It’s the end of an era for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, less formally known as the Eisner Awards or “the Oscars of comics.” At Friday’s ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, longtime administrator of the awards, Jackie Estrada, announced that it would be her last. She received a standing ovation from the audience.
Estrada followed up with a post on Facebook on Saturday. “Thank you to the Board of Directors of Comic-Con for the bouquet of flowers at last night’s Eisner Awards (presented by Board members Ron McFee and Lee Oeth), commemorating my last year as the Eisner Awards administrator; 35 years was a good run!” Estrada wrote, garnering hundreds of likes and comments from friends and industry members alike.
Estrada, who received the first-annual Harvey Awards Comics Industry Pioneer Award in 2018 (pictured above), joined the SDCC team in the mid-70s and soon created or co-created some of what are now staples of the event. She edited the annual program book for nearly a decade, co-founded the annual blood drive, and—perhaps most notable for creators who got their start there—launched SDCC’s Artist’s Alley. She’s also been part of the guest committee for decades and has even occasionally been its chair.
However, Estrada’s real legacy is as the administrator of the Eisner Awards, a position she took in 1990 following ballot problems and the abrupt departure of Eisners founder Dave Olbrich. She worked alongside the Awards’ namesake, Will Eisner, to establish them into arguably the most prestigious accolade there is for English-language comic books.
At Friday’s ceremony, Estrada began the night by explaining the rules, just like every year. Co-host Bill Morrison joked, “I kind of tune out during this part,” earning a big laugh from the crowd. But while hearing the rules may feel droll or unnecessary to many in the comics industry at this point, without Estrada keeping them at top of mind and manning the ship for the last 35 years, we might never have reached the point of taking her well-known speech for granted.
Estrada may not be a household comics name for people outside of the industry, but her advocacy for keeping comics at the center of SDCC even as it became the world’s largest comic book convention (now encompassing every avenue of entertainment and then some) and her incredible insight into the medium has made a lasting impact that will be felt for a long, long time. Her belief in and passion for comics cannot be overstated. Whoever succeeds her will have big shoes to fill, and I do not envy them the task.
However, as Popverse editor-in-chief Chris Arrant pointed out, “The one positive to all of this for me is that maybe now she’ll allow herself to be nominated for the Eisners Hall of Fame.”
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.
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