Mike Conroy is a British

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

writer and former

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

retailer. He is best known for co-creating the long-running industry award, the

Eagle Awards The Eagle Awards were a series of British awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's seminal boys' comic ''Eagle'', the awards were launched in ...

. He was an editor for the trade journal ''

Comics International ''Comics International'' was a British news and reviews magazine about comic books. Founded in 1990, it was published monthly by Quality Communications until 2006, and then by Cosmic Publications Ltd. until 2010. Over time, ''Comics International ...

'' from 1997 to 2010, with the title of editor-in-chief from 2006 to 2010. Conroy has written for '' Borderline'',

Panini Group Panini is an Italian company that produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries. It is headquartered in Modena and named after the Panini brothers who founded it in ...

, ''Eaglemoss'', and '' SFX'' among others, primarily as a comics historian. He has written three books on comics history.

Career

Conroy managed the

from 1977 to 2014, with some significant hiatuses. He co-created the awards with

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

in 1976, Burton, Richard "'The Eagles' are launched!" in Burton (ed.) ''Comic Media News'' #30 (Mar-Apr 1977), p. 11. and the Eagles were presented annually at the

British Comic Art Convention The British Comic Art Convention (usually known by the moniker Comicon) was an annual British comic book convention which was held between 1968 and 1981, usually in London. The earliest British fan convention devoted entirely to comics, it was als ...

in the period 1977–1981, and then the

United Kingdom Comic Art Convention The United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) was a British comic book convention which was held between 1985 and 1998. As a complement to UKCAC, from 1990 to 1995 the organizers put on the Glasgow-based Glasgow Comic Art Convention (GlasCAC) ...

in the period 1987–1990, as well as select other conventions in the years in-between. In 1978, Conroy took over management of the

London Comic Mart Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by ...

from

Nick Landau Nick Landau is a British entertainment entrepreneur. He co-owns Titan Entertainment, with his partner Vivian Cheung, which comprises the Forbidden Planet (bookstore), Forbidden Planet Limited store chain and Titan Publishing Group. A lifelong s ...

, putting on four editions of the "New Original Comic Mart" that year, all held at the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

's Old Hall.Sallis, Ted. "Fan-Things," ''BEM'' #17 (Feb. 1978), p. 5.New Original Comic Mart advertisement, ''BEM Comic News'' #20 (Aug. 1978), p. 6. Landau and his company

Titan Distributors Titan Distributors was a British comic book distributor which existed from 1978 to 1993, when it was acquired by a larger U.S. distributor. Operated by Nick Landau, Mike Lake, and Mike Luckman, Titan Distributors supplied comics, science fiction ...

took back the Mart from Conroy in 1979."Comic Mart: Britain's Largest Comic Fan Gathering" advertisement, Comicon '79 program booklet. The Eagle Awards took a hiatus for much of the 1990s as Conroy concentrated on his freelance writing. (The Eagles were replaced in the interim by the

UK Comic Art Award The UK Comic Art Award was a series of British awards for achievement in comic books. Winners were selected by an open vote among British comic book professionals (creators, editors, and retailers); the awards were given out on an annual basis fro ...

and then the

National Comics Awards The National Comics Awards was a series of awards for comic book titles and creators given out on an annual basis from 1997 to 2003 (with the exception of the year 2000) for comics published in the United Kingdom the previous year. The votes wer ...

.) He became a contributor to ''

'' early on its existence, and his "Frame to Frame" column was a long-running featuring discussing the interaction between movies and comics. In 1997, he became news editor of ''Comics International'' (replacing Phill Hall in that position). In 2000, Conroy revived the Eagles; they were presented at

Comic Festival Comic Festival (also known as Comics Festival UK) was a British comic book convention which was held annually in Bristol between 1999 and 2004. It was devised and produced by Kev F. Sutherland with the help of Mike Allwood of Area 51 Comics. ...

in 2000 and 2002, and then at

Comic Expo The Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo, commonly known as Comic Expo or BCE, was an annual comic book convention held in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2013. The show was held once a year in Bristol in the spring. The organiser was ...

in the years 2004 and 2006–2008. Meanwhile, ''Comics International'' changed hands in 2006, and Conroy was promoted to editor-in-chief. Under Conroy's direction, however, the magazine only published eight regular issues (and a few specials) in three years, before shutting down. After leaving ''Comics International'', Conroy became a columnist for the online publication ''World of Superheroes''. Conroy transferred the management of the Eagle Awards to his teenage daughter Cassandra in 2009 (although Mike stayed on as advisor). The 2009 Awards were canceled, however, due to a "lack of nominations." The 2010–2012 awards were presented at the

London MCM Expo The MCM Comic Con London (formerly known as the London Movies, Comics, and Media Expo, London MCM Expo, and MCM London Comic Con) is a speculative fiction fan convention held at ExCeL London, ExCel London twice yearly since 2002, usually on th ...

, but a rift between MCM and the Conroys caused no Eagles to be awarded in 2013. The Conroys decided to continue the awards separate from MCM, and in April 2014 it was announced that the award would be presented at the

London Film and Comic Con London Film and Comic Con is a fan convention held annually in London that focuses on films, cult television, gaming, anime, cosplay and comics. It is organised by Showmasters Ltd. History and organization London Film & Comic Con began in 20 ...

(LFCC) and be renamed: first "The

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

Eagle Award""Stan Lee Backs Revived Eagle Awards"
at Downthetubes.net, 25 April 2014 and then the "True Believer Comic Awards." The inaugural True Believer Comics Awards were presented July 12, 2014,"True Believers Comic Awards announce 2014 winners"
by Kevin Melrose, at CBR, 14 July 2014 at the

;Freeman, John
"True Believer Awards: The Winners,"
DownTheTubes.net (JULY 13, 2014). they have not been awarded since.

Bibliography

* ''500 Comicbook Action Heroes'' (

Chrysalis A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages the ...

Collins & Brown HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is h ...

, 2002) * ''500 Comicbook Villains'' (Chrysalis/Collins & Brown, 2004) * ''War Stories: A Graphic History'' ( ILEX Press/

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

, 2009) — foreword by

Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born 16 January 1970) is a Northern Irish-American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' ''Punisher'' franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conroy, Mike Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Comics critics British writers British magazine editors Place of birth missing (living people)