The Eisner Awards judges have announced their choices for the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame, and this may be the first year that retailers and distributors are included.

The judges nominated 16 people, of whom voters will select four to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  The list of nominees includes Bud Plant and Phil Seuling, both of whom were retailers and distributors who were instrumental to the growth of the direct market (see “Phil Seuling: The Man Who Invented the Direct Market”).  If they are chosen by voters, they would be the first retailers and the first distributors to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The other nominees are Gus Arriola, Brian Bolland, Gerry Conway, Edwina Dumm, Mark Evanier, Creig Flessel, Bob Fujitani, Warren Kremer, Todd McFarlane, Keiji Nakazawa, Ann Nocenti, Paul Norris, Tim Sale, and Diana Schutz.

Owners and managers of comic book specialty stores are eligible to vote for the award, as are comics creators, editors, publishers, educators, librarians, and historians.  The deadline for submitting an application to vote is April 14, and the deadline for voting is April 28.

The judges also chose 15 individuals who will be automatically inducted into the Hall of Fame: Jerry Bails, Tony DeZuniga, Justin Green, Bill Griffith, Jay Jackson, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Jack Katz, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Win Mortimer, Diane Noomin, Gaspar Saladino, Kim Thompson, Garry Trudeau, Mort Walker, and Tatjana Wood.