Nominating: Round Two begins

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Last week I discussed the preparation leading up and into our second round of the nominating process for the 2012 Joe Shuster Awards – looking at four very specific categories of the 10 or so awards we will be presenting in September.

You may recall that we had assembled a list of French and English creators who were at least “seconded” – that is they received 2 or more votes from our two nominating committees – one for French work and the other for English.

We determined that based on the voting that any creators with more than 50% support would make it onto the final ballot and so the French nominating committee were able to finalize their selections without the need for a second round, and the English committee finalized one cartoonist, one cover artist and all of the remaining Writer spots.

Looking over the large number of creators seconded, we moved the cut off point to all creators who were “thirded”, receiving 3 or more votes. This resulted in 10 artists, 10 cartoonists and 10 cover artists going into Round Two.

ARTIST

5 spots open – Top 10 contenders

Chris Bachalo (Wolverine and the X-Men), Andy Belanger (Kill Shakespeare), Marian Churchland (Northlanders), Dale Eaglesham (Alpha Flight), Stuart Immonen (Fear Itself), Jeff Lemire (Jonah Hex), Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing), Ramon Perez (Captain America and the First Thirteen), Cameron Stewart (Batman Incorporated Leviathan Strikes!), Doug Wheatley (Star Wars Dark Times – Out of the Wilderness)

CARTOONIST

4 spots open – Top 10 contenders (incl. 1 creator confirmed)

Chester Brown (Paying for It), Darwyn Cooke (“The Seventh” from Parker: The Martini Edition), Ray Fawkes (One Soul), Jesse Jacobs (Even the Giants), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Francis Manapul (The Flash), Pat McKeown (Hair Shirt), Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung Fu), Joe Ollmann (Mid-Life), Ramon Perez (Tale of Sand), Seth (Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists).

COVER ARTIST

4 spots open – Top 10 contenders (incl. 1 creator confirmed)

Kalman Andrasofszky (Various), Kaare Andrews (Various), Darwyn Cooke (Various), Michael Del Mundo (Various), David Finch (Various), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Jonah Hex), Francis Manapul (Various), Yanick Paquette (Various), Alexander Perkins (Kill Shakespeare 11), Doug Wheatley (Various), Chrissie Zullo (Cinderella: Fables are Forever).

The 13 member nominating committee is then asked to rank their choices by order of preference from 1 to 10. 1 being most preferred (and being counted as 10 points), 10 being least preferred (and counted as 1 point).

They had one week to send in their rankings, and the great thing about this stage of the process is that all 13 members have to take into consideration all of the ten potential nominees. Their cumulative point scores will determine who will advance to the final ballot.

Prix Expozine / Expozine Award Winners Announced

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For Immediate Release: April 5, 2012

The Expozine Alternative Press Awards!!!

The Expozine Alternative Press Awards recognize the best publications that were on display at the Expozine small press fair in the fall of 2011.

The Expozine Awards Gala was held on Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 8 p.m., at Le Divan Orange, 4234 Saint-Laurent, featuring Simon Paquet as MC, readings by Jean-Pierre Tremblay and Jese Gordon and ended with a great dance party performance by Montreal’s premier synth showman, Super Fossil Power!

THE WINNERS:

English Zine

Prologue, Jonathan Reid Sévigny

An exquisitely printed zine of large-format colour drawings, huge tableaus of characters and scenes that are simultaneously cute and violent, surreal and storybook plain. You could look at each one for hours wondering what the heck they’re supposed to mean – the unicorns, the gallows, the mermaids, the guillotines, the corner dépanneur as some sort of fairy oasis. Stunning.

Honourable mention (tie):

I’m breaking the rules a bit here with 2 honourable mentions but here goes: Jese Gordon’s Korea deserves an honourable mention as a superbly presented literary zine. The semi-transparent mylar pages complement the almost voyeuristic feel of the texts.

The zine Drop Target from Vermont gets its honourable mention for excellence as a real “old school” type zine: by and for fans of pinball, yet with a good enough presentation and variety of content (essays, reviews, comics etc.) that non-fans would enjoy it as well.

English Book

You Are A Cat! by Sherwin Tjia

This book takes a premise that possibly shouldn’t work and works it beautifully in every direction. From teenage lesbian suicides to psychopathic killers- with fresh cream, naps and feline sex in between – as you ‘pick your own plot’ this book provides genuine insight into what it actually might feel like to be a cat.

English Comic

Pope Hats No. 2, Ethan Rilly, Adhouse Books

Rilly has a fully developed graphic and storytelling style of his own in this highly existential series.

Fanzine Francophone

Impossible voyage, Celine Huyghebaert

Petite collection de pensées à la fois nostalgiques et autoréflexives entourant un voyage d’une certaine Louisa-Nar sur des cartes d’identification de bagages. Chaque petite carte d’embarcation est sérigraphiée en noir et blanc. Objet d’art finement assemblé et numéroté. À méditer!

Mention special, Fanzine Francophone:

Salade de crudités” de Boris Paillard, ouvrage de collaboration entre la poésie de Paillard et différents illustrateurs tous plus incroyables les uns que les autres. Tout le livre est sérigraphié d’où son incroyable authenticité tant au niveau de la texture que de la couleur. Flamboyant, pertinent. Bravo!

Livre Francophone

Typographie inusuelle, Marc Pantanella, Éditions L’Oie de Cravan et Finitude

D’abord pour la beauté de l’ouvrage, la maquette de couverture, le papier, la qualité d’impression puis ensuite pour l’humour surprenant, bon enfant et réjouissant qui nous pousse de page en page.

Bande Dessinée Francophone

Boumeries, volume 1, par Boum (Samantha Leriche-Gionet), auto-publication

Des petits moments du quotidien empreints d’humour, racontés avec candeur et spontanéité. Le dessin, expressif à souhait, illustre le tout de façon très efficace sous forme de strips qui font plaisir à lire.

Winners of the 13th Annual Prix Bédélys Announced – Updated

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Les Prix Bédélys

This evening at a special ceremony held at the auditorium of la Grande Bibliothèque (475 boul. De Maisonneuve Est) in Montreal, Promo 9e art presented the 13th annual prix Bédélys, which honour the best in French language graphic novels/comics (bandes dessinées) published in 2011. Four juries composed of amateurs and professionals selected the books which they felt were the most significant works published in the categories of Best Book from Quebec, Best Book, Best Self-Published Book and Best Book for Younger Readers. The Prix Bédélys Québec is accompanied by a bursary of $1000, the Prix Bédélys Indépendant a bursary of $500, and the Prix Bédélys Fanzine comes with a bursary of $250.

The Finalists:

Bédélys Québec

Bédélys Indépendant

Les deux autres catégories soulignent le travail d’auteurs et d’éditeurs étrangers. Les québécois s’y retrouvant sont en gras/italique.
Bédélys Monde
  • L’Art de voler, d’Antonio Altarriba et Kim, publié aux Éditions Denoël
  • Blast t.2, de Manu Larcenet, publié aux Éditions Dargaud
  • La Douceur de l’enfer t.1, d’Olivier Grenson, publié aux Éditions Le Lombard
  • Le Dragon bleu, de Fred Jourdain, Robert Lepage et Marie Michaud, Éditions Alto
  • Elmer, de Gerry Alanguilan, publié aux Éditions Cà et là
  • Habibi, de Craig Thompson, publié aux Éditions Casterman
  • Les Ignorants, d’Étienne Davodeau, publié aux Éditions Futuropolis
  • La Plaine du Kantô t.1 à 3, de Kazuo Kamimura, publié aux Éditions Kana
  • Polina, de Bastien Vivès, publié aux Éditions Casterman
  • Portugal, de Cyril Pedrosa, publié aux Éditions Dupuis
Bédélys Jeunesse
  • Biodôme t.1, de Frédéric Antoine et Yohann Morin, Éditions Boomerang (Lire mon article sur la série ICI)
  • Légendes de Parvaterra t.3, de Raul Arnaiz, publié aux Éditions Le Lombard
  • Nelson t.11, de Bertshy, publié aux Éditions Dupuis
  • Légendes de la garde t.2, de David Petersen, publié aux Éditions Gallimard Jeunesse
  • Seuls t.6, de Fabien Vehlmann et Bruno Gazzotti, publié aux Éditions Dupuis

 

2012 Eisner Award Nominations Announced: Cooke, Perez, Fawkes, Lemire, Herring, Sneyd, Cliff, Choquette and D+Q represent for Canada

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Nominees Announced for 2012 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

Selections Reflect Wide Diversity in Industry

SAN DIEGO – Comic-Con International (Comic-Con) is proud to announce the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2012. The nominees, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, reflect the wide range of material being published in comics and graphic novel form today, from nursery rhymes and World War II battles to high school angst and pulp fiction.

Topping the 2012 list with 6 nominations is Marvel’s Daredevil, with nods for Best Continuing Series, Best Single Issue, Best Writer (Mark Waid), Best Cover Artist (Marcos Martin), and Best Penciller/Inker Team (two nominations: Marcos Martin, and Paolo Rivera/Joe Rivera). Close behind with 5 nominations is Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, an original graphic novel of an unproduced, feature-length screenplay written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, adapted by artist Ramón K. Pérez, published by Archaia. The book is up for Best Graphic Album-New, Best Penciller/Inker, Best Coloring, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design.

Three titles have 3 nominations: Vertigo/DC’s iZombie (Best Penciller/Inker and Best Cover Artist for Michael Allred, Best Coloring for Laura Allred) and The Unwritten (Best Single Issue, Best Writer for Mike Carey, Best Cover Artist for Yuko Shimizu), and IDW’s Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (Best Short Story, Best Graphic Album-Reprint, Best Publication Design). Sixteen titles had 2 nominations, and the remaining nominations were spread among nearly 100 books and comics in 27 categories.

Joining Tale of Sand in the Graphic Album-New category are Bubbles & Gondola by French cartoonist Renaud Dillies (NBM), the animation-industry-based Freeway by Mark Kalesniko (Fantagraphics), the critically acclaimed Habibi by Craig Thompson (Pantheon), Ivy by newcomer Sarah Oleksyk (Oni), and the experimental One Soul by Ray Fawkes (Oni).

DC and Marvel tied for the most nominations for a publisher, each having 11 nominations plus 2 shared. For DC, Vertigo had the lion’s share of nominations, led by iZombie and The Unwritten. In addition to the Daredevil nods, Marvel had 2 nominations for Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal: The Last of the Innocents under the Icon imprint. IDW also had 11 nominations, dominating the Best Archival Collection, Comics-Related Book, and Publication Design categories. Close behind with 10 nominations (plus 1 shared) is Dark Horse, including 2 each for Dark Horse Presents, Jeff Jensen’s Green River Killer, and Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo. Next, with 9 (plus 1 shared) is Fantagraphics, including 3 nominations each in the Archival and International categories.

Other publishers with multiple nominations include First Second and NBM (6); Abrams ComicArts, Archaia, Drawn & Quarterly, and Oni (5); Image (4 plus 2 shared); Candlewick (4); and Pantheon (3). Eleven publishers had 2 nominations: Abstract Studio, Action Lab, Archie, Atheneum, Bongo, BOOM!, Chronicle, Top Shelf, the University of Mississippi Press, VIZ Media, and Yen Press. Another 15 publishers have 1 nomination each.

Although the judges have honored the superhero series Daredevil with the largest single number of nominations, they have selected a wide range of works from other genres and smaller presses, including nominations for several non-American creators within non-international categories. These creators include French cartoonists Dilles, Émile Bravo, Philippe Coudray, Nix, and Sylvain Savoia; Japanese creators Naoki Urasawa and Shiguru Mizuki; Croatian artist Tonci Zonjic; Argentinian artist Eduardo Risso; Spanish artist Marcos Martin; Italian artists Francesco Frankavilla and Sara Picelli; Polish author Marzena Sowa; Iranians Amir and Khalil; and over a dozen Canadian and British creators.

Named for acclaimed comics creator the Will Eisner, the awards are in their 24th year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2012 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of reviewer Brigid Alverson (Graphic Novel Reporter, CBR, Robot 6), retailer Calum Johnston (Strange Adventures, Halifax, Nova Scotia), librarian Jesse Karp (LREI, New York), cartoonist Larry Marder (Beanworld), comics historian Benjamin Saunders (University of Oregon), and Comic-Con board of director Mary Sturhann.

This year’s judges added two new categories: Best Publication for Early Readers, and Best Educational/Academic Work. They also dropped four categories from the previous year: Best New Series, Best Adaptation from Another Medium, Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction, and Best Painter/Multimedia Artist. According to Eisner Awards Administrator Jackie Estrada, “The judges chose to not have the New Series and Painter categories this year because they didn’t find enough contenders that reached the level of quality they were looking for.” However, Estrada says, “the extent and quality of the material submitted in the Kids and Teen categories was so high that the judges felt dividing these books into three categories was warranted.”

Ballots with this year’s nominees will be going out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable pdf of the ballot is available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting: www.eisnervote.com. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 13 at Comic-Con International.

Voting in one Eisner Awards category, the Hall of Fame, is already completed. The judges chose the nominees earlier this year, and voting was conducted solely online.

The Eisner Awards are part of Comic-Con International, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture. Jackie Estrada has been administrator of the Awards since 1990. She can be reached at jackie@comic-con.org.

More information about the Eisner Awards can be found at http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml.

EISNER AWARD NOMINEES 2012

Best Short Story
“A Brief History of the Art Form Known as Hortisculpture,” by Adrian Tomine, in Optic Nerve #12 (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Harvest of Fear,” by Jim Woodring, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #17 (Bongo)
“The Phototaker,” by Guy Davis, in Metal Hurlant vol. 2 (Humanoids)
“The Seventh,” by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition (IDW)
“The Speaker,” by Brandon Graham, in Dark Horse Presents #7 (Dark Horse)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Daredevil #7, by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)
Ganges #4, by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics)
Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
Princeless #3, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin (Action Lab)
The Unwritten #24: “Stairway to Heaven” by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Al Davison (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series
Daredevil, by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)
Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
Rachel Rising, by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli (Marvel)
Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse)

Best Limited Series
Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X, by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener (Red 5)
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)
Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo/DC)
The New York Five, by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly (Vertigo/DC)
Who Is Jake Ellis? by Nathan Edmondson & Tonci Zonjic (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
Beauty and the Squat Bears, by Émile Bravo (Yen Press)
Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, by Philippe Coudray (Candlewick/Toon Books)
Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)
Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy (First Second)
Patrick in a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, by Geoffrey Hayes (Candlewick/Toon Books)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)
The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, by Sholly Fisch, Rick Burchett, and Dan Davis (DC)
Amelia Rules: The Meaning of Life … And Other Stuff, by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum)
The Ferret’s a Foot, by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue (Graphic Universe/Lerner)
Princeless, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin (Action Lab)
Snarked, by Roger Langridge (kaboom!)
Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke (First Second)

Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)
Anya’s Ghost, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
Around the World, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
Level Up, by Gene Yang and Thien Pham (First Second)
Life with Archie, by Paul Kupperberg, Fernando Ruiz, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Norm Breyfogle et al. (Archie)
Mystic, by G. Willow Wilson and David Lopez (Marvel)

Best Anthology
Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
Nelson, edited by Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix (Blank Slate)
Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy (First Second)
The Someday Funnies, edited by Michel Choquette (Abrams ComicArts)
Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land, edited by Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Humor Publication
The Art of Doug Sneyd: A Collection of Playboy Cartoons (Dark Horse Books)
Chimichanga, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)
Coffee: It’s What’s for Dinner, by Dave Kellett (Small Fish)
Kinky & Cosy, by Nix (NBM)
Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, by Evan Dorkin (Dark Horse Books)

Best Digital Comic
Bahrain, by Josh Neufeld, www.cartoonmovement.com/comic/24
Battlepug, by Mike Norton, www.battlepug.com
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, by Tony Cliff, www.delilahdirk.com
Outfoxed, by Dylan Meconis, www.dylanmeconis.com/outfoxed
Sarah and the Seed, by Ryan Andrews, www.ryan-a.com/comics/sarahandtheseed01.htm

Best Reality-Based Work
Around the World, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case (Dark Horse Books)
Marzi: A Memoir, by Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia (Vertigo/DC)
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Vietnamerica, by GB Tran (Villard)

Best Graphic Album – New
Bubbles & Gondola, by Renaud Dillies (NBM)
Freeway, by Mark Kalesniko (Fantagraphics)
Habibi, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)
Ivy, by Sarah Olekysk (Oni)
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, adapted by Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)
One Soul, by Ray Fawkes (Oni)

Best Graphic Album – Reprint
Big Questions, by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)
The Death Ray, by Dan Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
WE3: The Deluxe Edition, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Vertigo/DC)
Zahra’s Paradise, by Amir and Khalil (First Second)

Best Archival Collection/Project – Strips
Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim, by Alex Raymond and Don Moore, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Forgotten Fantasy: Sunday Comics 1900-1915, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
Prince Valiant vols. 3-4, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
Tarpé Mills’s Miss Fury Sensational Sundays, 1944-1949, edited by Trina Robbins (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books
Government Issue: Comics for the People: 1940s-2000s, edited by Richard L. Graham (Abrams ComicArts)
The MAD Fold-In Collection, by Al Jaffee (Chronicle)
PS Magazine: The Best of Preventive Maintenance Monthly, by Will Eisner (Abrams ComicArts)
The Sugar and Spike Archives, vol. 1, by Sheldon Mayer (DC)
Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
Bubbles & Gondola, by Renaud Dillies (NBM)
Isle of 100,000 Graves, by Fabien Vehlmann and Jason (Fantagraphics)
Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot, by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Patrick Manchette (Fantagraphics)
The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt (Dark Horse Books)
Night Animals: A Diptych About What Rushes Through the Bushes, by Brecht Evens (Top Shelf)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia
A Bride’s Story, by Kaoru Mori (Yen Press)
Drops of God, by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto (Vertical)
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Saturn Apartments, vols. 3-4, by Hisae Iwaoka (VIZ Media)
Stargazing Dog, by Takashi Murakami (NBM)
Wandering Son, vol. 1, by Shimura Takako (Fantagraphics)

Best Writer
Cullen Bunn, The Sixth Gun (Oni)
Mike Carey, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)
Jeff Jensen, Green River Killer: A True Detective Story (Dark Horse Books)
Jeff Lemire, Animal Man, Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (DC); Sweet Tooth (Vertigo/DC)
Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible (BOOM!); Daredevil (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist
Rick Geary, The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti (NBM)
Terry Moore, Rachel Rising (Abstract Studio)
Sarah Oleksyk, Ivy (Oni)
Craig Thompson, Habibi (Pantheon)
Jim Woodring, Congress of the Animals (Fantagraphics), “Harvest of Fear,” in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #17 (Bongo)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Michael Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)
Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia)
Chris Samnee, Captain America and Bucky, Ultimate Spider-Man #155 (Marvel)
Marcos Martin, Daredevil (Marvel)
Paolo Rivera/Joe Rivera, Daredevil (Marvel)

Best Cover Artist
Michael Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC)
Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther (Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars (Dynamite); Archie Meets Kiss (Archie)
Victor Kalvachev, Blue Estate (Image)
Marcos Martin, Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel)
Sean Phillips, Criminal: The Last of the Innocent (Marvel Icon)
Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)

Best Coloring
Laura Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)
Bill Crabtree, The Sixth Gun (Oni)
Ian Herring and Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia)
Victor Kalvachev, Blue Estate (Image)
Cris Peter, Casanova: Avaritia, Casanova: Gula (Marvel Icon)

Best Lettering
Deron Bennett, Billy Fog, Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, Mr. Murder Is Dead (Archaia); Helldorado, Puss N Boots, Richie Rich (APE Entertainment)
Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! The Meaning of Life … And Other Stuff (Atheneum)
Laura Lee Gulledge, Page by Paige (Amulet Books/Abrams)
Tom Orzechowski, Manara Library, with L. Lois Buholis(Dark Horse); Manga Man (Houghton Mifflin); Savage Dragon (Image)
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Journalism
The AV Club Comics Panel, by Noel Murray, Oliver Sava et al., www.avclub.com/features/comics-panel/
The Beat, produced by Heidi MacDonald et al., www.comicsbeat.com
The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, and The Comics Journal website, www.tcj.com, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel (Fantagraphics)
The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com
TwoMorrows Publications: Alter Ego edited by Roy Thomas, Back Issue edited by Michael Eury, Draw edited by Mike Manley, and Jack Kirby Collector edited by John Morrow

Best Educational/Academic Work
Alan Moore: Conversations, ed. by Eric Berlatsky (University Press of Mississippi)
Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods, edited by Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan (Routledge)
Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield (University Press of Mississippi)
Projections: Comics and the History of 21st Century Storytelling, by Jared Gardner (Stanford University Press)

Best Comics-Related Book
Archie: A Celebration of America’s Favorite Teenagers, edited by Craig Yoe (IDW/Yoe Books)
Caniff: A Visual Biography, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Drawing Power: A Compendium of Cartoon Advertising, edited by Rick Marschall and Warren Bernard (Fantagraphics/Marschall Books)
Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Best Publication Design
Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman (Archaia)
Kinky & Cosy, designed by Nix (NBM)
The MAD Fold-In Collection, designed by Michael Morris (Chronicle)
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, designed by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Prix Expozine / Expozine Awards – Finalists named, ceremony April 4th (tomorrow) in Montreal

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Bryan Munn, who is on fire these days with his linkblogging has posted the list of 2011 Expozine prize nominees over at Sequential. We figure you’d like to know here so we’re posting similar information.

The Expozine Awards / Prix Expozine finalists were selected from books submitted at last fall’s Expozine in Montreal.

Here’s some info from Drink & Draw Montreal about the Awards and the ceremony (which is the English translation of the information we’ve posted in French at the bottom of this article:

At the 2011 edition of the Expozine small press fair last November, the organizing team asked each of the more than 270 exhibitors to submit a copy of their best new publication for consideration for the Expozine Alternative Press Awards. A panel of six judges from the Montreal small press milieu selected six finalists and one winner in each of three categories: best book, best zine and best comic, in English and French.

The winners will be announced at the Gala, where copies of most of the 36 nominated publications—many of which are not easy to find anywhere else—will be available for sale. It’s a rare chance to meet and mingle with the most talented up-and-comers of Montreal’s vibrant small press community!

The presentation ceremony is free to attend, and will be hosted by Simon Paquet:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 8PM,
at Le Divan Orange, 4234, boul. Saint-Laurent (métro stop Mont-Royal)

The Finalists Are:

Fanzine Francophone
A64N, Autobus64Nord
Tout va bien, No. 8
Fanzoune – Bestiaire des mots en « oune », Joseph Baril
Impossible voyage, Celine Huyghebaert
L’École de Quimper Des petites choses dans quelque chose, Romain Bobichon et Julie Bonnaud
La Conspiration dépressioniste, numéro 8, Jasmin Miville-Allard / Mathieu Gauthier / Yannick Lacroix

Livre Francophone
Carnavals divers, Jean-Philippe Tremblay, Éditions de L’écrou
M.I.C.H.E.L. T.R.E.M.B.L.A.Y., Orson Spencer, Les Éditions de Ta mère
Mile End, Michel Hellman, Éditions Pow Pow
Petit lexique pornographique à l’usage des vieux cochons et des jeunes truies, Adeline Rognon, Éditions La Musardine
Repères Notes décryptées, volume 1, Lou Sabourin, Les créations Lou Sabourin
Typographie inusuelle, Marc Pantanella, Éditions L’Oie de Cravan et Finitude

Bande Dessinée Francophone
Le bestiaire des fruits, par Zviane (Sylvie-Anne Ménard)
The Best of Iris Vol. 2, par Iris (Iris Boudreau)
Boni, tome 1: Le bout de la carotte, par Ian Fortin, Premières Lignes
Boumeries, volume 1, par Boum (Samantha Leriche-Gionet), auto-publication
Les cornichons étrangers, par Dimo Garcia, auto-publication
Pinkerton, par François Samson-Dunlop et Alexandre Fontaine-Rousseau, Colosse

English Book
Food & Trembling, Jonah Campbell, Invisible Publishing
You Are A Cat!, Sherwin Tjia, conundrum press
echoic mimic, Lesley Trites, snare books
Fear Itself, Matthew Brown, Éditions Trip
The North Yorker, Alain Mercieca
Unspent Love, Shannon Gerard, conundrum press

English Zine
The Wrecked Woman, Kara Sievewright
Korea, Jese Gordon
twilight in a room, dreams, and abyss, Yen-Chao Lin
Toughie, Coming of Age Stories, Kerri Flannigan
Pervy Calendar Zine, various contributors (including : Jessica Charest, Francois Pednault, Chloe Surprenant, Rochelle Ross and 50+ others!)
Prologue, Jonathan Reid Sévigny

English Comic
Maidenheadlock, Rebecca Rosen, Le Dernier Cri
Pope Hats No. 2, Ethan Rilly
“Untitled” by Mum Pittsburg, Connor Willumsen
The Man Who Built Beirut, Andy Warner
Melody On Stage, Sylvie Rancourt and Jacques Boivin, Éditions Melody
Collier’s Popular Press, David Collier, conundrum press

C’est quoi les Prix Expozine ?
Le comité organisateur a demandé à chacun des quelque 270 exposants et éditeurs d’Expozine 2011 de soumettre leur meilleure création. Six juges distingués ont procédé au choix des six finalistes dans les catégories : meilleur livre, meilleure bande dessinée et meilleur fanzine, en anglais et en français.
Les gagnants seront connus au Gala et de plus, des exemplaires des 36 publications finalistes seront disponibles pour l’achat – ce qui sera une excellente occasion pour se procurer des copies de ces publications particulières et souvent ayant des tirages très limités !
Le Gala des Prix Expozine est commandité par le Conseil des Arts de Montréal, SODEC ainsi que par la libraire Drawn and Quarterly et la libraire Le Port de Tête, 262 Mont-Royal E.
Visiter le blogue Expozine pour des photos, vidéos et couverture médiatique de la dernière édition de la foire Expozine en 2011!!!

Nominating: Preparing for Round Two and the Final Ballot

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So last week I discussed what goes on in the first round of nominating for the Joe Shuster Awards, by examining four specific categories and how the process works. About how we ask our 17 member committee (which is in fact two unique groups – 13 on the English committee, and 4 on the French), to each supply us with a ranked list of their top five choices from the master list of eligible creators that we supplied them (and updated when necessary). They had two and a half months to look over the list and narrow down their choices.

It is very important to us here at the Joe Shuster Awards that there be a sense of transparency about what we do and how we do it. You may not agree completely with our methods, but it is key that we are up front about them. We want the Final Ballot to accurately reflect in the best way that we can the most outstanding work that was done by Canadian creators in the previous year.

Because of the large group nominating we end up with a very wide variety of creators in each of the categories, but what is important to us here at this point in the process as we tabulate the results is where those lists are overlapping — because in order to advance for consideration to Round Two and/or the final ballot, at least one other member of the nominating committee had to select that same creator on their list.

We also have a caveat to that rule — and that is that any creator that is nominated by more than 50% of our nominating committee members automatically bypasses the second round of discussion/voting and goes on the Final Ballot for Jury Consideration.

Now that we have our list of seconded creators, we take a closer look at the number of votes received by each and the rankings given (I won’t be revealing the specific rankings, however in the next post I’ll let you know who advanced to Round Two.

The 4 member French nominating committee was able to finalize their selections in the first round as in all four categories at least 2 nominees in each received over 50% of the vote – 2 Artists, 3 Cartoonists, 3 Writers and 2 Cover Artists advance to the Final Ballot. Generally we look for a 5 English, 2 French split in each category, but if it’s clear that our nomcom feels that there are 3 strong candidates for consideration at the jury level we will increase the number of spots to 8 for a 5/3 split.

The 13 member English nominating committee was a lot more divided. In fact, no Artists, and only 1 Cartoonist and 1 Cover Artist advance to the Final Ballot. However, 5 Writers did receive more than 50% support so all advance and the category is finalized.

(However, I cannot share with you at this time which 8 of the 13 writers will end up on the final ballot at this time. So feel free to make some predictions…!)

In order to finalize the remaining spots we have to advance to second round of voting. Those creators with 3 or more votes but less than 7 votes will go on to ROUND TWO. That worked out perfectly to 10 creators per category.

Please note, for the sake of brevity, I’ve tried listing only one project per creator – as they are nominated for their body of work, some of the listings would be quite lengthy otherwise.

ARTIST
24 Seconded, 12 received 3 or more nominations
2 creators receive over 50% support and advance to the Final Ballot – 5 spots open

Chris Bachalo (Wolverine and the X-Men), Andy Belanger (Kill Shakespeare), Pierre Bouchard (Motel Galactic), Patrick Boutin-Gagne (La Bete du Lac: le Guardiaen), (Svetlana Chmakova (Witch and Wizard: The Manga), Marian Churchland (Northlanders), Darwyn Cooke (House of Mystery), Marc Delafontaine (Les Nombrils T.5), Dale Eaglesham (Alpha Flight), Tom Grummett (Incredible Hulks), Patrick Henaff (Le Testament du Capitaine Crown T.1), Stuart Immonen (Fear Itself), Fred Jourdain (Le Dragon Bleu/The Blue Dragon), Karl Kerschl (House of Night), Jeff Lemire (Jonah Hex), Steve Molnar (Star Trek Ongoing), Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing), Stephanie Poulin (Au Pays de la Memoire Blanche), Ramon Perez (Captain America and the First Thirteen), Riley Rossmo (Green Wake), Fiona Staples (Jonah Hex), Cameron Stewart (Batman Incorporated Leviathan Strikes!), Doug Wheatley (Star Wars Dark Times – Out of the Wilderness), Jim Zubkavich (SkullKickers).

CARTOONIST
20 seconded, 11 received 3 or more nominations
4 creators receive over 50% support and advance to the Final Ballot – 4 spots open

Alex A. (L’Agent Jean T.1), Claude Auchu (Une Annee en Quarantine), Jimmy Beaulieu (Comedie Sentimentale Pornagraphique), Chester Brown (Paying for It), Scott Chantler (Three Thieves Book 2), Darwyn Cooke (“The Seventh” from Parker: The Martini Edition), Guy Delisle (Chroniques de Jerusalem), Jean-Paul Eid (Le Fond de Trou), Ray Fawkes (One Soul), Jesse Jacobs (Even the Giants), Karl Kerschl/Cameron Stewart (count as 1 – Assassin’s Creed: The Fall), Francois Lapierre (Chroniques Sauvages), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Francis Manapul (The Flash), Pat McKeown (Hair Shirt), Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung Fu), Joe Ollmann (Mid-Life), Ramon Perez (Tale of Sand), Michel Rabagliati (Paul au Parc), Seth (Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists).

COVER ARTIST
21 seconded, 13 received 3 or more nominations
3 creators received over 50% support and advance to the Final Ballot – 4 spots open

Kalman Andrasofszky (Various), Kaare Andrews (Various), Chris Bachalo (Various), Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant), Nick Bradshaw (Various), Travis Charest (Captain America 616, Mighty Thor 1), Darwyn Cooke (Various), Michael Del Mundo (Various), Jean-Paul Eid (Le Fond de Trou), David Finch (Various), W. Scott Forbes (Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Seven Second Set), Fred Jourdain (Le Dragon Bleu/The Blue Dragon), Dale Keown (Various), Francois Lapierre (Chroniques Sauvages), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Jonah Hex), Francis Manapul (Various), Yanick Paquette (Various), Alexander Perkins (Kill Shakespeare 11), Fiona Staples (Various), Doug Wheatley (Various), Chrissie Zullo (Cinderella: Fables are Forever).

WRITER
13 seconded, 8 received 3 or more nominations
8 creators received over 50% support and advance to the Final Ballot – CLOSED

Ian Boothby (Simpsons Comics), Anthony Del Col/Connor McCreery (count as 1 – Kill Shakespeare), Francis Desharnais (Motel Galactic), Maryse Dubuc (Les Nombrils T.5), Ray Fawkes (Skullkickers), Kathryn Immonen (Wolverine and Jubilee), Francois Lapierre (La Bete du Lac: Le Gardiaen), Jeff Lemire (Animal Man), John Rogers (Dungeons and Dragons), Tristan Roulot (Le Testament de Capitaine Crown T.1), J. Torres (Archie), Kurtis Wiebe (Green Wake), Jim Zubkavich (Skullkickers).

*************

Congratulations to all who were seconded!

I’ll get into discussing Round Two in the next update.

2012 Stumptown Comic Arts Awards – Final Nominees Announced

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Stumptown Comics Fest is proud to announce the final list of nominees for the 2012 Stumptown Comic Arts Awards as chosen by our panel of judges. Voting will take place online until 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 18. Anyone with internet access is eligible to vote at http://www.stumptowncomics.com/awards.php. Votes will be tabulated, and the awards will be presented to the winners during the Comics Fest After Party on Saturday, April 28 at the Jupiter Hotel.

The Nominees are . . .

Best Writer

  • Joshua Willamson, Sketch Monsters
  • Phillip Gelatt, Petrograd
  • Cullen Bunn, The Sixth Gun V. 2: Crossroads
  • Brandon Graham, Prophet
  • John Arcudi and Mike Mignola, BPRD: Hell on Earth — Russia

Best Artist

  • Tyler Crook, Petrograd
  • Fiona Staples, Saga
  • Gary Gianni, Monster Men
  • Brian Hurt, The Sixth Gun V. 2: Crossroads
  • Jonathan Case, Green River Killer

Best Cartoonist

  • Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo: Fox Hunt
  • Roman Muradov, The Yellow Zine
  • Ray Fawkes, One Soul
  • Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets
  • Carla Speed McNeil, Finder

Best Letterer

  • Nate Piekos, Green River Killer
  • Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo: Fox Hunt
  • Tom Orzechowski and Lois Buhalis, Manara Library
  • Roman Muradov, The Yellow Zine
  • Doug Sherwood, Petrograd

Best Colorist

  • Bill Crabtree, The Sixth Gun V. 2: Crossroads
  • Dave Stewart, Hellboy: House of the Living Dead; Chimichanga
  • Roman Muradov, The Yellow Zine
  • Richard Ballermann, The Prophet
  • Diana Nock, The Intrepid Girlbot: Unconditional, Vol. 1

Best Publication Design

  • Petrograd, Tyler Crook and Keith Wood
  • Any Empire, Nate Powell and Tony Ong
  • Luci’s Let Down, Marjee Chmiel and Sandra Lanz
  • Kus! #9, Ryan Sands
  • Dotter of her Father’s Eyes, Bryan Talbot

Best Anthology

  • Study Group Magazine #1, edited by Zack Soto
  • Lies Grownups Told Me, edited by Nomi Kane, Jen Vaughn, Caitlin M.
  • Kus! #9, edited by Ryan Sands
  • Elf World #2, edited by Francois Vigneault
  • Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson

Best Small Press

  • Gangsta Rap Posse #2, Benjamin Marra
  • The Intrepid Girlbot: Unconditional, Vol. 1, Diana Nock
  • Fugue #1, Beth Hetland
  • Luci’s Let Down, Marjee Chmiel and Sandra Lanz
  • Study Group Magazine #1, Zack Soto

Best New Talent

  • Jonathan Case, Dear Creature, Green River Killer
  • Roman Muradov, The Yellow Zine
  • Diana Nock, The Intrepid Girlbot: Unconditional, Vol. 1
  • Marjee Chmiel, Luci’s Let Down
  • Johnny Negron, Diamond Comics #6

Reader’s Choice: Voters are encouraged to list their three favorite comics of the last twelve months, and the winner will be tabulated from all submissions received.

Only one vote will be counted per person, duplicates will be eliminated.

It’s coming… Scott Pilgrim in Colour

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This August, Oni Press and Bryan Lee O’Malley will be bringing the uber-popular Scott Pilgrim series back to store shelves, but this time as an ultra-swank, 6 X 9, full-color hardcover edition. Scott Pilgrim Color Hardcover, Volume 1 reprints the Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life for the first time in full color. The digital coloring is by the Shuster Award-nominated (and WINNING) artist Nathan Fairbairn, the colorist for Batman Incorporated and Swamp Thing, and the whole thing is capped with a new cover from O’Malley.

“Everybody loves Bryan’s black-and-white artwork,” series editor James Lucas Jones explained, “but after seeing the few color stories he did with Scott and the gang, it was hard to avoid imagining a ‘what if?’ scenario. Now those wild dreams have come true. And to have one of the best colorists in the industry at the helm, that just seals the deal.”

“It’s been eight years since the first Scott Pilgrim book was published,” Oni marketing director Cory Casoni added. “Since then, the series has seen over twenty first reprints of the original format, with over a million copies of the first volumes sold. Scott Pilgrim Color Hardcover, Volume 1 takes the familiar story from the original Scott Pilgrim series and gives it a new look. Plus it includes previously unpublished extras and bonus materials making this mighty tome one that’s required reading for Scottaholics everywhere!”

Scott Pilgrim Color Hardcover, Volume 1 will be the first of six hardcover reprints to be published bi-annually. Scott Pilgrim Color Hardcover, Volume 2 is currently scheduled for an October 2012 release.

Each volume will be sized at 6” x 9”, making it bigger than the original versions, as well. “We’re upgrading the presentation in every way,” Jones said. “The traditional black-and-white versions will be there for those who still prefer that option, but now everyone can have a choice. One, the other, or both!”

Scheduled for a August 8th, 2012 publication date, Scott Pilgrim Color Hardcover, Volume 1 will retail for $24.99.

Cary Nord goes Exclusive with Valiant

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CARY NORD Signs As VALIANT’s First Exclusive Creator
Valiant is proud to announce that Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord has signed on to become the publisher’s first exclusive creator. Nord will be making his Valiant Comics debut alongside New York Times best-selling author Robert Venditti in X-O Manowar #1 — a landmark 40-page issue that launches Valiant’s return to comic shops on May 2nd.
“It’s been immensely exciting working on X-O Manowar,” said Nord. “I’m having a great time working with this character and this team. The chance to help define the Valiant Universe was one that was just too good to pass up.”
With over two decades of industry experience, Nord has contributed to some of the most popular series in comics, including Daredevil and Action Comics, and has collaborated with some of the industry’s preeminent talents. With writer Kurt Busiek, Nord forged an Eisner Award-winning run on Dark Horse’s Conan.
This May, Nord tackles the return of another comic book icon with X-O Manowar #1 — the first issue of a new ongoing series that will cement the foundations of the Valiant Universe — and spotlight the visceral action and dynamic storytelling that have made him a fan favorite artist around the world.
“Cary is a tremendous talent and his work on X-O Manowar has elicited an off-the-charts response from fans and retailers. We’re extraordinarily happy to have him on board for the long haul,” said Executive Editor Warren Simons. ”We’re dedicated to bringing excellence with our comics month in and month out, and Cary has already proven himself to be a true visionary in designing the new direction of the Valiant Universe with X-O Manowar.”
Get your first look at Nord’s spectacular work on X-O Manowar #1 when the Summer of Valiant begins on May 2nd! And don’t forget to ask your local retailer about the X-O Manowar #1 exclusive Pullbox and QR Voice variant covers. Visit www.ValiantUniverse.com for more information and news on all of Valiant’s summer titles –Harbinger #1 in June, Bloodshot #1 in July, and Archer & Armstrong #1 in August.
X-O MANOWAR #1 – ON SALE MAY 2nd!
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by ESAD RIBIC (MAR121221)
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by CARY NORD (MAR121222)
Variant Cover by DAVID AJA (MAR121223)
QR Voice Variant by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC (MAR121224)
$3.99/Rated T+/40 pgs.
X-O MANOWAR #2 – ON SALE JUNE 6th!
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC (APR121257)
Variant Cover by ARTURO LOZZI (APR121258)
$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.

A look at the JSAs nominating process – Round One

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So our nominating committees have been hard at work determining who will be selected for the 2012 Joe Shuster Awards ballot, so presented here – for transparency’s sake, are a list of creators who were nominated in four specific categories from hundreds of possible works. In order to be nominated, at least one member of the 17 member nominating committee has to select the creator as one of their “final five” ranked selections. Nominees must have created an original printed comic book or graphic album in either English or French that was professionally distributed to specialty shops and/or bookstores between 1/1/2012 and 12/31/2012.

Presented below are those creators that were nominated at least once for the process:

ARTIST (36 nominated)

Chris Bachalo, Andy Belanger, Patrick Boutin-Gagne, Nick Bradshaw, Caro Caron, Bernard Chang, Svetlana Chmakova, Marian Churchland, Darwyn Cooke, Dave Cooper, Wes Craig, Marc Delafontaine, Ghyslaine Duguay, Dale Eaglesham, Tom Fowler, Tom Grummett, Patrick Henaff, Stuart Immonen, Fred Jourdain, Karl Kerschl, Jacques Lamontagne, Jeff Lemire, James Lloyd, Steve Molnar, Yanick Paquette, Stephanie Poulin, Ramon Perez, Riley Rossmo, Claude St. Aubin, Dan Schoenning, Fiona Staples, Jay Stephens, Cameron Stewart, Doug Wheatley, Craig Yeung, Jim Zubkavich.

CARTOONIST (31 nominated)

Alex A., Von Allen, Claude Auchu, Jimmy Beaulieu, Marc Bell, Chester Brown, Scott Chantler, Darwyn Cooke, Willow Dawson, Guy Delisle, Jean-Paul Eid, Ray Fawkes, Pascal Girard, Michel Hellman, Jesse Jacobs, Karl Kerschl & Cameron Stewart (count as 1), Jeff Lemire, Francois Lapierre, Francis Manapul, Pat McKeown, Kagan McLeod, Joe Ollmann, Ramon Perez, Michel Rabagliati, Seth, Dave Sim, Fiona Smyth, Ashley Spires, James Stokoe, Melanie Watt, Zach Worton.

COVER ARTIST (43 nominated)

Kalman Andrasofszky, Kaare Andrews, Chris Bachalo, Jimmy Beaulieu, Kate Beaton, Andy Belanger, Patrick Boutin-Gagne, Nick Bradshaw, Chester Brown, Scott Chantler, Travis Charest, Darwyn Cooke, Willow Dawson, Mike Del Mundo, Marc Delafontaine, Cyril Doisneau, Jean-Paul Eid, David Finch, W. Scott Forbes, Pascal Girard, Michel Hellman, Patrick Henaff, Fred Jourdain, Karl Kerschl, Dale Keown, Scott Kowalchuk, Jacques Lamontagne, John Lang, Francois Lapierre, Jeff Lemire, Francis Manapul, Pat McKeown, Cary Nord, Yanick Paquette, Alexander Perkins, Ethan Rilly, Yves Rodier, Riley Rossmo, Ashley Spires, Fiona Staples, Richard Suicide, Doug Wheatley, Chrissie Zullo.

WRITER (23 nominated)

Frederic Antoine, Ian Boothby, Luc Bosse, Anthony Del Col & Connor McCreery (count as 1), Francis Desharnais, Maryse Dubuc, Ray Fawkes, David Finch, Kathryn Immonen, Lovern Kindzierski, Francois Lapierre, Jeff Lemire, Denis Lord, Todd McFarlane, Marie Michaud and Robert LePage (count as 1), John Rogers, Tristan Roulot, Remy Simard and Sylvie Desrosiers (count as 1), Ty Templeton, J. Torres, Kurtis Wiebe, Howard Wong, Jim Zubkavich.

Going into Round Two – Selecting your 2012 Ballot

With the initial list of creators nominated, the next step is to see how many creators have been SECONDED, that is at least one other person on the 17 member nominating committee also selected that person in their top 5 selections.

Then we do a sort based on (1) number of votes and (2) the rank in the nominator’s top five (which is weighted – first choice = 5 points, last choice = 4 points).

Creators that are not seconded do not proceed to the second round of consideration. 7, or in some cases 8, creators will make the final ballot in these four categories.

I’ll be back in a week or less with an update on who was seconded from the lists above.

Doug Wright Awards announce 2012 Finalists

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For Immediate Release:

Brown, Seth, Beaton, Ollmann, DeForge short-listed for 2012 Doug Wright Awards

Legendary cartoonist Terry ‘Aislin’ Mosher to be inducted into Hall of Fame during annual ceremony

March, 27, Toronto, ON — The Doug Wright Awards are proud to announce their finalists for 2012. The 15 nominees include established heavy-weights and past winners (Chester Brown, Seth, Marc Bell, Joe Ollmann, Kate Beaton) and a slate of extraordinary younger talent that together represent the finest in Canadian comics.

The nominees for the 2012 Doug Wright Award for Best Book are:

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton (Drawn and Quarterly)
Lose #3 by Michael Deforge (Koyama Press)
Mid-Life by Joe Ollmann (Drawn and Quarterly)
Paying for It by Chester Brown (Drawn and Quarterly)
Reunion by Pascal Girard (Drawn and Quarterly)
The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists by Seth (Drawn and Quarterly)

The nominees for the 2012 Doug Wright Spotlight Award (a.k.a. “The Nipper”) which recognizes talent deserving of wider recognition, are:

Emily Carroll for “The Seven Windows” (from The Anthology Project vol. 2), “Margot’s Room” and “The Prince & the Sea” (and other comics at emcarroll.com/comic).
Patrick Kyle for Black Mass # 5 – 6
Betty Liang for Wet T-Shirt #1, “It’s Only a Secret if You Don’t Tell Anyone” (in š! #9), “Anna Freud’s Recurring Dream” (and other comics at bettyliang.tumblr.com)
Ethan Rilly for Pope Hats #2 (AdHouse Books)Zach Worton for The Klondike (Drawn and Quarterly)

And the nominees for the 2012 Pigskin Peters Award, which recognizes the best in avant-garde or experimental comics, are:

Hermoddities by Temple Bates (Conundrum Press)
Pure Pajamas Marc Bell (Drawn and Quarterly)
Hellberta by Michael Comeau (Koyama Press)
‘Untitled’ by Mum Pittsburg, Jupiter Leucetius! Send Us a King. We Are So Bored (and other comics at connorwillumsen.com) by Connor Willumsen

Founded in 2004, The Doug Wright Awards recognize the best in English-language comics (or translations of French) by Canadians living in the country and abroad. Now in their eighth year, the awards will take place on May 5, 2012 in Toronto at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall as a feature event of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF.)

The Doug Wright Awards and TCAF are also pleased to announce that legendary political cartoonist Terry Mosher (who works under the pen name “Aislin”) will be on hand at this year’s ceremony to be inducted into The Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame.

This year marks Mosher’s 40th anniversary of publishing his acerbic and often hilarious cartoons in The Montreal Gazette. The Doug Wright Awards, along with its partner TCAF, are proud to have him in-the-flesh for an on-stage discussion about his colourful career and life with writer and Toronto Star columnist Rick Salutin.

Spirited, smart, and always controversial, Mosher will also be a Featured Guest at TCAF which will be held May 5-6.

The nominees for the 2012 Doug Wright Awards were chosen by a committee from a long list of nearly 100 works and submissions published during the 2011 calendar year. This year’s nominating committee included Jerry Ciccoritti, Jeet Heer, Bryan Munn, Chris Randle and Sean Rogers.

The 2012 winners will be decided by a jury that will include: visual artist Shary Boyle, cartoonist John Martz (A Doug Wright Award Best Emerging Talent nominee in 2010 and Pigskin Peters Award nominee in 2008), book artist and professor George Walker and Julie Traves, deputy arts editor for The Globe and Mail.

Cooke and Brown nominated for NCS Awards in 2012.

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As we anxiously await the announcement of who will be nominated for the 2012 Joe Shuster Awards — in the US, the National Cartoonists’ Society has announced their nominees for 2012 and Canadian cartoonists Darwyn Cooke and Chester Brown have been nominated for awards.

For the full list please follow the link below:

The nominees have now been selected and ratified for the 2012 NCS Divisional Awards.

In alphabetical order by last name:

Poster Art by Tom Richmond

COMIC BOOKS-

Darwyn Cooke- “Betty Saves the Day”- Rocketeer Adventures #2

Duncan Fegredo- Hellboy: The Fury

J.H. Williams- Batwoman

GRAPHIC NOVELS-

Chester Brown- Paying For It

Rick Geary- The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti

Ben Katchor- The Cardboard Valise

ON-LINE COMIC STRIPS-

Matthew Inman- The Oatmeal (http://theoatmeal.com/)

Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins- Penny Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic)

Jon Rosenberg- Scenes from a Multiverse (http://amultiverse.com/)

It’s crunch time…

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Hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of March, and with the end of March comes to finalization of the Joe Shuster Awards ballots. About half of our nominating committees have submitted their selections for 2012, so we can see some trends developing!

Yesterday we finalized the list of 10 retailers that will be vying for the honour of receiving the 2012 Harry Kremer Award for Canadian Comic Book Retailing. The retailer committee will have the spring and early summer to whittle those 10 stores down to the top 5 for the presentation ceremony in Montreal in September.

 

Happenings: Comic Book Lounge + Gallery Grand Opening Party / Launch of the Art of Mike Del Mundo display – 3/23/2012 7pm-11pm

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This Friday night in Toronto, the Comic Book Lounge + Gallery is having it’s Grand Opening Party and the launch of The Art of Mike Del Mundo display that runs at the Gallery from now until mid-April. Mike Del Mundo will be at the event to sign autographs and prints and discuss his craft.

For Immediate Release

The Comic Book Lounge + Gallery, your one stop source for comics, graphic novels and original art + Guerilla Printing, the creative community’s online destination for digital printing + The Toronto Cartoonists Workshop, the ultimate source for learning the craft of making comics, have created an integrated comic consumption and comic creation hub!

Now it’s time to celebrate this epic union by inviting all comic fans, comic artists and anyone who answers the call to create to join us at our official launch party AND check out the work of our featured gallery artist for April: Marvel cover artist Mike Del Mundo!

A live DJ will be present to spin the tunes & both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase!

Please note: The Art of Mike Del Mundo display will be available for viewing until mid-April, so even if you can’t make the Grand Opening Party, you can come by and look at the display anytime during The Comic Book Lounge + Gallery’s regular business hours.

GRAND OPENING PARTY : FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd, 2012
PARTY HOURS: 7PM – 11PM
587A COLLEGE STREET (2nd Floor) – TORONTO, ON

Toronto’s Public Libraries Closed – Workers on Strike. But for how long? What about TCAF?

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As of today, Toronto’s 98 branch public library system is closed.

This includes places like the Lillian Smith Branch (home of the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy which has a large graphic novel contingent) where we held the 2008 Joe Shuster Awards ceremony, and the Metro Toronto Reference Library, the home of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, which is scheduled for May 5-6, 2012 — approximately 6+ weeks away

According to news sources, CUPE (the union that represents 2300+ Toronto Public Library workers) walked away from the bargaining table yesterday, as they felt that the talks with the city and the Toronto Public Library Board weren’t going anywhere. Job security seems to be the primary sticking point.

Bottom line is that for now, Toronto’s public libraries are no longer accessible to Toronto’s citizens, many of whom were able to access some very well-stocked graphic novel collections — particularly at the downtown branches. Borrowers have been told to hold on to the items they checked out of the libraries before Sunday, and that late fees will not be charged for the duration of the strike. Certainly the city’s homeless will be despondent over the lack of access to the Toronto Reference Library’s restrooms.

What does this mean, ultimately, for TCAF? For now, one would hope that the union and the city manage to get together and hammer out a new deal before the Festival, which attracts creators from all around the world and across the country, and is also the weekend for the annual presentation of the Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning.

LES FINALISTES DES BÉDÉIS CAUSA ENFIN DÉVOILÉS / FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE PRIX BÉDÉIS CAUSA

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25e FESTIVAL DE LA BANDE DESSINÉE FRANCOPHONE DE QUÉBEC
LES FINALISTES DES BÉDÉIS CAUSA ENFIN DÉVOILÉS

À l’aube de sa 25e présentation, le Festival de la bande dessinée francophone de Québec (FBDFQ), qui se déroule du 11 au 15 avril prochain, a dévoilé ce lundi les finalistes de ses prix Bédéis Causa 2012. Cherchant à récompenser ce qui se fait de mieux en matière de bande dessinée, particulièrement celle créée par les auteurs d’ici, ces prix sont remis depuis les débuts de l’événement, en 1988.

La cérémonie de remise de prix se déroulera cette année au Palais Montcalm, le vendredi 13 avril, à 17 h. Cet événement sera l’occasion de rassembler de nombreux acteurs du 9e art québécois et de souligner la vitalité actuelle du milieu. L’organisation en profitera également pour souligner l’apport de certaines personnes qui, au fil des 25 dernières années, ont contribué au développement du FBDFQ.

LES FINALISTES

Prix Réal-Fillion
Auteur québécois, scénariste ou dessinateur, s’étant le plus illustré avec son premier album professionnel / Québécois creator (artist, writer or team), for their first professional graphic album.
• MICHEL HELLMAN – Mile End (Pow Pow)
• FRED JOURDAIN – Le dragon bleu (Alto)
• CLAUDE AUCHU – Une année en quarantaine (Les Intouchables)

Grand prix de la ville de Québec
Meilleur album de langue française publié au Québec / Best graphic album released in French in Québec
• RADISSON T.3 : COUREURS DES BOIS (Glénat Québec) – Jean-Sébastien Bérubé
• LE FOND DU TROU (La Pastèque) – Jean-Paul Eid
• UNE ANNÉE EN QUARANTAINE (Les Intouchables) – Claude Auchu
• MOTEL GALACTIC (Pow Pow) – Francis Desharnais et Pierre Bouchard
• PAUL AU PARC (La Pastèque) – Michel Rabagliati

Prix Albéric-Bourgeois
Meilleur album de langue française publié à l’étranger par un auteur québécois, dessinateur ou scénariste. / Best graphic album published internationally by a Québécois creator (artist, writer or team)
• L’OSTI DE CHAT T. 1 (Delcourt) – Iris et Zviane
• CHRONIQUES DE JÉRUSALEM (Delcourt) – Guy Delisle
• LES NOMBRILS T. 5 : UN COUPLE D’ENFER (Dupuis) – Delaf & Dubuc
Prix Maurice-Petitdidier
Coup de coeur du jury pour album francophone publié à l’étranger / Jury selected French language graphic album published abroad by a non-Canadian creator
• LES IGNORANTS (FUTUROPOLIS) – Étienne Davodeau
• BLAST T. 2 (DARGAUD) – Manu Larcenet
• POLINA (CASTERMAN) – Bastien Vivès
• HABIBI (CASTERMAN) – Craig Thompson
• QUAI D’ORSAY T. 2 (DARGAUD) – Abel Lanzac et Christophe Blain

Lors de la cérémonie, l’organisation du FBDFQ remettra également le Prix Albert-Chartier, décerné en hommage à un individu ou organisme ayant marqué le monde de la bande dessinée francophone au Québec.

Rappelons que la présente édition des Bédéis Causa porte sur les albums publiés entre février 2011 et février 2012. Comme à l’habitude, la sélection des finalistes a été effectuée par un jury formé de libraires et de chroniqueurs spécialisés.

Criminal Charges Dropped In Canada Customs Manga Case

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For Immediate Release

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund are pleased to announce that the Crown has withdrawn all criminal charges in R. v. Matheson, the case previously described as the “Brandon X case,” which involved a comic book reader who faced criminal charges in Canada relating to comic books on his computer. The defendant, Ryan Matheson, a 27-year-old comic book reader, amateur artist, and computer programmer has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

The total legal costs of this case exceeded $75,000. After taking the case last summer, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund contributed $20,000 to the defense, and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund contributed $11,000. The CBLDF also participated in shaping the defense, including recruiting expert testimony for the trial. The organization is currently seeking funds to help pay off the $45,000 debt Matheson incurred as a result of his case, and to create new tools to prevent future cases. To make a contribution to these important efforts, please visit www.cbldf.org.

After a search of his laptop in 2010, Matheson was wrongfully accused of possessing and importing child pornography because of constitutionally protected comic book images on that device. He was subjected to abusive treatment by police and a disruption in his life that included a two-year period during which he was unable to use computers or the internet outside of his job, severely limiting opportunities to advance his employment and education. Mr. Matheson has agreed to plead to a non-criminal code regulatory offense under the Customs Act of Canada. As a result of the agreement, Matheson will not stand trial. The defense of this case was waged by Michael Edelson and Solomon Friedman of Edelson Clifford D’Angelo LLP. The full Notices of Application detailing Edelson’s defense and outlining the outrageous and unlawful treatment Matheson endured are available on www.cbldf.org or by clicking here: Charter Notice and Jan 15 12 – Matheson Charter Notice.

Speaking out for the first time, Matheson says, “I’m glad to finally put this awful ordeal behind me. Ever since the beginning I knew I had committed no crime, so I was never willing to accept a plea to any criminal charge. The entire legal process is very traumatizing, and the overzealous bail conditions imposed on me were very difficult to endure. Although my defense was extremely strong, all trials are inherently risky and I value my life too much to risk a potential minimum mandatory sentence. I am very grateful for the spectacular work Michael Edelson and his team put into my case, and to all the generous people who supported me and contributed to my defense. I was able to stand up to the very last day and fight for something I believe in.” Matheson has also written a personal statement about his case that appears on www.cbldf.org.

Edelson, who managed the defense says, “The client, and my firm, are grateful to the members of CBLDF and CLLDF for their invaluable financial and moral support with respect to this case, which was of such critical importance to the client, given the very positive outcome we were able to achieve in an area of the law where, here in Canada, the Crown very rarely exercises its discretion to withdraw charges of this nature. The client will have no criminal record, his name will not appear on the Sex Offender Registry in Canada, or elsewhere.”

The Notices of Application available on CBLDF.org detail for the first time the extreme mistreatment Mr. Matheson suffered at the hands of Canadian authorities. He had his right to counsel and Vienna Convention consular rights violated when he was detained without being properly informed of the reason for detention. He was not granted access to counsel, or to the American Embassy. The Application asserts that Customs officers acted as agents for police and conducted an illegal search of his property. Matheson was also the subject of cruel and unusual punishment, including being denied food and blankets. Matheson was even told by police transporting him to prison that “if you get raped in here, it doesn’t count!” The defense detailed these and other abuses and outlined that the comics at issue are constitutionally protected in the United States, the client’s home country. The comics possess artistic merit and are widely available in Canada, Japan and the United States.

Although the outcome of this case is ultimately positive, comic book readers should be aware that there are still dangers for traveling with comics in Canada. Edelson says, “Aside from the very positive outcome to this story, your members should be cautioned concerning the search and seizure regime here in Canada exercised by the Canadian Border Services Agency. Moreover, they should also be aware that although anime and manga is legal in many areas of the United States and Japan, etc., to possess and utilize, the Canadian authorities may take a different view if this material is found on any laptops or mobile devices when you enter the country. Many of the issues that arise in similar circumstances are thoroughly addressed in our comprehensive Notice of Application.”

Edelson’s firm has created a new advisory on traveling with comics and manga in Canada that is available here: CBLDF – Legal Memorandum – Canada Issues. The CBLDF’s previous advisory, which addresses the issues of traveling with comics through international borders is located here: CBLDF Advisory – Comic Book Art at Intl Borders

“This is a good outcome, and we’re glad we were able to contribute to it,” CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein said. “While one always wants to be able to change the rules in court, those opportunities are rare, and in this case, the defense’s extraordinary effort in persuading the Crown to drop criminal charges is a very positive conclusion. We are now focusing our efforts on raising money to help pay off Ryan’s legal debt. We are also working with Ryan and experts in the manga community to create educational tools to help prevent others from needing to go through anything like this themselves. We hope that people will donate to the CBLDF to help us achieve these goals quickly.”

Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund board member Leonard Wong said, “We’re glad this is over for Ryan and want to thank him and his attorneys for their willingness to stand up to our government in this matter. We’re also pleased that the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was able to assist the defense financially and substantively, and are creating new tools to help prevent these kinds of cases in the future. Unfortunately, this could easily happen again, so we continue our stride to establish the CLLDF as a more active ongoing concern. Our immediate focus will now shift towards raising funds and preparing for any future attacks on comics in Canada.”

Please visit www.cbldf.org today to make a donation in support of paying off Ryan’s legal defense and creating new tools to combat abuses like this from happening in the future. You can also support this effort by becoming a member of the CBLDF. Every contribution helps us get Ryan back on his feet, and furthers our efforts to protect the First Amendment rights of comics and manga.

About CBLDF
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. They have defended dozens of Free Expression cases in courts across the United States, and led important education initiatives promoting comics literacy and free expression. For additional information, donations, and other inquiries call 800-99-CBLDF or visit them online at www.cbldf.org.

About CLLDF
The Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1987 to raise money for the defense of a Calgary, Alberta comic shop whose owners were charged with selling obscene materials. The CLLDF has since been maintained on an ad hoc basis to provide financial relief for Canadian comics retailers, publishers, professionals, or readers whose right to free speech has been infringed by civil authorities. Largely dormant since the early 1990s, the CLLDF is reforming to provide support for this case, and reorganizing to ensure that help will be readily available for future cases involving Canadian citizens or authorities. To help the CLLDF in this mission, please go to www.clldf.ca.

ComiCon post-mortem

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Not much to add other than it was great to see many creators and fans in one space. Attendance was better than anticipated, especially on Saturday.

I think that this was a wise move on the part of the company – instead of having a one day February comic show, a 2-day March anime show and an April 2-day comic show everything was merged into a mini-Fan Expo with added elements such as sci-fi guests, horror guests and gaming tournaments. Clearly, this was well received and while I will miss the comics-only shows this was clearly a better proposition for all involved in that it increased attendance and exposure to comics and our dealers and other exhibitors seemed very pleased with the end result. Chances are pretty good that the formula will be repeated again in 2013.

Only two comic guests cancelled to my knowledge – Attila Adorjany (health reasons) and Ramon Perez (deadlines). Francis Manapul could only attend the show on Saturday. Note: Scott Snyder was announced and subsequently postponed to a future show because of a schedule conflict with his wife’s work.

On a side note, I do find it odd that people think that this was somehow a new name. Toronto ComiCON is a brand name that Hobbystar has been pushing since 2001, generally used for the 3 events held per year – 2 one day dealer-centric comic shows and the one spring 2-day event that most people refer to as “Fan Appreciation”. The old name for those spring events were in fact “Toronto ComiCON” with one or both of the days designated as the “Annual Fan Appreciation Day(s)” or “Event”, and if anyone has access to old flyers and advertising going back to 2001 you would see that it’s the same Toronto ComiCON logo used to advertise this past weekend’s event. They’ve been using that name and logo for far longer than I’ve been in the HSM picture (I came on in 2007).