Don’t for one second think that The Quarterbin was going to miss out on the Harvey Awards while we were in Baltimore this weekend. Here for your reading pleasure is an account of the evening’s goings on.

This was our first time attending any type of comic-related awards ceremony, so when Chris and I headed over to the Marriot, neither of us knew what to expect. Once we got there, sitting among the crowd full of some of the industry’s biggest talent reminded us just how important awards like these were for those lucky enough to be nominated. We would’ve loved to have had video of the keynote from Brian Bendis for you guys, but we weren’t allowed to tape anything. In short, Bendis extrapolated on what Frank Miller had said during his Eisner speech about creators needing to stand up for themselves. Bendis added more about adapting to the new digital frontier, but sadly my attempt to recap this speech for you would lose all the impact (which is why we wanted to tape it to start with). After Bendis stepped down, the awards started getting handed out, and the whole thing just flew by.

I don’t think there were any real surprises. Maybe the one exception was Mike Mignola winning “Best Cover Artist.” Don’t get me wrong, Mignola is one of the best artists working today, but nominee James Jean, aside from having some of the most gorgeous covers ever, is easily the most recognized cover artist of the last 5 or so years. How he didn’t win, I’ll never know. It was cool to see Oni Press come away with some awards (yay Vasilis Lolos!), as well as Dark Horse snagging “Best New Series” for Umbrella Academy. You can find a full run-down of the winners below.

(A full list of nominees can be found here)

Best Letterer - Chris Eliopoulos, Daredevil

Best Colorist – Laura Martin, Thor

Best Syndicated Strip or Panel – Gary Trudeau, Doonesbury

Best Online Comics Work – Nicholas Gurewitch, Perry Bible Fellowship

Best Inker – Kevin Nowlan, Witchblade

Best American Edition of Foreign Material – Eduardo Risso, Tales of Terror, Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Best New Series – Umbrella Academy, Published by Dark Horse Comics

Best Graphic Album Previously Published – Captain America Omnibus Vol. 1, Published by Marvel Comics

Special Award for Humor in Comics – Nicholas Gurewitch, Perry Bible Fellowship

Best New Talent – Vasilis Lolos, Last Call

Best Biographical, Historical, Journalistic Presentation – Douglas Wolk, Reading Comics: How Graphic Albums Work and What They Mean

Best Anthology – Mark Andrew Smith (Ed.), Popgun Vol. 1

Best Domestic Reprint Project – Complete Peanuts, Published by Fantagraphics

Best Cover Artist – Mike Mignola, Hellboy

Special Award for Excellence in Presentation – EC Archives, Published by Gemstone

Best Original Graphic Album – Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Published by Oni Press

Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award – Nick Cardy

Best Continuing or Limited Series – All-Star Superman, Published by DC Comics

Best Writer – Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man

Best Artist – Frank Quitely, All-Star Superman

Best Cartoonist – Darwyn Cooke, The Spirit

Best Single Issue or Story – All-Star Superman #8, Published by DC Comics

 

Be sure to check TheQuarterbin for more interviews and news from Baltimore Comic Con.

 

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Baltimore Comic Con 08: Day One

Baltimore Comic Con 08: Day Two

W2W4W: 09.24.08