31 May 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

2022 INKWELL AWARDS VOTING RESULTS

 

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Bedford, MA/USA—June 1, 2022) The Inkwell Awards has announced the winners of its 15th annual awards for excellence in the comic-book inking art form.

Nominees were chosen by a separate and independent nomination committee based on their own research as well as from artist submissions. Voting by professionals and fans took place for two weeks in May on the official ballot, which for the first time included said artist submissions, at the non-profit advocacy’s website. After thousands of ballots were tallied, one winner was chosen in each of five categories for 2021 cover-dated interior American published comic-book material.

 

The winners are listed below in bold with their credits and the percentage of votes received, 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): Eber Ferreira (44%): Batman and the Red Hood, Batman: Urban Legends, Future State: Robin Eternal, Justice League [DC]
Other nominees: Keith Champagne, Eric Gapstur, Jonathan Glapion, Wade von Grawbadger, Sandra Hope, Mark Morales, Cam Smith, Dexter Vines

MOST-ADAPTABLE (Artist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencilers): Norm Rapmund (19%): Dark Knights Death Metal: The Multiverse Who Laughs, Superman, Detective Comics, Infinite Frontier, Batman Beyond [DC]
Other nominees: Scott Hanna, Daniel Henriques, Danny Miki, Cam Smith, LeBeau Underwood

PROPS AWARD (Inker deserving of more attention. The same inker cannot be nominated for this award and Favorite Inker; nor past Favorite Inker recipients): Tim Townsend (24%): Non-stop Spider-man [Marvel]
Other nominees: Gigi Baldassini, Belardino Brabo, Adriano Di Benedetto, Daniel Henriques, Ruy José, Le Beau Underwood

The S.P.A.M.I. AWARD (Small Press And Mainstream Independent, non-Marvel or DC work): Adelso Corona (28%): Gunslinger Spawn, The Me You Love in the Dark [Image]
Other nominees: David Cabeza, Kevin Eastman & Studio, Ron Garney, Terry Moore

ALL-IN-ONE AWARD (Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencils): Walter Simonson (39%): X-Men Legends [Marvel]
Other nominees: David Cabeza, Joëlle Jones, Marco Santucci

 

Full acceptance statements from the award recipients as and much more can be found in the EXPANDED 2022 Winners Results article and they will be found in the “Award Recipients” section of the Inkwell Awards’ website in the near future.

 

There was one internal Above & Beyond Award given to Michele Witchipoo for 10 years of Nomination Committee service. This year the internally-chosen lifetime achievement accolades, the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame award and the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA), were announced earlier on February 26th, separately from the ballot categories.

 

Due to pandemic issues, the Inkwells have been reporting annual results online (as it originally did from 2008-2010) and will continue to do so until another convention offers to be a new host show for the live ceremony.

30 Apr 2022

(New Bedford, MA/USA—April 30, 2022) The Inkwell Awards is now open for fans and professionals to choose their industry favorites. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwells’ homepage for two weeks, from May 2 through May 16.

Voting is open in five categories: Favorite Inker, Most Adaptable, Props (inkers deserving more attention), The S.P.A.M.I. (Small Press And Mainstream/Independent for non-Marvel/DC work) and All-In-One for artists who ink their own pencils. The awards cover all printed American comic books cover-dated 2021.

“This year there’s a new addition to our ballot,” said Bob Almond, founder, and director of The Inkwell Awards, the only non-profit organization devoted to public education and promotion of the art of comic book inking. “In answer to myriad requests, there will now be sample images submitted by the nominated artists. This will help both voters and artists to hopefully make the process easier and fairer.   The Inkwell core committee team and our webmaster Steven Freivogel spent much time and effort in discussion and preparation  to make this work and we’re confident it will help everyone.”

He added, “Our nomination procedure continues to include inkers who submitted their work in addition to those chosen by our internal nomination committee. Too many ink artists are passed over and go unnoticed by most awards events. Ours caters specifically to inkers so they can be recognized and appreciated for their best work. We encourage all who appreciate quality artwork to participate and share on social media; the more voters, the better.”

The internally-chosen lifetime achievement accolades, the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame award and the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA), were announced February 26th, separately from the ballot categories. Without a host-show awards ceremony this year, there are currently no restrictions on how and when winners are announced.

02 Jul 2021

Inkwell Awards Announces Artists For Joe Sinnott Tribute Inking Challenge

(New Bedford, MA/USA—July 2, 2021) The non-profit Inkwell Awards, devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has released the list of artists participating in its first Joe Sinnott Tribute Challenge Spotlight. The event features artist Ron Frenz’s exclusive pencil art of Marvel’s Thor, which was scanned and sent to a variety of ink artists to embellish. The artwork will be then auctioned for fundraising.

According to founder/director Bob Almond, the event was launched to commemorate the life and career of legendary ink artist Joe Sinnott around the anniversary of his passing last year, along with the annual inking event that bore his name since 2010.

“Our previous Sinnott Inking Challenges were major events for us and our supporters,” Almond said. “Joe would give us a tightly and/or loosely pencilled drawing of a popular character. Then ink artists of various experience levels would complete the scanned art in black and white, each bringing his or her own style to the piece. Fans are then able to see the difference in the pencilled and inked versions to better understand how much inkers contribute to the artform.”

The Tribute furthers the inking advocacy’s dual mission of promoting the artform and educating the public. Each inked page will be signed by Frenz and the inker. All pages, plus a certificate of authenticity signed by Almond, will then be auctioned off as a fundraiser in biweekly waves beginning Monday, July 5.

Sinnott’s son and estate agent, Mark Sinnott, said, “Bob Almond and I had decided that we would put an end to the Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge with the passing of my dad last June, but this was too good a tribute to refuse. This was all made possible by our good friend Joe Goulart, who had reached out to Joe’s long-time collaborator Ron Frenz, to take on this task…I agreed that yes, this would indeed be a great honor and tribute for my dad. I know that Joe would be so pleased and proud of everybody’s effort in making this happen. All the different interpretations that were done with Thor, the additions of some wonderful backgrounds, it was all truly such a great display of love and a fantastic tribute to Joe which I know he would have loved to have seen. He always enjoyed seeing the pieces that were turned in for all the previous Challenges. This tribute “4 Joe”, was something very special.”

“On behalf of the Inkwells,” added Almond, “our sincerest thanks to Mark, Joe, Ron, the over four dozen participating inkers, and all involved for their cooperation, support of our program, and appreciation of ink artists.”

The participating artists that gave tribute to Joe are:
Gerry Acerno
Kent Archer
Jeff Austin
Charles Barnett III
Mike Barreiro
Noah Barrett
Sean Begley
Joe Bennett
Steven Berry
Ken Branch
Eliot Brown
Richard Clark
Kevin Conrad
Adelso Corona
Marc Deering
John Dell
Guy Dorian Sr.
Ed Eargle
William Egli
John Floyd
David Fox
Ramona Fradon
Rusty Gilligan
Jeff Graham
Don Ho
Michael W. Kellar
Scott Koblish
Enrique Lopez
J. E. Lozano
Criss Madd
Pablo Marcos
Jose Marzan Jr.
Mark McKenna
Nick Nix
Joe Orsak
Dan Parsons
Mike Pascale
Mark Pennington
Joe Prado
ince Rodriguez
Alex Saviuk
Tom Schloendorn
Belinda Sinnott
Mark Sinnott
Andy Smith
Cam Smith
J. David Spurlock
Mark Stegbauer
J.L. Straw
Jason Sylvestre
Jim Tournas
Jonas Trindade
LeBeau Underwood
Larry Welch
Keith Williams

11 May 2021

Logo design: Michael Netzer

(New Bedford, MA/USA—May 11, 2021) The Kubert School had their annual scholarship awards event earlier in May via their second virtual scholarship ceremony through Google Meet, due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. The Inkwell Awards’ 12th Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Award of $1000 was presented to second-year student Ray Negron. The school posted an announcement of all award recipients on its website. The Inkwells created the scholarship award on behalf of their ink artist friend and committee member, Dave Simons, shortly after his passing in 2009, with the approval of his sister, Bette Simons. Bette shared the following statement:


“This past year has been one of the most challenging that many of us have ever experienced.I am hoping that everyone has found their own way to cope and overcome.Despite the upheaval and uncertainty, Inkwell’s staff has managed, in the midst of it all, to award another scholarship in my brother’s memory!!He would be astonished, yet humbled by it all, to say the least! Dave’s passion and dedication to his artwork, and of those he admired and respected, was what drove him to be the best that he could be.  Congratulations  to this year’s award recipient, Raymund Negron!  I wish you much success in your future.  You are off to a great start!With respect and admiration,  Bette Simons Rock.”

Dave Simons (1954-2009) was an American artist known for his work on the characters Conan, Ghost Rider, Red Sonja, Howard the Duck and Spider-Man for Marvel Comics, and “Forgotten Realms” for DC Comics. He was also a storyboard artist for the award-winning animated TV show, “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” while simultaneously handling the art for DC’s comic book spin-off. To date, Inkwells has raised $12,000 in his name to students in need.

2021 award recipient: Raymond Negron

12 Mar 2021

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Bedford, MA/USA—March 12) The Inkwell Awards, the only non-profit organization devoted to public education and promotion of the art of comic book inking, is asking fans and professionals to choose their industry favorites. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwells’ homepage one week from March 13 through 20.

Voting is open in five categories: “Favorite Inker,” “Most Adaptable,” “Props” (inkers deserving more attention), “The S.P.A.M.I.” (Small Press And Mainstream/Independent for non-Marvel/DC work) and “All-In-One” for artists who ink their own pencils. The awards cover all printed American comic books cover-dated 2020.

“Our nomination procedure continues to include inkers who submitted their work in addition to those chosen by our internal nomination committee,” said Bob Almond, founder, and director of The Inkwell Awards. “Due to the pandemic, nominations were obviously lower due to less titles released and people out of work, but we are pleased with the turnout we received and the work by the NomCom.”

He added, “As usual, too many ink artists are passed over and go unnoticed by most awards events. Ours caters specifically to inkers so they can be recognized and appreciated for their best work. We encourage all who appreciate quality artwork to participate and share on social media; the more voters, the better.”

Award winners, along with the internally-chosen lifetime achievement accolades, the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame award and the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA), will be announced either online or at a live awards ceremony during The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! in Oaks, PA, depending on when and if the show takes place in 2021. Updates will be available on the respective websites.

*******

31 Dec 2020

(New Bedford, MA/USA–12/31/2020): The Inkwell Awards, a 501(c)(3) non-profit advocacy group, elected artists Mark Sinnott and Joe Prado as new Special Ambassadors to help further the group’s mission of public promotion, education and recognition of the art form of inking and ink artists in the US comic book industry.

MARK SINNOTT is the son of legendary Marvel Comics artist and inker Joe Sinnott. He is his late father’s historian, librarian, and former liaison. Mark’s dad, Jack Kirby and John Buscema were Mark’s earliest comic book influences. His first work, a drawing of Beetle Bailey in 1970, at the age of 9, was published in the comic fanzine The Collector #20. Over the years, Mark has inked some backgrounds for Joe, and has inked panels of the Spider-Man Sunday syndicated comic strip as a fill-in. 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 and was awarded an Above & Beyond Award in 2018 for his service as a liaison. A lifetime Saugerties, NY resident, Mark lives with his wife Belinda, their 2 sons, Dorian and Trevor, and their dog Basil.

Inkwell Awards founder and director Bob Almond said, “While Joe Sinnott had his fans of his prodigious output of ubiquitous work, few knew about Mark’s life and career. Mark Sinnott has been his dad’s keeper, a permanent fixture for anyone who would see Joe at a convention appearance or communicate with him to request a commission or art sale. When Joe passed away in June of 2020, I spoke to Mark and he expressed interest in carrying on his father’s legacy by continuing his association with the Inkwells and their mission, something his dad sincerely and proudly supported.”

Mark commented:

“The Inkwell Awards is a great organization, one that is dedicated to recognize the best inkers and to promote and educate regarding the art form of comic-book inking.  There are numerous inkers that have certainly improved and enhanced the work of so many pencillers. 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. It never grew old, watching my dad work. Through the years, I was so fortunate to be able to ink some backgrounds for my dad, and in Joe’s later years, helping by inking some panels on the Sunday Spidey strip. The big thrill for me was to be able to ink my dad’s pencil work in some of the Inkwell Awards Inking Challenges. 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 father’s face.”

JOE PRADO began his career back in the early 1990s working as a professional comic-book artist and illustrator in the Brazilian market. During that time he produced hundreds of fantasy, horror, superhero and science fiction illustrations and comics for myriad publishers, books and magazines. He’s also known as the co-creator of the comic book mini-series UFO Team with writer Marcelo Cassaro. In 2004 he started producing 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 long-standing partnership with artist Ivan Reis on DC’s Blackest Night, which led them to Brightest Day and then their world-renowned run on Aquaman. All three series were with writer/TV and film producer Geoff Johns. After that, Joe inked hundreds of books such as Justice League, Multiversity, Cyborg, Justice League America, The Terrifics, et al. For the past two years, Joe has inked Ivan Reis on the Superman relaunch, written by Brian Michael Bendis.

Besides being an artist and inker, Joe has been Co-Owner/Talent Manager of Chiaroscuro Studios, representing dozens of comic-book artists, since 2002.

Joe is the proud recipient of two Inkwell Awards. In 2016,  he won for “Favorite Inker” and in 2018 for “Props – Talent deserving of more attention.”

From his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Joe said:

“First off, I can’t express how honored I feel being considered for something like this. And having the possibility to spread the consciousness about the inker’s role on comics is something priceless to me. I’ve always been a fan and a collector, besides being a professional, and that remains til this day; reading comics since I was a kid back in the ’70s 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 them! So while it may sound corny, I’d like to thank my grandpa, Armando Fossa, wherever you are now, for all the inspiration and countless hours of chats about comics; that was what lead me here. And of course, my wife, Tatiana, for always putting up with my madness, and not dumping me all these years. Love you!”

Bob Almond added, “Much like the prominent Filipino School of ink artists starting in comics’ so-called “Bronze Age,” the Brazilian contingent has been quite active in the USA since artists Mike Deodato, Jr. and his studio hit it big at Marvel and DC in the ’90s. So, having Joe proudly represent that pool of contemporary and popular inking talent is a fortunate coup for us. Joe also brings his contagious passion and enthusiasm to the team and anyone who listens to him; he is compelled to try to help us in every way.”

Since the Inkwell organization was formed in 2008, the roster of Ambassadors has included (in chronological order) Adam Hughes, Mark Brooks, Sal Velluto, Trevor Von Eeden, Cully Hamner, Eric Basuldua, Phil Jimenez, Jim Shooter and Brian Pulido, along with the late Joe Kubert and Rich Buckler. The more-involved Special Ambassadors include (besides the late Joe Sinnott) Mike McKone,  J. David Spurlock, Clifford Meth, Jim Starlin, Laura Martin, Aldrin Aw, aka “Buzz”, Dan Parsons and Rags Morales.

###

06 May 2020

Ryusei Sawada

(New Bedford, MA/USA—May 6, 2020) The Kubert School had their annual scholarship awards event earlier in May via a virtual scholarship ceremony through Google Meet, due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. The Inkwell Awards’ 11th Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Award of $1000 was presented to second-year student Ryusei Sawada. The school posted an announcement of all award recipients on its website.

Sawada is an aspiring artist originally from Tokyo, Japan, whose ultimate goal is to work for publishers like Marvel, DC, and Image as an inker/artist. He entered the Kubert School right out of high school.

Kubert School

Normally, according to The Inkwell Awards’ founder/director Bob Almond, the non-profit would send a representative to the Dover, NJ institution to attend the live ceremony and personally congratulate the winning student. But due to shelter-in-place orders, they were unable to, and school director Carol Thomas informed him that the school had already set up remote learning, which will remain in place until the end of the year.

“There were some timing issues but the virtual ceremony was a great idea,” said Almond. “This way the lucky winner was able to get even more public recognition. Kudos to school director Mike Chen and the Kubert School staff for getting it done despite many challenges. We hope to be there next year to shake the hand of the winner.”

The Inkwells created the scholarship award on behalf of their ink artist friend and committee member, Dave Simons, shortly after his passing in 2009, with the approval of his sister, Bette Simons. Bette shared the following statement:

“We are all navigating uncharted waters in this current environment. With unity, strength and faith we will manage to get through this and be stronger. Even considering all that is happening in the world right now, we must still manage to maintain some sense of normalcy which is why, for the 11th year, I am honored to recognize the recipient of The Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship for 2020.

For those of you that do not know Dave or perhaps even his accomplishments, I can tell you that he devoted his entire life to being the best artist he could be and only wanted to get better. He was always critical of his work, looking for the most seemingly insignificant detail that would have made it even just a little bit better.

He was a mentor to many and was mentored by many of the best in the business. He thrived on interacting with others, sharing ideas and inspiration. He had great successes and crushing failures but with the failures, he never lost sight of the fact that he was doing what he loved most.

It will be 11 years next month since Dave passed and I miss him every day. I have no words to express my gratitude to all of the people that continually support this scholarship program. It takes relentless effort and dedication to be able to make this presentation in Dave’s memory every year. For that, I am eternally thankful.

Congratulations to this year’s recipient Ryusei Sawadi. I wish you much success and happiness.”

Dave Simons

Dave Simons (1954-2009) was an American artist known for his work on the characters Conan, Ghost Rider, Red Sonja, Howard the Duck and Spider-Man for Marvel Comics, and “Forgotten Realms” for DC Comics. He was also a storyboard artist for the award-winning animated TV show, “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” while simultaneously handling the art for DC’s comic book spin-off. To date, Inkwells has raised $11,000 in his name to students in need.

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.

20 Dec 2019

So sorry to hear about the passing of Gerry at Newsarama who was a member of the Inkwell Yahoo Group in the 2000s, now regrettably canceled, that was involved with my formation of the Inkwell Awards. He was a member of the proud legacy of Filipino ink artists that made their mark first in the Bronze-age at Marvel & DC. On behalf of the Inkwell Awards may he rest in peace and sincere condolences to his wife, loved ones and fans.

Gerry Alanguilan (Credit: Ilyn Alanguilan)

25 Nov 2019

Bob and the Inkwells were recently invited to the 4th Syracuse New York Comic Con, a new venue for us, taking place on Saturday December 7. FREE ADMISSION! We don’t normally attend one-day shows but the promoter Jason Randall is pulling all stops to accommodate and promote myself and the non-profit. The attending team will consist of Bob, Senior Contributor Mike J. Prast will once again act as show assistant and we’ll be debuting new Ms. Inkwell spokesmodel Becka Sargent. You can find out more info at their website. Our 2020 public appearances schedule will be posted in December. (*Becka is not replacing anyone. Hailey and Kathy are still active but will be appearing, much like Beck, part-time as they attempt to juggle their Inkwell duties around their jobs at home.)

New Spokesmodel Becka Sargent