| Jack Kirby Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | For achievement incomic books |
| Venue | San Diego Comic-Con |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Amazing Heroes |
| First award | 1985 |
| Final award | 1987 |
TheJack Kirby Comics Industry Awards[1] were a set of awards for achievement incomic books, presented from 1985 to 1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since theShazam Awards ceased in 1975. Sponsored byAmazing Heroes magazine (which was published byFantagraphics), and managed byAmazing Heroes managing editorDave Olbrich, the Kirby Awards were named after the pioneering writer and artistJack Kirby.
The Kirby Awards came about in reaction against the 1983 institution of theComics 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[1] (meaning creators, retailers, and distribution personnel).[2] Nominations for the Kirby Awards were made byAmazing Heroes editors and warehouse employees,[3] with the final ballots printed in issues ofAmazing Heroes. The awards themselves were distributed at the annualSan Diego Comic-Con, with Jack Kirby himself on hand to congratulate the winners.[4] In 1985, 238 ballots were cast, about 100 of them by comics creators.[2]
In 1987, a dispute arose when Olbrich andFantagraphics, publisher ofAmazing Heroes, each claimed ownership of the awards,[1] and Kirby removed himself from the equation.[1] A compromise was reached, and starting in 1988, the Kirby Award was discontinued.[5] Two new awards were created: theEisner Award, managed by Olbrich and named afterWill Eisner; and the Fantagraphics-managedHarvey Award, named forHarvey Kurtzman. Both of the new awards allowed voting only by comics industry professionals.
The following is a list of winners of the Kirby Award, sorted by category.[6]