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 and 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.
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.
