News

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Bedford, MA/USA—May 19, 2023) The Inkwell Awards has announced the winners of its 16th 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 April-May on the official ballot at the non-profit advocacy’s website. After 2748 ballots were tallied, one winner was chosen in each of five categories for 2022 cover-dated interior American published comic-book material.

The winners are listed below in bold with their credits, votes 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): Walden Wong (857 votes, 31%): Amazing Spider-Man, Darkhold Omega, Edge of Spider-Verse, Marvel Voices: Community, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Wakanda, What-if? Miles Morales [Marvel]

Other nominees: Jonathan Glapion, Cam Smith, Dexter Vines

MOST-ADAPTABLE (Artist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencilers): Walden Wong (688 votes, 25%): Amazing Spider-Man, Darkhold Omega, Edge of Spider-Verse, Marvel Voices: Community, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Wakanda, What-if? Miles Morales [Marvel]

Other nominees: Scott Hanna, Matt Santorelli, 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): Adriano Di Benedetto (1687 votes, 61%): Batman [DC]

Other nominees: Andrew Hennessy, Matt Santorelli, Le Beau Underwood

The S.P.A.M.I. AWARD (Small Press And Mainstream Independent, non-Marvel or DC work): David Cabeza (866 votes, 32%): Rivers of London [Titan]

Other nominees: Terry Moore, Chuck Morgan, Andrew Pepoy

ALL-IN-ONE AWARD (Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencils): Nir Levie (1042 votes, 38%): BioRipple [Heavy Metal]

Other nominees: Andrew Pepoy, Greg Smallwood

Full acceptance statements from the award recipients and much more can be found in the EXPANDED 2023 Winners Results article and they will be found in the “Award Recipients” section of the Inkwell Awards’ website in the near future. 

The internal/community Above & Beyond Awards were announced recently. 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 March 9th.

Since the pandemic 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (New Bedford, MA/USA–March 10, 2023) 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). Each is chosen internally by the Inkwell Awards’ committee. The first is limited to two individuals and the second up to four, both for a minimum career span of 25 years inking American comic books.

The two winners of Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award are Frank Frazetta and Syd Shores. Frazetta also won a SASRA in 2021. 

Winners of the SASRA, in alphabetical order, are Danny Bulanadi, Reed Crandall and Dave Simons. This is the first time that all the Inkwell lifetime achievement winners are posthumous.

Joe Sinnott’s son, Mark, shared the following statement:

“This year’s recipients of the Inkwell’s Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award are two giants in the industry. We are pleased to welcome Frank Frazetta and Syd Shores to this elite group.

“Frank Frazetta (1928-2010) is most notably known for his wonderful paintings of sci-fi and fantasy, but also for his comic book work starting in the mid 1940s, doing pencils and inks for Prize, Standard, Dell and EC Comics among others. For nine years he also ghosted Al Capp’s Li’l Abner. He would later do black and white stories as well as cover paintings for Warren Publishing.

Frank Frazetta and Joe Sinnott at Joe’s Myrtle Beach residence, 1993

“Syd Shores (1913-1973) was best known for his work on the Captain America comic books both in the Golden Age (1940s) and Silver Age (1960s) of comics, both times inking the work of legendary penciller Jack Kirby. Syd would also pencil and ink numerous superhero, horror and western stories for Marvel Comics during the ’60s and early ’70s.

Joe & Mark Sinnott w/ Nancy Karlebach (Syd Shores daughter) New York Comic Con, 2011

I know that my dad, Joe, would be thrilled to have these 2 fabulous artists join the list of members in the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame.”

Syd Shores’ daughter, Nancy Shores Karlebach, said:

“It is on behalf of my father, Syd Shores, an incredible inker (and penciller, as well) that I accept the Inkwell Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award, given posthumously. This year will be 50 years since my father died, and my family and I are thrilled that his work is being recognized in such a wonderful way. It is actually the first formal award that he has ever received for his work in comic books! As the prime Captain America artist of the forties and then the character’s prime inker in the sixties, along with so many other titles too numerous to mention, I think he would have been humbled to have his expertise recognized in such fashion.

“He and Joe Sinnott were friendly, though they only saw each other occasionally at comic book conventions, when they would go out for lunch together with their wives and/or delivering assignments to the Marvel offices. I, too, had the privilege of meeting Joe on two occasions, and it was gratifying to learn of his admiration for my dad both as an artist and person. I know the feeling and respect was mutual. 

“Thank you so much for this honor to my father’s legacy. My older sister who passed away just a year ago would have been enormously proud and appreciative, as well, and our family will treasure the Inkwell Award and all it stands for in the comic book world. It is truly meaningful and we are extremely touched.”

The Inkwells created The Dave Simons Scholarship award on behalf of their ink artist friend and committee member shortly after his passing in 2009, with the approval of his sister, Bette Simons. On winning the SASRA, Ms. Simons said:

“First, let me say thank you to the committee for allowing me the honor of accepting this amazing award on Dave’s behalf. My brother was an extremely unique individual who was driven by his passion to perfect his talent. Describing him as creative is an understatement.  His mind worked in ways that boggled mine. I remember him sitting at the drawing board for hours on end. Piles of crumpled paper overflowed the trash basket. Until, he finally created something that met his level of perfection. Our dad used to tell him, ‘Go outside and get some air.’ But he was perfectly content doing what he loved to do. It did not involve ‘outside.’

“Although Dave was more than content being at the drawing board, he described one of the best experiences of his life as being in the Coast Guard for four years. He was Stationed at Governor’s Island on the Tamaroa in the early 1970’s. Beyond his extraordinary talent, Dave was just a genuinely nice guy. Ask him anything and he wouldn’t give a second thought about helping. He was sincere and immensely humble. I don’t know much about the comic art world, but I DO know that it is a better world because Dave was in it. He is greatly missed by all those who loved him, knew him, befriended him and worked with him.”

Frazetta’s son, Frank Frazetta Jr., shared a combined photo statement earlier on February 9, and his granddaughter, Sara Frazetta, part of The Frazetta Girls group, will share a special reminiscence at the Inkwell website in the near future. Danny Bulanadi‘s widow, Marissa Bulanadi, shared a video statement. All statements and videos will be later posted on the Inkwell Awards’ website Awards section.

At press time, no member of the Crandall family or estate could be reached for comment or acceptance of the award. Bob Almond, The Inkwells’ founder and director, requested anyone from either or with information to contact him via the site or on social media.

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. //

Hey, inkers!

We all deserve to be recognized for our incredible ink work! Your published storytelling is eligible for consideration in any of our five inking categories–SEE BELOW. 

(Unlike some other awards, we do not charge a fee.) 

While our volunteer nomination committee (“NomCom”) can still submit their choices, they just can’t see all the wonderful work during the year from all publishers large and small. So it’s up to YOU! Important details:

WHAT TO SEND:

1. Examples of TWO to THREE (max) interior pages—sorry, NO covers, only one splash—of published & printed comic-book ink work you’ve done from any USA-published comic book (per categories below) COVER-DATED 2021 (sorry, no webcomics unless also printed.). Send either links to your specific samples (not general site links), or low-res image files. (Do not send large files–we’re not a printer!) DO NOT SEND PHYSICAL COPIES–they will not be eligible.

2. NAMES of the inker and penciller, your preferred EMAIL ADDRESS, the TITLE/ISSUE #(s) and PUBLISHER.

3. The CATEGORY(-IES) for each sample. You may submit the same or different work to different categories, EXCEPT “Favorite Inker” and “Props”–pick one or the other. CHOOSE:

    1.    Favorite Inker: favorite ink artist over the pencils of another artist. (Can’t be nominated for “Props.”)

    2.    Most-adaptable: showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencil artists. (Minimum TWO pages per penciller, up to three.)

    3.    Props award: ink artist deserving of more attention for work over other pencillers.
(Can’t be past winner or nom. for “Favorite Inker.”)

    4.    The S.P.A.M.I: for favorite Small Press And Mainstream-Independent comic book ink work over another pencil artist or yourself (Non-Marvel or DC).

    4.    All-in-one award: for favorite artist inking his/her own pencils.

(Make sure you read and understand the BIG RULES below before sending.)

WHERE TO SEND: Email samples back here to inkwellawards@yahoo.com, with the Subject “2021 Inkwell Awards.” (Questions? Same email or ask us on Facebook or Twitter @inkwellawards.)

WHEN TO SEND: The deadline is JANUARY 15th, 2022 (we’ll post reminders, but earlier is better).

PLEASE help us help you by following the directions and rules specifically. If not, your work cannot be considered. We are merely a few working professionals who volunteer when time allows so we don’t have the time/manpower to micro-manage. 

THE BIG RULES (Please read): 

-Inks can be with traditional or digital tools (e.g., brush, pen, marker, stylus, Apple Pen, Wacom, etc., but NOT just pencils darkened/manipulated via Photoshop/software–must be drawn by HAND). 

-Work must have been printed in the USA with a 2021 cover date. No Web-only comics.

-Our volunteer NomCom may also submit their choices. All entries will be considered equally and tallied. 

-The core committee is not permitted to nominate, nor vote, for anyone (so save your bribes). 

-All links sent must be to the specific pages being considered. Any general site links (“JohnDoe.com,” DeviantArt portfolios, etc.) will be ignored. No physical copies.

-If work does not meet the criteria above or is not submitted in accordance with these rules, it will not be considered. Fraudulent entries will be voided and will result in your not being considered for any future awards (and any awards won will be forfeited and given to the runner-up).

-The Inkwell Awards is not responsible for any power outages, server issues, software or hardware malfunctions, human error, acts of God, zombie apocalypses and any other stuff beyond our control.

Again, if you have questions or need more info, send an email to either inkwellawards@yahoo.com, or to me directly at the address below.

Thank you and good luck!

Sincerely,

Bob Almond (and The Inkwell Awards Committee)  

The Inkwell Awards

inkwellawards@yahoo.com

Site: inkwellawards.com

Facebook.com/groups/TheInkwellAwards

Twitter: @inkwellawards

WHO WE ARE: 

In case you still haven’t heard, The Inkwell Awards (inkwellawards.com) is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Founded in 2008, the organization is overseen by a volunteer committee of industry professionals and assisted by various pro ambassadors, numerous contributors and supporters. We sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

“Sadly, I just heard this. This is a regrettable loss from the Filipino studio of artists starting in the Bronze-age. I first noticed his mainstream work at Marvel over Pat Broderick on Micronauts. He was prolific at Marvel up through the 1990s simultaneous on titles like Captain America and Fantastic Four. I was fortunate to ink his pencils for 25 pages at Kingstone Comics in 2016 and 2018. It was the first time I remember seeing his pencils instead of his inks and he displayed a classic, illustrative style that was fun to embellish since he left some room for interpretation. So sorry to hear this and I’m sending condolences to his family & loved ones.”

“Condolences to the family of Danny Bulanadi. “Danny Bulanadi, longtime Marvel comic book inker who had years-long runs on both Captain America and Fantastic Four (part of his long association with penciler Paul Ryan), has passed away at the age of 76.” He worked on many of our comics at Kingstone.”

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- New Bedford, MA/USA–8/23/2022): The Inkwell Awards, a 501(c)(3) non-profit advocacy group, elected writer/editor/publisher Dan DiDio as a new Special Ambassador 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.

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.

Inkwell Awards founder and director Bob Almond said, “Dan (along with our first Inkwell Spotlight Challenge contributor Jim Lee), was the face of DC for a decade, during some of its most creative and best-selling efforts. His passion for the art form and industry is apparent in all he does, and we are thrilled to have that quality, along with his positive attitude, knowledge and experience on board with our goal to increase the recognition of ink artists and their contribution to the form. As we launch another season and approach our 15th anniversary in 2023 Dan’s superstar presence added to our already lofty roster of ambassadors raises the bar that much higher.”

DiDio commented: “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.”

The Inkwell Ambassador’s main role is to celebrate the work of the organization and support its mission all the while enhancing it’s exposure and credibility. Prior ambassadors include (in chronological order) Adam Hughes, Mark Brooks, Sal Velluto, 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 the late Joe Sinnott, J. David Spurlock, Mike McKone, Clifford Meth, Aldrin Aw, aka “Buzz”, Dan Parsons, Rags Morales, Jim Starlin, Laura Martin, Mark Sinnott and Joe Prado. The role is not made up exclusively of ink artists but of different creative talents to show community solidarity in support of the quality-driven art of inking.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Founded in 2008, the organization is overseen by a volunteer committee of industry professionals and assisted by various pro ambassadors, numerous contributors and supporters. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

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Here we present with permission Tom Palmer, Jr.’s eulogy for his dad Tom Palmer Sr. as posted on his Facebook feed August 19, 2022 at 11:01 AM

“Very sad to share this news with everyone. My dad passed away last night.

Many of you know my dad from all of his comic book work, but for me he was just my dad. He was kind and funny, and most of the other things that people say about their dads. He loved old movies, especially the Universal monsters and the black and white serials he used to watch as a kid. He worked at home all the time, so he was always there when I was growing up. I might not have appreciated it fully back then, but I can see now that it was something special, and I think he enjoyed the fact that he could be there for me and my sister (and my mom!) when we needed him. I might have lost count, but I think my sister and I convinced him to take us to see Star Wars about 472 times when it was in its original movie theater run, back in the dark times before home video and streaming.

When life sometimes got hard, he would often say “Better days lie ahead.” I think that’s a lesson he learned early in life. Due to a childhood illness, he was bedridden and forced to be on crutches for a few years. His older brother took pity on him and finally let him raid his prized comic book collection. That’s when he fell in love with EC Comics and developed a lifelong passion for appreciating and creating art. He spent days on end drawing to pass the time. When those comics became tattered and torn, he created his own replacement pages and covers. I can’t wait to dig around in his collection to find them and see his old art again.

He loved classic illustration art and aspired to a career in magazine illustration like his heroes Norman Rockwell, Dean Cornwell, and J.C. Leyendecker. He wrote a letter to Rockwell while in art school, and even got an invite to visit his hero at his Massachusetts art studio. I can only imagine what he saw there and how it inspired him. Dad started out in the art field at a few different New York City ad agencies while he was still in art school. At one of his agency jobs he met Jack Kamen, one of his favorite EC Comics artists, who had found a new career in advertising after the demise of EC. Jack was an early mentor and also a father figure. He helped my dad find his way into the comic book field and also sponsored him for membership into the Society of Illustrators.

When dad’s first assignment at Marvel as penciller of Doctor Strange (issue #171 back in 1968) didn’t exactly set the world on fire, he persevered and was excited to try his hand at inking on the following issue. He was paired up with pencil artist Gene Colan, whose fully-rendered pages were a challenge to many inkers. How could you translate the subtle gradations of Colan’s art for black and white reproduction without turning it into a muddy mess? Dad threw himself at the task and used every tool available to him at the time: crosshatching, a wide array of zip-a-tone, and even his own fingers to smudge the ink around the page. What he ended up with was magic. He brought an illustrative style to Colan’s art that allowed all of the light within the shadows to shine through. Dad loved the tactile nature of hand-drawn art, and always enjoyed trying out new techniques to make his art stand out.

When the opportunity to try his hand at coloring one of those early issues of Doctor Strange was presented, dad jumped at the chance. While most colorists at the time would turn around a comic in a day (or maybe even a few comics in a day), he labored over those pages for days. The printing process of the time only allowed for 64 colors, but he made sure to use them all, even the ones that others avoided because they feared they might print too dark. Those early color guides looked like elaborate watercolors by the time he was done with them. It didn’t matter that he spent all that time on the work, he just wanted the book to look the best it could.

Dad worked on a lot of comics over the years, but he also had a long career in advertising art in the 1970s and ’80s. He worked on campaigns for Hertz, Panasonic, Winsor & Newton, the New York Yankees, Columbia Records and a whole bunch more. This was back in the day when it wasn’t acceptable for a professional artist to work in comics. If an ad exec found out, your art might get branded as too “comic-booky” and work would dry up. And it was also hard to balance the other side of his two art careers. If an editor at Marvel or DC found out that you had an advertising gig, they could worry that you might miss a deadline while moonlighting on a better gig outside of the industry.

In recent years, dad got invited to a lot of comic conventions. He loved meeting fans and telling stories of the early days at Marvel. Because he spent so much time with everyone who came to his table, he needed someone to help him keep track of things. I’m truly grateful that I was able to tag along and help him out. We got to travel a lot together; I even got to accompany him on his first trips abroad to shows in the UK and France. I’ve heard all of his stories dozens of times, but I’m really going to miss hearing him tell them.

Dad’s passion for art was infectious. I’m pretty sure he didn’t’ “get” all of the weird alternative and underground comics I discovered as a teenager, but he could see that those artists had that same passion for art that he had. He would point out how my favorites reminded him of his heroes growing up, the EC greats like Wally Wood, Al Williamson and Jack Davis. Those guys weren’t in it for the money or the fame, they poured themselves into those pages because they loved what they were doing. And my dad was the same way. He was proud of the fact that his work never felt like work. He was just doing what he loved to do since he was a little kid.”

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Bedford, MA/USA—July 6, 2022) The non-profit Inkwell Awards, devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has released the list of artists participating in its sixth annual Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight. This year’s Challenge features artist Mike Deodato Jr.’s’ take on DC Comics’ Wonder Woman, who’s celebrating her 80th Anniversary.

Deodato chose the character and pencilled an exclusive image for the Inkwells’ event. Early in his career, it was the artist’s 1987 run on the Wonder Woman (volume 2) series with writer William Messner-Loebs that propelled his name into stardom. The artwork will be auctioned for fundraising.

According to the Inkwells’ founder/director Bob Almond, the Spotlight Challenge grew out of the original Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge but showcases contemporary, “fan-favorite” talents on a more limited scale with various veteran published inkers. In chronological order, previous pencillers were Jim Lee, Neal Adams, Erik Larsen, David Finch and Ivan Reis. Reis will be the first Spotlight featured artist to later ink another featured artist (Deodato), both residing in Brazil.

The artists (in alphabetical order) are:

Gerry Acerno
Oclair Albert
Kenneth Branch
Brett Breeding
Kevin Conrad
Marc Deering
Elisabetta D’Amico
Michelle Delecki
Adriano Di Benedetto
Mark Farmer
Eber Ferreira
Christopher Ivy
Klaus Janson
Tony Kordos
Jose Marzan Jr.
Mark McKenna
Mark Pennington
Andrew Pepoy
Joe Prado
Rodney Ramos
Ivan Reis
Jonas Trindade
LeBeau Underwood
Dexter Vines
Keith Williams

Many of these pages can be viewed as digital pics on Bob’s Facebook account photo album or the attached gif of assorted files.

“We are thrilled for the strong response from such an esteemed group,” Almond said. “We realize schedules are crazy and amorphous, so we are very grateful to those who can step up for this one. I only regret the 2 month delay launching the auctions as the original art pages were held up in customs each way from the States to Brazil. But such scenarios are out of our control, especially currently with deliveries in general.”

The Challenge Spotlight furthers the inking advocacy’s dual mission of promoting the artform and educating the public. Blue-lined art files featuring a pencilled Mike Deodato Jr. pinup are sent to the artists to finish in ink. Each inked page will be signed by Deodato and the inker, and include a certificate of authenticity signed and numbered by Almond. All pages will be auctioned off as part of a major fundraiser in two to three waves, the first on Saturday afternoon, July 9 for a week, with subsequent waves in two weeks’ intervals, at the Inkwells’ eBay page. As displayed in the  animated gif of samples, fans will be able to see the difference in the pencilled and inked versions to better understand how much inkers contribute to the art form.

“On behalf of the Inkwells,” said Almond, “our sincerest thanks to DC, Mike, Erick Korpi, and especially Joe Prado for setting things up, the participating inkers, and all involved for their cooperation, support of our program, and appreciation of ink artists.”

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.

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MIKE DEODATO (2014 Lucca Comics & Games)