Author Archives: Graphic Policy Team

The 2026 Ringo Awards Final Ballot Revealed

Posted on by Leave a comment
Ringo Award Nominee

The Ringo Awards have announced the 2026 nominees! The 2026 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards are to be presented on the evening of Saturday, September 26, 2026 as part of The Baltimore Comic-Con.

The nomination process was completed with the participation of our esteemed 2026 jury as well as the voting public. Fans and comic book professionals alike showed strong support in promoting the voting process on their websites and social media feeds.

Voting on the 2026 Final Ballot is restricted to comic book industry creative community — anyone involved in and credited with creating comics professionally. We now present the 2026 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards Final Ballot.

Check out the full list of nominations below and congrats to everyone! Head to the Ringo website to vote!

Fan and Pro Nomination Categories

Best Cartoonist (Writer and Artist)

  • Caroline Cash
  • Scott Chantler
  • Anders Nilsen
  • Ben Passmore
  • Tiffany Petitt
  • Mimi Pond
  • Craig Thompson
  • Paige Walshe
  • Ben Wickey

Best Writer

  • Deniz Camp
  • Joseph Schmalke
  • James Tynion IV
  • Robert Venditti
  • Mark Waid

Best Artist or Penciller/Inker Team

  • Becky Cloonan
  • Werther Dell’Eera
  • Jay Fosgitt
  • Javier Rodriguez
  • Liam Sharp
  • Hayden Sherman
  • Stefan Tosheff

Best Letterer

  • Taylor Esposito
  • Rob Leigh
  • Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
  • Troy Peteri
  • Nate Piekos
  • Ben Wickey

Best Colorist

  • Jordie Bellaire
  • John Kalisz
  • Javier Rodriguez
  • Alejandro Sanchez
  • Stefano Simeone
  • Dave Stewart

Best Cover Artist

  • Gabriele Dell’Otto
  • Colm Griffin
  • Tula Lotay
  • Daniel Parent
  • Javier Rodriguez
  • Riley Rossmo

Best Series

  • Absolute Batman, DC Comics
  • Absolute Martian Manhunter, DC Comics
  • Coexistence, self-published
  • FML, Dark Horse Comics
  • Granite State Punk, Orange Cone Productions
  • Murder Podcast, Ignition Press

Best Short Story

  • Chest Face, self-published
  • “Pied Piper” in Cthulhu Invades Fairy Tales, Orange Cone Productions
  • “The Knife and Gun Club” in Detective Comics #1100, DC Comics
  • The Fire Breathing Duckling, Astra Books for Young Readers
  • “Red Snapper in the Rea” in Milk White Steed, Drawn & Quarterly
  • Model Five Murder, Silver Sprocket

Best Original Graphic Novel

  • Black Arms To Hold You Up, Pantheon Books
  • The Corus Wave, Avery Hill Publishing
  • David Dastmachian’s Through, Z2 Comics
  • Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, Drawn & Quarterly
  • Drome, Macmillan – First Second and 23rd Street
  • The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief, Fantagraphics
  • Gamemasters: The Comic Book History of Roleplaying Games, Clover Press
  • Herobear and the Kid Vol. 1 – The Inheritance, Papercutz

Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel – Ages 11 and Under

  • Brume Vol. 1, Astra Books for Young Readers
  • The Fire Breathing Duckling, Astra Books for Young Readers,
  • The Lost Sunday, Oni Press
  • Magda, Intergalactic Chef: The Big Tournament, Lerner Publishing Group
  • Max, A Little Axolotl, Scholastics Inc.
  • The Mighty Bite #3: Hog Rocket Ruckus, ABRAMS
  • The Patchwork Girl of Oz Volume 1, Image Comics
  • Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean, Fantagraphics

Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel – Ages 12 and Up

  • Angelica and the Bear Prince, Penguin Random House/Random House Children’s Books
  • Dracula’s Brunch Club, Oni Press
  • Hello Sunshine, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Hunger’s Bite, Union Square & Co.
  • Raised by Ghosts, Fantagraphics
  • Wynd Book Four: The Power of the Blood, BOOM! Studios

Best Anthology

  • Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown, Dark Horse Comics
  • Flash Gordon Adventures Vol. 2, Papercutz
  • Jim Henson Presents, BOOM! Studios
  • Knapsack Magazine Volume 2: Butter, Lucky Pocket Press
  • unSEEN/unHEARD: Disability & Neurodivergence Comic Anthology, self-published
  • Young Men in Love: New Romance, A Wave Blue World

Best Humor Comic

  • The Blues Brothers – The Escape of Joliet Jake, Z2 Comics
  • Everything Sucks: Kings of Nothing, Silver Sprocket
  • The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead, Albatross Funnybooks/Dark Horse Comics
  • How to Survive an Affair, self-published
  • Physics for Cats, Drawn & Quarterly

Best Webcomic

  • Battle Mage Farmer. Tapas Entertainment Inc.
  • Before We Sail, Aces Weekly
  • Daughter of a Thousand Faces. Tapas Entertainment Inc.
  • The Mafia Nanny, WEBTOON Entertainment
  • Marionetta, WEBTOON Entertainment
  • Neon Pantheon, neonpantheoncomic.com

Best Humor Webcomic

  • The Bathroom Ghost, WEBTOON Entertainment
  • Evil Inc., evil-inc.com
  • Harley Quinn in Paradise, DC Comics / DC Go!
  • I Am the Chief, iamthechiefcat.com
  • My Little Warlord, DC Comics / DC Go!
  • Nothing Butt Nightwing, DC Comics / DC Go!
  • Taste of Justice, DC Comics / DC Go!

Best Non-fiction Comic Work

  • Fela: Music is the Weapon, Amistad
  • Ginseng Roots, Pantheon Books
  • Love Letters Every Day, Background Noise
  • Lucas Wars, Macmillan – First Second and 23rd Street
  • Muybridge, Drawn & Quarterly
  • Surrounded: America’s First School for Black Girls, 1832, Ablaze Publishing/NBM Graphic Novels

Best Comics-Related Publication

  • Becoming Frazetta – The Early Years of a Fantasy Art Master, Thrilling Nostalgia Comics
  • COMICS! The Magazine #0, Prana Publishers
  • Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, Scholastic Inc.
  • Graphic Samurai: The Art of Denys Cowan, Gizmoe Press
  • Making Your First Comic, self-published
  • Messiahs, Meshugganahs, Misanthropes, and Mysteries, Fantagraphics

Best Presentation in Design

  • Beasts of the Four Nations: Creatures From Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dark Horse Comics
  • Becoming Frazetta – The Early Years of a Fantasy Art Master, Thrilling Nostalgia Comics
  • Cry Wolf Girl, Silver Sprocket
  • Ginseng Roots, Pantheon Books
  • The Hero Trade: Hero for Sale TPB, Bad Idea
  • Land of Mirrors, Drawn & Quarterly
  • Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition Volume 1, Dark Horse Comics
  • The Smurfs Archives Vol. 1, Papercutz
  • Tongues, Vol. 1, Pantheon Books

In addition to Final Ballot categories, both Fan-Only Favorites from the nomination ballot and Hero Initiative Awards (The Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award and The Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award) will be presented at the Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards ceremony the evening of September 26, 2026.

Gen Con 2026: Cephalofair announces Mercenaries Wanted

Posted on by Leave a comment
Mercenaries Wanted

Become a fantasy campaign manager! Draft diverse and thematic characters in Mercenaries Wanted, designed by Dennis Vögele, one of the lead designers from Gloomhaven. Return to the world of Gloomhaven in this strategic drafting-card game for 1-6 players ages 14+.

Draft diverse and thematic characters from across all Gloomhaven titles (Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, Jaws of the Lion) in this strategic card game designed for both new and old fans of the Gloomhaven universe. Featuring art from Yanis Cardin, Phan Tuan Dat, Alexandr Elichev, and Phil Stone.

As head of a Mercenary Company, it’s your job to find the best recruits the city has to offer. Or at least the most promising ones. Are they breathing? Let’s be honest, you’ll take what you can get in the city of Gloomhaven. The job boards are full today and work goes quickly. It will take a keen eye to draft a team of freelancers capable of coordinating their powers, hustling after jobs, and procuring the most coin…for your coffers. Recruit, equip, deploy, and out-hire your competitors to become the most infamous Mercenary Company in Casskia. So get to it! The unemployment line is drying up… MERCENARIES WANTED.

In Mercenaries Wanted you take on the role of a mercenary company leader, recruiting mercenaries to complete jobs for you. Assemble your teams carefully and send them out on assignment to earn the most gold. Between rounds, decide who to keep in your roster, who to promote, and who to let go. Race to complete jobs over several rounds before competing with your promoted mercenaries in a series of tournaments to earn the most fame and fortune.

Folks can sign up to be notified when preorders open in September. Cephalofair will be showing the game at Essen SPIEL in October. You can also swing by booth #351 during Gen Con to get a preview of Mercenaries Wanted before it’s December 4th release.

Mercenaries Wanted

UniVersus Reveals its 2027 Roadmap includes Warhammer 40,000, Hellboy, Invincible, and more!

Posted on by Leave a comment

UVS Games has unveiled the 2027 roadmap for UniVersus, showcasing an exciting lineup of upcoming releases and giving players their first look at what’s ahead for one of tabletop gaming’s oldest card games. 

Revealed through a new roadmap trailer, the 2027 lineup includes some of the most requested and recognizable franchises to ever join UniVersus, spanning anime, comics, and tabletop gaming. 

Warhammer 40,000 arrives in UniVersus with a Booster Set, 2-Player Starter Deck, and more. From the myriad war zones of the Imperium to the horrific depths of the warp, players will be able to bring the unending conflict of the 41st Millennium to their UniVersus battles. 

The roadmap also includes the arrival of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure with Challenger Series releases based on Golden Wind and Stone Ocean, the debut of Persona 5 Royal through two Challenger Series releases, and a new Critical Role Booster Set centered on Bells Hells from Campaign 3. 

Some additional releases include two Challenger Series products based on Mike Mignola’s Hellboy universe and a full Booster Set inspired by Skybound’s Invincible comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. 

The 2027 roadmap continues UniVersus’ tradition of bringing together beloved franchises from across entertainment while expanding the game’s ever-growing roster of characters and worlds. 

More details, including product information, card previews, release dates, and additional announcements, will be revealed throughout 2027. 

Otakon 2026 Welcomes Producer Kenta Suzuki as a Guest

Posted on by Leave a comment
Kenta Suzuki

Anime producer Kenta Suzuki will be a guest at Otakon 2026.

Suzuki joined Aniplex Inc. in 2009 and CyberAgent Inc. in 2025. He has worked as a producer or publicist on titles including “Kagurabachi,” “GRANBLUE FANTASY: The Animation” and “Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online.”

Otakon will host a premiere screening of the first 20 minutes of the first episode of “Kagurabachi,” followed by a panel discussion with members of the show’s staff.

Otakon will be held from July 31 to August 2 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Celebrate 40 Years of Dark Horse with Humble Bundle

Posted on by Leave a comment

Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Dark Horse with this Humble Bundle of the publisher’s most legendary comic series! Enjoy fabulous omnibus editions of series starring the likes of Hellboy, the Witcher, and Vampire Hunter D! Enter a new era with the superhumans and villains of Dark Horse Heroes! Rediscover classic favorites like the epic fantasy saga Elfquest, new bestsellers like Vikings-meets-Succession drama Kill All Immortals, and totally unique genre mashups like Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts! Collected together in this bundle are 40 of Dark Horse’s best series and omnibus editions, so grab them now at the price of your choosing, and support comic creator charity Hero Initiative with your purchase!

The Dark Horse Book Bundle features 40 items with a retail value of $517 and you can get it all for $20.

Yumemi to Perform at Otakon 2026

Posted on by Leave a comment
Yumemi

J-pop idol Yumemi will perform at Otakon 2026. She is a solo J-pop galaxy idol, voice actor, and event coordinator from Toronto, Canada.

Yumemi started singing and performing on stage in 2014 and is currently performing on virtual and online stages around the world. From grand stages to enchanted virtual gatherings, she has spent years captivating adventurers with celestial performances and dreamlike melodies.

Whether lending her voice to legendary tales or organizing festivities for travelers far and wide, Yumemi journeys onward with one heartfelt quest: to grant every soul the most beautiful dreams.

Otakon will be held from July 31 to August 2 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s “Confrontation Update” is Out Now

Posted on by Leave a comment

Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive have announced the release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2‘s free “Confrontation Update,” the final major update of the game’s action-packed second year of ongoing content. Available now for free for all PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players, “Confrontation” brings a host of free content alongside two new DLCs for the Salamanders and Raptors.

Patch 14 features new Eternal War arenas, a new enemy and more!

Space Marine 2’s PvP modes are the focal point of today’s Confrontation Update, but Patch 14 also comes with a number of new additions for all available game modes:

  • Two New PvP Arenas: Sanctum and Facility, Eternal War’s sixth and seventh playable maps.
  • New Weekly PvP Rewards & Ordeals: Earn Accolades and cosmetic rewards by playing Eternal War matches and completing Datavault challenges.
  • New Terminus Enemy: The Thousand Sons’ Scarab Occult Terminator Sorcerer joins the fray! You may encounter him in every Operation involving Chaos and throughout Siege waves.
  • Six Heroic Weapon Variants: Spend Accolades to unlock a new Melta Rifle variant, Chainsword, Bolt Carbine Combi-Flamer, Power Fist with integrated Meltagun, Deathwatch-inspired Stalker Bolt Rifle, and Executioner’s Axe variant for the Thunder Hammer.
  • Three Heroic Armor Pieces: Earn a new Ultramarines pauldron and new Deathwatch breastplate and gauntlet.

New Cosmetics Await for Season Pass 2 Owners

The Confrontation Update also comes with two cosmetic DLCs for all Season Pass 2 owners. Set your enemies ablaze with the Salamanders Champion Pack 2, featuring a new champion skin for the Heavy class and a Multi-Melta skin, or strike them by surprise with the Raptors Cosmetic Pack and its five unique armor pieces honoring their signature combat doctrine.

But the battle isn’t over yet. A third year of additional content for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will kick off this September!

Yoshihiro Watanabe is coming to Otakon 2026

Posted on by Leave a comment
Yoshihiro Watanabe

Yoshihiro Watanabe will be a guest at Otakon 2026. He is the producer behind “Leviathan” and associate producer on “BEASTARS” and “Trigun
Stargaze.”

Watanabe is a producer at Studio Orange, and currently working on “Trigun Stampede” as its business producer. He was born in Japen and grew up in Los Angeles. After graduating from college, he joined the U.S. branch of the animation studio Madhouse.

Throughout his early years in anime industry, under legendary Masao Maruyama’s mentorship, Watanabe gained unique international production experience ranging from live-action to international collaboration projects. His career involves a range of shows and roles: “BEASTARS” (2021, Orange, Business Producer), “GodzillaS.P” (2021, Orange, Business Producer), “League of Legend: New Journey Short” (2019, P.A.Works, Creative Producer), “Eccentric Family 2” (2017, P.A.Works, Business Producer).

Watanabe is currently with Studio Orange and producing a range of future shows, including “BEASTARS Final Season, Part 2”, “Trigun Stargaze,” and “Leviathan.”

Otakon will be held from July 31 to August 2 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Sirius Dice Brings D&D’s Iconic 1983 Red Box Cover to Life as Metal Miniatures

Posted on by Leave a comment

Sirius Dice have unveiled the D&D Red Box Basic Set Minis, a four-piece collection of metal miniatures that recreates Larry Elmore’s iconic cover art for the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, commonly known as the Red Box.

The classic image of a fighter confronting a fearsome red dragon introduced a generation of players to Dungeons & Dragons. Sirius Dice now brings the complete scene to life in 32mm scale with Dragon and Fighter miniatures, alongside the first-ever miniatures of the Magic-User and Thief.

Designed for collectors and players alike, the figures can be displayed together as a tribute to classic D&D or brought into tabletop campaigns.

Key Features

  • Iconic Artwork Brought to Life: Recreates the memorable scene from Larry Elmore’s 1983 Red Box cover art in miniature form
  • Four-Figure Collection: Includes Dragon, Fighter, Magic-User, and Thief miniatures
  • Collector-Quality Metal Figures: Each figure is presented at 32mm scale and cast in metal with an antique finish
  • Display or Play: Showcase the complete scene as a collectible display or use the figures in tabletop adventures

The D&D Red Box Basic Set Minis is available to pre-order for $79.99 at local game stores and Amazon ahead of its September launch.

Takuma Kishida is part of the Otakon 2026 Guest Roster

Posted on by Leave a comment

Takuma Kishida will be a guest at Otakon 2026. Kishida is a Japanese producer from the animation company TMS Entertainment

Kishida has worked on several titles such as “I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too” (“Iserebe”), “The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse,” and “Blue Box,” and more.

Otakon will be held from July 31 to August 2 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Takuma Kishida
« Older Entries