ACTIVE: SPECIAL AMBASSADORS

Dan Didio (Writer/Editor/Publisher: August 2022 - Present)

Photo: Leilani Didio

Dan DiDio began writing for TV and print in the early 1980s, joining DC Comics as vice-president-editorial in 2002, where he oversaw the new 52 maxi-series in 2006. While at DC, he also wrote several titles including Superboy, Metal Men, The Outsiders, OMAC, The Phantom Stranger, Sideway, and others. DiDio became co-publisher of DC with Jim Lee in 2010 and worked there until 2020. This year, he became publisher of Frank Miller’s new comic-book company, FMP (Frank Miller Presents). DiDio has worked with many experienced ink artists such as Brent Anderson, Keith Giffen, Miller, Jerry Ordway, Joe Prado and others.

DAN: “I have always believed in the importance of an inker’s work and contribution to the finished art in comics. The inker’s talents are as identifiable as the penciller. Therefore, I am very honored to be named a special ambassador to the Inkwell Awards and to help continue promoting their craft.”

Mark Sinnott (Artist: December 2020 - Present)

Mark Sinnott is the son of legendary Marvel Comics artist and inker Joltin’ Joe Sinnott. He is his fathers historian, librarian, and liaison. Along with his dad Joe, Jack Kirby and John Buscema were Mark’s earliest comic book influences. His first work was in 1970, at the age of 9, a drawing of Beetle Bailey, published in the comic fanzine The Collector #20. Over the years, Mark has inked some backgrounds for his father, and has inked panels of the Spider-man Sunday syndicated strip while filling in for Joe. Mark has also illustrated several drawings for two literary anthologies by his son, Dorian J. Sinnott, Into The Uncanny and Watercolors. Most recently, his inks have graced the pages of Totally Galactic Comics – Jetta Raye Adventures. Mark has been an Inkwell Awards senior contributor since 2008. A lifetime Saugerties, NY resident, he lives there with his wife Belinda, their 2 sons, Dorian and Trevor and their dog Basil!

MARK: “The Inkwell Awards is a great organization that is dedicated to recognize the best inkers and to promote and educate the art form of comic book inking. There are numerous inkers that have certainly improved and enhanced the work of so many pencilers. I was fortunate enough to see my dad work first hand for so many years, embellishing countless pages of pencils over many different artists. It was a thrill for me as a young child to see this, and still be in awe as an adult many years later. I know that Joe was very proud to see members of his family participate in this endeavor. He also looked forward to receiving the completed pages that arrived from various inkers. It was quite interesting for Joe to see the different interpretations of his pencil work. It was something that he truly enjoyed seeing in his later years. Thank you all for participating in these challenges and helping to put a smile on my fathers face. “

Joe Prado- Brazilian Liaison & Fundraising: (Artist: December 2020 - Present)

JOE PRADO started his career back in the early 90s working as a professional comic-book artist and illustrator on the Brazilian Market. During that time he produced hundreds of fantasy, horror, super-Heroes and sci-fi illustrations and comics for a myriad of publishers, books and magazines. He’s also known as the co-creator of the comic book mini-series UFO Team with the writer Marcelo Cassaro. In 2004 he started to produce comics for the US market. Among his credits are ACTION COMICS, SUPERMAN, GREEN LANTERN, BIRDS OF PREY, RANN/THANAGAR WAR, TEEN TITANS, THE WARLORD, RED SONJA, THE PHANTOM and many others. In 2009 he began his 11-year partnership with artist Ivan Reis on BLACKEST NIGHT, which led them to BRIGHTEST DAY and the world-renowned run on AQUAMAN. For the past two years Joe kept inking Ivan Reis on the SUPERMAN relaunch with writer Brian Michael Bendis. Besides being an artist and inker, Joe also is Co-Owner/Talent Manager of CHIAROSCURO STUDIOS, representing dozens of comic-book artists, a job that Joe has done for the past 18 years. Joe is the recipient of two INKWELL AWARDS: in 2016 he won the INKWELL AWARD for “Favorite Inker” and in 2018 for “Props Award” for talent deserving of more attention (Bob- “after this the Inkwells stopped allowing an artist from winning both of these contradicting awards or any more Props Awards after winning “Favorite Inker””).

JOE: “First off, I can’t express how honored I feel for being considered for something like this. And having the possibility to promote, educate and expand exposure about what the inkers role on comics is something priceless to me. Besides being a professional creator, I’ve always been a fan and collector and that remains to this day, and reading comics since I was a kid back in the 1970s made me fall in love with the medium. Especially INKING! When my grandfather introduced me to Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon and Milton Cannif’s Terry & The Pirates, it changed how I perceived the medium and I was hooked for life! I decided that I was going to work in comics and would study the hell out of it! So… It may sound corny, but I’d like to thank my grandpa, Armando Fossa, wherever you are now, for all the inspiration and countless hours of chats about comics, and that was what lead me here! And, of course, my wife Tatiana- I LOVE YOU! So lets roll up our sleeves, and keep inking!”

Laura Martin (Color artist: 8/14 – Present)

Eisner, Harvey, and Eagle Award-winning Laura Martin has been coloring comics since she joined Wildstorm Studios in 1995. She is best known for her runs on “Planetary” and “The Authority” (Wildstorm), “Ruse” (CrossGen), “Thor” and “Astonishing X-Men” (Marvel), “JLA” and “Superman” (DC), “The Rocketeer” (IDW), “Armor Hunters” (Valiant) and “Serenity: Leaves on the Wind” (Dark Horse), among many others. She’s currently working on several of the above titles, along with Walter Simonson’s “Ragnarok” (IDW) and the 2014 crossover event “Axis” from Marvel. In her minimal spare time, Laura enjoys hiking, hand-coloring with markers, and hanging out with her husband Randy and their clowder of cats. Laura commented “While I’m coloring, I study inks very close up and for long periods of time, so I have a deep respect for this art form. I’ve even tried it myself from time to time…and that’s why I’m still a colorist.”

Dan Parsons- West Coast Fundraising: (Artist: 1/18 – Present)

Dan Parsons began in comics by writing, drawing and self-publishing his creator-owned series Harpy during the 1990s “Bad Girl” movement. He also pencilled and inked Razor (London Night Studios) and the Battlestar Galactica comic-book (Millennium Press), all while working full time as a scientific researcher at Johns Hopkins Bay-View Medical Center. Parsons released another creator-owned series, Savage Planet, a tribute to the EC Comics of the 1950s, honoring the work of Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson. Penciller Jan Duursema of Dark Horse’s Star Wars comic series recommended Parsons to the publisher based on the similarity of his inking style to Williamson (the original classic SW cartoonist). Dan became the primary inker on many Star Wars titles until the end of the Dark Horse era in 2014 (when Disney purchased the franchise). That work helped Dan win Inkwell Awards in both 2010 and 2015. Other inking credits include DC’s Nightwing and Dark Horse titles Ghost and King Kong. Parsons also contributed elaborate pencil drawings for HBO’s Game Of Thrones Season One DVD/Blu-ray box set. More recently, he’s illustrated an Avatar: The Last Airbender book for Nickelodeon/Insight Editions and a graphic novel adaptation of Ayn Rand’s 1937 sci-fi classic, Anthem. Dan has also worked on numerous trading cards for the Topps Company from 2002 to present. He is currently pencilling and wash-painting a new Sherlock Holmes five-issue miniseries (Brother Of Baker Street), and inking James Cameron’s new six-issue Avatar miniseries (Tsu’tey’s Path). Dan shared: “Since I am an overworked and underpaid artist these days, I don’t get down to the comic-book store as much as I used to. But when I do, it’s the inking I am going there for! No offense to painters, writers, pencillers, colorists or letterers, but it has always been the inking that has inspired me. I am truly grateful that there is an institution like the Inkwells that shares my inspiration!Dan is the first Regional Ambassador (which makes him “special”) who will travel with our donation box for fundraising to whatever shows he attends in an area that the non-profit is not presently well-represented, such as the west coast in this case. He may also seek donations among his fellow con guests but that is only time-willing.

Jim Starlin (Artist/Writer: 8/14 – Present)

Born James P Starlin, October 9th, 1949, in Detroit Michigan. Educated in a parochial (Catholic) grade school and public high school. Served in the U.S. Navy, 1968-71, as a photographers mate. Started at Marvel Comics in 1972, and has been working on and off in comics ever since.

Works include Amazing Spiderman, Batman, ‘Breed, Captain Marvel, Cosmic Odyssey, Daredevil/Black Widow: Abatoir, Doctor Strange, Dreadstar, Gilgamesh II, Hardcore Station, The Infinity Abyss, The Infinity Crusade, The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, Ironman, Master of Kung Fu, Silver Surfer, Thanos Quest, The End of the Marvel Universe, Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Warlock , Wyrd: The Reluctant Warrior , Marvel The End, Thanos, Mystery in Space, Death of the New Gods, Kid Kosmos: Kidnapped, Rann/Thanagar Holy War, Strange Adventures, Stormwatch, Thanos: The Infinity Revelation and The Savage Hulk. Currently working on Thanos: The Infinity Relativity for Marvel Comics. And, oh yeah, he created Thanos the Mad Titan.

Rags Morales (Artist: 1/18 – Present)

Rags Morales began his career in 1989 as a penciller for DC Comics on Forgotten Realms, Black Condor and The Mighty Crusaders. On his return to the company a decade later, Morales became the artist on Wonder Woman, Nightwing, Superman/Batman, Green Arrow, the award-winning Identity Crisis and others, working with top writers like Geoff Johns and Brad Meltzer. Rags has freelanced for Marvel on titles like Captain America, Fantastic Four, Master Of Kung Fu and New Avengers. His non-Marvel/DC work includes a 1990’s stint as a cover and/or interior artist for Valiant Comics’ Turok Dinosaur Hunter, Eternal Warriors, Geomancer, et al. Morales has also worked in other genres with a number of authors, contributing to Harlan Ellison’s Dream Corridor, Margaret Weiss’ Testament Of The Dragon, Isaac Asimov’s Ibotics and TSR’s magazines Dragon and Dungeon. Working with Claudio Sanchez of the progressive metal band Coheed and Cambria, Rags showcased his pencilling, inking and ink-wash skills on the 12-issue Armory Wars maxi-series, Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV. Exploring his love of teaching, Rags has been an instructor of anatomical illustration at Monroe County, PA’s Vocational School and served from 2015-2018 at the The Kubert School in Dover, NJ, teaching Story Adaptation and Basic Drawing 2. Today, Rags creates art commissions and travels to conventions via his agents, Spencer Beck and Renee Witterstaetter. He’s currently in talks for future projects with various writers and publishers and he eventually wants to self publish. In a statement Rags commented “For years I was a penciller and for years that’s all I needed to be. We got top billing and the bulk of the workload. Inkers were good partners who just couldn’t be allowed to mess it up. Do your job, and everyone’s happy. Or so I thought. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest inkers this industry had to offer-Bob Almond among them- and every one of them had hidden strengths that aren’t readily apparent when seeing them gloss over other talents. As such, you come away swimming with the possibilities of who we’d love to see on “such and such” a title; sci-fi vs. superheroes vs. noire vs. archaic, etc. Inkers are the final word; and it’s my pleasure to be working with Bob Almond as an ambassador for the Inkwell Awards, shedding light on an often misunderstood, and completely necessary, great and unique craft that is comicbook art.”

Aldrin Aw/aka Buzz (Artist: 1/18 – Present)

Buzz” was born and raised in Rangoon, Burma growing up reading his father’s comics from his childhood. After moving to the United States at the age of 13, Buzz began his career as a penciller at age of 15 at Blackthorne Publications. At 17, he worked with Neal Adams’ Continuity Studios. He later took some pages to DC and received assignments working on Justice League Quarterly and Justice League International.

Since that initial foray into comics, Buzz’s style has graced the pages of titles including JSA, Vampirella, Shi, X-Factor, Impulse, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and many others. He is currently working on titles such as Chastity, Cavewoman, Razor and the acclaimed Atomika series. Buzz’s rendition of Spider-Man was featured in a special artist portfolio that appeared in Spider-Man 2 deluxe DVD.

Besides his regular titles and current work, Buzz is a widely popular commission artist and is now taking requests.

Clifford Meth (Writer/Advocate: 8/14 – Present)

Clifford Meth is a writer, editor and comics’ historian. A founder of Aardwolf Publishing, Meth’s work has also been published by Marvel Entertainment, IDW, the L.A. Times Entertainment Newswire, and dozens of leading publications from Billboard to Video Review. He is widely known for his advocacy for comics’ professionals, regarding which John Romita Sr. writes, “I don’t know how much money the Cockrums’ received [from Marvel] but having a friend like Clifford Meth is worth more than $1 million.” Cliff commented “Regardless of their perceived status as the weaker sex, inkers are clearly half of the marriage required to produce a proper page of comic art. It’s only fair dinkum that they receive their due recognition.”

J. David Spurlock (Publisher/Editor/Author/Artist/Advocate: 3/11 – Present)

J. David Spurlock is an award-winning author, illustrator, advocate for artists’ rights, and associate to star talents Frazetta, Neal Adams, Steranko, Basil Gogos, Wally Wood and more! His recent guest speaker appearances include the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine re-launch; the San Diego Comic-Con Frank Frazetta tribute panel; Rutgers School of Law; and Dragon Con with Stan Lee for both TV and a live audeance of 4600. Acclaimed works by Spurlock include Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos, Wally’s World: Life & Death of Wally Wood, RGK: Art of Roy G. Krenkel, The Space Cowboy, Frazetta, and Paintings of St.John. Spurlock has just written How to Draw Chiller Monsters, for Random House and is working on the Superheroes! documentary series for PBS.

Mike McKone (Artist: 7/10 – Present)

Mike McKone has lent his distinctive pencils to several titles by Marvel and DC Comics, beginning with work on Justice League America and Justice League International for DC and Punisher War Zone for Marvel. His dynamic renderings for Marvel’s Exiles brought him widespread attention. He enjoyed an intermittent but spectacular run on The Amazing Spider-Man, and went on to gigs such as Teen Titans (Volume 3), The Fantastic Four and Avengers Academy for Marvel. -H.C.

ACTIVE: AMBASSADORS

Jim Shooter (Writer, Editor: 1/12- present)

Jim Shooter did his first professional comics work at the age of thirteen, selling a Legion of Super-Heroes story to DC Comics and going on to write Superboy, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman and other titles.  In 1978, he accepted the position of Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics under the condition that he would be allowed to improve things for Marvel’s creators. he introduced royalties and a spectrum of other incentives, rights and benefits, attracting a Who’s Who of talent.

Later, he founded VALIANT, DEFIANT and Broadway Comics and was the principal creator of their characters and universes. Today, he is the Editor in Chief of Illustrated Media, a custom comics company and is presently writing the revival of the Gold Key superheroes for Dark Horse Comics. Solar: Man of the Atom, Magnus: Robot Fighter, Turok: Son of Stone and Mighty Samson are available now.

Brian Pulido (Artist,Writer, Editor, Publisher: 10/12-present)

Brian Pulido is a filmmaker, comic book creator, writer and publisher. As president of Chaos! Comics, he created iconic characters such as Lady Death and Evil Ernie. Lady Death, which Pulido writes, remains one of the most popular female comic book characters.

Pulido has published and / or written hundreds of comics including A Nightmare on Elm St., Chucky, Friday The 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Megadeth and Insane Clown Posse, WWE (Mankind, Undertaker, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin).

As a filmmaker, Pulido wrote and directed The Graves, starring Tony Todd (Candy Man), which sold to After Dark Films, Lionsgate and SyFy among others.

He directed music videos for bands such as Calabrese, whose video “Voices of The Dead” has exceeded 1.45 million views on YouTube and has also directed corporate communication for American Express and Genentech. Pulido produced Stitched, written and directed by Garth Ennis (Preacher). He produced Lady Death: The animated feature, released by ADV films. For Turner Broadcasting, he wrote stories for Lara Croft: Re-imagined.

Pulido received the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund´s Defender of Liberty award for his fundraising efforts. He is on the Board of Directors for Hero Initiative, a non-profit that raises funds for comic book veterans in need.

Pulido is prepping his next slate of film projects including Zombies vs. Cheerleaders, adapted from the cult hit comic book.

He is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of The Arts Motion Picture & Television Program and is the owner of CoffinComicsShop.com, dedicated to creating authentically rare, hand-crafted comic book limited editions.

For more info, visit:
www.BrianPulido.com
www.BrianPulidoDirector.com

Eric Basaldua (Artist: 9/11- present)

Eric Basaldua (AKA Ebas) developed a fan-following from his early work at Top Cow Productions for Marc Silvestri. Adroit at both penciling and inking, his work has appeared for publishers as diverse as Marvel, Zenescope, Dynamite and DC, and he is well known as a cover artist for properties as Red Sonja, Vampirella, Witchblade, Tomb Raider, The Darkness, Magdalena, Grimm Fairy Tales, and many more. Eric’s good girl and erotic art has grown in demand among the art collecting community. -B.A.

Phil Jimenez (Artist: 9/11- present)

Artist Phil Jimenez is known for his work as a writer and penciler, often inking his own pencil work, and has a reputation for utilizing meticulous detail in his art. First hired at DC in 1991, his career has propelled him to notable runs on series such as Wonder Woman, The Invisibles, Team Titans, Tempest, and event projects like War of the Gods, 52 and Infinite Crisis. For Marvel he produced fan-favorite art for Amazing Spider-Man, Astonishing X-Men and New X-Men among others. In addition to his comic book work Phil also teaches life drawing at the School of Visual Arts on New York City. -B.A.

Cully Hamner (Artist: 6/11- present)

Cully Hamner is a versatile and uber-talented comics illustrator. He co-founded Gaijin Studios, and also helped launch 12 Gauge Comics, for which he was the Creative Consultant. He is known for his work on Green Lantern: Mosaic (his comics debut), Down (with Warren Ellis), Black Lightning: Year One, and his relaunching of The Blue Beetle and The Question. His other book with Ellis, Red, was made into a major motion picture, and he and Ellis revisited the title in Red: Eyes Only. Hamner was chosen for a significant role in redesigning DC’s stable of characters for the company’s “52” relaunch of its entire line. His work can be seen recently on The Shade with writer James Robinson. Hamner is also a prolific cover artist, and has also done comics work for Marvel, Penthouse Comix, and Les Humanoids. -H.C.

Trevor Von Eeden (Artist: 7/10 – Present)

In 1977, at 17, I became DC Comics first black artist–and one of the youngest they’d ever hired. I co-created (designed and drew) BLACK LIGHTNING, their first original black super-hero–the first to have his own book. I’ve been known for my work on various BATMAN titles, GREEN ARROW, BLACK CANARY, and a 1984 mini-series called THRILLER–which enjoys a cult following to this day. At Marvel, I am remembered by fans for my run on Powerman and Iron Fist.

The conclusion to my first graphic novel, “The Original Johnson” (the story of Jack Johnson, the first black Heavyweight Champion of The World–and told for the first time in color) was released in February, 2011. (Vol. I was released on Dec. 23rd, 2009, and sold out immediately.) My latest project is a 4 issue series that I’m both inking and drawing, called “Stalker”– for a new independent publisher, Gateway Comics. It stars a new super-heroine about whom I haven’t been this excited since THRILLER, in ’85–and I intend for the Art to show just that.

Sal Velluto (Artist: 7/10 – Present)

Known for his tight, precise, and anatomically powerful style, Sal Velluto broke into comics in the late 1980s, pencilling Power Pack and Moon Knight for Marvel before lending his dynamic renditions to such indie titles as X-O Manowar, Green Hornet, Armor, and Lazarus Ledd for Star Comics, based in his native Italy. Sal also branched out into commercial art and design, creating designs for trading cards to video games. After making an impact at DC with Justice League Task Force, he co-created Firebrand with writer Brian Augustyn, which led to his revamp of Acclaim Comics’ popular Bloodshot and his most fruitful partnership, with inker Bob Almond.

Returning to Marvel, Sal worked on one of his favorite characters, The Silver Surfer, followed by a lengthy and popular stint on the Black Panther, where he re-teamed with Bob Almond, and the two produced some of the most beautiful work ever on the Panther. Shifting back to DC, Sal toiled on various JSA and JLA titles, again often partnered with Almond. His most recent work has ranged from the acclaimed Captain Gravity and the Power of the Vril; monthly illustrations for The Friend magazine; and internationally published work on the classic comic strip hero The Phantom. -H.C.

Mark Brooks (Artist: 6/10 – Present)

Mark Brooks is recognized in the field for his fluid style and gorgeous cover illustrations and “good girl” art. His work has appeared in Marvel Age, New X-Men, Cable and Deadpool, Ultimate X-Men, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Avengers: The Initiative. Mark has provided covers for X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Anya Corazon: Arana: The Heart of the Spider, and Dark Reign: Young Avengers, among others. He has also worked on figure designs for Sideshow Collectibles. -H.C.

Adam Hughes (Artist: 2/08-present)

Adam Hughes is renowned for his sumptuous “good girl” pin-up style illustrations of various iconic female characters, and his prolific output of lush cover illustrations. Self-taught, Hughes has lent his painstaking style to many titles, beginning with The Maze Agency and on to his big break on DC’s Justice League America. He produced interior art for Ghost, Gen13, Legionnaires, Penthouse Comix, 52, Superman/ Gen13, to name a few. He enjoyed lengthy stints as cover artist on Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Tomb Raider. Along the way, He has also worked for Marvel, Dark Horse, Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers, Playboy, Mutant Enemy, and Sideshow. He co-founded Gaijin Studios in 1991 to further hone his craft, and remained with them for 12 years. He is currently the cover artist on Batgirl and the Fables spin-off, Fairest. -H.C.

INACTIVE

Special Ambassador: JOE SINNOTT (Artist: 2008-June 2020**) Deceased

From Bob Almond’s speech at the 2012 Inkwell Awards live Ceremony at Heroes Con June 23, 2012:

“I want to first take a moment to give special recognition to……First and foremost, Joe Sinnott. He’s been our hall of fame namesake and its’ first recipient since 2008 but he’s been to many our unofficial front line ambassador by default. We want to honor him with what he deserves for all he’s done to bring us attention, credibility and esteem and be the nicest guy in the world while doing so. I’d like to retroactively, proudly and officially offer him the title of Special Ambassador! We’ve all been trying to get Joe here for some time but no such luck to date, maybe next time. This unique silver inkwell trophy will promptly be shipped to his studio in New York.”

For more info on Joe you can check out his bio page in the Hall of Fame section named after him.

**UPDATE: Joe passed away on June 25, 2020 at the age of 93 while still serving as ambassador for a term of 12 years, 5 months. He will always be with us in spirit as Ambassador Emeritus. You can read about it here.

Special Ambassador: Pat Broderick (Artist: 1/18 – 5/20) *term of service ended

Pat Broderick began his comics career in the 1970s, with sporadic work with DC and Marvel, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano’s “Crusty Bunkers” studio and the short-lived Atlas Comics. Around 1976, Broderick was back at Marvel, working on various titles for their black-and-white line, Curtis Magazines. This led to working on Captain Marvel and then the popular series “The Micronauts” from #19 (July ’80) to #34 (Oct. ’81).

Writer J. M. DeMatteis and Broderick created the Creature Commandos in “Weird War Tales” #93 (November ’80). In 1981, he abruptly left Marvel for DC, where he and writer Gerry Conway launched “The Fury of Firestorm” in June 1982. Broderick briefly drew the Batman feature in “Detective Comics” and the “Captain Atom” ongoing series. In 1989, Writer Marv Wolfman and Broderick created Tim Drake (who became a new Robin) in the “Batman: Year Three” story. Broderick drew the “Swamp Thing” series from ’89 to ’90, launched the “Green Lantern” series (volume 3) with Gerard Jones, and contributed to other DC and Paradox Press titles. After a decade with DC, Broderick returned to Marvel as the regular penciller on “Alpha Flight” and “Doom 2099,” along with other major characters and titles.

In 1995, Broderick turned to advertising full-time, moving to Dallas to lead the in-house creative department at Tracy Locke and Partnership, working with various national corporate clients. In the 2000s, he returned to comics with Devil’s Due Publishing’s revival of “The Micronauts,” among others. He has also served on the animation faculty at Tampa’s International Academy of Design and Technology. Pat was elevated to Special Ambassador in August 2018.

Mike Marts (Editor: 2/08 – 8/18) *term of service ended

Mike Marts started out at Marvel as an assistant editor to Nel Yomtov for their Avengers titles in the early ’90s. Later in the decade, he was hired by Acclaim Comics and ultimately became the editor of their entire line of comics. After Acclaim ceased publishing, Mike was rehired at Marvel as an editor, at one point editing Christopher Priest’s Black Panther with Bob Almond and his art partner Sal Velluto for over a year. His successful time at Marvel culminated in his being awarded the coveted position of editor of the X-men line of titles. Mike subsequently shifted to DC in 2006, overseeing the Legion books and All-Star comics, and has since become the head editor of the highly-acclaimed Batman line of titles. In 2014 he would return to Marvel as Executive Editor, followed by his co-founding of Aftershock Comics in 2015.

When forming the Inkwell Awards in early 2008, founding members Bob Almond and Tim Townsend simultaneously wanted to bring in Mike as an ambassador and he didn’t hesitate to join and aid the organization. Mike and Adam Hughes were the first two Inkwell ambassadors and their names have benefited the non-profit organization’s mission ever since. -B.A.

Ethan Van Sciver (Artist/ Writer:1/10 – 8/18) *term of service ended

Ethan Van Sciver is a penciller and inker known for his meticulous attention to detail in his fine linework. Ethan wrote and drew his own book at 19, Cyberfrog, and went on to work for Marvel, notably on exceptional fill-ins on Grant Morrison’s New X-Men. At DC, his first major work was on Impulse, and Ethan became known for his collaborations with writer Geoff Johns, beginning with The Flash: Iron Heights. Johns and Van Sciver orchestrated the full-on revival of Hal Jordan as the main officer of the Green Lantern Corps, spinning an epic story across several books and revitalizing the Green Lantern mythos. Their most recent teaming, on The Flash: Rebirth, ushered in the return of Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash. Van Sciver has also lent his talents to Superman/ Batman, JLA, Batman/ Catwoman, and Weapon X, among others. Ethan is currently writing DC’s Firestorm. -H.C.

Rich Buckler (Artist: 2015-May 2017**) Deceased

Rich Buckler is an American painter and comic book artist, penciler, inker, writer and editor and has illustrated comics for Marvel’s Fantastic Four, Avengers and Black Panther (in Jungle Action) in the mid-1970s and numerous titles for D.C. Comics including Superman Versus Shazam (72 page tabloid), World’s Finest, Justice League, The Flash, Secret Society Of Super-Villains and many more. A native of Detroit, Michigan and just barely out of his teens, Rich moved to New York City at the recommendation of comics legend Jack Kirby. Jack told him: “Rich, if you are ever in New York go see Stan Lee and tell him I said to give you a job!”. >Rich is the creator of Deathlok, the first cyborg in comics which debuted in Astonishing Tales #25 (1974). Deathlok quickly became the premier cyborg in comic books. Dozens of characters in film, tv, and comic books have been modeled after this post apocalyptic hero. Rich is also co-creator with Roy Thomas of D.C.’s All-Star Squadron and he has collaborated with Roy many times thoughout his career. Notable work by this team includes collaborations with Roy Thomas on Saga Of Sub-Mariner, Saga Of The Original Human Torch, and Captain America The Medusa Effect. Throughout his 40+ year career he has drawn virtually every major character at Marvel and DC, and he has illustrated hundreds of comic book covers and stories. Other notable works include an auspicious artistic run on the title Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man with writer Peter David, where they produced the memorable “Death of Jean DeWolff” storyline. Rich also has the distinction of being one of only three comics artists featured on both the Marvel and the D.C. Comics U.S. postage stamps. He is the author of the trade book “How To Draw Dynamic Comic Books” (Vanguard Productions). Also a critically acclaimed surrealist painter, his works on canvas have been exhibited in a solo exhibition in Paris in 2002, as well as at many of the finest New York art galleries. In a statement, Buckler said:“Let’s hear it for the ink artists of the comics! And they are artists. And you know, I have so many favorites! I will even go so far as to say that a capable and skillful inker is, for pencil artists, a veritable treasure. I have written a lot about inkers and the craft of inking comics. Many pencillers do not appreciate them enough. That’s what I think. “As a comics industry insider, I have endeavored in my writings on various blogs and websites to increase comics fandom’s awareness of the valuable contributions of these craftspeople who devote their careers to drawing in ink. I sincerely hope I have shed some light on just what these artists contribute to the pencil art and what it is that they actual do. “I love to collaborate. I always have. And over the years I have had the pleasure to team up with many of the very best! For that I am grateful. Yes, I do also ink my own comic art. But comics, when it comes to the covers and interior art and the sheer magic of the medium, are for the most part a collaborative art. “So let’s hear it for the comic book inkers!” Follow him on Facebook.

**UPDATE: Rich passed away on May 19, 2017 at the age of 68 while still serving as ambassador for about 18-19 months. You can read about it here.

Joe Kubert (Artist, Cartoonist, Letterer, Colorist, Author, Editor, Legend: 9/11- 8/12**) Deceased

Joe Kubert has worked in comics since the beginning of the business. In his seventy-plus years of working in the medium he has produced countless stories for countless characters, including DC Comics’ Hawkman, Tarzan, Enemy Ace, Sgt Rock, Batman and the Flash as well as his own characters: the heroic caveman, Tor, and Abraham Stone. His list of accomplishments is lengthy. A quick rundown: penciler, inker, letterer, colorist, one of the creators of 3-D comic books, newspaper strip cartoonist, school founder and teacher, correspondence course developer, author, artist and editor. He is an award recipient for the Alley Award, National Cartoonists Society, The Eisner and The Harvey. Joe Kubert lives and works in New Jersey.

Joe commented “I’m glad to participate in what I feel is a worthy cause.” -B.A.

**UPDATE: Joe passed away on August 12, 2012 at the age of 85 while still serving as ambassador for almost a full year. Bob speaks of Joe here.