The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards gala was held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront on the evening of July 21, 2017. Here are some highlights from the event. Click on the images to see them larger on your screen and in slideshow mode. Scroll down to load all 46 thumbnails first.
Getting ready for the big show: The Eisner Award trophies on display. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
A view of the Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom from the VIP seating. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
The first presenters of the evening were writer Anina Bennett (Boilerplate, Heartbreakers), writer/artist Bill Morrison (new editor of MAD magazine) and voice actor Kayre Morrison. Anina and Kayre stayed onstage for the evening to assist the other presenters. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
To kick off the ceremony, Todd Klein accepted the first award, for Best Lettering. This was his 17th win in that category. (Todd is in the Guinness Book of World Records for most Eisner Awards in one category.) Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
The winner for Best Digital Comic was Bandette, accepted by writer Paul Tobin and artist Colleen Coover. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Best Webcomic winner Anne Szabla (Birdboy) was accompanied by her diabetic alert service dog, Sienna. Anne also received the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Actors Danny Pudi (Community) and Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) presented the awards for Best Writer, Best Writer/Artist, and Best Cover Artist. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Sonny Liew took home three awards for his graphic novel history of Singapore The Art of Charlie Chan Hoc Chye (Best Writer/Artist, Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia, and Best Publication Design). Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Ben Edlund (creator of The Tick) and Griffin Newman (“Arthur” in The Tick TV series) presented the awards for International Works and for Humor. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Dark Horse editor Philip Simon accepted the Best U.S. Edition of International Material for Jean Giraud’s Moebius Library: The World of Edena. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Writer Ryan North and artists Erica Henderson and Derek Charm accepted the trophies for Best Humor Publication for their work on Jughead. North and Henderson also picked up the award for Best Publication for Teens for Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
William Messner-Loebs was given the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing by award administrator Mark Evanier (far right) and Finger’s granddaughter, Athena.
Jack Kirby’s children and grandchildren were on hand to accept the Finger Award on his behalf, flanked by Athena Finger (left) and Mark Evanier (far right). Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Presenting the Awards for Comics-Related Journalism, Comics-Related Book, and Scholarly/Academic Work were iZombie co-creator Chris Roberson and his Monkeybrain co-publisher Allison Baker. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Michael Tisserand received the award for Best Comics-Related Book for Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Best Scholarly/Academic Work was awarded to author Carolyn Coca for her book Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Actor/writer Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, Balls of Fire, Night at the Museum series), comics writer Gail Simone (Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman), and comedian Wayne Brady (Who’s Line Is It Anyway? Let’s Make a Deal) presented the awards for Best Penciller/Inker, Best Coloring, and Best Painter. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
The Best Coloring Eisner went to Matt Wilson for his work on multiple titles for Image and Marvel. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Jill Thompson was very excited to win the Best Painter award for Wonder Woman: The True Amazon. She went on to collect two other awards: Best Single Issue for Dark Horse’s Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In and Best Graphic Album–New for the Wonder Woman book. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Comics retailer Joe Ferrara (Atlantis Fantasyworld, Santa Cruz, CA) received the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his efforts to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
A second Clampett Award was given to Marc Andreyko for organizing the Love Is Love anthology project to honor the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. The awards were presented by Bob Clampett’s daughter, Ruth. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series, V-Wars comic) and graphic novelist Victoria Jamieson (Roller Girl, The Great Pet Escape) presented the awards for Best Publications for Early Readers, Kids, and Teens. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
The award for Best Publication for Early Readers went to Ben Clanton for his book Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Raina Telgemeier once again won the Best Publication for Kids, this time for Ghosts. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Sergio Aragonés presented the Hall of Fame Awards. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Lori Gross Heyle accepted the Hall of Fame award for her grandfather, cartoonist Milt Gross. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Other Hall of Fame inductees included Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, creators of Love and Rockets. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Walter Simonson was on hand to accept his Hall of Fame Eisner. He has worked on nearly every major character for Marvel and DC but is best known for his run on Thor. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Marv Wolfman accepted the Hall of Fame Award for artist George Peréz, noted for his work on New Teen Titans and Wonder Woman, among other titles. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was writer/artist Jim Starlin, who created Marvel’s Thanos, among other characters. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Joe Ferrara presented the nominees for the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award and announced that the winner was Comicaze, of Somerville, Massachusetts. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Comics and animation writer Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn co-creator) and his wife, magician/voice actor Misty Lee, announced the nominees and winners in the Archival and Design categories. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Sunday Press publisher Peter Maresca accepted the Best Archival Project (Comic Strips) for Dick Tracy: Colorful Cases of the 1930s. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
The award for Best Archival Project (Comic Books) went to The Complete Wimmen’s Comix, edited by Trina Robbins and Fantagraphics’ Mike Catron (left) and Gary Groth. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Sonny Liew (with Paul Dini and Misty Lee) collected the trophy for Best Publication Design for The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, published by Pantheon. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Tom King made the first of two appearances on stage. This one was to accept the Best Short Story award for the Batman Annual “Good Boy,” with art by David Finch. He later accepted the Best Limited Series trophies for Marvel’s The Vision. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Thomas Lennon and voice actor Phil LaMarr (Samurai Jack) presented a number of awards, including Best Short Story, Single Issue, Anthology, New Series, Limited Series, and Continuing Series. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
The Best Anthology award went to Love Is Love, edited by Jamie S. Rich and Sarah Gaydos and organized by Marc Andreyko. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Past Russ Manning Award winner Arthur Adams presented the Manning plaque to this year’s winner Anne Szabla (with her service dog, Sienna). Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Best New Series was accepted by writer Jeff Lemire for Dark Horse’s Black Hammer. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Tom King was back onstage again to accept the Best Limited Series award for The Vision. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Watchmen’s Dave Gibbons joined British talk show host Jonathan Ross to present the final categories of the night. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
Writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell accepted the award for Best Reality-Based Work for the autobiographical March Book 3 on behalf of Congressman John Lewis. Both previous volumes in the series also won the Eisner in this category. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
Jill Thompson was the final winner of the night, taking home the trophy for Best Graphic Album–New, for Wonder Woman: The True Amazon. Photo: J. Cortes © 2018 SDCC
All the award winners and acceptors joined up for a photo op. Photo: T. Amat © 2018 SDCC
