Filip Sablik was awarded the 2024 Industry Award. Sablik recently left BOOM! Studios, where he was President of Publishing and Marketing; prior to that, he was VP of Marketing and Sales and Publisher at Top Cow Productions and Assistant Manager of the Purchasing Department at Diamond Comics Distributors. Sablik recently announced that he and several colleagues are forming a new comics publisher (see “‘Scott Pilgrim’ Producer Launches Comics Publisher”).
The other 2024 nominees were Joe Ferrara, owner of Atlantis Fantasyworld since 1976 and Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Facilitator; Gina Gagliano, former executive at First Second Books and RH Graphics; Vince Letterio, Director of Direct Market sales for Dynamite Entertainment; and Kristen McLean, Senior Executive Director at Circana.
George Pérez received the 2024 Memorial Award. Pérez, who died in 2022 (see “R.I.P. George Perez”) was a prominent and well respected artist as well as a much-loved industry figure. The other nominees were creator and artists’ rights advocate Neal Adams, creator Ramona Fradon, Top Cow executive Elena Salcedo, and creator Trina Robbins.