aja | Hawkeye (Marvel), Karnak (Marvel), Scarlet Witch (Marvel) | [28][23] |
|---|
| Rafael Alburquerque | EI8ht (Dark Horse), Huck (Image) |
| Amanda Conner | Harley Quinn (DC) |
| Joëlle Jones | Lady Killer (Dark Horse), Brides of Helheim (Oni) |
| Ed Piskor | Hip Hop Family Tree (Fantagraphics) |
| 2017 | Fiona Staples | Saga (Image) | [29][23] |
|---|
| Mike del Mundo | Avengers (Marvel), Carnage (Marvel), Mosaic (Marvel), The Vision (Marvel) |
| David Mack | Abe Sapien (Dark Horse), B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth (Dark Horse), Fight Club 2 (Dark Horse), Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 (Dark Horse) |
| Sean Phillips | Criminal 10th Anniversary Special (Image), Kill or Be Killed (Image) |
| Sana Takeda | Monstress (Image) |
| 2018 | Sana Takeda | Monstress (Image) | [30][23] |
|---|
| Jorge Corona | No.1 with a Bullet (Image) |
| Nick Derington | Mister Miracle (DC), Doom Patrol (DC/Young Animal) |
| Brian Stelfreeze | Black Panther (Marvel) |
| Julian Totino Tedesco | Hawkeye (Marvel) |
| 2019 | Jen Bartel | Blackbird (Image), Submerged (Vault) | [31] |
|---|
| Nick Derington | Mister Miracle (DC) |
| Karl Kerschl | Isola (Image) |
| Joshua Middleton | Batgirl variants (DC), Aquaman variants (DC) |
| Julian Totino Tedesco | Hawkeye (Marvel), Life of Captain Marvel (Marvel) |
| 2020s |
| 2020 | Emma Ríos | Pretty Deadly (Image) | [32][33] |
|---|
| Jen Bartel | Blackbird (Image) |
| Francesco Francavilla | Archie (Archie), Archie 1955 (Archie), Archie vs. Predator II (Archie), Cosmo (Archie) |
| David Mack | American Gods (Dark Horse), Fight Club 3 (Dark Horse), Cover (DC) |
| Julian Totino Tedesco | Daredevil (Marvel) |
| Christian Ward | Machine Gun Wizards (Dark Horse), Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse) |
| 2021 | Peach Momoko | Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19 (Boom! Studios), Mighty Morphin #2 (Boom! Studios), Something Is Killing the Children #12 (Boom! Studios), Power Rangers #1 (Boom! Studios); Die!namite (Dynamite Entertainment); The Crow: Lethe (IDW Publishing); Marvel Variants (Marvel Comics) | [34][35] |
|---|
| Jamal Campbell | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Boom! Studios); Far Sector (DC Comics) |
| Simone Di Meo | We Only Find Them When They’re Dead (Boom! Studios) |
| Mike Huddleston | Decorum (Image Comics) |
| Dave Johnson | Butcher of Paris (Dark Horse Comics) |
| Ramón K. Pérez | Stillwater (Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment) |
| 2022 | Jen Bartel | Future State Immortal Wonder Woman #1&2 (DC), Wonder Woman Black & Gold #1 (DC), Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary (DC), Women’s History Month variant covers (Marvel Comics) | [36] |
|---|
| David Mack | Norse Mythology (Dark Horse Comics) |
| Bruno Redondo | Nightwing (DC Comics) |
| Alex Ross | Black Panther, Captain America, Captain America/Iron Man #2, Immortal Hulk, Iron Man, The U.S. of The Marvels (Marvel Comics) |
| Julian Totino Tedesco | Just Beyond: Monstrosity (Boom! Studios/KaBoom!); Dune: House Atreides (Boom! Studios); Action Comics (DC Comics); The Walking Dead Deluxe (Image Skybound) |
| Yoshi Yoshitani | I Am Not Starfire (DC Comics); The Blue Flame, Giga, Witchblood (Vault Comics) |