The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

, presented from 1985-1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the

Shazam Awards The Academy of Comic Book Arts (ACBA) was an American professional organization of the 1970s that was designed to be the comic book industry analog of such groups as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Composed of comic-book profession ...

ceased in 1975. Sponsored by ''

Amazing Heroes ''Amazing Heroes'' was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, ''The Comics Journal'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analyti ...

'' magazine (which was published by Fantagraphics), and managed by ''Amazing Heroes'' managing editor Dave Olbrich, the Kirby Awards were named after the pioneering writer and artist

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

History

The Kirby Awards came about in reaction against the 1983 institution of the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards, which were voted on by fans; Olbrich (and the editors at Fantagraphics) wished to create an award voted on by comics professionals (meaning creators, retailers, and distribution personnel).TH. "1984 Kirby Awards Announced," ''The Comics Journal'' #101 (Aug. 1985), p. 26. Nominations for the Kirby Awards were made by ''

'' editors and warehouse employees, with the final ballots printed in issues of ''Amazing Heroes''. The awards themselves were distributed at the annual

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

, with Jack Kirby himself on hand to congratulate the winners. In 1985, 238 ballots were cast, about 100 of them by comics creators. In 1987, a dispute arose when Olbrich and Fantagraphics, publisher of ''Amazing Heroes'', each claimed ownership of the awards, and Kirby removed himself from the equation. A compromise was reached, and starting in 1988, the Kirby Award was discontinued. Two new awards were created: the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are List of Eisner Award winners, prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Acad ...

, managed by Olbrich and named after

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was not ...

; and the Fantagraphics-managed

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

, named for

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...

. Both of the new awards allowed voting only by comics industry professionals.

List of Jack Kirby Award winners

The following is a list of winners of the Kirby Award, sorted by category.

Best Single Issue

*1985 ''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...

Annual'' #2, by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

Steve Bissette Stephen R. Bissette (born March 14, 1955) is an American comic book artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He is known for working with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC Comics series '' Swamp Thing'' ...

and

John Totleben John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books. Biography After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year. He then spent se ...

(

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

) *1986 ''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...

'' #227, by

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

and

David Mazzucchelli David John Mazzucchelli (; born September 21, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer, known for his work on seminal superhero comic book storylines '' Daredevil: Born Again'' and '' Batman: Year One'', as well as for graphic novels in other ...

(

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

) *1987 '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' #1, by Frank Miller,

Klaus Janson Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952) is a German-born American comics artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an inker, Janson has frequently worked as a pen ...

and

Lynn Varley {{Infobox comics creator , name = Lynn Varley , image = , imagesize = , caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = , birth_place = Michigan, United States , death_date = , death_place = , nationality = American , write = , pencil = , i ...

(DC)

Best Continuing Series

*1985 ''Swamp Thing'', by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben (DC) *1986 ''Swamp Thing'', by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben (DC) *1987 ''Swamp Thing'', by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben (DC)

Best Black & White Series

*1985 ''

Cerebus ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes on ...

'' by

Dave Sim Dave Sim (born 17 May 1956) is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book '' Cerebus'', his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophical ...

(

Aardvark-Vanaheim Aardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert and is best known for publishing Sim's ''Cerebus''. For a brief time, the company also published other titles, sometimes under the name ...

) *1986 '' Love & Rockets'' by

Gilbert Hernandez Gilberto Hernández (born February 1, 1957), usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also by the nickname Beto (), is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ''Palomar''/''Heartbreak Soup'' stories in '' Love and Rockets'', an alterna ...

and

Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...

(Fantagraphics) *1987 ''Cerebus'' by Dave Sim (Aardvark-Vanaheim)

Best Finite Series

*1985 ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

'', by

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

and

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

(DC) *1986 ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez (DC) *1987 ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...

'' by Alan Moore and

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

(DC).

Best New Series

*1985 ''

Zot! ''Zot!'' is a comic book created by Scott McCloud in 1984 and published by Eclipse Comics until 1990 as a lighthearted alternative to the darker and more violent comics that dominated the industry during that period.Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (20 ...

(

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

) *1986 '' Miracleman'', by Alan Moore and various artists (Eclipse) *1987 ''Watchmen'', by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (DC)

Best Graphic Album

*1985 ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. ...

'', by

Jerry Bingham Gerald Joseph Bingham Jr. (born June 25, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American artist who has worked in the fields of comic books, commercial illustration, and design. He is known for his artwork on ''Marvel Team-Up'' and the DC Comics gra ...

(

First Comics First Comics was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991, known for titles like '' American Flagg!'', ''Grimjack'', ''Nexus'', ''Badger'', '' Dreadstar'', and '' Jon Sable''. Along with competitors like Pacific Comics ...

) *1986 '' The Rocketeer'', by Dave Stevens (Eclipse) *1987 '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'', by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson (DC)

Best Writer

*1985 Alan Moore, for ''Swamp Thing'' (DC) *1986 Alan Moore, for ''Swamp Thing'' (DC) *1987 Alan Moore, for ''Watchmen'' (DC)

Best Writer/Artist (single or team)

*1986 Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, for ''Daredevil'' (Marvel) *1987 Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, for ''Watchmen'' (DC)

Best Artist

*1985 Dave Stevens, for ''The Rocketeer'' ( Comico) *1986 Steve Rude, for ''

Nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members of the program can avoid waits at border ...

'' (First) *1987

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and '' Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980 ...

, for '' Elektra: Assassin'' (Marvel)

Best Art Team

*1985 Steve Bissette and John Totleben, for ''Swamp Thing'' (DC) *1986 George Pérez and

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' ...

, for ''Crisis On Infinite Earths'' (DC) *1987 Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley, for ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' (DC)

Best Cover

*1985 ''Swamp Thing'' #34, by Steve Bissette and John Totleben (DC)

Best Comics Publication

*1985 ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...

'' (Krause)

Hall of Fame

*1987

Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McD ...

*1987

References

{{American Comic Book Industry Awards Comics awards Awards established in 1985 1985 establishments in California

History

List of Jack Kirby Award winners

Best Single Issue

Best Continuing Series

Best Black & White Series

Best Finite Series

Best New Series

Best Graphic Album

Best Writer

Best Writer/Artist (single or team)

Best Artist

Best Art Team

Best Cover

Best Comics Publication

Hall of Fame

See also

References