Ringo Awards 2026: Winners Announced at Baltimore Comic-Con

# What happened The 2026 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards were revealed during a ceremony at Baltimore Comic-Con on September 26. The Ringo Awards are chosen by a vote of people who work professionally in comics and credit themselves on creative work. The ceremony also presented Fan Favorites and Hero Initiative Awards.

# How winners were selected The Ringo Awards are picked by a vote of the comic-book industry creative community — anyone involved in and credited with creating comics professionally. Fan Favorite categories are driven by fan ballots. The Hero Initiative Awards recognize humanitarian and lifetime-achievement contributions in the comics community.

# Notable winners and categories Below are the winners listed in the source. Categories cover creators, design, formats, and fan picks.

• Best Cartoonist (Writer and Artist): Craig Thompson
• Best Writer: Deniz Camp
• Best Artist or Penciller/Inker Team: Javier Rodríguez
• Best Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
• Best Colorist: Dave Stewart
• Best Cover Artist: Javier Rodríguez
• Best Series: Absolute Batman (DC Comics)
• Best Short Story: Chest Face (self-published)
• Best Original Graphic Novel: Herobear and the Kid Vol. 1 – The Inheritance (Papercutz)
• Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel – Ages 11 and Under: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean (Fantagraphics)
• Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel – Ages 12 and Up: Raised by Ghosts (Fantagraphics)
• Best Anthology: Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown (Dark Horse Comics)
• Best Humor Comic: The Goon: Them That Don't Stay Dead (Albatross Funnybooks/Dark Horse Comics)
• Best Webcomic: Neon Pantheon (neonpantheoncomic.com)
• Best Humor Webcomic: Nothing Butt Nightwing (DC Comics / DC Go!)
• Best Non-fiction Comic Work: Surrounded: America's First School for Black Girls, 1832 (Ablaze Publishing/NBM Graphic Novels)
• Best Comics-Related Publication: Making Your First Comic (self-published)
• Best Presentation in Design: Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition Volume 1 (Dark Horse Comics)

# Fan Favorites

• Favorite Villain: Doctor Doom (Marvel Comics)
• Favorite New Series: Excavator (D4K Studios)
• Favorite New Talent: Reese Hannigan
• Favorite Publisher: Etan Comics
• Favorite Hero: Batman (DC Comics)

# Other awards presented

• Trap (Abrams ComicArts)
• Brogan Fidelity Award: Jim Calafiore

# Hero Initiative Awards

• Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award: Jeffrey Brown
• Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Jim Lee

# What this tells readers The Ringo Awards continue to recognize a mix of mainstream and independent work across print, web, and design. Winners this year include established creators (Craig Thompson, Javier Rodríguez, Jim Lee) alongside independent and self-published works that won in short story, webcomic, and comics-related publication categories. Fan Favorite selections show ongoing fan interest in legacy characters such as Batman and Doctor Doom while highlighting new series and talent.

# Where to find full lists and related coverage