The nominees for this year’s Harvey Awards have been announced and while there are some very fine works in contention with one another it does seem to me on first glance that several titles seem to repeat in a large number of categories (not unusual of course). Good works, I should add – I’m not having a go at highly enjoyable and successful works like All-Star Superman or any of the others that crop up numerous times, but still, there were a lot of other works published last year and it might have been nice to see more of them nominated in some of the categories instead of the same titles cropping up in every second category; it felt a little like I had to skim down to the Best Graphic Album – Original to find a little more variety. But then awards shortlists by their very nature usually provoke comments and criticisms because none of us are ever totally happy with them (although on the flipside there usually are some parts we think yes, good choices!), so let the opinions flow forth! The Harveys will be announced at the Baltimore Comic-Con in October.
BEST WRITER
Kyle Baker, Nat Turner, Abrams Books
Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Marvel Comics
John Gallagher, Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule!, Sky Dog Comics
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Grant Morrison, All-Star Superman, DC Comics
BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
Kyle Baker, Nat Turner, Abrams Books
Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules, Renaissance Press
Jason Kruse, World of Quest, Yen Press
Frank Quitely, All-Star Superman, DC Comics
BEST CARTOONIST
Lar deSouza, Least I Could Do, www.leasticoulddo.com
John Gallagher, Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule!, Sky Dog Comics
Al Jaffee, Tall Tales, Abrams Books
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Thom Zahler, Love & Capes, Maerkle Press
BEST LETTERER
Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules, Renaissance Press
Rob Leigh, The Spirit, DC Comics
Doug Sherwood, Local, Oni Press
John Workman, Marvel 1985, Marvel Comics
Thom Zahler, Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule!, Sky Dog Comics
BEST INKER
Rich Faber, Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule!, Sky Dog Comics
Jamie Grant, All-Star Superman, DC Comics
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Mark Morales, Thor, Marvel Comics
Ryan Winn, The Darkness, Image Comics
BEST COLORIST
Frank Cammuso, Otto’s Orange Day, Raw Junior, LLC
Jamie Grant, All-Star Superman, DC Comics
Laura Martin, Thor, Marvel Comics
Wil Quintana, The Mice Templar, Image Comics
Dave Stewart, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
BEST COVER ARTIST
Frank Cho, Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule!, Sky Dog Press
James Jean, Fables, Vertigo Comics
Jay Lynch, Mineshaft #23, Mineshaft Publishing
Ken Rocafort, Pilot Season: Core #1, Top Cow
Alex Ross, Justice Society of America, DC Comics
BEST NEW SERIES
The Dreamer, IDW
Echo, Abstract Studios
High Moon, www.zudacomics.com
Night Owls, www.zudacomics.com
Supertron, www.zudacomics.com
BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
All-Star Superman, DC Comics
Captain America, Marvel Comics
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Mice Templar, Image Comics
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION
Draw!, edited by Mike Manley, TwoMorrows Publishing
How to Make Webcomics, Brad Guigar, Dave Kellett, Scott Kurtz, and Kris Straub, Image Comics
Kirby: King of Comics, Mark Evanier, Abrams Books
Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles, edited by Dean Mullaney, IDW
Wordless Books: the Original Graphic Novels, edited by David A. Berona, Abrams Books
BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!, Tim Rickard, Tribune Media Services
Get Fuzzy, Darby Conley, United Features Syndicate
Mutts, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate
The Norm, Michael Jantze, Uclick Gocomics
Pearls Before Swine, Stephan Pastis, United Features Syndicate
BEST ANTHOLOGY
Comic Book Tattoo, edited by Rantz Hoseley, Image Comics
Flight Volume 5, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Villard
Mome Volume 10, edited by Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books
Pixu #1, edited by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, Self-Published
Popgun Volume 2, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith, Image Comics
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM – ORIGINAL
Bottomless Belly Button, Fantagraphics Books
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Amulet Books
Essex County: the Country Nurse, Top Shelf
Skim, Groundwood Books
Too Cool to be Forgotten, Top Shelf
World of Quest: Vol. 2, Yen Press
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM – PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
Amelia Rules!: Funny Stories, Renaissance Press
M, Abrams Books
Nat Turner, Abrams Books
The Mice Templar: Vol. 1, Image Comics
Queen and country: Volume, Oni Press
Skyscrapers of the Midwest (Hardcover), Adhouse Books
BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
Acme Novelty Library #19, Self-Published
First Born: Aftermath #1, Top Cow
Love and Rockets, VOL. 3 #1, Fantagraphics Books
M, Abrams Books
Nascar Heroes #5, NASCAR Comics
Nat Turner, Abrams Books
The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard, First Second
Y: the Last Man #60, Vertigo Comics
BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
Astounding Space Thrills, IDW
Complete Peanuts, Fantagraphics Books
Complete Terry and the Pirates, IDW
Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles, IDW
Wacky Packages, Abrams Books
BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
Gus and His Gang, First Second
Pocket Full of Rain, Fantagraphics Books
Red Colored Elegy, Drawn and Quarterly
Solanin, Viz
Witchblade Takeru Manga #’s 11 & 12, Top Cow
BEST ON-LINE COMICS WORK
Black Cherry Bombshells, Tony Trovarello and John Zito, www.zudacomics.com
High Moon, Scott O. Brown, Steve Ellis, and David Gallaher, www.zudacomics.com
Least I Could Do, Lar deSouza and Ryan Sohmer, www.leasticoulddo.com
Night Owls, Bobby & Peter Timony, www.zudacomics.com
PvP, Scott Kurtz, www.pvponline.com
SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR IN COMICS
Lar deSouza and Ryan Sohmer, Least I Could Do, www.leasticoulddo.com
John Gallagher, Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule!, Sky Dog Comics
Al Jaffee, Tall Tales, Abrams Books
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
David Malki, Wondermark, www.wondermark.com
SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
Complete Local: Hardcover Edition, Ryan Kelly and Brian Wood, Oni Press
Kirby: King of Comics, Mark Evanier, Abrams Books
Queen and Country: Volume 3, Greg Rucka, Mike Norton, Steve Rolston, and Chris Samnee, Oni Press
Tall Tales, Al Jaffee, Abrams Books
Wondermark, Vol. 1: Beards of our Forefathers, David Malki, Dark Horse Comics
BEST NEW TALENT
Matt Cassan, Nascar: Heroes, Nascar Comics
Bryan J.L. Glass, The Mice Templar, Image Books
Laura Innes, The Dreamer, IDW
Tim Sievert, That Salty Air, Top Shelf
Bobby Timony, Night Owls, www.zudacomics.com
July 1st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Essentially the Harvey’s are almost as much of a ‘travesty’ as the Eagle awards. I amn’t the one to say there is no real place for awards that are openly nominated by public or profession – oh hell, yes I am. We saw it last year with Don Rosa – it’s emerged this year also. Whether or not these nominations are warranted it almost doesn’t matter as the system is so open to manipulation. Even if that is just the block vote of a peer group. I myself would prefer to see only nominated awards – long list, short list, nominations. Get good experts and at least you should get something representative. Even if you have to set quotas on type of book etc. Will never happen tho’ I doubt. this way you can hide behind it being the ‘democratic’ will – although as with many expressions of democracy where the electorate don’t bother to vote it can be highly undemocratic in it its nature – and certainly potentially willfully unrepresentative of any real ‘quality’. Having said all that – it actually is a pretty decent list.