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2018 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Recipient
Norma Comics
Rafa Martínez
Barcelona, Spain
2018 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Finalists
The judges have spoken! Comic-Con’s blue-ribbon panel of judges have decided this year’s Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Award Finalists … five of the world’s greatest comics shops!
The finalists are:
Big Bang Comics
John Hendrick, Dublin, Ireland
Cape and Cowl Comics
Eitan Manhoff, Oakland, CA
Kingpin Books
Mário Freitas, Lisbon, Portugal
Norma Comics
Rafa Martínez, Barcelona, Spain
Travelling Man
Nabil Homsi, York, Yorkshire, UK
This year’s recipient will be announced during the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday evening at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel during Comic-Con.
Special thanks to our hard-working band of judges: Writer/artist Andy Fish, artist Veronica Fish, cartoonist Shannon Wheeler, Robert Howard, of Comicazi in Somerville, MA (last year’s Spirit Award winner), Nance Romer (Diamond Comic Distributors), Tyne Hunter (Penguin Random House Sales Manager), and Joe Ferrara of Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz, CA, our facilitator for the judging, and a former winner of the Spirit Award.
2018 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award
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 to do so 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. In fact, 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the Eisner Spirit Award!
The Award is given out yearly to retailers who have done an outstanding job of supporting the comic art 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 here on the Comic-Con International website. The 2018 Award will be given out as part of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday evening, July 20, 2018.
GUIDELINES for nomination include:
- Any retail store established in business for at least two years is eligible to be nominated.
- Anyone—retailers, professionals, fans—may place a name in nomination.
- A panel of industry judges selects a group of finalists to be subjected to an in-depth examination based on the award criteria. Recipient will be announced as part of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards at Comic-Con International on Friday, July 10, 2015.
- Previous winners are not eligible for nomination.
CRITERIA for judging include:
- Supporting a wide variety of innovative material.
- Providing opportunities for creators’ material to reach buyers; stocking a diverse inventory.
- Knowledge: Working to stay informed on retailing as well as on the comics field.
- Community activity: Promoting comics to the community; maintaining relationships with schools and libraries; keeping active in social, business, and arts community organizations.
- Quality of store image: Using innovative display approaches; using store design creatively.
- Adhering to standard ethical business practices.