Comic-Con has announced the nominees for the 2024 Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award, aka The Manning Award. They are Oliver Bly (writer/artist, The Mushroom Knight), Patrick Horvath (writer/artist, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees), Vincent Kings (writer/artist, Atomic Fairytales), Oma Sei (writer/artist, Blood Blade), and Eamon Winkle (artist, Principles of Necromancy).

A panel of Comic-Con International board and committee members and a San Diego comics retailer chose the nominees. The winner will then be picked by previous Manning award winners and Russ Manning assistants, and the announcement will be made at Comic-Con during the Eisner Awards on July 26, 2024.

The award was started in 1982 to honor comics artists who exhibit superior knowledge and talent in creating comics. It was named after Russ Manning, an artist known for Tarzan and Star Wars comic strips, Magnus, Robot Fighter comics, and as a popular Comic-Con guest in the 1970s.

Dave Stevens, a former Manning assistant who created The Rocketeer, was the first recipient of the award. Past recipients have included Jan Duursema, Steve Rude, Art Adams, Dan Brereton, Jeff Smith, Gene Ha, Chaty Malkasian, Eleanore Davis, Dan Mora, and Zoe Thorogood, among others.