Known by many as the Oscars of the comic book industry, the Eisner Awards recognize creative achievement in American comic books in 32 diverse categories. At the recent 36th Annual Eisner Awards Ceremony, J. Andrew Deman, PhD, lecturer in the Department of English at St. Jerome's University, was honoured for Best Academic/Scholarly Work for his recent book, "The Claremont Run: Subverting Gender in the X- Men" (University of Texas Press).

In his acceptance speech, Deman stated, "I'd like to thank my family, friends, and St. Jerome's University for their support. Ultimately, though, the success of this project rests on an elegant principle: Chris Claremont's work is excellent, and exploring the depths of the worlds and characters that he created is thus a fairly easy way to write a compelling scholarly analysis."

The Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work is awarded for creative achievement in American comic books for academic publishing. Nominations in each category are generated by a five- to six-member jury consisting of comic experts, followed by a vote.

"Andrew regularly teaches courses in Graphic Narrative and Comics including courses cross-listed in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies all of which draw on the scholarly expertise that the prestigious Eisner Award has now recognized," says vice president academic and dean, Carol Ann MacGregor. "His students are fortunate to learn from someone so active and well-respected in the field. We are grateful to count him among the many exceptional teacher-scholars at St. Jerome's."
 

The first Eisner Awards ceremony was conferred in 1988 and has become the most prestigious and significant award in the comic industry. These distinguished awards are named in honour of Will Eisner, a pioneering writer and artist who popularized the term “graphic novel.”