British Comic Artist and Inker Cam Smith among this year’s Inkwell Award nominees

Cam Smith - 2019

Cam Smith

We’re delighted to report British comic book artist and inker Cam Smith – known for his work at Marvel UK, 2000AD and for US publishers – has been nominated for an Inkwell Award – and there are other British nominees, too.

The Inkwell Awards are the only non-profit organisation devoted to public education and promotion of the art of comic book inking, invites everyone to vote for the industry’s best of the year.

The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwells’ homepage until 1st March 2019.

Voting is open to fans and professionals alike. The five categories are “Favourite Inker,” “Most Adaptable,” “Props” (inkers deserving more attention), the “S.P.A.M.I.” (Small Press And Mainstream/Independent) and “All-In-One” for pencillers who ink their own work, who this year also include two other former Marvel UK creators, Mike Perkins, whose recent credits include Green Lantern for DC, and Liam Sharp, also busy on Green Lantern for DC with Grant Morrison. The ballot covers all printed American comic books cover-dated 2018.

Cam Smith has been nominated for his recent work on books such as Wolverine, Claws of A Killer (Butch Guice – finishes), Amazing Spider-Man #800 and X-Men Gold #25.

Amazing Spider-Man 800

Amazing Spider-Man 800

Wolverine, Claws of A Killer

Wolverine, Claws of A Killer © Marvel

X-Men Gold #25

X-Men Gold #25 © Marvel

Cam has previously worked on Uncanny X-Men, Superman, Batman, the Fantastic Four and many other titles. He describes himself as a solitary creature who spends his days in a book-filled room making black marks on white paper. The idea that he can make a living from this activity is a constant source of bemusement….

Perhaps best known for his collaborations with artist Gary Frank, inking that would earn him an Eisner Award nomination, Cam started out at Marvel UK, on work that included illustrations for Doctor Who Magazine and inking some of its strips.

His work with Gary Frank on early issues of Marvel UK’s Motormouth earned him critical attention and he would go on to work with Gary on The Incredible Hulk at Marvel Comics in 1993. The pair would be reunited in 1997 at DC Comics for the start of the Supergirl series, which earned Cam an Eisner nomination for “Best Inker”. The artists also worked together for Image Comics imprint Wildstorm on Gen¹³ in late 1997.

The cover of The Incredible Hulk #416, pencilled by Gary Frank, inked by Cam Smith © Marvel

The cover of The Incredible Hulk #416, pencilled by Gary Frank, inked by Cam Smith © Marvel

Cam’s other work includes Action Comics, Detective Comics, Green Lantern, Superman and X-Men and he has run Inking Workshops at Orbital Comics and elsewhere to pass on the skills of his long-developed trade.

• The winners of this year’s Inkwell Awards will be announced at the live awards ceremony at The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! in Oaks, PA the weekend of 12th – 14th April 2019

Cam Smith art on ComicArtFans

Find Cam Smith on Facebook

THE 2019 INKWELL AWARDS – ALL NOMINEES

Vote here on the Inkwell Awards web site

Favourite InkerFavourite ink artist over the pencil work of another artist – cannot also be nominated for the “Props” award

A) Jay LeistenSuicide Squad (DC); Astonishing X-Men, Avengers, Incredible Hulk, Return of Wolverine, Spider-Geddon, Venom Inc.: Omega (Marvel)
B) Mark MoralesJustice League (DC); Avengers (Marvel)
C) Joe PradoSuperman (DC)
D) Trevor ScottDamage (DC)
E) Dexter VinesThe Wild Storm: Michael Cray (DC/Wildstorm)
F) Walden WongAstonishing X-Men, Captain America Annual, Incredible Hulk, Marvel Two-In-One, Venom (Marvel)

Most-Adaptable AwardArtist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencil artists.

A) Marc DeeringStar Wars: Doctor Aphra, The Black Order, Black Panther, Legion (Marvel)
B) Jay LeistenSuicide Squad (DC); Astonishing X-Men, Avengers, Incredible Hulk, Return of Wolverine, Spider-Geddon, Venom Inc.: Omega (Marvel)
C) Norm RapmundAction Comics, Batgirl, Batman Beyond, Deathstroke, Mera, Teen Titans, Titans (DC)
D) Cam SmithHal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps, Nightwing (DC); Amazing Spider-Man, Hunt For Wolverine: Claws of a Killer, X-Men Gold (Marvel)
E) Walden WongJustice League (DC); Astonishing X-Men, Black Panther, Captain America Annual, Incredible Hulk, Marvel Two-In-One, Venom (Marvel)

Props AwardInk artist deserving of more attention for their work over other pencil artists. (Those nominated for, or past winners of, “Favorite Inker” are ineligible.) 

A) Elisabetta D’AmicoG.I. Joe (IDW); Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Men II (Marvel)
B) Eber FerreiraDetective Comics, Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps  (DC)
C) Ruy JoseAvengers, Immortal Hulk (Marvel)
D) Daniel HenriquesAquaman, Hawkman, Justice League, Supergirl (DC)
E) Jordi TarragonaHal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps (DC)
F) Le Beau UnderwoodNoble, Superb (Lion Forge); Immortal Hulk (Marvel)

The S.P.A.M.IFavorite Small Press And Mainstream/Independent ink work over another pencil artist (non-Marvel/DC work).

A) Stefano GuadianoWalking Dead (Image)
B) Andrew PepoyThe Simpsons (Bongo Comics); Dinosaucers (Lion Forge); Yellow Submarine (Titan Books)
C) Brian Albert ThiesX-O Manowar: Barbarians (Valiant)
D) Le Beau UnderwoodNoble, Superb (Lion Forge)
E) Ryan WinnBloodshot: Rising Spirit, Ninja-K (Valiant)

All-in-One AwardFavourite artist known for inking his/her own pencil work.

A) Joelle JonesBatman, Catwoman (DC)
B) Mike PerkinsGreen Lantern (DC)
C) Andrew PepoyDinosaucers (Lion Forge)
D) Liam SharpBrave And The Bold, Green Lanterns (DC)
E) Lee WeeksBatman, Batman Annual (DC)

As a courtesy, also listed on the ballot are the nominees for two lifetime achievement honours. The first is the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame (“HoF”) award for an outstanding inking career of 25 or more years in American comics, whose winners are chosen by an internal committee (to avoid a “popularity contest” where recent names have more influence than past masters). Two nominees are awarded each year.

The other is the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA), which differs from the HoF due to the artist being out of the “public eye,” having limited name-recognition due to semi- or full retirement or death, limited-yet-influential output, social barriers such as gender/race, or other factors that might otherwise limit their consideration for the traditional HoF award. It was posthumously named in honor of the first female member of the Inkwells who, according to Almond, “was the heart and soul of our organization.”

 



Categories: Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, US Comics

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1 reply

  1. An inker can either turn great pencilling into sublime artwork or if the two styles don’t quite match into a disaster 🙂 Think of some of the inker’s the great Jack Kirby had over the years where when you bought the comic opened the page and thought to yourself “That’s Kirby”???

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