The 2026 Harvey Awards put Batman’s creative history and the people who shaped it at the center of the ceremony, while making room for comics translated across languages. The event, held during New York Comic Con’s 20th anniversary, marked the Harveys’ ninth year at the convention and the debut of the Sophie Castille Award for Comics in Translation.
For an awards night that’s often a quick industry gathering, this year’s ceremony had unusual star power. Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Jim Lee and Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder were among the attendees. Actor Thomas Jane presented Best Adaptation, then accepted Best Digital Book for his comic The Lycan.
Brad and Lisa Gullickson, hosts of the podcast Comic Book Couples Counseling, returned for a third year as emcees. The program moved between competitive awards and inductions into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees included creators and editors whose work helped define Batman comics, in recognition of the 40th anniversary of The Dark Knight Returns.
Recognizing the people behind Batman’s history
Artist David Mazzucchelli, who worked with Miller on Batman: Year One, was among the inductees. He wasn’t at the ceremony, so DC publisher Jim Lee accepted the honor. Jenette Kahn, who led DC as publisher, president and editor-in-chief for more than two decades beginning in the 1970s, was also inducted. Her leadership gave creators room to take chances during a period that produced landmark work.
Paul Levitz, who worked with Kahn as a DC editor, introduced her as “the heroine of the comics community.” He described working alongside her for 20 years as “the learning experience of my life” and credited her with helping modernize the comics industry.
Kahn said she was proud that the work she and her colleagues did valued creators and secured the rights they deserved. She also spoke about connecting with readers: “We were also able to value our readers, and not only give them honors of reading pleasure, but also inspire them and make them feel seen.”
The Hall of Fame also recognized Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Carmine Infantino, Frank Robbins, Denny O’Neil, Dick Giordano, Jim Aparo, Marshall Rogers and Tim Sale. All had died, so relatives accepted their honors. Giordano’s three children represented him; Levitz noted that their presence suited a creator remembered for acting as “a surrogate father to so many artists.”
A new award puts translators in the frame
The ceremony’s new Sophie Castille Award went to Elise Gravel’s graphic novel True Colors, translated by Montana Kane. Founder Ivanka Hahnenberger presented the award, which recognizes the often undercredited role translators play in bringing comics to readers in other languages.
“Translators are the unsung heroes of international comics,” Hahnenberger said. She added that translators are key to a comic’s success abroad but often go uncredited, and said the award was intended to celebrate their work and encourage respect for it.
Miller and Absolute Batman close the night
Miller attended with longtime collaborator Klaus Janson. In his induction speech, McFarlane called Miller “the first rebel of comics” and said Miller’s advocacy for creators’ rights helped inspire McFarlane, Lee and their peers to found Image Comics in the 1990s. He also praised Miller’s willingness to keep experimenting after finding success.
Miller received a standing ovation and fought back tears as he accepted the honor. “This is as high an honor as I could ask for,” he said. “I’m very moved.” Lynn Varley, the third credited creator of The Dark Knight Returns and Miller’s former wife, was not present.
The final award brought the ceremony back to the current Batman line: DC’s Absolute Batman won Book of the Year. Snyder acknowledged McFarlane as an influence, while artist Nick Dragotta recalled that “the first comic I ever stole was Dark Knight Returns.”
Snyder framed the success of the Absolute universe as a vote of confidence in creative risk. “The success of the Absolute universe, to us, isn't about the sales,” he said. “It's the validation of the fact that in comics, when you take a big swing, the audience shows up because it's a place where people want risk.”
The complete list of winners is available here.
