The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame, formally known as Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame, honours significant lifelong contributions to the art of cartooning in Canada.
| The Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame | |
|---|---|
 Brad Mackay (left), Director of the Doug Wright Awards, inducts Lynn Johnston into The Giants of the North: the Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame in August 2008 | |
| Location | Toronto Comic Arts Festival (Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville) |
| Country | Canada |
| Hosted by | Scott Thompson, Don McKellar, Dustin Harbin |
| Reward(s) | Medal |
History and Structure
editThe Giants of the North was founded in 2005. The first four members were inducted at The Doug Wright Awards ceremony held during the 2005 Toronto Comic Arts Festival by guest-presenter, comics historian B.K. Munn.[1] New members are inducted annually, chosen by the organizing body of the Wright Awards. As of 2018, there were only four living Giants, with the vast majority of members being inducted posthumously. In 2019, the organizers announced, beginning with the 2019 induction of Fiona Smyth and Alootook Ipellie, The Giants of the North intends to induct two Giants a year; one living and one non-living.[2]
Symbols
editUpon admission into The Giants of the North, members are given various insignia of the organization, all designed by the cartoonist Seth. The primary symbol of membership is a circular, silver-coloured medal, emblazoned with a cartoon ink bottle, surmounted by a crown, and surrounded with the legend, "HALL OF FAME ... GIANTS OF THE NORTH", interspersed with a laurel motif. On the verso of the medal is inscribed the recipient's name and the words, "IN RECOGNITION OF A LIFETIME OF OUTSTANDING CANADIAN CARTOONING", followed by a final line indicating the date of induction.
The medal is suspended from a ribbon, meant to be worn around the neck. The ribbon is white and bordered in red stripes, similar to the Canadian national flag. The medal is presented in a red, velvet-lined jewelry case.
With the medal, members are presented with a certificate, encased in a special presentation folder. Under the logo of The Giants of the North, the certificate reads, "So that all shall know, [recipient's name] was received into The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame on [date] in recognition of significant contributions made to the medium of cartooning and to Canadian culture at large, [recipient's name] is registered as a member in the books of "The Giants of the North"." At the bottom of the certificate, a foil stamp of the Doug Wright Awards logo is affixed above the date of induction, followed by the number of the certificate. To the right of the seal is written, "In witness whereas the seal of "The Giants of the North" has been hereto affixed under the signatures of the nominating officers....." followed by space for five signatures.[3]
Inductees
editMembers, followed by the date of induction:
- Albéric Bourgeois (2005)
- John Wilson Bengough (2005)
- Peter Whalley (2005)
- Doug Wright (2005)
- George Feyer (2006)[4]
- Rand Holmes (2007)[5]
- Lynn Johnston (2008)[6]
- Jimmy Frise (2009)[7]
- Martin Vaughn-James (2010)[8]
- David Boswell (2011)[9]
- Terry Mosher (2012)[10]
- Albert Chartier (2013)[11]
- Artists of the 1940s Canadian Whites Comics (2014):[12]
- Merle "Ting" Tingley (2015)[13]
- James Simpkins (2016)[14]
- Katherine Collins (2017)[15]
- Duncan Macpherson (2018)[16]
- Alootook Ipellie (2019)[17]
- Fiona Smyth (2019)[18]
- Walter Ball (2020)[19]
- Fred Kelly (2021) [20]
- Margaret Bloy Graham (2022) [21]
- Henriette Valium (2023) [22]
- Deni Loubert (2024) [23]
- Maurice Vellekoop (2024) [24]
References
edit- ^ "The 2005 Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning". Sequential: Canadian Comix News and Culture. 2005-08-04. Retrieved 2018-10-21.[permanent dead link]
- ^ The Doug Wright Awards [@WrightAwards] (April 24, 2019). "Good eye BK! Moving forward we intend to induct two Giants a year; one living & one non-living" (Tweet). Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Badeaux, Guy (2013-05-13). "Albert Chartier inducted in "The Giants of the North" Hall of Fame". bado-badosblog.blogspot.com. Bado. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
Quebec cartoonist Albert Chartier was inducted Saturday in "The Giants of the North" Hall of Fame at the Doug Wright Awards in Toronto. Here is the medal and parchment that will be presented to his family.
- ^ Tom Spurgeon (2007-08-18). "Artists honoured for comics hailing nostalgia, everyday life". The Comics Reporter. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ "Artists honoured for comics hailing nostalgia, everyday life". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ Wong, Jessica (2008-08-09). "Rising cartoonists, Lynn Johnston feted at comic book awards". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
The evening included a moderated Q&A with internationally renowned Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnston and her induction into the Doug Wright Awards' hall of fame: Giants of the North."What was so moving was that Doug Wright was one of the first people to have a real impact on me," Johnston said.
- ^ Wong, Jessica (2009-05-10). "Outsider tale Skim, quirky History Comics nab cartooning awards". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
Hosted by actor, filmmaker and writer Don McKellar, the Wright Awards gala also included several tributes: to Chris Oliveros, to mark the 20th anniversary of his founding of the influential indie comics publishing house Drawn & Quarterly, and CBC broadcaster Stuart McLean's ode to and posthumous induction of cartoonist Jimmy Frise into the Giants of the North Canadian cartooning Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Seth, Marc Bell and Michael DeForge winners at 2010 Doug Wright Awards". National Post. 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
Also honoured on Saturday night was Martin Vaughn-James, a British-born comics pioneer who authored a number of early graphic novels in the 1970s while he was living in Toronto.
- ^ Hawthorn, Tom (2011-03-22). "Cultured cartoonist a master of the uncouth". theglobeandmail.com. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
Last week, it was announced that Mr. Boswell will be inducted into the Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in May. He will join a pantheon known by the ink-and-scratchboard set as Giants of the North.
- ^ "A Giant Honour". Montreal Gazette. 2012-05-07.
Gazette editorial cartoonist Terry Mosher speaks with journalist Rick Salutin on stage before being inducted into Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame. Mosher, also known as Aislin, marks four decades of political cartoons with The Gazette this year.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2013-03-21). "2013 Doug Wright Award Nominees Announced; Chartier is Giant of the North". comicsbeat.com. The Beat. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
A fourth honor — The Giant of the North — is a Hall of Fame for Canadian creators. This year's selection is the late Albert Chartier, a popular comic strip artist on such features as Séraphin, Les Canadiens and Onésime, a strip which lasted a mere 59 years (from November 1943 until June 2002). Chartier died in 2004 at the age of 91.
- ^ Carter, Sue (2014-05-14). "Michel Rabagliati wins Doug Wright Award best book". quillandquire.com. Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
During the evening, the artists behind the iconic Second World War–era Canadian Whites comic series were inducted into the Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame. The honour was accepted by surviving artists Jack Tremblay, Gerry Lazare, Murray Karn, and Mel Crawford.
- ^ Munn, BK (5 April 2015). "2015 Doug Wright Award Nominees: Merle "Ting" Tingley to be inducted into Giants of the North". sequentialpulp.ca. Sequential: Canadian Comix News and Culture. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
The ceremony will also feature the induction of retired London Free Press political cartoonist Merle "Ting" Tingley into the Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame. The 93-year-old Ting won many awards in his day and according to the Wright awards organizers, "is regarded by many as the dean of Canadian newspaper cartoonists." Widely-syndicated for 40 years, Ting's cartoons are remembered by many "thanks to his signature cartoon mascot, "Luke Worm", which he included in each of his cartoons creating a "look-and-find" game for many of his younger readers." The London-based Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival is named for him.
- ^ Tobias, Conan (2016-05-25). "Jasper the Bear is out of hibernation: A Canadian icon returns". macleans.ca. Maclean's. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
Jasper's creator was just inducted into the Giants of the North, a hall of fame for Canadian cartoonists, overseen by the organizers of the annual Doug Wright Awards. "When you think of Simpkins' impact in terms of that character, he's very iconic," says Brad Mackay, director and co-founder, along with the cartoonist Seth, of the Wright Awards. "Maybe even more than Doug Wright."
- ^ "2017 Doug Wright Awards name three first-time winners". 15 May 2017.
- ^ Mosher, Terry (2018-05-12). "Montreal's Aislin honours legendary Star cartoonist Duncan Macpherson, 25 years after his death". thestar.com. Toronto Star. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
The recognition of Duncan's importance to Canadian cartooning continues to this day. This Saturday evening in Toronto, Duncan Macpherson will be inducted posthumously into the Giants of the North Hall of Fame, as part of the 2018 Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning. I will be honoured to present the award to Ian Macpherson, Duncan's son.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (23 April 2019). "Inuit cartoonist Alootook Ipellie and Fiona Smythe are joining the Giants of the North Hall of Fame". The Beat.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (23 April 2019). "Inuit cartoonist Alootook Ipellie and Fiona Smythe are joining the Giants of the North Hall of Fame". The Beat.
- ^ Yohannes, Samraweet (11 May 2020). "Sylvia Nickerson among winners of 2020 Doug Wright Awards, which honour the best Canadian comics". CBC. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
The Doug Wright Awards also posthumously inducted Walter Ball, longtime Toronto Star cartoonist, into its Giants of the North Hall of Fame. Ball was best known for creating the strip Rural Route, which was a staple in Canadian newspapers for more than a decade beginning in the 1950s.
- ^ Simons, Dean (13 April 2021). "Doug Wright Award nominees announced for 2021: Mr Monster creator Fred Kelly to be posthumously inducted into Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame". The Beat.
- ^ Simons, Dean (18 May 2022). "The 2022 nominees for the Doug Wright Awards are in! A return to in-person awards and the late Margaret Bloy Graham is inducted into the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame". The Beat.
- ^ Leblanc, Philippe (29 April 2023). "The 2023 Doug Wright Award Winners are!". The Beat.
This year's Giants of the North inductee is Henriette Valium (1959–2021), a comic book artist and painter, and the winner of the 2017 Pigskin Peters award, for his book The Palace of Champions and the winner of the 2018 Albert-Chartier award, for his contribution to the field of comic book in Quebec.
- ^ "Stratford author Emily Carroll wins 2024 Doug Wright Award for best comic". CBC. 13 May 2024.
In addition to the awards, publisher Deni Loubert and cartoonist Maurice Vellekoop were inducted into the Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame, Giants of the North.
- ^ "Stratford author Emily Carroll wins 2024 Doug Wright Award for best comic". CBC. 13 May 2024.
In addition to the awards, publisher Deni Loubert and cartoonist Maurice Vellekoop were inducted into the Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame, Giants of the North.