The following special guests have been confirmed to appear at Comic-Con International 2016, to be held July 21–24 at the San Diego Convention Center.
Special Guests
Maggie Thompson
Writer, editor, historian, Comics Buyer’s Guide, Toucan
When Maggie Thompson was 4 years old (in the Golden Age), her mom encouraged her to read—and collect—comic books. As a bonus, Maggie’s mom and dad were science fiction fans and introduced her to the world of conventions. In the decades since, she has pioneered in the world of comics fan publishing with her husband, Don, has co-edited Comics Buyer’s Guide for 30 years, and now writes online columns for Comic-Con International and Diamond Comic Distributors. She is delighted that kids today get to meet comics creators, attend comics conventions, and even see comics in their libraries.
Bjo Trimble
Author, Star Trek Concordance; Convention Organizer
Bjo Trimble, along with her husband, John, has been an active fan since 1950. They organized the first WorldCon Art Show and ran it for 17 years. Bjo created the Futuristic Fashion Show in 1958. At a later Fashion Show, she met Gene Roddenberry, setting off on a voyage where no one had gone before.
The Trimbles attended San Diego’s Golden State Comic Minicon in 1970 and later set up the Art Show. Bjo—with Walter Koenig and Jack Kirby—reorganized the Masquerade. Bjo received an Inkpot Award in 1974 for both the Trimbles’ service.
The couple organized the “Save Star Trek” write-in campaign that kept the franchise alive for 50 years and got the first space shuttle to be named the “Enterprise.” John was seldom mentioned because media focus was on woman’s lib back then. But without a third season, Star Trek wouldn’t have been syndicated, and . . . The rest is history. Bjo is currently writing an introduction to IDW Publishing’s fifth collection of Gold Key classic Star Trek comic books.
John Trimble
Convention organizer
John Trimble and his wife, Bjo, met under Forry Ackerman’s baby grand piano and have been married for 56 years. They have been fans since the early 1950s and were active in many conventions, including their own Filmcons and Equicons. Their film careers include John’s role in a fan movie, The Musquite Kid Rides Again, and Bjo’s makeup for Flesh Gordon plus as an extra in ST:TMP. Both John and Bjo are credited as being among the most influential figures in science fiction fandom.
G. Willow Wilson
Writer, Ms Marvel, A-Force
G. Willow Wilson is a comic book writer and novelist. Her works include the bestselling series Ms Marvel, winner of the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Work; and the novel Alif the Unseen, which won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Willow began working in the comics industry at age 23, when DC/Vertigo Comics acquired her debut graphic novel, Cairo. Since then, she has written extensively for both DC and Marvel, working on series including Superman, The X-Men, and A-Force. In 2015, PEN America honored her with an award for Innovation in the Graphic Arts.
Ronald Wimberly
Designer/cartoonist, Prince of Cats, Sentences
Ronald Wimberly is a designer/cartoonist based in New York City. He’s worked with The New Yorker, Dargaud, DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Nike, Benetton, and others. Some notable works are the Eisner Award–nominated Sentences for Vertigo, Lighten Up for the Nib on Medium, and Prince of Cats (to be re-released from Image in October). He’s twice been selected for the Maison des Auteurs residency in Angoulême and is the 2016 Columbus Museum of Art/Thurber House 2016 Graphic Novelist Artist-in-Residence. He’s exhibited in New York, Tokyo, and Paris.
Satoshi Yamamoto
Artist, Pokémon Adventures
Satoshi Yamamoto is the artist for VIZ Media’s Pokémon Adventures, which he began working on in 2001, starting with volume 10. He is currently working on the twelfth and thirteenth story arcs of the Pokémon Adventures series, “Pokémon X・Y” and “Pokémon ΩRuby αSapphire.” Yamamoto’s favorite manga creators/artists include Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon), Yukinobu Hoshino (2001 Nights), and Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira). He loves films, monsters, mysteries, punk rock music, and livin’ the good life. He uses the Pokémon Swalot as his artist portrait.