This year marked the 20th anniversary of New York Comic Con, and nine years since it became the home of the Harvey Awards. Named after Mad cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harveys are known in the industry for usually being a speedy affair—but this year was different. Many of the biggest names in DC Comics history were in attendance to celebrate the past and present of Batman comics, but the honors weren’t limited to superhero stories; this was also the first year that the Harveys hosted the Sophie Castille Awards for Comics in Translation, sponsored bytheBeat.
The ceremony was so full of big names that one could barely walk five feet during the pre-ceremony happy hour without running into someone like Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder—who, after a day full of panels and signings, was desperate to refuel…only to be grabbed for yet another interview. There was a charismatic, amiable man you could chat up about your personal histories in comics before even realizing it was actor Thomas Jane, who was there to present the prize for Best Adaptation—and, later that evening, to accept the Best Digital Book award for his comic The Lycan.
For the third year in a row, the Harveys were hosted by Brad and Lisa Gullickson of the podcastComic Book Couples Counseling. The proceedings alternated between presenting the competitive awards and inducting industry veterans into the Harveys Hall of Fame. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the seminal DC graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, all of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees were writers, artists, and editors who made important contributions to the history of Batman comics.
The first honoree was artist David Mazzucchelli, who worked with Frank Miller on Batman: Year One. Since he wasn’t in attendance, his award was accepted by DC publisher Jim Lee (who has also drawn his fair share of iconic Caped Crusader comics, including Batman: Hush).
The next Hall of Fame inductee was Jenette Kahn, who served as publisher, president, and editor-in-chief of DC Comics for more than two decades, starting in the 1970s. Many of the famous comics of that time, such as The Dark Knight Returns, are often associated with their male creators, but Kahn’s stewardship of the publisher is what gave creators the freedom to experiment.
In his introduction, Paul Levitz, who worked with Kahn as a DC editor, called her “the heroine of the comics community” and said, “it was my pleasure, and the learning experience of my life, to work with her for 20 years and help her modernize the comics industry.”
“When I think of the things we did together, I feel so proud that we were able to value the creators in this industry and assure them of the rights they deserved,” Khan said in her acceptance speech. “We were also able to value our readers, and not only give them honors of reading pleasure, but also inspire them and make them feel seen.”
In between Hall of Fame honors, the Sophie Castille Award was presented to Elise Gravel’s graphic novel True Colors, translated by Montana Kane, by award founder Ivanka Hahnenberger.
“Translators are the unsung heroes of international comics,” Hahnenberger said. “Despite the fact they are key in the success of comics abroad, they are often overlooked and not credited. This award and its trophy go to them. We are here to celebrate them and remind everyone to respect them and their work.”
Several of the other Batman-related Hall of Fame honorees—Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Carmine Infantino, Frank Robbins, Denny O’Neil, Dick Giordano, Jim Aparo, Marshall Rogers, and Tim Sale—had died, so family members accepted the honor in their place. Giordano was represented by his three children, which Levitz remarked was appropriate “because one of his many contributions to comics was being a surrogate father to so many artists.”
FrankMiller was there in person, as was his collaborator Klaus Janson. Notably absent was Lynn Varley, the third name on the cover of The Dark Knight Returns, who is also Miller’s ex-wife.
In his induction speech, Todd McFarlane called Miller “the first rebel of comics,” and credited his advocacy for comics creators’ rights with inspiring McFarlane, Jim Lee, and their friends to found Image Comics in the ‘90s. Most of all, McFarlane praised Miller for always trying new things, even after he had already found success.
When Miller finally took the stage, to another standing ovation, he spoke through tears. “This is as high an honor as I could ask for,” Miller said. “I’m very moved.”
To bring things full circle, the final award of the night, for Book of the Year, went to DC’s Absolute Batman. In his speech, Snyder acknowledged McFarlane for in turn inspiring him, and artist Nick Dragotta said “the first comic I ever stole was Dark Knight Returns.”
“The success of the Absolute universe, to us, isn’t about the sales,” Snyder said. “It’s the validation of the fact that in comics, when you take a big swing, the audience shows up because it’s a place where people want risk.”
The full list of winners can be found here.
