The Academy of Comic Book Arts (ACBA) was an American professional organization of the 1970s that was designed to be the

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

industry analog of such groups as the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

. Composed of comic-book professionals and initially formed as an honorary society focused on discussing the comic-book craft and hosting an annual awards banquet, the ACBA evolved into an advocacy organization focused on creators' rights. The ACBA award, the Shazam Award, was a statuette in the shape of a lightning bolt. In addition to the creative awards, the ACBA also established the Academy of Comic Book Arts Hall of Fame award, inducting

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster as their initial honorees.

History

Founded in 1970, the ACBA's first president was

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

; its first vice-president was Dick Giordano (presidents initially served one-year terms). The ACBA met monthly at the

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

headquarters of the Society of Illustrators. The Academy's Shazam Award was a successor to the 1960s Alley Award; the ACBA held its first annual awards banquet at the Statler Hilton Hotel's Terrace Ballroom on May 12, 1971. Aside from its Shazam Awards, the ACBA also published an annual fundraiser sketchbook. Contributing to the 36-page ''ACBA Sketchbook 1973'' were

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

, Sergio Aragones, Frank Brunner,

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an Americans, American comics artist, comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett an ...

, Dave Cockrum,

Reed Crandall Reed Leonard Crandall (February 22, 1917 – September 13, 1982) Reed Crandall
at ...

, Frank Frazetta, Michael Kaluta,

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

, Gray Morrow, John Romita Sr.,

Mike Royer Michael W. Royer (; born June 28, 1941) is an American comics artist and inker, best known for his work with pencilers Russ Manning and Jack Kirby. In later life Royer became a freelance product designer and character artist for The Walt Dis ...

, Syd Shores, Jim Starlin,

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comics artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, Illusionist, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with th ...

, Herb Trimpe, and Wally Wood. The 48-page ''ACBA Sketchbook 1975'' included Adams, Aragones, Chaykin, Kaluta, Kane, Romita Sr., Steranko, Wood, and John Byrne, Russ Heath, Jeff Jones,

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 (magazine), Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ...

, Walt Simonson, Michael Whelan, and Berni Wrightson. Wood also contributed to the 1976 and 1977 sketchbooks.Includes Under its later president, artist

, the ACBA became an advocacy organization for creators' rights. The comic-book industry at that time typically did not return artists' physical artwork after shooting the requisite film for printing, and in some cases destroyed the artwork to prevent unauthorized reprints. The industry also did not then offer

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

or residuals, common in such creative fields as

book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, and the recording industry. Historian Jon B. Cooke writes: Adams wanted to focus on creator rights and pay rates, essentially making the ACBA a labor union. In a 1998 interview, Lee said, "ACBA became divided into two camps, it seemed. I wasn't interested in starting a union, so I walked away from it." During 1970-1974, the ACBA Newsletter, varying in page count from 4-12 pages, was published by ACBA themselves on a roughly bi-monthly basis, subscriptions available to any interested party. The last known rom this writerissue was #29, 1974. Once the ACBA — riding a wave begun by the mid-'70s independent startup Atlas/Seaboard Comics, which instituted royalties and the return of artwork in order to attract creators — helped see those immediate goals achieved, it then gradually disbanded. As writer Steven Grant notes, by 1977 the ACBA had "... disintegrated into what became Adams' "First Friday" professional get-togethers at his studio or apartment." Irene Vartanoff was the final ACBA

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

.. In early 2005, approximately $3,000 in sketchbook sales plus general contributions to the ACBA and accumulated interest was donated from the ACBA's

Bill Everett William Blake Everett (; May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was an American comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner as well as co-creating Zombie (comics), Zombie and Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil ...

Fund — created in 1975 to help comics professionals in financial need — to The Hero Initiative (formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR), a federally chartered, not-for-profit corporation likewise dedicated.

Legacy

The ACBA was the first in a string of largely unsuccessful comics-industry organizations that includes the Comic Book Creators Guild (1978–1979), the Comic Book Professionals Association (CBPA, 1992–1994), and Comic Artists, Retailers and Publishers (CARP, 1998). The long-running exception had been the publishers' group the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA), founded in 1954 and lasting through 2011, as a response to public pressure and a Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency, and which created the

self-censorship Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse, typically out of fear or deference to the perceived preferences, sensibilities, or infallibility of others, and often without overt external pressure. Self-censorship is c ...

board the

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA enabled comic publishers to self-regulate the content of American comic book, comic books in the ...

. Grant summed up the ABCA's legacy this way:

Shazam Awards

The Shazam Awards were a series of awards given between 1970 and 1975 for outstanding achievement in the comic book field. Awards were given in the year following publication of the material (at a dinner ceremony modeled on the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award dinners). The Shazam Awards were based on nominations and were the first comics awards voted upon by industry professionals. The name of the award is that of the magic word used by the original Captain Marvel, a popular superhero of the 1940s and early 1950s. Marvel's comic-book '' Secret Wars II'' #1 (1985) features a fictional scriptwriter, Stewart Cadwall (based on real-life writer Steve Gerber) who has a Shazam Award on his table. When Cadwall becomes a superhuman, his Shazam Award turns into a weapon. Cadwall and his Shazam Award re-appeared in ''Iron Man'' #197 (1985).

1970

; Winners. Presented May 12, 1971. * Best Letterer: Sam Rosen (

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

) * Best Colorist: Jack Adler (

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

) * Best Story: "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" by Dennis O'Neil &

, ''Green Lantern/Green Arrow'' #76 (DC Comics) * Outstanding Achievement by an Individual:

(for book ''The Steranko History of Comics'') * Best Foreign Title: ''Legionarios del Espacio'' (writer-artist Esteban Maroto,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) * Best New Talent: Barry Smith (Marvel Comics) * Best Humor

Inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...

: Henry Scarpelli (DC Comics) * Best Humor

Penciller A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations. In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...

: Bob Oksner (DC Comics) * Best Humor Writer: Carl Barks, ''Junior Woodchucks'' ( Gold Key Comics) * Best Continuing Feature: ''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

'' (DC Comics) * Special Recognition outside the Field: '' Nostalgia Press'' (for

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

reprints) * Best Drama Inker: Dick Giordano * Best Drama Penciller: Neal Adams * Best Drama Writer: Dennis O'Neil * Hall of Fame: Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster * Special Plaque:

("for forming ACBA")

1971

; Winners. Presented 1972. * Best Continuing Feature: ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...

'' (Marvel) * Best Individual Story: " Snowbirds Don't Fly" by Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams, ''Green Lantern/Green Arrow'' #85 (DC) * Best Writer (Dramatic Division): Roy Thomas * Best Penciller (Dramatic Division): Neal Adams * Best Inker (Dramatic Division): Dick Giordano * Best Writer (Humor Division): John Albano * Best Penciller (Humor Division):

Dan DeCarlo Daniel S. DeCarlo (December 12, 1919 – December 18, 2001) was an American cartoonist best known for having developed the look of Archie Comics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, modernizing the characters to their contemporary appearance and es ...

* Best Inker (Humor Division): Henry Scarpelli * Best Letterer:

Gaspar Saladino Gaspar Saladino (September 1, 1927 – August 4, 2016) was an American letterer and logo designer who worked for more than sixty years in the comic book industry, mostly for DC Comics. Eventually Saladino went by one name, "Gaspar," which he wrote ...

* Best Colorist: Tatjana Wood * Best Foreign Artist: Frank Bellamy * Outstanding New Talent: (tie) Michael Kaluta, Richard Corben * Special Recognition:

, "for ''

Blackmark ''Blackmark'' is a mass market paperback, paperback book (Bantam S5871) published by the American company Bantam Books in January 1971. It is one of the first American graphic novels, predating works such as Richard Corben's ''Bloodstar'' (197 ...

'', his paperback comics novel" * Special Achievement by an Individual:

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

, "for his Fourth World series in ''

Forever People Forever People are a group of extraterrestrial superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Forever People'' #1 ( cover-dated February-March 1971), and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his ...

'', '' New Gods'', '' Mister Miracle'', '' Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen''" * Hall of Fame: Will Eisner

1972

; Winners. Presented 1973. * Best Continuing Feature: n.a. * Best Individual Story (Dramatic): "Dark Genesis" by

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

& Berni Wrightson, '' Swamp Thing'' #1 (DC). ::Also nominated: "The Black Hound of Vengeance," by Roy Thomas & Barry Smith, ''Conan the Barbarian'' #20 (Marvel) * Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic): "The Demon Within" by John Albano & Jim Aparo, '' House of Mystery'' #201 (DC) * Best Writer (Dramatic Division): Len Wein, ''Swamp Thing'' * Best Penciller (Dramatic Division): Berni Wrightson, ''Swamp Thing'' * Best Inker (Dramatic Division): n.a. * Best Humor Story: "The Poster Plague" by Steve Skeates & Sergio Aragones, '' House of Mystery'' #202 (DC) * Best Writer (Humor Division): n.a. * Best Penciller (Humor Division): n.a. * Best Inker (Humor Division): Sergio Aragones, '' Mad'' * Best Letterer: n.a. * Best Colorist: n.a. * Best Foreign Artist: n.a. * Outstanding New Talent: n.a. * Special Award: DC letterer/ proofreader Gerda Gattel "for bringing her special warmth to our history" * Superior Achievement by an Individual: Julius Schwartz "for bringing the Shazam Family back into print" * Hall of Fame: n.a.

1973

; Nominees where known, and winners. Presented 1974. * Best Continuing Feature: ''Swamp Thing'' (DC) ::Also nominated: ''Conan the Barbarian'' (Marvel), '' The Tomb of Dracula'' (Marvel) * Best Individual Story (Dramatic): "Song of Red Sonja" by Roy Thomas & Barry Smith, ''Conan the Barbarian'' #24 (Marvel) ::Also nominated: "A Clockwork Horror" by Len Wein & Berni Wrightson, ''Swamp Thing'' #6 (DC); "Finally, Shuma-Gorath" by Steve Englehart & Frank Brunner '' Marvel Premiere'' #10 (Marvel) * Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic): "The Himalayan Incident" ( Manhunter) by Archie Goodwin & Walt Simonson, ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' #437 (DC) * Best Writer (Dramatic Division): Archie Goodwin (Manhunter in ''Detective Comics'' #437-443) ::Also nominated: Roy Thomas (''Conan the Barbarian''); Len Wein (''Swamp Thing'') * Best Penciller (Dramatic Division): Berni Wrightson (''Swamp Thing'') ::Also nominated: John Buscema (''Conan the Barbarian'', ''The Savage Sword of Conan''); Mike Ploog (''

Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...

'', ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

'') * Best Inker (Dramatic Division): Dick Giordano (''

Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

'') ::Also nominated: Tom Palmer (''The Tomb of Dracula''); Berni Wrightson (''Swamp Thing'') * Best Humor Story: "The Gourmet", ''Plop!'' #1 (DC) ::Also nominated: "The Escape", ''Plop!'' #1; "F-f-frongs", ''Spoof'' #3 (Marvel); "Kung Fooey", ''Crazy'' #1 (Marvel) * Best Writer (Humor Division): (tie) Stu Schwartzberg; Steve Skeates ::Also nominated: Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman * Best Penciller (Humor Division): Marie Severin (''Crazy'') ::Also nominated: Bob Foster (''Crazy''); Larry Hama (''Crazy''); Mike Ploog (''Crazy'') * Best Inker (Humor Division): Ralph Reese ::Also nominated: Russ Heath; John Severin; Herb Trimpe * Best Letterer: Gaspar Saladino * Best Colorist: Glynis Wein * Best Foreign Comic Series: '' Lieutenant Blueberry'' * Outstanding New Talent: (tie) Walt Simonson; Jim Starlin ::Also nominated: Klaus Janson * Superior Achievement by an Individual: Richard Corben * Hall of Fame: Carl Barks

1974

; Nominees and winners. Presented 1975. * Best Continuing Feature: ''Conan the Barbarian'' (Marvel) ::Also nominated: '' Man-Thing'' (Marvel), ''The Tomb of Dracula'' (Marvel) * Best Individual Story (Dramatic): "Götterdämmerung" by Archie Goodwin & Walt Simonson, ''Detective Comics'' #443 (DC) ::Also nominated: "Night of the Stalker" by Sal Amendola with Vin Amendola, Steve Englehart, and Dick Giordano, ''Detective Comics'' #439 (DC); "Red Nails" by Roy Thomas & Barry Smith, '' Savage Tales'' #1-3 (Marvel) * Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic): "Cathedral Perilous" (Manhunter) by Archie Goodwin & Walt Simonson, ''Detective Comics'' #441 (DC) ::Also nominated: "Burma Sky," by Archie Goodwin & Alex Toth, '' Our Fighting Forces'' #146 (DC); "Jenifer" by Bruce Jones & Berni Wrightson, '' Creepy'' #63 (Warren) * Best Writer (Dramatic Division): Archie Goodwin ::Also nominated: Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas * Best Penciller (Dramatic Division): John Buscema ::Also nominated:

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

, Berni Wrightson * Best Inker (Dramatic Division): Dick Giordano ::Also nominated: Frank Giacoia; Tom Palmer; Joe Sinnott * Best Humor Story: "Kaspar the Dead Baby" by Marv Wolfman & Marie Severin ''Crazy'' #8 (Marvel) ::Also nominated: "The Boob Rube Story" by Stu Schwartzberg & Marie Severin, ''Crazy'' #4; "The Ecchorcist" by Marv Wolfman & Vance Rodewalt (''Crazy'' #6); "Police Gory Story" by Stu Schwartzberg & Vance Rodewalt (''Crazy'' #8) * Best Writer (Humor Division): Steve Skeates Also nominated: Nick Cuti; Steve Gerber;

Joe Gill Joseph P. Gill (July 13, 1919 – December 17, 2006)Social Security Death Inde ...

* Best Penciller (Humor Division): Marie Severin ::Also nominated:

; Frank Roberge; George Wildman * Best Inker (Humor Division): Ralph Reese ::Also nominated: Rudy Lapick; Frank Roberge; Marie Severin; George Wildman * Best Letterer: John Costanza ::Also nominated: Annette Kawecki; Gaspar Saladino; Artie Simek * Best Colorist: Tatjana Wood ::Also nominated: Marie Severin; Glynis Wein * Outstanding New Talent: Craig Russell ::Also nominated: Paul Gulacy;

Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book artist (penciller and inker), writer, and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of '' Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penci ...

* Superior Achievement by an Individual: Roy Thomas ::Also nominated: Barry Smith; Jim Starlin * Hall of Fame: Jack Kirby ::Also nominated: Alex Toth; Wally Wood Additional credits where not given in cited source:Grand Comics Database
/ref>

References

External links

* Bridwell, E. Nelson, "Siegel, Shuster & Superman", '' Amazing World of DC Comics: Special Edition'' #1 (Feb. 1976) * Additional . {{American Comic Book Industry Awards Comics-related organizations 1970 establishments in the United States 1977 disestablishments in the United States