SDCC ’25: JUNJI ITO voted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame

Legendary mangaki Junji Ito has officially been inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame. The four-time Eisner Award winner became the first international creator to win Best Writer/Artist for Remina in 2022 and he has long been celebrated the world over for his unique ability to distill fear, longing, and a sense of immense dread into his work. 

Ito’s induction to the Hall of Fame was made official during a Friday morning ceremony at a special ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con 2025. He joins a prestigious list of comics pioneers whose contributions to the field have greatly advanced the medium over the last several decades. Ito was among six inductees voted on by comics industry professionals out of a pool of 18 judges’ nominees. The 2025 inductees voted into the Hall of Fame are Ito; Kyle Baker; Eddie Campbell; Roz Chast; Dan Clowes; Todd Klein; and John Romita, Jr.

This year’s inductees also include 9 living icons and 12 deceased legends chosen by judges William Foster; Michael T. Gilbert; Karen Green; Alonso Nuñez; Jim Thompson; and Maggie Thompson.

The living inductees chosen by the judges are Steve Bissette; Lucy Shelton Caswell; Philippe Druillet; Phoebe Gloeckner; Joe Sacco; Bill Schanes; Steve Schanes; Frank Stack; and Angelo Torres. And the deceased inductees chosen by the judges are Peter Arno; Gus Arriola; Wilhelm Busch; Richard “Grass” Green; Rea Irvin; Jack Kamen; Joe Maneely; Shigeru Mizuki; Bob Oksner; Bob Powell; Ira Schnapp; and Phil Seuling.

The  rest of the 2025 Will Eisner Comic Awards spanning 30+ categories will be presented on Friday, July 25 at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, California. The Beat, which is nominated this year in the Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism category, will be on the scene reporting winners as voted by the comics industry.

Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.