Fans and followers of comic artist Will Eisner (1917-2005) worldwide are celebrating his creativity and contributions to the comic arts  field during Will Eisner Week (March 1-7). The centennial of his birth is March 6, 2017.

This pioneer in the field of sequential art is considered to be the father of the modern graphic novel.

In honor of Eisner Week, VCU Libraries' Big Screen is displaying a selection of cover art from his graphic novels.

In addition, on March 6, James Branch Cabell Library's Special Collections and Archives department debuts a new online exhibit: "The Eisner Awards: The Oscars of the Comics Industry."

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been given annually at Comic-Con International: San Diego since 1988. Named for Eisner, the awards are considered the Oscars of the comics industry. Each year, a panel of judges presents nominations for the award and invites professionals to vote for their favorites. Awards recognizing the best publications and creators in 30 categories are announced at a ceremony at Comic-Con in San Diego.

VCU Libraries is the repository for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Since 2005, every year after Comic-Con, dozens of nominated and award-winning titles are donated to Cabell Library and are made available to researchers. Nearly 1,000 comic books, graphic novels, archival editions, scholarly titles and journals are included in this rapidly growing resource, which is part of a large Comic Arts Collection.  Many VCU and RVA writers, artists and publishers have ties to the Eisner Awards. 

Explore the online Eisner exhibit

Who is Will Eisner?