This past weekend, the comics industry celebrated the 2020 Ringo Awards at the virtual Baltimore Comic-Con. Named in honor of the late Mike “Ringo” Wieringo, the awards celebrate “the creativity, skill and fun of comics.” As anyone who’s picked up one of Wieringo’s books – be it The Flash or Fantastic Four – can attest, that mission statement is perfect.
While obviously different from previous years due to the pandemic, the live stream enabled fans from all over the world to participate in the festivities. Those that tuned in were able to see a keynote speech from Geoff Johns, as well as tributes to Wieringo from creators like Mark Waid and Jeff Parker. Of course, the stream wasn’t perfect, as the awards ended up starting early – causing some early winners to initially miss accepting their awards as presented. However, the imperfections added a very real-world, 2020 feel to the festivities.
As for the awards themselves, IDW Publishing ended up as the night’s big winner, taking home 3 awards for Best Presentation in Design, Best Non-Fiction Comic Work, and Best Single Issue or Story. Two of those (Presentation and Single Issue) went to the great Stan Sakai, who also took home Best Cartoonist honors. Also of note is the winner of the Mike Wieringo Spirit Award, which goes to the work that best exemplifies the late artist’s work. That award went to Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru’s Superman Smashes the Klan. For a complete list of winners, check out the full release below.
Comic creative professionals, publishers, retailers, and fans came together (virtually) Saturday night, October 24, 2020 to experience the comic book industry celebrating recognition of their peers, co-workers, and competitors at the 2020 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards.
This year’s Ringo Awards was sponsored by Cards, Comics & Collectibles, the Baltimore Comic-Con, and Mainframe Comic Con, as well as Bad Idea, BOOM! Studios, Geppi Family Enterprises, Rocketship Entertainment, Source Point Press, Tapas Media, and WEBTOON.
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.
Geoff Johns, award-winning comic book writer of titles such as DC Comics’ Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and Doomsday Clock, and screenwriter, Executive Producer, and Showrunner of The WB’s Stargirl, honored the Ringo Awards as the 2020 keynote presenter at the event, sponsored by Geppi Family Enterprises.
Film and comics legend, Kevin Smith opened the show and introduced his friend, Geoff, as the keynote speaker.
Winners of the 2020 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards are:
Fan Favorites:
- Sponsored by Rocketship Entertainment:
- Favorite Hero: Clove from SubZero (WEBTOON)
- Favorite Villain: John from unOrdinary (WEBTOON)
- Favorite New Series: Fangs
- Favorite New Talent: Sinran
- Favorite Publisher: Tapas Media
Jury and Fan Winners:
- Sponsored by Source Point Press:
- Best Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
- Best Cover Artist: Sana Takeda
- Best Original Graphic Novel: Snow, Glass, Apples, Dark Horse Comics
- Best Presentation in Design: Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo: The Complete Grasscutter Artist Select, IDW Publishing
- Sponsored by Tapas Media:
- Best Letterer: Nate Piekos
- Best Inker: Sandra Hope
- Best Webcomic: Fried Rice, Erica Eng
- Best Comic Strip or Panel: Nancy, Olivia Jaimes, Andrews McMeel Universal
- Sponsored by Bad Idea:
- Mike Wieringo Spirit Award: Superman Smashes the Klan, DC Comics
- Sponsored by BOOM! Studios:
- Best Anthology: Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens, Archaia (BOOM! Studios)
- Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel: Guts, Graphix/Scholastic
- Best Humor Comic: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, DC Comics
- Best Writer: Mariko Tamaki
- Sponsored by WEBTOON:
- Best Non-fiction Comic Work: They Called Us Enemy, Top Shelf (IDW Publishing)
- Best Artist or Penciller: Sanford Greene
- Best Series: Bitter Root, Image Comics
- Best Single Issue or Story: Usagi Yojimbo #6, IDW Publishing
- Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Stan Sakai
In addition, the Baltimore Comic-Con would like to thank those individuals who presented at this year’s award ceremony, including: ceremony opener Kevin Smith; Keynote speaker Geoff Johns; Travis McIntire, Tom Akel, Gene Luen Yang, Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, Mark Waid, Matt Wieringo, Jill Thompson, and Jamar Nicholas. We would also like to thank John Gallagher for his contributions to our awards ceremony presentation, as well as Mainframe Comic Con for producing.
Please join us next year for the fifth annual Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards taking place at the 21st annual Baltimore Comic-Con on October 23, 2021, and keep an eye on our website and social media accounts for 2021 ballot information.