(W) Chip Zdarsky (A) Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar, Ben Harvey (C) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (L) Joe Caramagna (CA) Valerio Schiti and Frank Martin (VCA) Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding and Rachelle Rosenberg, Tribute Games and Dotemu, Todd Nauck and Rachelle Rosenberg, Valerio Schiti, Clayton Crain
A CAPTAIN’S CRUSADE! Red Hulk’s fear of a second Doctor Doom rising from the ashes of Latveria spurs him into taking drastic action, just as Captain America discovers there are those within the war-torn country who see a path to a brighter future. Can Captain America bring their dream within reach, or are there too many forces stacked against him?
When a vicious armada of extraterrestrial extremists launches an all-out invasion of Planet Earth, only Superman can stand in the way of total annihilation. But there’s something different about this attack—it’s deadly from both without…and within? It’s a tale so titanic we had to tell it at treasury size to celebrate the Summer of Superman in style!
Story: Dan Jurgens Art: Bruno Redondo, Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Adriano Lucas Ink Assists: Caio Filipe Color: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
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Baltimore Comic-Con will celebrate its 25th Anniversary on September 20-22, 2024 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The convention has announced comics guests including Brett Breeding, Jim Calafiore, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Dan Jurgens, Afua Richardson, and John K. Snyder III as guests for its 25th Anniversary event! Purchase your tickets online now.
Brett Breeding has enjoyed more than forty years as a comic book artist, illustrating and creating characters for Marvel and DC Comics. Primarily known for his finished inks over pencilers George Perez, Ron Frenz, Kerry Gammill, and Dan Jurgens, Brett has also done penciling, and traditional and computer coloring, as well as story development and plotting. He is a co-creator of DC Comics characters Doomsday, Blaze, Lord Satanus, and Shadowdragon. Brett has worked on many titles for Marvel and DC Comics, but is most recognized for his work on the Superman titles, notably the “Death of Superman” storyline, as well as the Spider-Man titles, The Mighty Thor, The Avengers, and West Coast Avengers. While working on Thor #390 with Ron Frenz, Brett originated the idea that Steve Rogers would be worthy to wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, and Ron and writer Tom DeFalco made it a key part of the story. Over 30 years later, Brett’s idea would be immortalized on the big screen as a key moment in Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. Brett’s recent works include licensing art for DC and Warner Brothers Consumer Products along with children’s books and digital interactive iPad apps featuring Superman and Batman for WB Global Publishing.
In 30-plus years working in comics, Jim Calafiore has worked on Peter David’s Aquaman, Judd Winnick’s Exiles, GothamUnderground with Frank Tieri, Red Lanterns with Charles Soule, various Batman books, Deadpool, and Black Panther.
After a run on the critically-acclaimed Secret Six with Gail Simone, they reunited for their creator-owned success Leaving Megalopolis. He’s currently working on his creator-owned supernatural-comedy saga, NED, Lord of the Pit.
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez was born in Spain and began drawing comics professionally in Argentina at age 13. In the 1960s, he drew romance titles for Charlton Comics. Garcia-Lopez came to the U.S. in 1974 and started working for DC Comics, drawing series such as Superman, Batman, Hawkman, Tarzan, and Jonah Hex. His other notable work includes Atari Force, Deadman, New Teen Titans, and On The Road to Perdition. Since 1982, Garcia-Lopez has designed and pencilled the definitive versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many other characters for various DC Comics style guides, which are created for licensees only. His style guide art has been seen on countless DC Comics licensed products and is still being used today.
Dan Jurgens began his comics career in 1981 as artist on DC Comics’ The Warlord. He then created, wrote, and drew Booster Gold and added Flash Gordon, Legion of Super-Heroes, Green Arrow, Justice League America, and many more titles to his résumé. Most notably, he logged a very long run as writer/artist on Superman, including the best-selling Death of Superman, for which he won the National Cartoonists Society Award. Jurgens followed that up by writing and drawing the mega-hit crossover Zero Hour, which redefined the DC Universe. He drew several other crossovers as well, such as Armageddon 2001, DC Versus Marvel, and both wrote and drew Superman/Aliens and Superman/FantasticFour.
At Marvel Comics, he wrote and/or drew The Sensational Spider-Man, Iron Fist, The Mighty Thor, and Captain America. Jurgens then returned to DC Comics to write and/or draw Green Arrow, Justice League International, Firestorm, and more. He then revived the true Superman in the Superman: Lois and Clark series, which featured the establishment of Superman’s son, Jonathan Kent, as a major DC character. After that, Dan had long stints writing Action Comics, Batman Beyond, and Nightwing.
Over the past couple of years, Dan has drawn a number of covers for Marvel Comics while also writing and drawing a special story for Thor #750. At DC, he brought the popular pair of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold together for the Blue & Gold miniseries, wrote and drew the 30th anniversary Death of Superman Special, and the Doom Rising series in Action Comics, which featured young Jon Kent. His most recent project is The Bat-Man: First Knight from DC’s Black Label imprint, telling the story of Bat-Man as he was originally presented, back in 1939.
Afua Richardson (pronounced “ah-FOO-wah”) is an award-winning American comic book illustrator best known for her work on Marvel’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda. Some of her other works include The Wild Storm, Attack on Titan, X-Men ’92, Captain Marvel, and All-Star Batman to name a few. Afua is also a musician, voice actor, activist, and mentor. As a recipient of the Nina Simone award, she is aptly called a Jane of All trades.
John K. Snyder III is an Eisner-nominated illustrator and writer of comic books and graphic novels. Creator of the independent comic series Fashion In Action, and adapter/illustrator of the graphic novel adaptation of Grand Master mystery writer Lawrence Block’s classic novel Eight Million Ways to Die published by IDW, he has worked for nearly every major publisher including DC, Dark Horse, Marvel, IDW, and many others. Snyder worked on Suicide Squad during its classic 1980’s run with writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale, and provided covers for the 2007 Suicide Squad mini-series. Along with Matt Wagner, Snyder co-created the Pieter Cross version of Doctor Mid-Nite for DC and Lady Zorro for Dynamite. Snyder also worked with Wagner on the epic Grendel: God and the Devil storyline. John’s recent work includes work for The Doors’ graphic novel anthology, Morrison Hotel written by Leah Moore and published by Z2 Comics, and a return to Suicide Squad with new covers for DC Comics to coincide with the release of the Warner Brothers movie. John’s future work includes all-new Fashion In Action adventures to be published by Clover Press. John encourages all artists and writers, young and old, to actively pursue their own creator-owned aspirations.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Brett Breeding (Superman), Tom Brevoort (coursey of Hero Initiative, FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), John Cassaday (X-Force), Keith Champagne (Stranger Things), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Michael Cho (Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories–Qui-Gon Jinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Chris Eliopoulos (Ordinary People Change the World), Steve Epting (New Avengers), Trish Forstner (Feral), Franco (Teen Titans Go to the Library), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Ron Garney (BZRKR), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Greg Hildebrandt (Star Wars), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Jamal Igle (Superman), Klaus Janson (courtesy of Hero Initiative, Daredevil), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Jim Lee (Superman), Sam Maggs (Marvel Action: Captain Marvel), Shawn Martinbrough (Red Hood: The Hill), Mike McKone (Red Goblin), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Fabian Nicieza (courtesy of Hero Initiative, Deadpool), Jerome Opena (Uncanny X-Force), Dan Parent (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Afua Richardson (Omni), Don Rosa (Uncle $crooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Liam Sharp (X-O Manowar Unconquered), Don Simpson (Megaton Man), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Mark Sparacio (Omega Paradox), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Babs Tarr (Batgirl of Burnside), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Marv Wolfman (What If…? Dark: Tomb of Dracula), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), and Leinil Francis Yu (Wolverine).
The Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1
(W) Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel (A) Travis Moore, Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Jon Bogdanove, Butch Guice, Tom Grummett, and Doug Hazlewood In Shops: Oct 31, 2023 SRP: $9.99
ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAMS RETURN FOR NEW STORIES STARRING SUPERBOY, STEEL, THE ERADICATOR AND CYBORG SUPERMAN! Superman returns! After the tragic events of more than 30 years ago, when Superman met his end at the hands of Doomsday, Metropolis mourned the loss of their greatest hero and soon turned their attention to the search for his successor. Four Supermen rose to the challenge: Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses, they fought in honor of the original Man of Steel. Little did they know, his return was just around the corner! To celebrate the Reign of the Supermen and Return of Superman, DC has brought back the original creative teams for new stories set in the wake of Superman’s death. It all begins with new Daily Planet editor-in-chief Lois Lane discovering Perry White’s journals from the time and the secrets he kept as he searched for who could be the next Superman. What could this discovery mean for our present? Find out in this special that’s sure to be a classic in the future!
The Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1
(W) Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel (A) Travis Moore, Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Jon Bogdanove, Butch Guice, Tom Grummett, and Doug Hazlewood In Shops: Oct 31, 2023 SRP: $9.99
ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAMS RETURN FOR NEW STORIES STARRING SUPERBOY, STEEL, THE ERADICATOR AND CYBORG SUPERMAN! Superman returns! After the tragic events of more than 30 years ago, when Superman met his end at the hands of Doomsday, Metropolis mourned the loss of their greatest hero and soon turned their attention to the search for his successor. Four Supermen rose to the challenge: Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses, they fought in honor of the original Man of Steel. Little did they know, his return was just around the corner! To celebrate the Reign of the Supermen and Return of Superman, DC has brought back the original creative teams for new stories set in the wake of Superman’s death. It all begins with new Daily Planet editor-in-chief Lois Lane discovering Perry White’s journals from the time and the secrets he kept as he searched for who could be the next Superman. What could this discovery mean for our present? Find out in this special that’s sure to be a classic in the future!
(W) Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway (A) Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Butch Guice, Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, more In Shops: Nov 08, 2022 SRP: $10.99
Written by DAN JURGENS, ROGER STERN, LOUISE SIMONSON, and JERRY ORDWAY. Art by DAN JURGENS, BRETT BREEDING, BUTCH GUICE, JON BOGDANOVE, TOM GRUMMETT, and more! 30 years ago, the unthinkable happened. The Man of Steel died. After sacrificing himself to stop the unstoppable global threat, Doomsday, Metropolis and the rest of the DC Universe mourned the loss of their greatest hero. To mark this monumental moment in comics, DC has reunited the complete creative team behind the original event for four brand-new stories. Led by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, the special kicks off with a new Superman story and villain…DOOMBREAKER! Followed by a series of short stories revisiting some of Superman’s greatest allies and exclusive pinups done by some of comics’ greatest artistic talent including LEE WEEKS, GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, and WALTER SIMONSON. • “The Life of Superman” by Dan Jurgens (W & A), Brett Breeding (A), Brad Anderson (C), and John Workman (L) – A young Jon Kent finds out in school that his dad had died years earlier, as his parents never told him about that fateful day. In the midst of dealing with this emotional news, Jon and Clark need to team up to fight a new villain connected to Doomsday called DOOMBREAKER. • “Standing Guard” by Roger Stern (W), Butch Guice (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The epic battle between Superman and Doomsday from the Guardians’ perspective. • “Time” by Louise Simonson (W), Jon Bogdanove (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The story of how the death of Superman looked from John Henry Irons’s perspective. • “Above and Beyond” by Jerry Ordway (W), Tom Grummett (P), Doug Hazelwood (I), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – A powerful story of Ma and Pa Kent watching their son fight Doomsday live on television and going through Clark’s photo albums with the feeling that their son always prevails.
(W) Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway (A) Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Butch Guice, Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, more In Shops: Nov 08, 2022 SRP: $10.99
Written by DAN JURGENS, ROGER STERN, LOUISE SIMONSON, and JERRY ORDWAY. Art by DAN JURGENS, BRETT BREEDING, BUTCH GUICE, JON BOGDANOVE, TOM GRUMMETT, and more! 30 years ago, the unthinkable happened. The Man of Steel died. After sacrificing himself to stop the unstoppable global threat, Doomsday, Metropolis and the rest of the DC Universe mourned the loss of their greatest hero. To mark this monumental moment in comics, DC has reunited the complete creative team behind the original event for four brand-new stories. Led by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, the special kicks off with a new Superman story and villain…DOOMBREAKER! Followed by a series of short stories revisiting some of Superman’s greatest allies and exclusive pinups done by some of comics’ greatest artistic talent including LEE WEEKS, GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, and WALTER SIMONSON. • “The Life of Superman” by Dan Jurgens (W & A), Brett Breeding (A), Brad Anderson (C), and John Workman (L) – A young Jon Kent finds out in school that his dad had died years earlier, as his parents never told him about that fateful day. In the midst of dealing with this emotional news, Jon and Clark need to team up to fight a new villain connected to Doomsday called DOOMBREAKER. • “Standing Guard” by Roger Stern (W), Butch Guice (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The epic battle between Superman and Doomsday from the Guardians’ perspective. • “Time” by Louise Simonson (W), Jon Bogdanove (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The story of how the death of Superman looked from John Henry Irons’s perspective. • “Above and Beyond” by Jerry Ordway (W), Tom Grummett (P), Doug Hazelwood (I), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – A powerful story of Ma and Pa Kent watching their son fight Doomsday live on television and going through Clark’s photo albums with the feeling that their son always prevails.
30 years ago, Superman sacrificed himself to defeat Doomsday. To celebrate the special anniversary of this defining moment, DC has reunited the original creative teams of Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding; Roger Stern and ButchGuice; Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove; and Jerry Ordway and Tom Grummett for The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1. Available at comic shops on November 8, the comicfeatures four all-new stories that explore the lasting impact that Clark’s death had on his family and friends as well as nine pinups and variant covers by some of the top names in comics.
Each of the original creative teams from The Death of Superman has reunited to tell a story that shows how some of Superman’s biggest allies reacted during and after his fateful battle with Doomsday:
“The Life of Superman” by Dan Jurgens (W & A), Brett Breeding (A), Brad Anderson (C), and John Workman (L) – A young Jon Kent finds out in school that his dad had died years earlier, as his parents never told him about that fateful day. In the midst of dealing with this emotional news, Jon and Clark need to team up to fight a new villain connected to Doomsday called DOOMBREAKER.
“Standing Guard” by Roger Stern (W), Butch Guice (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The epic battle between Superman and Doomsday from the Guardians’ perspective.
“Time” by Louise Simonson (W), Jon Bogdanove (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The story of how the death of Superman looked from John Henry Irons’s perspective.
“Above and Beyond” by Jerry Ordway (W), Tom Grummett (P), Doug Hazelwood (I), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – A powerful story of Ma and Pa Kent watching their son fight Doomsday live on television and going through Clark’s photo albums with the feeling that their son always prevails.
Highlighting the milestone, The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary will feature variant covers by artists including Jim Lee and Scott Williams; Dan Mora; Ivan Reis and Danny Miki; Francesco Mattina; Dan Jurgens; and Brett Breeding. Fans can also order a premium polybag variant that features a black armband with The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary logo and the main cover inside.
DC had previously announced details of The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, which will include Superman: Day of Doom #1-4 for the first time ever and will be available at comic shops and local bookstores on December 6, 2022. DC will also be releasing Superman #75 Special Editionfeaturing the original story by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, which will be available at local comic shops on November 1.
The Baltimore Comic-Con returns to the Inner Harbor this October 28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes comics creators Brett Breeding, Kevin Cuffe, Bob Frantz, Adriana Melo, KhoiPham, and Billy Tucci to the 2022 event. Tickets can be purchased online now.
Brett Breeding has enjoyed more than forty years as a comic book artist, illustrating and creating characters for Marvel and DC Comics. Primarily known for his finished inks over pencilers George Perez, Ron Frenz, Kerry Gammill, and Dan Jurgens, Brett has also done penciling, and traditional and computer coloring, as well as story development and plotting. He is a co-creator of DC Comics characters Doomsday, Blaze, Lord Satanus, and Shadowdragon. Brett has worked on many titles for Marvel and DC Comics, but is most recognized for his work on the Superman titles, notably the “Death of Superman” storyline, as well as the Spider-Man titles, The Mighty Thor, The Avengers, and West Coast Avengers. While working on Thor #390 with Ron Frenz, Brett originated the idea that Steve Rogers would be worthy to wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, and Ron and writer Tom DeFalco made it a key part of the story. Over 30 years later, Brett’s idea would be immortalized on the big screen as a key moment in Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. Brett’s recent works include licensing art for DC and Warner Brothers Consumer Products along with children’s books and digital interactive iPad apps featuring Superman and Batman for WB Global Publishing.
Kevin Cuffe is a father, a warlock, and a Ringo Award-winning comic book author. When not podcasting with Bob Frantz or protecting the universe from malicious extra-dimensional entities, he is usually writing, playing D&D or watching AEW. Kevin lives in Williamsburg, Virginia with his lovely partner, Danielle and their three spawn.
Bob Frantz is a Ringo-nominated writer who resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his amazing wife and two Pokemon-obsessed children. When he isn’t writing funny books such as Metalshark Bro or The Dust Pirates, Bob is preparing a snack for his kids who haven’t touched their dinner. You can also check out the Word Bros podcast with his co-writer Kevin Cuffe.
Adriana Melo has worked for Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and Titan Comics. Some of the books she has worked as a penciler/artist are: Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Jackpot, Star Wars: Empire, Rose & Thorn, Witchblade, Miss Marvel, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Female Furies, Plastic Man, Dr. Who: New Adventures of the Ninth Doctor, Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica, Marvel Voices, and Trial of the Amazons. You can find her most recent work in the DC Comics series Wonder Girl with Joelle Jones, and in Superman: Action Comics.
Khoi Pham is an artist and mentor. His artworks include DC’s Teen Titans, Marvel’s Mighty Avengers, X-Men Legacy, Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Chaos War, Incredible Hercules, Gambit, Mighty Thor, and X-Factor, and Top Cow’s Cyberforce. He has done numerous cover illustrations for various publications. Khoi was an attorney and venture capitalist prior to switching to art and mentoring. He has a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.
Billy Tucci is an award-winning cartoonist best known for his modern-day samurai fable, Shi. Through Billy’s Crusade Fine Arts, the multi-Eisner Award-nominated Shi has been printed in five languages and sold more than 3 million comic books. He has also worked on a litany of projects for DC Comics, including Sgt. Rock, Harley Quinn, Flash Vs. Superman, and Batman. His earnest retelling of the Christmas story, A Child Is Born, has quietly turned into an international blockbuster after winning the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award. 2021 celebrated Billy’s 27th Anniversary in comics with the release of the Shi: Return of the Warrior, Shi: Haikyo, and the Shi: Omnibus Vol. 1. He also illustrated Wonder Woman: Angel of Battle for DC Comics and wrote the comics return of June Tarpe’ Mills’ golden age icon, Miss Fury for Dynamite Entertainment.
2022 GUESTS
Confirmed guests for this year’s show include: Chris Barcomb (The Amazing Adventure of Superior Sam), Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Carolyn Belefski (Curls), Brian Michael Bendis (Action Comics), Brett Breeding (Superman), Dan Brereton (Nocturnals), Russ Braun (The Boys), Harold Buchholz (Sweetest Beasts), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jeffrey Burandt (Killer Bad), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Joe Carabeo (Black Magic Tales), Richard Case (Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror), John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Kevin Cuffe (Metalshark Bro), Nick Davis (The Night Guardians – Awakenings), Kristina Deak-Linsner (Roses for the Dead), J. Robert Deans (Crass Fed), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Garth Ennis (The Boys, Friday and Saturday only), Chris Flick (Capes and Babes), Scott Fogg (Phileas Reid Knows We’re Not Alone), Trish Forstner (Stray Dogs), LJ and Kayla Fowlkes (The Adventures of CHIBIWONGTONG), Franco (The Ghost, The Owl), Bob Frantz (Metalshark Bro), John Gallagher (Max Meow: Cat Crusader), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Steven Grant (X), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Dean Haspiel (The Fox), Mike Hawthorne (Happiness Will Follow), Greg Hildebrandt (Star Wars), Jamal Igle (Molly Danger), Klaus Janson (Daredevil, Friday and Saturday only), Chris Kemple (Artist Alley Comics), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Alien), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Jim Lee (Action Comics, Friday only), Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja), Howard Mackie (Ghost Rider), Mariano Brothers (Claire Lost Her Bear at the World’s Fair), Whitney Matheson (Pandemix: Quarantine Comics in the Age of ‘Rona), Jason May (LEGO Club Magazine), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Mike McKone (Genis-Vell: Captain Marvel), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Pop Mhan (Gears of War 3), Frank Miller (Sin City, Saturday only), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Trevor Mueller (Albert the Alien), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Sedat Oezgen (Judge Dredd), Jerry Ordway (Superman), Rachel Ordway (Chainmail Bikini), Richard Pace (Second Coming, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Dan Parent (Archie vs. Sharknado), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-Men), Khoi Pham (Teen Titans), Ed Piskor (Red Room: Trigger Warnings), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Afua Richardson (Omni), Christopher Ring (Seamus (the Famous)), David A. Rodriguez (Skylanders), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Arsia Rozegar (Shahnameh For Kids), Jim Rugg (Hulk Grand Design), Stuart Sayger (The Joker), Pat Shand (Destiny, NY), Liam Sharp (Green Lantern), Louise Simonson (X-Men Legends), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok), Don Simpson (Megaton Man), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Jim Starlin (Infinity Gauntlet), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), Billy Tucci (Shi), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Dexter Vines (Civil War, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Sean Von Gorman (Return of Toe Tag Riot), Mark Waid (Superman: Red and Blue), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics), Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Keith Williams (Thor the Worthy), Charles P. Wilson III (Wraith), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).
The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has announced the winners of their lifetime achievement awards, The Joe Sinnott Hall Of Fame and The Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA).
Winners of the SASRA, in alphabetical order, are Gene Day, George Pérez, John Severin, and Dave Stevens.
Gene Day’s widow, Gale Erslavas, shared the following statement:
Gene was always practicing his inking style because he said an inker could make or break the comic book process. A good inker could make a mediocre penciller great and a bad one could ruin the pencils. I know I’m biased because I thought Gene was a great inker, but I believed his pencils were even better…I am very pleased to receive this lifetime achievement award, one that recognizes Gene’s work in the artform of inking. I can only wonder had Gene not died how much more he would have accomplished. I truly believe he would have reached the stars and beyond. Thank you so much!
In December, 2021, George Pérez publicly announced that he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and would be living out his final months connecting with and/or visiting community friends and fans while time allows. George could not be reached for comment but Jess Harrold, author of The Marvel Art of George Pérez, made the following statement:
This award is far from the first George has received, and it won‘t be the last, but I have no doubt it will mean a great deal to him…George knows the value of a good inker. He is effusive in his praise of those who, early in his career, made him a better artist, and those who, as time went on, were able to match him for sheer enthusiasm, hard work and painstaking detail. As an inker of other pencillers, George brings all of that to the table, with an innate recognition of comic books as a unique medium of collaboration. He will elevate your artwork to the best it can be – and you know he absolutely will not skip a single line. And when Pérez inks Pérez? Hold onto your hats…George Pérez is a true Titan.
John Severin’s daughters, Michelina Severin Van Gemert and Ruth Severin Larenas, made the following announcement not just for John but also for his sister, 2019 SASRA recipient Marie Severin, because the Inkwells did not have contact info for the estate at the time:
On behalf of the family of John Severin and Marie Severin we are very proud and honored to accept this Inkwell Awards SASRA lifetime achievement award for them. They were both pioneers in the comic book industry and we wish to thank everyone involved in bestowing this well-deserved award…Our Dad’s career spanned 60-plus years. He was referred to as an ‘artist’s artist’ known for his historical knowledge and accuracy, especially in western and military genres.
Our Aunt Marie was a pioneer, being one of the first female creators in the comic-book industry; a mentor and encouragement to future women comic-book artists. Her career spanned 50-plus years…Her talent became obvious, and she began to do pencilling and inking for Marvel Comics, with a knack for caricature…She also was a colorist, artist and inker for EC Comics, DC, Atlas and Dark Horse.
Both John and Marie Severin (Dad and Aunt Marie), despite their enormous successes in the industry, were modest and charmingly unpretentious people, who would have been both grateful and humbled by this award. Our family appreciates the Inkwells for this and we extend our warm thanks.
Dave Stevens’ sister and trustee of The Rocketeer Trust, Jennifer Stevens-Bawcum, made the following statement on behalf of her brother:
I would like to thank the Inkwell Awards’ nomination committee for this posthumous award to Dave. Thank you for keeping his memory alive and acknowledging the phenomenal talent that he possessed. His talent was apparent even in his teenage years without any professional training…Flawless is an understatement as I still am taken aback when I look at his work. I know that he touched many lives and inspired many to enter into the art field or continue in it when doubts crept in. He left an indelible mark on the world and we are the richer for it. Thank you again!
This year there are two new recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award: Brett Breeding and Bob Wiacek.
Brett Breeding said:
Thank you to everyone who voted for me for this year‘s Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award. I am humbled and honored to receive it…I was given the opportunity to work for Joe as his background assistant, and though it only lasted a short time, it provided me the chance to meet and visit Joe…one of the biggest thrills of my early days in comics… I think of him frequently and carry a small part of him with me every time I sit at my drawing board and start dipping ink. Having an award that carries his name will be a daily reminder of this giant of a man. I could not be more honored.
Bob Wiacek said:
Having known Joe Sinnott since 1968, I never thought I’d be receiving an award in his name, and for that I thank you. Though there are others who deserve this award more than I, like Reed Crandall, Bob Powell, George Roussos, and Bernie Sachs, who perfected the art of inking in their own way. If not for them and many others in this business, I would not have the job I love. I must also take this opportunity to thank Dick Giordano for giving me the chance to work with him and, more importantly, for opening my eyes as to what inking is all about. Thank you, Dick, and I will never forget you.
On behalf of the Joe Sinnott Estate, son Mark Sinnott said:
We are delighted and honored to welcome the two newest recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame award…Both have contributed so much inking talent to the comics industry throughout their illustrious careers. They both have certainly improved upon and enhanced the work of many pencillers…They both bring a world of talent and class, and are two of the nicest guys in the comics industry. I am proud to call them my friends. Joltin’ Joe would also be so proud of them, knowing that they have been selected as the newest members of this elite group. As always, keep slinging ink and never let your inkwell run dry. Congratulations on a fantastic career, Brett and Bob, and a job well done.
Full acceptance statements and information on both awards are at the Inkwell Awards‘ website.
