Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Ownership and Custodial History

Received the original archives from the awards administrator, Jackie Estrada. Yearly donations thereafter given as part of the on-going repository designation.

Preferred Citation

Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Collection, Collection Number M 350, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.

Historical Information

"The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the "Oscars" of the comic book industry. They are handed out each year in a gala ceremony at Comic-Con International: San Diego, the largest and oldest comics convention in the United States. The Eisner Awards are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of "The Spirit" and several award-winning graphic novels), who, until his death in 2005, always attended the ceremony to personally congratulate the winners. The Awards are given out in more than two dozen categories covering the best publications and creators of the previous year (such as Best Short Story, Best Graphic Album, Best Writer, and so on). The finalists on the ballot are selected by a blue-ribbon committee that considers thousands of entries submitted by publishers and creators. The nominees are then voted on by all parts of the comic book industry: writers, artists, and other creators; publishers; editors; and retailers and distributors. The Eisner Awards, established in 1987, came under the auspices of the San Diego Comic Convention, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, in 1990." www.comic-con.org

Scope and Contents

The collection contains awards programs, ballots, calls for entries and comic books, graphic novels, journals, and comics-related books that were nominated for awards.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically, then chronologically. Comic books, journals, graphic novels, etc. have been incorporated into other collections better suited to house them.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Comic books, strips, etc. -- Archives -- Awards -- United States
• San Diego Comic-Con -- Awards