Standing tall

and opening doors for herself and for those who follow.

Bilquis Evely is a Brazilian comic book artist. She’s 35 years old and, this past weekend, has just won her first Eisner Award in the Best Penciller/Inker category for her work on Helen of Wyndhorn (published by Dark Horse). I believe she’s the first Brazilian to win in the best artist category. (Bá was nominated for that category in 2009 for his work on Umbrella Academy - Dallas, but lost to Guy Davis).

the first sketch had Helen and the Flyune in the foreground with a scene from the fantasy novels on the back. The second idea, which everybody liked best, integrated all the elements of the story in one image, and had a more Frazetta-like composition which suite the story more.

Awards in the comics business do not translate in better financial deals. Next month, Bilquis won’t receive a bigger paycheck, or a bigger page rate. The real reward of winning an award is being exposed to a larger audience who only really discover your work when an award tells them to pay closer attention. The attention is the reward. Once the bigger audience – who can often be international, since awards are the few beacons the international press and the foreign publishers can see from far away in their own particular worlds – discovers your work, and the talent which resulted in winning an award, that’s what can help open more doors in your career moving forward.

I added more elements from the story in the final composition: the tape recorder from the reporter, the cigarette pack, the bottle of wine.

Bilquis is a superb artist, with an elegant and very detailed line, distinctively her own. Her work certainly is the appeal in many of the comics she’s involved in, be it Helen of Wyndhorn (a project which only makes sense with her lush style illustrating it), or on the Supergirl mini-series she did, or on Wonder Woman or the Dreaming. Since I ink with a brush, just like her, I really appreciate her technique, line work and the way her style dialogues both with modern sensibilities but also with classic artists of our past.

inking is always my favorite part of any drawing.

Matheus Lopes does a phenomenal job coloring Bilquis’ work. They make a great team and it’s hard to imagine her work without his colors. When I did the variant cover for the first issue of Helen of Wyndhorn, I tried to color it in a similar fashion to what he does. He was the one who pointed to me, as I sent jpegs of the process to the HoW team, that Barnabas Cole’s hair and beard were silvery grey, and not orange red like Helen’s (by the time I had to do the cover, there weren’t any color images of the characters besides one sketch of Helen).

I would have finished the colors with Othan/Barnabas’s hair and beard read if I had not shown the coloring midway to Mat.

I’m curious to what Bilquis will do next. Because of the Eisner she just won, my curiosity is now shared by many who are closely watching what her next choices will be. And her conquests and accomplishments will help other Brazilian artists and other female artists as the eyes of the World turn to her and discover she’s not alone.

Be safe, be kind, be curious.

Pa-ZOW!

Fábio Moon
Moon Base, São Paulo
July 28th, 2025