Ghibli co-founder & prolific manga creator among 14 nominees for 4 spots

Comic-Con International announced on Wednesday that the Eisner Awards judges have selected three individuals for the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame this year, as well as 14 nominees for four more inductees. The three pre-selected inductees are Golden Age artists Irwin Hasen ( The Flash, Wildcat, Green Lantern for DC; Dondi syndicated strip), Sheldon Moldoff ( Batman artist), and African American comics pioneer Orrin C. Evans ( All-Negro Comics ). The 14 nominees for this year's four remaining spots are Gus Arriola, Howard Cruse, Philippe Druillet, Rube Goldberg, Fred Kida, Hayao Miyazaki, Tarpé Mills, Alan Moore, Francoise Mouly, Dennis O'Neil, Antonio Prohias, Rumiko Takahashi, George Tuska, and Bernie Wrightson.

Creative professionals working in the comics or related industries, publishers, editors, retailers (comics store owner or manager), graphic novels librarians, and comics historians/educators can vote online now for four nominees, and the vote will continue until March 31.

Miyazaki serialized the epic manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind over the course of a decade in Animage magazine. His other manga include Puss in Boots, The Journey of Shuna, Hikōtei Jidai , The Wind Rises, and his new samurai manga. He also co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed 11 feature films such as the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind adaptation, Princess Mononoke, the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, and his final feature The Wind Rises. He appeared at Comic-Con International in 2009.

In her career of over three decades, Takahashi created such manga series as Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Mermaid Saga , Rumic Theater, Ranma 1/2, One Pound Gospel, Inuyasha, and Rinne. Many of her works became internationally popular and inspired anime and live-action adaptations. She appeared at the convention in 1994 and 2000.

The convention gave both Japanese creators Inkpot Awards during their first visits there. The previous Japanese inductees of the Eisner Hall of Fame were Osamu Tezuka (2002), Kazuo Koike (2004), Goseki Kojima (2004), and Katsuhiro Otomo (2012). Other inductees include the awards' namesake Will Eisner, Stan Lee, French creator Moebius, and Winsor McCay.

This year's judges are comics retailer Kathy Bottarini (Comic Book Box, Rhonert Park, CA), author/educator William H. Foster ( Untold Stories of Black Comics ), reviewer Christian Lipski (Portland, OR Examiner ), Comic-Con International board member Lee Oeth, library curator Jenny Robb (Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum), and Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist/critic James Romberger ( Post York, 7 Miles a Second ).

Source: Comic Book Resources