Richie Graham is in the running for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.
Graham, an associate professor in the University Libraries, was nominated for the 2012 awards for his work editing "Government Issue: Comics for the People: 1940s-2000s" (2011, Abrams ComicArts). The nomination is for Best Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books.
Others nominated in the category include: "The MAD Fold-In Collection," by Al Jaffee (Chronicle); "PS Magazine: The Best of Preventive Maintenance Monthly," by Will Eisner (Abrams ComicArts); "The Sugar and Spike Archives, vol. 1," by Sheldon Mayer (DC); and Walt Simonson’s "The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition (IDW)."
“I am honored to have my work recognized and included in the same category as Will Eisner and Al Jaffee,” said Graham.
The full list of nominees in all categories is available at http://go.unl.edu/b3j.
"Government Issue: Comics for the People: 1940s-2000s" provides a compilation of comics published by federal and state government agencies since the 1940s and includes a broad range of excerpts and covers from comics organized chronologically in thematic chapters.
The book also includes some important comics in full-reading format. Work done by prominent comic authors, such as Will Eisner and Milton Caniff, are featured in the edition. Well-known characters, such as Li’l Abner and Dennis the Menace, help round out the collection.
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, or Eisner Awards, is perceived as the equivalent of the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry. The Eisner Awards honors creative achievement in American comic books and are named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner. Before his death in 2005, Eisner would attend the annual ceremony and congratulate all the winners personally.
The 2012 Eisner Awards judging panel consisted of reviewer Brigid Alverson (Graphic Novel Reporter, CBR, Robot 6), retailer Calum Johnston (Strange Adventures, Halifax, Nova Scotia), librarian Jesse Karp (LREI, New York), cartoonist Larry Marder (Beanworld), comics historian Benjamin Saunders (University of Oregon), and Comic-Con board of director Mary Sturhann.
Ballots with this year’s nominees will be going out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers.
The results in all categories will be announced during a gala awards ceremony July 13 at Comic-Con International.
Graham is working on several new projects including another book for Abrams on a compilation of educational comic books.
— Joan Barnes, UNL Libraries