The 2011 JOE SHUSTER AWARD nominees for outstanding achievements of Canadian comic book creators, publishers and retailers were announced today. Among the nominees whose work has been published by DC Comics are, Francis Manapul, Fiona Staples, Cameron Stewart, Dave McCaig, J. Torres and Jeff Lemire, who was nominated in a total of three categories: Outstanding Comic Book Cartoonist, Outstanding Comic Book Cover Artist and Outstanding Comic Book Writer.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Winners will be announced at a public ceremony in Calgary, Alberta on the evening of Saturday, June 18th, 2011 at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo.

For the full list click here.

More than I decade ago my friend Stephen John Phillips suggested that we collaborate in the artwork for a new graphic novel, a fumetti about a harem. I did not know that this would be the beginning of a long work relationship with Vertigo. Of course, I had been aware of the imprint since its inception and enjoyed the bulk of its titles, as I matter of fact I used to buy all of the books that Vertigo published! But I was not sure if there would be other projects after this first one∑ Well, lo and behold, there have been many!

I ended up coloring the (mis) adventures of Japanese teenagers, a biting satire of the American wars, and a riveting autobiographical story about Castro's Cuba. Now I find myself practically married to the post apocalyptic tale of a young boy with antlers! My friend Jeff Lemire has crafted a modern classic and I am honored to be a part of it. Like my dear first comics collaborator, Jae Lee, Jeff knows how to let the artwork breathe, how to let the color tell the story and not dictate every detail that happens on each page. These things make the coloring process delightful. He also gives me free reign with the color choices, making broad suggestions but allowing me to divert from them if I think it necessary. I really feel that I contribute to the narrative with expressive chromatic notes, emphasizing (or deemphasizing) sequencences according to their emotional content. Jeff is a very effective storyteller in black and white, as a matter of fact I cannot imagine Essex County in color, but I also cannot imagine Sweet Tooth in black and white.

José Villarrubia

By Jeff Lemire

Issue 10 of SWEET TOOTH is my favorite so far. Well, maybe issue 18 is now, but you haven’t seen that one yet, so I’ll stick with 10 for the time being. In that issue, featured in SWEET TOOTH Vol.2: IN CAPTIVITY (Out Dec.8), we take a break from the ongoing storyline as the mysterious, possibly evil Dr Singh hypnotizes Gus, the antlered protagonist of the series, and enters his mind…literally.

This was a really fun issue to draw. I got to break the rules of a linear narrative a bit and really experiment with my layouts and try to capture a surreal kind of dream logic in the storytelling, as Singh and Gus delved back into the boy’s memories trying to unlock the secrets of the plague that wiped out most the human race.

It was also a chance for me to play around with ink washes again. I had done a lot of this in my early self-published work, but hadn’t tried it since. Washes create a looser more fluid look that I thought really suited the surreal feel of this issue. Then I saw what artist extraordinaire Jose Villarubia’s colors looked like over the washes and I totally fell in love. Now I can’t stop using them. Incidentally I also think this is the issue where Jose and I really gelled as an art team. Where we really found our common voice together.

Issue 10 also marked the start of a concerted effort on my part to try and push the boundaries of what a monthly comic can be a little bit each month. Sometimes this desire to experiment takes the form of a high concept format like the completely silent/split-screen issue 12, or the horizontal “storybook” format of issue 18 (all done in washes). Other times it means playing with the layouts or style on a smaller scale within a specific scene or page. Either way these are almost like games that I play with myself to keep me energized over the course of the sometimes-grueling marathon that is writing and drawing a monthly comic.

At any rate, Issue 10 felt like a breakthrough issue for me. I felt like I really started to find new energy for SWEET TOOTH again after the initial rush of starting the book had worn off. I think that energy shows on the page. I hope you agree. I have more tricks up my sleeve as Gus and the gang trek along the post-apocalyptic wasteland, so stay tuned!