RINGO AWARDS Announced At BALTIMORE COMIC CON Dinner

from the official Mike Wieringo Awards press release . . . . . BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - October 20, 2019 - Comic creative professionals, publishers, retailers, and fans came together Saturday night, October 19, 2019 to socialize, dine, and experience the comic book industry celebrating recognition of their peers, co-workers, and competitors at the 2019 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards.  This year's Ringo Awards was sponsored by Presenting Sponsors Cards, Comics & Collectibles and the Baltimore Comic-Con; Gold Sponsors  BOOM! Studios, WEBTOON; and Silver Sponsors Fantastic Forum, Graphite, Source Point Press, and Valiant Entertainment. The banquet and awards ceremony honoring nominees and winners in professional and fan categories was hosted by the Baltimore Comic-Con and Cards, Comics & Collectibles.

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. The nomination ballot is determined by fans and pros alike.

Bob Wayne, comics industry luminary whose resume includes stints as a retailer, comics writer for DC and Charlton Comics, DC Comics executive, and CBLDF advisory board member, honored the Ringo Awards as the 2019 keynote presenter at the event.

A very special thanks go to the sponsors who donated items to the 2019 Ringo Awards Gift Bags, including Abrams ComicArts, Action Lab Entertainment, Archie Comic Publications, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, Diamond Comic Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Lerner Publishing Group, New York Review Books, Source Point Press, TokyoPop, Valiant Entertainment, and WEBTOON.

Winners of the 2019 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards are: Fan Favorites: Favorite Hero: Toaster Dude Favorite Villain: Lance Cordrey from Aberrant (Action Lab Entertainment) Favorite New Series: Luff Favorite New Talent: Enjelicious Favorite Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Jury and Fan Winners: Best Cover Artist: Fiona Staples Best Series (tie): Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Dark Horse Comics and The Immortal Hulk, Marvel Comics Best Letterer: Todd Klein Best Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain Best Humor Comic: MAD, DC Comics Best Original Graphic Novel: My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, Image Comics  Best Comic Strip or Panel: Nancy, Olivia Jaimes, Andrews McMeel Universal  Best Single Issue or Story: Swamp Thing Winter Special, DC Comics Mike Wieringo Spirit Award: Isola, Image Comics  Best Anthology: Where We Live, A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas, Image Comics  Best Non-fiction Comic Work: Where We Live, A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas, Image Comics  Best Presentation in Design: Absolute Sandman Overture, DC Comics  Best Webcomic: The Nib (thenib.com)  Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel: Punk Taco, Adam Wallenta Entertainment  Best Inker: Fiona Staples Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Best Artist or Penciller: Sean Phillips Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Terry Moore Hero Initiative Awards: Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award: Louise Simonson Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

In addition, the Baltimore Comic-Con would like to thank those individuals who presented at this year's award ceremony, including: Keynote speaker Bob Wayne; Paul McSpadden, Arely 'Arechan' Mancini and Dean Haspiel; Ross Richie and Filip Sablik; Fred Chamberlain; Shea Fontana and Brian K. Vaughan; Katie Cook and Afua Richardson; Walter Simonson; Mitch Gerads and Tom King; and Cully Hamner, Craig Rousseau, Mark Waid, and Matt Wieringo. We would also like to thank John Gallagher for his contributions to our program guide for the evening and awards ceremony presentation.

Please join us next year for the fourth annual Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards taking place at the 21st annual Baltimore Comic-Con on October 24, 2020, and keep an eye on our website and social media accounts below for 2020 ballot information.

About Mike Wieringo Michael Lance "Mike" Wieringo was known to fans and friends as "Ringo", which is how he signed his artwork. His comics artist graced the pages of DC Comics' The Flash, Adventures of Superman, Batman, and Robin, Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man, and Rogue, and his co-creation Tellos. He passed away on August 12, 2007 at the young age of 44 from an apparent heart attack.

About the Ringo Awards The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. The Ringo Awards recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories, and are the only industry awards nominated by fans and pros alike, with final voting by the comic professional community. Launched in 2017, the awards ceremony is held annually at the Baltimore Comic-Con. Further details are available at www.ringoawards.com.

About the Baltimore Comic-Con The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 20th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com