Comic-Con International features one of the most diverse guest lists of any convention. Forty guests have been announced for the 2014 event, including creators from mainstream and alternative comics, graphic novels, comic strips, animation, and science fiction and fantasy books. The following individuals appeared at Comic-Con International 2014 as special guests.
Comic-Con 2014 Special Guests
John Picacio
Artist, A Song of Ice and Fire, Elric of Melnibone
John Picacio is one of the most acclaimed American artists in science fiction, fantasy, and horror publishing over the last decade. He illustrated the bestselling 2012 George R. R. Martin/A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar and has created iconic cover art for books by Michael Moorcock, Dan Simmons, and more, as well as Star Trek and X-Men. Winner of the 2012 and 2013 Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, he is the owner of Lone Boy, a media company housing his creator-owned art ventures, including the forthcoming Loteria, featuring 54 new Picacio artworks. For more information, please visit lone-boy.com.
Rina Piccolo
Cartoonist, Tina’s Groove, Six Chix
Rina Piccolo’s gag cartoons have appeared in numerous magazines including The New Yorker, Barron's Business Magazine, The Reader’s Digest, Parade Magazine, and more. In 2002, Rina’s newspaper comic strip Tina’s Groove—featuring a waitress—went into syndication with King Features Syndicate and launched in newspapers worldwide. It continues to run daily in several print and online markets. In addition, Rina’s cartoons are featured every Wednesday in the syndicated gag cartoon Six Chix, a comic shared by six women. Her web comic Velia, Dear ran from 2010 to 2012. She lives in Toronto, Canada, where she was born and raised.
Mimi Pond
Cartoonist, Over Easy
Mimi Pond is a cartoonist, illustrator, humorist, and writer. Her first long-form graphic memoir, Over Easy, detailing her post-art school years in the Bay Area, will be published by D+Q in Spring 2014. She has created comics for the Los Angeles Times, Seventeen magazine, National Lampoon, and other publications too numerous to mentio, and has written and illustrated five humor books. Her credits for television include the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," in 1989, and episodes for the television shows Designing Women and Pee-wee's Playhouse. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the painter Wayne White.
Joe Quesada
Chief Creative Officer, Marvel Entertainment
Joe Quesada wears many creative hats, as both an acclaimed writer/artist and the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment—the world’s largest and most dynamic comics publisher. In this role, Joe is steward of such legendary characters as the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the X-Men.
With his transition into the position of chief creative officer, Joe’s tenure as editor-in-chief recently drew to a close after ten successful years—the longest term since Stan Lee himself. Under Quesada’s guidance, Marvel underwent a creative boom and became home to the comic industry’s greatest talents, which continues to hold true today. He now brings this same vision in his new role to the whole of Marvel Entertainment, creatively overseeing the worlds of film, animation, and television, as well as publishing.
Don Rosa
Cartoonist, Uncle $crooge, Donald Duck
Well known in American comics fandom since the 1960s for his vast comic book collection and comics fanzine activities, Don Rosa became internationally famous starting in 1987 when he began writing and drawing new stories based on his favorite classic comics—Carl Barks’ Uncle $crooge and Donald Duck. Soon he was working for various Disney-licensed publishers in Europe, where Barks’ Duck comics continue to be the bestselling comics that they once were in America. American fans can also now see his entire Duck comics career reprinted in the new Don Rosa Library from Fantagraphics.
Veronica Roth
Author, Divergent series
Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series, and the recently released Four: A Divergent Collection, a companion volume that includes four pre-Divergent stories from character Tobias Eaton’s point of view. Ms. Roth and her husband live near Chicago. You can visit her online at www.veronicarothbooks.com.
Jim Rugg
Artist/illustrator, Supermag, Afrodisiac
Jim Rugg makes comics, books, drawings, illustrations, and designs. His books and comics include Supermag, Afrodisiac, Street Angel, The PLAIN Janes, Rambo 3.5, and Notebook Drawings. He has exhibited drawings at iam8bit, Gallery1988, Mondo, and the Society of Illustrators. Honors include an Ignatz Award, The Pittsburgh Foundation's Investing in Professional Artists grant, and AIGA's 50 Books/50 Covers selection for best-designed books. He teaches classes in the MFA Visual Narrative program at the School of Visual Arts and co-hosts BoingBoing.net's Tell Me Something I Don't Know podcast. For more info on Jim, visit jimrugg.com.
Stan Sakai
Creator, writer, cartoonist, Usagi Yojimbo
Stan Sakai was born in Kyoto, Japan, grew up in Hawaii, and now lives in Southern California. His creation, Usagi Yojimbo, the samurai rabbit, was first published in 1984 and continues today. He does extensive research for his stories and has received numerous recognitions, including multiple Eisner Awards, a National Cartoonists Society Award, and the American Library Association Award. In 2013, he illustrated The 47 Ronin for Dark Horse. He is currently working on Usagi Yojimbo: Senso, a six-issue miniseries in which Martians attack feudal Japan.
François Schuiten
Artist, The Obscure Cities, The Leaning Girl
François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1956. His father was a prominent architect who had a tremendous impact on Françcois’s architecturally inspired stories. His series The Obscure Cities, in collaboration with writer Benoît Peeters, has remained an international favorite, now boasting nine graphic novels and several additional books and short films after three decades. Late in 2012, the series won the coveted Gaiman Award as the number one translated foreign comic book series in Japan. As a production designer, François has worked on a several movies, including The Perils of Gwendoline, Taxandria, The Golden Compass, and most recently, Mars et Avril. The Leaning Girl, an Obscure Cities graphic novel, will be published in English for the first time in November 2013, from Alaxis Press.
Scott Shaw!
Artist, Captain Carrot; comics historian, Oddball Comics
Scott Shaw! is an experienced professional cartoonist/writer in the fields of comic books, animation, advertising, and toy design. His first published comics story appeared in the underground comic book Gory Stories Quarterly. He co-created—with Roy Thomas—the funny animal superhero series Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! (DC). Scott was one of a handful of local comic fans who helped organize the first San Diego Comic-Con. He regularly performs his popular Oddball Comics slide show at Comic-Con, and he wows the audience along with Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier at the annual Quick Draw! event.
Dan Slott
Writer, Superior Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man
For the past seven years Dan Slott has been writing Amazing Spider-Man as part of a team during the “Brand New Day” era, and then as the solo writer for the “Big Time” run. With issue #700, the 50-year-old series wrapped with the traumatic death of Peter Parker. Dan segued right into writing Superior Spider-Man, where Spidey’s worst enemy, Doctor Octopus, has taken his place. In April, Dan relaunches the Amazing Spider-Man. He’s also scripting a new Silver Surfer series, illustrated by Mike Allred.
Dan’s other work includes She-Hulk, Thing, GLA: Misassembled, Avengers: The Initiative, Mighty Avengers, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, Batman Adventures, Justice League Adventures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, and Ren & Stimpy.
Jeff Smith
Creator, writer/artist, Bone, RASL, Little Mouse Gets Ready
Jeff Smith is the author/cartoonist of the BONE graphic novels, which won numerous awards around the world, including 2 NCS Division Awards for Best Comic Book, 10 Eisner Awards and 11 Harvey Awards, an Alph Art for Best Foreign Book in Angouleme, France, as well as awards in Spain, Germany, and Italy before being chosen to launch the first graphic novel imprint for children by Scholastic in 2005. In September of 2013, Smith released his most recent graphic novel, a hardboiled, science fiction epic titled RASL. Also that fall, a new web comic was launched about the first human to leave Africa 2,000,000 years ago called Tuki Save the Humans at Boneville.com. Smith was guest editor of The Best American Comic 2013. BONE, RASL and Best American Comics 2013 were New York Times bestsellers.