Bill Finger Award winners announced

29 MAY 2015

                                                                           From Comics Alliance

The winners of the 2015 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing have been announced - and they are Don McGregor and John Stanley.

The Bill Finger award is a newish award created ten years ago to recognize those creators with a body of impressive work that never really got its due. If you just asked, "But who's Bill Finger?" - that's the point. Comic book fans everywhere know Bob Kane's name as Batman's creator; few know that Bill Finger actually came up with much of the iconic imagery and backstory we associate today with the Dark Knight. The Batmobile, the Joker, his costume, his origin story - that was all Finger's brainwork. But he never saw a penny from Batman's movies and merchandise as DC signed a contract naming Kane as Batman's sole creator in perpetuity.

There's a lot to this story and if you're a Batman fan at all, I'd suggest reading up on it. Deception, greed, fame, obscurity - it's a story that plays out in bands, art studios, publishing houses and other creative workspaces every day, though it's writ large in this case. So as far as awards go, it's gratifying to see one dedicated to rewarding talented comic creators who've been overlooked.

The award will be presented during the Eisners on 10 July at SDCC.

Nominations open for 2013 Spirit of Comics Retailer Award

18 DECEMBER 2012


I'm pretty sure I have never posted so much Comic Con stuff around Christmas before. Anyhow.

If your neighborhood comic shop is particularly awesome, go on and nominate them for The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, which is given each year "to an individual retailer who has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large." 

You can see all the criteria and guidelines here. Your nominee can't be a previous winner, must have been in business for at least two years, must run an ethical and high-quality store, and be active in the community. But my favorite is "Support of a wide variety of innovative material. Providing opportunities for creators’ material to reach buyers; stocking a diverse inventory." 

Not only do I appreciate this as someone who reads obscure indie comics right along with my DC comics, but it speaks to the comic book industry's values of genuine art and creativity. In a world where so much "art" is formulaic and mass-produced, comic books offer artists and writers a medium for truly original expression, no matter how intellectual, strange, or unprofitable their work may be. It's not all superheroes and zombies out there on the shelves - well, not on the shelves of the braver retailers. So I think it's great that this award recognizes those stores who go out of their way to help offbeat artists and readers find each other. 


On a side note, CCI's new site uses the verbiage Comic-Con International: San Diego now, even when it's cumbersome in sentences like "Comic-Con International: San Diego will once again feature a diverse group of guests from comics, science fiction and fantasy, and illustration during the 2013 event." Is that new? It's not like there's also a Comic-Con International: New Delhi. Not one run by CCI,  at least. Maybe it points to another Con brewing beneath the surface, but maybe it's just a weird branding decision.

Manning Award nominations open

15 MAY 2012




Do you harbor secret hopes of being discovered at Comic Con this year? Then go on and nominate yourself for the annual Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award. The deadline is 31 May.


The award is for a comics artist still early in his or her career who "shows a superior knowledge and ability in the art of creating comics." (That's me! half of everyone is thinking.)  


Here are the rules:

1. The artist must be a newcomer to the comic field, with no professional work published prior to January 2009. Exceptions to this rule are:
1. Work done as an unaccredited assistant to another artist
2. Fanzine publications
3. Small press with a print run of 2000 or less
4. A one-shot in a new talent anthology comic
2. The artist’s work must have been published prior to submission.
3. A sample of the artist’s work must be included.
4. A sample of the artist’s pencil work should be submitted if it was inked by another artist.
5. If multiple names are credited to the work, what the artist contributed must be made clear.
6. If selected as a nominee, the artist (or publisher) should be prepared to provide 25 copies of the work to be sent to the judges.

Five finalists will be selected. Send your entries to: Russ Manning Award 150 S. James Orange, CA 92869.  The contest runs until 31 May, so get busy. You can read more about it here.