Sinnott Challenge GENE COLAN'S Dracula/Jack the Ripper signed Bob Smith

Welcome to the Inkwell Awards' Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight on GENE COLAN! This is the 9th edition in our annual series.

This 11"x17" page of art on 2-ply board has blueline (printed) pencil art by the late, legendary, master artist GENE COLAN and it was hand-inked and signed by artist BOB SMITH and donated to the non-profit Inkwell Awards. Bob inked numerous published comics over Colan at DC Comics in the 1980s-1990s. It is numbered and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, limited to a series of only 10 versions, authorized and signed by Inkwells' director Bob Almond. The Inkwells were able to acquire permission from the Colan Estate thanks to their estate attorney and Inkwell special ambassador, Clifford Meth, and the owner of the original art, Simon Reed, who approved of a low-resolution file. This year’s Challenge features COLAN’s tonal pencil of public domain properties like his iconic Dracula design from Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula series and Jack the Ripper in a Victorian London setting. The event, which focuses on educating about the art form of comic book inking and is a major fundraiser, is launching in 2026, the year that celebrates what would be his 100th birthday anniversary.

These are low-resolution scans that do not showcase the actual high quality of the artwork. NOTE: All have a small copyright disclaimer printed on the side of the image. The blueline pencils are NOT included. The CoA image file of the page backside shown represents an example of the rest with slight changes like the inker name and number.

Special thanks to the Joe Kubert Art Store and Bags Unlimited Inc. for their usual support.

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The Inkwell Awards is the only official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and educate regarding the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize the best ink artists and their work. Established in 2008, the Inkwells are overseen by a volunteer committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award. Their annual awards ceremony has been hosted by the Hershey Comic Con since 2024.