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