Thomas Woodruff has removed his graphic novel Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral, published by Fantagraphics, from consideration for the Eisner Awards. The book had been nominated in the Best Graphic Album—New and Best Publication Design categories, and Woodruff had been nominated in the Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art) and Best Lettering categories (see “2023 Eisner Nominees”).
In response to a query about the book, Fantagraphics forwarded this statement from Woodruff:
I have decided to respectfully decline the four nominations for my book, Francis Rothbart!, from this year’s Eisner awards. I greatly appreciate the people at Fantagraphics and the Eisner Organization for their support of my metaphorical comics fable about an outsider and his struggles for acceptance in a hostile society. My graphic album being recognized by the panel of judges is a wonderful honor. I wish the best to all of the deserving and talented other nominees, and I applaud their achievements.
Francis Rothbart! had not been widely discussed or reviewed in the comics press prior to the nomination, but once the news came out, numerous former students at the School for Visual Arts in New York City, where Woodruff was the head of the illustration and cartooning departments, came forward on social media with public allegations of racism, emotional abuse, and mistreatment. Commentators also criticized the book, the story of a brown-skinned feral child, as racist in its conception and the Eisner organization for choosing an all-white panel of judges. Objections to the nominations were so strong that a petition to remove the book from consideration garnered 760 signatures. Prior to the withdrawal of the title, both Fantagraphics and Woodruff had responded to an article at The Beat with statements defending the book.
Source: ICv2
