Seven Added to Harvey Awards
Hall of Fame

The Harvey Awards revealed the 2019 inductees to their Hall of Fame ahead of the annual event at New York Comic Con. The seven recipients include two active creators, and five posthumous honorees who were Harvey Kurtzman’s core 1950’s MAD Magazine collaborators.

  • Mike Mignola (Hellboy)
  • Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), and
  • Will Elder
  • Jack Davis
  • John Severin
  • Marie Severin
  • Ben Oda

Mike Mignola, began working as a comic book artist in 1982, working for both Marvel and DC Comics before creating Hellboy, published by Dark Horse Comics in 1994. Mike’s comics and graphic novels have earned numerous awards and are published in a great many countries. He said about his latest honor:

My very first comic industry award was the 1994 Harvey Award for Best Artist on Hellboy. I never expected that award, but I took it as a sign that I might actually be on to something. It is a great honor to be inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame—something I certainly never could have imagined. And I’ll take it as proof that I haven’t embarrassed myself too badly over the last 25 years.

Alison Bechdel, known for her pioneering work on the strip Dykes to Watch Out For, which ran from 1983 to 2008, is also the author of two graphic memoirs, Fun Home and Are You My Mother? The stage-musical adaptation of Fun Home opened on Broadway in 2015 and received five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. She is currently working on a graphic memoir called The Secret to Superhuman Strength. She acknowledged the award:

As someone who existed for so long on the crumbling newsprint margins, it’s surprising and a bit unsettling to receive this recognition from the corridors of comics power. Where did I go wrong? No, just kidding. If you had told me, when I was reading Kurtzman parodies in my playpen, that I would one day be inducted into the Harvey Hall of Fame, I would have plotzed. I cannot imagine a greater nor a more furshlugginer honor.

They also will recognize the historic contributions by a co-editor of one of the field’s leading publications:

Comics Industry Pioneer

  • Maggie Thompson, on behalf of her work with her late husband Don Thompson as longtime editors of the Comics Buyer’s Guide.

The inductees will be recognized at the 31st annual Harvey Awards ceremony at Friday, October 4 in New York.

2019 Harvey Awards Nominees

Finalists for the Harvey Awards, honoring the life and work of comics creator Harvey Kurtzman,(1924-1993), cartoonist, writer, editor and founder of Mad Magazine, have been revealed. Voting is now open to eligible industry professionals.

The awards are presented under the auspices of New York Comic-Con. The winners will be announced October 4.

The nominees are:

Book of the Year

  • Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krug (Scribner)
  • Berlin by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • BTTM FDRS by Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore (Fantagraphics)
  • Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley (First Second)
  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (First Second)
  • My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
  • On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (First Second)
  • Upgrade Soul by Ezra Claytan Daniels (Lion Forge)
  • When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll (Koyama Press)

Digital Book of the Year

Best Children’s or Young Adult Book

  • Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (First Second)
  • Mr. Wolf’s Class #2: Mystery Club by Aron Nels Steinke (Scholastic Graphix)
  • New Kid by Jerry Craft (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
  • On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Best Manga

  • Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito (VIZ Media)
  • Mob Psycho 100 by ONE (Dark Horse Manga)
  • My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi (VIZ Media)
  • Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani (Seven Seas)
  • Smashed by Junji Ito (VIZ Media)
  • Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama (Kodansha Comics)

Best European Book

  • Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt (IDW Publishing)
  • O Josephine by Jason (Fantagraphics)
  • Radiant by Tony Valente (VIZ Media)
  • Red Ultramarine by Manuele Fior, translated by Jamie Richards (Fantagraphics)
  • Waves by Ingrid Chabbert and Carole Maurel (Archaia)

Best Comics Adaptation Award

  • Alita: Battle Angel, by 20th Century Fox, based on Battle Angel Alita (Kodansha USA)
  • Avengers: Endgame by Marvel Studios, based on The Avengers (Marvel Comics)
  • The Boys by Amazon Studios, based on The Boys (Dynamite Entertainment)
  • Captain Marvel by Marvel Studios, based on Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
  • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, by Netflix, based on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Archie Comics)
  • Doom Patrol by DC Universe, based on Doom Patrol (DC Comics)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive, based on Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
  • The Snagglepuss Chronicles, by Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival and Die-Cast, based on Exit, Stage Left!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles (DC Comics)
  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, based on Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
  • The Umbrella Academy by Netflix, based on The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse Comics)

The 2019 Harvey Awards nominations were selected by polling a hand-picked committee of diverse industry professionals who submitted their choices in all categories. The Harvey Awards ballot will be voted on by eligible industry professionals including creators, in-house professionals, librarians, and retailers.

2018 Harvey Awards


The 2018 Harvey Awards, honoring the life and work of comics creator Harvey Kurtzman,(1924-1993), cartoonist, writer, editor and founder of Mad Magazine, were presented October 5 in New York.

Book of the Year

  • MONSTRESS by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)

Digital Book of the Year

  • BARRIER by Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente (Panel Syndicate)

Best Children or Young Adult Book (tie)

  • THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang (First Second)
  • THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY, by Katie O’Neill (Oni Press)

Best Adaptation from a Comic Book/Graphic Novel

  • BLACK PANTHER (Walt Disney Pictures) – Directed by Ryan Coogler. Adapted from “Black Panther” (Marvel Comics)

Best Manga

  • MY LESBIAN EXPERIENCE WITH LONELINESS by Nagata Kabi (Seven Seas)

Best European Book

  • CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: CASS ELLIOT BEFORE THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS by Pénélope Bagieu (First Second)

In addition, the following Special Awards were presented by the Harvey Awards Executive Committee:

2018 Comic Pioneer Honor

  • Jackie Estrada

Harvey Hall of Fame Award

  • Roz Chast
  • Dave Gibbons

International Spotlight Award

  • Harold Sakuishi, creator of Beck and The Seven Shakespeares

2018 Harvey Awards Nominees


Finalists for the Harvey Awards, honoring the life and work of comics creator Harvey Kurtzman,(1924-1993), cartoonist, writer, editor and founder of Mad Magazine, have been revealed. Voting is now open to eligible industry professionals.

The awards have been radically reorganized this year, with new award categories — Book of the Year, Digital Book of the Year, Best Children or Young Adult Book, Best Adaptation from a Comic Book/Graphic Novel, Best Manga and Best European Book.

The awards will be presented on Friday, October 5th at Shop Studios (528 W 39th St) at 8:30 p.m.

Book of the Year

  • BLACK HAMMER: SECRET ORIGINS by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart (Dark Horse)
  • BOUNDLESS by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn and Quarterly)
  • EVERYTHING IS FLAMMABLE by Gabrielle Bell (Uncivilized Books)
  • HOSTAGE by Guy Delisle (Drawn and Quarterly)
  • KINDRED by Octavia E. Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and illustrated by John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)
  • LIGHTER THAN MY SHADOW by Katie Green (Lion Forge)
  • MONSTRESS by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
  • MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
  • ROUGHNECK by Jeff Lemire (Gallery 13)
  • SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone (DC Comics)
  • SPINNING by Tillie Walden (First Second)
  • THE BEST WE COULD DO by Thi Bui (Abrams Books)
  • THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG by Mimi Pond (Drawn and Quarterly)
  • THE FLINTSTONES by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh (DC Comics)
  • THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang (First Second)

Digital Book of the Year

  • BANDETTE by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
  • BARRIER by Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente (Panel Syndicate)
  • CHECK, PLEASE!: #HOCKEY by Ngozi Ukazu (checkpleasecomic.com)
  • NOT DRUNK ENOUGH by Tess Stone (ndecomic.com)
  • THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY by Katie O’Neill (teadragonsociety.com)

Best Children or Young Adult Book

  • BRAVE by Svetlana Chmakova (JY)
  • REAL FRIENDS by Shannon Hale and LeUyeun Pham (First Second)
  • SPINNING by Tillie Walden (First Second)
  • THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang (First Second)
  • THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY, by Katie O’Neill (Oni Press)

Best Adaptation from a Comic Book/Graphic Novel

  • ATOMIC BLONDE (Focus Features) – Directed by David Leitch. Adapted from “The Coldest City” (Oni Press)
  • BLACK PANTHER (Walt Disney Pictures) – Directed by Ryan Coogler. Adapted from “Black Panther” (Marvel Comics)
  • THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (Warner Bros.) – Directed by Chris McKay. Adapted from “Batman” (DC Comics)
  • LOGAN (20th Century Fox) – Directed by James Mangold. Adapted from “Wolverine” (Marvel Comics)
  • MY FRIEND DAHMER (FilmRise) – Directed by Marc Meyers. Adapted from “My Friend Dahmer” (Abrams ComicArts)
  • PREACHER (AMC) – Developed by Sam Catlin, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg. Adapted from “Preacher” (DC/Vertigo)
  • RIVERDALE (The CW) – Developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Adapted from “Archie” (Archie Comics)
  • THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD (Netflix) – Written by Charlie Covell. Adapted from “The End of the F***ing World” (Fantagraphics)
  • THOR: RAGNAROK (Walt Disney Pictures) – Directed by Taika Waititi. Adapted from “Thor” (Marvel Comics)
  • WONDER WOMAN (Warner Bros.) – Directed by Patty Jenkins. Adapted from “Wonder Woman” (DC Comics)

Best Manga

  • MY BROTHER’S HUSBAND by Gengoroh Tagame and translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon Graphic Library)
  • MY HERO ACADEMIA by Kohei Horikoshi (Viz Media)
  • MY LESBIAN EXPERIENCE WITH LONELINESS by Nagata Kabi (Seven Seas)
  • TOKYO GHOUL by Sui Ishida (Viz Media)
  • YOUR NAME by Makoto Shinkai and Ranmaru Kotone (Yen Press)

Best European Book

  • AUDUBON: ON THE WINGS OF THE WORLD by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer (Nobrow)
  • CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: CASS ELLIOT BEFORE THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS by Pénélope Bagieu (First Second)
  • FLIGHT OF THE RAVEN by Jean-Pierre Gibrat (IDW)
  • THE GHOST OF GAUDI by El Torres and Jesús Alonso Iglesias (Magnetic Press)
  • THE LADIES IN WAITING by Santiago García and Javier Olivares (Fantagraphics)

Nominees for this year’s awards were selected by a handpicked group of diverse industry voices and will be voted on by eligible industry professionals. Select professionals from ReedPOP’s industry network and Artist Alley have already been pre-approved to vote on this year’s awards. Those professionals wanting to apply to participate in selecting this year’s Harvey Awards, please visit here.

In addition, the following Special Awards will be presented to recipients as chosen by the Harvey Awards Executive Committee:

  • Harvey Kurtzman Award for Humor
  • Harvey Hall of Fame Award
  • International Spotlight Award

[Thanks to Cat Eldridge for the story.]

2016 Harvey Awards

harvey_winner_logo1

The 2016 Harvey Awards were presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 3.

The Harvey Awards are given annually to the creators and publications receiving the most votes from the industry’s comics professionals and publishers. The award is named for Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993), cartoonist, writer, editor and founder of Mad Magazine.

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

Best American Edition of Foreign Material

Tie:

  • TWO BROTHERS, Dark Horse Books
  • 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

2015 Harvey Award Winners

harvey_winner_logo1

The 2015 Harvey Awards were presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 27.

The Harvey Awards are given annually to the creators and publications receiving the most votes from the industry’s comics professionals and publishers. The award is named for Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993), cartoonist, writer, editor and founder of Mad Magazine.

One rarely hears from a dissatisfied award winner. The exception is Chip Zdarsky, who was voted a Special Award for Humor in Comics for his work on Sex Criminals. He wrote on his Tumblr page:

The fact that I was nominated for a humor award for SEX CRIMINALS without the writer of said series, my beloved chum, Matt Fraction, is wrong. On every level. I pointed this out to the Harvey Awards and told them I wished to have Matt on the ballot with me, or to remove me completely, and they declined to do either.

They said, and I quote; “We believe any collaborative process which the creators believe is equally divided makes this difficult.  It’s unfortunate this is not a judgment call for us to make – but it’s not.”

Except for the fact that it is. They created a category designed to highlight individuals, sometimes out of a team, with no recognition of what has been contributed and by whom. The writer of our comic supplies 90% of the humor! This is the Harvey Awards’s category, so the ultimate judgement call is theirs.

The 2015 winners are:

Best Writer

  • Mark Waid, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Best Artist

  • Fiona Staples, Saga, Image Comics

Best Cartoonist

  • Terry Moore, Rachel Rising, Abstract Studios

Best Letterer

  • Jack Morelli, Afterlife With Archie, Archie Comic Publications

Best Inker

  • Danny Miki, Batman, DC Comics

Best Colorist

  • Dave Stewart, Hellboy In Hell, Dark Horse Comics

Best Cover Artist

  • Fiona Staples, Saga, Image Comics

Most Promising New Talent

  • Chad Lambert, Kill Me from Dark Horse Presents, Dark Horse Comics

Best New Series

  • Southern Bastards, Image Comics

Best Continuing or Limited Series

  • Saga, Image Comics

Best Syndicated Strip or Panel

  • Dick Tracy, Joe Staton and Mike Curtis, Tribune Media Services

Best Anthology

  • Dark Horse Presents, Dark Horse Comics

Best Graphic Album — Original

  • Jim Henson’s The Musical Monsters Of Turkey Hollow, Archaia/BOOM! Studios

Best Graphic Album — Previously Published

  • Mouse Guard: Baldwin The Brave And Other Tales, Archaia/BOOM! Studios

Best Single Issue or Story

  • “Breaking Out”, Dark Horse Presents #35, Dark Horse Comics

Best Domestic Reprint Project

  • Steranko Nick Fury Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist’s Edition, IDW

Best American Edition of Foreign Material

  • Blacksad: Amarillo, Dark Horse

Best Online Comics Work

  • The Private Eye, Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente

Special Award for Humor in Comics

  • Chip Zdarsky, Sex Criminals, Image Comics

Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History, Andrew Farago, Insight Editions

Best Original Graphic Publication for Young Readers

  • Lumberjanes, BOOM! Box (BOOM! Studios)

Special Award for Excellence in Presentation

  • Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, Andrew Carl, Josh O’Neill, and Chris Stevens, Locust Moon Press

Award-Winning Saga

Saga racked up six Harvey Awards at last weekend’s Baltimore Comic-Con, hard on the heels of its Best Graphic Story Hugo at LoneStarCon 3, and three Eisner Awards at San Diego Comic-Con.

Knowing now that Saga ran the table, how large would you guess its margin of victory over Schlock Mercenary was in the Hugo balloting? Saga ended with 59.5% of the votes and Schlock Mercenary with 40.5%. The winning Game of Thrones episode received 61% in its category, so that’s a commanding margin as these things go.

Michael Cavna’s Comic Riffs blog at the Washington Post listed the Harvey Award winners. (They’re named for Harvey Kurtzman.) —

Best Color: Fiona Staples, Saga.

Best New Series: Saga.

Best Continuing or Limited Series: Saga.

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Saga.

Best Artist: Fiona Staples, Saga.

Best Single Issue or Story: Saga #1.

Best Cartoonist: Jaime Hernandez, “Love and Rockets: New Stories” (Fantagraphics).

Best Letterer: Todd Klein, Fables.

Best Syndicated Strip: “Dick Tracy,” by Joe Staton and Mike Curtis, (Tribune Media Services).

Best Online Comics Work: Battle Pug, by Mike Norton.

Best American Edition of Foreign Material: “Blacksad: A Silent Hell” (Dark Horse).

Best Inker: Klaus Janson, Captain America (Marvel).

Most Promising New Talent: Dennis Hopeless, Avengers Arena (Marvel).

Special Award for Humor in Comics: Ryan North, Adventure Time (kaBoom!).

Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers: Adventure Time (kaBoom!).

Best Graphic Album, Previously Published: “Alien: the Illustrated Story” (Titan Books).

Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents.

Best Domestic Reprint Project: David Mazzucchelli‘s Daredevil: Born Again Artists Edition (IDW).

Best Cover Artist: David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel).

Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation: Robot 6 blog, by Comic Book Resources.

Special Awards for Excellence in Presentation: “Building Stories,” Chris Ware (Pantheon).

Best Graphic Album, Original: “Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score,” by Darwyn Cooke (IDW).

Dick Giordano Hero Initiative Humanitarian of the Year Award: Paul Levitz.

Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Sal Buscema.