Gord Downie, Jeff Lemire nominated for Joe Shuster comic book awards
Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie and artist Jeff Lemire are up for Joe Shuster Awards for their collaboration Secret Path, a graphic novel that tells the true story of a young Anishinaabe boy named Chanie Wenjack.
Wenjack was 12 years old when he escaped from Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in 1966. He died trying to walk the 400 miles home. Proceeds from Secret Path are going toward the Gord Downie Secret Path Fund for Truth and Reconciliation. The book was turned into a film, which can be watched here.
For Secret Path, Downie is nominated in the writer category and Lemire is nominated in the artist category. Lemire's also picked up a nomination for his writing in other comic books, including Black Hammer #1-6, Descender #9-17, Plutona #4-5 and All-New X-Men #1-3.
The Joe Shuster Awards annually celebrate Canadian comic creators and are comprised of several categories, including writer, artist, webcomics, cover design, cartoonist, self-publishing and kids' comics. The winners will be announced in September 2017.
Joe Shuster finalists — Writer:
- Ryan North (Jughead #9-11, Howard the Duck #6, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4-15)
- Bryan Lee O'Malley (Snotgirl #1-5)
- Chip Zdarsky (Jughead #4-8, Civil War II: Choosing Sides #5, Howard the Duck #3-11, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #6)
- Fanny Britt (Louis parmi les spectres)
- Brendan Fletcher (among his recent work: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Pink#1-5, Batgirl #48-52, Gotham Academy #14-18, "Predators" from Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special)
- Claude Paiement & Jean-Paul Eid (La femme aux cartes postales)
- Jeff Lemire (among his recent work: Black Hammer #1-6, Descender #9-17, Plutona #4-5, All-New X-Men #1-3)
- Gord Downie (Secret Path)
Joe Shuster finalists — Artist:
- Isabelle Arsenault (Louis parmi les spectres)
- Jean-Paul Eid (La femme aux cartes postales)
- David Finch (Batman #1-5, Wonder Woman #48-50)
- Stuart Immonen (Empress #1-6)
- Gisèle Lagacé (Archie Meets the Ramones #1, Die Kitty Die #2-3, Betty Boop #1-3)
- Yanick Paquette (Batman #49-50, Nightwing Rebirth #1, Wonder Woman: Earth One)
- Fiona Staples (Saga #33-40)
- Jeff Lemire (Secret Path)
Joe Shuster finalists — Webcomics:
- Boum (Boumeries)
- Emily Carroll (Some Other Animal's Meat)
- Nicol Chartrand (Fey Winds)
- Gisèle Lagacé & David Lumsdon (Pixie Trix Comix)
- Sam Logan (Sam & Fuzzy)
- Winston Rowntree (Subnormality)
- Ty Templeton (Bun Toons)
Joe Shuster finalists — Cover artist:
- Nick Bradshaw (among his recent work: Spidey #2-4 & 6, Army of Darkness/Xena: Warrior Princess: Forever... and a Day #3-4)
- Michael Cho (among his recent work: Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus TP Vol. 1, The Flash: Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 TP, Suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus HC)
- Mike Del Mundo (among his recent work: GTTMCU: Marvel's Avengers #1, GTTMCU: Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier #1, GTTMCU: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy #1)
- Gisèle Lagacé (among her recent work: Archie Meets the Ramones #1, Josie and the Pussycats #1 variant cover, Jem and the Holograms #20 variant cover)
- Francois Miville-Deschenes (among his recent work: Reconquêtes, Tome 4, La mort d'un roi)
- Yanick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn (among their recent work: Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #1-5, Batman #49, Batman #7-8)
- Ramon K. Perez (among his recent work: Betty and Veronica #1 variant cover, Jughead #6 variant cover, Nova #1)
- Marguerite Sauvage (among her recent work: Spells on Wheels #3, Red Sonja #1-6, Black Panther #7 variant cover)
Joe Shuster finalists — Cartoonist:
- Kaare Kyle Andrews (Renato Jones: The One %)
- Cab (Hiver nucléaire, tome 2)
- Guy Delisle (S'enfuir, récit d'un otage)
- Teva Harrison (In-Between Days)
- Michel Hellman (Nunavik)
- Cookie Kalkair (Les 9 derniers mois de ta vie de petit con)
- Regis Loisel (Mickey Mouse: Café "Zombo")
- Francis Manapul (Trinity #1-2)
Gene Day Award — Self-published comics:
- Mitch Cook & Keith Grachow (Saltwater #1)
- John Fleming & Colette Turner (Badassical #1)
- Michael Christopher Heron, Andrea Fort & Sam Beck (Songs for the Dead #1)
- Jamie Michaels & Evin Collis (Canoe Boys)
- Nunumi (Sky Rover)
- The artists of Toronto Comics, Vol. 3
The Dragon Award — Comics for kids:
- Alexa A. (Les experiences de Mini-Jean tome 1)
- Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault (Louis parmi les spectres)
- Scott Chantler (Three Thieves Vol. 7: Iron Hand)
- Faith Erin Hicks (Nameless City Vol. 1)
- Eric Orchard (Bera the One-Headed Troll)
- Guillaume Perrault (Le facteur de l'espace)
- J. Torres & Sean K. Dove (Brobots Vol. 1)