FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From a field of thousands, twelve nominees and six finalists were chosen. Brave New World Comics, in Santa Clarita, CA, then emerged as the 2008 recipient of the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award. The award, presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International: San Diego, is given to an individual retailer who has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in their own community and within the industry at large. Each year, Comic-Con honors one extraordinary retailer, from stores around the globe with the award, named for comics pioneer Will Eisner, the visionary creator of The Spirit who is widely-regarded as the “Founding Father of the Graphic Novel”. Eisner felt it was vital to acknowledge the important role that comic book retailers play in the comics industry, as well as how they nurture the relationship between the creators and their readers.
Nominated stores are judged by a panel of comic book creators, press, distributors, publishers, and past recipients of the award. These judges pore over written materials and a 5-minute video, while also considering each nominees work within the comic book industry and how they interact with their community. The award is then presented at the Will Eisner Awards Gala, likened to the “Academy Awards of Comics”. On hand to see the award presented this year were celebrities and comic fans, including Samuel L. Jackson, stars from ‘Reno 911’, comics luminary Frank Miller (creator of Sin City and 300 and director of Sin City and the upcoming film The Spirit) and a who’s who of comics and entertainment.
Brave New World, located in Los Angeles’ Santa Clarita Valley, was in good company. With stores from California (Manhattan Beach’s ‘Comics Bug’), Florida (Lauder Hill’s ‘Tate’s Comics’), New York (Brooklyn’s ‘ROCKETSHIP Comics’), Maine (Portland’s ‘Casablanca Comics’), and North Carolina (‘Chapel Hill Comics’ in Chapel Hill) the field of nominees was as diverse as the geography it spanned. “Having had the pleasure to visit Brave New World, I was delighted to be present when they received this recognition. I have visited many stores, but very few are as deserving as Atom! & Portlyn Freeman are,” said Chris Powell, President Pro Tem of ComicsPRO, the comic industry’s retailer trade organization. “I’ve been impressed time and again with the wonderful work that they and their team at Brave New World do within the community, whether it’s working with area schools and libraries, teaching unique art classes in their store’s gallery and studio space, or hosting events that are fun for their entire neighborhood, they are always on the cutting edge of community-involved comics retailing.”
“It truly is an honor to have been nominated,” says Brave New World’s Portlyn, “but to be recognized for all of our hard work is extraordinary. We spend so much time promoting this medium within our community, and focusing on our customers, who have really become family over the years, that it’s surprising to find out that the industry as a whole is paying such close attention.” She went on to say, “The other five finalists really impressed us. In fact, it would have been no shock for any of them to receive the award. It’s exciting to see the face of comics retailing changing the way it is.”
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Atom! and Portlyn can be reached directly at 661.259.4745, or via mail@bravenewworldcomics.com
For additional information regarding the award and judging procedures, please contact Joe Ferrara, Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award administrator: 831.426.0158 or at joe@atlantisfantasyworld.com
To view the video that was submitted to the judges, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddCJMuaaG5w&channel=Bthree21
