These annual awards are named for Scott Dunbier, who at IDW launched the Artist’s Edition format in 2010, and are meant to spotlight the AE format and the works published in the previous year. Voting is open each year from January 1 to January 31, with the winners posted on February 1.
These awards began in 2015 on the Marvel Masterworks forum, covering all AE format books published to that point. In 2016 the AE Index took over the awards. To qualify, an AE format book must have been published in English, released in the calendar year to the North American market, and generally available for purchase. Direct reprints, such as Frank Miller’s Daredevil Artist’s Edition and John Byrne’s X-Men Artist’s Editon, are not eligible.
Winners
2023 winners (six books nominated):
Best Overall: Walter Simonson’s Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition, IDW, with 42% of the vote.
Best Design: Walter Simonson’s Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition, Randall Dahlk, IDW, with 36% of the vote.
Best Reproduction: Walter Simonson’s Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition, IDW, with 47% of the vote.
Best Publisher: IDW, with 84% of the vote.
Favourite Material: Walter Simonson’s Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition, IDW, with 48% of the vote.
Most Purchased: Walter Simonson’s Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition, IDW.
2022 winners (six books nominated):
Best Overall: Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition (40th Anniversary), with 28% of the vote.
Best Design: Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition (40th Anniversary), designed by Randall Dahlk, with 26% of the vote.
Best Reproduction: Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition (40th Anniversary), with 25% of the vote.
Best Publisher: IDW, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 67% of the vote.
Favourite Material: Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition (40th Anniversary), with 25% of the vote.
Most Purchased: Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition (40th Anniversary).
2021 winners (three books nominated):
Best Overall: EC Covers Artist’s Edition, with 61% of the vote.
Best Design: EC Covers Artist’s Edition, designed by Randall Dahlk, with 58% of the vote.
Best Reproduction: EC Covers Artist’s Edition, with 67% of the vote.
Best Publisher: IDW, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 98% of the vote.
Favourite Material: EC Covers Artist’s Edition, with 58% of the vote.
Most Purchased: EC Covers Artist’s Edition.
2020 winners (six books nominated):
Best Overall: Dave Cockrum’s X-Men Artifact Edition, IDW Publishing, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 29% of the vote.
Best Design: Original Art: The Daniel Clowes Studio Edition, Fantagraphics, designed by Daniel Clowes, with 28% of the vote.
Best Reproduction: Dave Cockrum’s X-Men Artifact Edition, IDW Publishing, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 28% of the vote.
Best Publisher: IDW Publishing, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 75% of the vote.
Favourite Material: Dave Cockrum’s X-Men Artifact Edition, IDW Publishing, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 32% of the vote.
Most purchased: Dave Cockrum’s X-Men Artifact Edition, IDW Publishing, edited by Scott Dunbier.
2019 winners (six nominees):
Best Overall: John Byrne’s Marvel Classics Artifact Edition, IDW. Edited by Scott Dunbier, with 49% of the votes.
Best Design: John Byrne’s Marvel Classics Artifact Edition. Design by Randall Dahlk. IDW, with 40% of the votes.
Best Reproduction and Scanning Quality: John Byrne’s Marvel Classics Artifact Edition, IDW, with 42% of the votes.
Best Publisher: IDW, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 96% of the votes.
Favourite Material: John Byrne’s Marvel Classics Artifact Edition, IDW, with 43% of the votes.
Most Purchased: John Byrne’s Marvel Classics Artifact Edition, IDW.
2018 winners (seventeen nominees):
Best Overall: Will Eisner’s A Contract with God Curator’s Collection, edited by John Lind, Kitchen Sink Books, with 24% of the votes.
Best Design: Will Eisner’s A Contract with God Curator’s Collection, design by John Lind, Kitchen Sink Books, with 26% of the votes.
Best Reproduction and Scanning Quality: Will Eisner’s A Contract with God Curator’s Collection, production by John Lind, Kitchen Sink Books, with 22% of the votes.
Best Publisher or Imprint: IDW, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 62% of the votes.
Favourite Material: John Byrne’s X-Men Artifact Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier, IDW, with 19% of the votes.
Most Purchased: Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and Moon Knights… and Assassins… Artifact Edition, most purchased book of the year, IDW.
2017 winners (nineteen nominees):
Best Overall: Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 39% of the votes.
Best Design: Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Artist’s Edition, designed by Serban Cristescu, with 23% of the votes.
Best Reproduction and Scanning Quality: Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Artist’s Edition, editing and production by Scott Dunbier, with 30% of the votes.
Best Publisher: IDW, with 77% of the votes.
Favourite Material: Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier, with 31% of the votes.
Most Purchased: Most purchased book was, no surprise, Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Artist’s Edition.
2016 winners (fourteen nominees):
Best Overall: Frank Miller’s Sin City: The Hard Goodbye Curator’s Collection. Kitchen Sink Books, with 27% of the vote.
Best Design: Frank Miller’s Sin City: The Hard Goodbye Curator’s Collection. John Lind, designer, with 46% of the vote.
Best Reproduction and Scanning Quality: Frank Miller’s Sin City: The Hard Goodbye Curator’s Collection. John Lind, editor, with 39% of the vote.
Best Publisher or Imprint: IDW Publishing, with 78% of the vote.
Favourite Material: a tie! Jack Kirby’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition. Scott Dunbier, editor. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Frank Miller Gallery Edition. Bob Chapman, editor, with 19.5% of the vote each.
Most Purchased: not a category in 2016.
Hall Of Fame
2023 marked the addition of The Dunbier Awards Hall of Fame inductees. These are creators and titles that have shaped the AE format and serve as a benchmark of what is possible. This isn’t about the story or the artist: it’s how the book progressed the AE format.
2023 inductees:
Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition
There were books printing original art before 2010, but this title started the AE format in North America. IDW didn’t define an Artist’s Edition until their second volume in 2011, but here is that definition:
AN ARTIST’S EDITION PRESENTS COMPLETE STORIES WITH EACH PAGE SCANNED FROM THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL ART.
While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for instance, corrections and blue pencils. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.
A collection of scans of original art boards, showing the pages with all their production marks, warts and all, printed at the same size as those original art boards. Reproducing original art as closely as possible to the original, so for $100 we could hold thousands of dollars of art in our hands.
This was the first volume to also pair the AE format’s most prolific team of editor and designer, Scott Dunbier and Randall Dahlk, respectively. A team still going strong, winning all of this years’ categories.
Scott Dunbier
The man who brought the AE format to the North American market, spinning a product from past experiences and a desire for something more. With a unique background as a dealer in original art and an editor, Dunbier expected his proposal for the first Artist’s Edition to be rejected, but IDW went for the pitch and the rest is history. Delve into the many interviews Dunbier has done for a thorough examination. This desire expressed in Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition remains as strong today as it was in 2010
It is our hope that Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer: Artist’s Edition will be the first in a series of books dedicated to showcasing outstanding artists in a format as special as their work deserves.