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“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)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

2021 INKWELL AWARDS VOTING RESULTS: the Extended Edition (AKA The Book Race Version)

(New Bedford, MA/USA—May 5, 2021) The Inkwell Awards has announced the winners of its 14th annual awards for excellence in the comic-book inking art form. Results are normally first made public at its live awards ceremony during its host show, The Great Philadelphia Comic Con, but at present, due to uncertainties with the Covid-19 pandemic, the show status is unknown and the ceremony is cancelled.

Nominees were chosen by a separate and independent nomination committee on their own as well as from artist submissions. Voting by professionals and fans took place for one week in March on the official ballot at the non-profit advocacy’s website. After 1587 ballots were tallied, one winner was chosen in each of five categories based on printed American interior comic-book work cover-dated 2020.

Inkwell Awards director Bob Almond shared “I made it a tradition for most of the years where we posted the results to make sidebar-like comments, something I picked up from the former Comic Buyer’s Guide (CBG) Fan Awards. Often these appeared in our Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge books. But this year was the exception. Like a horse race I would remark about how one nominee was in the lead in a given category only to be passed by so and so but the third and final nom overtook them both by the finish line, etc. But this year 4 out of 5 categories had the same leaders from day one until when the ballot box closed. So every category seemingly had one artist who was almost universally supported in the community more than anyone else. Only the All-in-One had the upset where Sharp and Santucci had the lead each at one point early on but for the latter half of the week Samnee took a certain lead.”

Bob continued “Lastly, this is the first ballot in many years where prolific award winners Scott Hanna and Walden Wong, 9 awards each, didn’t only not win on the ballot, but they weren’t even nominated. I’ve joked with both artists about retiring a category to them and suddenly an unprecedented shake-up like this changes everything. Although restrictions made a couple of years back in the Favorite Inker and Props categories make it less likely for multiple award sweeps.”

As begun last year, the Inkwells’ internal committee chose to not limit lifetime achievement awards within a given year. They selected four inductees for the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame and three recipients for the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA). There were no internal Silver Inkwell Awards recipients this year but there were two internal Above & Beyond Awards given to Bob Bretall and Johnny B. Gerardy for 10 years of Nomination Committee service.

Ballot nominees are listed below with their credits and the percentage of votes received by the winners, along with the other nominees in alphabetical order.

FAVORITE INKER (Favorite ink artist over the pencil work of another artist; cannot also be nominated for the “Props” award): Ruy Jose (41%) (Immortal Hulk [Marvel]).
Other nominees: Jonathan Glapion, Klaus Janson, Joe Prado.

Nominees Klaus Janson had previously taken this award in 2013 and Joe Prado in 2016. Joe only made runner-up this year as the force that is Marvel’s Immortal Hulk and it’s creators, in this case first-time ballot candidate Ruy Jose, overtook even Joe’s exceptional work over Ivan Reis on DC’s Superman.

MOST-ADAPTABLE (Artist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencillers): Norm Rapmund (42%) (Batman Beyond, Detective Comics, The Flash, Flash Forward, Dark Nights Death Metal: The Multiverse Who Laughs (one-shot), Wonder Woman [DC]).

Other nominees: Marc Deering, Daniel Henriques, Matt Santorelli, LeBeau Underwood.

Norm has only won one Inkwell ballot category in the past, Favorite Inker in 2014. So this is his first victory in this category. Marc Deering was a nominee in 2015 and a runner-up in both 2019 and 2020. But Daniel Henriques was the runner-up this year.

PROPS (Inker deserving of more attention): Eber Ferreira (41%) (Speed Metal (one-shot), Freedom Fighters, Justice League [DC]).

Other nominees: Adriano Di Benedetto, Daniel Henriques, Le Beau Underwood.

This is Eber’s third triumph in Props, the other times being in 2013 and 2020. First-timer Adriano made runner-up, probably due to the runaway success of Immortal Hulk.  Both Henriques and Underwood have appeared in this category before with Henriques achieving the runner-up position in 2019.

S.P.A.M.I. (Small Press And Mainstream Independent): Adelso Corona (69%) Snake Eyes [IDW]; Bloodshot [Valiant]).
Other nominees: Le Beau Underwood.

Adelso is a first-time Inkwell ballot winner. Underwood was nominated in this category in 2019 and 2020.

ALL-IN-ONE (Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencils): Chris Samnee (40%) (FirePower [Image]).
Other nominees: Marco Santucci, Liam Sharp.

This category has had a unique artist win every year except for the lone repeat success of Liam Sharp in 2018 and 2020. Samnee is another first-time winner but Sharp may be shooting for the even years

Adelso Corona

Chris Samnee

Norm Rapmund

Eber Ferreira

Ruy Jose

In alphabetical order, the lifetime achievement awards were as follows:

THE STACEY ARAGON SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD (SASRA): Alfredo Alcala, Frank Frazetta and Wendy Pini.

This is the first time the SASRA was awarded to 3 recipients. Alcala and Frazetta are posthumous awards for exceptional careers in ink. Wendy Pini, the only woman artist to  take home an Inkwell award this year is very much alive, exceptional and also as active as ever along with her husband Richard on their property Elfquest.

Alfredo Alcala Wendy Pini Frank Frazetta

THE JOE SINNOTT HALL OF FAME: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, Pablo Marcos and Mike Royer.

Bernie Wrightson was the first artist to win both the SASRA and posthumously the Sinnott HoF awards but Sal Buscema is the second. He had previously won the S.P.A.M.I. Award in 2013 and 2018. Mike Esposito passed away in 2010 after a long and prolific career but Marcos and Royer have been very active illustrating in ink at 79 and 84 years of age, respectively.

Mark Sinnott, Joe’s son/agent, said, “It is an honor for me to keep with the tradition that my dad, Joltin’ Joe Sinnott started over 10 years ago. On behalf of the Inkwell Awards, I would like to welcome its four newest members to its hallowed halls: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, Pablo Marcos and Mike Royer. It is great to have you all as members of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame class of 2021. Welcome to the Inkwell family! You have all brought a great deal of talent and class to the comic book world, and we thank you for that. Keep slingin’ ink, and never let your inkwell run dry!”

Mike Royer Sal Buscema Pablo Marcos Mike Esposito

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.Full acceptance statements from Sinnott and the winners will be found in the “Award Recipients” section of the Inkwell Awards’ website in the near future.

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(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.

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(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Bedford, MA/USA—January 19, 2021) The non-profit Inkwell Awards, devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has released the list of 24 artists participating in its fifth annual Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight. This year’s Challenge features artist Ivan Reis’ take on DC’s iconic super-team The Justice League from the cover art to DC’s Man of Steel (2018) as originally inked by Ivan’s partner Joe Prado. The artwork will be auctioned afterward for fundraising.

The artists (in alphabetical order) are:
Gerry Acerno
Greg Adams
Oclair Albert
Brian Atkins
Kevin Conrad
John Dell
Michelle Delecki
Adriano Di Benedetto
Julio Ferreira
Anthony Fowler Jr.
Scott Hanna
Christopher Ivy
Criss Madd
Jose Marzan Jr.
Mark McKenna
Andrew Pepoy
Jack Purcell
Rodney Ramos
Ryusei Sawada (Kubert School 2020 Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship recipient)
Mark Stegbauer
Jonas Trindade
LeBeau Underwood
Keith Williams
Walden Wong

According to founder/director Bob Almond, the Spotlight Challenge, which grew out of its more inclusive, original Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge, showcases other contemporary, fan-favorite talents on a more limited scale with veteran published inkers who may or may not have participated in other challenges. The previous four pencilers were Jim Lee, Neal Adams, Erik Larsen, and David Finch.

“We are thrilled to have such a positive response from such a great group,” Almond said. “We realize schedules are tight and ever-changing, especially in this age of Covid, so we are truly grateful to those able to step up for this one.” He added that the list may change somewhat if schedules change but they hope to have 24 participants in total. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned during our decade-plus operation, it’s flexibility in the face of the unexpected.”

The Challenge Spotlight furthers the inking advocacy’s dual mission of promoting the artform and educating the public. Blue-lined art files featuring a tightly penciled Ivan Reis Justice League pinup are sent to the artists to finish in ink. Each inked page will be signed by Reis and the inker, and include a certificate of authenticity signed and numbered by Almond. All pages will be auctioned off as a major fundraiser in two waves, the first half on SATURDAY JANUARY 23 for a week, and the final wave 2 weeks later on SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 for a week at this eBay link for those weeks eBay.com/sch/theinkwellawards. Fans will be able to see the difference in the penciled 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, Ivan, Erick Korpi, and especially Joe Prado for setting things up with Ivan, myself, and Erick, the participating inkers, and all involved for their cooperation, support of our program, and appreciation of ink artists.”

(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.

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