Sun Jun 8, 2008 — by Martha Thomases

Friends of Lulu Awards 2008

Minx, gURL.com big winners

Friends of Lulu, the organization dedicated to increasing the involvement of girls and women in comics, as both professionals and consumers, held their annual Lulu Awards at the New York Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art on Saturday, June 7.  Until now, the awards have been presented during the San Diego Comic-Con.  This is the first time the event has been held in New York.

And a glittering evening it was.  There were several glamorous gowns, lots of cool earrings, and more cleavage than one sees at an average comic industry night out.  After a cocktail half-hour starting at 8:30, the ceremonies began at 9 PM.

Emily Flake was the Mistress of Ceremonies, and she ran a very tight ship.  The presenters were introduced, announced the nominees, and awarded the trophies.  Here’s the list, with the winners in bold:

Kim Yale Award for Best New Talent (presented by 2007 winner Rachel Nabors):

Martina Fugazzotto, senior designer, gURL.com
Kiki Jones, gURL.com Comix artist
Julia Wertz, The Fart Party

Woman of Distinction, for contribution in areas other than writing and art (presented by Heidi MacDonald):

Shelly Bond, group editor, Vertigo; editor, MINX line
Cindy Fournier, VP Operations, Diamond Comics Distributors
Janna Morishima, director, Diamond Kids Group

Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame (presented by Valerie D’Orazio)

Nell Brinkley, early 20th century cartoonist
Marty Links, creator of Bobby Sox and Emmy Lou
Tarpe Mills, creator of Miss Fury
Louise Simonson, writer (X-Factor, Superman: The Man of Steel, among others)

Lulu of the Year (presented by 2007 winner Abby Denson):

Audra Furuichi, creator of Nemu-Nemu
gURL Comix
Stephanie McMillan, creator of Minimum Security
Rutu Modan, creator of Exit Wounds
Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis

Volunteer of the Year (presented by Lulu Treasurer Marion Vitus):

Lee Binswanger, designer and production guru of the Lulu’s Clubhouse newsletter

Instead of presenting Nell Brinkley with an award, Val announced that Friends of Lulu would be creating a web page with her history and samples of her work.  Trina Robbins, who has written a book about Brinkley, will contribute text and images.

Rachel Nabors was, in my opinion, the best dressed, wearing a stunning velvet cocktail dress with a green bodice and matching green eyeshadow.  When she presented Martina with her award and crystal-crusted tiara, there were cheers all around. Abby Denson’s red sequined skirt was also awesome.

The Friends of Lulu not only provide a valuable resource to the comics industry, but also really know how to run an awards presentation.  The entire ceremony, including long and rousing cheering for every nominee, took no more than 20 minutes.  Thus, there was plenty of time for schmoozing, drinking and admiring outfits.

For more on MoCCA Arts Festival '08, check out our MoCCA: Day One Recap.

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