Bill W. Miller Promises More Jontar as Bib Fortuna Actor and Other Celebs Induct Cartoonists Into…

Before Sewer Mutant, before Cartoonist Kayfabe, there was Power Comics. For nearly a decade the Power Comics crew has been excavating and…

Sewer Mutant

08 Dec 2021 — 4 min read

Bill W. Miller Promises More Jontar as Bib Fortuna Actor and Other Celebs Induct Cartoonists Into the First Power Comics Hall of Fame

Before Sewer Mutant, before Cartoonist Kayfabe, there was Power Comics. For nearly a decade the Power Comics crew has been excavating and documenting the diamonds they find in the dollar bin rough, first on Tumblr, now on YouTube, Instagram, and Patreon. They’ve been perhaps the biggest driving force in drawing attention to amateur comics of the 80s and 90s, and are now getting into comics publishing. They’ve also gotten into award shows.

On December 7, 2021, Power Comics hosted the first annual Power Comics Hall of Fame Ceremony with celebrity guests and musical numbers — to immortalize the comics and creators they’ve rescued from complete obscurity.

Power Comics began as a Tumblr in 2011, documenting what they describe as the intersection of passion and frustration. The quintessential example of what they’re talking about is perhaps Jontar, created by Bill W. Miller with a rotating cast of artists. Power Comics video hosts Evan Husney and Gabe Dikel’s love for these misfit comics is apparent both on their websites but especially through the YouTube channel, though it’s often hard to tell how ironic they’re being. They don’t shy away from noting the many, many flaws these ancient finds have. But their passion for these comics is evident, even if they can’t help but poke fun of their subjects. I experience that same cognitive dissonance, if that’s the right term, in my own work documenting Outlaw Comics and The Amateur Creators Union (both of which have some crossover with Power Comics).

Steve McArdle shows off a new drawing of three classic Power Comics characters: Jontar, Vendetta, and Mutandis

The award ceremony had much the same air as everything else the Power Comics crew does: it was equal parts tongue in cheek and sincere. The inductees to the hall of fame were voted on by the “Power Comics Academy.” If there was any explanation as to who actually got a vote, I missed it. And though the awards were announced live and the hosts — joined by Lincoln Washington artist Ben Marra — at least feigned surprise as Husney opened envelopes announcing each inductee, though it was obvious that Husney at least knew in advance who was going to win.

Miller was honored with a lifetime achievement award during the event, and Jontar # 1 was the first single issue inducted into the Power Comics Hall of Fame. Jontar fans were in a treat: towards the end of the ceremony, Husney revealed that Miller has committed to writing at least one more Jontar story. Husney also announced that Power Comics will publish a translation of Andre Poliquin’s Phoenix series.

The three other creators inducted are representative of the Power Comics canon:

Andre Poliquin, creator of Phoenix and Delta Squadron
Steve McArdle, creator Vendetta, Holy Vindicator, which will soon be reprinted by Power Comics and Floating World
Tony Lorenz, artist of Jontar # 1

Bib Fortuna actor Michael Carter congratulates Andre Poliquin on his big night.

To make these awards truly special and bizarre, the Power Comics crew sprung for celebrity congratulations videos through the app Cameo.

Michael Carter, who played Bib Fortuna in Return of the Jedi, congratulated Poliquin.
Lips from Anvil congratulated McArdle and serenaded him with Anvil’s song “March of the Crabs” (the second musical number of the night. See below.)
Actor Eric Roberts congratulated Lorenz.

The total cost had to be at least $229, based on the minimum booking price on Cameo, which is definitely some dedication to the project — in case there was any doubt given how slick the video production was.

In addition to Jontar # 1, five other issues were inducted:

Delta Squadron # 1
Vendetta Holy Vindicator # 1 (after which McArdle, also a metal guitarist, gave the evening first musical performance)
New York City Outlaws # 2
Dream Weaver # 1 (not the Jenni Gregory series)
Lance Stanton Wayward Warrior # 1

It was great to see a celebration of this sort of forgotten, low-brow work — the kind of a typical awards committee would sneer at. The evening had some genuinely touching moments, including McArdle’s words about his father, to whom the first issue of Vendetta was dedicated, and Poliquin’s acceptance speech — despite Poliquin delivering it in the voice of Optimus Prime:

“It is my understanding that such an endeavor [comics] is an expression of creativity and imagination, which is the trait that unites us all and the very manifestation of the conscious mind that resides in all of our sparks as sentient beings regardless of our nature or planet of origin and thus in my humble opinion deserves celebration.”