2014 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Nominees!
Each year Comic-Con International honors retailers from around the globe with the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, named after the visionary creator of The Spirit. When Will approached Comic-Con about initiating the award in the early 1990s, he wanted it as a way to acknowledge the important role that comics retailers play in the industry, nurturing the relationship between creators and their readers. The comic book retailer provides that vital link in getting the work from the creators and publishers to the public. Will recognized the importance of that link, and Comic-Con continues to recognize it over 20 years after Will’s original idea.
The Award is given out yearly to retailers who have done an outstanding job of supporting the comics medium both in the industry at large and in their local community. Comics fans around the world have the opportunity to nominate their favorite stores via the Comic-Con International website.
This year’s nominee list includes a record-setting 37 comic retail stores from across the United States, plus Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Singapore. The finalists will be announced during the week of Comic-Con on our website, after the judges meet in San Diego. The recipient will be announced as part of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday, July 25, starting at 8:00 PM at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel.
This year’s nominees are:
Acme Comics
Greensboro, NC • Mark Austin & Jermaine Exum
Acme Superstore
Longwood, FL • Terry Dinkins
Al n’ Ann’s Collectibles
McHenry, IL • John Alan Armstrong, Debbie Ann Armstrong
All Star Comics
Melbourne, Australia • Troy Varker and Mitchell Davies
Alternate Reality Comics
Las Vegas, NV • Ralph Mathieu
Aw Yeah Comics
Skokie, IL • Mark Hammond, Franco Aureliani, Art Baltazar
Beyond Comics
Frederick, MD • Jonathan Cohen
Collector’s Corner
Baltimore, MD • Randy Myers
Comic Book Jones
Staten Island, NY • Mark Eadicicco & Michael Rivas
Comic Bug
Manhattan Beach, CA • Jun Goeku and Mike Wellman
Comics Dungeon
Seattle, WA • Scott & Lainie Tomlin
Double Midnight Comics & Collectibles
Manchester, NH • Chris Proulx, Scott Proulx and Brett Parker
Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy
Austin, TX • David M Wheeler
Epikos Comics, Cards & Games
Ooltewah, TN • Henry Flood, David Flood, Joe Jackson, John McConahy
The Escapist Comic Bookstore
Berkeley, CA • Jack Rems
Final Frontier
Plymouth, UK • Julian Shelford
G & B Comics
Singapore • Bernard Ang
Geoffrey’s Comics
Gardena, CA •Geoffrey Patterson
Graham Crackers
Chicago, IL • John Robinson and Jamie Graham
Heroes Headquarters
Ballarat, Australia • Garry and Pauline Fay
Hypno Comics
Ventura, CA • George Chase
Jesse James Comics
Glendale, AZ • Jesse James
Krypton Comics
Omaha, NE • Dean & Rachelle Phillips
Legend Comics & Coffee
Omaha, NE • David DeMarco, Jason Dasenbrock, Wendy Pivonka
Mile High Comics
Denver, CO • Chuck Rozanski
New Genesis Comics
Fort Collins, CO • Andrew Ricciardi
OK Comics
Leeds, UK • Jared Myland & Richard Makinson
Packrat Comics
Hilliard, OH • Jamie & Teresa Colegrove
Shield Comics & Games
Ames, IA • Chris Pellack
Silver Snail Comics & Café
Toronto, Ontario, Canada • George Zotti & Mark Gingras
Southern California Comics
San Diego, CA • Jamie Newbold
Space Cadets Collection Collection
Conroe, TX • Jen King
Third Coast Comics
Chicago, IL • Terry Gant
Time Warp Comics & Games
Boulder, CO • Wayne Winsett
Travelling Man
Manchester, UK • Nabil Homsi
Villainous Lair Comics & Gaming
San Diego, CA • Alison Flynn
WonderWorld Comics
Taylor, MI • Robert Bowman & Dennis Barger