Sequential Arts Symposium & The Joe Shuster Awards - June 14, 2008 in Toronto

[Kevin Boyd]

SEQUENTIAL ARTS SYMPOSIUM & EXHIBIT

JOE SHUSTER AWARDS PRESENTATION

 

SATURDAY JUNE 14, 2008

LILLIAN H. SMITH BRANCH AUDITORIUM - TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY

239 COLLEGE STREET

TORONTO, CANADA

 

Yes, Superman turns 70 this year, so the Joe Shuster Awards organization is throwing a party celebrating this momentous achievement as well as decades worth of great comic books by Canadian comic book creators!

 

This special event will take place all day in the Auditorium (lowel level) of the Lillian H. Smith Library - home of the Merril Collection of Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction - and will break down as follows:

 

THE SEQUENTIAL ARTS SYMPOSIUM & EXHIBIT 11AM-5PM

 

ROOM A

Signings with Symposium participants and Joe Shuster Award Nominees

 

ROOM B

Special Art Exhibit - details TBA

 

ROOM C

Symposium Room - 6 1 hour discussions on topics related to Canadian Comics & Graphic Novels, Superman and Joe Shuster & More!

 

ATRIUM

Graphic Novels and comics by JSA Nominees and past winners on sale as well as prints and other items to benefit the Joe Shuster Awards.

 

DINNER BREAK - 5-7PM

 

SEATING 7PM

 

ROOMS B & C

JOE SHUSTER AWARDS PRESENTATION 8-10PM

 

ADMISSION to all events is FREE, however attendees are encouraged to make a $4 donation to the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association to help us cover costs.

 

Symposium Participants:

Darwyn Cooke

Tom Grummett

 

More TBA at a later date. If you are interested in participating please contact Kevin or James.

 

Watch for the JSA Ballot Nominations in early April. All Nominees will be invited to participate in the Symposium and attend the awards ceremony.

 

Online vote for selected categories starts in early April.

 

2008 SPONSORS:

LIONSHEAD RESORT & YACHT CLUB

QUEBECOR WORLD

SIPPS PRINTING

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS

COMICS GUARANTY, LLC

COMICSPRICEGUIDE.COM

 

Please note: this event is not affiliated with any comic book conventions although for the second year in a row this event does overlap with BOOK EXPO CANADA June 13-16 (BEC Trade Show takes place on June 15-16).

 

www.joeshusterawards.com

 

Join the event on Facebook: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10627678065

[Kevin Boyd]

For information on the Lillian H. Smith library (including a map):

 

http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/hou_az_ls.jsp

 

 

[Kevin Boyd]

Lots of stuff to show off today:

 

First off --- a preview of the 2008 poster by Tom Grummett can be found here:

 

http://joeshusterawards.com/story.asp?storyID=115

 

Secondly, the online voting form for three categories has gone live. Here anyone can vote for their favourite Canadian comic book creators who had work published last year, as well as their favourite non-Canadian comic book creator:

 

http://joeshusterawards.com/story.asp?storyID=114

 

Tomorrow we'll be releasing the full list of 2008 Joe Shuster Awards Nominees (for works published in 2007).

 

We've also been receiving some OUTSTANDING pieces for the VISIONS OF AN ICON art exhibit. Today, unannounced, Dave Sim's fully painted submission arrived at James Waley's house and he tells me that this is a stunning image of the Man of Steel. Dave has sent us 20 very limited signed and numbered prints of this image, 19 of these can be sold to benefit the Joe Shuster Awards. I haven't seen the image yet, and I can't wait to see how it looks! We will be selling the print on eBay soon, but some will be made available at our table at this weekend's Toronto ComiCON. I might even be able to bring a few to the New York Comicon next week to sell!

[Kevin Boyd]

For Immediate Release

 

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2008 JOE SHUSTER AWARDS

 

Toronto, Canada --- April 10, 2008. Canada's first national award recognizing outstanding achievements by Canadian creators in the creation and publication of comic books and graphic novels returns in 2008 for it’s fourth year: the JOE SHUSTER CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR AWARDS, named after pioneering Toronto-born artist Joe Shuster who, along with writer Jerry Siegel, created the iconic super-powered hero, Superman.

 

From coast to coast, Canada is home to many of the comic book industry's top talents. The JOE SHUSTER AWARDS are a way of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of Canadian creators - past, present and future.

 

Nominees were selected by a two round voting process. Now that the list of nominees has been finalized, the nominated creators will have their work reviewed by a jury, who will ultimately decide which of the nominated creators will receive a Joe Shuster Award. In previous years winners were selected by a public vote.

 

Between now and the end of May, fans can vote for the following categories online at www.joeshusterawards.com:

- FAVOURITE CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR – ENGLISH LANGUAGE

- FAVOURITE CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR - FRENCH LANGUAGE

- FAVOURITE INTERNATIONAL (NON-CANADIAN) COMIC BOOK CREATOR

 

Winners will be announced at a public ceremony on June 14th in Toronto. The awards will be the final event at the Sequential Art Symposium to be held in the auditorium of the Toronto Public Library’s Lillian Smith branch on College Street on Saturday, June 14. The Symposium will feature talks related to comics and the 70th anniversary of the Superman character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, as well as a Superman-themed art exhibit entitled “Visions of an Icon” featuring work by Canadian comic book artists. Guests for the symposium include Darwyn Cooke, Tom Grummett, J. Torres, Ty Templeton and more creators to be announced. All nominees are invited to attend and participate.

 

About Joe Shuster (1914 – 1992)

The Joe Shuster Awards are named in honor of the great artist, JOE SHUSTER (1914-1992), whose clear, dynamic style and inventive visual flourishes set the standard for graphic storytelling during the infancy of the North American comic book industry. It was Superman, a co-creation of Shuster and Siegel, that electrified the industry 70 years ago in 1938 and, almost overnight, transformed comic books into an enormous pop-cultural phenomenon.

 

About The Joe Shuster Awards

The first and most widely recognized national achievement award for Canadians working on comic books, graphic novels and webcomics, the Joe Shuster Awards were established in 2004 and first presented in April 2005. The awards are named after Joe Shuster, the Canadian-born co-creator of Superman, and are named as such with permission of his estate. The Joe Shuster Awards honour the people who create comics, publish comics and sell comics.

 

Creator nominees are nominated for their BODY OF WORK during the previous calendar year, not just for one specific work. Hall of Fame and Retailer Awards are selected by individual committees after a review and discussion of eligible candidates. Four Hall of Fame candidates will be initiated into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame in 2008. Aside from the retailer award committee, active creators can only act as advisors so as not to influence a bias in any of the creative awards categories.

 

The Joe Shuster Awards are run by the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association (CCBCAA), a not-for-profit organization that relies on sponsorship, eBay and convention sales of prints and memorabilia or private donations. 2008 sponsors include: Lionshead Resort, Comic Guaranty LLC (CGC), Sipps Publishing, Diamond Distributors, Quebecor World, comicspriceguide.com and Metro News.

 

For more information please contact joeshusterawards@yahoo.ca

 

JOE SHUSTER AWARDS 2008 NOMINEES for Work Published in 2007

 

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK WRITER

 

- Ian Boothby for Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #13, Futurama #29, 31-33, Simpsons Comics #126, 128, 130, 134, 136 (Bongo)

 

- Cecil Castellucci for The P.L.A.I.N. Janes (DC/Minx)

 

- Maryse Dubuc for Les Nombrils 2: Sale Temps pour les Moches (Editions Dupuis)

 

- Jim Munroe for Therefore Repent (No Media Kings) Comics Festival! 2007 (Legion of Evil Press)

 

- phlppgrrd aka Philippe Girard for Danger public (La pastèque)

 

- Ty Templeton for Howard the Duck #1-3, Marvel Adventures The Avengers #17-19, She-Hulk #20-21 (Marvel Comics)

 

- J. Torres for The Black Canary Wedding Planner #1, Blue Beetle #15, Wonder Girl #1-4, Wonder Woman #11-13 (DC Comics), Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #1,2,5,6, Teen Titans GO! #39-50, The Batman Strikes #29, 34 (DC/Johnny DC), Ninja Scroll 5-7, 10, 12 (DC/Wildstorm), Degrassi TNG: Extra Credit Vols. 3-4 (H.P, Fenn Publishing Co.)

 

- Howard Wong for After the Cape #1-3, After the Cape II #1-2 (Image Comics)

 

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK ARTIST

 

- Dale Eaglesham for Justice Society of America #2-4, 6-7, 9-11 (DC Comics)

 

- David Finch for Moon Knight #7-8, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #4: Spider-Man, Legion of Monsters: Morbius #1 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Tom Grummett for Exiles #100, Thunderbolts Presents Zemo: Born Better #1-4, Mystic Arcana: Black Knight #1 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Pia Guerra for Y the Last Man #55-59 (DC/Vertigo), Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #13 (Bongo)

 

- Stuart Immonen for Ultimate Spider-Man #111-117, Marvel Comics Presents #1-4, Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #12 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Karl Kerschl for All-Flash #1, 52 #47 (DC Comics)

 

- Thierry Labrosse for Moréa 5: La Brûlure des Ténèbres (Soleil Production)

 

- Jacques Lamontagne for Les Druides 3: La Lance de Lug, Les Contes de l'Ankou 3: Au Royaume des Morts (Soleil Production)

 

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CARTOONIST (WRITER/ARTIST)

 

- Kaare Andrews for Spider-Man: Reign 2-4 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Pascal Blanchet for Bologne: Contes en 3 Actes Symphoniques (La Pastèque)

 

- Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit 2-6, 8-11 (DC Comics), Comics Festival! 2007 (Legion of Evil Press)

 

- Julie Doucet for 365 Days: A Diary (Drawn + Quarterly)

 

- Faith Erin Hicks for Zombies Calling (Slave Labor Graphics)

 

- Jeff Lemire for Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From The Farm, Essex County Vol. 2: Ghost Stories (Top Shelf)

 

- Bryan Lee O'Malley for Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (Oni Press) Comics Festival! 2007 (Legion of Evil Press)

 

- Jean-Louis Tripp & Regis Loisel for Magasin Generale 3: Les Hommes (Casterman)

 

OUTSTANDING COVER BY A CANADIAN COMIC BOOK ARTIST

 

- Scott Chantler for The Annotated Northwest Passage (ONI Press)

 

- Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit #2 (DC Comics)

 

- Dale Eaglesham for Justice Society of America #10 Variant (DC Comics)

 

- David Finch for X-Men #200 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Stuart Immonen for Ultimate Spider-Man #112 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Jacques Lamontagne for Les Contes de l’Ankou 3: Au Royaume des Morts (Soleil Production)

 

- Yanick Paquette for Ultimate X-Men #85 (Marvel Comics)

 

- Steve Skroce for Doc Frankenstein #6 (Burleyman)

 

- Cameron Stewart for The Other Side #5 (DC/Vertigo)

 

- Jean-Louis Tripp for Magasin Generale 3: Les Hommes (Casterman)

 

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK COLOURIST

 

- Blond for Avengers vs. Transformers #3 (Marvel Comics), Velocity: Pilot Season, Witchblade Manga Vols. 1-10, City of Heroes #18-30, Hunter Killer #11-12, Freshman II: Fundamentals of Fear #2-6, Madame Mirage #1 (Top Cow)

 

- Chris Chuckry for The Creeper #4-6, The Helmet of Fate – Ibis the Invincible #1, The Helmet of Fate – Sargon the Sorcerer #1, Countdown to Mystery #1-2, Simon Dark #1 (DC Comics), Red Sonja: Vacant Shell #1 (Dynamite), Code #2 (The Guardian Line), Legion of Monsters – Man-Thing #1 (Marvel Comics), The Nightmare Factory OGN (Fox Atomic Comics), L’Histoire Secrete Vols. 8-9 (Delcourt), Empire Vols. 2-3 (Delcourt)

 

- Maryse Dubuc for Les Nombrils 2: Sale Temps pour les Moches (Editions Dupuis)

 

- Nathan Fairbairn for Annihilation Conquest - Star-lord #1-4, Marvel Illustrated: The Illiad #1 (Marvel Comics), Witchblade #110-111 (Top Cow Comics)

 

- Lovern Kindzierski for Hellboy Vol. 7: The Troll Witch and Others (Dark Horse) Joe & Max #4-5, The Seekers #1 (The Guardian Line)

 

- Francois Lapierre for Magasin Générale 3: Les Hommes (Casterman)

 

- Dave McCaig for Nextwave, Agents of H.A.T.E. #12, New Avengers #27-35, Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America #1: Wolverine, Marvel Comics Presents #1-4, Wolverine #50, Avengers Classic #7 (Marvel Comics) DC Infinite Halloween Special #1 (DC Comics), The Other Side #4-5 (DC/Vertigo) Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jensen #1 (ONI Press)

 

- Ronda Pattison for Fallen Angel 15-16 (IDW), Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures #7-10, Star Wars: Legacy # 8, Star Wars Dark Times # 2-5 (Dark Horse Comics), Atomic Robo #1-3, (Red 5 Comics)

 

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK &/OR GRAPHIC NOVEL PUBLISHER

 

- Arcana Studio

 

- Conundrum Press

 

- Drawn & Quarterly

 

- Mecanique Generale

 

- La Pasteque

 

- Red 5 Comics

 

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN WEBCOMICS CREATOR / CREATIVE TEAM

 

- Michael Cho for Papercuts http://www.transmission-x.com/_papercut

 

- Scott Hepburn for The Port http://www.transmission-x.com/_the_port

 

- Karl Kerschl for The Abominable Charles Christopher http://www.horhaus.com/abominable

 

- Gisele Legace for Penny and Aggie http://www.pennyandaggie.com

 

- Ramon Perez for Kikuburi http://www.kukuburi.com and Butternut Squash with Rob Coughler http://www.butternutsquash.net

 

- Scott Ramsoomair for VG Cats http://www.vgcats.com

 

- Ryan Sohmer and Lar De Souza for Least I Can Do http://www.leasticoulddo.com and Looking for Group http://www.lfgcomic.com

 

- Cameron Stewart for Sin Titulo http://www.sintitulocomic.com

 

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY A CANADIAN RELATED TO COMIC BOOKS

 

TBA

 

CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR HALL OF FAME

 

4 Inductees in 2008 - TBA

 

Congratulations to all of the nominees and all of the eligible creators for another memorable year of great comics, both in print and online!

 

James Waley

Executive Director

raythyonder@yahoo.ca

 

Kevin A. Boyd

Associate Director

joeshusterawards@yahoo.ca

 

www.joeshusterawards.com

 

 

[Kevin Boyd]

[Kevin Boyd]

"Visions of an Icon" is an art exhibit that will be taking place in conjunction with the Sequential Art Symposium on June 14th. Canadian artists have been completing their own take on Superman on 11 x 17 comic art board and these pieces will be displayed at the exhibit and will eventually be auctioned off to raise funds for the 2009 Joe Shuster Awards.

 

Some very prominant Canadian artists have already committed to doing pieces for this exhibit and they have already submitted their artwork to the CCBCAA --- including Dave Sim, whose full-colour painting I hope to be displaying shortly along with some other pieces by artists such as Cartoonist nominee Jeff Lemire (Essex County Tales) and Raff Ienco.

 

Today we received word from Todd McFarlane that he will be contributing a pencil illustration of the Man of Steel for the exhibit.

[Jason Truong]

Today we received word from Todd McFarlane that he will be contributing a pencil illustration of the Man of Steel for the exhibit.

 

[Kevin Boyd]

Raff Ienco created this piece for the exhibit:

 

[Kevin Boyd]

James just sent me the scan of the Dave Sim piece - the painting will be on display at the event, we'll be selling some of the limited edition prints on eBay soon:

 

[Kevin Boyd]

And here's Outstanding Canadian Cartoonist Jeff Lemire's contribution to the Visions of an Icon exhibit:

 

[Kevin Boyd]

NEWS UPDATE MAY 21/08

 

JOE SHUSTER AWARDS

 

--- Information packages sent to ALL Canadian Diamond accounts in last week's new comics shipment

 

--- Hall of Fame inductees will be announced shortly

 

--- Voting is still open for 3 categories on the website: www.joeshusterawards.com - voting ends on May 31/08

 

--- Rob Salem and Rick Green return for the 4th year as the ceremony hosts

 

We're still confirming the times for the talks and signings, but the list of participants so far includes:

 

Darwyn Cooke

Tom Grummett

John Bell (Invaders from the North)

Cecil Castellucci

J. Torres

Ty Templeton

J. Bone

Paul Rivoche

Transmission X - Ramon Perez, Cameron Stewart, Michael Cho, Andy Belanger, Scott Hepburn, et al.

Dave Watkins

Francis Manapul

Agnes Garbowska

Jim Munroe

 

Talks include (titles subject to change):

Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels

Darwyn Cooke: The Next Frontier

Superman at 70: Comics and Superheroes

Comics and kids in the 21st Century

Invaders from the North

Webcomics

 

The Vision of an Icon art exhibit looks to include 50-70 pieces, including Superman art by Darwyn Cooke, Dave Sim and Todd McFarlane. We'll be announcing soon our list of artists from whom we have received pieces.

 

[Jason Truong]

Three and a half weeks away. This will be a great day for celebration.

[Kevin Boyd]

Three and a half weeks away!

 

Lots to do between now and then!

[Kevin Boyd]

 

To answer a question I've been asked by a few different people:

 

The above image is Dave Sim's fully painted contribution to the Visions of an Icon art exhibit and will be displayed on June 14th between 10AM and 4:30PM.

 

Unfortunately, it is our understanding that Dave Sim will not be able to attend the event in person as he has in years past, as he has made it clear that he is not making any public appearances at this time. If he changes his mind and agrees to appear there will be an update/announcement.

[Kevin Boyd]

 

For Immediate Release

 

JOE SHUSTER AWARDS – 2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

 

May 26, 2008 - Toronto, Canada. Canada's first national award recognizing outstanding achievements by Canadian creators in the creation and publication of comic books and graphic novels returns in 2008 for it’s fourth year: the JOE SHUSTER CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR AWARDS, named after pioneering Toronto-born artist Joe Shuster who, along with writer Jerry Siegel, created the iconic super-powered hero, Superman.

 

In 2008 four more creators will be inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame - they will be honoured at the JSA ceremony on Saturday, June 14th in Toronto, Canada at the Lillian Smith Library Auditorium (239 College St., E. of Spadina Ave., Toronto). The ceremony will be co-hosted by our returning master-of- ceremonies dynamic duo, Rick Green (the Frantics; the Red Green Show & History Bites) and Rob Salem (Toronto Star & Drive-In TV) and, as always, it will be an evening to remember.

 

The Joe Shuster Award presentations will kick off in the evening at 8PM and will be preceded by a day long SEQUENTIAL ART SYMPOSIUM which, along with the awards, are free to the public. The Symposium will run from 10AM to 5PM and include participants such as Darwyn Cooke, Tom Grummett, and author John Bell (Invaders from the North). The Symposium will be accompanied by an exhibit of artwork by Canadian comic book artists to salute the historic 70th anniversary of the publication of Joe Shuster’s renowned co-creation, Superman, in June 1938’s Action Comics # 1. The exhibit, entitled Visions of an Icon, will include original images of the Man of Steel by Canadian artists, including Darwyn Cooke, Dave Sim, Todd McFarlane and a vast array of additional creators.

 

2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:

 

STANLEY BERNECHE (1947-)

 

Stanley Berneche was born in Windsor, Ontario, in 1947. Following his studies at Mount Allison University, Berneche became the leading artist associated with the counterculture humour magazine Fuddle Duddle, which was published in Ottawa by Jeffrey R. Darcey (JRD Publishing) from 1971 to 1972. Berneche's main collaborator at the magazine was the writer Peter Evans, a friend from Berneche's university days. Their satirical character Captain Canada, the first national superhero to appear following the Canadian Golden Age of Comics, made his debut in Fuddle Duddle #3. The second Captain Canada adventure appeared in issue #4 (a third and final adventure remains unpublished). At the same time that he was contributing outrageous comics to Fuddle Duddle, Berneche was also drawing the strip True Tales of the RCMP for the Canadian Boy Scout magazine Trailblazers. Following the demise of Fuddle Duddle, he continued to pursue his career as a graphic artist and illustrator. He is currently working on a variety of multimedia, web-related products and services, including website design, the design of next-generation, public-access, graphical user-interfaces, and the development of web-delivered, limited-series illustrations. He also claims to be "shooting billiards to a level never seen before." One of the most talented Canadian comics artists of the 1970s, Berneche made the following statement regarding his current activities --- “I am still the guy who comes up with the ideas... for marketing all sorts of companies on any and all media available. I am still the guy who makes observations on life through illustrations and photo manips available on my multiple social web accounts... for anyone to enjoy or comment on” and as to his future plans --- “Who really ever knows? Maybe another Jeff Darcy is out there waiting to do something new”.

 

JOHN BYRNE (1950-)

 

John Byrne is a British-born, Canadian raised and educated, naturalized American author and artist of comic books. Byrne was born not far from the town of West Bromwich, in England but immigrated with his family to Canada in 1958. His first exposure to the American superheroes that would dominate his professional life was at the age of six when he first watched The Adventures of Superman on the BBC. He attended the Alberta College of Art in Calgary for a few years, where he produced some of his earliest work when he created the superhero Gay Guy for the college newspaper. At college he produced his first full-length comic story, The Death's Head Knight, as a promotional portfolio of his comic book art. That book was seen by a fellow Canadian comics fan, John Mansfield, who put Byrne in contact with both the then burgeoning fanzine community and eventually, through an introduction to Roy Thomas, Marvel Comics.

 

Through Mansfield’s connections he made his first professional sale in 1971 to The Monster Times. Byrne left the college in 1973 without graduating and broke into comics illustrating a two-page story by writer Al Hewetson for Skywald Publications’ black-and-white horror magazine Nightmare #20. Byrne has worked continuously in comics since 1975, following this sale to Skywald in the late summer of 1974. Beginning humbly enough, with the likes of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Doomsday+1 Byrne split his time, while still living in Canada, between working for a local advertising agency and illustrating these books for Charlton Comics. Next came Iron Fist and The Champions for Marvel where he eventually graduated to Marvel's number one cult book, The X-Men (not yet Uncanny) in 1977, and later making his move to the states, to Chicago, when he got married in 1980.

 

It was his work on X-Men which truly ignited John's star, and from there he moved to Captain America, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Alpha Flight (a team of Canadian super-heroes) and a five year run on Marvel's flagship title, Fantastic Four. Seeking new heights to conquer, in 1986 John accepted the daunting assignment of revamping the oldest and most famous of all superheroes, Superman. The relaunch was a commercial hit and that version of Superman is so strongly identified with the artist that it is sometimes called "John Byrne's Superman". Beginning with the hugely successful Man of Steel miniseries, John brought Superman back into the attention of the fans, and that success continues today. In 1990, John decided to venture into the unpredictable waters of creator owned works, launching John Byrne’s Next Men in 1991. Following that success he brought out Danger Unlimited, followed by Babe in 1995. Since then, he has written and drawn such titles as Wonder Woman, X-Men: The Hidden Years, Lab Rats, Doom Patrol, and Blood of the Demon.

 

In addition to his comic book work, Byrne has published three novels: Fearbook, Whipping Boy and Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses. He also has short stories in the Hotter Blood and Shock Rock anthologies. Fearbook was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award by the Horror Writers of America as "Best First Novel".

 

His post-2000 works have often gone off the beaten tracks of the DC and Marvel universes and filled in characters and events in time periods mostly skipped by other comics (Marvel: The Lost Generation) or alternate timelines (DC's Superman & Batman: Generations) which featured characters who actually age during the course of the series unlike the usual tradition of most ongoing comics. His 2000s work has been mainly for DC Comics: JLA (the “Tenth Circle” story arc), Doom Patrol, Blood of the Demon, and a brief return stint drawing Superman (with writer Gail Simone) in Action Comics. Afterward, Simone and Byrne reteamed to launch The All-New Atom series in 2006, with Byrne penciling the first three issues. In 2007, publisher IDW brought Byrne on board for the final issue of the miniseries Star Trek: Alien Spotlight in 2008, and FX, written by Wayne Osborne, also published this year. In 2008, a five-issue arc on JLA Classified for DC featured Byrne re-teamed with writer Roger Stern, his collaborator during his renowned stint on Captain America.

 

At the present moment, Byrne’s current workload includes some monthlies, in the form of several back-to-back Star Trek related mini-series for IDW --- the first, Star Trek: Assignment Earth, launched in spring 2008.

 

PIERRE FOURNIER (1949-)

 

Published in 1973, Pierre Fournier’s satirical superhero comic, Les Aventures du Capitaine Kébec was a keystone of the “Springtime of Comics” movement that saw a new generation of artists creating comics in Québec. Fournier was involved as a writer/artist, editor, art director, publisher and a passionate promoter. In 1974, he organized Québecomics, the first exhibition of its kind, shown in New York, Eastern Canada and Europe. In 1975-76, Fournier produced and hosted a popular television series, Les Amis du Capitaine Kébec, entirely devoted to comics.

 

Fournier contributed to every issue of the humor magazine Croc (1979-1995) either illustrating his own strips or writing for a who’s who of Québec artists. With his longtime friend and collaborator, artist Réal Godbout, Fournier co-created and co-scripted the now legendary Michel Risque and Red Ketchup strips serialized over a period of fifteen years in Croc and Titanic.

 

In 1986, Fournier was the founding president of the ACIBD, an association of comic art professionals. In 1991, he was presented with the prestigious Albert Chartier Award for his outstanding contributions to comics.

 

In the late 80’s, Fournier worked as an inker for Marvel Comics and he was an editor and art director for the English-language Matrix Comics of Montréal. In 1990-91, he contributed to the Québec edition of Mad magazine and edited Anormal, a humor and comics magazine aimed at young teens. In recent years, Pierre Fournier has written extensively for screen and television. He is also an authority on classic horror films and writes the Rondo-nominated blog, Frankensteinia.

 

The Michel Risque and Red Ketchup series are currently enjoying a critically acclaimed and best-selling revival, all fourteen graphic novels being published by La Pasteque of Montréal. In February 2008, Fournier’s Capitaine Kébec character was chosen as the most iconic image of Québec comics and featured as the cover of Mira Falardeau’s Histoire de la bande dessinée au Québec, a history of Québec comics spanning the mid 1800’s to today.

 

EDWIN R. “TED” McCALL (1901-1975)

 

Although he spent most of his life as a journalist and newspaper editor, Edwin Reid (Ted) McCall is best remembered as the co-creator of Canada’s earliest adventure comic strips and of probably Canada’s most successful wartime comic book hero Freelance.

 

It was through his work as a journalist that he entered the world of the comic strip. Reporting on the exploits of the RCMP, he decided here was material for a strip and so with Harry Hall a newspaper illustrator who later created his own strip “News ‘n Nonsense”, McCall launched “Men of the Mounted” in The Evening Telegram on February 11, 1933. Although the strip was successful and can still be found in a Big Little Book of the same title, McCall could not break out of the small Canadian market into the large American and so he shelved the project February 16, 1935.

 

He turned to the Robin Hood story and this time with illustrator Charles Snelgrove created the strip “Robin Hood and Company” which first appeared in the Telegram September 23, 1935. This strip broke into the international market and at one point was in 80 newspapers. This time the Second World War intervened. As paper supplies to newspapers dwindled they cut back on unnecessary features like the comics. McCall suspended the strip February 16, 1939.

 

He then convinced Sinnott News to organize a comic book company Anglo-American through which he republished his “Robin Hood and Company” strips and then proceeded with new stories. He later resurrected the Men of the Mounted concept under several names: “The Red Sentinel” and “Kip Keene of the Mounted”.

 

But his greatest contribution was the creation of Freelance. For this one he obtained the services of Ed Furness a commercial artist with an interest in cartooning. “Freelance” was the only character in Canadian wartime comics to have his own comic book. The anecdotal evidence suggests that Freelance was the best selling comic of the time. Maurice Horn (The World Encyclopedia of Comics) said that the comic’s success was “… primarily due to McCall’s deft writing, inventive plots and earthy humour.”

 

With the end of the war the Canadian comic book industry crashed. McCall and Furness attempted to turn Freelance into a comic strip detective but could not interest Fawcett Publications of the U.S. to distribute it and so the project was dropped.

 

McCall left the comics field and rose to become Managing Editor at The Evening Telegram. He died of a heart attack in 1975.

 

ABOUT JOE SHUSTER (1914 – 1992)

 

The Joe Shuster Awards are named in honor of the great artist, JOE SHUSTER (1914-1992), whose clear, dynamic style and inventive visual flourishes set the standard for graphic storytelling during the infancy of the North American comic book industry. It was Superman, a co-creation of Shuster and Jerry Siegel, which electrified the industry 70 years ago in 1938 and, almost overnight, transformed comic books into an enormous pop-cultural phenomenon.

 

ABOUT THE JOE SHUSTER AWARDS

 

The first and most widely recognized national achievement award for Canadians working on comic books, graphic novels and webcomics, the Joe Shuster Awards were established in 2004 and first presented in April 2005. The awards are named after Joe Shuster, the Canadian-born co-creator of Superman, and are named as such with permission of his estate. The Joe Shuster Awards honour the people who create comics, publish comics and sell comics.

 

Creator nominees are nominated for their body of work during the previous calendar year, not just for one specific work. Winners are selected by jury vote to ensure that works are given adequate consideration. There are three additional popular vote awards: Favourite English Canadian comic book creator, Favourite French Canadian comic book creator and Favourite International (non-Canadian) comic book creator. Voting for those categories is done on-line at www.joeshusterawards.com – voting ends May 31, 2008.

 

Hall of Fame and Retailer Awards are selected by individual committees after a review and discussion of eligible candidates.

 

The 2008 Poster was drawn by Canadian comic book artist Tom Grummett with inks by Terry Pallott; coloured and designed by Paul Rivoche with art direction and concept by James Waley. The Joe Shuster Awards logo was designed by Dave Sim and Tyrone Biljan.

 

The Joe Shuster Awards are run by the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association (CCBCAA), a not-for-profit organization that relies on sponsorship, eBay and convention sales of prints and memorabilia, and private donations. 2008 sponsors include: Lionshead Resort, Comic Guaranty LLC (CGC), Comicspriceguide.com, Sips Comics, Diamond Distributors, Quebecor World and Mirificent Enterprise.

 

For more information please visit our website, www.joeshusterawards.com or contact us by email at joeshusterawards@yahoo.ca:

 

James Waley

Executive Director

 

Kevin Boyd

Associate Director

 

 

[Kevin Boyd]

Online voting completed on Sunday morning. Results have been tallied, thanks to all who voted this year.

 

I should have the final talk schedule and topics ready for the end of this week.

 

2008 Webcomics Nominee Ramon Perez (JSA Classified) has confirmed he will be attending.

 

Hall of Fame Inductees Pierre Fournier and Stan Berneche will be attending the Symposium and Awards show.

[Kevin Boyd]

SEQUENTIAL ART SYMPOSIUM / VISIONS OF AN ICON / JOE SHUSTER AWARDSLillian Smith Library Auditorium, 239 College Street, Toronto

 

Schedule:

 

Room A Opens at 10 am and runs until 5pm

 

Signing Room --- there will be approx. 20-25 guests in the signing area.

 

2008 Poster signing with Tom Grummett and Paul Rivoche will take place from 11-12:30

 

Room B Exhibit opens at 10 am and runs until 4:30 pm

 

Visions of an Icon: Canadian Visions of the Man of Steel - Art Exhibit

 

Roughly 50-70 pieces will be on display.

 

Room C - Discussions start at 11 am and run until 5 pm

 

Panel Discussions - Topics will run 45-50 minutes and start on each hour (11, 12, 1, etc)

 

Tentative Schedule:

 

11 am --- Comics & Kids: Teaching with Sequential Art

 

12 noon --- Sequential Art on the Internet: Webcomics

 

1 pm --- Writing for Sequential Art

 

2 pm --- Darwyn Cooke's Next Frontier

 

3 pm --- Superman @ 70: 7 decades of superheroes & comics

 

4 pm --- John Bell's Invaders From The North: Canadians and Comics

with 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees Pierre Fournier and Stanley Berneche

 

 

Then it's break for dinner time at 5 as the library closes and everyone goes for a dinner break while we reconfigure the space for the Awards ceremony, which will take place in Rooms A, B & C.

 

7:30 pm --- seating for the Awards ceremony begin.

 

8 pm --- Joe Shuster Awards Ceremony with Masters of Ceremony Rick Green and Rob Salem

[Kevin Boyd]

Symposium Participants:

 

Andy B.

John Bell

Stan Berneche (2008 Hall of Fame Inductee)

J. Bone

Cecil Castellucci

Scott Chantler

Michael Cho

Darwyn Cooke

Ray Fawkes

Pierre Fournier (Hall of Fame Inductee)

Agnes Garbowska

Tom Grummett

Francis Manapul

Jim Munroe

Ramon Perez

Paul Rivoche

Dave Ross

Ty Templeton

J. Torres

David Watkins

Howard Wong

 

More TBA

[Kevin Boyd]

Some quick guest updates:

 

DALE EAGLESHAM

Nominee - Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artist for Justice Society of America & Outstanding Cover Art by a Canadian Comic Book Artist for Justice Society of America #10 Variant)

 

Dale will be making a late afternoon appearance at the Sequential Art Symposium and will be attending the awards ceremony in the evening.

 

----------------------

 

LAR DE SOUZA

Nominee - Outstanding Canadian Webcomics Creator/Creative Team - Looking for Group & Least I Could Do

 

1/2 of the team that produces the popular webcomics LEAST I COULD DO and LOOKING FOR GROUP will be attending the Symposium and Awards Ceremony.

 

--------------------

 

J. TORRES

 

Due to family obligations J. can no longer attend and sends his regrets.

 

 

 

 

[Kevin Boyd]

TODD MCFARLANE'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE VISIONS OF AN ICON ART EXHIBIT ARRIVED TODAY.

 

Be one of the first to view it at tomorrow's art show during the Sequential Art Symposium / Visions of an Icon art show at the Lillian H. Smith Library Auditorium - 239 College Street, Toronto. Art will be open for viewing between 10AM and 4:30PM.

 

www.joeshusterawards.com