From coast to coast, Canada is home to many of the comic book industry’s top talents. The JOE SHUSTER AWARDS are a way of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of these Canadian creators – past, present and future. Since their establishment in 2004, the JOE SHUSTER AWARDS have been Canada’s national awards program for recognizing the outstanding achievements of Canadian comic book creators, publishers and retailers. The awards are named after pioneering Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster who, along with writer Jerry Siegel, created the iconic super-powered hero, Superman.
Between January and March 2009, the Nominees were selected from master lists of eligible works originally published in English and/or French in 2008. Canadian citizens living at home or abroad, as well as permanent residents were eligible for consideration.
Since May 2009, the Jury has been reviewing all of the nominated works and their final selections will be announced on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009 at the University of Toronto’s Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue in Toronto, starting at 8PM. General seating begins at 7:30 PM – Admission is free.
The Master of Ceremonies for the 2009 Joe Shuster Awards is televison personality Jonathan Llyr. The full list of 2009 nominees can be found at www.joeshusterawards.com
The ceremony will be preceded in the Innis Town Hall Lobby from 5PM to 7PM by a preview showing of the 2009 Visions of an Icon art exhibit along with a table featuring posters, prints, art donations, and memorabilia plus publications by many past winners and nominated creators. The 2009 Visions subject is Canadian superhero Wolverine, and the preview show will feature artwork by Dave Sim, J. Bone, Troy Little, Francis Manapul and many other Canadian creators. The full showing will take place on November 5, 2009 at the Speakeasy comic Show at the Gladstone Hotel (www.blttogo.com) and the artwork will be auctioned off shortly afterwards for 2010 fundraising.
The poster for the 2009 awards is by Francis Manapul and Agnes Garbowska. The Joe Shuster Awards logo was designed by Dave Sim with Tyrone Biljan, and the 5th Annual update was by Robert J. Lewis who also did design work on the poster. Art director: James Waley.
Please join the Joe Shuster Awards at booth #230 at Word on the Street Toronto on Sunday, September 27, 2009. WOTS Toronto features a Comics and Graphic Novel tent, sponsored by The Beguiling Books and Art. www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/toronto
Additional Award Updates:
Gene Day Award for Canadian Self-Publishers / Le Prix Gene Day pour Éditeurs Direct Canadian de Bandes Dessinées
Submissions from self-publishers were accepted until August 1, 2009 and the submissions are currently being reviewed by the 2009 Gene Day Award jury - Dr. Bart Beatty (University of Calgary), Christopher Owen (Mohawk College) and cartoonist Troy Little. The winner of the Gene Day Award also receives a $500 Bursary plus additional prize material provided by The Labyrinth (www.thelabyrinthstore.com). A short list of finalists will be posted on the Joe Shuster Awards website by Monday, September 21, 2009.
The Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Retailer /Le Prix Harry Kremer pour Détaillant Exceptionnel Canadien de Bandes Dessinées
The 2009 finalists are:
Another Dimension (Red Deer, Alberta)
The Beguiling (Toronto, Ontario)
Comic Encounters (Terrace, British Columbia)
Curious Comics (Victoria, British Columbia)
Cyber City Comics (North York, Ontario)
Elfsar (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Legends Comics and Books (Victoria, British Columbia)
Stadium Comics (Brampton, Ontario)
Past winners include: Now & Then Books (Kitchener, Ontario), Strange Adventures (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Happy Harbor Comics (Edmonton, Alberta), and Big B Comics (Hamilton, Ontario)
The 2009 Harry Kremer Retailer Award jury: Allison Covey, Peter Fisico and Robert Haines.
Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame / Temple de la renommée Créateur Canadien de Bandes Dessinées
The 2009 Inductees are:
George Menendez Rae (1906-1992)
Réal Godbout (1951-)
Ken Steacy (1955-)
Diana Schutz (1955-)
Full biographies of the four inductees has been posted at www.joeshusterawards.com/hof
The 2009 Hall of Fame inductees were selected by John Adcock, John Bell, Bob MacMillan, Henry Mietkiewicz and Michel Viau.
About Joe Shuster (1914 – 1992)
With the permission of his estate, the Joe Shuster Awards are named in honor of the great artist, JOE SHUSTER (1914-1992), whose clear, dynamic style and inventive visual flourishes set the standard for graphic storytelling during the infancy of the North American comic book industry. It was Superman, a co-creation of Shuster and Siegel, which electrified the industry 71 years ago and, almost overnight, transformed comic books into an enormous pop-cultural phenomenon that endures to this day.
