San Diego, California - We are thrilled to announce that York University professors Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren have won the prestigious 2023 Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work. Their groundbreaking work, titled The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions, has received the comic industry's most distinguished recognition, the Eisner Award. Halsall and Warren are the first Canadians ever to win in this category. The award was announced on Friday, 21 July 2023 at a gala dinner at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, the world’s largest convention for creators, publishers, and fans of comics.
The Eisner Awards, named after the legendary writer and artist Will Eisner, celebrate excellence in the comic book industry and recognize the outstanding contributions made by writers, artists, editors, and scholars. Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren's research and scholarly analysis have earned them this coveted honor in the category of Best Academic/Scholarly Work.
The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions is a landmark publication — the first of its kind anywhere — that examines the significant role of LGBTQ+ representation in comics and delves into the critical themes and avenues for future exploration in the field. Through their research and thought-provoking insights, Halsall and Warren offer a comprehensive examination of the LGBTQ+ experience within the medium of comics, elevating the importance of inclusive narratives and diverse perspectives.
"We are deeply honored to receive the Eisner Award for our work on The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader," said Alison Halsall. "Comics have the power to reflect and shape society, and our goal was to explore how LGBTQ+ narratives contribute to a more inclusive and empathetic world."
Jonathan Warren added, "This award underscores the profound significance of LGBTQ+ comics, and we’re grateful to the Eisner Awards committee for recognizing our book as a major intervention in the field of comics studies that will influence social and cultural discussions."
In remarks before a sold-out San Diego Comic-Con audience at the awards ceremony, Halsall noted the importance of receiving the Eisner Award for LGBTQ+ scholarship, “especially in light of the current climate of rising homophobia, book bans, and restricting readings by drag performers” and paid tribute to the outstanding LGBTQ+ comics creators who provided important visual contributions to the volume, including Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, and Justin Hall. Halsall and Warren’s work in The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader demonstrates a crucial step forward in the exploration of LGBTQ+ themes and characters in comics.