{"id":2516,"global_id":"www.comic-con.org\/museum?id=2516","global_id_lineage":["www.comic-con.org\/museum?id=2516"],"author":"5","status":"publish","date":"2026-02-17 22:49:15","date_utc":"2026-02-17 22:49:15","modified":"2026-02-25 17:58:58","modified_utc":"2026-02-25 17:58:58","url":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/museum\/event\/will-eisner-week-2026-panels\/","rest_url":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/museum\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/2516","title":"WILL EISNER WEEK 2026 PANELS","description":"<section class=\"wp-block-tribe-hero-slider alignfull\"><div class=\"swiper\" data-autoplay=\"false\"><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-tribe-slide swiper-slide\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns wp-block-tribe-slide__columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column wp-block-tribe-slide__image-container is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-block-tribe-slide__image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"927\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/02\/CCM_WillEisner-graphic_1000x750.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/02\/CCM_WillEisner-graphic_1000x750.png 927w, https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/02\/CCM_WillEisner-graphic_1000x750-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/02\/CCM_WillEisner-graphic_1000x750-768x580.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 927px) 100vw, 927px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column wp-block-tribe-slide__content-container is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-xx-large wp-block-tribe-slide__heading\">WILL EISNER WEEK 2026 PANELS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-tribe-slide__meta is-style-overline has-brand-secondary-color has-text-color\"><strong>WILL EISNER WEEK CELEBRATION 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-tribe-slide__meta is-style-overline has-brand-secondary-color has-text-color\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-large wp-block-tribe-slide__description\"><strong>Join us to celebrate Will Eisner Week 2026!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons wp-block-tribe-slide__buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-primary with-icon\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/museum\/ticket-purchase-page\/\">Purchase Tickets<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"swiper-controls\"><button class=\"swiper-prev\"><\/button><button class=\"swiper-next\"><\/button><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<div  class=\"tribe-events-schedule tribe-clearfix\" >\n\t<p class=\"tribe-events-schedule__datetime\">\n\t\t<span class=\"tribe-events-schedule__date tribe-events-schedule__date--start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"tribe-events-schedule__separator tribe-events-schedule__separator--date\">\n\t\t\t\t @ \t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"tribe-events-schedule__time tribe-events-schedule__time--start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Panels running in the museum theater 12\u20134 pm. Included with museum admission. Free for museum members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comic-Con Museum is proud to announce their affiliation with the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation to hold a series of Will Eisner Week panels that focus on the lasting legacy of graphic novel pioneer and comics industry legend Will Eisner. The panels will be conducted from 12:00 to 4:00 on Saturday, March 7. Panel topics will include \u201cDogs and Cats in Graphic Novels,\u201d \u201cGraphic Novel Adaptations from Literature,\u201d The Eisner Awards Hall of Fame,\u201d and \u201cGraphic Memoirs by Women.\u201d The panels will be followed by a signing with award-winning graphic novelist Mimi Pond.&nbsp; This year\u2019s Eisner Week theme is \u201cDream Big: Read a Graphic Novel!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-large has-base-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-38d9d360a76377588c95366e73eb1622\"><strong>Will Eisner Day 2026 Panels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>12:00 Cats vs. Dogs: Panelists&#8217; Pet Comics!<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong><strong> <\/strong>Over the years there have been numerous great comics and graphic novels devoted to cat and dog characters. Panelists <strong>Moni Barrette, Jackie Estrada, Mark Habegger, <\/strong>and<strong> Jim Thompson<\/strong> will share their favorites, from those featuring cute manga kitties (<em>What\u2019s Michael, Chi\u2019s Sweet Home<\/em>) to heroic dogs (<em>Laika, Dogs of War<\/em>), and many more. Moderated by <strong>Alonso Nu\u00f1ez.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1:00 Will Eisner Hall of Fame 2026<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Eisner Awards Hall of Fame judges <strong>Jim Thompson <\/strong>and<strong> Alonso Nu\u00f1ez,<\/strong> along with awards administrator <strong>Jackie Estrada, <\/strong>present a slide show highlighting 19 of this year\u2019s inductees into the Hall of Fame: Bob Bolling, Gerry Conway, Denys Cowan, Edwina Dumm, Mike Friedrich, Oliver Harrington, Don Heck, Abe Kanegson, Lee Marrs, Go Nagai, Paul S. Newman, Hector German Osterheld, Tom Palmer, Bud Plant, Mike Royer, Dave Sim, James Swinnerton, Carol Tyler, and Rick Veitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2:00 Graphic Novel Adaptations from Literature<br><\/strong>For nearly as long as comics have existed, they have looked to literature of the past for inspiration. Classics Illustrated comics were hugely popular from 1941 to 1969, and Will Eisner himself adapted such works as <em>Moby Dick<\/em> and <em>Don Quixote.<\/em> The Eisner Awards have had a Best Adaptation category since 2010, with winners tackling such classics as George Orwell\u2019s <em>1984<\/em> and Richard Adams\u2019 <em>Watership Down. <\/em>Panelists <strong>Keithan Jones, Chris Ryall,<\/strong> <strong>Mary Ellen Stout<\/strong>, and <strong>Rocco Versaci <\/strong>join moderator <strong>Jim Thompson<\/strong> to describe what makes a great adaptation and offer some of their favorites.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3:00 Graphic Memoirs by Women<\/strong><br>Several of Will Eisner\u2019s graphic novels were memoirs (<em>The Dreamer, To the Heart of the Storm, The Name of the Game<\/em>), and many graphic memoirs have won Eisner Awards over the years. Today\u2019s panelists focus on award-winning graphic memoirs by women, including such classics as Alison Bechdel\u2019s <em>Fun Home, <\/em>Marjane Satrapi\u2019s <em>Persepolis,<\/em> Raina Telgemeier\u2019s <em>Smile,<\/em> and Kate Beaton\u2019s <em>Ducks.<\/em> Hear directly from <strong>Mary Fleener<\/strong> (<em>Life of the Party<\/em>) and <strong>Mimi Pond<\/strong> (<em>The Customer Is Always Right, Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me<\/em>) about what\u2019s involved in creating such works. Moderated by <strong>Jackie Estrada.<br><br>4:00 Signing by Mimi Pond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-large\"><strong>Program Participants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Moni Barrette<\/strong> is a public librarian who over the past two decades has expanded her expertise in libraries, comics, and relationship building through her role at LibraryPass as the Director of Content Management and Publisher Relations. As co-founder of the nonprofit Creators Assemble, president of the American Library Association\u2019s Graphic Novel &amp; Comics Round Table, and adjunct lecturer at SDSU, she is dedicated to promoting learning through the use of comics and popular culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jackie Estrada recently stepped down as the administrator of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (the \u201cOscars\u201d of the comics industry) after 35 years, but she is still in charge of the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame. She edited numerous publications for Comic-Con and co-authored <em>Comic-Con: 40 Years of Artists, Writers, Fans &amp; Friends<\/em> (Chronicle, 2009). Her two <em>Comic Book People<\/em> books contain photos taken at Comic-Con and other events in the 1970s\u20131990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mary Fleener <\/strong>is an alternative comics artist, writer, and musician who resides in North County. Her drawing style, which she calls cubismo, derives from the cubist aesthetic and other artistic traditions. Her first publication was a work about Zora Neale Hurston, called <em>Hoodoo<\/em> (1988), followed by the comics series <em>Slutburger<\/em> and the autobiographical <em>Life of the Party<\/em> (1996). Her most recent work is the graphic novel <em>Billie the Bee.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mark Habegger <\/strong>is an<strong> <\/strong>artist\/writer who has worked in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. He co-founded the North County Cartoonists Collective and regularly contributes comics and illustration art to <em>Jollies,<\/em> twice a year by the NCCC. He has produced the Reuben Awards for the National Cartoonists Society and conducts interviews with NCS members for their official YouTube channel. He is also a freelance writer specializing in music, comics. and pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Keithan Jones <\/strong>is the founder of KID, an independent publisher based in San Diego. The mantra behind KID is \u201cThe Kid in You Never Dies\u201d\u2014a reminder that our childhood spirit is at the core of who we are no matter how old we get. In 2018 Keithan created Black Comix Day: Heroes Rise, an annual Black History Month celebration of Afro-centric comics. In addition to doing his own comic <em>Power Knights,<\/em> Jones is an artist for various publishers, including Image Comics (<em>Dread the Halls<\/em>). He served as an Eisner Awards judge in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Alonso Nu\u00f1ez<\/strong> is the co-founder (in 2012), executive director, and lead instructor of San Diego\u2019s Little Fish Comic Book Studio, a nonprofit comic art studio and advocacy group. Alonso has served as a member of the One Book One San Diego Selection Committee since 2016, A graduate of New York\u2019s School of Visual Arts, Alonso\u2019s artwork has appeared in books and publications by Kodansha, Moonstone, and the ACLU. He is a judge for the Will Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mimi Pond<\/strong> is a cartoonist\/graphic novelist originally from San Diego. Her books include <em>Secrets of the Powder Room<\/em>, <em>Shoes Never Lie<\/em>, and <em>Splitting Hairs<\/em> and the memoirs <em>Over Easy<\/em>, <em>The Customer Is Always Wrong<\/em>, and <em>Do Admit: the Mitford Sisters and Me. <\/em>Mimi\u2019s cartoons have appeared in numerous publications, and she also wrote scripts for TV series such as <em>Pee-wee\u2019s Playhouse <\/em>and <em>Designing Women <\/em>and the pilot episode of <em>The Simpsons<\/em>: \u201cSimpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Chris Ryall<\/strong> has enjoyed a prolific career as a comic-industry writer, editor, publisher, CCO, and historian, as well as executive producer of Netflix\u2019s <em>Locke &amp; Key<\/em>. In 2025, he assumed the District 5 seat on San Diego\u2019s Board of Library Commissioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mary Ellen Stout <\/strong>is a lecturer in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University. Her areas of expertise are the history of feminism in comics, the history of women comic creators, comics and social justice, and using comics to teach difficult topics at the high school and college level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jim Thompson<\/strong> is an independent comics scholar, a frequent contributor to the Comic Arts Conferences at Comic-Con and WonderCon and other popular culture media conferences and conventions. In 2022 he formed A People&#8217;s History of Comics Facebook group for historians, scholars, and professionals. He is a judge for the Will Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rocco Versaci<\/strong> is an English professor at Palomar College in north San Diego County, where he regularly teaches a comics-themed literature course that he created in 2001. He is the author of <em>This Book Contains Graphic Language: Comics as Literature<\/em>. He was an Eisner Awards judge in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>(Schedule subject to change. Space limited. Please leave time for parking in Balboa Park. You can find updated parking information <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/museum\/about\/museum-parking\/\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n<div  class=\"tribe-block tribe-block__venue tribe-clearfix\" >\n\t\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t<div  class=\"tribe-block tribe-block__events-link\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"tribe-events tribe-common\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"tribe-events-c-subscribe-dropdown__container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"tribe-events-c-subscribe-dropdown\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"tribe-common-c-btn-border tribe-events-c-subscribe-dropdown__button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg\n\t class=\"tribe-common-c-svgicon tribe-common-c-svgicon--cal-export tribe-events-c-subscribe-dropdown__export-icon\" \taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\tviewBox=\"0 0 23 17\"\n\txmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"\n>\n\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M.128.896V16.13c0 .211.145.383.323.383h15.354c.179 0 .323-.172.323-.383V.896c0-.212-.144-.383-.323-.383H.451C.273.513.128.684.128.896Zm16 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