Jeff Smith to Receive the NCS Milton Caniff Award
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The National Cartoonists Society has announced that they will be presenting Bone creator Jeff Smith with their Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s 80th annual Reuben Conference.
As the NCS says in their announcement Jeff Smith came to fame in the 1990s with his epic comic book series following the adventures of the Bone cousins:
…that would redefine what creator-owned comics could achieve. Blending whimsical humor with mythological depth, Bone follows three cartoon cousins exiled from Boneville into a mysterious valley filled with adventure and danger. The series became a landmark work, proving that self-published, all-ages storytelling could thrive both in comic shops and mainstream bookstores.
The Society notes that this is far from Jeff’s first honor:
Published around the world in 33 countries, Bone has earned Smith 52 National and international awards, including 11 Eisner Awards, 11 Harvey Awards, 2 National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Divisional Awards, as well as the Angouleme Alpha-Art, Lucca, and Adamson Awards. When Scholastic published a colorized edition beginning in 2005, the series became a gateway graphic novel for millions of readers, helping launch the modern middle-grade graphic novel boom and influencing creators across all genres.
The Reuben gathering in Columbus, Ohio is a particularly apt place for Jeff to receive the award.
Smith’s commitment to the comics community extends beyond his own work. He co-founded Columbus’s Cartoon Crossroads Columbus festival, served on the board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and continues to champion creator rights and the literary potential of the medium. His pioneering spirit and dedication to craft embody the values of the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.
There is a particular poetry in presenting Jeff Smith with this honor in Columbus, Ohio — the city where he grew up, where Bone was born, and where the NCS gathers this August for its 80th anniversary.
Named for Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon creator Milton Caniff, this award is bestowed by unanimous vote of the NCS Board to recognize a lifetime of outstanding and accomplished work to a cartoonist who has not previously won The Reuben.
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