Joe Shuster Hall of Fame Presentations: 2009

Thanks to my web savvy wife, I have posted video of the presentation of this year's crop of Joe Shuster Awards Hall of Fame inductees.

Ted McCall was inducted in the 2008 ceremony last year but we were able to track the family down this year and finally present the award in person. McCall was the writer/editor mastermind behind the golden age's Anglo American (Double A) Comics line.



This year's 2009 inductees included George Menendez Rae, the key artist behind Educational Comic's Canadian Heroes series. I was called upon once again, to present the award to Rae's family.



Quebec creator Real Godbout's award was presented by Canadian fandom pioneer Bill Paul. Sadly, Real could not attend but sent a heartfelt and classy note thanking those who have supported him throughout his career. A poignant note came when Real admitted that, like many comic creators, he couldn't afford to make the trip. Sigh.



Writer/artist Ken Steacy has had a storied career both in and out of the mainstream comics world. Thanks to Jonathan Llyr of HarcoreNerdity.com, who presented the award and interviewed Steacy at Fan Expo last August, Steacy's was one of several entertaining video acceptance speeches that broke up the night.



And finally (in more ways than one), Dark Horse editor Diana Schutz became the Hall's first female inductee. As a member of the Hall of Fame Committee in previous, Schutz has been talked about for a while. And I'm glad to finally see her where she belongs among other giants of the Canadian field. Her award was presented by her friend, the ever-gracious Mark Askwith of Space: The Imagination Station.



One fun aspect of the Hall of Fame is speculating on who else has a place in such illustrious company. I usually don't play that here but heck, who doesn't have faves? It's arging for their place in Can comic history that's difficult.

My personal, pet pick is Deni Loubert, who contributed greatly to development of Canadian comics and comics in general as an editor and publisher of Renegade Press . She later used her hard-earned business sense to help kick start Friends of Lulu, an organization dedicated to prtomoting women in comics and women loving comics. Loubert edited Lulu's reatiler handbook, "How to Get Girls (Into Your Store)".



Hell, if you've worked with Dave Sim and Steve Ditko (two of the most talented and shall, we say bombastic iconclasts int he industry), you deserve the award just for surviving. Check out this terrific, recent inteview with Loubert from the 2008 San Diego Comic Con.


I also cast a vote for comic pioneer, Palmer Cox, creator of the insanely popular Brownies, as deserving a grandmaster space in the Hall. Cox's characters were marketed all over the place, mostly by illegal venders forcing him to fight for an artist's rights to earn a money from his own characters. Even Kodak's famous Brownie camera was named after his creations.

In many ways, over a hundred years ago, Cox blazed a trail many Canadian creators would follow, but few would match. Heck, only Walt Disney and George Lucas come close!


Find out more about the Canadian Walt Disney here.

Beavers Up!