Recognized as the 'Oscars' of
the American comic book business, the Eisners are
presented annually before a packed ballroom at Comi-Con
International in San Diego, America's largest comics
convention.
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. The Awards Administrator
is Jackie Estrada. The awards program has been funded by
contributions from distributors, retailers, media companies,
and such industry suppliers as major printers of comics.
"The primary purpose of these awards,"
says Estrada, "is to call attention to and celebrate
the best that the comics artform has to offer. A glance
at any of the ballots from the last several years reveals
a wide range of projects, subject matters, and levels, from
such serious works as art spiegelman’s Maus
and Joe Sacco’s Safe Area Gorazde to such
lighter fare as Jeff Smith’s Bone and Sergio
Aragonés’s Groo. The point is that
reading comics can be a rewarding experience for people
with a variety of tastes and of any age."
COMIC-CON
INTERNATIONAL EISNER AWARD WEB SITE
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