Bill Finger Award
Encyclopedia
The Bill Finger Award For Excellence In Comic Book Writing is an American award for comic book
writers who were not sufficiently honored for their work in the medium. The awards committee, currently chaired by Mark Evanier
, is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. The award, along with the Eisner Awards, is presented in July of each year at the annual San Diego Comic-Con. It was established by Bill Finger
's colleague and fellow writer Jerry Robinson
.
Siegel is best remembered as the co-creator of Superman
; Drake is primarily known for creating The Doom Patrol and Deadman
.
2006
Kurtzman made his greatest impact as the writer-editor and sometimes artist for EC
's satirical MAD Comics
, and its war comics Frontline Combat
and Two-Fisted Tales
; later, Kurtzman produced Playboy
's "Little Annie Fanny
". Schwartz wrote numerous 1940s/50s comics, and introduced the Bizarro
s to the Superman saga.
2007
Fox was one of the most prolific Golden Age comic creators, writing the first-ever stories featuring The Flash, Hawkman
, and Sandman
; later, he was responsible for launching the Justice League of America, and devised the concept of Earth-Two
. Gladir is primarily known for his work on the Archie Comics
line, including creating Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
2008
Goodwin was the Editor-in-Chief of the Warren line, including Eerie
and Creepy
, as well as Marvel's Epic Comics
imprint. Lieber wrote the first stories featuring Thor
and Iron Man
before becoming an editor at Atlas/Seaboard Comics
.
2009
Broome was a writer for DC Comics for a quarter-century, during which time he created most of the Flash's best-known villains, Elongated Man
and the Guardians of the Universe
. Jacobs is MAD Magazine's longest-running writer, with well over 500 separate articles to his credit; he is perhaps best known as the magazine's foremost poet and song parodist.
2010
Binder wrote more than half of Fawcett
's various Captain Marvel
comic book stories over the 12 years of that line's existence; while working for DC, he introduced numerous characters and storyline elements to the Superman series, including the Legion of Super-Heroes
, Krypto
the dog, Supergirl
, and the Phantom Zone
. Friedrich co-created Ghost Rider
, and wrote for a series of other Marvel titles, notably Sgt. Fury.
2011
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writers who were not sufficiently honored for their work in the medium. The awards committee, currently chaired by Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
, is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. The award, along with the Eisner Awards, is presented in July of each year at the annual San Diego Comic-Con. It was established by Bill Finger
Bill Finger
William "Bill" Finger was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the co-architect of the series' development...
's colleague and fellow writer Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson is an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' Batman line of comics during the 1940s.He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.-Career:...
.
Recipients
2005- Jerry SiegelJerry SiegelJerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
(deceased), Arnold DrakeArnold DrakeArnold Drake was an American comic book writer and screenwriter best known for co-creating the DC Comics characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol, and the Marvel Comics characters the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others....
Siegel is best remembered as the co-creator of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
; Drake is primarily known for creating The Doom Patrol and Deadman
Deadman
Deadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
.
2006
- Harvey KurtzmanHarvey KurtzmanHarvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic books and magazines. Kurtzman often signed his name H. Kurtz, followed by a stick figure Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924, Brooklyn, New York – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic...
(deceased), Alvin Schwartz
Kurtzman made his greatest impact as the writer-editor and sometimes artist for EC
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
's satirical MAD Comics
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
, and its war comics Frontline Combat
Frontline Combat
Frontline Combat was a bi-monthly, anthology war comic edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published by EC Comics. The first issue was cover dated July/August, 1951. Over a three-year span, the title ran for 15 issues, ending with the January, 1954 issue...
and Two-Fisted Tales
Two-Fisted Tales
Two-Fisted Tales was a bimonthly, anthology war comic published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor of Two-Fisted Tales, and with the advent of the Korean War,...
; later, Kurtzman produced Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
's "Little Annie Fanny
Little Annie Fanny
Little Annie Fanny was a comic strip created by Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder for Playboy in October 1962. The inspiration for the comic strip was Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie. The comic follows the escapades of Annie Fanny, a tall, blonde, amply breasted, round buttocked, curly-haired young...
". Schwartz wrote numerous 1940s/50s comics, and introduced the Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
s to the Superman saga.
2007
- Gardner FoxGardner FoxGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
(deceased), George GladirGeorge GladirGeorge Gladir is an American writer for comic books. Primarily known as a scripter for Archie Comics, he co-created that publisher's character Sabrina the Teenage Witch, with artist Dan DeCarlo.-Biography:...
Fox was one of the most prolific Golden Age comic creators, writing the first-ever stories featuring The Flash, Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
, and Sandman
Sandman
The Sandman is a figure in folklore who brings good sleep and dreams.Sandman may also refer to:-People:*Mark Sandman, singer and co-founder of the band Morphine*Charles W...
; later, he was responsible for launching the Justice League of America, and devised the concept of Earth-Two
Earth-Two
Earth-Two is a fictional universe appearing in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. First appearing in The Flash #123 , Earth-Two was created to explain how Silver-Age versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Golden Age counterparts...
. Gladir is primarily known for his work on the Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
line, including creating Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
2008
- Archie GoodwinArchie Goodwin (comics)Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
(deceased), Larry LieberLarry LieberLawrence D. "Larry" Lieber is an American comic book artist and writer, and the younger brother of Marvel Comics' writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee....
Goodwin was the Editor-in-Chief of the Warren line, including Eerie
Eerie
Eerie was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host...
and Creepy
Creepy
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but...
, as well as Marvel's Epic Comics
Epic Comics
Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
imprint. Lieber wrote the first stories featuring Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
before becoming an editor at Atlas/Seaboard Comics
Atlas/Seaboard Comics
Atlas/Seaboard is the term comic-book historians and collectors use to refer to the 1970s line of comics published as Atlas Comics by the American company Seaboard Periodicals, to differentiate from the 1950s' Atlas Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics...
.
2009
- John BroomeJohn Broome (writer)John Broome , who additionally used the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Meritt, was an American comic book writer for DC Comics.-Early life and career:...
(deceased), Frank JacobsFrank JacobsFrank Jacobs is an American author of satires, known primarily for his work in Mad, to which he has contributed since 1957. Jacobs has written a wide variety of lampoons and spoof, but he is best known as a versifier who contributes parodies of famous song lyrics and poems...
Broome was a writer for DC Comics for a quarter-century, during which time he created most of the Flash's best-known villains, Elongated Man
Elongated Man
The Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
and the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
. Jacobs is MAD Magazine's longest-running writer, with well over 500 separate articles to his credit; he is perhaps best known as the magazine's foremost poet and song parodist.
2010
- Otto BinderOtto BinderOtto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books...
(deceased), Gary FriedrichGary FriedrichGary Friedrich . is an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' Sgt...
Binder wrote more than half of Fawcett
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
's various Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
comic book stories over the 12 years of that line's existence; while working for DC, he introduced numerous characters and storyline elements to the Superman series, including the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, Krypto
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional character. He is Superman's pet dog in the various Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Krypto's first appearance was in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955...
the dog, Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
, and the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
. Friedrich co-created Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
, and wrote for a series of other Marvel titles, notably Sgt. Fury.
2011
- Bob HaneyBob HaneyRobert G. "Bob" Haney was a US comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons.- Early life and career :...
(deceased) and Del Connell