2003 SQUIDDIES BALLOT--First Posting (RAC.misc, RAC.dc.universe, RAC.marvel.universe, RAC.marvel.xbooks)
Carl Henderson
known as "THE SQUIDDIES".
PLEASE DO NOT REPOST THIS BALLOT TO OTHER NEWSGROUPS OR DISCUSSION BOARDS.
Please link to or direct people to any of the following RAC* groups for
official copies of the ballot:
rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh
rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo
rec.arts.comics.elfquest
rec.arts.comics.info
rec.arts.comics.marketplace
rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe
rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks
rec.arts.comics.misc
rec.arts.comics.strips
Controlled ballot distribution allows the administrators to prevent ballot
stuffing; the administrators reserve the right to discard any suspicious or
repetitive ballots.
This ballot is Copyright 2004 by the Squiddies Admin Team (Johanna Draper
Carlson and Carl Henderson) and may not be reproduced without permission.
ABOUT THE SQUIDDIES
The Squiddies are the rec.arts.comics newsgroups' annual comics industry
awards. Except for the CBG awards, no still-existing industry award is
older. Known originally as "the Great Usenet Comics Poll," the Squiddies
have been continuously awarded every year since the mid-1980's.
The Squiddies were named after Suicide Squid--a mythical comic book
character accidentally created in April 1991 when Mitsuhiro Sakai wanted to
ask about developments in the series Suicide Squad, but typed "i" instead
of "a". Many rec.arts.comics regulars responded with earnest and elaborate
accounts of what was going on in the Suicide Squid comic... which didn't
really exist. The rec.arts.comics awards (already several years running by
that time) were nicknamed in his honor.
VOTING RULES
WHO MAY VOTE: All readers of any of the rec.arts.comics.* newsgroups are
invited to vote. Whether fan or professional, lurker or poster, occasional
or regular reader, we want to hear from you. Last year, vote totals in many
categories were extremely close. Every vote makes a difference--including
yours.
VOTING PERIOD: The voting period will run from Sunday, 11 April 2004
through Sunday, 2 May 2004.
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD: The period covered by these awards is calendar year
2003. Only comics, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, etc. that were FIRST
RELEASED during the year 2003 are eligible. For translations of non-English
works, the first English translation must have been released in 2003. In
the case of dispute or lack of more exact knowledge, Diamond's US shipping
lists for 2003 will be considered authoritative. Copies of these lists may
be found at Charles LePage's New Comics Release Lists website
(www.comiclist.com).
ELIGIBILITY: Squiddy Administrators are not eligible in any of the
categories.
NUMBER OF VOTES IN A CATEGORY: You may vote for only one item per category,
unless otherwise stated.
ABSTAINING: You may abstain in any category by just leaving that line of
the ballot blank.
VOTING FOR "NO AWARD": If you feel that there are no outstanding candidates
for any particular category, feel free to vote for "No Award". This is
different from abstaining, which can be accomplished by leaving the
category blank on your ballot. "Abstaining says "I have no opinion--or
choose not to vote--in this category." Voting for "No Award" says "I don't
think any of the choices deserve an award."
BALLOTS: Vote using the ballot at the very end of this message.
SUBMITTING VOTES: Votes must be emailed to <vo...@squiddies.org> (note that
this is a .ORG address, not .COM or .NET).
NO VOTES FOR STUDIOS IN CREATOR CATEGORIES: Votes for studios are not
accepted in any of the creator categories. Your vote must be for an
individual--a person. A vote in the format "Creator/Studio" will be
accepted, and will be counted as a vote for that creator.
VOTE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Vote acknowledgements will be sent when your ballot
has been determined to be authentic. If you do not receive an
acknowledgment within 72 hours, send e-mail to <ques...@squiddies.org> to
see if it was received. Ballots from bouncing email addresses will not be
counted.
SPAMBLOCKS: Although we would prefer if you could disable your spamblocks
before voting, we will accept votes from addresses containing spamblocks.
We will do our best to interpret any spamblocked "reply-to" addresses, but
if the administrators can't figure it out, we will have to throw out you
ballot, and you won't get an acknowledgement. So watch for your vote ack.
If you don't get one in a few days, contact <ad...@squiddies.org>.
FORMAT: Please TURN OFF any html-encoding in your email client before
voting. Squiddy ballots are read and sorted by computer and can not be
easily processed when submitted with HTML tags.
CHANGING YOUR VOTE: If you must change your vote--because you've
accidentally voted for something ineligible, or just HAVE to change your
vote--please don't submit a second ballot.
To change your vote, email <vo...@squiddies.org>. Clearly indicate the
category(ies) for which you are changing your vote, what your original vote
was, and what your new vote is. Please, make sure that you are emailing
your vote change from the same address you voted from.
QUESTIONS: If you have questions or comments, mail them to
<ques...@squiddies.org>. If, for some reason, you have difficulty with
mailing to this account, contact the Squiddies' spokesperson Carl Henderson
<j...@carlhenderson.net> or post your questions to rec.arts.comics.misc with
an SQUIDDIES: keyword.
ADMINISTRATORS: The 2003 Squiddies are being administered by a volunteer
team consisting of Johanna Draper Carlson and Carl Henderson.
DEFINITIONS
COMIC: A set of juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate
sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic
response in the viewer (thank you, Scott McCloud). Includes magazines,
strips, web pages, etc. Note that single panel comics are eligible under
the "Best Political Cartoonist," "Best Comic Strip," and "Best Web Comic"
categories.
ONGOING: A series not planned to end before its 12th episode. Limited
series of 13 or more issues are considered ongoing. Titles originally
solicited as ongoing which are cancelled before their 12th issue, or are
retroactively declared "limited" by the publisher, are also classed as
"ongoing."
SERIES OF LIMITED SERIES (The SIN CITY Rule): A series that is released as
a series of limited series (e.g. ARIA, GROO, DAWN) is considered "Ongoing,"
and not "Limited" or "New." However, if at least two years have passed
between limited series, the title is again eligible in the "Best Limited
Comic Series" category.
AWARD CATEGORIES--CREATOR
Best Comics Writer of 2003:
Someone who wrote a comic published in 2003.
Best Comics Penciler of 2003:
Someone who created the pencil art or layouts for a comic published
in 2003. Usually credited as "penciler" or "layouts".
Best Comics Cartoonist of 2003:
Someone who did the majority of the writing and illustration for
a comic published in 2003. Intended to honor writer/artists.
Cartoonists who use assistants (such as inkers, background artists,
co-plotters, or scripters) are eligible for this award.
Best Comics Inker of 2003:
Someone who finished the line art for a comic published in 2003.
Usually credited as "inker" or "finished art".
Best Comics Painter of 2003:
Someone who used paint, digital media, or other non-pencil-and-ink
media, to create the art for a comic published in 2003. Note that
digital (i.e., computer) painting is eligible in this category.
Best Comics Letterer of 2003:
Someone who created the lettering for a comic published in 2003.
Lettering studios are not eligible; please vote for a creator,
not a company.
Best Comics Colorist of 2003:
Someone who colored a comic published in 2003. Studios are not
eligible; please vote for a creator, not a company.
Best Comics Creative Team of 2003:
A subset of {writer, penciler, inker, painter, letterer, colorist}
who worked together on a comic published in 2003. Please include
the comic title on which they worked together that you feel is
worthy of recognition.
Best Comics Cover Artist of 2003:
Someone who created the cover art for a comic published in 2003.
Artists who take photos for covers are eligible in this category,
as well.
Best Comics Editor of 2003:
Someone who edited a comic published in 2003.
Best Political Cartoonist of 2003:
Someone who created at least one political cartoon in 2003.
AWARD CATEGORIES--BOOK & STORY CATEGORIES
Best Comics Short Story of 2003:
A new, single comics story under one cover (either stand-alone, or
an episode of an ongoing series) of 24 story pages or less (covers,
ads, letters and house pages, excluded). A full-length story in a
single issue of a standard comic or one self-contained story of 24
pages or less in an anthology are both examples of works that would
qualify as a "Comics Short Story."
Best Comics Novella of 2003:
A new, single comics story under one cover (either stand-alone, or
an episode of an ongoing series) of 25 to 72 story pages (covers, ads,
letters and house pages, excluded). A full-length story in an annual,
a double-sized issue, a prestige format comic, or an 80-page giant are
all examples of what would likely qualify as a "Comics Novella."
Best Comics Graphic Novel of 2003:
A new, single comics story under one cover (either stand-alone, or
an episode of an ongoing series) of 73 story pages or more (covers, ads,
letters and house pages, excluded). A "remix" or "director's cut" of a
previously published Graphic Novel must contain at least 25% new story
content to be eligible again in this category.
Best Multi-Part Story of 2003:
A complete story or story arc in a comic, at least part of which was
published in 2003.
Best Comic Series of 2003:
An ongoing comic serial that had at least one new episode published in
2003.
Best New Comic Series of 2003:
An ongoing comic serial that began publication in 2003. Rebooted,
renamed or renumbered comics title that maintain the same title,
characters, and a majority of the same creators do not count as
a "new" comic series for the purposes of this award.
Best Limited Comic Series of 2003:
A self-contained comic serial planned to run from 2 to 12 episodes that
had at least one new episode published in 2003.
Best Comic Reprint Collection of 2003:
A book or TPB first published in 2003, reprinting comics or comic strips.
Best Anthology of 2003:
A book or comic published in 2003, which contains multiple stories and/or
art pieces.
Best Comic Strip of 2003:
A comic strip--originally published in print format--in 2003.
Best Web Comic of 2003:
An online comic--originally published on the web--available in 2003.
Please state the name and URL.
AWARD CATEGORIES--MISCELLANEOUS
Best Comic Company or Imprint of 2003:
A publishing company, subdivision thereof, or self-publisher that
published a comic in 2003.
Best Comic Character of 2003:
A character who appeared in a comic published in 2003.
Best Comic Character Team of 2003:
A collection of characters who appeared together in a comic published in
2003. You may vote for "the cast of" if the group is not a formal team.
Best Comics-Related Adaptation of 2003:
A TV series, movie, novel, short story, play, radio show, etc. that was
first published or performed in 2003, and was based on a comic character
or story, or incorporates substantial comics-related content. For works
of fiction only.
Best Comics-Related Merchandise of 2003:
A game, action figure, shampoo, statue, etc. sold in 2003 based on a
comic character or story--or incorporating substantial comics-related
content.
Best Comics Publication of 2003:
A magazine, newspaper, book, etc, about comics that was published in
2003. Note that comic book titles are not eligible here. This award is
for print publications only; online publications are eligible in
"Best _____ Comics Website" categories below. For non-fiction only.
Best Focused Comics Web Site of 2003:
An online site focused on a particular book/characters/creator/publisher,
available in 2003. Both fan and official sites are eligible. Please
state the name and URL.
Best General Comics Web Site of 2003:
An online site featuring material of general interest to comics fans,
such as web magazines, information resources, other discussion forums,
etc. available in 2003. Please state the name and URL.
Best Comics Journalist of 2003:
A person who writes news/features/columns about comics or the comics
industry, and who has had work published in 2003. This category
covers both online and print Comics journalists.
Best Comics Reviewer of 2003:
A person who writes reviews of comics, and who has had work published
in 2003. This category covers both online and print Comics reviewers.
AWARD CATEGORIES--RAC-SPECIFIC
NOTE: vote for up to three people in these categories ONLY. More than one
vote for the same person will be counted as one vote. Qualified candidates
are people who participated in rec.arts.comics discussions in 2003.
For the purpose of these awards, a "Creator" is someone who has written,
illustrated, colored, lettered, or edited four or more professionally-
published comics in the last three years. Creators and Non-Creators alike
should be judged based on their contributions to the various
rec.arts.comics newsgroups, and not for their creative work or other
outside-RAC* activities.
Favorite RAC'er of 2003 (Non-Creators division):
Three non-creators (as defined above) who contributed to RAC
discussions in 2003. Please include their e-mail address if known
(for identification purposes only).
Favorite RAC'er of 2003 (Creators division):
Three creators (as defined above) who contributed to RAC discussions
in 2003. Please include their e-mail address if known (for
identification purposes only).
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2003 REC.ARTS.COMICS AWARDS BALLOT
Please read both the voting instruction and award category descriptions
in the previous section before voting. PLEASE SEND BALLOT AS PLAIN TEXT.
#A1 Example Vote...: write your vote on a single line after the colon
#C0 Writer.........:
#C1 Penciller......:
#C2 Cartoonist.....:
#C3 Inker..........:
#C4 Painter........:
#C5 Letterer.......:
#C6 Colorist.......:
#C7 Creative Team..:
#C8 Cover Artist...:
#C9 Editor.........:
#CA Pol. Cartoonist:
#B0 Short Story....:
#B1 Comics Novella.:
#B2 Graphic Novel..:
#B3 Multi-Part.....:
#B4 Ongoing Series.:
#B5 New Series.....:
#B6 Limited Series.:
#B7 Reprint Book...:
#B8 Anthology......:
#B9 Comic Strip....:
#BA Web Comic......:
#M0 Company/Imprint:
#M1 Character......:
#M2 Character Team.:
#M3 Adaptation.....:
#M4 Merchandise....:
#M5 Publication....:
#M6 Focused Website:
#M7 General Website:
#M8 Journalist.....:
#M9 Reviewer.......:
#R0 Non-Creator....:
#R0 Non-Creator....:
#R0 Non-Creator....:
#R1 Creator........:
#R1 Creator........:
#R1 Creator........:
PLEASE DISABLE YOUR SPAMBLOCKS BEFORE VOTING.
SEND VOTES TO: <vo...@squiddies.org>
*--------------------End Ballot-------------------*
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Filter chaff random text courtesy of Steve Jackson Games' Fnorder at:
http://www.sjgames.com/misc/fnord.html/fnorder_java/
Albert Einstein delivers the frenzied crystal and the dehydrated hot tub.
Fnord. Tony Blair bothers the shoggoth. Fnord. The ancient wand tortures
the mythical gyroslugger. Fnord. Perry Mason assassinates the tree. Fnord.
The illuminated message is amiable. Fnord.
--
Carl Henderson © 2003 Carl Henderson
j...@carlhenderson.net