The 38th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards â the “Oscars” of the comic book industry â land on Friday, July 24 in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, a short walk south of the San Diego Convention Center.
Voice actor Phil LaMarr (Futurama, Samurai Jack, Justice League) and actor-writer Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, Night at the Museum) are hosting this year’s ceremony, which hands out trophies in 32 categories for work published in 2025. And Cosmic Book News will be on the ground for it.
DC’s Absolute Universe Leads the 2026 Eisner Award Nominations
DC Comics leads all publishers with 16 nominations plus 10 shared, paced by Absolute Martian Manhunter with six and Absolute Batman with five.
Absolute Wonder Woman also pulled six total nominations, meaning the entire top tier of the field belongs to DC’s rebooted Absolute line. An animated series from Scott Snyder is also in the works, and Greg Capullo has recently teased something.
Image Comics followed with 12 nominations plus nine shared, led by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski’s Assorted Crisis Events and James Tynion IV’s The Department of Truth.
Camp topped all creators with five individual nominations, including Best Writer. Winners are decided by an industry-wide professional vote.
Bill Finger, Bob Clampett, and the 2026 Eisner Special Awards
The evening runs well beyond the competitive categories.
This year’s Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award goes to Elfquest creators Richard and Wendy Pini, presented by Ruth Clampett. Deadline previously reported that Disney/Fox is adapting Elfquest to an animated series.
The Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing â now in its 22nd year â honors Jenny Blake Isabella (Black Lightning, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Hawkman) and the late Martin Pasko (Justice League of America, Star Trek, Dr. Fate), with Mark Evanier and Bill Finger’s granddaughter Athena Finger presenting.
DC Comics and Marvel Comics are co-sponsoring the Finger Award. The Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award round out the special presentations.
Will Eisner Hall of Fame Class of 2026
The 2026 Hall of Fame inductees get their own ceremony earlier that day, Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. in Room 29CD.
Voters selected four inductees from a 16-name shortlist that included Colleen Doran, Peter Kuper, Jeff Smith, Akira Toriyama, Mark Waid, and Chris Ware, joining this year’s slate of automatic inductees.
How to Attend the Eisner Awards at Comic-Con 2026
Doors to the Indigo Ballroom open at 7:45 p.m., with the ceremony starting at 8:00 and expected to wrap around 10:30, followed by a VIP reception in the ballroom foyer.
Attendance is free to any Comic-Con member with a badge, with advance VIP seating for nominees, sponsors, and presenters begins at 7:00. Lunar Distribution is the major sponsor of the 2026 Eisners, with ComicsPro handling the pre-show.
Cosmic Book News will be on the ground at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 (July 22â26) with full coverage. Stay tuned.
