Last night, long-running industry honors The Harvey Awards were presented at the 2016 Baltimore Comic-Con, and two best-selling critical darlings took home the top prizes.
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' hit Image series "Saga" earned the Harvey for Best Continuing or Limited Series as well as for Best Writer and Best Artist. Meanwhile, Congressman John Lewis' civil rights memoir with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell "March Book II" from Top Shelf/IDW took home the award for Best Graphic Album Original as well as for Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation.
Those wins helped catapult Image tying to being the most honored publisher with five wins (the fifth was for BKV and Cliff Chiang's "Paper Girls" as Best New Series) alongside BOOM! Studios' five wins. And IDW nabbed the second most wins at four. Other publishers taking home multiple honors included Dark Horse Comic and Marvel Comics with two Harveys each. Notably absent from the winners was Valiant Entertainment, who dominated several nomination categories thanks to a wave of fan support during the open nominations process.
Named for legendary "MAD" cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards have been running since 1988. Heidi MacDonald at Comics Beat has a full report on the Harvey Awards ceremony. Here is a full list if winners from the Harvey Awards site hosted by the con:
Best Letterer: John Workman, RAGNAROK, IDW Publishing
Best Colorist: Laura Allred, SILVER SURFER, Marvel Comics
Best Syndicated Strip or Panel: BLOOM COUNTY, Berkeley Breathed, Universal Uclick
Best Online Comics Work: BATTLEPUG, Mike Norton, battlepug.com
Best American Edition of Foreign Material: Tie: TWO BROTHERS, Dark Horse Books and CORTO MALTESE: BEYOND THE WINDY ISLES, IDW Publishing
Best Inker: Klaus Janson, DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE, DC Comics
Best New Series: PAPER GIRLS, Image Comics
Most Promising New Talent: Tom King, THE VISION, Marvel Comics
Special Award for Humor in Comics: Chip Zdarsky, HOWARD THE DUCK, Marvel Comics
Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers: LUMBERJANES, BOOM! Box/BOOM! Studios
Best Graphic Album Previously Published: THE LESS THAN EPIC ADVENTURES OF TJ AND AMAL, Iron Circus Comics
Special Award for Excellence in Presentation: PEANUTS: A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES M. SCHULZ, Scott Newman, KaBOOM!/BOOM! Studios
Best Domestic Reprint Project: CRIMSON VOL. 1, BOOM! Studios
Best Cover Artist: Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics
Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation: MARCH: BOOK TWO, Top Shelf Productions
Best Anthology: PEANUTS: A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES M. SCHULZ, KaBOOM!/BOOM! Studios
Best Graphic Album Original: MARCH: BOOK TWO, Top Shelf Productions
Best Continuing or Limited Series: SAGA, Image Comics
Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, SAGA, Image Comics
Best Artist: Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics
Best Cartoonist: Stan Sakai, USAGI YOJIMBO
Best Single Issue or Story: PEANUTS: A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES M. SCHULZ, BOOM! Studios
Harvey Kurtzman Hall of Fame Award: Carl Barks, Al Jaffee
Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award: Beth Widera
Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Joe Giella