2009 Eagle Adwards

DESPITE RUMOURS claiming otherwise, Great Britain's longest-running comic book awards, The Eagles, still promise to take place this year, albeit somewhat differently.

The Eagle Awards were founded back in 1976 by Richard Burton and Mike Conroy and are the comics industry's longest established awards. Acknowledged as the pre-eminent international prizes, they have been featured on the covers of leading US and UK titles across the last 28 years ranging from The Uncanny X-Men and Saga of the Swamp Thing to MAD and 2000AD.

Cassandra Conroy is the Eagle Awards' new organiser and she recently made public her comments on the various rumours surrounding their future.

"When I took over the Eagles last year from my father, Mike Conroy - people said that I had an uphill battle to keep the Eagles at the top of the UK awards scene.

"When circumstances meant that the main hall of the Bristol Comic Con, our traditional place of ceremony over the years would not be able to be used in the evening, we realised that there was no way that the Eagles could be run as they usually are, for 2009 at least. But I didn't want my first year as organiser to be a no-show, and so after a lot of discussions and opinions, we're still going to be running the awards."

Cassandra has taken advice from some of the biggest names in comics, and she feels that the Eagles really do have a place in UK comics' history.

"Over the years we have had some of the fiercest competitions out there. When you have an award ceremony that has categories nominated by creators and fans and then voted for by creators and fans, the pressure for a creator to gain such a prestigious award is immense. We've had some of the biggest names in comics step up onto that stage to accept their awards, and although this year we cannot achieve that vision, in future years we will be back, bigger and better than ever."

She explained that, as far as the nominations process and voting goes, the Eagle Awards would be following their well known format.

"The nominations process will begin Friday 8th May 2009 on our website, eagleawards.co.uk. Just nominate your 2008 choice in each category and click return. Nominations close on Friday 22nd May 2009, and then we'll take the top five nominations in each section and place them up for voting to begin Monday 1st June 2009."

Unique in the comics industry, they reflect both the professional and the reader's choice, the Eagle Awards comprise two distinct stages: a nominations form allowing the entire comics community to choose their favourites, and that the top five nominations then appear on the voting form for the readers and fans to choose from, thus focusing the fans with no wasted votes.

Above: BICS 2007 special guest and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola with Eagle Awards creator and Comics International publisher Mike Conroy (Picture (c) Jordan X).

Cassandra Conroy concluded: "The winners of the Eagle Awards might not have a stage to stand on or an opportunity to give a speech this year, but they will receive an Eagle Award, whether in person or by other means. And the full list of Award Winners will be released to the world on Monday 15th June 2009.

'We might not have a meal this year, but we will have awards. We will have winners. And the best of the UK and US comic scene will still fight for the right to be showcased on one of the longest and most prestigious awards out there."

For more details visit: eagleawards.co.uk.