The 2018 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Letterer

Welcome once again to the annual ComicBook.com Golden Issue Awards! Every year, the staff here at ComicBook.com takes a look back at the year as a whole and selects the best of what comics, movies, television, anime, and games had to offer.

Letterers are often the unsung heroes of comic books, bringing to life the thoughts and words of our favorite characters in ways that help us truly connect to the world being built on the page. We wouldn't have great comics without great letterers, so we wanted to make sure to recognize the best lettering work that we saw throughout the year.

And the winner of Best Letterer goes to...

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou!

Although Otsmane-Elhaou didn't letter an enormous amount of comics this year, the work he did really stood out. His work on The Lone Ranger, 24 Panels, and Where We Live is wonderful, but it was his contribution to Shanghai Red that set him apart from the rest of the pack.

From Christopher Sebela and Joshua Hixson, Shanghai Red is a gut-wrenching story of revenge surrounding a young woman who sets out to set right the wrongs done to her family. The comic itself is a phenomenal journey, and Otsmane-Elhaou's work is a key part of that success. The words in the book are written in such a unique style, reminiscent of a castaway writing letters back home. It really brings the soul of the book's lead character to the forefront, allowing readers to truly connect with the events of her life.

There are some awesome letterers out there, but none were better in 2018 than Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

List of Nominees:

• Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Shanghai Red) [WINNER]
• Clayton Cowles (The Wicked + The Divine)
• Joe Caramagna (Captain America)
• Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo)
• Todd Klein (Books of Magic)