HARVEY
AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
AT THE MUSEUM OF COMIC
AND CARTOON ART
The
first pairing of MoCCA and the Harveys is a perfect union
NEW
YORK, August 2, 2003 -- As the ceremony honoring this year"s
Harvey Award winners and nominees drew to a close on Saturday
night, the last few guests filed out of the Union Square offices
of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA), aware that they
had just witnessed the start of a new chapter of comic book history:
the legendary Harvey Awards" new residency in the City of
New York and their inaugural appearance as part of MoCCA.
August
2nd marked the 16th dispensation of the Harveys, one
of comics-dom's oldest and most prestigious awards, and the only
one nominated and voted on solely
by comic book professionals. The twenty category winners therefore
represent the true industry favorites from a long list of groundbreaking
and trend-setting works published in 2002. The Harveys were created
in 1988 to honor Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993), an artistic genius
who founded MAD magazine in 1952 and supplied cartoons for its first
28 issues. After leaving MAD,
Kurtzman helmed several magazines including Trump (for Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner), Humbug, and Help! His work went on to inspire
many off-kilter cartoonists in the 70's and beyond, leading to
The New York Times"
claim that "[to] historians of pop culture, Mr.
Kurtzman is one of the most important figures in postwar America"
and earning him the nickname of "father-in-law of underground
comix".
This
year was the first official pairing of the Harveys and MoCCA,
New York"s only physical museum devoted to the appreciation
of the diverse and unique comic art form. The result was an awards
ceremony unlike anything else in or outside of the industry. A
roomful of professional comics fans that included journalists,
politicians, and comics celebrities, both those being honored
themselves and cohorts there to cheer on the nominees, sipped
cocktails and munched hors d"oeuvres
over a background of light jazz. A distinctly unique atmosphere
was achieved by the addition of wall decorations by Peter Kuper,
whose original art was already in place for a future MoCCA event
("Bug Out!", the release party for Peter
Kuper's adaptation of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, will be held on Tuesday, August
12th at 6 p.m.). Kuper was proud to be
able to contribute, remarking, "Harvey Kurtzman is one of
the biggest influences on the field, and anything associated with
Kurtzman is bound to be great".
Nellie
Kurtzman, the youngest daughter of the award's namesake and the
chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Harvey board, presided
over the evening. Nellie, who was inspired by her father's profound
influence to help administer the Harvey Awards, remarked, "The
Harvey Awards Committee and the Kurtzman family are very pleased
to become part of MoCCA. My father would have loved for there
to be a museum with this mission in New York and it"s such
a great thing for the awards to be associated with this venue. Finally,
comics and cartoon art have a home in the city that has been the
jumping off point for so many artists, including Harvey Kurtzman."
As
the event kicked into high gear, attendees took a break from schmoozing
to listen to speeches from Lawrence Klein, chairman and founder
of the Museum, and Denis Kitchen, who spoke on behalf of the MoCCA
Board of Advisors and the Harvey Awards Executive Committee (Kitchen"s
other industry credits include 25 years as the publisher of Kitchen
Sink Press and founder and president of the Comic Book Legal Defense
Fund). Klein was effusive about how satisfying it was to see MoCCA
and the Harveys cooperating. "It will benefit both of us
in the long term," Klein remarked later in the evening. "Seeing
the two groups together is tangible evidence of the growth of
both organizations. Cooperative efforts such as this will be a
crucial tool in our efforts to bring proper respect to the art
form." He cited this partnership as one of many initiatives
that evidence the Museum"s relentless pursuit of its mission
to collect, preserve, study, display, and educate about
comic and cartoon art. Kitchen added, "It's
an honor to have been associated with the Harvey Awards for the
past several years, both for the excellence they acknowledge in
comic art and as a continuing connection with Harvey Kurtzman,
an inspirational creator and innovator. I'm delighted that the
awards will now have MoCCA as their permanent venue."
After
the speeches, acerbic comic humorist and longtime Harvey Master
of Ceremonies Evan Dorkin took the microphone and began announcing
the awards. Much to the crowd"s satisfaction, Dorkin kept
up a lively patter throughout the evening, especially when he
had to pause to accept the Special Award for Humor on his own
behalf (for his work on Dork).
He later commented, "It's always nice to know that some of
your fellow creators liked your work enough to put your name down
on the ballot". After several years of introducing award
presenters, he was pleased to be able to announce the winners
himself, adding, "I look forward to the official ceremony
resuming next year under the auspices of MoCCA, and I am flattered
to have been asked back as the event's emcee."
The
presentation culminated in the naming of Best Artist Eduardo Risso
(for 100 Bullets)
and Best Writer Alan Moore (for Promethea). The remainder of the awards were distributed as follows:
Best Cartoonist:
Jeff Smith for Bone
Special Award for
Excellence in Presentation: Krazy and Ignatz (Fantagraphics)
Best New Series:
Rubber Necker by Nick Bertozzi
(Alternative Comics)
Best Continuing
or Limited Series: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O"Neill (ABC)
Best Single Issue
or Story: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II, #1 by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill (ABC)
Best Graphic Album
of Original Work: The Cartoon History of Universe, Volume III by Larry Gonick (W.W. Norton)
Best Graphic Album
of Previously Published Work: 20th Century Eightball by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)
Best Anthology:
Comics Journal Summer Special
(Fantagraphics)
Best Inker: Jaime
Hernandez for Love and Rockets
Best Letterer: Todd
Klein for Promethea
Best Colorist: Dave
Stewart for Hellboy
Best Syndicated
Strip: Mutts by Patrick
McDonnell
Best Biographical,
Historical, or Journalistic Presentation: B. Krigstein, Volume
1 (Fantagraphics)
Best Presentation
of Foreign Material: Lone Wolf and Cub
(Dark Horse)
Best Domestic Reprint
Project: Krazy and Ignatz (Fantagraphics)
Best New Talent:
Nick Bertozzi for Rubber Necker
Best Cover Artist:
Adam Hughes for Wonder Woman
This
year's Harvey winners join a select group that includes most of
comics' recent luminaries, including frequent winners Sergio Aragones
(Groo), Robert Crumb, Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library), Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes), and members of the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame. This
year's awards were sponsored by Dark Horse, Diamond Distributors,
DC Comics, Bongo Comics Group, Slave Labor Graphics, and Cartoon
Books.
As
pleasantly intimate as this year's ceremony was, MoCCA officials
stressed that tonight's event was a fraction of what the comics
community should expect next year, when the Harvey Awards go back
to being dispensed at a gala banquet and become part of the Third
Annual MoCCA Art Festival (June 26-27, 2004). Considering the
staggering success of the first two Art Fests, and that the growth
of next year's festival will most likely go beyond the addition
of the Harveys, next year's installment promises to be an event
that no comics fan will want to miss.
For more information on the Harvey Awards go to www.harveyawards.org.
About
MoCCA
The
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts
education organization dedicated to the collection, preservation,
study and presentation of one of the world's most popular art
forms. MoCCA's mission is to promote greater understanding and
appreciation of the artistic, cultural and historical significance
of comic and cartoon art.
The
museum's headquarters - combining both office and exhibition space
- are located in New York City at 32 Union Square East, Suite
600. The space is generally open on Mondays
through Fridays, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., and select Saturdays, 10 a.m.
- 5 p.m. The schedule is subject to change according to MoCCA's
event/exhibit calendar and availability of volunteers, so visitors
are advised to call ahead (212-254-3511) before visiting.
Although
MoCCA is proud and grateful to have office/exhibition space in
Union Square, the organization, which will celebrate its second
anniversary in November 2003, is still seeking funding and appropriate
facilities for a larger, permanent home for the museum in New
York City.
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Press
Contact: Ken Wong,
212-254-3511, kwong@moccany.org
Current
and past Harvey Award winners and additional information about
the awards can be found at our official web site: http://www.harveyawards.org
"Harvey
Award" is a trademark owned by Harvey Kurtzman's widow, Adele
Kurtzman, and is used with permission.