2019

Joseph Michael Linsner is most well-known for writing and painting the adventures of his creation Dawn, his personal Pin-Up Goddess. Since her debut appearance on the cover of Cry for Dawn #1 in 1989, Dawn has struck a chord with thousands of fans on an international level. She is currently published in six languages and has come to life in the form of statues, action figures, and lithographs.

Mark Evanier has been writing comic books since he was 17, having started reading them when he was about that many minutes old. He apprenticed with the great Jack Kirby and has written much about Jack and comic book history. He's written countless comics including many with the superstars of Disney, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera, as well as Blackhawk and others for DC, his own co-creations including The DNAgents, Crossfire, and Magnor, plus he does something (God knows what) on Groo the Wanderer with Sergio Aragonés.

Wendy Pini has been drawing literally since the age of two, and has worked for Marvel, DC, First Comics, Comico, Berkley, Tor Books, and many other publishers.

Richard Pini is the co-creator, sometimes-writer, editor, and publisher for the long-running fantasy graphic novel series Elfquest. He is the author of the Eisner Award-nominated art book Line of Beauty—The Art of Wendy Pini, as well as co-author and editor of The Art of Elfquest, and Elfquest—The Art of the Story. A graduate of MIT in astronomy as well as planetarium writer, lecturer, and teacher, he has contributed articles to magazines on the wonders of the heavens.

Paul Levitz is a comic fan (The Comic Reader), editor (Batman), writer (Legion of Super-Heroes, executive (30 years at DC, ending as president and publisher), historian (75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Myth-Making (Taschen, 2010)), and educator (including the American Graphic Novel at Columbia).

Willie Ito hails from San Francisco, California. At the age of five, he realized that cartooning and animation were in his future.

Born in Los Angeles, Mary Fleener started self-publishing her own mini comics in the mid- ‘80s and began appearing in anthologies such as Weirdo, Wimmen’s, and Rip Off Comix. Her first solo title was Hoodoo (1988), and she illustrated the stories of Zora Neale Hurston. This inspired her to do her own autobiographical stories that were collected in book form under the title Life of the Party (1994). Fleener has just completed her first YA graphic novel called Billie the Bee, which is available now from Fantagraphics Books.

Kurt Busiek broke in to comics in 1982, selling his first scripts to both DC and Marvel Comics within a month of graduating college. But he didn't break through until 1994 and Marvels, the groundbreaking mini-series he did with painter Alex Ross. A multiple Eisner and Harvey Award winner, Kurt has written Avengers, Conan, Superman, and others, co-created Thunderbolts and The Power Company, and launched creator-owned series, including Astro City, Arrowsmith, Autumnlands, Shockrockets, and The Wizard's Tale.

Greg Bear is the author of over thirty novels, including Blood Music, Eon, and Darwin’s Radio, and many short works of fiction, as well as nonfiction articles. He’s won five Nebula awards and two Hugos, as well as international awards, including the Science Fiction World Award for Best Foreign Writer. Back in the day when he was on Comic-Con’s founding committee, he was also creating and publishing artwork. He’s married to Astrid Anderson Bear and his children are Alexandra and Erik.

One of MAD magazine's longest-running cartoonists (only Al Jaffee has been around longer) and the creator of dim-witted barbarian Groo the Wanderer, Sergio Aragonés is one of comics’ most popular creators. He has won every major cartooning award including the Reuben, the Comic-Con Icon award, the Will Eisner Hall of Fame award, various other Eisners and Harveys, and even has two awards named for him. In addition to his continuing work for MAD, Sergio had his own comic book series at Bongo Comics, Sergio Aragonés Funnies. He continues to draw Groo