Ross Hutchinson
The Inkwell Awards has released the list of winners of its 12th annual awards for excellence in the art form of comic-book inking. Normally results are first made public at its live awards ceremony during its host show, The Great Philadelphia Comic-Con, but the 2020 event, originally scheduled to take place on April 3-5, was rescheduled for September 4-6 and recently canceled, all due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nominees were submitted by a separate and independent nomination committee both on their own and from artist submissions. Voting by professionals and fans took place in February for one week from the 23rd-29th on the official ballot at the non-profit advocacy’s website. One winner was chosen in each of five categories based on American interior comic-book work printed in and cover-dated 2019.
In addition, the Inkwells’ internal committee this season decided to not limit lifetime achievement awards chosen within a given year. They selected three inductees of the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame and three recipients for the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA). There were no internal Silver Inkwell Awards recipients this year nor any internal & community-based Above & Beyond Awards. Ballot nominees are listed below with their credits and the percentage of votes received by the winners, along with the other nominees in alphabetical order.
FAVORITE INKER (Favorite ink artist over the pencil work of another artist; cannot also be nominated for the “Props” award): Walden Wong (43%)
(genLOCK, Justice League [DC], Crazy, Incredible Hulk: Last Call, Marvel’s Hero Project Season 1: Mighty Rebekah, X-23 [Marvel])
Other nominees: Mark Morales, Joe Prado, Norm Rapmund.
MOST-ADAPTABLE (Artist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencillers): Walden Wong (41%)
(genLOCK, Justice League [DC], Crazy, Incredible Hulk: Last Call, Marvel’s Hero Project Season 1: Mighty Rebekah, Star Wars: Age Of Republic Heroes–Obi-Wan Kenobi, X-23 [Marvel])
Other nominees: Marc Deering, Jonathan Glapion, Scott Hanna, Jay Leisten, Norm Rapmund, J.L. Straw.
PROPS AWARD (Ink artist deserving of more attention): Eber Ferreira (32%)
(Freedom Fighters, Detective Comics, Supergirl [DC])
Other nominees: Jonathan Glapion, Stefano Guadiano, Le Beau Underwood.
S.P.A.M.I. (Favorite Small Press And Mainstream/Independent (non-Marvel//DC) inking over another penciller): Stefano Gaudiano (22%) (Walking Dead [Image])
Other nominees: David Cabeza, Adelso Corona, Anthony Fowler, Le Beau Underwood.
ALL-IN-ONE (Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencil work): Liam Sharp (34%) (Green Lantern [DC])
Other nominees: Brad Krause, Sean Gordon Murphy, Stan Sakai.
THE STACEY ARAGON SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD (SASRA):
Allen Bellman, Sal Buscema and Norman Lee
Other nominees: Jack Abel, Gene Day, Bill Everett, Frank Frazetta, Graham Ingles, Dennis Janke, Michael Kaluta, Pablo Marcos, June Tarpe Mills, Bob Oksner, George Papp, Wendy Pini, Stan Sakai, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Simons, Jim Starlin, Art Thibert, Charles Vess, Al Vey and Bob Wiacek.
THE JOE SINNOTT HALL OF FAME:
Bob Layton, John Romita Sr. and Bernie Wrightson
Other nominees: Brett Breeding, Johnny Craig, Mike Esposito, George Klein, Steve Leialoha, Pablo Marcos, Terry Moore, Mike Royer, Chic Stone and Bob Wiacek.
Joe Sinnott, the award’s namesake and first winner, passed away June 25 at the age of 93. He made the following statement about the inductees late last year:
“It is with great pleasure that we have elected 3 very worthy and deserving artists to the growing list of members inducted into the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame.
“I have never had the pleasure to work with Bernie Wrightson, but have admired his tremendous work for years. His work on “Swamp Thing” was a pleasure to see, but I feel that his “Frankenstein” art is some of the best work ever published. Bernie lived for many years in my hometown of Saugerties, and it was always a pleasure to see him. We always had great talks when we would get together. We all miss him very much.
“When Bob Layton was an up-and-coming artist, he would come to visit me at my home from time to time. We certainly had some great visits then, and still enjoy getting together at conventions. Bob’s work on “Iron Man” has certainly made a major impact on comics and on the big screen as well. I did ink a cover with Bob many years ago. (“Power Man” #63). I am so proud of Bob and what he’s accomplished.
“What can I say of John Romita that hasn’t already been said. John is a legend in his own right. I have worked with him on countless projects throughout the years such as “The Fantastic Four,” “Captain America” and even a “Star Wars Droids” story. You can add in numerous covers as well. We don’t see each other as much as we once did, but it is always a great pleasure to spend time with John at the few shows that we do attend.
“It is an honor to have these three outstanding gentlemen enshrined in our Hall of Fame. They have all brought a tremendous talent and plenty of hard work, dedication and class to the comic industry. Their pencil work alone is an asset to the industry, but their inked work makes it all the better. Great job!”
Full acceptance statements from the winners will be found in the “Award Recipients” section of the Inkwell Awards’ website.
The Inkwell Awards is the only official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and educate regarding the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize the best ink artists and their work. Established in 2008, 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.
