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Sunday Showdown: The Harvey Off

By and | July 18th, 2010
Posted in Columns | % Comments

This past week saw the announcement of the 2010 Harvey Award nominations, and with any sort of award nominations you both get analysis of the nominees as well as talk about who didn’t make it that should have made it. The Harvey Awards are no different, and to discuss these nominations we’ve got myself and Matt going over most of the categories to decide what they got right and what they got wrong.

Check out our take on those after the jump, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

David Harper: Amongst the billion big pieces of news this week, our Showdown this week will be about the Harvey Awards and who we think will and should win each award. There are a lot of great nominees this year as well as a lot of them that are thankfully different than the Eisner Awards, and we’ll get to it. We’ve cut down a number of the categories simply because there are so many to talk about, so let’s get to it.

So Matt, first category: Best Online Work. In this category, we have Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant, Cameron Stewart’s Sin Titulo, Nathan Schreiber’s Power Out, Scott Kurtz’ PVP, and David Gallaher and Steve Ellis’ High Moon. What’s your take? Or is this one you’re not super familiar with?

Matt Meylikhov: The only one I’m not very familiar with is Power Out, actually – although I have seen the trade and highly considered buying it. I just haven’t had the opportunity to. As for the others, though, I can’t say I’m a fan of PVP. It just never struck with me. Out of those nominated, I really like both High Moon and Sin Titulo. I really enjoy Gallaher and Ellis’ High Moon a lot, but when it comes down to it I have to put my money on Sin Titulo. The story is really intriguing, and I absolutely love his art.

DH: Yeah, agreed. I haven’t read through it all, but Stewart is putting some fantastic work out in Sin Titulo. Beaton is doing some great work with Hark! A Vagrant as well, but I think my favorite is Power Out (and it’s not just because he’s a really nice guy). I think it’s pretty cool that he managed to both get an Eisner and a Harvey nomination even though he has by far the lowest profile of all of the creators. That’s pretty rad.

Well, the next category is the Special Award for Humor in Comics. It’s a face off between Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden, Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kids #3: The Last Straw, Roger Landridge’s the Muppet Show, and Andrew Pepoy’s The Adventures of Simone and Ajax: A Christmas Caper. Now I have to say, I’m not familiar with a lot of these. And by that, I mean everything but Beasts and Scott.

MM: Like I said, I’ve looked at the Power Out trade multiple times and always WANT to buy it… I just usually don’t bring enough money to afford both it and whatever I’m at the comic store first. It’s definitely on my want list.

As for Humor… it’s difficult. I read a Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but not the one nominated. I didn’t really care for it though. Scott Pilgrim we all have read and we all love. It’s got a great blend of humor and heart, and a tremendous geek out factor. It’s pretty impossible to read Scott Pilgrim and not crack up, even with it’s Empire Strikes Back ending. As for Beasts of Burden, I love the comic to death but I don’t really consider it a humorous comic. It’s great, and it is funny at time, but when I look at it with comparison to other titles, I never recommend it for it’s humor aspect. The others I’m not too familiar with either. I’m going to go with Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe on this one.

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DH: Yeah! Thank you! It seems so weird, I love Beasts and its fun, but I would never consider it a humor book. I feel like there HAS to be a more humorous choice out there. Why can’t they choose a web comic like Penny Arcade or Axe Cop there? Both are far more humorous. Can you think of any other better examples?

MM: Axe Cop would be perfect for it. I think that Atomic Robo could fit in here pretty well, or any of the other work Clevinger has done. This might be more of a long shot, but the one-shot the X-Club starred in during Second Coming was a laugh out loud riot. Granted, they probably want something a bit more defined and/or fleshed out, but that was a great single issue. I could’ve been happy with something like Atomic Robo though. And hey, there are a billion Deadpool books you could grab it if you’re desperate, or even Jeph Loeb’s Hulk!

DH: Good lord ATOMIC ROBO! How was that not there? Okay, we’ll say Atomic Robo = best fit and the prospective winner, except voters failed. We’ll give Scott Pilgrim the win here though.

Next: Best Original Graphic Album. That means Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli, R. Crumb’s Book of Genesis, Joe Sacco’s Footnotes in Gaza, Seth’s George Sprott, David Small’s Stitches, and Brian Fies Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow. GO Matt!

MM: Pretty Scott Pilgrim has won several years in a row now, so I won’t be surprised if it takes the cake again. It definitely deserves it regardless.

As for the next category, I don’t even have to think: Asterios Polyp. This book blew me away. I had no expectations for it and was almost intimidated by the size, but I was sucked in right away and didn’t stop until I finished it. I haven’t read every book nominated here, but out of the ones that I have, I still say Asterios Polyp. An absolutely phenomenal work, both in writing and artistic direction. There is nothing about it I don’t like, and this should be required reading for comic book fans – especially those that love books like Daredevil: Born Again and Batman: Year One. I mean, in the words of GOB, come on!

DH: Agreed. When we were going over the Eisner Awards a while back, I was sick of typing David Mazzucchelli’s name by the end of it. But the point is he deserves all of the accolades he received, and he deserves this as well. Granted, I’ve only read half of the entries, but of the ones I didn’t read the only one I feel I really missed out on is Footnotes in Gaza. Sacco is incredible.

Speaking of Mazzucchelli, the next category is Best Letterer, featuring Mazz, Chris Eliopoulous (Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius), Brien Fies (Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow), Thomas Mauer (Rapture), and Richard Starkings (Elephantman). I think we can agree what Mazz did on Asterios Polyp and the way he integrated his lettering into the art and story is not just the best of this year, but the most innovative usage of lettering seen in a few years.

With that said, Fies killed it also. He did really nice work too, and was perhaps the most underrated creator from the slew of genius that came out in 2009.

MM: I would definitely agree with you, and I give my vote to Mazzucchelli. No disrespect to anyone, but man… Asterios Polyp is just staggeringly brilliant in all aspects.

DH: I was going to do colorist and inker, but then I realized it would just be more of a coronation for Mazz so SKIPPED.

Up next we have Best Cover Artist, a category I’m fairly passionate about. I love me some covers. This year’s nominees are Jenny Frison for The Dreamer, Mike Mignola for Hellboy: The Bride from Hell, Michael Avon Oeming for Mice Templar: Destiny Part 1, Frank Quitely for Batman and Robin, and JH Williams III for Detective Comics. Take it away Matt.

MM: Ooooh, this is tough. I love all these artists and familiar with all the covers without even a Google search. Every cover for Batman and Robin has been incredible, and Frank Quitely’s a fantastic artist and it’s a shame he couldn’t do more interiors. I love Mignola’s style too, and since he doesn’t do interiors at all anymore it’s great to see his work still. However, there’s only one answer I can give for this, and that’s JH Williams III for Detective Comics. Williams is an insanely talented (and friendly!) guy, and all of the art that he did for Detective, both inside and out, was what really catapulted that book above and beyond.

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DH: Yeah, it really has to be JH Williams III here. I LOVE Quitely’s work though. He creates some of the most straight up iconic covers in comics today, although I wish they had stuck to the colors trend that they go with from time to time and was most prominently featured in issue one and the most recent ones as well.

Bride from Hell is incredible too, but it’s just one cover, rather than Williams’ consistently great work.

However, my winner would be Jock, and it’s a damn shame the guy isn’t here. He wasn’t nominated for an Eisner either, and that is a MASSIVE oversight in my book.

Think Burpee is going to be aghast over the fact there is no Adi Granov to be found?

MM: Jock is ridiculously talented. His brief work in Detective Comics following JH Williams III? Holy wow. And his past work on the Losers and Green Arrow is amazing. I can’t wait to see him back in the saddle with Diggle on their new book, whenever that comes out.

You know, I’ve never been a huge fan of Granov! I appreciate his work, and he’s definitely got talent, but there are artists I like more than him. And on one of his covers for Second Coming, it honestly looked like he just found a picture of Malin Akerman and fitted it into Rogue. Which, granted – I don’t mind! But I still found it kind of funny at the time. Brandon will probably be pretty heart broken, though.

DH: Agreed on Granov, but his Second Coming #2 cover was stunning. CABLE!

Jock on Scalped is what I was getting at. The man is a god on that book. His covers are the best in the biz.

DH: I have to mention one more thing about covers while I’m at it…when I talked to Jim Rugg we extensively spoke about covers and about how they no longer really matter as a storytelling device in themselves for most big publishers. I think the reason why Jock and JH Williams III matter so much as cover artists today (moreso than Quitely in this regard) is that all of their covers are stories unto themselves – they may not outright say it, but they tell a lot of the internal story via symbolism and the clever use of imagery. I think in that regard, Fiona Staples is another rising star. But that’s my take. HAD TO SAY IT!

MM: The cover thing is odd. When it comes to the big publishers, it’s clear that often times the covers are storytelling devices, but I’ve also ranted extensively about how often I get annoyed at covers due to the fact that they give away story elements. I mean, the optimum goal with the cover is to sell the book, so if there’s something on it that will help sell it, it’s obvious they want to put it on there. Another thing though is that sometimes you get really gorgeous looking covers and really horrible looking interiors. That always rubs me the wrong way. I like variants and guest artists on covers and all that, but when your exterior is better than your interior you have a problem. I guess I have an odd love/hate relationship with comic covers.

My favorite thing about covers, though – and this is especially true with a book like the Unwritten – is that the cover seems kind of odd yet strangely eyegrabbing and doesn’t make sense until you are done reading. Take the Unwritten #12 for example – my favorite issue of the series. Why is there a rabbit on the cover? And what is with that little girl? How does this fit in with Tommy Taylor? Then you read it and say “ooooooh,” and the cover becomes much more personal because now you can hand the comic to people and tell them to read it without them being able to get what they’re fully going into until they’re done. That’s the best kind of cover, if you ask me, and you’re 100% right – JH Williams and Jock both do this absolutely wonderfully.

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DH: Next up, we’ve got Best New Series. Batman and Robin vs. Chew vs. Irredeemable vs. Sweet Tooth vs. Unwritten. Good luck with that. What’s your take Matt?

MM: Oof. Make it easy for us, why don’t you? Let’s think… I love Irredeemable, but I don’t think it’d beat the other candidates here. The Unwritten is utterly fantastic, but for me it’s still under Sweet Tooth’s thumb if only because Sweet Tooth caught me by such surprise as a title. When Sweet Tooth goes up to battle against Chew, it’s where it gets difficult for me. As much as we all know I love Morrison, I don’t think Batman and Robin deserves it – as great as it is – if only because it’s the continuation of all the things Morrison had already been doing. Chew and Sweet Tooth are both brand new titles that came out of nowhere and stole our attention. However… when it comes down to the hard decision? … I’ll honestly have to go with Sweet Tooth on this one. Chew is an incredibly close second, but Sweet Tooth has such an innocent heart to it, and the story is so intense and vexing with the emotional gauntlet that Lemire has put Jeppard and Gus through. The book is almost like a darker version of Bone to a certain extent.

I’m totally into that book, and I was literally shocked the week that that came out no one picked it for the draft or reviewed it! I remember, I wasn’t able to do reviews that week because I was moving into my new apartment, and when exploring the neighborhood I came across my local comic shop and grabbed that comic and read it sitting on the floor, and I just thought it was so great. I still do, and I love reading every issue that comes out.

That was a long explanation to a relatively short answer, but this is one of the bigger categories so I feel it’s mildly justified. Sweet Tooth all the way.

DH: I know I’m going to be the exception to the rule here, but I’m not as blown away by Irredeemable as everyone else is. It’s a good, not great series in my book. It’s clever what Waid has done, but it isn’t anything revolutionary.

You’re right on about B&R too – it’s a continuation of a story that Morrison was already working on. Even with tossing that away, I’d say that it isn’t in the consideration for me.

Don’t hurt me, but I haven’t read Sweet Tooth yet. I have the first trade, just need to get on it. I love Lemire though, and I am eager to read it. I just never got it because I found the preview that was in Vertigo books underwhelming.

So it’s between The Unwritten and Chew. Both are wildly inventive, both are crafted by exceptional talents (as well as great people), and both are already upper echelon titles in my book. With that said, it has to be The Unwritten in my mind. The biggest difference for me is in the art – Peter Gross is the champion between him and Rob Guillory, whose art in my mind is good but inconsistent in terms of being visual pleasing. Gross has turned The Unwritten into a bit of a visual tour de force, highlighting his diversity in style and his exceptional design skills very ably. Not only that, but I just find the overarching story to The Unwritten to be superior, so in this category, it’s The Unwritten all the way.

Next category, unless you have more to add, is Best Artist. It’s a showdown between R. Crumb, Guy Davis, Brian Fies, David Petersen, Frank Quitely and JH Williams III. Now Matt, if I know you well (and I think you do), this isn’t much of a competition is it?

MM: I’m not that surprised you picked the Unwritten actually, if only because I know you’re a huge fan of Harry Potter! That and Mike Carey is GREAT at creator owned work, like holy cow. Not to put down X-Men Legacy at all, but if people consider that to be great, then the Unwritten is basically on an entirely different level.

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No worries on Sweet Tooth, though. I’ve only read the first trade of Scalped, which you adore, so one day we’ll both even out the balance of the comic book Force.

As for the next category, you are probably right. This really isn’t much of a competition and, based on past picks of mine, I bet you can guess who I’m picking for this one.

DH: I know you’re a huge R. Crumb fan.

MM: I am. But as much as I am a huge R. Crumb fan, I’ve got to give the award to JH Williams III. Sorry, R. Crumb.

DH: Poor R. Crumb. What is it about JH Williams III that makes his work so damn…revolutionary? Can we use a different word for him? We may have to invent words. Mindblowtastic? Exquistescent? Glorisome?

MM: JH Williams III’s art is like the Isaiah Mustafa of artwork!

DH: It really, really is. His work is just so innovative in layout and page design that it exists on a whole different plane as everyone else.

Now that we’ve clearly established our favorite, anyone that you can think of that was clearly missed on the list?

MM: Just like Isaiah Mustafa!!

As for who was missed, there are artists that I’ve been really appreciating this year. I’ve really been enjoying Terry Dodson’s work in X-Men (odd pick, I know), as well as Patrick Gleason for Green Lantern Corps. Doug Mahnke as well has also done a stellar job for Green Lantern, and keeping in this pattern I feel like I can’t not mention Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver for their work in Blackest Night and The Flash: Rebirth. Those are just the big names, though. I think Peter Gross has been doing fantastic work in the Unwritten, as well as Pete Woods in the Superman books/Action Comics. Oh, and Salvador Larocca, Mike Deodato and David LaFuente.

Honestly, there are SO many great artists in comic books right now, it’s hard to narrow down a list!

DH: I think two names I wish I would have seen are R.M. Guera on Scalped (naturally) and Karl Kerschl for The Abominable Charles Christopher. I think Guera is more perfect for his title than any other creator out there, and I think Kerschl is perhaps the best cartoonist in the world of comics today. I love his work dearly. But your list is also good, although I would have Van Sciver anywhere near my list. I think his work on Rebirth was meh. Same with Dodson. Gleason is hugely underrated in my book though.

Best Writer…this is like the Best Director award for the Oscars isn’t it? Who wins this, wins the big prize. The names: Geoff Johns, Jason Aaron, Robert Kirkman, Jeff Kinney, and Mark Waid. I just want to start off with the fact I think Johns definitely doesn’t deserve this nomination and that people like Mike Carey, JMS, and for the love of GOD, Jonathan Hickman should have been here. How those three didn’t rake in a nomination but Johns did just seems crazy to me. Your take?

MM: If Jonathan Hickman was on the list, this would be no question. The man’s work is outstanding, and he is the best new catch that Marvel has. Since I can’t give him my vote though… hmm.

Well, I agree with you on Johns. Don’t get me wrong – I think he’s a great writer. He helped me get into the DCU. But this past year, especially with Blackest Night, was really lackluster. He’s had some output that I think is really great (i.e. Secret Origin and the new Flash series), but Green Lantern and Blackest Night/Brightest Day… it’s not so great. No offense to Jeff Kinney, but I don’t think Diary of a Wimpy Kid really deserves any real accolades. I love Mark Waid, but Irredeemable started off much stronger than it is now.

So Jason Aaron or Robert Kirkman – what a TOUGH choice. Kirkman’s work has been more centralized, focusing on his creator owned material, but how different is Invincible and Walking Dead now than it ever has been? They’re GREAT series both, but they don’t really push the boundaries of their genre as much as they did in the beginning. Then you have Jason Aaron, coming out of left field with this dynamite Wolverine book when everyone was sick of Wolverine which was following a fantastic run on Ghost Rider (and who ever cared about freaking Ghost Rider?!), on top of the cake that is your favorite book, Scalped. Jason Aaron has quickly become a house hold name as much as any of those writers, and is an absolute star at Marvel at the moment. I’m giving my vote to Jason Aaron and his fantastic beard (sorry Robert – yours is great too).

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DH: Jason Aaron is the best writer in comics in my book, so we’re in agreement here. Between just PunisherMAX, Weapon X and Scalped, he’s created comics that make you care about things you never thought you would and entertained you thoroughly throughout. An Indian reservation and the corruption throughout. The Inner Canucklehead. One man’s insane quest to eradicate crime (no matter the cost). He’s taken these stories, no matter how outlandish they get, and transplanted them into a deep seated reality that makes them all the more rich.

Plus, the guy is just a brilliant creator. He makes me laugh, cringe, and just…feel more than any creator has since late 90’s Garth Ennis.

Last category: Best Ongoing or Limited Series. Beasts of Burden. Scalped. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Ganges. Invincible. The Walking Dead. There can be only one! Whom do you choose Matt?! What did they miss? Tell me!

MM: God, these picks are honestly pretty similar with the last category, aren’t they? I don’t think Diary of a Wimpy Kid deserves anything. It really doesn’t push any boundaries or really do anything new in comics. Invincible is a lot of fun, but not best ongoing. Certainly a series worth noting though. I’m not quite sure what Ganges is, so I can’t comment on it. So Beasts of Burden, Scalped, or Walking Dead. Well, as much as I love Beasts of Burden and animals, I feel I really need to choose between Scalped and Walking Dead here, as those are the ongoing books that have really been doing something unique in comics. But the problem is – I’m not caught up in Scalped. I’ve got about a trades worth of knowledge. On that alone I have to give it to the Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead is honestly one of the most intense comics out there. Robert Kirkman is a malicious creator, and a horrific God of his characters. No group of people in comics have gone through such unmitigated horror and seen so much death and decay – and I don’t just mean the zombies. At the place we’re at now in the book, every new issue is like a ticking bomb, or a doomsday clock. We’re so close to something terrible happening because as much as Kirkman wants us to get complacent, there is just no way we can be comfortable anymore, and when the axe falls you just know it’s going to be intense. To my knowledge, the Walking Dead has not yet gotten any awards despite it much deserving one, and now seems as appropriate a time as any.

Although I have a feeling you are going to give just as convincing an argument for Scalped!

As for who they missed? Phonogram. Honestly, I know I always talk and talk about this book, but there are very few comics that can make you have a profound experience when reading it. To me, Phonogram was one of them. I remember reading the final issue of the second volume and immediately hopping on my computer to send Kieron Gillen an e-mail, thanking him for creating it. I also think that Batman and Robin should have at least gotten a mention here, and same with Joe The Barbarian, because JTB is absolutely heartbreaking, and I dread reading the ending because I’m almost positive it’s not going to be a happy one.

How about you David? What’s the best? What was missed?

DH: You hit the nail on the head. In my book, Scalped is the best of the best. It’s what I’m most excited for every month, I think it has the creators most in tune with the project at hand, and most of all, I think they do the best job of creating a whole new world unfamiliar to me. Many comics have created more creative concepts, but none have done a better job of crafting a place in which there is a living, breathing ecosystem throughout. When reading Scalped, you cannot help but notice how every action, no matter how little, will eventually factor into the story. A subtle notion here, a bold argument there, everything matters.

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The thing about Scalped is this team of Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera can do more with a six panel page with no words than most teams can do with a 22 page comic. It’s a perfect example of efficiency, finely tuned over its existence to be a living organism of failed relationships, broken trust, and ever present slivers of hope. Every time I think I’ve run out of good things to say about it, I think of new ways to express what this book is and what it means to me. Unlike other favorites, I don’t relate to it easily. It doesn’t have a Yorick Brown (the hero I could be) or a Jesse Custer (the hero I want to be). It just has Dashiell Red Horse…a man who very easily could be the person we all are. A man who failed time and time again, but is always on the cusp of redemption until his reality comes crumbling around him once again. Flawed, fatalistic and broken…Dash isn’t done yet, but he’s always on the verge. He’s the most intriguing and layered character in comics today.

With that said, I’d say I would highly consider Atomic Robo or BPRD here, as well as The Unwritten and Chew. Hell, maybe even Secret Six, a book that is perhaps the finest example of super “heroics” over the past year.

That said, both the Kirkman books deserved their spots, and I love me some Beasts of Burden. It’s really hard to argue with everything offered in this category, especially considering I haven’t read two of them.


//TAGS | Saturday Showdown

David Harper

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Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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