2008 Guest List
Guests of Honor
Chris Claremont. Legendary writer Chris Claremont is best known for his 17-year run on The Uncanny X-Men, during which he successfully partnered with an array of leading artists including Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, Paul Smith, John Romita Jr., Alan Davis, Mark Silvestri, and Jim Lee with truly incredible results. Claremont's record run on Marvel's flagship title culminated with the launch in 1991 of the new title X-Men with artist Jim Lee, whose first issue sold over 7.6 million copies. It is a conservative estimate that Claremont has sold in excess of 500 million comics worldwide and counting. The three X-Men films based largely on his work have enjoyed acclaim from critics and fans alike, as well as enormous financial success, grossing over a billion dollars worldwide. Currently, Claremont is writing Marvel's altverse X-titles Exiles and GeNext. Coming in September, Big Hero 6 will tell the tales of a Japanese state-sanctioned superhero team formed by a top-secret consortium of politicians and major corporations. In October, French publisher Fusion Comics will release the historical fantasy Wanderers: The Winter King, the first volume a new three-volume graphic novel series by Claremont and the acclaimed French artist Philippe Briones.
Alan Davis. Alan Davis is a virtuoso storyteller whose remarkable skills as both an artist and a writer have established him as a legend in the world of comics. Alan's North American popularity skyrocketed in the mid-1980s while doing a run on the Outsiders for DC Comics and later on Batman, but he is best known for his monumental run on Marvel's Excalibur (many of whose characters Alan himself created), where readers were treated to his unique and humorous style as he took the team on cross-dimensional capers through space and time. Alan has also done other high-profile work for Marvel, including a stint with Marvel's merry mutants, as well as a six-month run on the Avengers with Kurt Busiek. During much of the 1990s, Davis drew many of the major characters and titles for Marvel and DC Comics, among them JLA: The Nail, The Avengers, and Killraven. Starting in October 2002 he wrote and drew for Marvel the six-issue Killraven miniseries. After a return to Uncanny X-Men with Chris Claremont, in 2006–7 Davis wrote and drew the six-issue Fantastic Four: The End limited series for Marvel Comics. Alan's five-issue ClanDestine limited series for Marvel wrapped up in June 2008, and he has a number of new projects underway that he'll be able to discuss at Mid-Ohio-Con.
Joe Kubert. Joe Kubert's career spans the history of American comics, notes biographer Bill Schelly. Kubert began drawing comics professionally in 1938 at the age of 11, just as Superman made his debut in Action Comics no. 1, and continues to be one of the most vital creators in comics to this day, with a body of work that is loved by fans and critics alike. Kubert is best known for his definitive runs on DC's war comics, GI Combat, Our Army at War, Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, and The Haunted Tank, as well as superhero titles like Hawkman and his adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs property Tarzan. During his 70-year career in comics, he has worked as an artist, writer, and editor on many of the leading titles for every major publisher in the business. In 1976 he founded the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, the first and only accredited school devoted solely to the art of cartoon graphics. The Kubert School has produced many of the most successful comic artists in the business today. Kubert's recent projects include four graphic novels that he wrote and illustrated, Tor, Abraham Stone, Fax from Sarajevo, which won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, and Yossel: April 19, 1943.
Alan Dean Foster. Alan Dean Foster is the New York Times best-selling author of more than one hundred books in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction and nonfiction. Legendary for ghost-writing the Star Wars novel (1976) for George Lucas, as well as authoring (under his own name) Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978), Foster is loved by generations of fans for his sometimes humorous, occasionally poignant, and always entertaining storytelling. In addition to his original creations such as the Commonwealth, Spellsinger, Pip and Flinx, and Icerigger novels, he has played extensively in the universes of others, writing Star Trek Logs One–Ten and the story for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the novelizations of many movies, including Star Wars, Alien and its first two sequels, Outland, Clash of the Titans, The Chronicles of Riddick, Transformers, and many more. His work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science fiction ever to do so. In 2002 Foster made a long-awaited return to the Star Wars universe with his novel The Approaching Storm. He is currently working on the novelization of Terminator: Salvation, forthcoming in 2009.
Special Media Guests
Lou Ferrigno. Lou Ferrigno is a tough act to follow: even with a $150 million budget and state-of-the-art CGI special effects, Marvel and Universal still brought Ferrigno back for The Incredible Hulk movie to voice the character he defined in live action in the 1978–82 television series on CBS. That says a lot about what the 6'5", 275-pound Ferrigno brought to that unforgettable role and a lot about the love that fans have for him after all these years. Ferrigno first received acclaim at the age of 21 as the youngest man to win the title of Mr. Universe, a record that still stands today. He went on to win the contest the following year as well, making him the only man to win back-to-back titles. Those extraordinary accomplishments led to a starring role in the body-building film Pumping Iron (1977), which also featured Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ferrigno first portrayed the jade giant in the 1977 TV movie The Incredible Hulk: Death in the Family and went on to star in The Incredible Hulk TV series from 1978 to 1982. He reprised that role in four feature-length Incredible Hulk films over the next two decades. With the recent release of Marvel's The Incredible Hulk and a role in a Dreamworks production currently under way, Ferrigno is more popular and sought after than ever.
Jason Mewes. Jason Mewes is a film and television actor who has appeared in more than three dozen feature films since his screen debut in 1994. He is best known for playing the grass-smoking, fast-talking, foul-mouthed, oversexed, fan-favorite character Jay in Kevin Smith's hilarious low-budget hit Clerks (1994). The offbeat and philosophical characters of Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes and Smith) appeared in four more films directed by Smith: Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), and the road-trip epic Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). Mewes has since gone on to appear in other non-Smith-directed projects, including High Times Potluck (2002), Rush (2002), and My Big Fat Independent Movie (2004).
Special Guests
Franco Aureliani. Franco was born in 1492 aboard the cruise ship Santa Maria. He currently resides in Nueva York with his wife and son in a warm ranch style house with white picket fence. He spends most of his time in his Batcave-like studio and emerges occasionally to yell at people and stuff. He is the creator of Weirdsville, co-creator and writer of the acclaimed indie title Patrick the Wolf Boy, and co-creator of DC's all-ages hit Tiny Titans. He has also been known to write paint or draw other things. His car needs a new muffler, and he's always asking people if they would like to pose for him. People usually get mad at this (or get the wrong impression), and hilarity will ensue, as a fight will usually break out. So if he asks you to pose for one of his drawings . . . be nice.
Dick Ayers. Living legend Dick Ayers is one of the most influential comics creators from the Golden and Silver Age of comics. His most popular work includes Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Sgt. Fury, Calico Kid, and Ghost Rider. Ayers was born in Ossining , New York, in 1924. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, where he published his first comic strip, Radio Ray, in the Army Radio Post in 1942. His civilian career began in 1948 when he was assigned to do the Jimmy Durante comic book after he had penciled a couple of stories for the Funnyman comic book by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in late 1947. During his distinguished career, Ayers has done work for every major comic publisher, including Marvel, DC, Timely, and Atlas.
Art Baltazar. Art is the super-cartoonist machine behind the DC Comics kids hit Tiny Titans. He's all about the peace, love, and joy. He defines cartoons and comics not only as an art form but as a way of life. Art started his funky secret art studio Electric Milk Creations in 1994 with his self-published comic book The Cray-Baby Adventures. Since then, he has created other comics such as Gyro-Man, Captain Camel & the Space Chicken, Jimmy Dydo, Lunar Lizard, Meteor Mite, and the famous Patrick the Wolf Boy. This guy shows no signs of stopping! Art has also had a few gigs with Warner Bros. and has a monthly comic strip in Disney Adventures Magazine called GORILLA GORILLA. He has some cool character design skills and has recently completed the Big Amoeba graphic novel for Platinum Studios.
Patrick and Shelly Block. Pat and Shelly Block are a popular writing and drawing team behind stories for various Walt Disney comic books around the globe. They have just received a pair of 2008 Harvey Awards nominations for Best Story and Best Original Graphic Album for their Donald Duck mystery The Case of the Missing Mummy. Working out of their studio and art school, Art Quest, in Pennsylvania, the ducky duo has produced thousands of pages of story art for fans of every age. Look for their short stories currently running in the Gemstone titles Walt Disney's Comics and Uncle Scrooge, as well as special one-shots featuring their newer longer tales. When you see them at Mid-Ohio-Con, bring a piece of paper or a comic book and ask for a free sketch!
Tobias S. Buckell. Tobias S. Buckell is a Caribbean-born speculative fiction writer who grew up in Grenada and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. His Caribbean roots often inform his fiction, as does his love of technology, science, and the rapidly changing world around us. He is a Clarion graduate, Writers of the Future winner, and finalist for the Campbell Award for Best New SF Writer. He has published more than 30 stories in magazines and anthologies and is the author of the novels Crystal Rain (2006) and Ragamuffin (2007), as well as the forthcoming Sly Mongoose (August 2008) and Halo: The Cole Protocol (fall 2008), the sixth novel set in the Halo universe.
Chris Eliopoulos. Chris Eliopoulos is a cartoonist and writer best known for his work on Marvel's all-ages series Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, co-written by Marc Sumerak. The title's first one-shot was nominated for an Eisner Award and a Harvey Award in 2005, and the series continues to receive critical acclaim and fan praise. Eliopoulos is also known for his comic strip Desperate Times, published by Image Comics and AAArgh! Comics, and his web comic strip Misery Loves Sherman, published daily on the eponymous website. He has also contributed hundreds of cartoon strips to the book series The Complete Idiot's Guide on almost every imaginable topic and has created dozens of custom cartoons for clients including Sports Illustrated.
Mark Evanier. Mark Evanier is the author of Kirby: King of Comics (Abrams, 2008), an essential illustrated biography of the legendary Jack Kirby. Mark's career in writing for television and comics spans nearly four decades and includes work for Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Gold Key, Marvel, and DC (Blackhawk), as well as creator-owned titles such as Groo the Wanderer (with Sergio Aragonés), DNAgents, and Crossfire. He has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for animation by the Writers Guild of America.
Chris Giarrusso. Chris Giarrusso is best known for his creation Mini Marvels, which originally appeared as Bullpen Bits in the Marvel comics letters pages in the late 1990s and later blossomed into one-shot comics of their own. A number of those issues were recently collected in the digest-sized trade paperback Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors, which promptly sold out and is being reprinted with a new cover. Chris also created G-Man and several other mini-sized superheroes in the strip Comic Bits, which began running as a backup feature in Savage Dragon in 2002. In 2004, Chris released the G-Man one-shot through Image Comics, and he hopes to return to the character in the future. Visit www.chrisgcomics.com to see more of his work.
Mike Grell. Mike Grell started his career in comics in 1973 with DC Comics, working on titles such as Aquaman, Batman, The Phantom Stranger, and most notably Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. He cemented his status as a fan favorite with his best-known creation Warlord, one of the first sword-and-sorcery comics and reportedly the best-selling title published by DC Comics in the late 1970s. Through the 1980s, Grell developed grittier, down-to-earth titles such as the groundbreaking Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters at DC Comics and his creator-owned Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer at First Comics. It was recently announced that Grell will be returning to DC with a new Warlord series to be launched in 2009 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the celebrated title.
Tony Isabella. Tony Isabella is best known for his work as a contributing editor and lead reviewer for Comics Buyer's Guide. His humorous and thoughtful Tony's Tips! is a favorite among fans and industry professionals alike. Tony began his career in comics as an assistant to Stan Lee and Roy Thomas at Marvel Comics in 1972. Thirty-six years later, having worked for every major publisher in the comics business, he's still going strong. Tony created Black Lightning for DC Comics, co-created Tigra for Marvel Comics, and developed Jack Kirby's Satan's Six at Topps Comics. His diverse body of work covers countless titles including Captain America, Daredevil, Doc Savage, Donald Duck, Dracula, Elvira, Ghost Rider, Hawkman, Luke Cage, Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Star Wars, Superman, Tarzan, Uncle Scrooge, and Young Love.
David Mack. David Mack is the creator, author, and artist of Kabuki, published originally by Image Comics and now by the Marvel Comics imprint ICON. He has also served as the writer and artist of Marvel's Daredevil series and cover artist for Brian Bendis's Alias. Mack's work has garnered nominations for two 1999 International Eagle Awards in the categories of Favorite Comic Artist (Painted) and Best Cover Art of the Year (Painted), the Eisner Award in the category of Best Painter, and both the Harvey and Kirby Awards in the category of Best New Talent, as well as other awards and nominations. Kabuki has earned him international acclaim for its innovative storytelling, painting techniques, and page design. It is available in seven different languages and has sold well over a million copies in the United States alone. Mack has toured and exhibited throughout Europe, Asia, and America. He was the first American to be nominated for Germany's most prestigious Max-Und-Moritz Award in the category of Best Imported Comic. Mack has also designed toys and packaging for companies in Hong Kong, created ad campaigns for Sakura art materials and illustrated jazz and rock albums for Japanese and American labels and musicians such as Tori Amos and Paul McCartney. David is working on the live-action Kabuki feature film for Twentieth Century Fox.
Sean McKeever. Sean is best known as a writer of introspective, character-driven tales, as seen in his breakthrough teen-drama series The Waiting Place. The Eisner Award winner has written many titles for Marvel, including Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, The Incredible Hulk, Sentinel, Mystique, Inhumans, Gravity, Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, and the recently published X-Men Origins: Jean Grey one-shot. Sean has written Countdown to Final Crisis and Birds of Prey for DC Comics and is currently under exclusive contract with DC for the hit Teen Titans and the forthcoming Terror Titans. Terror Titans #1 of 6 will be on the shelves Wednesday, October 1—just days before Mid-Ohio-Con! Check out seanmckeever.com for more on the writer and his work.
Bob McLeod. Bob McLeod is best known as the co-creator of Marvel's New Mutants, which began in the early 1980s and ran until later that decade. Bob has also had a long and varied career beyond the New Mutants. He inked John Buscema's art on Conan the Barbarian for a while and even lettered several issues. He also inked Dave Cockrum's pencils in the seminal X-Men no. 94, the first issue of the series featuring the "All New, All Different" X-Men such as Wolverine and Storm. He also inked Mike Zeck's pencils on the six-part "Fearful Symmetry" storyline that ran through all three of the Spider-Man regular titles for two issues each in 1983 and 1984.
Wes Molebash. Wes Molebash is the creator of the web comic strip You'll Have That, a slice-of-life comic following the lives of Andy and Katie, a newlywed couple in their twenties, as they try to figure out life together. Molebash has been drawing comics ever since his mom bought him a Bruce Blitz "How to Draw Comic Strips" VHS tape in the fourth grade. You'll Have That has a strong and growing following on the Internet with more than 60,000 hits each month and has been featured in Wizard magazine and published in two books by Viper Comics. You can read You'll Have That every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at www.yhtcomic.com.
Wayne Osborne. Wayne Osborne burst onto the comics scene in 2008 with the launch of his creator-owned title FX from IDW Publishing, featuring cover and interior pencils and inks by the legendary artist John Byrne. FX initially started as a one-issue commission by Byrne and developed into a six-part limited series by Osborne and Byrne. FX tells the tale of Tom Talbot, a boy struck down by a mysterious accident, who awakens to find that childhood play has suddenly become all too real, as he now has power limited only by his imagination. This superheroic coming-of-age series offers action, adventure, drama, intrigue, and romance as Tom comes to grips with his new powers and enters an amazing world of heroes, villains, and more.
David Petersen. David Petersen is the creator of the hit series Mouse Guard from Archaia Studios Press. In the world of Mouse Guard, mice struggle to live safely and prosper against the threat of harsh conditions and fierce predators. The brave mice of the Guard are soldiers, pathfinders, weather watchers, scouts, and bodyguards who fight vigiliantly to keep the mouse territories safe. Mouse Guard has been acclaimed by critics and fans alike, landing David the Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2007 and two Eisner Awards in 2008. David was born in 1977 and credits his steady diet of cartoons, comics, and tree climbing as a child for his inspiring his rich imagination—the driving force behind his great work today.
Keith Pollard is a comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics. Pollard had the distinction of working on three of Marvel's main books simultaneously when he was penciling Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, and Thor during the late 1970s and early '80s. During his stint with Marvel, Pollard co-created the Black Cat with writer Marv Wolfman. He is also widely remembered for his work on the original Deathlok stories in Astonishing Tales. In the early 1990s, he drew all the character profiles for The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition. Pollard also worked extensively for DC Comics, including pencils on Green Lantern and Vigilante. Visit www.comicbook-art.com for more on Keith and his work.
Brian Pulido. Best known as the creator of indie favorite Lady Death, Pulido's words and creations have been infecting the wild world of comics and beyond, creating a legacy of edgy characters and stories with a dark, rock-and-roll sensibility that has influenced pop culture and made underground images mainstream. Brian was the founder of Chaos! Comics and has created and written comics that include Lady Death, Evil Ernie, Purgatori, and Chastity, as well as Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Chucky, among many others. Also active in film, Pulido wrote and directed The Graves, a major motion picture starring Tony Todd (Candy Man) and Bill Mosley (The Devil's Rejects), in May 2008. Read more about Pulidio and his work at www.BrianPulido.com.
Steve Rude. Steve, a full six-foot-five Wisconsinite nicknamed "the Dude," considers Jack Kirby one of his biggest influences. To Kirby's streamlined dynamism, Steve has added his own style of polish and attention to detail, which has made his work popular with fans. Nexus, an offbeat science fiction superhero written and co-created with Mike Baron in 1981, remains his most sustained and best-known work to date. Steve has won much industry recognition, including the Russ Manning Newcomer Award in 1983, along with ten Eisner, Kirby, and other coveted awards for artistic excellence. Rude is one of the hardest-working artists in the field, constantly striving to improve his work. Much of his practice, model sketches, painting-memory exercises, and experiments with new techniques can be found in his legendary sketchbooks.
P. Craig Russell. P. Craig Russell is a Harvey and Eisner Award–winning artist and writer whose diverse body of work includes pioneering adaptations of literary and operatic classics as well as mainstream collaborations with creators such as Roy Thomas, Neil Gaiman, and Mike Mignola for DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Eclipse. Russell broke into comics in 1972 with his 11-issue run on Amazing Adventures, followed by his Marvel graphic novel Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds. In 1984 Russell began work on his adaptations of literary and operatic works by Rudyard Kipling, Maurice Maeterlinck, Oscar Wilde, Mozart, and Wagner. Russell has been a frequent collaborator with Neil Gaiman, working on his groundbreaking comic Sandman and adapting Gaiman's Murder Mysteries and Coraline into comics form.
Beau Smith. Beau has been writing comic books since 1985, and they haven't found a way to stop him yet. He has worked for all of the major publishers including DC, Image, Marvel, Chaos, Dark Horse, Knight Press, AC Comics, Wildstorm, Top Cow, and Axis on many of the leading characters and titles in the world of comics. In addition to writing comics, Beau has also done significant video game and film work. In the late 1970s, Beau was personally deemed president for life of the Sgt. Rock fan club by Sgt. Rock creator Robert Kanigher. Basically, if it's manly, Beau has had a hand or two in it, and his passion for writing rivals that of his lust for cold beer and pretty women.
Chris Sprouse. Chris has been working in comics as an artist, designer, and writer since the early 1990s. He is best known as the artist and co-creator of Alan Moore's Tom Strong for Wildstorm's imprint ABC Comics. With writer Warren Ellis, Chris designed and drew Wildstorm's science fiction miniseries Ocean, which is being turned into a motion picture by Warner Brothers. Chris has worked with an array of major and indie publishers on projects including Number of the Beast, Midnighter, Legionnaires, Batman, Justice League, WildC.AT.S., Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Grendel, Supreme, New Men, and X-Men and Marvel 2099 titles. Chris is currently working on projects for DC and Wildstorm. Check out his blog at sprousenet.blogspot.com.
Roger Stern. Roger is a writer of books, comics, radio, and television who has built an incredible following over the past 30 years with his vivid characterization, intricate plot lines, powerful drama, and fast-paced action. Roger has written an incredibly diverse range of characters, including Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Green Lantern, Starman, Supergirl, and Superman. Notably, he wrote the New York Times best-seller The Death and Life of Superman in 1994. His stories have been collected in dozens of editions, including Captain America: War and Remembrance, The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus, Darkman vs. Army of Darkness, Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern, Volume 1, and JLA: That Was Now, This Is Then.
Marc Sumerak. Marc is best known for his writing work on the Marvel Comics series Power Pack and the Eisner and Harvey Award nominated Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius. While earning his degree at Bowling Green State University, Sumerak had the life-changing opportunity to move to New York City and spend a semester working at Marvel. This experience paved the way for a staff position at Marvel and a highly successful career in comics as a freelancer. Sumerak is currently writing Marvel Adventures: Avengers and Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, as well as a number of other new projects. Other clients that Sumerak has worked with include DC Comics, American Greetings, the Elks, SAMHSA, PBS Kids, Pepperidge Farm, Tyson Foods, Triple-A Baseball, and SEGA.
Arthur Suydam. Award-winning creator Arthur Suydam's artwork is most recently featured on covers for the groundbreaking series Marvel Zombies (winner of the Spike Scream Award for Best Comic of the year), Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Hellstorm, Wolverine Origins, Moon Knight, and Wolverine for Marvel Entertainment. Suydam has teamed up with Dynamite Entertainment on the cult classic crossover Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, Raise the Dead, Savage Tales, and Red Sonja. Additionally he has provided retro-inspired covers for such titles as Mickey Spillane's Dead Street, Robert Bloch's Shooting Star, and Fright by Cornell Woolrich. Suydam's horror classic Christmas Carol was recently honored for inclusion in The Mammoth Book of Horror and Legends for best horror comic stories of all time and in The Art of Painted Comics (2008). Suydam's artwork and writing were recently honored with the Gold Award in Spectrum 12 in 2006. Other honors include the 2005 Dragon Con Comic Guest of Honor Award, the San Sebastian Film Festival Guest of Honor Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Maryland , and numerous other awards for excellence. Suydam is a member of the Society of Illustrators and lives and works in Manhattan's East Village.
Layne Toth. As seen on TV and in magazines such as TIME, 11-year-old Layne Toth has had her art and stories published in 23 comic books to date, including Sisters Comics Annual, featuring her property The Adventures of Lucky: The One-Eyed Stray Dog!, Levi Krause's Scribble Monster with Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from TV's Buck Rogers, Owosso Taco House Funnies with Arrow Comics editor in chief Randy Zimmerman, and Fat Momma of Sci-Fi Channel's Stan Lee's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? Layne's paper sponsor is Canson FanBoy, and her comic book creator mentor is Levi Krause. Layne and her sister Peri are regular guests on The Fly Over Zone with Hugh Moore and friends on WQNA 88.3 FM. Visit Layne at www.sisterscomics.com.
Peri Toth. Li'l sister eight-year-old Peri Toth has had her creations published in 11 comic books to date, including Sisters Comics Annual, featuring her property Peri Toth's See-Thru-Baby!, Levi Krause's Scribble Monster with Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from TV's Buck Rogers, Owosso Taco House Funnies with Arrow Comics editor in chief Randy Zimmerman, and Fat Momma of Sci-Fi Channel's Stan Lee's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? Currently, Peri is working on her latest creation The Mysterious Mr. Briggs: Space Killer. Peri's paper sponsor is Canson FanBoy, and her comic book creator mentor is Levi Krause. Peri and her sister Layne are regular guests on The Fly Over Zone with Hugh Moore and friends on WQNA 88.3 FM. Visit Layne at www.sisterscomics.com.
Billy Tucci. Eisner Award nominee Billy Tucci took the comics world by storm when he launched his self-published series Shi in 1994 while working from his one-bedroom apartment. Still a fan-favorite title to this day, the phenomenally successful character has sold more than 4 million comics worldwide in her own title and in cross-over projects with some of the most well-known characters in the industry, including Daredevil, Witchblade, and Wolverine. Coming up in November 2008 is Tucci's DC miniseries Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, which is set in October 1944 after D-Day when Easy Company has been transferred to the 36th Division. The six-issue story about the rescue of a lost battalion will feature many of Sgt. Rock's long-standing cast of characters.
Ethan Van Sciver. Ethan Van Sciver is a comic book artist whose work includes the critically acclaimed Green Lantern: Rebirth miniseries and the Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps one-shot, both written by Geoff Johns. Ethan's other work includes titles such as Cyberfrog, Bog Swamp Demon, X-Men, The Flash: Iron Heights, Impulse, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Batman, and Green Lantern. He is currently working on Green Lantern: The Blackest Night, forthcoming in 2009.
Len Wein. Len Wein is the creator of the legendary comic book character Swamp Thing (generating four comic book series, two feature films, a TV series, an animated series, and a new feature film in development for Joel Silver), the Human Target (several comics series, a live-action TV series, and a feature film in development for Warner Brothers), and Wolverine and the new X-Men (the most successful comic book series of the 1980s and 1990s, two long-running animated series, three hugely successful feature films, with a Wolverine solo feature in development), as well as many other characters. In television Len developed and story-edited the award-winning War Planets: Shadow Raiders. He has scripted more than sixty episodes of series such as Hypernauts, Conan, Hulk, X-Men, Godzilla, Spider-Man, Action Man, Street Fighter, Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Exosquad, Pocket Dragon Adventures, and many others. Len also received Emmy honors for work on Batman: The Animated Series. In comics, he has served as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, Disney Comics, and Top Cow Comics, and senior editor at DC Comics. He is noted for long runs in writing almost every major character in the business.
Chris Yambar. Award-winning creator Chris Yambar is best known for his work on such titles as Bart Simpson Comics, Radioactive Man, I Dream of Jeannie, Mister Magoo, and Elfquest. He has also received acclaim for his own over-the-top characters such as Mr. Beat, the Fire-Breathing Pope, El Mucho Grande—Wrestler for Hire, Suicide Blonde, Spells, Meow Wow!, Twerp and the Blue Baboon, Faith: Warrior Princess, Bambeano Boy, Misfits, McBride—the Faerie King, Suckulina: Vampire Temp, Life Maxx, Edison's Frankenstein 1910, and Buttler—Everyone's Favorite Impacted Pup. In late 2007 Chris signed an animation development deal with Cinemanix which is now working on test animation for several of his creator- and co-creator-owned properties. Visit Chris at www.yambar.com.
Thom Zahler. By day, Thom Zahler is a cartoonist and graphic artist. By night, he is also a cartoonist and graphic artist. But that's because he's a workaholic. Besides, he gets bored easily, sometimes even writing about himself in the third person just to amuse himself. Thom is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. His client list includes companies such as Marvel Comics, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Prilosec, and Toon Tumblers. He is also the writer and artist of the Cleveland Indians' Slider comic strip. He has written and drawn three graphic novels: Raider: From the Shadows, Raider: A Cold Day in Heaven, and Raider: Dead Men's Tales. See more of Thom's artwork at www.thomz.com.
Guests
Dave Aikins. Dave is a professional artist and graphic designer based in Columbus, Ohio. He has been most active recently on projects for Nickelodeon, including book and DVD covers featuring Dora the Explorer, Diego, The Backyardigans, and SpongeBob Squarepants. He has also worked extensively with other licensed properties, including Barney, Mr. Potato Head, Powerpuff Girls, Space Ghost, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Disney's Tigger and Pooh. He is the illustrator of Twilight Creations' popular Zombies!!! game series, as well as the cover artist for Moonstone's new Kolchak: Night Stalker of the Living Dead miniseries. His newest work can be seen in Moonstone's upcoming The Avenger Chronicles. For more information, visit letsdrawstudio.com.
Darryl Banks. Darryl is from Columbus, Ohio, and a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design with a bachelor's degree. He began his comics career in 1989, working for various independent comic companies. In 1993 he started working with DC Comics on Legion of Superheroes and later on Green Lantern. Co-creating the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, Parallax, and other characters was a great honor and challenge for Darryl's costume design skills. In addition to various other projects for DC, his work includes Tomb Raider: Epiphany from Top Cow, GI Joe Reloaded for Devil's, Johnnie Zombie for Midgard Comics, covers to Moonstone's Phantom, and other more.
Andy Bennett. Andy has been working professionally as an illustrator for thirteen years. An Ohio native, he graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 1995 with a BFA in illustration. That same year, he did his first comics work for Caliber Comics' Negative Burn. He has since expanded his résumé to include nearly 20 comics from Caliber and, most recently, a series of graphic novels for Moonstone Books' Vampire: The Masquerade—Tremere and Ventrue graphic novels. His newest releases include Moonstone's upcoming Kolchak the Night Stalker / Sherlock Holmes miniseries, The Avenger Chronicles, IDW's Lifelike graphic novel, and Ferret Press's critically acclaimed PANEL anthology. Visit Andy on the web at B3NN3TT.com.
Brant W. Fowler. Brant W. Fowler is a freelance writer, letterer, and occasionally artist and web/graphic designer currently residing in Kentucky. His credits include (writing) his creator-owned title Wannabez, as well as (lettering) Abiding Perdition, Corrective Measures, Shelter, Academy of Heroes, Arcana Comics, and more. Brant has also contributed columns, reviews, and interviews at several sites, is a former editor in chief of two small comic companies, and a regular blogger, as well as the current editor in chief for comic news site www.silverbulletcomics.com. He is known on the Internet as "Gonzogoose" or simply "Gonzo" for reasons he declines to comment on. Brant is currently pursuing both company- and creator-owned opportunities in comics and other media. He aspires to someday write, illustrate, and letter a comic-turned-novel-turned-movie in which he will play a role and record some of the music. It's a lofty goal, but that is why he is the fabled Gonzogoose! www.brantfowler.com.
Sean Forney. Sean Forney is the co-creator and artist on the self-published comic book Scarlet Huntress. He has worked professionally in the illustration and comic industries for the past six years. Recent work includes Camp Comics' Camp Dangerous Curves, which was released at Wizard World Chicago 2006. Sean was the cover artist for Twisted Gate Entertainment's Portal no. 2, Snow Ninjas no. 1, and Man of Prey no. 1. He also penciled and inked interior pages for Portal nos. 1 and 2. www.smcomics.com.
Robyn Griggs. Robyn started acting at the age of three and has been working in television and film ever since. Her first prominent TV role was on ABC's soap opera One Life to Live, and she later starred in ABC's Another World. Since 2001 Robin has appeared in independent horror and thriller films, such as Abattoir (2001) and Ghost Tour (2003) for Deepkut productions. She has also appeared in Minds of Terror (2003), Zombiegeddon (2003), Project 187 (2003), The Urn (2003), Demon Hunters (2003), Aberration Boulevard (2001), Severe Injuries (2003), Dead Clowns (2003), The Absence of Light (2004), and Dead Planet (2004). Robyn currently tours with various horror film conventions and produces and promotes low-budget independent horror films.
Sam Stormcrow Hayes. Described as a well-mannered, sweet-natured, nihilistic punk, Stormcrow Hayes claims that living in Los Angeles hasn't made him cynical, just more enraged. He has worked on several projects for TOKYOPOP, including Afterlife, an original series with Rob Steen, the illustrator of Ricky Gervais's Flanimals, as well as adaptations for the best-selling .hack novels. Other projects include the e-zine The Idiot, of which he is the editor, and his first feature film, The Deal (a thriller starring Penelope Ann Miller, Henry Thomas, and Dean Stockwell).
Brett R. Pinson. Brett is the co-founder of Boomtown Press as well as the co-creator of Boomtown Scabs and The Adventures of Carl. Brett is currently working on the Fat Momma comics as a contributing writer, colorist, and letterer. He is also collaborating with Kevin Leen on Dinosaurs, Zombies, and Flying Saucers, with Adam Talley on The Expendables, and with Josh Warner on Incessant Yarns and several other projects in the near future.
Cathy St. George. Cathy St. George is a model and actress. Her film credits include Star 80 with Eric Roberts, The Man Who Loved Women with Burt Reynolds and Julie Andrews, Brewster's Millions with Richard Pryor, Beverly Hills Brats with Martin Sheen, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind with George Clooney. Her television work includes The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Tonight Show, and Santa Barbara. As a model, she has appeared twice as a Playboy cover model among many major publications and served as the inspiration for comic title Saint 7 International Spy and Ken Kelley's striking cover to issue #33 of Red Sonja. St. George has just completed 2 new horror films called No Strings and Grave Danger and a new comedy called Foursome, which is in post production.
Joe Shover. Joe Shover is a writer and artist living in Springfield, Ohio. Joe is a co-founder of Zonetrooper LTD and could easily be described as a human hat rack, since he wears so many of them where Zonetrooper is concerned. Joe designs and maintains the website, maintains contacts and submissions, co-hosts the Zonecast, designs and does layout for Zonetrooper magazine, where he writes Cronac: Temporal Enforcer and Major Tom's Journal, both ongoing storylines. Joe has written his own role-playing game, which will hit the Zonetrooper site sometime in the future.
Scott D. M. Simmons. Scott D. M. Simmons resides in the Cincinnati area and is the artist for Wannabez (written and lettered by Brant W. Fowler). He is an inker over artists such as Nicola Scott and David Baldeon for the upcoming Halloween Man books. He is also a frequent art and story contributor and editor at www.globalcomicjam.com (especially on Fusion Odyssey and JetDog Goes to Egypt) and has a few comic book projects in the works for various writers, as well as his own creations like Journeymen. Scott worked as a photographer at Hasbro Toys for eight years and has taught at the Art Institutes. He also currently writes the (Th)Inking Globally artist column at www.silverbulletcomics.com. His artwork portfolios can be seen at www.scottdmsimmons.com and at www.comicspace.com/scottdmsimmons.
Uko Smith. Uko Smith, a full-time freelancer who was born and bred in Washington, D.C., then fled to the Columbus College of Art and Design, has a usable BFA degree in illustration and a minor in fashion. Uko first gained recognition for his erotic pinup work and his sensual style. Collectors of his work have come to notice his distinctive use of line work and stylized realization. Uko has appeared in Heavy Metal magazine as the Featured Artist of the Month; Julie Strain's Nightmare on Pin-up Street, where he has four pieces displayed; Jade Magazine, Marquis, Aphrodisia, and others. Other work of Uko's can be found in the world of sketchcards from DC Legacy, Marvel Masterpieces, and The Complete Avengers. Currently he just finished 600 cards for The Women of Marvel through Rittenhouse. He produces self-published works such as sketchbooks, prints, original works, and T-shirts, along with a steady load of freelance work for various companies such as Green Ronin. He has taught fast sketch and figure drawing and currently teaches the comic book class at CCAD.
Jamie Snell. A graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, Jamie has become a freelance comic book artist, working for various independent comic companies. His most recent projects include Lord of the Rings Masterpieces II sketch cards from Topps and New Line Cinema, various Beast Wars Source Book profiles from IDW Publishing and Hasbro, Pop Gun Anthology from Image Comics, Cereal and Pajamas from Ape Entertainment, and various chores for General Jack Cosmo Productions.







