Comic Book Resources
April 21, 2004

Official Press Release

NEW YORK — New York City hosts the Tony Awards for Broadway, the MTV Music Awards, and the Grammy Awards. This year, the Big Apple will also host the most prestigious award ceremony for graphic storytelling, the Harvey Awards. The new Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, set to open in October 2004, will host the 17th Annual Harvey Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 26, as part of the Third Annual MoCCA Art Festival.

More than ever before, the Harveys reflect the full diversity of the comics industry. Comics from twenty-three separate publishers have been nominated, a Harveys record. The Harveys are the only industry award chosen from start to finish solely by industry professionals, and this year the voters found comics and creators of note across the artistic spectrum.

The Alan Moore-related nominees for the 2004 Harvey Awards are:

Best Writer

• Chester Brown (Louis Riel)
  Drawn & Quarterly Publishing
• Gilbert Hernandez (Love & Rockets)
  Fantagraphics Books
• Alan Moore (Promethea)
  America’s Best Comics / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Brian Vaughn (Y: The Last Man)
  DC Comics
• Mark Waid (Fantastic Four)
  Marvel Comics

Best Continuing or Limited Series

• Black Hole (Charles Burns)
  Fantagraphics Books
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume II (Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill)
  America’s Best Comics / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Love and Rockets (Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez
  edited by Gary Groth)
  Fantagraphics Books
• Promethea (Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III)
  America’s Best Comics / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Supernatural Law (Batton Lash)
  Exhibit A Press

Best Inker

• Charles Burns (Black Hole)
  Fantagraphics Books
• Mick Gray (Promethea)
  America’s Best Comics / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Jaime Hernandez (Love & Rockets)
  Fantagraphics Books
• Jimmy Palmiotti (Two-Step)
  Cliffhanger / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Scott Williams (Batman)
  DC Comics

Best Letterer

• Todd Klein (Promethea)
  America’s Best Comics / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Clem Robbins (100 Bullets)
  Vertigo / DC Comics
• Robbie Robbins (Dark Days)
  IDW Publishing
• Dave Sim (Cerebus)
  Aardvark-Vanaheim
• Richard Starkings (Superman / Batman)
  DC Comics

Best Colorist

• Jeremy Cox (Promethea)
  America’s Best Comics / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Bill Crabtree (Invincible)
  Image Comics
• Alex Sinclair (Arrowsmith)
  Cliffhanger / Wildstorm / DC Comics
• Dave Stewart (Beware The Creeper!)
  DC Comics
• Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Datebook)
  Drawn & Quarterly Publishing

The nominees for 2004 demonstrate how varied the medium of graphic storytelling has become. Sales of comic books and graphic novels have more than tripled in the last year. Harveys researcher and comic authority Douglass Barre said, “This year’s nominations celebrate the diversity of our industry from the most mainstream hits to the most alternative voices. In 2004, comic book professionals honored more publishers with Harvey nominations than in any year before.”

Harveys design director Dave Bissel said, “As a graphic artist, it’s really gratifying to see so many different creators get the recognition and respect of their peers. Congratulations to everyone.”

This year’s awards dinner will feature New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman (Sandman: Endless Nights, Stardust, American Gods, Neverwhere) as keynote speaker, and Staten Island’s own Evan Dorkin (Milk and Cheese, Dork) as emcee. The dinner ceremony will be held at New York City’s historic Puck Building, home to the 2004 MoCCA Art Festival. Sponsorship packages are now available to all wishing to attend.

“We’re honored to welcome the Harvey Awards home to New York,” said Lawrence Klein, MoCCA Chairman. “Not only was New York home to Harvey Kurtzman, for whom the awards are named, but New York is the birthplace of modern comic and cartoon art.”