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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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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 afterwards for fundraising.

The artists (in alphabetical order) are:

Gerry Acerno

Greg Adams

Brian Atkins

Keith Champagne

Kevin Conrad

John Dell

Michelle Delecki

Anthony Fowler Jr.

Scott Hanna

Christopher Ivy

Jay Leisten

Criss Madd

Jose Marzen Jr.

Mark McKenna

Jason Moore

Andrew Pepoy

Jack Purcell

Rodney Ramos

Ryusei Sawada (Kubert School 2020 Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship recipient)

Mike Sellers

Mark Stegbauer

LeBeau Underwood

Keith Williams

Walden Wong

 

Newsarama reported today that comic book veteran ink artist Juan Vlasco died on April 24 after a complication following surgery. Based in Mexico, full name- Juan Francisco Velasco Hernandez- had worked in mainstream American comics for over 20 years at such publishers as Wildstorm, DC and Marvel. He was nominated for the Inkwell Awards “Props Award” (ink artist deserving of more attention for their work over other pencilers ) in 2011 for Contest of Champions; Superior Iron Man; Legendary Star-Lord; Amazing Spider-man; Nova [Marvel] and in 2016 for X-Men and Deadpool. The Inkwells family sends its condolences to Juan’s many loved ones and fans.

Newsarama reported yesterday that DC, Marvel, Charlton Comics ink artist Frank McLaughlin had died March 4 of undisclosed causes. He was 84. The Inkwell Awards give our condolences to his family, friends and many fans.

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Bedford, MA/USA—February 21 2020) 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 from February 23 through 29.

Voting is open to all 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 ballot covers all printed American comic books cover-dated 2019.

“This is the second ballot with our revamped nomination procedure where inkers could submit their work in addition to those chosen by our internal nomination committee,” said Bob Almond, founder and director of The Inkwell Awards. “It made a huge difference and we’re thrilled to see many inkers submit their own work and several get nominated.”

He also added, “For years, too many inkers are passed over and go unnoticed by most awards events. Ours caters specifically to ink artists, allowing them to be recognized and appreciated for their best work. We encourage any and all who appreciate great artwork to participate and share on social media; the more voters, the better.”

The 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 at the live awards ceremony during The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! in Oaks, PA the weekend of April 3-5.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (New Bedford, MA/USA—January 13, 2020) The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit advocacy for comic-book inking and ink artists, is retiring its original “Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge” after eight years.

Created by founder and director Bob Almond, the Challenge involved Sinnott, the organization’s first special ambassador, drawing or loosely sketching two characters for which he was known (or not have ever rendered) and then professional and amateur artists inking and/or embellishing them. The program was designed to educate fans, the public and other professionals regarding the process, contribution and inherent value of inking, a major part of the Inkwells’ mission. All of the blueline inked pages, signed by Sinnott and the inkers, were later donated by the contributors and auctioned on eBay, providing valuable fundraising for the organization.
Sinnott issued the following statement (signed with his Marvel nickname, “Joltin’ Joe Sinnott,”):

“As you all know, this past year, with the cancellation of the ‘Spider-Man’ syndicated strip, I decided to retire from comic-related work. This also included my participation in the Inkwell Awards’ annual Inking Challenge. It was a great privilege to play a part in all of these challenges, and I always enjoyed seeing everyone’s take on embellishing my pencilled drawings. I look forward to the release of the upcoming collection of the Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge in book form, and was glad to be a part of this for so many years. Now it is finally time for me to sit back, relax, and enjoy a well-deserved retirement. I look forward to seeing many great things from the Inkwell Awards. I thank you all for supporting them and being a part of this great organization.”

The Inkwells have also collected each year’s pencils-to inks comparisons in book form and a final, sixth one will be available in the coming weeks. Almond said, “We are immensely proud of this series of books as launched by Jim Tournas, Enrica Jang and Renee Woodruff. We truly thank Joe and son Mark for their stellar cooperation and accomplishments over the years. He more than deserves his happy retirement and we all agree that we want Joe to be nothing but happy and healthy after an extraordinary career of almost 70 years.”
The Challenge spin-off program, The Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight, which focuses on a different veteran or contemporary all-star artist, is still active and recently completed its fourth event.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (New Bedford, MA/USA—June 21, 2019) The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, will auction the artwork for their fourth annual Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight, which focuses on DC’s Batman pencil art of award-winning creator David Finch. The fundraiser event debuts on June 23. 

The Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight, which grew out of the Inkwell’s original Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge, showcases various contemporary, fan-favorite talents on a limited scale with veteran published inkers who may or may not have participated in other challenges. The previous three pencillers were Jim Lee, Neal Adams and Erik Larsen.

This year’s 24 participating ink artists (in alphabetical order) are:

Gerry Acerno, Ken Branch, Brett Breeding, AJ Cassetta, Keith Champagne, Kevin Conrad, Marc Deering, John Dell, Guy Dorian Sr., John Floyd, Scott Hanna, Tony Kordos, Jay Leisten, Criss Madd, Jose Marzan Jr., Mark McKenna, Andrew Pepoy, Rodney Ramos, Bill Sienkiewicz, Andy Smith, Mark Stegbauer, LeBeau Underwood, Keith Williams and Walden Wong.

“We are excited to see the amazing work from such a skilled and talented group,” said founder/director Bob Almond. “We realize schedules are tight and ever-changing so we are grateful to those able to step up for this one. I want to credit committee vet Erick Korpi for not only initiating this year’s program but for recruiting A.J. Cassetta, the Kubert School student recipient of the 10th annual Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Award, to the line-up!”

The Challenge Spotlight furthers the inking advocacy’s dual mission of promoting the artform and educating the public. Blue-lined art boards featuring a tightly pencilled David Finch Batman pinup were sent to the artists to finish and/or embellish in ink. Each inked page is signed by Finch and the inker, and includes a certificate of authenticity signed and numbered 1 to 24 by Almond. All pages will be auctioned off on eBay as a fundraiser. Fans will be able to see the difference in the pencilled and inked versions through a gif to better understand how much inkers contribute to the artform.

“On behalf of the Inkwells,” said Almond, “our sincerest thanks to DC, David, the inkers, and all involved for their cooperation, support of our program, and appreciation of ink artists.”

A little late posting this here…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (New Bedford, MA/USA—April 13, 2019) The Inkwell Awards released the list of winners of its 11th annual awards for excellence in the art form of comic-book inking. Nominees were chosen by a separate and independent nomination committee. This year the process was enhanced by inviting professional ink artists to submit their top work for consideration in each category. Nominators could also submit their own nominees and include inkers from both sources. For the first time, the same candidate could no longer be nominated for both the Favorite Inker and the Props categories. Voting by professionals and fans took place in February for two weeks on the official ballot at the non-profit advocacy’s website. One winner was chosen in each of five categories based on American interior comic-book work cover-dated 2018.

In addition, the Inkwells’ internal committee selected the two inductees of the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame and two recipients for the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA). Some of the winners were present (along with special guests) to receive their trophies on April 12 at The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! in Oaks, PA, the new host show for the Inkwells.

Winners are listed below with nominated credits and the percentage of votes received, where applicable. In four of the five categories, winners won with approximately twice as much as the next leading candidate, the largest margins in the awards’ history.

FAVORITE INKER: Walden Wong (48%) (Astonishing X-Men, Captain America Annual, Incredible Hulk, Marvel Two-In-One, Venom [Marvel])
Other nominees: Jay Leisten, Mark Morales, Joe Prado, Trevor Scott, Dexter Vines

 

MOST-ADAPTABLE INKER: Walden Wong (50%)

(Same above credits.) Other nominees: Marc Deering, Jay Leisten, Norm Rapmund, Cam Smith

 

 

PROPS AWARD (inker deserving of more attention): Elisabetta D’Amico (30%)

(G.I. Joe [IDW]; Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Men II [Marvel])                                                                                                          

Other nominees: Eber Ferreira, Ruy Jose, Daniel Henriques, Jordi Tarragona, Le Beau Underwood

 

 

 

 

 

 

S.P.A.M.I. (Small Press and Mainstream Independent): Stefano Gaudiano (37%) (Walking Dead [Image])
Other nominees: Andrew Pepoy, Brian Albert Thies, Le Beau Underwood, Ryan Winn

 

 

 

 

 

ALL-IN-ONE (pencilling and inking together): Lee Weeks (31%) (Batman, Batman Annual [DC])
Other nominees: Joelle Jones, Mike Perkins, Andrew Pepoy, Liam Sharp

 

 

 

 

THE STACEY ARAGON SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD (SASRA): Jack Davis and Marie Severin
Other nominees: Pat Broderick, John Buscema, Sal Buscema, Frank Chiaramonte, Johnny Craig, Mike Esposito, Michael Golden, Don Heck, Rick Ketchum, Peter Krause, Erik Larsen, Norman Lee, Steve Lieber, Todd McFarlane, Frank McLaughlin, Dave Simons

 

Mike Pascale wrote “Today we have two posthumous winners, but they have more than that in common. Both are Atom-Age alumni of the legendary EC Comics:

First is JACK DAVIS, one of the most loved and prolific artists in both comics and illustration. Jack was first published in Tip Top Comics, 1936, at the tender age of 12. After a stint in the Navy, the University of Georgia’s magazine and inking newspaper strips, Jack eventually joined Bill Gaines’s EC bullpen in 1950 as their fastest artist, pencilling and inking every genre including horror, war, western, science fiction, drama and of course humor. He was the cover and lead artist for Al Feldstein’s Tales From the Crypt and a founding member of Harvey Kurtzman’s “Usual Gang Of Idiots” for MAD, where he created laughs for 40 years. Over a half-century, Jack’s intricately inked and controlled color chaos graced the covers of TV Guide and Time magazine, several iconic trading card sets from Topps and others, and dozens of movie posters and album covers. Jack passed away in 2016 at the ripe age of 91. He was a SASRA runner-up in 2015 and nominee again in 2017.



The other recipient is MARIE SEVERIN who’s never been nominated for this category but regrettably left us just last year at 89. Another comedic action master, Marie started in comics in 1949 as a colorist for her brother John at EC. She studied color and its applications, making EC stand out amongst its more garish imitators. Marie’s comics artist career began at Marvel when they needed an artist for an Esquire magazine article. Upon seeing her work, Stan Lee gave her the art chores on Doctor Strange. In addition to a stint as their head colorist, she drew many major characters including a historic Silver Age run on The Incredible Hulk. She won an industry Shazam Award and was nominated for two others in the humor division for her landmark work in Not Brand Echh! and Crazy! magazine. In 1976 she designed and co-created Spider-Woman. She had a 50-plus year comics career and was inducted into the Eisner Hall Of Fame and won a Comic-Con International Icon Award.”

 

THE JOE SINNOTT HALL OF FAME: Neal Adams and Dan Adkins

Other nominees: John Beatty, Brett Breeding, Karl Kesel, Bob Layton, Pablo Marcos, Allen Milgrom, Bob Wiacek, Bernie Wrightson

J. David Spurlock shared: “Neal Adams is one of the most celebrated artists in the history of comicbooks. His work on Batman, Green Lantern, X-Men, Deadman, and the Avengers is literally, legendary. Adams has likewise been a staunch, innovative supporter of creator rights over the decades, fighting for art returns, royalties for all comics artists, and in the ’70s, he was key to securing a pension for the creators of Superman. This is the first time Adams has been celebrated specifically for his unique virtuosity with brush and ink.”

 

 

 

“Dan Adkins’ career spanned from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents with Wally Wood, to drawing Dr. Strange in the far-out ’60s, launching Conan the Barbarian with Barry Windsor-Smith, classics featuring the Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer with John Buscema, to art for sci-fi magazines and Creepy horror comics. Adkins’ work helped entertain millions of people, and he mentored a new generation. It is very deserving that the sometime Pennsylvanian is being honored here and now.”

 

Joe Sinnott, the award’s namesake and first winner, made the following statement about this year’s inductees: “I was thrilled to learn of the 2 newest members to be inducted into the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame. Neal Adams has certainly made his mark in the comic industry. When I think of Neal, I am drawn to his work on Batman and Green Arrow. Also running Continuity Associates Studio in NYC that gave many new up and coming young artists their start in comics. Neal and I were fortunate enough to work together on two Thor stories (#s 180 & 181). Then decades later we were asked to work together once more on a Batman blank cover to support the Inkwell Awards. That was certainly a lot of fun.

“Dan Adkins has also had a long distinguished career in comics. Dan was a great penciller in his own right, but primarily as an inker. His work on the Dr. Strange comics is what I remember him best for. Dan, like me, was a very sought-after inker, having inked a number of artists, far too many to count. His ink line sure brought out the best in many pencillers. He is truly missed.

“It is with great pride and pleasure that we get to welcome these two fine artists and inkers into the Inkwell Awards family. Congratulations on your election into the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame, and the newest recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award, class of 2019.

“Well done, Gentlemen!”                                                         

Joltin’ Joe Sinnott

The live awards ceremony featured an introduction by Inkwell Awards founder and director Bob Almond as host/MC, followed by Guest of Honor and 2012 Sinnott Hall of Fame Award recipient Mark McKenna (scheduled keynote speaker Scott Hanna, a 9-time Inkwell award recipient, was sick and not available Friday) who discussed the art form of comic-book inking and his 30-year career. Both were joined by two hostesses and spokesmodels as “Ms. Inkwell,” portrayed by Hailey Skaza-Gagne and Kathy Denise Taylor. Convention host J.M. Clark presented the five category awards. Clark and Almond each presented one of the two lifetime achievement awards.

Continuing for the second year was the Above & Beyond Award, for organization members who have performed exceptionally (or others in comics who have made special efforts to advance the art form of inking). Two were handed out by last year’s winner, Hailey Skaza-Gagne (the longest-running Ms. Inkwell spokesmodel), to      Michael Hoskin, the second person to annually serve on the nomination committee for its 10-year existence; and Shelton Drum, creator/promoter of HeroesCon, who invited the organization to host its first live ceremony at the show in 2011 and annually through 2018.

Almond also awarded “Silver Inkwells” for five years of service to four nomination committee members: Jim Johnson, Edward Harris, Damon Owens and Shawn Pryor. Full acceptance statements from the winners will be found in the “Award Recipients” section of the Inkwell Awards’ website in the near future.