2022 Will Eisner Hall of Fame Inductees

On the evening of July 22,2022 I was awarded an INCREDIBLE honor when I was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame inductees are voted on by comic store owners and managers; comic book/graphic novel/webcomic creators; comic book/graphic novel publishers and editors; comics historians and educators; and graphic novel librarians.

My heartfelt thanks to my family, friends, peers, and fans for the overwhelming love and support – I could not do what I do without you! My comments that evening are printed in full below:

THANK YOU – THIS IS A TRULY WONDERFUL HONOR AND UNEXPECTED TO BE HONEST.

MY HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND PEERS WHO VOTED FOR ME, AS WELL

AS MY RESPECTS TO ALL THOSE WHO SHOULD BE UP HERE INSTEAD OF ME.

THANK YOU ALL.

I WOULD LIKE TO SINCERELY THANK THE AMAZING FOLKS AT SDCC – BOTH PAST AND

PRESENT – ESPECIALLY JACKIE ESTRADA WHOM I HAVE KNOWN FROM DAY ONE. THERE IS NO OTHER INSTITUTION THAT IS AS NEAR AND DEAR TO ME THAN THIS HISTORICAL

ANNUAL EVENT. AND NONE THAT I HAVE ATTENDED EVEN A FRACTION OF THE NEARLY FORTY YEARS I HAVE

BEEN COMING TO SDCC.

MY FIRST YEAR HERE WAS 1985 WITH PETER LAIRD – IN JANUARY OF 1985 WE HAD ACHIEVED

A LEVEL OF SUCCESS WE NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED IN OUR WILDEST DREAMS…

THE ORDERS FOR THE SECOND ISSUE OF THE TMNT’S WERE IN AND SOLD 15 THOUSAND

COPIES, DOING SOME QUICK MATH, AND WE FIGURED IF WE COULD KEEP THAT LEVEL OF

SALES AT SIX ISSUES A YEAR, WE COULD ACTUALLY SUPPORT OURSELVES JUST DRAWING

COMICS.

WE QUIT ALL OTHER ODD JOBS AND FOR AS LONG AS IT MIGHT LAST, WE WENT ALL IN, AND

HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO CONTINUE WRITING AND DRAWING COMICS EVER SINCE.

I SHARE THIS RECOGNITION WITH MY CO-CREATOR PETER LAIRD, AND TOGETHER WE

DEDICATE THIS HONOR TO JACK KIRBY.

WE BONDED OVER THE KING, AND NONE OF WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED WOULD HAVE

EVEN BEEN REMOTELY POSSIBLE WITHOUT HIM, AND SO MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE COME

BEFORE US. THEIR DREAMS AND VISION BECAME MY INSPIRATION AND THANK YOU SIMPLY DOESN’T

SAY ENOUGH.

I WISH TO HUMBLY OFFER MY RESPECTS TO THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS I STAND FIRMLY

UPON AND HOPE TO CONTINUE TO EARN ALL THEY HAVE GIVEN ME.

I WANT TO THANK MY WIFE COURTNEY AND SON SHANE WHO’S UNENDING LOVE AND SUPPORT ALLOW ME TO CONTINUE LIVING OUT THIS CHILDHOOD DREAM.

I COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU.

I WANT TO THANK IDW FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE DEDICATION TO THE TMNTS – THEIR REPRINTS AND BEAUTIFUL COLLECTIONS PRESERVE ALL OF THE ORIGINAL WORKS, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, AND I TREASURE THE ONGOING WORK FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE, NOW AT #132, TO THEIR DEDICATION AND SUPPORT OF THE LAST RONIN.

I LOVE WORKING WITH SO MANY OF THE GIFTED AND TALENTED ARTISANS THERE, THE BRILLIANT WRITER AND MY FRIEND TOM WALTZ AND THE ARTISTS WHO ALL DRAW BETTER THAN I DO AND INSPIRE ME EVERY DAY. THANK YOU.

AND FINALLY, I WANT TO THANK ALL THE FANS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED ME ALL THESE YEARS – I HAVE THE GREATEST JOB EVER BECAUSE I HAVE THE GREATEST FANS EVER.

THANK YOU ALL.

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