The National Cartoonist Society has announced this year’s division award nominees. The winners will be announced during their annual Reuben Awards dinner in Pittsburgh, PA.

Here are the nominees:

Television Animation

• Todd Kauffman, Executive Producer, “Sidekick”
• Alberto Mielgo, Production Design, “Tron: Uprising”
• Rich Webber, Director, Aardman Animation Studios, “DC Nation”

Feature Animation

• Rich Moore, Director, “Wreck-It Ralph”
• Joann Sfar, Director, “The Rabbi’s Cat”
• Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Director, “The Secret World of Arriety”

Newspaper Illustration

• Mark Brewer
• Bob Rich
• Dave Whamond

Gag Cartoons

• Roz Chast
• Sam Gross
• Mick Stevens
• Jack Ziegler

Greeting Cards

• Bill Brewer
• George Schill
• Jem Sullivan

Newspaper Comic Strips

• Brian Basset “Red and Rover”
• Jeff Parker and Steve Kelley “Dustin”
• Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman “Zits”

Newspaper Panel Cartoons

• Tony Carrillo “F-Minus”
• Dave Coverly “Speed Bump”
• Hilary Price “Rhymes with Orange”

Online Comics- Short Form

• Graham Harrop “Ten Cats”
• Jonathan Lemon “Rabbits Against Magic”
• Michael McParlane “Mac”

Online Comics- Long Form

• Vince Dorse “Untold Tales of Bigfoot”
• Meredith Gran “Octopus Pie”
• Pat N. Lewis “Muscles Diablo: Where the Terror Lurks”

Magazine Feature/Magazine Illustration

• Barry Blitt
• Daryll Collins
• Anton Emdin

Book Illustration

• John Manders
• John Martz
• Dave Whamond

Editorial Cartoons

• Clay Bennett
• Michael de Adder
• Jen Sorenson

Advertising and Product Illustration

• Luke McGarry
• Ed Steckley
• Wayno

Comic Books

• Amanda Connor “Silk Spectre”
• Evan Dorkin “House of Fun”
• Bernie Wrightson “Frankenstein Alive, Alive!”

Graphic Novels

• Derf- “My Friend Dahmer”
• Joseph Lambert “Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller”
• Chris Ware- “Building Stories”

Last month they announced that Brian Crane, creator of Pickles, Rick Kirkman, co-creator of Baby Blues and Stephan Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine were this year’s nominees for Cartoonist of the Year.

Featuring in order of appearance: Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Jeff Keane (Family Circus and NCS President), Jerry Scott (Baby Blues, Zits), Bill Hinds (Tank McNamara, Cleats), Mark Tatulli (Lio, Heart of the City), Sean Parkes (Illustrator) and Tom Gammill (The Doozies).

FEATURE ANIMATION

Ronnie del Carmen – Storyboard Artist – “Up”
Tomm Moore – Director – “The Secret of Kells”
Barry Reynolds – Character Designer – “The Secret of Kells”

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION
Bob Rich
Tom Richmond
Robert Sanchuk

GAG CARTOONS
Glenn McCoy
VG Myers
Dave Whamond

GREETING CARDS
Glenn McCoy
Kieran Meehan
Debbie Tomassi

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS
John Hambrock – “The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee”
Wiley Miller – “Non Sequitur”
Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman – “Zits”

NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS
Dave Blazek – “Loose Parts”
Tony Carillo – “FMinus”
Hilary Price – “Rhymes with Orange”

MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
Ray Alma
Anton Emdin
Tom Richmond

BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Lou Brooks – “Twimericks”
Tom Richmond – “Bo Confidential”
Dave Whamond – “My Think-A-Ma-Jink”

EDITORIAL CARTOONS
Nick Anderson
Rob Rogers
John Sherffius

ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION
Steve Brodner
Randall Enos
Mort Gerberg

COMIC BOOKS
Terry Moore – “Echo”
Paul Pope – “Strange Adventures”
JH Williams – “Detective Comics”

GRAPHIC NOVELS
David Mazzucchelli – “Asterios Polyp”
Seth – “George Sprott”
David Small – “Stitches”

TELEVISION ANIMATION
Kevin Deters – “Walt Disney Prep and Landing”
Mike Gray – “The Infinite Goliath”
Seth McFarlane – “Family Guy”

Comic Book Division Award: Paul Pope (“Strange Adventures”)
Editorial Cartoon Award: John Sherffius
Gag Cartoon Division Award: Dave Whamond
Animation Feature Division Award: Ronnie Del Carmen (“Up”)
Television Animation Division Award: Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy”)
Newspaper Illustration Award: Bob Rich
Newspaper Panel Award: Tony Carillo (“F-Minus”)
Graphic Novel Award: Seth (“George Sprott”)
Greeting Card Award: Glenn Mccoy
Advertising Ilustration Award: Mort Gerberg
Newspaper Strip Division Award: Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman (“Zits”)

And the big one, The Reuben Award is predicted to go to: Dan Piraro (“Bizarro”)

I’ll be posting the actual winners as I learn about them – hopefully in real-time or early Sunday morning.



FEATURE ANIMATION
Ronnie del Carmen – Storyboard Artist – “Up”
Tomm Moore – Director – “The Secret of Kells”
Barry Reynolds – Character Designer – “The Secret of Kells”

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION
Bob Rich
Tom Richmond
Robert Sanchuk

GAG CARTOONS
Glenn McCoy
VG Myers
Dave Whamond

GREETING CARDS
Glenn McCoy
Kieran Meehan
Debbie Tomassi

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS
John Hambrock – “The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee”
Wiley Miller – “Non Sequitur”
Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman – “Zits”

NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS
Dave Blazek – “Loose Parts”
Tony Carillo – “FMinus”
Hilary Price – “Rhymes with Orange”

MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
Ray Alma
Anton Emdin
Tom Richmond

BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Lou Brooks – “Twimericks”
Tom Richmond – “Bo Confidential”
Dave Whamond – “My Think-A-Ma-Jink”

EDITORIAL CARTOONS
Nick Anderson
Rob Rogers
John Sherffius

ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION
Steve Brodner
Randall Enos
Mort Gerberg

COMIC BOOKS
Terry Moore – “Echo”
Paul Pope – “Strange Adventures”
JH Williams – “Detective Comics”

GRAPHIC NOVELS
David Mazzucchelli – “Asterios Polyp”
Seth – “George Sprott”
David Small – “Stitches”

In this roster of the first 16 Reuben winners, only one cartooned outside of newspaper pages. Ronald Searle. All the rest were syndicated newspaper cartoonists. And all but three made their marks with comic strips. NCS’s bias in favor of syndicated comic strip cartoonists was blatant from the beginning, and it has persisted through the club’s 54 years.

You will look in vain for Jack Kirby’s name in the lists of NCS awards; ditto Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel, Jack Cole, Peter Arno, Helen Hokinson, Charles Addams, George Price, the Berenstains (Stan and Janice), Robert Osborn, David Levine, Gluyas Williams, Rea Ivin, Gardner Rea, Edward Gorey, Virgil Partch (Vip). To name a few, too few.

The dubious tradition continues this year. As determined by a vote of the membership, this year’s finalists for the 2009 Reuben are: Dan Piraro for his panel cartoon Bizarro; Stephen Pastis for his strip Pearls Before Swine; and Richard Thompson for his strip Cul de Sac. All three are syndicated newspaper cartoonists.

In naming this year’s finalists, drawn from the syndicated ranks, NCS once again slights a vast acreage of cartooning endeavor, arenas of cartooning in which superior efforts have been made by highly skilled professionals typically ignored by NCS. Even a cursory perusal of the medium’s history turns up names of still living still producing cartoonists whose work is more deserving of Reuben recognition than, for instance, this year’s two newcomers, however worthy their efforts. Here are some of those neglected acres and the thus-far Reuben bypassed cartoonists who’ve distinguished themselves plowing through them:

Reactions to their nominations will be posted as I get them.

UPDATE #1:
I was able to get a hold of Richard and Stephan to get their reactions to the news. I could tell Richard was still in a bit of shock. He got his call last Friday with the news. In his words he was “gob-stopped.”

Stephan said, “What really matters about the Reuben is that, unless you do political cartoons, this is the biggest award you can get. It’s the same award that Larson, Schulz and Watterson had. And it’s your own peers that judge your work, that alone makes a nomination worth something.”

Thanks,
Alan