The nominees have now been selected and ratified for the 2012 NCS Divisional Awards.

In alphabetical order by last name:

TELEVISION ANIMATION-

• Ben Bocquelet and Antoine Perez- Production Design on The Amazing World of Gumball - Cartoon Network
• Penn Ward- Character Design on Adventure Time - Cartoon Network
• Erik Wiese-   Production Design on The Mighty B - Nickelodeon

FEATURE ANIMATION-

• Mark McCreery, character design: Rango
• Carlos Saldanha, Director: Rio
• Jennifer Yuh-Nelson, Director: Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION-

• Glen LeLievre
• Michael McParlane
• Bob Rich

GAG CARTOONS-

• Mathew Diffee
• Zach Kanin
• Barbara Smaller

GREETING CARDS-

• Dave Klug
• Glenn McCoy
• Rick Stromoski

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS-

• Glenn McCoy- The Duplex
• Jeff Parker and Steve Kelley- Dustin
• Mike Peters- Mother Goose and Grimm

NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS-

• Mark Parisi- Off the Mark
• Stephanie Piro- Smile
• Wiley Miller- Non Sequitur

MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION-

• Victor Juhasz
• Bruce McCall
• Edward Sorel
• Jean-Jacques Sempé

BOOK ILLUSTRATION-

• Barbara Lehman- The Secret Box
• Mark Pett- The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
• John Rocco- Blackout

EDITORIAL CARTOONS-

• Lisa Benson
• Mike Lester
• Mike Ramirez

ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION-

• Nick Galifianakis
• Kevin Kallauger (KAL)
• Tom Stiglich

COMIC BOOKS-

• Darwyn Cooke- “Betty Saves the Day”- Rocketeer Adventures #2
• Duncan Fegredo- Hellboy: The Fury
• J.H. Williams- Batwoman

GRAPHIC NOVELS-

• Chester Brown- Paying For It
• Rick Geary- The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti
• Ben Katchor- The Cardboard Valise

ON-LINE COMIC STRIPS-

• Matthew Inman- The Oatmeal (http://theoatmeal.com/)
  
• Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins- Penny Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic)
  
• Jon Rosenberg- Scenes from a Multiverse (http://amultiverse.com/)
  

The above honorees join the previously announced nominees for The Reuben Award for “Cartoonist of the Year”:

• Brian Crane
• Stephan Pastis
• Tom Richmond

Winners will be announced at the 66th Annual NCS Reuben Awards in Las Vegas on May 26th, 2012. Congratulations to all the nominees!

The Comic’s Journal has posted an indepth profile of the late BC cartoonist Johnny Hart written by NCS member R.C. Harvey. Well worth a read!

Click for a closer look…

The official brochures and registration info for the National Cartoonists Society’s 2012 Reuben Awards should be landing in member’s mailboxes starting today! This cover depicts our 2012 guest speakers, special award winners and our nutty emcee. Here’s the key: Top: Tom Gammill (The Doozies, TV writer and producer, Reubens emcee). Second row from left: Steve McGarry (Badlands, Trivquiz, Biographic, Kid City, NCS Silver T-Square recipient), Mark Simon (animator, storyboard artist, entrepreneur), Alfred E. Neuman (idiot), John Lotshaw (Accidental Centaurs), Dave Kellett (Sheldon, Drive), Michael Jantze (The Norm, Jantze Studios, SCAD). Bottom row from left: Ray Billingsley (Curtis), Butch Hartman (Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phanton, T.U.F.F. Puppy), Jim Davis (Garfield) and Stan Goldberg (Archie, recipient of the NCS Gold Key Award). All featured: assorted characters related to those depicted.

Brochure designed by John Kovaleski.

Image courtesy and © 2011 Richard Thompson/Universal Uclick

2010 National Cartoonist Society “Cartoonist of the Year” Richard Thompson is taking a hiatus from his Universal Uclick syndicated comic strip Cul de Sac, and inviting six guest cartoonists to take over the reins of the popular daily during his absence. Thompson is taking time off to receive treatment for Parkinson’s Disease.

The six guest cartoonists will be Ken Fisher (Tom the Dancing Bug), Michael Jantze (The Norm), Corey Pandolph (Elderberries), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Lincoln Pierce (Big Nate) and Mo Willems (award willing children’s book author/illustrator). Their guest stints began yesterday (Monday, Feb 20th) with Jantze behind the pen, and will continue with dailies through the week of March 19 and Sundays from March 18 through April 15.

You can read about the guest artist project on the Washington Post’s Comic Riffs blog, complete with interviews of several of the guest artists discussing their involvement and how they approached their take on the unique look at humor of Thompson’s strip.