Comic author Robert L. Washington III (b.1964) died of an heart attack on June 6. Washington is best known for his work on the original run of Static from DC Comics in 1993. He went on to write Shadow Cabinet, Extreme Justice, The Good Guys, and Ninjak. Washington had fallen on hard times recently and been helped by the Hero Initiative, for which he wrote an autobiographical comic for Hero Comics 2012.
Artist Tony DeZuniga (b.1933) died on May 11 after suffering a stroke in mid-April. DeZuniga was a comic book artist born in the Philippines. He began working in the comics industry there in 1957, and eventually began working for DC in 1970. He introduced other Filipino artists to the US comics world as well as created the characters if Johan Hex and Black Orchid.
Swedish librarian Kristiina Kolehmainen (b.1953) died on March 27. Kolehmainen founded the Serieteket, the comics library housed within Stockholm’s Kulturhuset. Since 1998, Kolehmainen also served as director of the Stockholm International Comics Festival/Small Press Expo, helping to build the event.
Hobby Star is suing Wizard World over the use of the name Toronto Comicon. Hobby Star has run the Toronto Comicon for several years and claims that the newer Wizard World Toronto Comic Con is infringing on its name and misrepresenting itself as being related. Hobby Star is also claiming Wizard World is defaming Hobby Star by claiming that company is threatening reprisals against vendors who exhibit at both events.
For more information…
The nominations for the Eisner Awards, given for excellence in comic books, have been announced. The awards will be presented at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 13.
Best Short Story
- “A Brief History of the Art Form Known as Hortisculpture,” by Adrian Tomine, in Optic Nerve #12
- “Harvest of Fear,” by Jim Woodring, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #17
- “The Phototaker,” by Guy Davis, in Metal Hurlant vol. 2
- “The Seventh,” by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition
- “The Speaker,” by Brandon Graham, in Dark Horse Presents #7
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
- Daredevil #7, by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera
- Ganges #4, by Kevin Huizenga
- Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
- Princeless #3, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin
- The Unwritten #24: “Stairway to Heaven” by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Al Davison
Best Continuing Series
- Daredevil, by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera
- Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa
- Rachel Rising, by Terry Moore
- Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli
- Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai
Best Limited Series
- Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X, by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener
- Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
- Flashpoint: Batman—Knight of Vengeance, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
- The New York Five, by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly
- Who Is Jake Ellis? by Nathan Edmondson & Tonci Zonjic
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
- Beauty and the Squat Bears, by Émile Bravo
- Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, by Philippe Coudray
- Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka
- Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy
- Patrick in a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, by Geoffrey Hayes
Best Publication for Kids (ages 8–12)
- The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, by Sholly Fisch, Rick Burchett, and Dan Davis
- Amelia Rules: The Meaning of Life…And Other Stuff, by Jimmy Gownley
- The Ferret’s a Foot, by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue
- Princeless, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin
- Snarked, by Roger Langridge
- Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke
Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12–17)
- Anya’s Ghost, by Vera Brosgol
- Around the World, by Matt Phelan
- Level Up, by Gene Yang and Thien Pham
- Life with Archie, by Paul Kupperberg, Fernando Ruiz, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Norm Breyfogle, et al.
- Mystic, by G. Willow Wilson and David Lopez
Best Anthology
- Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson
- Nelson, edited by Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix
- Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy
- The Someday Funnies, edited by Michel Choquette
- Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land, edited by Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle
Best Humor Publication
- The Art of Doug Sneyd: A Collection of Playboy Cartoons
- Chimichanga, by Eric Powell
- Coffee: It’s What’s for Dinner, by Dave Kellett
- Kinky & Cosy, by Nix
- Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, by Evan Dorkin
Best Digital Comic
- Bahrain, by Josh Neufeld
- Battlepug, by Mike Norton
- Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, by Tony Cliff
- Outfoxed, by Dylan Meconis
- Sarah and the Seed, by Ryan Andrews
Best Reality-Based Work
- Around the World, by Matt Phelan
- Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case
- Marzi: A Memoir, by Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia
- Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki
- Vietnamerica, by GB Tran
Best Graphic Album—New
- Bubbles & Gondola, by Renaud Dillies
- Freeway, by Mark Kalesniko
- Habibi, by Craig Thompson
- Ivy, by Sarah Olekysk
- Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, adapted by Ramón K. Pérez
- One Soul, by Ray Fawkes
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
- Big Questions, by Anders Nilsen
- The Death Ray, by Dan Clowes
- Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke
- WE3: The Deluxe Edition, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
- Zahra’s Paradise, by Amir and Khalil
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
- Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim, by Alex Raymond and Don Moore, edited by Dean Mullaney
- Forgotten Fantasy: Sunday Comics 1900–1915, edited by Peter Maresca
- Prince Valiant vols. 3-4, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson
- Tarpé Mills’s Miss Fury Sensational Sundays, 1944–1949, edited by Trina Robbins
- Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
- Government Issue: Comics for the People: 1940s–2000s, edited by Richard L. Graham
- The MAD Fold-In Collection, by Al Jaffee
- PS Magazine: The Best of Preventive Maintenance Monthly, by Will Eisner
- The Sugar and Spike Archives, vol. 1, by Sheldon Mayer
- Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
- Bubbles & Gondola, by Renaud Dillies
- Isle of 100,000 Graves, by Fabien Vehlmann and Jason
- Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot, by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Patrick Manchette
- The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt
- Night Animals: A Diptych About What Rushes Through the Bushes, by Brecht Evens
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
- A Bride’s Story, by Kaoru Mori
- Drops of God, by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto
- Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki
- Saturn Apartments, vols. 3-4, by Hisae Iwaoka
- Stargazing Dog, by Takashi Murakami
- Wandering Son, vol. 1, by Shimura Takako
Best Writer
- Cullen Bunn, The Sixth Gun
- Mike Carey, The Unwritten
- Jeff Jensen, Green River Killer: A True Detective Story
- Jeff Lemire, Animal Man, Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Sweet Tooth
- Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible, Daredevil
Best Writer/Artist
- Rick Geary, The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti
- Terry Moore, Rachel Rising
- Sarah Oleksyk, Ivy
- Craig Thompson, Habibi
- Jim Woodring, Congress of the Animals, “Harvest of Fear,” in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #17
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
- Michael Allred, iZombie, Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special
- Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand
- Chris Samnee, Captain America and Bucky, Ultimate Spider-Man #155
- Marcos Martin, Daredevil
- Paolo Rivera/Joe Rivera, Daredevil
Best Cover Artist
- Michael Allred, iZombie
- Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther, Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars, Archie Meets Kiss
- Victor Kalvachev, Blue Estate
- Marcos Martin, Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man
- Sean Phillips, Criminal: The Last of the Innocent
- Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten
Best Coloring
- Laura Allred, iZombie, Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special
- Bill Crabtree, The Sixth Gun
- Ian Herring and Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand
- Victor Kalvachev, Blue Estate
- Cris Peter, Casanova: Avaritia, Casanova: Gula
Best Lettering
- Deron Bennett, Billy Fog, Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, Mr. Murder Is Dead, Helldorado, Puss N Boots, Richie Rich
- Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! The Meaning of Life…And Other Stuff
- Laura Lee Gulledge, Page by Paige
- Tom Orzechowski, Manara Library, with L. Lois Buholis, Manga Man, Savage Dragon
- Stan Sakai, iUsagi Yojimbo
Best Comics-Related Journalism
- The AV Club Comics Panel, by Noel Murray, Oliver Sava, et al.
- The Beat, produced by Heidi MacDonald, et al.
- The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, and The Comics Journal website, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel
- The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon
- TwoMorrows Publications: Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas, Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury, Draw, edited by Mike Manley, and Jack Kirby Collector, edited by John Morrow
Best Educational/Academic Work
- Alan Moore: Conversations, ed. by Eric Berlatsky
- Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti
- Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods, edited by Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan
- Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield
- Projections: Comics and the History of 21st Century Storytelling, by Jared Gardner
Best Comics-Related Book
- Archie: A Celebration of America’s Favorite Teenagers, edited by Craig Yoe
- Caniff: A Visual Biography, edited by Dean Mullaney
- Drawing Power: A Compendium of Cartoon Advertising, edited by Rick Marschall and Warren Bernard
- Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney
- MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman
Best Publication Design
- Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney
- Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman
- Kinky & Cosy, designed by Nix
- The MAD Fold-In Collection, designed by Michael Morris
- Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, designed by Darwyn Cooke
For more information…
Fan Don Markstein (b.1947) died on March 11. Markstein was a founder of the comics APA Apatoons and the founding editor of NOSFAn. Markstein was a member of the New Orleans SF Association and the Southern Fandom Press Alliance. He co-chaired DeepSouthCon in 1968 and 1973 and in 1978 he was honored with the Rebel Award. In the internet era, he gained widespread fame as the founder of Toonpedia, an on-line resource for all things cartoon.
Artist Moebius (b.1938, born Jean Giraud) died on March 10. Moebius is best known for his work in the comic Heavy Metal and also worked on numerous films, including Alien, Tron, The Fifth Element, Space Jam, and The Abyss. He did work for Marvel Comics and did the concept art work for Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unproduced film version of Dune Giraud also used the pseudonym Gir for some of his work. In 2011, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Artist Sheldon Moldoff (b.1920) died on February 29. Moldoff was a ghost artist on Bob Kane’s Batman and was the co-creator of several characters, including Poison Ivy, Mr. Zero (Mr. Freeze), Clayface, and the original Bat-Girl. Moldoff was also active in drawing Hawkman and Hawkgirl. He left DC Comics in 1967 and worked in animation on the show Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse.
Comic artist John Severin (b.1921) died on February 12. Severin worked for EC Comics, as well as Marvel and Cracked. Some of his notable work included The Rawhide Kid and The Punisher, with much of his early work on war and western comics, including Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. Severin was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2003.
Brazilian comic book artist Al Rio (b.1962) died on January 30, possibly a suicide. Rio, whose full name was Alvaro Araújo Lourenço do Rio, worked on Gen¹³, Dungeon Siege, X-Men Unlimited, and DV8. his art also appeared on album covers.
