Speak Up: Cast Your Vote for Best Inker

Neal Adams and Clifford Meth delighted to support The Inkwell Awards.

I was pleased to be named a Special Ambassador to the Inkwell Awards this year. Now it's time to vote. Please join us.

Here's the official skinny:

The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to the education and promotion of the art of inking, invites everyone to vote for the industry's best of the past year. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwell Awards' homepage from May 1 through May 15. Voting is open to everyone, from fans to professionals.

The ballot also lists the nominees for the internally chosen Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame lifetime achievement award. To avoid a popularity contest where recent names have more influence than past masters, the two winners were chosen by a separate, pre-arranged Hall of Fame Nomination Committee. Current nominees are listed as a courtesy. Past HoF award recipients can be found on the organization's web site.

New for this year is the Special Recognition Award (SRA) for an outstanding inking career of 25 or more years in American comics. This differs from the HoF award due to one or more factors such as 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 would otherwise limit them from being nominated for a traditional HoF award. This award was also chosen internally.

“We’re always thrilled for this event, where the best of the best ink artists and their work get the recognition they deserve,” said Bob Almond, founder and director of The Inkwell Awards. “Inkers have their own fans and followers, yet often go unnoticed or glossed over by most awards events. Ours cater specifically to ink artists and allows them to be recognized and appreciated in various categories. We hope to have even more voters than last year.”

Once voting closes after May 15, the winners will be announced at the live awards ceremony at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC June 19-21 on Friday the 19th. Click here to vote.

What’s Stan Lee Really Worth? Neal Adams?

The artist Dick Ayers passed away on Sunday and another very fine artist and friend Neal Adams called me this morning out of concern. I hope he won't mind my mentioning this.

“Do you know Dick’s widow’s situation?” Neal asked. I told him I didn’t. And when we hung up I thought about how genuine and special Neal is. He has a busy studio to run and deadlines to meet and his own family concerns, and he avoids funerals and memorial services like they're the Third Pandemic. But he’s always the first to inquire regarding the welfare of the widow and the family—and the first to organize help if needed.

I didn’t know Dick Ayers. I was a fan, of course, and I had purchased several drawings from him over the years, which I treasure. He was a nice man, a happy man, and a fine artist. Dick and I would sit and chat at conventions, but we weren’t pals. But Neal’s example has been kicking me into action for most of my adult life. So I made some inquiries.

Stan Lee was the first to reply. I received a return email within moments of my query to him (at 7:30 California time).

What’s the big deal? Lots of folks are up early and return email and phone messages. Nearly 23% do it within a reasonable amount of time, according to a study never conducted at the University of Michigan.

Stan will be 92 in December. And he has more going on than most three people you know. And he’s wealthier than the 20 richest people you've ever known all together. But he always responds immediately, and he's always been available to help with matters big and small when asked. And I've asked plenty.

Call it solid time management. Call it three-quarters of a century of professionalism. Or maybe Stan's parents just raised him right.

Neal Adams and Stan Lee.

Websites and magazine writers often speculate regarding celebrity bank accounts. There are people who like to count other people’s money. Go figure.

As for Dick Ayer’s widow, Stan didn't know her situation either. But if she’s in trouble, there’s people who will help.

So what’s Stan Lee worth? Neal Adams?

It has nothing to do with money.

The SideKick Foundation: A New Friend to Creators in Need

The Sidekick Foundation is a new confederacy that seeks to generously aid comics creators in need of financial and medical assistance. Sidekick’s board of directors and advisors consists of established, respected comics professionals who have agreed to support the organization’s initiative which, in its first year, shall be to donate 90% of all generated proceeds directly to those in need.

“Sidekick was established by Clifford Meth, whose work on behalf of comics creators in need is well known,” said Jim Reeber, president of Aardwolf Publishing and Secretary of Sidekick. “By adding the weight of some of the industry’s most respected names to his own, I believe Cliff can help more people than ever before and do so more effectively.”

“I’ve spent the last three years working for well-known charities and non-profits,” said Meth, a former Executive V.P. of IDW Publishing and recent spokesman for Kars4Kids. “Regardless of the cause, the one thing that always irked me was how much money goes to the overhead of charitable organizations. While it may be legal to only give away a small portion of collected proceeds, I find it ethically unacceptable. The Sidekick Foundation will not have a paid Director nor full-time staff. Most work will be done by volunteers allowing the foundation to keep expenses to a minimum.”

Sidekick’s Board of Advisors includes Neal Adams, Harlan Ellison, Joe Sinnott, Tom Palmer, Herb Trimpe, and Morris Berger (former president of IDT Entertainment and chairman of IDW Publishing).

“I’m particularly proud to have Neal Adams and Harlan Ellison with us,” said Meth. “Neal laid the foundation for art returns and his work on behalf of Superman’s creators is legendary, while Harlan Ellison is a stalwart champion of creator’s rights. With friends like these in your corner, you can move mountains.”

Sidekick will debut at New York ComicCon on Sunday, October 16. Artist David Lloyd (“V for Vendetta”) will be drawing for Sidekick at the Cadence table #3153 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. In addition, Clifford Meth and writer Don McGregor will be selling donated art as well as items from the late Gene Colan and Dave Cockrum, among others. Future signings and events are planned from artists Michael Netzer and Bill Messner-Loebs,

For more information, visit http://www.thesidekickfoundation.org/

Michael Netzer and No Seraph

While most residents in Israel's remote village of Ofra are finalizing preparations for the anniversary of the Angel of Death passing over their homes, the town's artist-turned-oracle (at least that's what his legion of fans, this one included, consider him) renders this startling re-take on the classic Green Lantern cover that never was. Legend has it that DC Editor Julie Schwartz (another legend who Meth had the good fortune to ghost for) didn't dig Neal Adams' initial take on the very first cover of his iconic Green Lantern run. So Julie had the future Hall of Famer redo the shot.

Michael Netzer takes the original concept to new heights in this recently painted homage to his mentor--a fitting eruv-Pesach harbinger if ever there was one. No evil does escape His sight.

Michael Netzer: Teacher's Pet

If Michael Netzer only learned one thing from his teacher Neal Adams, dayanu. This brilliant take on Neal's classic Green Lantern cover is soon joining my collection. My breath is baited.

Have a look at what Michael is up to on his own and with Gene Colan here.

Meth on Steve Englehart

Steve Englehart was a very terrific writer of comics at a time when I was reading nothing but. I'm conducting a brief interview with him regarding his Max August series for this blog. Should be ready by tomorrow.

Englehart began his pro comics career assisting art legend Neal Adams on Vampirella #10 (Warren Publishing, 1971) and later became a writer at Marvel under Roy Thomas, where his plots and dialogue were, more sophisticated--and far more fun--than most of what his contemporaries were doing. To this day, my favorite Captain America run was his, especially that forever memorable resolution of the 1950's Cap/Bucky conundrum with a plotline that also hit on the racial issues of that period (issues #152-156).

Englehart and Frank Brunner (who illustrated the cover of my own Wearing The Horns for Aardwolf Publishing), created a multi-issue storyline for Dr. Strange (Marvel Premiere #14) in which a sorcerer named Sise-Neg (Genesis backwards) travels back through history, collects magical energies, then finally reaches the beginning of the universe only to become omnipotent and re-create it, leaving Dr. Strange to ponder whether this was, paradoxically, the original creation. Story has it that Stan Lee (then EiC of Marvel) ordered the pair to print a retraction to avoid problems with religious leaders, saying this was not "God" but a god... and that Englehart and Brunner penned a fake letter from a fictitious minister praising the story, then mailed it to Marvel from Texas. Marvel unwittingly printed the letter and dropped the retraction order.

Neal Adams Remains Cutting Edge

Spoke briefly with my friend Neal Adams this morning. His Continuity Studios recently finished the first genuine motion comic for Marvel Entertainment. If there was ever a comics pioneer, it's Neal.

I took a gander at the Gifted Astonishing X-Men graphic novel on Neal's site. John Cassaday and Neal (who co-produced) take the concept of those old Jack Kirby "Merry Marvel Marching Society" cartoons I used to watch as a kid and put them on steroids. And LSD. Have a look.