Highlights
- South Korean cartoonist Sanho won Best U.S. Edition of International Material, Asia at the 38th Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.
- Released by Dark Horse Comics and translated by Danny Lim, his work Purgatory Funeral Cakes outpaced other major Korean nominees like Grass and Hellbound.
- The award comes as South Korea’s domestic comics market recorded 7.4% annual growth within the broader content sector.
South Korean cartoonist Sanho has earned South Korea its first Eisner Award, the comic industry's most prestigious recognition. His work Purgatory Funeral Cakes secured the top honor of the Best U.S. Edition of International Material, Asia at the event.
Published in North America by Dark Horse Comics and translated by Danny Lim, Sanho’s graphic novel edged out four finalists at the 38th Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards in San Diego. Earlier, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim’s Grass and Yeon Sang-ho’s Hellbound were nominated for the awards in 2020 and 2023, respectively; nevertheless, they were unable to seize top prize.
Sanho’s Win Tops Japanese Rivals as India Lands a Eisner Nomination
With this success, South Korea ends the dominance of Japan, known for previously winning most of the Asia-centric awards of the event, through its acclaimed manga titles. Japanese contenders for the Best U.S. Edition of International Material, Asia honor, included names like Keigo Shinzō's Hirayasumi and Tokyo Alien Bros., as well as Kazumi Yamashita’s Land.
Meanwhile, late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama was also added to the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Hall of Fame at the event, marking a major milestone for the manga industry as well as the broader Asian comics sector.
Screen-captured from San Diego Comic Con's Website. Section for Eisner Hall of Fame. 2026 Induction.
Notably, India too contributed to expanding Asian comics’ domination as West Bengal-based Charbak Dipta got nominated in the Best Digital Comic category for his self-published work The World of Lublu, which is published in Bengali by Book Farm as Lublur Prithibi. This shows how the Indian comics sector is also growing at an international pace. The recognition comes as India's comic book market gains a steady pace. Estimates from Grand View Research project the sector is expected to hit $1.35 billion USD by 2030, showcasing a 12% annual growth rate, driven by digital platforms, young readership, and cross-media adaptations.
'The World of Lublu' Nomination (Image Credit: Eisner Awards 2026 Instagram)
Purgatory Funeral Cakes: From Local Serialization to Global Licensing
Initially published in South Korea by Munhakdongne between 2021 and 2025 under the Korean title Yeonokdang, Purgatory Funeral Cakes follows an omnibus story set in a shop that bakes cakes for departed souls wading through a 49-day purgatory. Apart from the domestic recognition, which includes the 2022 Korea Creative Content Agency Grand Prize, the title has exported foreign publishing rights to nine countries like France, Japan, and the United States.
South Korea’s Eisner Win Comes Amidst Wider Industry Growth
The award comes as South Korea's broader comics, and webtoon industry gains global commercial momentum. According to KOCCA, the comics sector grew 7.4% in 2025, driven by foreign revenue and expanding demand for IP across publishing, film, television and games. Whereas webtoons, a business that is closely related to comics, hit ₩2.286 trillion (~ $1.6 billion USD) in 2024, which is over six times its 2017 scale, with Japan and North America recording nearly 49.5% and 21% of exports respectively.
