2019 Winner

Travis McIntire

Nominated by: COMICS FAN & COMICS PRO
Discipline:

WRITER, EDITOR, PUBLISHER, LAYOUTS,

DESIGN, HEAD TATTOO RECIPIENT, FRIEND
Works By This Creator:
OGRE, UP THE RIVER, SAVANTS, ROTTENTAIL,

NORAH, SALVAGERS, THE REJECTED, GRIEF, BAYANI

Verbatim Comments from Nomination

"Every year I vote for Travis… Because every year Travis teaches me more than I learned the previous year about writing Comic Books threw his editing. He teaches me more about the business through his publishing and he teaches me more about myself through the friendship we’ve built."
"I couldn’t begin to tell you how many indie creators he has helped and mentored. Travis is a staple in the independent community. He above all deserves the recognition for his dedication and hard work."
"He is the new cornerstone of independent comics. I am personally a better creator because of him. Also his head tattoo is pretty sweet."

"I have known Travis since the creation of the Michigan Comics Collective. In the years since I have had the pleasure of working with him on those MCC anthologies, and now with my own book. Travis has always been a steady hand at the helm of any project, and when he joined with Sourcepoint Press I saw a change in that company. It went from being an indie publisher, to being THE indie publisher. I’ve seen them acquire great properties, bringing indie creators under one roof, and even make a feature film of one of their comics. I believe that Travis is the driving force behind this expansion, and I think that the indie comics scene in Michigan is as strong as it’s ever been because of Travis’ cool business acumen and open-mindedness towards indie creators. It feels like what Gary Reed was doing with Caliber, and that’s why I’d like to nominate Travis McIntire for the 2019 Gary Reed Award."

"Travis runs Source Point Press, which is the best independent publisher I’ve worked with. Travis bends over backwards to help not just myself, but every member of the Source Point Press family.When I started searching for a publisher, Source Point and Travis stood out because he treats everyone like family. He’s a reliable person personally, and professionally. I think he deserves recognition for all of the upcoming creators he’s helped."
"Travis has taken SPP from the little company that could into a multi-media company known worldwide. Putting his own writing career aside, he carried the company on his back to new heights and a slew of vastly talented and once unknown creators with him. He’s the reason I make comics today."
"Because Travis gives a platform to awesome creators who otherwise are overlooked."

"The quote (from your explanation of the Gary Reed Award) “comic writer, publisher, and mentor – spent his career supporting and giving a voice to independent creators” is an exact description of what Travis McIntire provides to the comics industry. I have yet to meet anyone else in this industry who supports so many independent creators and creates a platform to publish their visions. Although I have met many talented and supportive people in this business there is no one more deserving of this award than Travis McIntire."
"Travis is an unbelievably nice guy who publishes the types of works that don’t often get a chance in the Direct Market, most notably creator-owned one-shots. He is approachable and always willing to speak to and lift up new creators, and his Source Point Press company is designed to fulfill that purpose. Not only does he personally help, but he also encourages a community within the creators that he helps, which is invaluable to new creators."
"Travis embodies the spirit of what Gary stood for. Gary found and cultivated young, talented, hungry creators and helped them have a platform for their work. Travis did this for me and has done it for dozens of other creators and that’s never going to stop. Nothing, in my opinion, lives up to the memory of Gary more than these actions."

"For starters, I feel like I got his award last year!In all seriousness though, I know there are a lot of great candidates that could and should be considered, but Travis stands out as someone who almost literally had the torch passed to him by Gary Reed himself. Apart from knowing our late friend and receiving mentorship and guidance from him, he has continued the legacy of Gary’s work with Caliber and Transfuzion with his leadership at Source Point Press. He is a creative individual in his own right, but it is his nurturing and development of quality talent in comics and his ability to elevate independent creators in their formative years that makes him top on my list. It’s both a blessing to them and to all of us who get to enjoy a future generation of comics because of the hard work and vision of Travis and the Source Point team. I mention the team because I don’t think I’ve seen a more inspiring and tightly knit bunch of knuckleheads in comics and while their hard work also deserves it’s fair share of credit, it is bound together by the respect and love they have for Travis and he has earned that with every late night email, packed van, cramped hotel, con crud recovery and stack of printed and bound paper slung. It is that spirit that keeps the legacy of Gary Reed alive, and for all of these reasons I nominate Travis McIntire for this award."