Yeonokdang Wins Eisner Award, Marking First Win for a Korean Work

A Korean comic has won an award at the Eisner Awards, a prestigious American comic book awards ceremony, for the first time.

According to Comic-Con International and Munhakdongne on the 31st (local time), the comic "Funeral Cake Specialty Shop Yeonokdang" was named the winner in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia category at the 38th Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

This award is presented to the most outstanding translated Asian comic book published in English in North America.

While Korean comics such as "The Red Land" (by Kim Dong-hwa), "Grass" (by Kim Keum-suk), and "Hellbound" (by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Kyu-seok) have previously been nominated, this marks the first time a Korean work has won.

"Funeral Cake Specialty Shop Yeonokdang" is a fantasy graphic novel created by author Sanho. It tells the stories of people who order cakes for the deceased so that they can journey across the plains of purgatory for 49 days after death and reach the gate of reincarnation.

It was published domestically by Munhakdongne and translated and published in the United States by the American comic publisher Dark Horse in 2025.

Often called the Academy Awards of the comic book industry, the Eisner Awards are considered one of the three major international comic awards, alongside France's Angoulême International Comics Festival and the United States' Harvey Awards.

(Photo: Provided by Munhakdongne, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.