2010 Will Eisner Comics Industry AwardsMedia Release -- Members of the cast of Universal's Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World are kicking off the awards ceremony for the 22nd annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, Friday night as part of Comic-Con International, the largest comic book convention in the Western Hemisphere.

The Eisner Awards, considered the comics industry's "Oscars," will be held in the Indigo Room at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on Friday at 8:30 p.m.

Scott Pilgrim, which opens August 13, is based on the graphic novel series by cartoonist Bryan Lee O'Malley. Volume 5 in the series is nominated in the Best Humor Publication category. Cast members from the film will be the first presenters of the evening, announcing the nominees and winners and three categories. Those expected to appear include Michael Cera, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mark Webber, Ellen Wong, Jason Schwartzman, Alison Pill, Satya Bhabha, Brandon Routh, and Mae Whitman.

MC's for the evening are Maurice LaMarche, is best know as the voice of "The Brain" in the animated series Pinky and the Brain, and Bill Morrison, one of the co-founders of Bongo Comics with Matt Groening.

The doors of the Indigo Ballroom will open for general seating at 8:15 p.m., with the festivities starting at 8:30 p.m. Other presenters for the evening include actor Thomas Jane (The Punisher, Hung), writer/actor Ben Garant (Reno 911); voice actor Phil LaMarr (Futurama, Samurai Jack); Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons; award nominees James Robinson (with fiancée editor Jann Jones), C. Tyler, and Laurie Sandell; and Comic-Con special guests Berkeley Breathed, Chris Claremont, Milo Manara, Peter Bagge, James Sturm, and Jillian Tamaki.

Awards will be given out in 29 Eisner categories. In addition, Comic-Con's own special awards will be presented: the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award, the Bill Finger Award for Achievement in Comic Book Writing, and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award.

No tickets are required -- attendees just need their badges to get in. All who attend the awards will receive a free Will Eisner graphic novel. Eisner, in whose name the awards are given, is considered the "father" of the graphic novel, having popularized the term with his book A Contract with God, which was published in 1978.

The Hilton San Diego Bayfront is located at 1 Park Boulevard near Harbor Drive, across the street from PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres. It can be reached from both Harbor Drive and the waterfront walkway along the park behind the Convention Center.

The Eisner Awards are part of, and underwritten by, Comic-Con International, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.