The National Cartoonists Society has announced its nominees for the 2002 Reuben Awards, the “Oscars” for cartoonists. The awards will be presented at a black tie dinner at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco on Saturday, May 24 during a weekend of festivities. One artist will be named Cartoonist of the Year, professional cartooning’s highest honor.
This year’s nominees for the prestigious Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year are Pat Brady (Rose is Rose), Greg Evans (Luann), Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and Dan Piraro (Bizarro). The winner will receive a statuette designed by and named after the NCS’ first president, Rube Goldberg.
Cartoonists in various professional divisions are also honored with special plaques for excellence. These awards are voted on by a combination of the general membership (by secret ballot) and special juries overseen by various NCS Regional Chapters.
In the Feature Animation category, Hayao Miyazaki, director of the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, may nab another major award as he goes up against Peter De Seve (Ice Age) and Chris Sanders (Lilo and & Stitch). On the TV animation side, the competition looks a bit stiffer with Butch Hartman (Fairly OddParents), Steve Hillenburg (Spongebob Squarepants) and Greg Miller (Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?) all vying for the honor.
The other nominees are:
Advertising and Illustration: Jim Hummel, B.B. Sams, Terry Willis
Newspaper Panels: Jerry Van Amerongen (Ballard Street), Dave Coverly (Speed Bump), Wiley Miller (Non Sequitur)
Greeting Card: Oliver Christianson, Jerry King, Glenn McCoy
Magazine Gag Cartoon: Jerry King, Gary McCoy, Glenn McCoy
New Media: Mark Fiore, Bill Hinds, Ian David Marsden
Comic Book: Mike Mignola (Hell Boy), Terry Moore (Strangers In Paradise), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo)
Newspaper Illustration: Drew Friedman, Steve McGarry, Ed Murawinski
Newspaper Comic Strip: Darby Conley (Get Fuzzy), Jim Meddick (Monty), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine)
Book: Glenn McCoy, BB Sams, Bob Staake
Magazine: C.F. Payne, Tom Richmond, Jay Stephens
Editorial Cartoon: Clay Bennett, Mike Luckovich, Tom Toles
Founded in 1946, the National Cartoonists Society (www.reuben.org) is the world’s largest and most prestigious organization of professional cartoonists. Members work in many branches of the profession, including comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, animation, greeting cards and magazine and book illustration.
