FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Inkwell Awards Overhauls Nomination Procedure

(New Bedford, MA/USA—Oct. 5, 2018) After 10 years, the Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to public education and promotion of the art of comic-book inking, has changed its nomination procedure for its annual awards. For the first time, ink artists (“inkers”) are now invited to submit their work for consideration.

Previously, all award nominees in the Inkwells’ five categories were chosen exclusively by a volunteer Nomination Committee (“NomCom”), composed of various industry professionals, journalists, reviewers and supporters. This year, inkers (or their agents/publishers) may submit two to three pages of interior art from American comic books cover-dated 2018 for each category. Those will be evaluated by the NomCom, who will choose a minimum of two names and may also submit up to four of their own, per category. The Inkwells’ core committee will tally all results and choose the top names in each category for the final public ballot. Nominees for The Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame lifetime achievement award will continue to be chosen internally. The Inkwells’ core committee will remain ineligible to nominate, vote, submit work or be nominated for any inking award.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback over our previous decade,” said founder and director Bob Almond. “There were various concerns regarding popularity, visibility, requirements, and other things. We listened, and after much deliberation within our core committee, we worked it out and decided it was time to implement the change. Now it’s up to the inkers to send in their work.”

Those interested will have till December 31, 2018, to submit their work. Full details and instructions, including rules, are available on the advocacy’s website. Unlike some others, The Inkwell Awards will not charge a submission fee. “We want every ink artist to have their shot,” Almond said. 

Final nominees will be decided by spring of 2019 when voting will be open for the public. The winners will be announced at the Inkwells’ live awards ceremony in the summer.

The five categories of The Inkwell Awards are:
1) Favorite Inker: favorite ink artist over the pencil work of another artist.
2) Most-adaptable: showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencil artists (minimum of two cited sources).
3) Props award: ink artist deserving of more attention for their work over other pencillers.
4) The S.P.A.M.I: for favorite Small Press And Mainstream-Independent, inking over another penciller (non-Marvel or DC work).
5) All-in-one award: for favorite artist known for inking his/ her own pencil work.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and promote the art form of comic-book inking. Entering its 11^th year, the organization is overseen by a volunteer committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors, numerous contributors and supporters. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (New Bedford, MA/USA–9/27/2018): The 501(c)(3) non-profit advocacy group, the Inkwell Awards, elected artists Rags Morales and Dan Parsons as new Special Ambassadors to help further the group’s mission of public promotion, education and recognition of the art form of inking and ink artists in the US comic book industry.

Both ambassador artists are award-winning industry veterans. Rags Morales has worked for 29 years as an artist for Marvel, DC, Valiant, TSR and others. In addition to drawing popular characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and The Avengers, he was an instructor at The Kubert School. Dan Parsons, who began his career in the 1990s, is an artist known for his work in comics (“Star Wars,” “Nightwing,” “Harpy”), film (“Game Of Thrones,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender”) and related fields (Ayn Rand’s “Anthem,” Edgar Rice Burroughs properties cover artist).

“Entering our second decade, it’s still an honor and thrill to have two veteran and fan-loved creators like Rags and Dan accept our invitation to lend further exposure and credibility,” said Inkwell Awards founder and director Bob Almond. “That helps us with improved funding and resources, with which we can aspire to accomplish more than ever. I believe the answer is receiving support throughout our community by creators with different skillsets in solidarity.”

Parsons added, “Since I am an overworked and underpaid artist these days, I don’t get down to the comic-book store as much as I used to. But when I do venture down, it’s the inking I am going there for! No offense to painters, writers, pencillers, colorists or letterers, but it has always been the inking that has inspired me. I am truly grateful that there is an institution like the Inkwells that shares my inspiration!”

Morales issued the following statement: 
 “For years I was a penciller and for years that’s all I needed to be. We got top billing and the bulk of the workload. Inkers were good partners who just couldn’t be allowed to mess it up. Do your job, and everyone’s happy.

“Or so I thought.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest inkers this industry had to offer–Bob Almond among them–and every one of them had hidden strengths that aren’t readily apparent when seeing them gloss over other talents.

“As such, you come away swimming with the possibilities of who we’d love to see on “such and such” a title; sci-fi vs. superheroes vs. noir vs. archaic, etc.

“Inkers are the final word; and it’s my pleasure to be working with Bob as an ambassador for the Inkwell Awards, shedding light on an often misunderstood, and completely necessary, great and unique craft that is comic-book art.”

Since the organization was formed in 2008, the roster of Inkwell Ambassadors has included Adam Hughes, Mark Brooks, Sal Velluto, Cully Hamner, Eric Basuldua, Phil Jimenez, Jim Shooter, Brian Pulido, Jim Starlin and Laura Martin along with the late Joe Kubert and Rich Buckler. The more-involved Special Ambassadors include Joe Sinnott, J. David Spurlock, Mike McKone, Clifford Meth, Pat Broderick and Aldrin Aw, aka “Buzz.”

The Inkwell Awards is the only official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to publicly educate and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize the best ink artists and their work. Now beginning its 11th year, the Inkwells are overseen by a volunteer committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

(New Bedford, MA/USA—June 17, 2018) The Inkwell Awards released the list of winners of its 11th annual awards for excellence in the art form of comic-book inking. Nominees were again chosen by a separate and independent nomination committee. This year featured the greatest number of nominees, including female inkers in three of the five categories. Voting by professionals and fans took place in April via live ballot at the non-profit advocacy’s website. One winner was chosen in each of five categories based on American interior comic-book work cover-dated 2017.

Separately, the Inkwells selected internally the two recipients of the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award and one recipient for the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA). Winners were contacted and many of the invited guests were present to receive their trophies during North Carolina’s HeroesCon, the host show for the Inkwells. Winners are listed with their nominated credits and the percentage of votes received, where applicable.

FAVORITE INKER: Scott Hanna (29.4%)
(Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special, DC Holiday Special, Justice League Of America, Legion of Super-Heroes/Bugs Bunny Special, Superman, Trinity [DC]; All-New Wolverine, Black Panther, Black Panther & The Crew, Great Lakes Avengers, Ultimates 2, X-men Blue [Marvel]).
Other nominees: Bill Sienkiewicz, Jonathan Glapion, John Dell, Mick Gray, John Floyd, Dan Green, Seth Mann.

MOST-ADAPTABLE INKER: Scott Hanna (30.9%)

(See above credits.) Other nominees: Walden Wong, Mark Morales, Jonathan Glapion, Dexter Vines, Jay Leisten.

PROPS AWARD (inker deserving of more attention): Joe Prado (37.8%)
(Justice League Of America: Rebirth, Green Lanterns, Superman [DC]).

Other nominees: Tony Kordos, Marc Deering, Michelle Delecki, Daniel Henriques, Jason Paz.

S.P.A.M.I. (Small Press and Mainstream Independent): Sal Buscema (25.1%) (ROM [IDW]).
Other nominees: Mark Morales, Stefano Gaudiano, Irene Flores, Rodney Ramos, Ryan Winn, Robin Riggs.

 

ALL-IN-ONE (pencilling and inking together): Liam Sharp (18.46%)

(Justice League, Wonder Woman [DC]).
Other nominees: Dan Panosian, David Marquez Stan Sakai, Joelle Jones, Terry Moore, Mitch Gerads, Mico Suayan.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:

THE STACEY ARAGON SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD (SASRA): Russ Heath
Other nominees: John Byrne and Jim Sanders III.

THE JOE SINNOTT HALL OF FAME: Joe Giella and Bob McLeod

Other nominees: Dan Adkins, John Beatty, Mike Esposito, Mark Farmer, Al Gordon, Bob Layton, Pablo Marcos, Frank McLaughlin and Bernie Wrightson.

“I was thrilled to hear that two very fine inkers were selected for induction into the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame for 2018,” said Joe Sinnott, the award’s namesake and first recipient. “Both Joe and Bob have previous ties to the Inkwells, Bob being the keynote speaker at their awards ceremony at HeroesCon in 2012, and Joe being the Guest of Honor at the 2017 ceremony. It is with great pride that we honor these two excellent ink artists into the Inkwell Awards family as 2018 recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award. Congratulations, fellas, on jobs, and careers, well done!”

Continue reading 2018 INKWELL AWARDS VOTING RESULTS

(New Bedford, MA/USA—June 6, 2018) Voting results from the annual Inkwell Awards will be presented at the inking advocacy group’s live awards ceremony at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC this month. The event, also celebrating the non-profit’s 10th anniversary, is scheduled for Friday June 15, 5:00 PM, at the Charlotte Convention Center, in room 209-210.

Bronze-age DC Comics ink artist and one of Jack Kirby’s top inkers, Mike Royer, is scheduled to appear as Guest of Honor. “We are very fortunate to have one of the best ink artists in the field attending our special day of recognition,” said Bob Almond, the Inkwells’ founder/director and MC of the ceremony. “Since the other top Kirby inker is our Hall of Fame award’s namesake, Joe Sinnott, we’re doubly excited.”

The Inkwells have five categories: Favorite Inker, Most-Adaptable Inker, the “Props” award for under-recognized professionals, the S.P.A.M.I. for Small Press And Mainstream-Independent work, and the “All-in-One” for the artist who inks his/her own pencil art. Voters-–fans and professionals alike–all cast their ballots at the group’s website in April to show their support and choose their favorites.

Announced with the publicly-chosen award-winners will be the internally-voted two recipients of the yearly Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award and one winner of the annual Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award. To celebrate their decade anniversary, the Inkwells have created the “Above & Beyond” Award for members, volunteers and others who have served beyond the call of duty to promote the artform of comic book inking and it’s ink artists.

Almond added, “There’s so much turnover when you are working with unpaid members, so when those rare volunteers stay long-term and go the extra yard for the organization, we need to thank those special folks for their exceptional dedication.”

In addition to Royer, Almond will MC the event, while artist and longtime Inkwell contributor Dan Panosian will act as presenter. Recently-added Inkwell ambassador, artist Pat Broderick, will present the lifetime achievement awards. Also appearing will be veteran hostess Hailey Skaza-Gagne as spokesmodel Ms. Inkwell, who will be joined by 2011 Heroes Con Ms. Inkwell, Kathy Denise Taylor, in her first return to Heroes Con as a co-spokesmodel. She shared “I’m super excited to be able to come back and help again!”

Other related guests at the Heroes show itself include Inkwell ambassadors Buzz and Cully Hamner. There may also be surprise appearances at the ceremony by member-creators, the award recipients or other supporters.

As an added bonus, the first 25 non-member attendees will receive a raffle ticket for a door prize. After the event, every ticket holder will also win a prize as explained at the ceremony.

“We’ve had record attendance for the last couple years,” said Almond, “and plan to repeat that achievement, especially with our impressive lineup and prizes.”

During the show, The Inkwells will be set up in Artists Alley at 1615-1616 as can be seen at the Heroes Con website. To help raise much-needed funds, they’ll be offering (for donations) a variety of Inkwell merchandise, including their recently-released Ms. Inkwell Gallery art book, signed by cover artist Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Bob Almond, and spoksemodels Hailey Skaza-Gagne, Skylar Lauren Godwin and Kathy Denise Taylor. (Their latest Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge Book and 10th Anniversary Album will be available later in the year.)

Almond concluded, “We can’t show enough gratitude to promoter Shelton Drum and the Heroes Con staff for annually supporting the community and giving fans an opportunity to learn more about and appreciate this often overlooked industry craft and its artists. We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone on Friday and during the con!”

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Inkwell Awards Voting Open From April 1-15

(New Bedford, MA/USA—March 29, 2018) Who’s your favorite inker? The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to public education and promotion of the art of comic book inking, invites all to vote for the industry’s best of the year. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwells’ homepage from April 1 through April 15.

Voting is open to fans and professionals alike. In addition to “Favorite Inker,” categories include “Most Adaptable,” “PROPS” (inkers deserving more attention), the “S.P.A.M.I.” (Small Press And Mainstream/Independent) and “All-In-One” for pencilers who ink their own work.

As a courtesy, also listed on the ballot are the nominees for the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame (“HoF”), a lifetime achievement honor for an outstanding inking career of 25 or more years in American comics, whose winners are chosen by an internal committee (to avoid a “popularity contest” where recent names have more influence than past masters). Two nominees are awarded each year.

Also to be chosen internally is the Special Recognition Award. This lifetime achievement honor differs from the HoF award due to one or more factors such as the artist being out of the “public eye,” having limited name-recognition due to semi- or full retirement or death, limited-yet-influential output, social barriers such as gender/race, or other factors that might otherwise limit them from being nominated for a traditional HoF award. The SRA nominees are not listed on the ballot but will be discussed at the awards ceremony. As announced at last year’s ceremony, the award has been renamed the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) in honor of the longtime member of the non-profit who succumbed to cancer a year ago after a 10-year battle.

“We’re as excited as ever for this event, where the best of the best ink artists and their work get the recognition they deserve,” said Bob Almond, founder and director of The Inkwell Awards. “Though inkers have their own fans and followers, many often go unnoticed or are glossed over by most awards events. Ours caters specifically to ink artists and allows them to be recognized and appreciated in various categories. We encourage everyone who appreciates good work to participate; the more voters, the better.”

Once voting ends after April 15, the winners will be announced at the live awards ceremony at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC on Friday, June 15th.

 

SAMPLE BALLOT

THE INKWELL AWARDS are for 2017 cover-dated
interior American comic-book material.

Favorite Inker: Favorite ink artist over the pencil work of another artist.

A) John Dell: The Clone Conspiracy (Marvel)

B) John Floyd: Wonder Woman/Tasmanian Devil (DC)

C) Jonathan Glapion: Action Comics, Dark Nights Metal (DC); Reborn (Image)

D) Mick Gray: Superman/Justice League (DC)

E) Dan Green: The Sandman Special (DC)

F) Scott Hanna: All-New Wolverine, Black Panther, Black Panther & The Crew, Great Lakes Avengers, Ultimates 2, X-men Blue (Marvel); Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special, DC Holiday Special, Justice League Of America, Legion of Super-Heroes/Bugs Bunny Special, Superman, Trinity (DC)

G) Seth Mann: Batman, Trinity (DC)

H) Bill Sienkiewicz: Batman, Black Racer And Shilo Norman Special, Deathstroke (DC)

Most-adaptable: Artist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencil artists. (Every nominee must have at least two sources cited.)

A) Jonathan Glapion: Action Comics, Dark Nights Metal (DC); Reborn (Image)

B) Scott Hanna: Booster Gold & Flintstones Special, DC Holiday Special, Justice League Of America, Legion of Super-Heroes/Bugs Bunny Special, Superman, Trinity (DC); All-New Wolverine, Black Panther, Black Panther & The Crew, Great Lakes Avengers, Ultimates 2, X-men Blue (Marvel)

C) Jay Leisten: Green Lantern, Suicide Squad (DC); Incredible Hulk, Monsters Unleashed, Secret Empire, Weapon X, X-men Gold (Marvel)

D) Mark Morales: Aquaman, Deathstroke, Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special (DC); Immortal Brothers: The Tale Of The Green Knight (Image); Astonishing X-men, Spider-Man/Deadpool (Marvel)

E) Dexter Vines: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 11 (Dark Horse), Batman Beyond, Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps, (DC); Invincible, The Wild Storm (Image); Black Panther (Marvel)

F) Walden Wong: All-New X-Men, Astonishing X-men, Black Panther, Inhumans, Kingpin, Star Lord, Venom X-Men Blue (Marvel); Harbinger: Renegade (Valiant)

Props award: Ink artist deserving of more attention for their work over other pencil artists.

A) Marc Deering: All-New Wolverine, Black Panther, Star Wars: Dr. Aphra (Marvel)

B) Michelle Delecki: Catwoman: Election Night, The New Gods Special (DC)

C) Daniel Henriques: Green Lanterns, Justice League, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, Supergirl (DC)

D) Tony Kordos: Batman & Robin Eternal, Cyborg, Flash, Justice league: Darkseid War (DC)

E) Jason Paz: Deathstroke, Justice League, Wonder Woman (DC)

F) Joe Prado: Justice League Of America: Rebirth, Green Lanterns, Superman (DC)

The S.P.A.M.I: Favorite Small Press And Mainstream/Independent ink work over another pencil artist (non-Marvel or DC work).

A) Sal Buscema: Rom (IDW)

B) Irene Flores: Hi-Fi Fight Club/Heavy Vinyl (Boom Studios)

C) Stefano Gaudiano: Manifest Destiny, Walking Dead (Image)

D) Mark Morales: Immortal Brothers: The Tale Of The Green Knight (Image)

E) Rodney Ramos: Normandy Gold (Titan Comics)

F) Robin Riggs: Black (Black Mask Comics)

G) Ryan Winn: Eternity, Divinity III (Valiant)

All-in-one award: Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencil work.

A) Mitch Gerads: Mister Miracle (DC)

B) Joelle Jones: Lady Killer 2 (Dark Horse); Batman (DC)

C) David Marquez: Civil War 2, The Defenders, (Marvel)

D) Terry Moore: Motor Girl (Abstract Studios)

E) Dan Panosian: Slots (Image)

F) Stan Sakai: Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

G) Liam Sharp: Justice League, Wonder Woman (DC)

H) Mico Suayan: Bloodshot Salvation (Valiant)