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The annual Harvey Awards hall of fame ceremony is back next Friday at New York Comic Con, and is adding five members to its ranks.
The inductees include Arthur Adams, an artist perhaps best known for his X-Men illustrations; the writer and artist Sergio Aragonés, who did extensive work for Mad magazine; and Larry Hama, who has written G.I. Joe stories since 1982. Akira Toriyama, the creator of the popular manga Dragon Ball, and John Buscema, a Marvel artist who drew Silver Surfer and helped establish a house style, are both being honored posthumously.
Fans and fellow professionals initially looked down on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series, Hama, 75, said in an interview, because the stories were based on a toyline. But G.I. Joe and a Transformers series, which Marvel began in 1984, changed that perception when both comics proved to be popular.
In 2012, Hama received an Inkpot Award at Comic-Con International in San Diego, an award for individuals’ contributions to the world of pop culture and fandom. (He said none of his stories had ever been nominated for an award, but added, “I’ve been given awards for just staying alive long enough.”)
One of his early standout G.I. Joe stories was Issue No. 21, “Silent Interlude,” written and drawn by Hama and inked by Steve Leialoha. The story was told without dialogue, which fit perfectly with Hama’s approach to writing: He saw each issue as a silent movie, he said.
Another proud achievement: G.I. Joe was popular among young women. Hama said he would receive letters from some who said they had borrowed the comics from their brothers. They liked G.I. Joe, he said, because “the women in the team were active participants and did everything that the guys did and were treated equally.”
The Harvey Awards began in 1988 and are named after Harvey Kurtzman, the cartoonist who created and founded Mad magazine.
In addition to the hall of fame honors, the awards recognize several categories of comics, like book of the year, best international book and best adaptation. The book awards nominees are determined via a survey of about 200 comic book creators, members of the press and publishing professionals who submit candidates for each of the categories. The selections are tallied and pulled into a ballot, which is then open to a vote by a larger group that includes librarians and comic book retailers.
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