NCS Reuben Awards Art Gallery (Updated)

These Reuben Award illustrations are something I have been doing for quite a few years now, ever since I was approached by then NCS prez Steve McGarry about doing something for the 2003 Reuben Awards in San Fransisco. Sometimes the art was used on the official Reuben T-Shirt, and sometimes it was for the brochure, and once or twice for both. Anyway I thought it would be fun to post a gallery of the Reubens art I have done over the years… it also makes for a nice record of the guest speakers most years, although some years they depicted the award winners/Reuben nominees instead:

2003- San Fransisco, CA

Top row, l to r: Me, Hilary Price (Rhymes with Orange), Bill Amend (Foxtrot), Scott Adams (Dilbert), Oliver Christianson (Greeting cards), David Silverman (The Simpsons), Pete Doctor (Pixar). Bottom row, l to r: Darby Conley (Get Fuzzy), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), James Kemsley (Ginger Meggs). I was actually a guest speaker that year, so Steve asked me to do this for the T-Shirt, which started it all. I don’t have the digital file anymore, so this is a scan of a print that Steve had done and gave to each of us, and we got signatures from (most) of the speakers. The only signatures I am missing is Scott Adams and Pete Doctor… might have been too shy to go up to them and ask. Matt Groening signed it because he won the Reuben that year.

2004- Kansas City, MO

Front: Mort Drucker (MAD Magazine), Patrick McDonnell (Mutts), Sandra Boynton (Greeting cards, books, recording artist), Jules Pfieffer (cartoonist, author, screenwriter) Back (on the grill): Mel Lazarus (Momma and Miss Peach). Kansas City was the start of the “roasts” they did again for a few years of NCS luminaries, starting with Mel… hence on the grill.

2005- Scottsdale, AZ

Across back and top of stagecoach: Jay Stephens (Tutenstein), Sergio Aragonés (MAD, Groo and the roastee), Mark Evanier (writer, Groo, etc), Gahan Wilson (gag cartoonist), Scott Shaw! (comics artist, Captain Carrot). In the stagecoach, l to r: Lalo Alcaraz (La Cucaracha), Ann Telnaes, Mike Luckovich and Joel Pett (all Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonists), Hanging on the stagecoach, right: Darrin Bell (Rudy Park, Candorville). Pulling the stagecoach: Glenn and Gary McCoy (The Duplex (Glenn),The Flying McCoys, editorial cartoons, etc. etc.)

2006- Chicago, IL

From the left: Stephen Silver (animator, Kim Possible, etc), Everett Peck (illustrator, animator), Ralph Steadman (illustrator), Elwood Smith (gag cartoonist), Cathy Guisewite (Cathy and the roastee), and Dick Locher (Dick Tracy, editorial cartoons).

2007- Orlando, FL

L to r: Bud Grace (The Piranha Club), Sam Gross (gag cartoonist, The New Yorker), Mort Walker (Beetle Baily, Hi and Lois) and Jerry Van Amerongen (Ballard Street).

2008- New Orleans, LA

Humans, l to r: Mike Peters (Mother Goose and Grimm, editorial cartoons), Sandra Boynton (Greeting cards, Milton Caniff Award recipient), Mark Tatulli (Heart of the City, Lio), Mort Gerberg (gag cartoons, The New Yorker), Tom Batiuk (Funky Winkerbean).

2009- Los Angeles, CA

Clockwise from bottom left: Jeff Keane (The Family Circus, NCS President), Mike Luckovich (editorial cartoonist, Reuben emcee), Michael Ramirez (editorial cartoonist), Dan Piraro (Bizarro, Reuben nominee), Stephen Pastis (Pearls Before Swine, Reuben nominee), Dave Coverly (Speed Bump, Reuben nominee), Steve Moore (In the Bleachers, Open Season), Eric Goldberg (animator), Drew Struzan (illustrator) and Cathy Guisewite (Cathy, host of the Sunday event).

2010- Jersey City, NJ

On back raft, l to r: Isabella Bannerman (Six Chix), Rina Piccolo (Tina’s Groove, Six Chix), Anne Gibbons (Six Chix), Benita Epstein (Six Chix), Stephanie Piro (Six Chix), Margaret Shulock (Six Chix). On the plane: Stephen Silver (animator, Kim Possible, etc), Mort Drucker (MAD Magazine), Stan Goldberg (comics artist, Archie), John Reiner (The Lockhorns). On the raft, l to r: Larry Katzman (gag cartoonist, freelance), Joe Kubert (comic book legend, Milton Caniff Award recipient), George Booth (gag cartoonist, The New Yorker), Steve Brodner (Illustrator), Bill Plympton (illustrator, animator), Yaakov Kirschen (cartoonist)

2011- Boston, MA

Humans, from l to r: Tom Gammill (The Doozies, Reuben emcee), Roy Doty (advertising cartoonist, NCS Gold Key recipient), R.O. Blechman (gag cartoonist, Milton Caniff Award recipient), Glen Keane (animator, Reuben nominee), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine, Reuben nominee), Richard Thompson (Cul de Sac, Reuben nominee)

2012- Las Vegas, NV

Top: Tom Gammill (The Doozies, Reubens emcee). Second row from left: Steve McGarry (Badlands, Trivquiz, Biographic, Kid City, NCS Silver T-Square recipient), Mark Simon (animator, storyboard artist, entrepreneur), Alfred E. Neuman (idiot), John Lotshaw (Accidental Centaurs), Dave Kellett (Sheldon, Drive), Michael Jantze (The Norm, Jantze Studios, SCAD). Bottom row from left: Ray Billingsley (Curtis), Butch Hartman (Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phanton, T.U.F.F. Puppy), Jim Davis (Garfield) and Stan Goldberg (Archie, recipient of the NCS Gold Key Award).

2013- Pittsburgh, PA

This one is a little weird as I did each person as either a famous person from Pittsburgh or a character from a movie filmed there: Clockwsie from top r: Mo Willems (Children’s book author/illustrator) in “The Silence of the Lambs” which was filmed in Pittsburgh , Brad Anderson (Marmaduke, Milton Caniff recipient) as Andy Warhol, Drew Friedman(illustrator) as Frank Gorshin, Jason Chatfield (Ginger Meggs, Reubens Emcee) as Gene Kelly, Terri Libenson (The Pajama Diaries) as Mary Cassatt, Lee Salem (NCS Silver T-Square recipient) in “The Dark Knight Rises” , filmed in Pittsburgh), Rob Rogers (editorial cartoons) as Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Wos (Curator of Pittsburgh’s cartoon and comic art museum The Toonseum) as Mr. Rogers.

2014- San Diego, CA

Roughly left to right: Tom Gammill (The Doozies, Reuben emcee) “Weird Al” Yankovic (A.C.E. award recipient) Greg Evans (Luann), Eddie Pittman (animator, Red’s Planet), Sandra Bell-Lundy (Between Friends), Russ Heath (comic book legend, Milton Caniff Award recipient), Bunny Hoest Carpenter (The Lockhorns, NCS Gold Key Award recipient), John Reiner (The Lockhorns, NCS Gold Key Award recipient), Suzy Spafford (Suzy’s Zoo), Chris Houghton (animator, Adventure Time, Reed Gunther).

2015- Washington DC

Clockwise from far left: Nick Galifianakis (gag cartoonist, author), Mort Drucker (MAD Magazine), Brian Crane (“Pickles” syndicated strip), Doug Mahnke (DC Comics artist), Mark Anderson (gag cartoonist, “Andertoons.com”), Jeff Keane (“The Family Circus”), Anne Telnaes (Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist), Juana Medina (illustrator).

2016- Memphis, TN

L to R, top row: Bruce Higdon, Sergio Aragonés, Mo Willems (Reubens emcee), Jeff Smith, Terry Moore. Second row: David Apatoff, Jenny Robb, Luke McGarry, Matt Diffee, Lynn Johnston, Paul Coker Jr. Front: Jan Eliot, Maria Scrivan, Deborah Peyton.

2017, Portland, OR

 L to R, top row: Mike Richardson, Brian Walker, David Silverman, Tom Gammill. Second row: Brian Basset, Jason Chatfield, Nick Galifianakis, (Reuben emcee), Lynda Barry, Matt Groening. Front : Bill Plympton.

2018- Philadelphia, PA

Top Row: Mark Tatuli (Reuben Nominee), Arnie Roth (Golden T-Square recipient), Mike Luckovich (Reuben Awards emcee), Stephan Pastis (Reuben Nominee), Glenn Keane (Reuben Nominee), Jake Tapper (ACE Aware recipient); Bottom Row: Lynn Johnston (NCS Medal of Honor recipient), Hillary Price (Reuben Nominee), Lynda Barry (Reuben Nominee), Brenden Burford (Silver T-Square recipient), Rick Stromoski (Silver T-Square recipient)

2019, Huntington Beach, CA

Reuben Awards/NCS Fest… no caricatures just cartoon characters!

2020- Kansas City, MO

Counter clockwise from the bottom left: Georgia Dunn (Breaking Cat News), Jim Davis (some another cat comic), Mark Tatulli (Lio, Heart of the City, Desmond Puckett, etc), Maria Scrivan (Half Full, Nat Enough), Terri Libenson (The Pajama Diaries, Emmie books), John Glynn (Andrew McMeel Syndication, Silver T-Square recipient), Ann Telnaes (Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist), Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury, Gold T-Square recipient), Hy Eisman (Popeye, The Katzenjammer Kids, Milton Caniff Award recipient), Patrick McDonnell (Mutts, Elzie Segar Award recipient), Tea Fougner (King Features, “Superstars of Instagram” panel).

2022, Kansas City, MO

Bottom Row L to R: Lalo Alcarez (La Cucaracha), Jules Rivera (Mark Trail), Tea Fougner (King Features Comics Editor), Jeannie Schulz (Silver T-Square recipient), Carla Silva & Cynthia Graham-Tappan (King Features comics licensing and sales); Middle Row L to R: Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury, Gold T-Square recipient), Ann Telnaes (editorial cartoons) Olive Brinker (Rae the Doe), Jenny Robb (Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Curator), Patrick McDonnell (Mutts); Top Row L to R: Jason Chatfield (New Yorker cartoonist, Ginger Meggs), Tom Fishburne (Marketoonist), Alexis Fajardo (Editorial Director of Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates), Dana Simpson (Phoebe and Her Unicorn).