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Baltimore Comic Con 2013: Harvey Awards Winners

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This past weekend was Baltimore Comic Con 2013 and with it the 2013 Harvey Awards. The awards were named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, the cartoonist and founding editor of MAD magazine.

The full list of nominees can be found below, with the winners in bold.

Congratulations to all the winners!

BEST LETTERER

Joe Caramagna, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Chris Eliopoulos, COW BOY: A BOY AND HIS HORSE, Archaia
Todd Klein, FABLES, DC Comics
Jack Morelli, ARCHIE, Archie Comics
Chris Ware, BUILDING STORIES, Pantheon

BEST COLORIST

Laura Allred, FF , Marvel Comics
Matt Hollingsworth, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Tito Pena, ARCHIE, Archie Comics
Ed Ryzowski, GUTTERS, the-gutters.com
Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP or PANEL

CUL DE SAC, Richard Thompson, Universal Press Syndicate
DICK TRACY, Joe Staton and Mike Curtis, Tribune Media Services
GET FUZZY, Darby Conley, United Feature Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, Stephen Pastis, United Feature Syndicate

BEST ONLINE COMICS WORK

BANDETTE, Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover, http://www.monkeybraincomics.com/titles/bandette/
BATTLEPUG, Mike Norton, http://www.battlepug.com
THE DREAMER, Lora Innes, http://www.thedreamercomic.com
NIMONA, Noelle Stevenson, http://gingerhaze.com/nimona
SHELDON, Dave Kellett, http://sheldoncomics.com

BEST AMERICAN EDITION of FOREIGN MATERIAL

ABELARD, NBM
BLACKSAD: A SILENT HELL, Dark Horse
NEW YORK MON AMOUR, Fantagraphics Books
SHARAZ-DE: TALES FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS, Archaia
NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS, VOL. 22, VIZ Media

BEST INKER

Steve Ellis, ONLY LIVING BOY, Bottled Lightning
Jonathan Glapion, BATMAN, DC Comics
Klaus Janson, CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Comics
Mark Morales, AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, Marvel Comics
Bob Smith, LIFE WITH ARCHIE, Archie Comics

BEST NEW SERIES

ADVENTURE TIME, KaBOOM! Studios
HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
NEW CRUSADERS: RISE OF THE HEROES, Red Circle Comics
REVIVAL, Image Comics
SAGA, Image Comics

MOST PROMISING NEW TALENT

Jerry Gaylord, FANBOYS VS. ZOMBIES, BOOM! Studios
Dennis Hopeless, AVENGERS ARENA, Marvel Comics
Ryan Jampole, MEGA MAN, Archie Comics
Mark Mariano, Happyloo, MyPalMark.com
David Nytra, THE SECRET OF THE STONE FROG, Toon Books

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR IN COMICS

Chad Lambert, THE POSSUM AT LARGE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CRAPTACULAR, Old School Comics
Ryan North, ADVENTURE TIME, KaBOOM! Studios
Dan Parent, KEVIN KELLER, Archie Comics
Chris Sparks, TEAM CUL DE SAC: CARTOONISTS DRAW THE LINE AT PARKINSON’S, Andrews McMeel
Jim Zub, IMAGE COMICS, Skullkickers

BEST ORIGINAL GRAPHIC PUBLICATION FOR YOUNGER READERS

ADVENTURE TIME, KaBOOM! Studios
AMELIA RULES: HER PERMANENT RECORD, Simon and Schuster
COW BOY: A BOY AND HIS HORSE, Archaia
DRAMA, Schoolastic
SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES, DC Comics
THE SHARK KING, Toon Books

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED

ALIEN: THE ILLUSTRATED STORY, Titan Books
ARCHIE: THE MARRIED LIFE, BOOK 2, Archie Comics
CURSED PIRATE GIRL COLLECTED EDITION: VOLUME ONE, Archaia
HEADS OR TAILS, Fantagraphics
KING CITY, Image

BEST ANTHOLOGY

DARK HORSE PRESENTS, various, Dark Horse
DISTRICT COMICS, Matt Dembicki, Fulcrum Publishing
ONCE UPON A TIME MACHINE, Andrew Carl, Dark Horse
TEAM CUL DE DE SAC: CARTOONISTS DRAW THE LINE AT PARKINSON’S, Chris Sparks, Andrews McMeel
WOMANTHOLOGY: SPACE, Mariah Huehner, IDW

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT

BEST OF ARCHIE COMICS, VOL. 2, Archie Comics
CAME THE DAWN AND OTHER STORIES, THE EC COMICS LIBRARY, Fantagraphics
CRIME DOES NOT PAY ARCHIVES, Dark Horse Comics
DAVID MAZZUCHELLI’S DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN: ARTIST’S EDITION, IDW
POGO: BONA FIDE BALDERDASH VOL. 2, WALT KELLY’S POGO, Fantagraphics

BEST COVER ARTIST

David Aja, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Steve Ellis, ONLY LIVING BOY, Bottled Lightning
Jenny Frison, REVIVAL, Image Comics
Adam Hughes, FAIREST, Vertigo Comics
Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL, or JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION

ALTER EGO MAGAZINE, TwoMorrows Publishing
JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, TwoMorrows Publishing
TEAM CUL DE DE SAC: CARTOONISTS DRAW THE LINE AT PARKINSON’S, Andrews McMeel
MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY, HarperCollins
ROBOT 6 WEBSITE, Comic Book Resources

SPECIAL AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION

BUILDING STORIES, Chris Ware, Pantheon Books
CURSED PIRATE GIRL COLLECTED EDITION: VOLUME ONE, Jeremy Bastian, Archaia
DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI’S DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN: ARTIST’S EDITION, Scott Dunbier, IDW
TEAM CUL DE DE SAC: CARTOONISTS DRAW THE LINE AT PARKINSON’S, Chris Sparks, Andrews McMeel
THE ART OF BETTY AND VERONICA, Victor Gorelick and Craig Yoe, Archie Comics

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM ORIGINAL

BUILDING STORIES, Pantheon
THE CARTER FAMILY: DON’T FORGET THIS SONG, Abrams ComicArts
MY FRIEND DAHMER, Abrams ComicArts
RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE SCORE, IDW
THE UNDERWATER WELDER, Top Shelf

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES

BATMAN, DC Comics
DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
LOCKE AND KEY, IDW
RACHEL RISING, Abstract Studios
SAGA, Image Comics

BEST WRITER

Matt Fraction, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Joe Hill, LOCKE AND KEY, IDW
Tim Seeley, REVIVAL, Image Comics
Scott Snyder, BATMAN, DC Comics
Brian K. Vaughan, SAGA, Image Comics
Mark Waid, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics

BEST ARTIST

David Aja, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Greg Capullo, BATMAN, DC Comics
Mike Norton, REVIVAL, Image Comics
Chris Samnee, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics

BEST CARTOONIST

Jaime Hernandez, LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES, Fantagraphics
Jeff Lemire, THE UNDERWATER WELDER, Top Shelf
Terry Moore, RACHEL RISING, Abstract Studios
Chris Ware, BUILDING STORIES, Pantheon
Adam Withers and Comfort Love, RAINBOW IN THE DARK, uniquescomic.com

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY

BATMAN # 12, DC Comics
BUILDING STORIES, Pantheon
HAWKEYE # 1, Marvel Comics
LOCKE AND KEY: GRINDHOUSE, IDW
THE MIRE, BeckyCloonan.net
SAGA # 1, Image Comics
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #8, Fantagraphics

Week in Review: July 22-28, 2013

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I hope everyone’s finally recovered from the intensity of SDCC and all of the incredible announcements that came out of the con. Our very own Brett, your host and founder of Graphic Policy, was in attendance and helped keep us up to date (you can find his posts and updates on SDCC here). This week saw the debut of The Wolverine, origin-story sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and in comics we got a little more light cast on the events of Age of Ultron via Hunger #1, witnessed the start of a new crowd favorite Lobster Johnson mini-series, and took a look at the ever-advancing Trinity War saga, along with plenty of other reviews of one-shots, on-going series, and even a graphic novel!

Graphic Policy Radio

July 23, 2013—Elana and Brett cover the glorious Nerd-vana of SDCC, and they take a look at the convention floor, its announcements, and some of the people Brett had a chance to meet. We had some technical issues, so catch the show this coming week.

Comic Reviews

Batman/Superman #2—the second issue in Greg Pak’s and Jae Lee’s already fantastic series gets relatively high marks from Sean, despite the fact that it’s still a tad confusing…

Batwoman #22—Scott picks apart the latest Batwoman issue, and poses some interesting points about where the series is going and why this issue is hollow compared to the rest of the series.

Blood Brothers #1—a new vampire comedy, with a taste of something different gets high ranks; worth buying and reading.

Dark Horse Presents #26—an awesomely (and somewhat overwhelmingly) large anthology of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy comic shorts, featuring reviews of two of many stories.

Devil Executioner One-Shot—a thrilling and creepy one-shot by UK independent creator Martin Ian Smith, which could easily be the beginning of a serious about a bad-ass exorcist. Buying and reading this is a great way to support a young, up-and-coming comic creator!

Gamma One-Shot—a zany, hilarious comic by Ulises Farinas which Sean reads as a satire of some awesome 1990s children franchises.

Hunger #1—Brett takes us on a tour of Fialkov’s exploration of the long-established Ultimate universe as things get down and dirty with…Galactus!

Justice League Dark #22—Trinity War continues in what Sean found to be the second-best piece in this saga (we’re only five parts in, with the Constantine and Pandora tie-ins, and JLA #6 seems to be the best), seeing all of the Justice Leagues rearranged by their loyalties to the World’s Finest and to the Trinity of Sin.

King Conan: Tee Hour of the Dragon #3—Andrew gives us a look at this acclaimed addition to the Conan franchise, hearkening back to the sword-and-sorcery quality of early Conan comics.

Lazarus #2—Scott provides an in-depth review of Greg Rucka’s hot-and-heavy sci-fi dystopic comic; get on board with this if you haven’t yet!

Lobster Johnson: A Scent of Lotus #1—the much anticipated beginning of a new Lobster Johnson mini-series by Mignola gets high praise from Andrew, as a new plot develops with the Tong assassins in a definitely pulp style.

The Massive #14—hot shot Brian Wood continues his sci-fi series, which Brett calls “one of the best monthly series on the market.”

Mind MGMT #13—a surreal one-shot about The Home Maker sleeper agent, which featuring some of the best art this week (I took a look at this myself, and damn it’s great looking).

Movie Review

The Wolverine—I haven’t seen it myself, but Brett (ever our movie reviewer for all things comics and nerdom) found The Wolverine to be a good addition to the X-Men movies, despite finding it a tad boring and predictable. But see for yourself, folks!

Graphic Novel Review

Hellboy: House of the Living Dead—Sean looks back on a two-year old Mignola and Corben graphic novel that takes a look at Hellboy as a luchador, as well as a nod to the great monster films of the early 20th century.

Well that’ll just about do it for this week. Check out our reviews, updates, news, info, and previews, because there’s always more coming! See you next week, Geeks!

Review: Dark Horse Presents #26

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22732As usual, Dark Horse provides tales of intrigue, terror, fear, fun, and excitement in the latest edition of the everything-and-anything anthology Dark Horse Presents #26. This series is a keystone in Dark Horse’s publishing career, as it draws together all of the elements that have made Dark Horse a fantastic company highly deserving of its spot as the third largest comic book seller in America. More so, it was Dark Horse’s main title starting in 1986, cancelled in 2000, and then revived on MySpace (of all places) between 2007 and 2010, with the current volume restarting in print in April 2011.

This month’s issue features eleven stories, some of them in on-going series that have been featured previously in DHP (e.g. the Trekker, Underground, Nexus, Alabaster), some that are debuts for new DHP series (Nosferatu Wars, Juice Squeezers), others that are one-shots, and a Buffy tie-in by television series writer Espenson. Plus, it continues the “Crime Does not Pay” series, which was the title of a famous 1950s comics series.

There’s just too much to review, so I’m only going to focus on my two favorite picks from Dark Horse Presents #26, “Nosferatu Wars” and “Steggy Wilmot and Spimps,” though my rating reflects the book as a whole. And don’t let my selections deter you from thinking there’s other incredible stories in this volume, because believe me, there are.

“Nosferatu Wars” was my favorite of the stories, a tale of vampires during the Black Plague which had my mind turning to Boccaccio’s Decameron (sorry, obscure), and which has a rather limited narrative. It’s written by Steve Niles, a horror master and current writer of Dark Horse’s Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem (not a horror story), and I was surprised to find that “Nosferatu Wars” reads like a hastily put together, cheesy tale of haute societe vampires, despite its definite narrative hook.

The highly realistic art of mMnton3 reminds one of the trompe-l’oeil style popularized in comics by Neal Adams in the 1960s, and has the ring of the fantastic work by Philip S. Tan on the early Savage Hawkman New 52 books (before that run got pretty bad and waned into nonexistence). But comparisons of Menton3’s art to others don’t do Menton3 any justice, as “Nosferatu Wars” has a nature all its own, unique and complex and lively and dead all at the same time.

Just as appealing, but much weirder…significantly so, is Patrick Alexander’s “Steggy Wilmot and Spimps,” which is a pointlessly hilarious and absurd day in the life of an extremely rich billionaire with a sad pig, an ugly butler, and a desire to write a newspaper. In just four pages, Alexander manages to astound and confuse with his out-of-this-world potato-head cast. I really don’t have a clue what’s going on with this story, and I imagine it’s like a rich British man on LSD, but I certainly hope we get more of Alexander’s “Steggy Wilmot and Spimps” weirdness. It’s just gotta happen, right?

Despite being an anthology—and one might fear that some bad eggs could slip in—editor Mike Richardson has ensured a batch of high-quality comics, which run the gamut of realistic horror to funny strip to classic sci-fi. While Dark Horse Presents #26 isn’t for everyone, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in sampling the diverse possibilities of graphic narratives, as well as those who are fans of the genres or writers/artists featured in this issue. DHP certainly delivers.

Story: Ron Randall, Steve Niles, Andrew Vachss, Mike Richardson, David Lapham, Mike Baron, Patrick Alexander, Jane Espenson, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Frank Bariere, Dara Naraghi  Art: Ron Randall, Menton3, Dominic Reardon, David Lapham, Steve Rude, Patrick Alexander, Patric Reynolds, Karl Moline, Andy Owens, Steve Lieber, Micah Kaneshiro, Tom Williams
Story: 8  Art: 8  Overall: 8  Recommendation: Read

Dark Horse’s New Superhero Blackout Debuts in Dark Horse Presents!

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Dark Horse brings us a brand new superhero inside the pages of the Eisner-winning anthology, Dark Horse Presents this coming Wednesday. Blackout is ready for action!

In Blackout, the commonplace life of Scott Travers changes forever when he comes to possess an extraordinary piece of technology that allows him to access a mysterious dimension within our own. Blackout is wire-to-wire excitement in a world where nothing is as it seems.

The story is brought to us by writer Frank Barbiere and artist Micah Kaneshiro.

Catch Blackout appearing in Dark Horse Presents #24, on sale May 22, 2013!

dark horse presents #24 cover

Peter Hogan Unveils King’s Road in Dark Horse Presents!

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Peter Hogan returns to the pages of comics’ greatest anthology, Dark Horse Presents, with King’s Road!

With artwork from Phil Winslade and lettering by Steve Dutro, King’s Road is sure to be another gem for the Eisner-winning monthly.

They were just your average suburban kids until a nightmare from their father’s hidden past came to hunt them down. Now they must fight the evil forces of the usurping witch Malicia for the right to rule a magical kingdom.

About the story, Hogan said:

King’s Road is about someone from another world—a magical, semimedieval world—who came to Earth about twenty years ago, and settled down and raised a family here. But now he has to go back again, taking his family with him, because he’s inherited the throne of that world. Meanwhile, there are all sorts of nasty magical creatures trying to kill him before he gets there.

Catch King’s Road appearing in Dark Horse Presents #23, on sale Wednesday April 24!

DHP2 #23 King's Road PG 01

Dark Horse Presents Turns 25!

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It’s no secret that Dark Horse Presents continues to be comics’ greatest anthology, boasting eighty pages with no ads and new stories every month. Heading into its third year of publication, the Eisner and Harvey Award–winning anthology is bringing in the big guns with the landmark twenty-fifth issue!

After training with Buffy, Billy the vampire slayer heads back to his hometown to deal with the zompire epidemic! Delve into a time-travel story from Eisner Award–winning writer Matt Fraction! Publisher Mike Richardson adapts Andrew Vachss’s vision of violence in the big city in Underground!

Read a chapter of The Chapel Chronicles by fifteen-year-old Emma T Capps. Plus, new installments of Ron Randall’s Trekker, Frank Barbiere’s Blackout, Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s Nexus, Phil Stanford’s Crime Does Not Pay, Fred Van Lente’s Brain Boy, Peter Hogan’s King’s Road, and Dan Jolley’s Bloodhound!

Dark Horse Presents #25 is on sale June 19, 2013, and is available for preorder through Diamond APR130017.

dhp2_25_cvr

Tiger Lung Debuts in Dark Horse Presents!

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Set to hit the pages of Dark Horse’s Eisner-winning anthology, writer Simon Roy and artist Jason Wordie’s Tiger Lung is going back in time!

“The Tiger Lung concept is about taking the animist, shamanistic worldview of the hunter-gatherer and exploring what it would look and feel like to the shamans that literally lived within that worldview. Setting it in the ice age also gives us a chance to touch on more varied themes, too—mainly, how the world would have looked to humans who did not rule nature, but who were just a part of it,” explained Simon Roy.

Tiger Lung: Under the Ice is a story about Tiger Lung, an ice-age shaman, and his journey underneath a glacier and into the spirit world beneath it to retrieve the corpse of his father. But dark spirits abound beneath the ice, and should Tiger Lung fall, the souls of both him and his father will be trapped there forever.

“We found the format for Dark Horse Presents to be very interesting. It seemed to be well suited for exactly what we wanted to do with a Tiger Lung story—classic adventure!” added Jason Wordie. “Being that the format is split into three parts, it insured that we kept it fresh and exciting every step of the way, including lots of twists and turns. We focused on old-school serialized adventure, while also trying to bring in some more modern ideas.”

Catch Tiger Lung appearing in Dark Horse Presents #21, on sale today, Wednesday, February 20th!

DHP2 #21 Tiger Lung PG 01

Shannon Wheeler’s Villain House Breaks Into Dark Horse Presents!

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Shannon Wheeler returns to the pages of comics’ greatest anthology, Dark Horse Presents, with Villain House!

Villain House marks the creation of a new world of villains and villainy from the mind of Eisner Award winner Shannon Wheeler.

The first Villain House story is about two villains, the Pachyderm and the Squid, who break out of prison to go on a crime spree, albeit a short one. The ending is a tragic, below-the-belt plot twist that is more than a little heartbreaking. The second story is about a blind date gone bad involving Satan’s Son. The third story has multiple supervillains meeting up at the house of the Buzzard to plan a bank robbery.

“All the stories drip with irony and plot twists. Characters from one story are picked up in another story so that while each plot is independent there’s an odd overlap. For example, one of Satan’s Son’s henchmen from the second story shows up in the third story to help plan the bank heist,” noted Shannon Wheeler.

Catch Villain House appearing in Dark Horse Presents #21, on sale Wednesday, February 20th!

DHP2 #21 Villain House PG 02

 

Ron Randall’s Trekker Returns to Dark Horse Presents!

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Returning to the pages of Dark Horse’s Eisner-winning anthology, Ron Randall’s Trekker is a high-stakes adventure!

“Trekker began her life in the very early pages of Dark Horse Presents, so it’s terrific to have her return to print happen here as well. I honestly couldn’t be happier, or feel that I’ve got a better publishing home for the continuing adventures of Mercy St. Clair,” explained Ron Randall. “The Train to Avalon Bay marks the fresh beginning of a sustained and substantial return of this character. And I know Dark Horse, with its flair for both high-voltage science-fiction comics and creator-owned comics, is a perfect fit for these tales. I’ve been away from Trekker for far too long, and I’m back for the long run now.”

Trekker is a retrofuturistic story of a talented, troubled bounty hunter, Mercy St. Clair. Ron Randall balances the strip’s focus among doses of smartly paced action, intriguing explorations of Mercy’s world, and the arc of her development as a thinking, feeling character immersed in a world of extreme violence, intrigue, and action.

“I have worked carefully to let readers hit the ground running with Mercy right from the first new page, whether they’ve ever encountered Mercy before this or not. If I’m doing my job right, they’ll easily get pulled into an adventure that has both heart and guts and delivers a great payoff!” Randall noted.

Catch Trekker appearing in Dark Horse Presents #24 on sale May 22nd, 2013!

Trekker_DHP_25_00_color_rev2

Hunter Quaid Ravages Dark Horse Presents!

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From an elevator pitch at Comic-Con to the pages of comics’ greatest anthology, writer Donny Cates and comedian Eliot Rahal are making their Dark Horse Presents debut with Hunter Quaid!

Hunter Quaid is a drunken, misanthropic, time-traveling detective from the forties, but that’s not all! As we follow Hunter on his journeys, we find that not all is as it seems, and sharp-eyed readers will find hidden clues to the book’s needlessly elaborate, totally awesome secret . . . !

Hunter is not the classic story of a perfect hero, but no matter what, when the chips are down and the world is about to end—Quaid is all we got, and all we need.

Catch Hunter Quaid appearing in Dark Horse Presents #24, on sale May 22, 2013!

HunterMonsterSplash1

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