Inkwell Awards Announces Joe Sinnott Legacy Inking Challenge with Alex Saviuk

(New Bedford, MA/USA—February 24, 2023) 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 Deering

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.

The Inkwell Awards is the only official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and educate regarding the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize the best ink artists and their work. Established in 2008, the Inkwells are overseen by a volunteer committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award. They are currently celebrating their 15th anniversary.