Announcing the Final Group of Special Guests for 2026

Jim Cummings

Legendary voice actor Jim Cummings’ award-winning career spans more than four decades as the auditory talent behind such landmark animated characters as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, and Star Wars’ Hondo Ohnaka, as well as providing the singing voice of Scar in The Lion King. Cummings has given life to more than 1,500 different animated characters across nearly 200 films, 134 television series (2,500+ episodes), 175 video games and 25 animated shorts. A two-time Annie Award winner and recipient of the prestigious Winsor McCay Award, Cummings also serves as the host of the popular Toon’d In! with Jim Cummings podcast, where he shares behind-the-scenes stories, interviews industry legends, and offers fans an inside look at the world of animation and voice acting.

Mark Evanier

Mark Evanier attended his first San Diego Comic-Con in 1970 and has been to every one of these annual events ever since. He was then an assistant to the great Jack Kirby, whom he wrote about in his book Kirby, King of Comics. Mark has also written for live-action TV shows, animated TV shows (including various Garfield cartoons) and tons of comic books. The comics include working with Sergio Aragonés for 40 years on Groo the Wanderer, and many more. He is also a historian of comic books and animation.

Yoichi Nishikawa

Yoichi Nishikawa is a celebrated Japanese background artist and painter who has contributed to all Studio Ghibli productions, from Howl’s Moving Castle to The Boy and the Heron. He has also worked as art director on such acclaimed films as Summer Wars and Wolf Children. Known as “the painter of clouds,” Nishikawa is recognized for his masterful use of light, atmosphere, and color. His fine art exhibitions and publications have earned him an international following, showcasing the same sense of beauty and emotional storytelling that defines his work in animation, transforming everyday landscapes into scenes of quiet wonder and nostalgia.

Sponsored by Gallery Nucleus

Scott Shaw!

For well over half a century, Scott Shaw! has worked on underground comix, mainstream comics, cartoon shows, and advertisements for TV and print. His credits include DC Comics’ Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, Sonic the Hedgehog, the Cocoa/Fruity Pebbles commercials on 1980s/90s Saturday morning cartoon networks, and animated cartoon series including Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies and Hey Arnold! Scott also produced Martin Short’s The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley and John Candy’s Camp Candy cartoon series. Favorite annual events at Comic-Con are his Oddball Comics show and his contributions to the Quick Draw! panel hosted by Mark Evanier. His latest book is Scott Shaw!’s Sonic Days, a collection and recoloring of his illustrated stories from the early 1990s.