Nominations for the Seventeenth Annual Harvey Awards, named for famed comics creator Harvey Kurtzman, include books published by a record 23 different publishers. The Harveys, which are the only awards chosen from start to finish by comics industry professionals, will be handed out on Saturday June 26 as part of the Third Annual Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art Festival in New York City. A quick survey of the nominees indicates that the Harveys skew strongly to the artistic side of the comic book spectrum with Fantagraphics nabbing some 25 nominations followed by DC Comics with 17, followed by Drawn and Quarterly and ibooks with 7 each, Alternative Comics with 4, and Top Shelf, Exhibit A Press and IDW with 3 each.
In the key category of 'Best Artist' the competition is between a stellar group of creators including Charles Burns (Black Hole), Jaime Hernandez (Love & Rockets), George Perez (Avengers/JLA), Craig Thompson (Blankets), and Ashley Wood (Popbot). Mat Brinkman (Teratoid Heights), Jeffrey Brown (Unlikely), Sophie Crumb (Belly Button), Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference), and Sarah Varon (Sweater Weather) will all compete for the Best New Talent Award. Here is the complete list of 2004 Harvey Nominees:
SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR
Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules (Renaissance Books), etc.)
Sam Henderson (Magic Whistle (Alternative Press), etc.)
Batton Lash (Supernatural Law (Exhibit A Press), etc.)
Tony Millionaire (Sock Monkey (Dark Horse), etc.)
Johnny Ryan (Angry Youth Comix (Fantagraphics), etc.)
BEST ARTIST
Charles Burns for Black Hole (Fantagraphics)
Jaime Hernandez for Love & Rockets (Fantagraphics)
George Perez for Avengers/JLA (DC/Marvel)
Craig Thompson for Blankets (Top Shelf)
Ashley Wood for Popbot (IDW)
BEST CONTINUING/LIMITED SERIES
Black Hole by Charles Burns, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume II by Alan Moore and Kevin
O'Neill, edited by Scott Dunbier (DC/Wildstorm/ABC)
Love & Rockets by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth
(Fantagraphics)
Promethea by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III, edited by Scott Dunbier
(DC/Wildstorm/ABC)
Supernatural Law by Batton Lash, edited by Jackie Estrada (Exhibit A Press)
BEST SYNDICATED STRIP
Doonesbury by G.B. Trudeau
Maakies by Tony Millionaire
Mutts by Patrick McDonnell
Underworld by Kaz
Zippy by Bill Griffith
BEST COVER ARTIST
Charles Burns for Black Hole (Fantagraphics)
Tomer Hanuka for BiPolar (Alternative Press)
Adam Hughes for Wonder Woman (DC)
Dave Johnson for 100 Bullets (DC)
Alex Ross for Astro City (DC/Homage)
BEST CARTOONIST
Chester Brown for Louis Riel (Drawn & Quarterly)
Charles Burns for Black Hole (Fantagraphics)
Jaime Hernandez for Love & Rockets (Fantagraphics)
Jeff Smith for Bone (Cartoon Books)
Craig Thompson for Blankets (Top Shelf)
BEST WRITER
Chester Brown for Louis Riel (Drawn & Quarterly)
Gilbert Hernandez for Love & Rockets (Fantagraphics)
Alan Moore for Promethea (DC/Wildstorm/ABC)
Brian Vaughn for Y: The Last Man (DC)
Mark Waid for Fantastic Four (Marvel)
BEST COLORIST
Jeromy Cox for Promethea (DC/Wildstorm/ABC)
Bill Crabtree for Invincible (Image)
Alex Sinclair for Arrowsmith (DC)
Dave Stewart for Beware The Creeper! (DC)
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Datebook (Drawn & Quarterly)
BEST NEW TALENT
Mat Brinkman, Teratoid Heights (Highwater Books)*
Jeffrey Brown, Unlikely (Top Shelf)
Sophie Crumb, Belly Button Comix (Fantagraphics)
Derek Kirk Kim, Same Difference and Other Stories (Alternative Comics)*
Sarah Varon, Sweater Weather (Alternative Comics)*
BEST NEW SERIES
Belly Button by Sophie Crumb, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Human Target by Peter Milligan and Javier Pulido, edited by Karen Berger (DC)
Love Fights by Andi Watson, edited by Jamie S. Rich (Oni)
Plastic Man by Kyle Baker, edited by Joey Cavalieri (DC)
The Pogostick by Al Columbia and Ethan Persoff, edited by Kim Thompson
(Fantagraphics)
BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
The Bloody Streets of Paris by Jacques Tardi, edited by Dwight Jon
Zimmerman (ibooks)
5 is the Perfect Number by Igort (Drawn & Quarterly)
Icaro by Jiro Taniguchi and Moebius, edited by Dwight Jon Zimmerman (ibooks)
The Iron Wagon by Jason, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
Cat on a Hot Thin Groove by Gene Deitch, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Honour Among Punks by Gary Reed and Guy Davis (ibooks)
Krazy and Ignatz by George Herrimann, edited by Bill Blackbeard
(Fantagraphics)
Al Capp's Li'l Abner: The Frazetta Years, edited by Denis Kitchen (Dark
Horse Comics)
Spirit Archives by Will Eisner, edited by Dale Crain (DC)
Vietnam Journal by Don Lomax, edited by Hilary Hughes and Dwight Jon
Zimmerman (ibooks)
BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
Astro City #2 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson (DC/Wildstorm/Homage)
Black Hole #11 by Charles Burns (Fantagraphics)
CSI: Serial #1-5 by Max Allan Collins and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
Gotham Central #6-10 by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark (DC)
Love & Rockets #9 by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
Quicken Forbidden #12 by Dave Roman and John Green (Cryptic Press)
Supernatural Law #38 by Batton Lash (Exhibit A Press)
BEST INKER
Charles Burns for Black Hole (Fantagraphics)
Mick Gray for Promethea (DC/Wildstorm/ABC)
Jaime Hernandez for Love & Rockets (Fantagraphics)
Jimmy Palmiotti for Two-Step (DC/Wildstorm/Cliffhanger)
Scott Williams for Batman (DC)
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM OF PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK
Louis Riel by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly)
Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Quimby the Mouse by Chris Ware, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
Summer of Love by Debbie Drechsler (Drawn & Quarterly)
Vic & Blood by Harlan Ellison with Richard Corben, edited by Howard
Zimmerman (ibooks)
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION
Comic Art Magazine (Comic Art)
Comic Book Artist (Top Shelf)
Comics Journal (Fantagraphics)
Stan Lee: And the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book by Jordan
Raphael and Tom Spurgeon (Chicago Review Press)
Will Elder: The Mad Playboy of Art edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM OF ORIGINAL WORK
Blankets by Craig Thompson (Top Shelf)
The Fixer by Joe Sacco (Drawn & Quarterly)
Nightmare Alley by Spain Rodriguez, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Sgt. Rock: Between Hell and a Hard Place by Brian Azzarello and Joe
Kubert, edited by Will Dennis (DC)
Yossel by Joe Kubert (ibook)
BEST ANTHOLOGY
Comics Journal 2003 Winter Special edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Drawn & Quarterly #5 edited by Chris Oliveros (Drawn & Quarterly)
Kramer's Ergot #4 edited by Sammy Harkham (Avodah Books)*
Nickelodeon Magazine: Comics in Nickelodeon, edited by Chris Duffy
(Nickelodeon)
Project Telstar, edited by Chris Pitzer (AdHouse Books)
SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
Acme Novelty Datebook by Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)
Popbot Collection by Ashley Wood (IDW)
Project Telstar, edited by Chris Pitzer (AdHouse Books)
Quimby the Mouse by Chris Ware (Fantagraphics)
Yossel by Joe Kubert, edited by Dwight Jon Zimmerman (ibook)
BEST LETTERER
Todd Klein for Promethea (DC/Wildstorm/ABC)
Clem Robins for 100 Bullets (DC)
Robbie Robbins for Dark Days (IDW)
Dave Sim for Cerebus (Aardvark-Vanaheim)
Richard Starkings for Superman/Batman (DC)