Shelton State Community College Instructor, Carson Grubaugh, Nominated for Prestigious Eisner Award

June 3, 2022 – In his first widely published project, Shelton State Community College (SSCC) Fine Arts instructor Carson Grubaugh has been acknowledged for his work in the graphic novel, The Strange Death of Alex Raymond.  The novel has been nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in the Best Reality-Based Work category.  The awards, which are the comic industry equivalent of the Oscars, will be given on Friday, July 22 in San Diego, California.

Named for the pioneering comics creator and graphic novelist Will Eisner, the awards are given out in more than two dozen categories.  Nominees in each category are chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges who meet in the spring of each year.

With its concept and initial work by Dave Sim, Grubaugh took over art and writing duties for Strange Death following an injury that prevented Sim from drawing.  Based on Sim’s writings and layouts as well as his own, Grubaugh finished the 300-pages of work that ultimately became his first Eisner nomination. He and his publisher, Sean Robinson, will attend the award ceremony which is held in conjunction with Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Grubaugh is thrilled to have been recognized among other standouts in his category. “This is very exciting, and I am looking forward to attending the awards in July,” said the artist.

In addition to his work at the College and as a freelance author, Grubaugh runs the YouTube channel Living the Line with Robinson.  The channel is focused on educational content regarding comics and comic art reproduction.  “We review comics, interview artists, and do drawing lessons,” stated Grubaugh.  “Sean also has a series of tech videos where he gives away his juiciest tricks of the trade for digital preparation of art for printing.”

The Strange Death of Alex Raymond is available for purchase where books are sold.

For more about Shelton State fine arts, visit sheltonstate.edu.