The non-profit Inkwell Awards, devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, announced in December its second Joe Sinnott Tribute Challenge Spotlight, renamed the Legacy Challenge, featuring Marvel’s Spider-Man and Mary Jane by artist Alex Saviuk.
The event was launched in 2021 to commemorate the life and long career of the late, award-winning ink artist Joe Sinnott, and the prior annual inking event that had borne his name since 2010. The previous Challenge featured Sinnott’s oft-partner Ron Frenz on Thor. This year, artist Alex Saviuk‘s exclusive pencil art was scanned and sent to a variety of ink artists to embellish. Saviuk and Sinnott were art partners on the Amazing Spider-Man Sunday comic strip with writer/co-creator Stan Lee from the 1990s until the strip’s end in 2019. Saviuk’s Challenge pinup includes The Web of Spider-Man logo to celebrate his six-year stint as penciller on that title.
For over two months, artists volunteered to participate by inking the blueline pencils printed on board with the option of using the clean, slick line for which Sinnott was known, or in their own way to showcase how much the ink artist can contribute stylistically. Both professionals and amateurs were allowed to take part.
As in past years, Sinnott’s son Mark and daughter-in-law also contributed. Artists include relative newcomers and legendary veterans, from mainstream professionals to small press/indie pros. And ink artists new to the Challenges include Dan Panosian, Romeo Tanghal, Bob Smith, Sergio Cariello and Jason Metcalf among others. In alphabetical order, the participants are:
Gerry Acerno
Jeff Austin
Mike Barreiro
Noah Barrett
Steven Berry
Ken Branch
Eliot R. Brown
Sergio Cariello
Kevin Conrad
Marc DeeringGuy Dorian Sr.Ed Eargle
David Fox
Rusty Gilligan
Jeff Graham
Don Ho
Michael W. Kellar
Scott KoblishJohn Livesay
Enrique Lopez
J.E. Lozano
Criss Madd
Pablo Marcos
Jose Marzan Jr.
Mark McKennaJason Metcalf
Chuck Morgan
Victor Moya
Ed Murr
Joe Orsak
Dan Panosian
Steven Pennella
Mark Pennington
Norm Rapmund
Luis Rivera
Vince Rodriquez
Marc Rubino
Matt Santorelli
Tom Schloendorn
Mark Sinnott
Belinda Sinnott
Bob Smith
Mark Stegbauer
J.L. Straw
Romeo Tanghal
Jim Tournas
LeBeau Underwood
Larry Welch
Keith Williams
The Legacy tribute event furthers the inking advocacy’s dual mission of promoting the artform and educating the public. Each inked page will be signed by Saviuk and the inker. All pages, plus a certificate of authenticity signed by The Inkwells’ founder/director, Bob Almond, will be auctioned off as an eBay fundraiser in biweekly waves beginning Saturday February 24.
Information about the upcoming fundraising auctions can be found on the Inkwell’s website and Facebook group.