Special Guests
Jason Aaron
Jason Aaron is an award-winning comic book writer best known for his work with Marvel Comics, including a landmark seven-year run on Thor. He’s also had celebrated stints writing Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Conan the Barbarian, and the 2015 relaunch of Star Wars. He is currently writing Marvel's flagship Avengers series, along with a character-defining run on Punisher. His other works include the Eisner and Harvey Award–winning Southern Bastards (Image}, Scalped (DC/Vertigo), and the recently launched Once Upon a Time at the End of the World (BOOM! Studios).
Alane Adams
Alane Adams is a Webby-award winning creator of media content designed to get kids excited about reading and is the author of the Legends of Orkney and the Legends of Olympus series for middle-grade readers, as well as four historical picture books set in the 1920s. Alane founded the Rise Up Foundation in 2009, which has supported thousands of teachers with classroom needs and books.
Mingjue Helen Chen
Mingjue Helen Chen is an LA-based illustrator who works in animation as well as publishing. She's worked for Disney Publishing, BOOM!, DC Comics, and Marvel and contributed to such titles as Jungle Book, Gotham Academy, and Silk, along with doing various comic book cover work. Her movie projects include Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, and Wish Dragon. Most recently, she was a production designer on Raya and the Last Dragon.
Tom Cook
Tom Cook began his career as an animator and director in 1978 at Hanna-Barbera Studios, where he worked as an assistant animator on such series as Super Friends, Godzilla, Scooby Doo, Smurfs, and The Flintstones. Moving to Filmation Studios in 1980, he worked on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra Princess of Power, Ghostbusters, and The Kids Super Power Hour, among others. He then directed many episodes of these favorite TV cartoons: Road Rovers, Disney's Mighty Ducks, Duckman, King of the Hill, Savage Dragon, Extreme Ghostbusters, The Simpsons, and many more. He also animated or was the key clean-up artist on such animated films as Walt Disney's Prince and the Pauper, Roger Rabbit in Tummy Trouble, The Jetson's Movie, Rover Dangerfield, Stay Tuned, Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, Steven Spielberg's We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story, and Don Bluth's Thumbelina.
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.
Jenny Frison
Jenny Frison is an illustrator and comic book cover artist known for her evocative and painterly illustrations. Focusing on moody portraits, her body of work is emotionally motivated and character driven. While Jenny made a name for herself in comics creating covers for titles like Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and more, her portfolio has grown to include art for television, movies, gaming, galleries, and museums. She resides just outside of Chicago with her husband, two terrible cats, and the world's very best dog.
Mitch Gerads
Mitch Gerads is a comics artist who has made a career out of bringing humanity and realism to the superhuman and unreal. Best known for his much-lauded work at DC Comics with writer Tom King on Mister Miracle, Batman, Strange Adventures, and The Sheriff of Babylon, he lives and draws in Phoenix, with his Catwoman, Lauren—and his Robin, West.
Adam Hughes
While best known for his eye-catching covers on Black Widow, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Fairest, Adam Hughes has done much more to become a fan-favorite artist. His recent interior projects include the Eisner Award–winning Hellboy: Krampusnacht and Hellboy: Seven Wives Club, and stories in The Rocketeer Anthology, Batman: Black and White, and Harley Quinn: Black, White and Red, to name just a few. Now a designer for Disney, Adam still makes time for the occasional comics project.
Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez is an Eisner, Inkpot, Diamond, and Wizard award–winning writer and artist who has worked for DC, Marvel, and a host of other comic book companies for nearly 30 years. He is best known for his work on Tempest, The Invisibles, JLA/Titans, New-X-Men, Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis, Amazing Spider-Man, Otherworld, Superwoman, and the Eisner Award–winning WonderWoman: Historia. Jimenez has also worked in film, television, animation, traditional print media, and packaging design; has lectured at universities, museums, and the Library of Congress on identity and diversity in entertainment; and is considered one of the most prominent out gay creators in mainstream comics.
Daniel Warren Johnson
[Photo by Michael Watson]
Daniel Warren Johnson is a Chicago-based comic book writer, artist, and illustrator with clients including Image, DC, Marvel, Wizards of the Coast, and many others. His creator-owned title Extremity was met with popular and critical acclaim, netting him an Eisner Award nomination for Best Limited Series. His other works includes Do a Powerbomb, Beta Ray Bill, Murder Falcon, and Wonder Woman: Dead Earth.
Tom King
Eisner Award–winning writer Tom King had an extensive run on Batman, giving us a story to truly remember. His other credits include Batman/Catwoman, Grayson, Heroes in Crisis, Mister Miracle, The Omega Men, Rorschach, Strange Adventures, and The Sheriff of Babylon for DC and The Vision for Marvel. His most recent projects have included Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Human Target. Filmmaker James Gunn has announced that King is one the architects of the new DC Universe media franchise of feature films and other media.
Jae Lee
Jae Lee is a Korean American comic book artist known for his dark style. In 1990, he became one of the youngest artists ever to work for a major publisher. He is an Eisner Award winner for his work on Marvel's The Inhumans. His art can also be seen in Stephen King's Dark Tower, Before Watchmen: Ozymandias, and Batman/Superman. Most recently, he returned to Image Comics on the creator-owned series Seven Sons.