Announcing the 2019 Comics Industry Person(s) of the Year: Dav Pilkey and Tom Spurgeon

Posted On Feb 2, 2020 By admin With Comments Off

Every year we request participants in our Creator Survey to refer a 2019 Comics Industry Person of the Year, and once again they have spoken. There were two clear-cut frontrunners and we’re once again naming TWO industry chassis who affected us last year: Tom Spurgeon and Dav Pilkey.

Party OF THE Year

First, on a shocking tone, the expressed support for the late Tom Spurgeon for Person of the Year was overwhelming. We’ve once written about what Tom meant to us personally, but every day his loss is felt more and more, and his untimely extinction left a gaping pit in not only comics journalism and comics affairs but really the spirit of the industry. I guess Tom would be surprised and humbled to find out how much he was loved, but I hope somehow he knew this, and also knew how precious “hes to” comics for the last 20 times. There will never be another like him.

We reached out to Tom’s brother, Whit, who was a frequent collaborator on The Comics Reporter with his agreement photos, for a statement 😛 TAGEND

” Tom frequently tried to downplay awards, but he was also genuinely flattered by them — he was touched and humbled that beings in service industries increased his work.

If he was still around, I’m sure he’d saying anything far more eloquent( and self-effacing) than a simple thank you, but I’ll say for Tom and his immediate family( his mummy, Sunny McFarren, brother, Dan Spurgeon, and me) that he would have considered this an honor. We thank everyone you folks for remembering Tom and recognizing his labour .”

And others spoke as well 😛 TAGEND

— Thomas Spurgeon for his tireless employ endorse comics and comic artists.

— I wasn’t very close to Tom but his death reached a great deal of people hard. Feels wrong to give anyone else.

— Tom Spurgeon, in memoriam. I certainly did not realize how much I are dependent upon his banter and shrewd insights/ informs as a kind of daily ballast in this industry until the day he was gone. He was an obsessive mad genius, a starter of ardors and battles, but somehow also incredibly and consistently generous and inspiring in his love for the medium, his voracious and broad reading, and his staunchness of persona. An incredible loss.

— Tom Spurgeon. His death sent shockwaves through comics and reminded us how important just one or two connectors like him can be in encouraging a community. He was an inspiration as a columnist, editor, demonstrate organizer, and something much. He can never be replaced, but hopefully people will step up in his absence.

— Tom Spurgeon. I care we had bestowed him with even more praise in his lifetime, but just leave a legacy of goodwill for the industry that we will carry forward for contemporaries. Rest in Comics, Tom.

— Tom Spurgeon. This is the first time I’m voting for someone because of the void he leaves behind.

— Tom may be the industry’s Francis Bacon, the last person who knew everything.

— Tom Spurgeon. I don’t like to impel posthumous nominations but his impact is undeniable.

— We’d like to note this is the third time that the Industry Person of the Year has been awarded posthumously, following Stan Lee, last year, and Kim Thompson in 2013. It’s a sad but necessary tradition.

While Spurgeon was much on the minds of people, 2019 was without a shred of a suggestion of a suspense the year of the kids comic, and no one gloried like Dav Pilkey, who had not one but TWO behemoth sellers.

Pilkey had a year that merely a minuscule few of writers at their most crest could parallel. Dog Man: Fetch 22 had a five million fake firstly printing, and sold more than 500,000 fakes in a few weeks; his previous journal, Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls- which exclusively came out in August- has sold more than a million replicas, according to Bookscan and was the third-biggest selling book of any kind in 2019. Since its introduction, the eight Dog Man volumes have sold more than 26 million fakes, and have roused kids reading like nothing else happening. Pilkey was also listed PW’s Person of the Time, and he indicates no signalings of slowing down.

Both Pilkey and his publisher responded to the news of being listed Person of the Time 😛 TAGEND

It is such an honor to be listed with Tom Spurgeon. Tom Spurgeon dedicated his life to raising back the best interests of comics as artwork here in the U.S ., as well as being a true advocate for cartoonists. I owe a obligation of gratitude to the overwhelming number of artists throughout the history of comics and the splendid cartoonists today, like Jeff Smith, Lynda Barry, Art Spiegelman, Marjane Sartrapi who continue to set the bar higher and higher. Thanks to comics, I discovered a passion for learn. I am humbled by and grateful for the skill word of comics.

— Dav Pilkey, scribe and illustrator

Dav Pilkey’s books with their mark feeling and mind are embraced and enjoyed by kids, lineages and educators various regions of the world. As a published columnist and illustrator for over thirty years, Dav’s work encompass across various age groups and formats–from stunning picture records which have earned gifts including a Caldecott Honor, early readers, the bestselling Captain Underpants series which helped to create the summarized assembly record list, to the publication of his first graphic novel Super Diaper Baby practically twenty years ago, and with the stupendous success of the Dog Man series–Dav Pilkey’s growing and affect as a renowned storyteller is remarkable. At Scholastic we are stimulated and incredibly proud of Dav Pilkey’s much-deserved identification as “Comics Industry Person of the Year.”

–Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade.

And his fellow authors agreed 😛 TAGEND

— Dav Pilkey. Without a doubt the most successful comic make of 2019, Pilkey designated new heights for the ubiquity that graphic romances can achieve. With 5 million emulate first engrave run on the eighth magnitude of DOG MAN and over 26 million copies of the previous seven capacities in book, Pilkey virtually doesn’t have any competition. More importantly, his work is helping foster a new generation of comic book and graphic novel readers.

— Dav Pilkey. In part, because you cannot deny what Dog Man is doing for the comics industry right now. Graphic stories for all ages have been on the upswing for a while, and it has made the smell of” Harry Potter fund” to get publishers moving.

— Dav Pilkey. My six year old and I are genuinely experiencing his Dog Man works, and as impressively fast as he throws them out, it’s still not fast enough. And he’s good parties, too.

— Dav Pilkey. Everyone’s looking for the next Dog Man.

— Dav Pilkey and Raina Telgemeier, the true heavyweights of the comic industry who represent the present and future of the medium.

— Dav Pilkey: He is just determine a new table for the medium.

Although Pilkey and Spurgeon garnered by far the most elections, there were many other deserving and notable people who received mentions. So let’s take a look!

Team of the Time:

Several of our respondents announced out Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell for Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, and it seems only fitting to note their collaboration. Tamaki is, of course, an all-around superstar in comics with her work for DC, First Second and everywhere else. Valero-O’Connell is a rising star whose indie creation and lush, emotive storytelling on Laura Dean portend a huge talent.

— Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. No one had a better time creatively than these two.

— Rosemary Valero-O’Connell and Mariko Tamaki( Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me) winning awards and reigning the indie grocery. More lesbian and diverse reputations please!

The Kids Are Really Doing All Right

But many, numerous honours from the nations of the world of mainstream publishing, and specifically, the supernova of kids comics writing that reached its biggest blowup yet in 2019, were cited in our cross-examine, produced of course, by Queen Raina, whose Nerves was another record rectifying triumph.

— Raina Telgemeier who’s become a major utter not only in YA and graphic romances but producing in general. It’s not surprising that comics publishers are trying to tap into the YA market after her best-selling GUTS this year.

— Raina- I’m sure numerous are saying this and I wholeheartedly concur. Raina Telgemeier. Friends of mine who don’t read comics know who she is because their kids adore her and her study. And it’s made them seek out other work out there.

— Charlie Olsen of Inkwell Management. I recognize that amazing agents have been operating in comics for a long time — Denis Kitchen, Judi Hansen — but not until recently have they been established as a commonly workable professional option, and Charlie has set that standard for the current era, from establishing Nate Powell and Matt Kindt as literary powerhouses to breaking Noelle Stevenson and Carey Pietsch into cross-platform stardom.

— David Saylor is a close second for this category in my mind for the slate he’s made at Graphix. Yes, he has the approval and infrastructure of Scholastic behind him, but the fact that he has created the closest thing to a Disney-like publisher in comics- they publish relatively few notebooks and cartoonists but virtually everyone of them is a monumental slam- is incredibly impressive. It’s precise, targeted and dominant.

— Jen Wang- with THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER she leveled up as a major voice; and vaulted again with STARGAZING.

— Penelope Bagieu is fully at home in France and in North America, with BRAZEN: REBEL Maiden WHO ROCKED THE WORLD- an immeasurably timely and resonating bible for our times.

— Jerry Craft – his graphic story NEW KID has topped so many” best of 2019″ record listings and has prevailed many gives. Jerry has paid his dues, use as a comics writer/ artist for a long time, and it’s wonderful to see his journal supplanted so well.

— Lucy Knisley certainly stood out to me this year. She had two volumes come out- the picture book” You Are New” from Chronicle Books and her sixth full segment graphic memoir” Kid Gloves “. She was also exceedingly prolific with big domestic autobio comics on Instagram, including a cause of extremely harrowing ones about the life and death of Linney, her larger-than-life orange cat. Very shortly after Linney’s death Knisley announced a forthcoming journal about her.

— Michelle Wells, Manager Editor DC Children’s YA titles

— Faith Erin Hicks, who has published something like 1500 sheets of comics in the last 10 years, and who this year acquired( another) Eisner and had a book on the New York Times bestseller list( Pumpkinheads)

Writer of the Year:

Although Tom King had a lock on this for the last few years, Jonathan Hickman was mentioned several times for reinvigorating the X-Men, one of the large rights in comics history,

— Johnathan Hickman for masterfully resurrecting the X-Men franchise

— Jonathan Hickman, who’s seems to have figured out a road to spawn people was concerned about The X-Men again … for the first time in a good, long while.

But several other novelists were noted as well 😛 TAGEND

— David S. Walker. While I’m dared to say Chris Ware, since Rusty Brown was such a tremendous book and each time he secretes a work is an event, I’m going with David F. Walker. Bitter Root is such an incredible series and I will read anything he is working on.

— Ed Brubaker shows the industry how it’s done. He continues to provide top-notch work but with firm and focused pioneer control.

— Grant Morrison for his Green Lantern run.

— Robert Kirkman deserves it for aiming The Walking Dead in the way he did, on his own terms.

— Stan Lee. Despite Stan’s passing late in 2018, it truly hit home in 2019 with Captain Marvel, Spider-Man Far From Home, and Avengers Endgame all paying tribute to his work.

— Tom King

The New Wave

Several pioneers whose work is pushing borderlines were indicated 😛 TAGEND

— Ron Wimberly and Ezra Claytan Daniels. Wimberly successfully kickstarted LAAB, an skill magazine focusing on black representation in sci-fi and culture, and had his excellent graphic romance” Prince of Cat” picked up for a Tv adaption( to be directed by Spike Lee !) Daniels’ 2018 volume” Upgrade Soul” received an affecting number of award nominations and prevails this year( Nominated for 2019 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint, Winner of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics, Winner of the DiNKy Award for Diversity in Comics, Nominated for 2019 Harvey Award for Book of the Year, Nominated for 2019 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Graphic Novel, Nominated for 2019 Ringo Award for Best Artist and Best Original Graphic Novel ). He also exhausted BTTM FDRS with Ben Passmore.

— Danny Lore, whose output this year has been incredible in terms of scope, compatibility, and quality.

The Mastermind

Kevin Feige often gets mentions in this survey and the successful fruition of the Thanos Saga- which exclusively spanned 22 movies- moved various to mention him, and let’s give him that Endgame victory lap 😛 TAGEND

— Kevin Feige- He was given the keys to the entire kingdom. Will he be able to make the actual comics are of concern to casual readers again?

— Lots of applicants, but I think it’s got to be Kevin Feige( again, probably ). He’s got a real signature, and the promotion of his ties with the publishing purpose of Marvel makes a lot of sense.

And ultimately those who defy easy categories but deserve notice 😛 TAGEND

— Chris Butcher: The spread of festival-style comics indicates as city-integrated racial phenomena in The americas owes a huge debt to Chris Butcher, and his recognition by the government of France strikes me as a high point in their societal adoption. We may never see them as our own form of the Ninth Art, but Chevalier Butcher will never stop trying to drag us to that point.

— Frederick Aldama. He has been surveying and recognizing POC; exclusively, Latinx and Brown creators.

— Nick Anderson. The former editorial cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle is trying to reinvent the flesh with his free email newsletter counterpoint, that really offer cartoonists good coin to produce political parodies. So far it’s going well. Considering that the entire kind was pretty much down the toilet, that’s revolutionary.

— Matt Bors of The Nib

— Rachel Smythe of Lore Olympus

— Zainab Akhtar of Short Box

— Tillie Walden, Cartoonist

— Annie Koyama- the beloved publisher is hanging it up as a publisher in 2020, but hopefully she’ll be getting back some daytime in another way.

And ultimately some really special picks that I hope you will heed 😛 TAGEND

— The being of the year is some kids I’ve never heard of, who will fall in love with comics and realize that he, she and/ or they can start them too-and then proceed to blow everybody’s minds with their genius as they take the artform’s ability for artists to achieve intimate connections with their public to unprecedented levels. Prepare thyself.

— My vote is for the reputation to be shared by all eleven beings targeted by the defamation lawsuit, after speaking out against another creator’s sex transgression: Whit Taylor, Laura Knetzger, Josh O’Neill, Tom Kaczynski, Hazel Newlevant, Emma Louthan, Ben Passmore, Emi Gennis, Jordan Shiveley, Morgan Pielli and Rob Clough.

Finally Jim Ottaviani had some personal thoughts that are definitely worth heeding 😛 TAGEND

— More a persona than person or persons, but it seems to me that the Grim Reaper was more visible than customary. That may time be because I personally knew more of the people who died than normal, and encountered it more scandalizing and poignant as a result. So going to tell a friend or a colleague you cherish and revere them( or their work) today. No, genuinely, how about today? There’s no better time.

Once again, many thanks to the creators who took the time to vote on this- the responses are always courteous and give a genuine snapshot of where we’re at.

And who will be the Person of the Year in 2020? Start your machines now!

Previous Person of the Year wins 😛 TAGEND

2018: Stan Lee and Olivia Jaimes 2017: Emil Ferris 2016: Gene Luen Yang and the March Trilogy Team 2015: Noelle Stevenson 2014: Raina Telgemeier 2013: Kim Thompson 2012: Eric Stephenson 2011: Kate Beaton/ Jim Lee& Dan DiDio 2010: Robert Kirkman

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