On receiving an Ignatz Award...

[Josh!]

This past weekend my new comic “Class of ‘99” received the “Most Outstanding Debut” Ignatz Award at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Md.

This was also my first year as an exhibitor, and I really had a great time. In previous years I’d gone as a fan, and passed out books to other people and exhibitors. This year, having my first full-color book in-hand (self-published through Comixpress), I decided to take the plunge and get a table.

I met some really cool people. I don’t know about any contacts made, but I really enjoyed talking to fans and other exhibitors. I was also really happy to see the positive response to the book.

The hardest part, for me, was that I’d just gotten back from China a couple days prior, and I was totally fucked on jetlag. At some parts of the show, during the downtime, I was practically falling asleep. But, I somehow managed.

I didn’t think I had a prayer of getting an Ignatz—to be considered for the “Most Outstanding Debut” category, all you have to do is e-mail the organizers and let them know you’ll be debuting a book. Some AWESOME books debuted at the show (my personal favorite was “Pirates of Coney Island,” but there was also “Sidescrollers,” from Oni, which was great too).

I had a little SPX-provided badge by the book, and invited anyone who picked up a copy to vote for it, if they enjoyed it.

Honestly, I felt like Miramax campaigning for an Oscar, but my plan was nowhere near as smart or devious. I just invited a few friends out to the show and had them talk up the book, to generate interest. The best part of all was that some of these friends don’t know anything about comics—and left with a few books in their hands. I loved introducing them to some of my favorite cartoonists—and watching them discover cartoonists I’d never heard of.

(My more devious marketing plan didn’t come through—I’d recruited a very attractive female friend to wear a cute shirt and sit at the table. At the last minute she couldn’t make it. Instead I had my friend Larry).

Flash forward to the evening’s Ignatz Award presentations. It was held in a United Nations looking conference room, a really weird venue for a comic book awards ceremony. I’m practically falling asleep on the table, watching each and every cartoonist in the room (most of us) doodle on the complimentary pad with a complimentary pen, as they read the results.

(For a full list of winners, check out the SPX Web site at www.spxpo.com).

Then they read the category for “Outstanding Debut.” I was fairly shocked, but I guess my friends really came through and people seemed to have enjoyed the book. In a half-asleep daze, I stumbled down to the podium to accept.

There was a jinxworld thread around the last Oscar season; about the speeches people would give if they ever received an award. I don’t remember what I wrote, but I remember thinking it was funny and clever.

Instead, wholly unprepared, my speech went something like this:

(Holding award, which is a big brick)

“Thanks. I’m really tired. I just got back from China two days ago and rolled into the show. I don’t know what time it is.”

(Brick falls out of my hand and onto the podium in a satisfying CLUNK. Everyone jolts out of their seats.)

“As I said, I’m really tired.”

(I pick up the brick and walk back to my seat. People were probably wondering who the hell I was).

That was it. A few of my new friends congratulated me, but I was in no condition to join anyone at a bar. I drove home, not really sure what had just happened or what it meant.

(and I’m still not sure).

Two last self-pimping lines: The book, “Class of ’99,” will be available from Comixpress shortly. I’m also hoping to get it in some DC-area shops.

[JABSEN]

Wow. Congrats, dude.

[Jacob Lyon Goddard]

you just won an Ignatz, shop it around to some bigger publishers before you go to Comixpress

none the less, big congradulations and i'm looking forward to holding it in my hands

[TheKraken]

Congrats!

[Blake Sims]

you just won an Ignatz, shop it around to some bigger publishers before you go to Comixpress

Yeah defiently.

[Josh!]

I'd already printed through Comixpress (that's how I had copies of the book). I posted a previous thread, and I'm not really sure where to go from here. This was really unexpected... but THANKS!!!!

[Brad N.]

Wow! Fucking kick ass, man. Congrats!

[Ziolko]

Hey, congrats!

[Jacob Lyon Goddard]

2006 Ignatz Award Recipients

Outstanding Artist
Tony Millionaire, Billy Hazelnuts (Fantagraphics Books)
Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Black Hole by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
Outstanding Graphic Novel
Tricked by Alex Robinson (Top Shelf Productions)
Outstanding Story
Ganges #1 by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics Books)
Promising New Talent
Hope Larson, Salamander Dream (AdHouse Books), Gray Horses (Oni Press)
Outstanding Series
Owly by Andy Runton (Top Shelf Productions)
Outstanding Comic
Schizo #4 by Ivan Brunetti (Fantagraphics Books)
Outstanding Minicomic
Monsters by Ken Dahl
Outstanding Online Comic
Perry Bible Fellowship by Nicholas Gurewitch
Outstanding Debut Award
Class of '99 by Josh Eiserike (Self-Published)
2006 Ignatz Award Nominees
The Ignatz is a festival prize awarded at SPX to recognize outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. A panel of cartoonists developed the ballot listed below, which was then voted on by SPX attendees at SPX 2006. Recipients were announced at the Ignatz Awards on Saturday, October 14th, 2006.

Outstanding Artist
Jordan Crane, The Clouds Above (Fantagraphics Books)
Renee French, The Ticking (Top Shelf Productions)
Tony Millionaire, Billy Hazelnuts (Fantagraphics Books)
Anders Nilsen, Big Questions #7 and #8 (Drawn & Quarterly)
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #16 (Fantagraphics Books)

Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Black Hole by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley (Fantagraphics Books)
Drawn and Quarterly Showcase #3 by Matt Broersma, Genevieve Elverum, and Sammy Harkham (Drawn & Quarterly)
The Push Man and Other Stories by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
Squirrel Mother by Megan Kelso (Fantagraphics Books)

Outstanding Graphic Novel
The Clouds Above by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics Books)
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin)
The Ticking by Renee French (Top Shelf Productions)
Tricked by Alex Robinson (Top Shelf Productions)
Wimbledon Green by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

Outstanding Story
Ganges #1 by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics Books)
"Prebaby" by Joe Daly, Scrublands (Fantagraphics Books)
"Somersaulting" by Sammy Harkham, Drawn and Quarterly Showcase #3 (Drawn & Quarterly)
"To Capt. Ayres" by Andrice Arp, Mome Winter 2006 (Fantagraphics Books)
We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin (Drawn & Quarterly)

Promising New Talent
Andrice Arp, Mome Winter 2006 (Fantagraphics Books)
Jonathan Bennett, Mome Fall 2005 (Fantagraphics Books)
R. Kikuo Johnson, Night Fisher (Fantagraphics Books)
Ben Jones, BJ & Da Dogs (Picturebox, Inc.)
Hope Larson, Salamander Dream (AdHouse Books), Gray Horses (Oni Press)

Outstanding Series
Acme Novelty Library by Chris Ware (Fantagraphics Books)
Big Questions by Anders Nilsen (Drawn and Quarterly)
Love and Rockets by Los Bros. Hernandez (Fantagraphics Books)
Optic Nerve by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly)
Owly by Andy Runton (Top Shelf Productions)

Outstanding Comic
Big Questions #7 by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)
Ganges #1 by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics Books)
Optic Nerve #10 by Adrian Tomine (Drawn and Quarterly)
Schizo #4 by Ivan Brunetti (Fantagraphics Books)
Stuff of Dreams #3 by Kim Deitch (Fantagraphics Books)

Outstanding Minicomic
Comicore Jr. by Paulette Poullet
Gaylord Phoenix #4 by Edie Fake
Monsters by Ken Dahl
Trackrabbit by Geoff Vasile
Window #8 by Dave Lapp

Outstanding Online Comic
A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible by David Hellman and Dale Beran
Claviger by Ronnie Casson
Micrographica by Renee French
Perry Bible Fellowship by Nicholas Gurewitch
Thingpart by Joe Sayers

Outstanding Debut Comic
Action Philosophers #7: It's All Greek to You by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey (Evil Twin Comics)
Anyone But Virginia #3 by Zac Crockett and Josh Eiserike (Self-Published)
Class of '99 by Josh Eiserike (Self-Published)
Controller by Robin Enrico (Self-Published)
Cross Country by MK Reed (Self-Published)
Curses by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn & Quarterly)
The Damned #1 by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt (Oni Press)
Delphine #1 by Richard Sala (Fantagraphics Books)
Daybreak by Brian Ralph (Bodega Distribution)
Feral Ducks by FW Harvey and Josef J. Komenda (Self-Published)
Hellcity by Macon Blair and Joe Flood (Gigantic Graphic Novels)
Hwy. 115 by Matthias Lehmann (Fantagraphics Books)
House of Twelve's "Heavy Metal: The Movie" by various (House of Twelve Comics)
Interiorae #2 by Gabriella Giandelli (Fantagraphics Books)
Let Us Be Perfectly Clear by Paul Hornschemeier (Fantagraphics Books)
Luba: Three Daughters by Gilbert Hernandez (Fantagraphics Books)
Lucky by Gabrielle Bell (Drawn & Quarterly)
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Book One by Tove Jansson (Drawn & Quarterly)
Mourning Star by Kazimir Strzepek (Bodega Distribution)
My Brain Hurts #4 by Liz Baillie (Self-Published)
New Tales Of Old Palomar #1 by Gilbert Hernandez (Fantagraphics Books)
One Last Ride On The Ghost Truck by Ben T. Steckler (Self-Published)
Premillennial Maakies by Tony Millionaire (Fantagraphics Books)
The Pirates of Coney Island #1 by Rick Spears and Vasilis Lolos (Image Comics)
Project: Romantic by various (AdHouse Books)
Rogue Satellite Comics: Crossroads to Lambada by Christopher P. Reilly (Self-Published)
Sidescrollers by Matthew Loux (Oni Press)
12 Reasons Why I Love Her by Jamie S. Rich & Joelle Jones (Oni Press)
We Must Become Our Heroes, vol. II, #1 by Jordan Giarratano (Big G, Little G)
You Ain't No Dancer Vol. 2 by Various (New Reliable Press)

Ignatz 2006 Jury Panel
Jeffrey Brown
Henry Chamberlain
Justin Hall
Laurenn McCubbin
Jim Rugg

[Jacob Lyon Goddard]

you beat Gilbert Hernandez

...

holy shit