My hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has their big newspaper called “the Spectator” or ‘the Spec‘ if you’re on good terms. It appears that I am because yesterday they did a feature on the Process and I. Reporter Doug Foley interviewed me and the result is the piece below. Thanks Doug and thank you, Spec!

Getting Personal Pays Off

Online comic book author-artist nominated for ‘huge honour’

May 05, 2008

Doug Foley
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 5, 2008)

Putting his life online has paid off for Joe Infurnari.

The Hamilton-born artist has been nominated for an 20th annual Eisner Comic Industry Award for best digital comic for his online story, The Process.

Winners will be announced at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego, July 24 to 27.

“This is a huge honour. It’s been exciting,” Infurnari said recently over the phone from his home in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“I would have to say the competition is very stiff.

“The Internet has thousands upon thousands of web comics with new ones all the time. I can’t imagine how they would sift though the submissions.”

The awards are named for comics creator Will Eisner, creator of the popular Spirit comic character. Infurnari said they are the comic world’s equivalent of the Oscars with a gala ceremony every year at San Diego’s Comicon International.

What caught the Eisner judges’ eyes was Infurnari’s ongoing story that began with a storm in a desert, and currently reflects his own struggles with diabetes.

“It has taken a more personal turn,” Infurnari said of The Process. “The storm really gets the ball rolling, something magical, a thunderstorm in the desert, and it introduces a little boy at the end who turns out to be me .

“And there is another storm coming, my low blood sugar, and it follows me as I leave the drawing table working on the comic to address an imminent health crisis.”

Readers can see for themselves at theprocesscomic.com.

Infurnari, a Sir Allan MacNab high school and McMaster University grad, said The Process has allowed him to work out a number of artistic ideas while showing his own evolution as an artist and telling a story at the same time.

Infurnari has been living in New York for almost 10 years after studying painting and printmaking at Yale University, where he obtained his master’s of fine arts.

He earned as spot as a finalist three years ago in an online contest, Comic Book Idol, and since has published several books and expanded into web comics.

The Process, which has been online about 18 months, began as a sideline story in another Infurnari web comic in 2006.

He said good response to the storyline gave him the impetus to pursue it.

“I’m trying to do something different and really push myself and force myself to think of things in a new way.

“Web comics kind of have this almost diary kind of aspect. My personal diary is the artwork I am trying to create and the personal story I am trying to tell.

“Someone said on the Internet that I take my whimsy seriously, which is true.”

Hey, Industry Professionals! It’s that time again where we all vote for our favorite Eisner nominees. This year, as many of you already know, I’ve been nominated in the Best Digital Comic category for this project, the Process. This is a huge deal to me. If you haven’t already read the comic, do so now! The journey starts here. When you’re done, head on over to the Eisner voting website, www.eisnervote.com and cast your vote for your favorites. If you took a shine to the Process and think it deserves wider recognition, I would very much appreciate your vote! Thanks for your support, everyone!

I’m speechless. Unfortunately, that isn’t conducive for writing posts so I’m putting aside all stupefaction to confirm that the Process has been nominated for an Eisner Award in the Best Digital Comic category! This is the single greatest honor (besides winning) that could be bestowed on this project and I am very fortunate to be in such esteemed company as the other finalists, The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl, Billy Dogma, Immortal, by Dean Haspiel, PX! By Manny Trembley and Eric A. Anderson and Sugarshock!, by Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon. The awards ceremony, held during San Diego’s Comicon International, will be at a gala event on July 25th, 2008.

When this really sinks in, I’ll write a followup post but in the meantime, I’d like to thank the judges for their consideration and thank YOU for supporting this project.

Best,

Joe

Well, the votes are in and the tally has been taken and Webcomicgeek’s best webcomic of the year goes to Dresden Codak! Congratulations and continued success to Aaron Diaz! I was honored with the award for best artist of 2007 and I am absolutely tickled purple (tinged with shades of green, of course)! Here it is from the horse’s mouth:

Best Artist goes to Joe Infurnari for The Process. His art is truly spectacular and seems to go from strength to strength as the project develops. I don’t think I can add anymore to what I’ve said previously in my rather gushing review. However, it was the spectacular image on page 14 of chapter 2 that clinched it. The idea behind this comic nearly clinched a second award and along with Rebecca Sugar’s Pug Davis, made judging the originality and invention award really difficult.

This goes a long way to numbing the pain and bring sensations to the numbness! Thanks, Webcomicgeek! See you next year!

Adam McGovern of Comic Critique has this to say in his “Extended Flashback: 2007 in Review”:

Best Webcomic: the Process by Joe Infurnari
From the magic-mirror landing page to the meaningful creative-process background notes to writer/artist Infurnari’s fluid, free-associative storytelling, this is everything that inventive online art and mind-opening comics are meant to be.

Wow! What a nice surprise and a real honor. It’s very nice to have my work validated yet again. Thanks Adam and thank you Comic Critique! I have to go and put a salve on my swollen head!