The winners of the 2020 Inkwell Awards, which honor practitioners of the art of comic book inking, have been announced. Though usually presented in an annual ceremony taking place at the Great Philadelphia Comic-Con, which was postponed and then canceled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the recipients have been named in an online announcement.
The awards include multiple categories for comic book inkers, as well as inductees into the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame, named for one of the most acclaimed inkers of the modern comic book industry who passed away earlier this year.
Here are the winners by category, their qualifying credits, and the percentage of the votes they received, along with the other artists who were nominated.
Favorite Inker (Favorite ink artist over the pencil work of another artist; cannot also be nominated for the "Props" award)
Winner: Walden Wong (43%)
(genLOCK, Justice League [DC], Crazy, Incredible Hulk: Last Call, Marvel's Hero Project Season 1: Mighty Rebekah, X-23 [Marvel])
Other nominees: Mark Morales, Joe Prado, Norm Rapmund.
Most-Adaptable (Artist showing exceptional ink style versatility over other pencillers)
Winner: Walden Wong (41%)
(genLOCK, Justice League [DC], Crazy, Incredible Hulk: Last Call, Marvel's Hero Project Season 1: Mighty Rebekah, Star Wars: Age Of Republic Heroes–Obi-Wan Kenobi, X-23 [Marvel])
Other nominees: Marc Deering, Jonathan Glapion, Scott Hanna, Jay Leisten, Norm Rapmund, J.L. Straw.
Props Award (Ink artist deserving of more attention)
Winner: Eber Ferreira (32%)
(Freedom Fighters, Detective Comics, Supergirl [DC])
Other nominees: Jonathan Glapion, Stefano Guadiano, Le Beau Underwood.
All-In-One (Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencil work):
Winner: Liam Sharp (34%) (Green Lantern [DC])
Other nominees: Brad Krause, Sean Gordon Murphy, Stan Sakai.
Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award
Winners: Allen Bellman, Sal Buscema, and Norman Lee
Other nominees: Jack Abel, Gene Day, Bill Everett, Frank Frazetta, Graham Ingles, Dennis Janke, Michael Kaluta, Pablo Marcos, June Tarpe Mills, Bob Oksner, George Papp, Wendy Pini, Stan Sakai, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Simons, Jim Starlin, Art Thibert, Charles Vess, Al Vey, and Bob Wiacek.
Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame
Inductees: Bob Layton, John Romita Sr., and Bernie Wrightson
Other nominees: Brett Breeding, Johnny Craig, Mike Esposito, George Klein, Steve Leialoha, Pablo Marcos, Terry Moore, Mike Royer, Chic Stone, and Bob Wiacek.
