Batman and Doctor Doom Conquer the Fan Vote at the Ringo Awards
Comic book award season has a way of revealing exactly who readers can’t stop thinking about, and this year’s Ringo Awards delivered a showdown between two of the medium’s most iconic figures. Batman and Doctor Doom, long pillars of DC and Marvel respectively, found themselves at the center of the fan conversation once again.
The awards carry a special legacy. They are named for artist Mike Wieringo, who often signed his work Ringo and was best known for DC’s ‘The Flash’, Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’ and his co-creation ‘Tellos’. Launched in 2017 by the Reisterstown, Maryland, shop Cards, Comics, & Collectibles, the ceremony succeeded the Harvey Awards after they left Baltimore Comic-Con in 2016
The 10th annual edition wrapped up at Baltimore Comic-Con on September 26, and the fan-only categories produced a fitting pair of winners. As DCU Updates shared, Batman was voted Best Fan Favourite Hero, while Doctor Doom took home Best Fan Favourite Villain.
These honors come directly from readers rather than industry insiders. In the fan-only categories, which include Favorite Hero, Favorite Villain, Favorite New Series, Favorite New Talent, and Favorite Publisher, all nominees and winners are selected by open voting. That makes the wins a pure snapshot of what audiences are loving on the page right now.
The artwork accompanying the announcement captured both characters at their most imposing. Batman is shown leaping from a Gotham skyline with the Batmobile below him, while Doom appears hooded and armored, raising a metal gauntlet toward the viewer.
Batman was voted to be Best Fan Favourite Hero and Doctor Doom was voted to be Best Fan Favourite Villian at the Ringo Awards! https://t.co/YStIslGyxb
— DCU Updates (@dcuworld) September 27, 2026
Batman’s popularity wasn’t limited to the fan vote. ‘Absolute Batman’ by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta was named Best Series, adding another major industry honor to the book’s growing collection. The series is one of the pillars of DC’s Absolute universe.
That result felt like a natural outcome given how strongly DC performed on the ballot. Early tallies had DC leading the creative-works categories with 7 nominations, including 2 for Best Series. ‘Absolute Batman’ competed in that category against ‘Absolute Martian Manhunter’, ‘Coexistence’, ‘FML’, ‘Granite State Punk’, and ‘Murder Podcast’.
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The professional categories rounded out a strong night. Deniz Camp won Best Writer, while Javier Rodríguez claimed both Best Artist and Best Cover Artist. Mike Mignola’s ‘Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown’ won Best Anthology, and Matt Garvey’s ‘Making Your First Comic’ took the prize for Best Comics-Related Publication.
The process behind those awards is notably different from the fan picks. Final ballot voting is restricted to the comic book creative community, meaning anyone professionally credited with creating comics. The nominating jury included creators Cliff Chiang, Colleen Doran, and Bill Morrison, along with retailer Sarahti Gassmalla and Universal Distribution’s Zander Fajertag.
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The Ringo Awards stand out in the industry for blending fan and professional input. The awards are the only industry honors nominated by fans and pros alike, with final voting by the comic professional community. This year’s cycle covered material published in 2025.
For Doom, the win reinforces his status as the kind of villain readers keep returning to, a figure imposing enough to share the spotlight with the Caped Crusader himself. For Batman, it caps a night when both the character and his boldest reinvention were celebrated side by side.
The ceremony also presented the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award alongside the fan-only favorites. It all made for a milestone 10th edition that honored both the creators behind the page and the characters fans can’t get enough of.
Do you agree with Batman and Doctor Doom winning the top fan honors at the Ringo Awards?
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