The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, considered the “Oscars” of
the comic book industry, are handed out each year in a gala ceremony at
Comic-Con International: San Diego. Named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of “The Spirit” and
pioneer of the graphic novels), the Awards are given out in more than two-dozen
categories covering the best publications and creators of the previous year.The
Eisner Awards were not always the Eisner Awards. At one point they were the
Kirby Awards—sort of.
Back in 1984, Fantagraphics Books instituted the Jack Kirby Awards to honor
the best works and creators in comics. The administrator of the awards was Dave
Olbrich, a Fantagraphics employee. The awards were given out beginning in 1985
in programs at Comic-Con, with Jack Kirby himself on hand to congratulate the
winners.
When Olbrich left Fantagraphics for other pursuits in 1987, the Kirby
Awards came to an end, and two new awards programs were born: Fantagraphics
started the Harvey Awards (named after Harvey Kurtzman), and Olbrich started
the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Set up as a nonprofit organization, the
Eisners were given out at Comic-Con like the Kirbys had been, only now with
Will Eisner on stage to hand out the awards.
The first Eisners were conferred in 1988, for works published in 1987.
Olbrich administered the awards for two years, but there were no awards in
1990. At that time it was proposed that Comic-Con take over the awards, as the
responsibilities involved had grown and Olbrich had other commitments. Thus,
the first Will Eisner Awards given out under Comic-Con auspices occurred at the
1991 show, with Jackie Estrada as the new administrator. Jackie has continued in that role ever since.
At first the Eisners were given out at a daytime programming event. Then
they became Comic-Con’s Thursday night special event, with the Inkpot Awards
banquet being held on Friday night and the Masquerade on Saturday. In 1995 the
Eisners and Inkpots combined into one ceremony, with no banquet. The Eisners
have remained Comic-Con’s big Friday night event, at first being held at the
Hyatt, then in Ballroom 20 at the Convention Center, and finally in the Indigo
Ballroom at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.
The program for the awards ceremony has evolved along with the setting. For
several years cartoonist Scott Shaw! MC’d the Inkpot Awards portion of the
evening, and Jackie Estrada MC’d the Eisners. Comic-Con’s other awards—the
Manning and the Clampett—were also presented as part of the festivities. As the
number of award categories grew, the ceremony became increasingly longer, and
eventually the Inkpots came to be given out to recipients at programs during
the day and not at the Friday night event. The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailier
Award is also a part of the program.
The Eisners had its first keynote speaker in 1995, when Neil Gaiman set the
tone for the evening by addressing the nature and meaning of awards. In
subsequent years, memorable keynote speakers have included Dave Gibbons, Frank
Miller, and novelist Michael Chabon, who made an eloquent plea for better
comics for kids.
For many years the Eisner ceremony was MC’d by Bill Morrison (creative
director, Bongo Comics). Beginning in 2011, the format changed to one without
an overall MC. Those who attend the ceremony today can expect big screen
graphics representing the nominees and presenters ranging from comics’ biggest
names to such celebrities as George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones),
Trisha Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Tom Lennon and Ben Garant (Reno
911), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Thomas Jane (The Punisher),
Jane Wiedlin (the Go-Gos), Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers), Joss Whedon
(Buffy, The Avengers), comedian Patton Oswalt, and the always popular
British talk-show host Jonathan Ross.
But the main focus of the ceremony is on the works and creators being
honored by the event. The list of nominees is treated as a shopping list by
fans of comics and graphic novels who are looking for the best material being
published. In addition, publishers proudly display the Eisner Award logo on
their nominated and winning books.
