Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame

The Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame—also called the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame—is a lifetime honor recognizing individuals who have made significant, enduring contributions to comics and graphic storytelling. It is administered by Comic-Con International and presented annually at San Diego Comic-Con as part of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The Hall’s roots go back to 1987, when Carl Barks, Will Eisner, and Jack Kirby were honored in the final year of the Kirby Awards; the first Hall of Fame inductee under the Eisner banner was Milton Caniff in 1988. Since 2024 the Hall has been celebrated in a dedicated morning ceremony with its own judging panel. 

Infobox: Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame

Type	Hall of fame for comics creators
Awarded for	Significant, enduring contributions to comics and graphic storytelling
Presented by	Comic-Con International
Country	United States
Location	San Diego, California
First awarded	1988
Most recent inductees	Kyle Baker; Eddie Campbell; Roz Chast; Dan Clowes; Junji Ito; Todd Klein; John Romita Jr. (2025); plus judges’ choices
Website	Official page
Related	Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

History

The Hall emerged during the transition from the Kirby Awards (1985–1987) to the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, first presented in 1988 at Comic-Con. Under the Eisner moniker, Milton Caniff became the inaugural inductee (1988). In subsequent years the Hall broadened to include creators across newspaper strips, comic books, underground comix, manga, publishing, lettering, editing, retail, and scholarship. In 2023 Comic-Con piloted a stand-alone Friday-morning ceremony; in 2024 this became standard practice and a separate Hall of Fame judging panel of past Eisner judges was formalized to focus on historical expertise and selection.

Selection and eligibility

Eligibility for induction generally requires that a candidate’s first significant professional work date at least 35 years before the awards year (e.g., 1990 for the 2025 class). Selection follows a two-track system: (1) Judges’ Choices, automatic inductees selected by a small panel; and (2) Voters’ Choices, chosen by ballot of eligible comics professionals from a slate of nominees proposed by the judges. The Hall’s separate morning ceremony allows additional time for short tributes to each honoree.

2025 inductees

At San Diego Comic-Con 2025, the Hall of Fame welcomed a large class comprising both judges’ selections and voters’ selections.

Judges’ Choices
Peter Arno; Gus Arriola; Wilhelm Busch; Richard “Grass” Green; Rea Irvin; Jack Kamen; Joe Maneely; Shigeru Mizuki; Bob Oksner; Bob Powell; Ira Schnapp; Phil Seuling; Steve Bissette; Lucy Shelton Caswell; Philippe Druillet; Phoebe Gloeckner; Joe Sacco; Bill Schanes; Steve Schanes; Frank Stack; Angelo Torres.

Voters’ Choices
Kyle Baker; Eddie Campbell; Roz Chast; Dan Clowes; Junji Ito; Todd Klein; John Romita Jr.

(Leading up to the vote, the Hall’s panel announced 21 judges’ picks and 18 additional nominees from which industry voters were to select inductees.)

Notable earlier inductees (selected)

Past classes have included figures such as Neal Adams, Alison Bechdel, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee, Jean “Mœbius” Giraud, Lynn Varley, and many others representing multiple traditions and roles within comics. A complete, year-by-year roster is maintained by Comic-Con International.

Ceremony

Inductions are presented during a separate Friday-morning event at Comic-Con (distinct from the Friday-night Eisner Awards ceremony). The Hall of Fame format—expanded classes and a stand-alone program—was adopted to give more attention to each honoree and to streamline the evening awards.

See also

• Harvey Awards (successor to the Kirby Awards)

References

• Comic-Con International. “Hall of Fame.” Accessed August 13, 2025.
• Comic-Con International. “Eisner Awards History.” Accessed August 13, 2025.
• Comic-Con International. “Eisner Awards FAQ.” Accessed August 13, 2025.
• Comic-Con International. “Eisner Awards – Current Info (Hall of Fame overview, criteria and 2025 structure).” Accessed August 13, 2025.
• The Beat. “Eisner Awards Hall of Fame evolves with separate event and judging panel in 2024.” December 21, 2023.
• The Beat. “SDCC ’25: Announcing the 2025 Eisner Award winners.” July 25, 2025. (Includes Hall of Fame class.)
• ICv2. “Eisner Awards Update: Hall of Fame Nominations Announced.” February 28, 2025. (Voting slate context.)