We’re very excited about this year’s Comic-Con International Souvenir Book, the full-color trade paperback that’s given free to all attendees (while supplies last). This year marks a number of very special anniversary celebrations, including:

Jack Kirby Centennial

Jack Kirby is recognized as the pinnacle of superhero comics artists, and his creations and co-creations are legendary. From his Captain America (with Joe Simon) to his other Marvel heroes (with Stan Lee), including the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Inhumans, and many more; to his DC Comics creations (New Gods, Forever People, Mister Miracle, Kamandi, the Demon, OMAC), and his own creations (Captain Victory, Silver Star), Kirby is the undisputed King of Comics.

Will Eisner Centennial

Will Eisner is the visionary creator of The Spirit and one of the premier storytellers in comics. His cinematic work is a favorite of the past few generations of comics creators. Later in life, Eisner went on to create a memorable slate of graphic novels, starting with A Contract With God in 1978 and ending with the posthumous publication of The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in 20015. Eisner is the namesake of the Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, both given out each year at Comic-Con International.

In addition to the Kirby and Eisner Centennials, the Souvenir Book will also include special articles on a number of other legendary comics creators who are celebrating groundbreaking anniversaries in 2017.

Batgirl 50th Anniversary

Fans the world over were thrilled with the recent announcement of Joss Whedon signing on to do a Batgirl movie! Barbara “Babs” Gordon made her comics premiere in Detective Comics #359 in 1967, followed closely by her Batman TV series debut, played by the unforgettable Yvonne Craig. Over the years, the Batgirl character has been many women, and her tales told by many creators, but Babs Gordon always seems to come back and remains the most popular incarnation of the character.

Marvel’s Captain Marvel 50th Anniversary

The Marvel Comics version of Captain Marvel debuted in 1967, co-created by Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, as Captain Mar-Vell of the Kree Imperial Militia. Over the years, the Captain Marvel mantle was taken over by many different characters, including the popular current version of Carol Danvers, co-created by Kelly Sue DeConnick and the subject of a Marvel Studios film in 2019, starring actress Brie Larson.

Batman: The Animated Series 25th Anniversary

In the wake of Tim Burton’s Batman movies in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Warner Bros Animation launched a new daily, animated Batman TV series. The rest, as they say, is history. Quickly becoming a fan-favorite for being one of the most faithful adaptations of the comics book adventures of the Caped Crusader and creating an incredibly atmospheric world with its ground breaking style of animation and character design, the series spawned a whole industry of WB animated series and direct to video movies featuring the DC Universe that continue to this day.

See something you want to draw or write about? There’s still time to submit something for consideration for this year’s book, but you better hurry … the deadline is this Friday, April 14 at 11:59 PM! We’re looking for your interpretations of these time-spanning and popular characters and creators (and their creations) in both art and articles!

And wait until you see our amazing cover for this year’s book, based on one of the above-mentioned special anniversaries and illustrated by a legendary artist whose best known for their work on ANOTHER one of our special anniversaries.