Baltimore Comic-Con 2020 Tickets On Sale!

Next year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will take place at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on October 23-25, 2020. In advance of the holiday season (and in response to numerous inquiries from fans!), tickets for the show are now on sale. Get that special someone a unique gift this holiday season.
Tickets currently available include:

VIP*
Weekend Pass
Friday only
Saturday only
Sunday only
As always, children 10 and under are free with a paid adult admission!

* VIP ticket holders receive the following package items and benefits:
Exclusive early admission to all 3 days of the show
2020 Baltimore Comic-Con t-shirt
2020 Baltimore Comic-Con yearbook
$40 gift voucher to the Baltimore Comic-Con Exclusives table
Show-exclusive Frank Cho print
Limited time offer! Between now and January 1, 2020, the Baltimore Comic-Con is offering a 10% discount on all ticket sales.

In addition to this great opportunity to purchase tickets to the 2020 event, fans in the Baltimore area will not want to miss the show’s host store Cards, Comics & Collectibles’ annual Thanksgiving Sale!

70% off Modern and Bronze Age Back Issues!
50% off Paperbacks and Hardcovers; Single Cards; Action Figures; HeroClix; Statues; Models; Toon Tumblers; and more!
30% off Gold and Silver Age Comics and Premium Back Issues
20% off Card Packs and Boxes; Recent Cover Price Comics; New This Week Items!

Sunday only deals!
80% off Modern Back Issue Bins!
60% off Paperbacks and Hardcovers!
Store hours during this sale are:

Friday: 11am-7:30pm
Saturday: 11am-7pm
Sunday: noon-5pm

TICKETS
General Admission and VIP Package tickets for Weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are now on sale! Visit https://purchase.growtix.com/e/Baltimore_Comic_Con_2020/36674/279044 for more information and to purchase your advanced tickets now, and as always, kids 10 and under get into the show free with a paid adult General Admission!

from Baltimore Comic-Con https://baltimorecomiccon.com/2019/11/baltimore-comic-con-2020-tickets-on-sale/

2018 Baltimore Comic-Con Costume Contest

The Baltimore Comic-Con and Toynk.com proudly present the highly-demanded and hugely popular Annual Costume Contest.

This year, the adult costume contest is being held on Saturday, September 29th at 3:00pm. All participants must be in the prejudge room by 1:30pm or their deposit will be forfeit. Prejudging will start at 2:00pm and will be split into amateur and professional contests. We are proud to welcome Baltimore radio personalities Jeremy Conn, co-host of The Scott & Jeremy Show on 105.7 The Fan and Bethany from the Mix 106.5 Morning Show.

The children’s costume contest will be held on Sunday, September 30th at 2:30pm. All participants must be in the prejudge room by 1:30pm.

CATEGORIES

Adult – “Professional” ($10 Entry Fee)

• Those working a job involving building or fabricating costumes.
• Those who make costumes or pieces for casual sale (eBay, etc.).
• Those who have won an award at a costume contest at any convention.
• Those that have been invited based on Cosplay.

Adult – “Amateur” ($5 Entry Fee)

• Any adult 18 years or older that does not meet the above requirements.

Kids (Free)

• Ages 17 and under.

PRIZES

Overall Best Costume (Best in Show)
$1,000 Grand Prize in Cash for Professional

Prizes in each of the Professional Adult categories:
$250 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 1st Place
$150 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 2nd Place
$100 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 3rd Place

Amateur Adult categories:
$150 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 1st Place
$100 Tonnk.com Gift Certificate for 2nd Place
$50 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 3rd Place

Group category (winning groups divide prize amount between members):
$200 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 1st Place
$100 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 2nd Place

Kids Prizes in each of the Newborn to Age 11 and Age 12 to Age 17 categories:
$100 Grand Prize Toynk.com Gift Certificate
$50 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 1st Place
$35 Toynk.com Gift Certificate for 2nd Place

Each winner will also receive free admittance to the Baltimore Comic-Con in 2019 and both Adult Grand Prize Winners will be asked to judge the 2019 contest!

RULES FOR 2018

1. All participants must have Baltimore Comic-Con admission wristband or badge (this includes Associate, Dealer, Press, and other specialty badges). Members of Baltimore Comic-Con staff are ineligible to compete.
2. Participants can register at any time up to 1pm on Saturday or Sunday for the respective Costume Contests by visiting the Costume Contest Booth located in the lower Pratt Street lobby.
3. All participants will be required to sign a permission/release/waiver form to participate in the contest. Minors under 18 years of age may participate only if a permission/release form signed by the minor’s legal guardian is provided. Forms are available at the Costume Contest Booth (see #2 above).
4. Participant category (Amateur or Professional) shall be determined by a set of 3 judges during the pre-judging portion of the contest.
5. Pictures will be taken during judging of all participants and throughout the costume contest and will be the property of Baltimore Comic-Con.
6. All costumes must abide by the rules of Baltimore Comic-Con, including but not limited to the Baltimore Comic-Con Weapons and Harassment policies. If a policy violation is discovered, that entry will be disqualified.
7. Craftsmen are contestants who have participated in the Baltimore Comic-Con Costume Contest before, whose costume is 40% hand-made or greater, and who have not won the professional prize at Baltimore Comic-Con before.
8. Professionally made or rented costumes are prohibited.
9. Costumes that have won any major awards at any convention may not be entered in the Hall Costume Contest unless major (50% or more) work has been improved or worked over with photographic proof of the changes.
10. No glitter, confetti, pyrotechnics, live flame, or smoke generators of any kind are allowed in the Baltimore Convention Center.
11. No electrical power connections will be provided. If your costume requires power, it must be part of your costume design.
12. Groups from the same series are welcome to enter, but random characters from different series are discouraged. Groups will be considered as one entry and the winners will receive one prize to share.
13. Each contestant may present (wear) only one costume, or a group of people may wear one costume at the same time (i.e., a large costume that requires several people inside to move it).
14. All entrants are encouraged to bring reference material for their costume. Not all judges know all characters, so it is in everyone’s best interest to bring a color picture (or several) if possible. The reference should depict the details of the costume you are presenting. Please do not ask to e-mail or print out references at the convention.
15. Costumes will be judged on a variety of criteria, including craftsmanship and overall effect.
16. All judges’ decisions of the costume contest are final.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/09/2018-baltimore-comic-con-costume-contest/

Baltimore Comic-Con 2018 Announces Panel Programming

The 19th annual Baltimore Comic-Con returns to the Baltimore Convention Center the weekend of September 28-30, 2018. Tickets are available now for General Admission, VIP, and Ringo Awards! Our Programming schedule is now set and we’re excited to let you know what programming to look forward to at the show this year!

Friday features a look back at 40 years of Elfquest and 25 years of the team of Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett. You’ll also hear from some of the creators behind this year’s Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook and meet The Liberty Brigade.

Saturday, publisher panels include AHOY, Cave Pictures Publishing, and Valiant, spotlight panels on Jim Steranko, Frank Miller, Arthur Adams, and Jim Starlin. Meet media guests Katrina Law, Mike Colter, and Wil Wheaton. Plus, the comic adventures of Shazam! and a look at the connection between Music and Comics.

Sunday, check out panels from Valiant and AfterShock, and special panels with media guests Michael Copon, Erin Gray, Sherilyn Fenn, Tricia Helfer, and Zachary Levi. And don’t miss spotlight panels on Dan Slott, Brian Azzarello, P. Craig Russell, and Tony Isabella.

And of course, don’t let your children miss the excitement scheduled for the Kids Love Comics Pavilion!

Click here for the complete programming schedule.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/09/baltimore-comic-con-2018-announces-panel-programming/

Kids Love Comics at Baltimore Comic-Con with Expanded Kids Classes and Programming

Family fun returns to the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con this September 28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center in the beautiful Inner Harbor. The Baltimore Comic-Con presents the Kids Love Comics Pavilion, where kids and parents can venture towards comics fun with the biggest and best kids section at any comic convention! For 2018, the Kids Love Comics Pavilion is offering up a variety of activities and classes, including Superhero University, where kids can create their own hero and a make a mask and cape to match. Also, comics creators will be giving drawing classes in everything from how to draw a werewolf, to creating an epic jam comic with 6 fellow artists – there truly is something for everyone!

A diverse group of writers and artists will be on hand to sign and sell copies of their books, including New York Times Bestselling author Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Laura Lee Gulledge (Sketchbook Dares), Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space), and Frank Cammuso (Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker).

There will also be a plethora of brand new kids graphic novels debuting in the Kids Love Comics area, like Franco’s The Ghost, The Owl, Mark and Megan Mariano’s Puddleton Farm: Ewing! What Are You Doing?, Adam Wallenta’s Punk Taco, and more! This is a special opportunity for any child to meet the creators of their favorite books-and discover brand new ones as well!

Parents, bring your kids to the Baltimore Comic-Con the weekend of September 28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center! Tickets are now available, and as always, kids 10 and under get into the show free with a paid adult admission. (Please note: does not apply to early VIP admission or Special Event tickets.)

For more info on Kids Love Comics, please visit kidslovecomics.net.

Creators appearing at the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con Kids Love Comics Pavilion include:

• Carolyn Belefski (Curls)
• Ziggy Blumenthal (Sidekicked)
• Harold Buchholz (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
• Greg Burnham (Grandpa’s Shoes, Tuskagee Heirs)
• Frank Cammuso (Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker)
• Joe Carabeo (Curls)
• Steve Conte (Action Figure Kingdom)
• J. Robert Deans (Shakes the Cow)
• Charles C. Dowd (Kidthulu)
• Emily Drouin (Eplis)
• Tod Emko & Piggy (Piggy’s Tale)
• Chris Flick (Capes & Babes)
• Franco (Encounter, The Ghost, The Owl)
• John Gallagher (Buzzboy, Zoey & Ketchup)
• Will Gallagher (EPIC Bros.)
• S.L. Gallant (G.I. Joe)
• Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules)
• John Patrick Green (Kitty Construction Co.)
• Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert and Fred)
• Laura Lee Gulledge (Sketchbook Dares)
• Kata Kane (Ana and the Cosmic Race, GFFs: Ghost Friends Forever)
• Jade Lee (Coral)
• Mike Maihack (Cleopatra In Space)
• Chris Mariano (Claire Lost Her Bear At The World’s Fair)
• Mark Mariano (Puddleton Farm, Escape Into Comics)
• Trevor Mueller (Albert The Alien)
• Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground)
• Mark Poulton (Pizza Tree)
• Chase Poulton (Pizza Tree)
• Brian Shearer (G.I. Joe, Transformers)
• Jeff Shultz (Jughead)
• Ted Tucker (Caricatures)
• Emilio Velez Jr. (Dodgeball Teens)
• Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco)
• Todd Webb (Mr. Toast)
• Dexter Weeks (Haiku)
• Marcus Williams (Tuskagee Heirs)
• Javier Cruz Winnik (A Reason to Smile)

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/09/kids-love-comics-at-baltimore-comic-con-with-expanded-kids-classes-and-programming/

Inaugural ComicPro “Nuts and Bolts” Conference to be Held in Baltimore

Retailers to meet in Baltimore, the day before Baltimore Comic-Con

ComicsPRO, the comics specialty retailer trade association, has announced that registration is now open for the Comic Industry One-Day Conference. Being held on September 27th, 2018 at the Baltimore Convention Center, this conference will feature a series of 1-hour presentations to help retailers improve their businesses.

www.comicspro.org/2018baltimoreoneday

“This is the fist one-day conference we’ve organized,” said Peter Dolan, President of ComicsPRO. “It will hopefully be the first in a series of fall conferences – each focused on ‘nuts-and-bolts’ presentations/workshops.”
This year’s presentations will be announced in the next two weeks.

They may include:

• Working with schools
• Free Comic Book Day
• Local Comic Shop Day
• Social media class
• Working with universities and libraries
• Human resources
• Diversifying product mix
• Building a kids section and customer base
• How to profitably sell back issues

Every retailer attending the Comic Industry One Day Conference will be presented with a gift bag that will include a copy of the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con VIP Yearbook (Strangers in Paradise) and various other giveaways from Diamond and major publishers. Attending retailers will also receive free attendance to the Baltimore Comic-Con.

“We are super happy and excited that the Comic Industry One-Day Conference is the day before Baltimore Comic-Con,” said Marco Davanzo, Executive Director of ComicsPRO. “Baltimore Comic-Con is one of the best in the business. Fans and vendors love it.”
If you’d like to register for the conference, please visit www.comicspro.org/2018baltimoreoneday.

The Cost for registration is $19 for ComicsPRO members, $29 for non-member storefront retailers. Publishers, distributors, and other interested comics professionals are also invited to attend.

If you’d like to sponsor this conference, please contact Marco Davanzo at marco@comicspro.org.

The ComicsPRO Comic Industry Conference and Annual Membership Meeting is the only annual retailer-driven event in the industry, often cited as the most important business-focused event of the year.

ComicsPRO is a non-profit trade association dedicated to the health and progress of direct market comic book retailers. ComicsPRO allows retailers to speak with a unified voice on important industry issues, provides educational and mentoring opportunities to current and future retailers, and provides ways for members to reduce fixed costs.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/09/inaugural-comicpro-nuts-and-bolts-conference-to-be-held-in-baltimore/

Wil Wheaton Comes to Baltimore Comic-Con 2018

Wil Wheaton

Come to the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 28-30, 2018 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. Tickets can be purchased on-line with debit or credit card now to avoid standing in additional lines. The Baltimore Comic-Con is pleased to announce the addition of movie, television, and Internet star Wil Wheaton as a guest of the show both Friday and Saturday.

Wil Wheaton is an author, actor, and producer. He is best known for his work on The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Stand By Me. He is the co-creator, with Felicia Day, of the award-winning webseries, Tabletop. He is an award-winning and critically acclaimed audiobook narrator. His narration includes Ready Player One, The Collapsing Empire, Red Shirts, Strange Weather, and Masters of Doom. As a voice actor, Wil has performed in Teen Titans, Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Ben Ten: Alien Force, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and Disney’s Miles from Tomorrowland.

Wil lives with depression and anxiety, and is an outspoken advocate for mental health care. He is the recipient of the 2014 Rona and Ken Purdy Award to End Discrimination, awarded by NAMI.

Wil is online at wilwheaton.net, @wilw on Twitter, and is @itswilwheaton on most other social networks.

“Wil is someone we’ve wanted to have to the show for some time now,” said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. “He is such a beloved figure with our fans, from his work as a child actor in Stand By Me to his stand-out character of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, his recurring guest-starring role on The Big Bang Theory to his voice-over work in animation and audiobooks. He really strikes a geek-chic chord, and our attendees are going to love having him in Baltimore!”

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/08/wil-wheaton-comes-to-baltimore-comic-con-2018/

Luke Cage’s Mike Colter Comes to Baltimore Comic-Con 2018

The 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con takes place this September 28-38, 2018 at the Baltimore Convention Center in the Inner Harbor. The Baltimore Comic-Con is pleased to announce the addition of Mike Colter as a guest of the show both Saturday and Sunday.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND FAN PACKAGES!

Mike Colter began playing Marvel’s Luke Cage in the Netflix series Jessica Jones, starring Krysten Ritter, in 2015. Positively received in the role, the series led into a solo Luke Cage series in 2016 followed by a Marvel team-up with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist as The Defenders in 2017. Season 2 of Luke Cage premiered in June, 2018.

Prior to his time in the Marvel television universe, Colter was a cast member of the popular FX anthology series American Horror Story in 2013, appearing in three episodes of the Coven storyline. Following his turn on the horror series, Colter appeared as Agent Locke in the Xbox One series Halo: Nightfall and Halo 5: Guardians.

Colter’s earliest screen work was in the long-running NBC series ER, as well as The Parkers in 2002. Colter was a featured player in the Academy Award-winning Clint Eastwood production, Million Dollar Baby. He returned to television in Law & Order: Trial by Jury and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, before being cast in the film And Then Came Love.

Colter’s work on both the small and big screens eventually led to a recurring role on the Sarah Michelle series Ringer from 2011-2012, and in 2012, he appeared in both Men In Black 3 and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.

Born and raised in South Carolina, Colter trained to be an actor from an early age. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, Colter attended Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts where he received a MFA in acting.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND FAN PACKAGES!

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/07/luke-cages-mike-colter-comes-to-baltimore-comic-con-2018/

Katie Cook to Deliver 2018 Ringo Awards Keynote Address

The 2018 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards will be presented at the Ringo Awards Banquet and Ceremony in conjunction with the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con on the evening of Saturday, September 29, 2018. The final ballot is now open to comic book creative professionals to submit their votes. A limited number of tickets are available to the public to attend the Banquet and Award Ceremony and spend a fun evening, share a drink, and enjoy a meal with the comic book professional community.

Ringo Awards tickets include a full cocktail hour (cash bar), a full service dinner (featuring a Baltimore crab cake), the awards ceremony, and a gift bag, and are now available for $125. Please visit our website to purchase with credit card: baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets

The Ringo Awards Committee is proud to announce the addition of Katie Cook to the 2018 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards ceremony as the Keynote Address speaker!

Katie Cook is a comic artist and writer that has been in the industry for a while. She’d list just how long here, but isn’t that a faux pas of admitting that she’s old? I mean you can always Wikipedia her birthday if you want to get stuck on this topic. Why are we still talking about this?

She is the creator of the comic Nothing Special on LINE WEBTOON, an all-ages adventure about a girl, a boy with fairy wings, and a dead Radish. It’s her favorite thing and you should read it. Katie also wrote and drew the webcomic Gronk: A Monster’s Story, which lost several awards but is still delightful.

In mainstream comics, Katie has carved out quite the little gallery of titles she’s worked on… Did you ever watch that documentary about this fascinating woman in NYC that puts on a bizarre mix of costume jewelry and eclectic clothes every day? Iris? That’s Katie’s career… A little over here at IDW, a little over there at LucasFilm Press, who thought Katie was a good idea for a Sex Criminals cover, oh look now she’s drawing Spider-Man? A mixed bag of adorable all over this place.

Katie spent several years as one of the primary writers on IDW’s My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and has also done projects with Marvel, BOOM! Studios, and more (she apologizes for referring to some of you as “and more”). She’s also illustrated several Star Wars children’s books for Disney LucasFilm Press, and created artwork for the Disney Wonderground Gallery. Artist and writer! Double threat! (She thinks a triple threat in comics would be when someone is also an excellent editor, but any editor that has ever worked with her will attest that she thinks spell-check is something from Harry Potter.)

Her mother thinks she is funny. Sometimes. Maybe.

“Mike Wieringo once said, ‘I just try to keep things fun. I like to do fun comics’ and that’s the attitude that I love in comics,” said Cook. “It’s my own goal as well… Comics are so many things to so many people, but for me, they are fun. I am thrilled that I was asked to be a part of the Ringo Awards this year as the Keynote speaker, and I hope to get a chance to talk about the things I love in this industry that are bright and wonderful to me and make you to sit in a room and listen to me talk about them. I swear, if I see you get up during it to sneak to the bar, I will call you out – just try me Andy Price. Also, polite applause is mandatory.”

“Katie was my first and only choice to be our Keynote speaker this year,” said Marc Nathan, Baltimore Comic-Con promoter. “She’s witty and entertaining, and I’m sure will give a great speech.”

Voting on the 2018 Final Ballot is restricted to the comic book industry creative community — anyone involved in and credited with creating comics professionally. Don’t miss the presentation of final ballot winners, Fan-Only Favorites, Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement and Dick Giordano Humanitarian Awards, and the Mike Wieringo Spirit Award on the evening of Saturday, September 29th, 2018!

Companies, organizations, or individuals interested in sponsorship of the 2018 Ringo Awards may discuss opportunities to do so by emailing us at contact@ringoawards.com.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/07/katie-cook-to-deliver-2018-ringo-awards-keynote-address/

Batman Creators Capullo, King, Parker, Rousseau, Snyder and Tomasi at BCC2018

The Baltimore Comic-Con returns to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on September 28-30, 2018 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Tickets are now on sale. Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes top creators of one of comics’ most iconic characters, DC Comics’ Batman, including Greg Capullo, Tom King, Jeff Parker, Craig Rousseau, Scott Snyder, and Peter Tomasi.

Greg Capullo is a self taught Illustrator, working for the past five years as artist on the New York Times best-selling, highly-acclaimed Batman series for DC Comics. He is presently co-creating the Image Comics’ book titled Reborn, along with writer Mark Millar. Prior to his Batman run, he was best known for his 80-issue run on Image Comics’ Spawn. Other popular comics work includes Marvel Comics’ X-Force and Quasar. He is also the creator of The Creech, a sci-fi/horror comic published by Image Comics. Greg has provided art for Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, contributed lead character designs for the the award-winning HBO animated Spawn series, and was the cover artist for many popular musical groups, including Five Finger Death Punch, Korn, and Disturbed.

Ringo and Eisner Award-winning Tom King is currently the writer of Batman at DC Comics, where he has also written Mister Miracle, Grayson, The Omega Men, DC Nation, Swamp Thing Winter Special, and has a story in Action Comics #1000, not to mention his award-winning work at Marvel on The Vision. King’s first book, A Once Crowded Sky, a postmodern super hero novel, was recognized by USA Today as one of the best Graphic Novels of the year. He was named by the Hollywood Reporter as one of the five comic creators to watch in 2015.

Jeff Parker is best known for writing comic books, such as Agents of Atlas, X-Men First Class, Batman ’66, Aquaman, Future Quest, Thunderbolts, and more. His career in comics started as an penciller at Malibu, where he provided art for Solitaire. For years, Parker made a living drawing stories, as well as commercial art and storyboards for TV. At the inaugural Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards, Parker’s work on Future Quest at DC Comics won the Mike Wieringo Spirit Award.

Craig Rousseau has spent his career as an artist working on numerous noteworthy titles and runs. He has spent time on DC Comics’ Batman Beyond, Harley Quinn, and Impulse, Marvel’s Captain America & the Korvac Saga, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Season 2, and Iron Man & the Iron Wars, and he can be seen lately working on DC Comics’ Batman ’66, Image Comics’ Perhapanauts: Danger Down Under, and Dynamite Entertainment’s Pathfinder: Goblins!

Scott Snyder made a huge impact on the comic industry with his ground-breaking work in DC’s New 52, writing Batman (with artist Greg Capullo) and Swamp Thing. In 2011, he received Harvey and Eisner Awards for Best New Series for his work on American Vampire. In addition to these three titles, Snyder co-wrote Talon, which spun off directly from his critically-acclaimed “Court of Owls” storyline from Batman. He is currently taking the reins of DC Comics’ Justice League, writes New Challengers, and has authored such titles as Detective Comics, The Wake, Superman Unchained, All-Star Batman, Batman Eternal, Justice League: No Justice, DC Nation, Action Comics #1000, and Dark Nights: Metal.

Peter Tomasi is a writer and editor best known for his work at DC Comics. He began his career in 1993, editing such titles as Green Lantern, the Batman titles, Aquaman, Hawkman, and JSA before being promoted to Senior Editor in 2003. In 2007, Tomasi decided to move from editing to writing full-time and, in 2010, took over writing Batman and Robin with issue #20. Since the launch of the New 52, Tomasi has helmed the new volumes of both Batman and Robin and Green Lantern Corps, The Adventures of the Super Sons, Action Comics #1000, Superman, and The Kamandi Challenge at DC Comics, as well as House of Penance at Dark Horse Comics.

“Not to belittle any other character in DC or any other publisher’s retinue of heroes, but Batman is clearly one of the most globally recognizable characters — even in silhouette!” said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. “We are so excited to be hosting so many of the major players contributing to the mythology of Batman today, and expect them to be in high demand by their fans!”

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/06/batman-creators-capullo-king-parker-rousseau-snyder-and-tomasi-at-bcc2018/

Baltimore Comic-Con 2018 Welcome Iconic Creators of Creative Icons

Come to the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor this September 28-30 for the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con! Purchase your tickets now and avoid lines at the ticket counter. The Baltimore Comic-Con will feature some of the industry’s most impactful talent, including Batman’s Harvey Bullock creator Howard Chaykin, Blue Devil creator Paris Cullins, Preacher creator Garth Ennis, Black Lightning creator Tony Isabella, New Mutants creator Bob McLeod, Power Pack creator Louise Simonson, Beta Ray Bill creator Walter Simonson, Thanos creator Jim Starlin, Big Hero 6 creator Gus Vazquez, and John Constantine creator Rick Veitch, just to name a few.

Howard Victor Chaykin is a longtime veteran of the comic book business. As a cartoonist — both writing and drawing — he has been a major influence on the direction of comics, referred to frequently as one of the principle architects of the modern comic book. His signature creation, American Flagg!, introduced a new level of narrative complexity, depth of character, and point of view in its text, not to mention a previously unseen level of design and craft to the visual nature of an all-too-frequently staid and timid medium.

Chaykin continues to produce work that pushes the envelope of concept, context, and content in comics. Last year’s The Divided States of Hysteria, thanks to social media, enraged an entirely new generation of the willfully ignorant who might have had a better case if they’d actually read the damned book. Chaykin’s new series, Hey Kids! Comics!, is a fictionalized history of the comic book business, a love letter written with just a frisson of acid in the ink, to the field he’s loved and called home for over four decades.
Paris Cullins courtesy of DC in the 80s

Paris Cullins landed in DC Comics’ intern program after repeatedly bringing in samples of his work in the 1970s. His first work was featured in Secrets of Haunted House #42, and he went onto work on other DC horror titles like Ghosts, The Unexpected, and Weird War Tales. Cullins transitioned to super-hero titles, doing back-up or assistant work on Green Lantern, Justice League of America, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, and

The Fury of Firestorm before taking on his first work on a title for his co-creation, Blue Devil. While he spent much of his career working at DC on titles such as Batman, The Forever People, and The New Gods, Cullins has drawn Richie Rich and Hot Stuff at Harvey Comics, Hyperkind for Marvel’s Razorline imprint, and Shi for Crusade Comics. In addition to his work in comics, Cullins has spent time at advertisement agencies doing storyboards for TV commercials, and has provided full-color storyboards and designs for video games.
Garth Ennis

Garth Ennis broke into the American Comic scene in 1991, taking over the writing reins on Hellblazer. After a successful four-year run, Ennis moved on to create

Preacher, a 66-issue epic that ran from 1995 -2000, which has now been adopted to a hit television series on AMC. In addition to these two ground-breaking series, he also had lengthy runs on DC’s The Demon and Hitman. More recently, Ennis wrapped up The Boys, a 72-issue story which began at DC’s Wildstorm imprint before moving to Dynamite Entertainment with issue #7. He has had numerous stints on Marvel’s The Punisher for Marvel Knights and MAX, as well as Fury for Marvel MAX. His recent work includes Dastardly and Muttley for DC Comics and Jimmy’s Bastards for AfterShock Comics.

Tony Isabella is creator/writer of Black Lightning, co-creator of Misty Knight and Tigra, and writer of Captain America, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Star Trek, and many more. He was an editor and writer at Marvel Comics. At DC, he created Black Lightning, the company’s first prominent African-American super-hero. He co-wrote the prose novels Captain America: Liberty’s Torch and Star Trek: The Case of the Colonist’s Corpse. He’s the author of 1000 Comic Books You Must Read and the odd-but-wondrous July 1963: A Pivotal Month in the Comic-Book Life of Tony Isabella. He’s received an Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International in San Diego and a Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award from ECBACC. Cleveland Magazine named him one of that city’s most interesting people of 2018. His most recent comics work is the six-issue Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands, marking his return to his creation. He writes the daily “Tony Isabella’s Bloggy Thing” and the weekly “Tony’s Tips” review column. He lectures on comics history, comics writing, and diversity in comics.

Beginning his career in Marvel Comics’ production department, Bob McLeod got his early credits penciling and inking for Crazy magazine. He was a member of The Crusty Bunkers inkers while working at Adams’ Continuity Studios, became a top inker on titles like Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, Conan the Barbarian, and Star Wars, and DC Comics’

Detective Comics, Legion of Super-Heroes, Wonder Woman, and The New Titans. He also drew the graphic novel and the first three issues of Marvel’s New Mutants, as well as inking a number of subsequent issues, and helped launch DC’s Superman: The Man of Steel. He also wrote and illustrated Superhero ABC from HarperCollins, and edited Rough Stuff magazine for TwoMorrows Publishing. McLeod currently teaches part-time at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.

Louise Simonson has, like her husband Walter, contributed significantly to the comic book industry. “Weezie”, as she is known, began her comics career as an editor at Warren Publishing before leaving for Marvel to edit titles including X-Men, New Mutants, and Star Wars. Departing the editorial role in favor of writing, Weezie has contributed to storylines in Marvel’s Marvel Team-Up, Web of Spider-Man, and Red Sonja, and was responsible for the introduction of Apocalypse in X-Factor as well as the launch of Power Pack. At DC Comics, she worked on Superman: The Man of Steel and The Adventures of Superman.
Walter and Louise Simonson

Walter Simonson has made vast contributions to comics publishing, as a writer, an artist, and even in founding publishing imprints. He was recognized in 2012 at the Harvey Awards in Special Award for Excellence in Production/Presentation and Best Domestic Reprint Project for Walt Simonson’s The

Mighty Thor, Artist’s Edition from IDW, and in 2013 for Alien: The Illustrated Story from Titan Books for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work. He also received the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 at the Harvey Awards. Walt’s career began in the 1970s at DC Comics, where he worked on titles such as Weird War Tales, Manhunter, Metal Men, Orion, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Vigilante, and Hercules Unbound. Over at Marvel Comics, Simonson has had numerous noteworthy runs, including The Rampaging Hulk magazine, X-Factor, Fantastic Four, and Thor, on which he was responsible for the introduction of Beta Ray Bill and Thor as a frog.

The multi-talented Jim Starlin has worked on both writing and creating art for some of the most noteworthy creations since his entry into the field of comics in the 1970s. The mind behind the Marvel character Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, he is also responsible for a number of noteworthy cosmic characters in the Marvel Universe, including Gamora,

Drax the Destroyer, and the villainous Thanos, all of whom are featured in this year’s major motion picture, Avengers: Infinity War.He developed noteworthy runs on Marvel’s Captain Marvel, Warlock, and Silver Surfer, Marvel mini-series Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade, and DC Comics’ Batman, The Weird, and Cosmic Odyssey. His Death of Captain Marvel was the first Marvel graphic novel to be published. More recently, he has provided writing and art for DC’s Stormwatch and writing on Green Lantern: Mongul #23.2, and he returned to his classic villain in April 2014 with Marvel’s Thanos: The Infinity Revelation and 2018’s Thanos: The Infinity Siblings.
Gus Vazquez

Gus Vazquez is an illustrator who has worked in nearly every field, including comic books, trading cards, storyboarding for music videos, commercials, animation and film, logo design, character and toy design, and more. He started his career in comic books working as an assistant to comic book artists Adam Pollina on X-Force, and Kevin McGuire on Trinity Angels. He got his first solo gig at Marvel Comics drawing the covers and interiors for Sunfire and Big Hero 6, the series that introduced the characters featured in Disney’s Oscar winning Big Hero 6.

He has worked on such Marvel titles as Deadpool, X-Force, Spider-Man, What If? Civil War, What If? Back in Black, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and more. For DC, he has worked on such titles as Green Lantern, JLA, Blue Beetle, and most recently on Flash, Suicide Squad, and Green Arrow. Gus was the artist on several issues of Claudio Sanchez’s (of rock music group Coheed and Cambria) The Amory Wars, and was instrumental in helping bring together the creative team of his friends, David Atchison (writer) and Tony Shasteen (illustrator), and his niece, film and TV actress Rosario Dawson on 12 Gauge’s The O.C.T. Currently, Gus has been working for DC Comics on The Sasquatch Detective, a backup story which can be found in the pages of Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, as well as DMC (Daryl Makes Comics) and on La Borinqueña. He is also working on his creator-owned book, Fang.

A member of The Kubert School’s first graduating class, Rick Veitch made a name early in his career as a fantasy artist and writer for Marvel’s Epic line of titles, where he worked on Epic Illustrated, Heartburst, and The One. He went on to work on the critically acclaimed

Swamp Thing from DC Comics, as well as Miracleman from Eclipse Comics, for which he both wrote and provided art. Veitch then moved into the indie comics scene, working initially on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Mirage Studios and then launching his own King Hell publishing house, with titles like Bratpack and The Maximortal. Returning to larger publishers, Veitch has worked on Image’s 1963 and Supreme, and DC’s Tomorrow Stories, America’s Best Comics, The Question, and Aquaman. More recently, he wrote the Vertigo title Army@Love and The Big Lie from Image. You can find his Miracleman work reprinted these days from Marvel Comics and Rick Veitch’s The One from IDW Publishing.

“We were looking through our guest list and came to the realization that a tremendous amount of significant comics characters were created by guests in the room this year,” said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. “Without the contributions of these guests, the comics tapestry would be far less ornate in each publisher’s respective universe. We know our fans are going to be excited to pull out issues of their favorite or first appearances of these characters to get signed by these great guests!”

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/05/baltimore-comic-con-2018-welcome-iconic-creators-of-creative-icons/

Frank Miller Returns to Baltimore Comic-Con in 2018

You won’t want to miss the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con, taking place September 28-30 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con is elated to announce the return of Frank Miller on Friday and Saturday at the show.

Frank Miller is a comic book writer and artist, a screenwriter, a film director, and a movie producer. Originally from just down the street in Olney, MD, Frank was raised in Montpelier, VT, and eventually found his way to New York City and the comic book industry in the late 1970s. Finding work in Gold Key Comics initially, he went on to work with DC and Marvel.

At the latter, after recurring fill-in and cover artist gigs, he took over art and, eventually, writing duties on Daredevil. He co-plotted the Wolverine limited series with Chris Claremont, and would continue working on titles (his own and those of the companies for which he worked) including Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Elektra Lives Again, The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, and 300. In addition to his comic book work, Miller wrote the scripts for Robocop 2 and 3, directed the film version of The Spirit, shared directing duties with Robert Rodriguez on the Palme d’Or-nominated Sin City and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and produced the film 300. Eagle-eyed viewers can spot him in cameo roles in Robocop 2, Daredevil, Sin City, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and The Spirit. Miller is known for creating Elektra for Marvel Comics’ Daredevil series, and a female version of the Robin character, Carrie Kelley, for DC Comics.

Miller will be appearing on Saturday and Sunday, and a limited number of tickets are available for fan interaction during his appearance. To purchase tickets to the Baltimore Comic-Con and the Frank Miller events specifically, please see our tickets webpage.

“What a thrill for us (and his fans) to have Frank back again this year!” said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. “We really enjoyed having him to the show last year, and Frank had a good time as well, so we’re pleased to be able to bring him back to Baltimore.”

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/05/frank-miller-returns-to-baltimore-comic-con-in-2018/

Steranko Joins Comic Luminaries at the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor comes to life this September 28-30 as the Baltimore Comic-Con returns to the Baltimore Convention Center. Tickets are now on sale. The Baltimore Comic-Con is thrilled announce the return of Jim Steranko to the Baltimore Comic-Con! Jim is joined by comic luminaries Joe Giella, Paul Levitz, and Hero Initiative guest Denny O’Neil.
Jim Steranko

Jim Steranko has cut a ferocious path through the entertainment arts, with a dozen successful careers to his credit: author, magician, illustrator, escape artist, historian. He is cited as one of the prime architects of Marvel Comics and the co-creator of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He also wrote and drew Captain America, The Hulk, Superman, and The X-Men (for which he designed the classic title logo); generated more than 150 original storytelling devices and techniques that changed the direction of the comics medium; and evolved a devoted cult of followers who have nicknamed him The Innovator. Wizard magazine credits Steranko as the 5th Most Influential Artist in the history of the form. He has painted a multitude of movie posters, record albums, and book covers; and in 1975, created Red Tide, the First Modern Graphic Novel. As the editor-publisher of the international newsstand entertainment magazine Prevue, he conducted hundreds of superstar interviews and penned more than three million words. He numbers among his friends and associates writers Mickey Spillane, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ray Bradbury; the animation giants Ralph Bakshi and Shamus Culhane; and directors Federico Fellini, John Huston, and Orson Welles. As a musician, he gigged with Bill Haley in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll; as a pop-culture icon, he has appeared at more than 350 international events and exhibited his work worldwide, including at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and the Louvre in Paris; his two volumes of The History of Comics have sold more than 100,000 copies each; as an escape artist, his death-defying performances inspired the character Mister Miracle and, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, he was the man upon which the protagonist of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay was based; and more-photographer, ad agency art director, sideshow fire-eater, male model, typographer, designer…the list goes on. As a filmmaker, he collaborated with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas – for whom he created the look of Indiana Jones – and Francis Ford Coppola on some of their most popular films. He served as Creative Consultant for the History Channel’s two-hour documentary Comic-Book Superheroes-Unmasked; shook up Twitter with his innovative TNT technique (visit his live Sunday-night sessions by typing in iamsteranko); and is currently prepping An Evening with Steranko for theatrical venues across the country.

His recent Captain America covers topped Marvel sales charts; the IDW SHIELD Artist’s Edition sold out before publication (and won an Eisner Award); and the 2017 Overstreet Price Guide – with his Batman cover – had record-breaking sales. His covers on the record-setting Action 1000 and Captain America 700 have polled as fan favorites. Over the past several decades, he has amassed more than 100 highly-commercial Intellectual Properties, his Theatre of Concepts, which range from children’s interactive-learning entertainments to high-action adult digital gaming, from science fiction to superheroes. His vision is to shape, structure, and synthesize character-driven projects with state-of- the-art technology for the World of Tomorrow. And he’s still the best-dressed man in comics.

Joe Giella returns to the Baltimore Comic-Con for a rare appearance. The oldest living artist to have worked on Batman, this Golden and Silver Age creator worked at Timely, Marvel, and DC Comics as a penciller and inker. In addition to working on the comic, Giella provided pencils and inks on the Batman syndicated strip, as well as the syndicated Flash Gordon, The Phamtom, Mary Worth, and Sherlock Holmes comic strips. The United States Postal Service honored Giella by using two of his pieces of art for their 2006 “DC Super Heroes” collection of postage stamps. He has been honored with an Ink Pot Award, as well as being presented with the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement award at the 2016 Harvey Awards ceremony.

Paul Levitz has been a mainstay at DC Comics since 1972, serving as a writer, editor, and President (2002 – 2009) over the tenure of his career. His name is synonymous with the Legion of Super-Heroes, which he wrote from 1977-1979 and 1981-1989, and he created such notable characters as the Stalker, the Earth-2 Huntress, and Lucien the Librarian. Levitz has since returned to writing the Legion of Super-Heroes for the New 52, as well as the Earth-2 centric book, World’s Finest. After ending his career as DC Comics employee, Levitz moved onto the next phase of his career, accepting a Board of Directors position with BOOM! Studios. He has recently contributed Brooklyn Blood to Dark Horse Presents from Dark Horse Comics and guest edited and contributed an essay to DC’s Action Comics #1000.

A board member of Hero Initiative, retired writer and editor Denny O’Neil spent much of his career making an indelible mark at Marvel Comics and DC Comics. Initially brought on as a writer at Marvel, he had a hand in writing or scripting diverse titles including Strange Tales, X-Men, Millie the Model, and Rawhide Kid. After a year at Charlton Comics, he followed editor Dick Giordano to DC Comics, where he assumed writing duties for Beware the Creeper, Wonder Woman, Justice League of America, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and, perhaps most notably, Batman. On that title, he embraced the dark roots of the character, creating and defining the tone for numerous characters from the series. He returned to Marvel in the 1980s, assuming writing chores on Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Iron Man where he once again created numerous recurring characters in the respective titles’ mythos. He also served as an editor during his Marvel stint on numerous titles and runs before returning as Batman Group editor at DC, where he also wrote The Question, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, and Batman: Sword of Azrael.
“We’re still months away from the show, and our guest list is already incredible,” said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. “These four guys are amazing — we haven’t had Jim to the show since 2001, so we’re excited to have him rejoin us in 2018, and adding Joe, Paul, and Denny to the mix just knocks the ouevre of the room out of the park.”

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/05/steranko-joins-comic-luminaries-at-the-2018-baltimore-comic-con/

Introducing the 2018 Ringo Awards Jury

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill, and fun of comics. The awards will be presented on Saturday, September 29, 2018 as part of the fan- and pro-favorite convention, The Baltimore Comic-Con. The Ringo Awards is currently in the midst of the 2018 nomination process, which is inclusive of fans and comic book professionals alike. Please submit your nominations before voting closes at midnight on May 30, 2018.

The Jury

An esteemed jury of comics professionals will participate in the nomination process, selecting favorite works in over 20 categories. The 2018 jury was chosen as a representative cross-section of the comic book industry, with members representing seasoned and venerated educators, retailers, press, and creators across numerous genres.

Michael Cavna

Michael Cavna is a cartoonist and creator of The Washington Post’s Eisner-nominated Comic Riffs column. He is also emcee and co-programmer of the Graphic Novel Pavilion events at the Library of Congress’s annual National Book Festival. In 2017, Cavna’s work was honored by the National Headliner Awards and the national Society for Features Journalism. A San Francisco native and UCSD alum, Cavna also wrote the Harvey Award-nominated prose for the Eisner Award-nominated anthology book Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s. His viral “Wise Up” cartoon launched the #Draw4Atena campaign on behalf of the jailed Iranian artist-activist Atena Farghadani, and his updated-monthly cartoon marked the 545-day detention of American-Iranian journalist Jason Rezaian. Those cartoon campaigns were cited by the National Press Club, the Poynter Institute and the Cartoonist Rights Network International. Cavna has created artwork and features for five syndicates, including Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz once told Cavna at a black-tie awards dinner: “You do funny things”; to this day, he does not know for sure whether Schulz was referring to Cavna’s syndicated comic Warped or to his tragically askew cummerbund.

Marty Grosser

Marty Grosser is the Editor of Diamond Comic Distributors’ PREVIEWS catalog, and has been involved with the publication since its inception in October of 1988. Before that, he started in the comics industry in the summer of 1981 as a counterman and Assistant Manager for Northern California’s Comics & Comix retail chain. In 1986, he left C&C for comics distributor, Bud Plant, Inc., where he worked in the Customer Service department before becoming the writer of BUD PLANT’S QUICKLIST (the catalog precursor to PREVIEWS) in 1987. This position eventually lead to his move to Maryland in 1988 following the purchase of BPI’s West Coast distribution network by Diamond Comic Distributors.

Karla Marsh-Southern

Karla Marsh-Southern is the Event and Exhibitor Coordinator for Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find and the Heroes Convention located in Charlotte, NC. She has served the Heroes Convention for over 14 years, and has done so in a full-time capacity for the past six. She began attending the Heroes Convention 13 days before her actual birth in June of 1982 when her mother agreed to accompany her brother to Charlotte’s first “Comic Book Convention”. She has attended every Heroes Convention since, with this year’s show marking her 36th consecutive Heroes Convention. Learning to read using Wonder Woman and Batman comics in the early 1980’s, Karla is an avid reader of series from across all genres. She is also a life-long fan of all things Masters of the Universe and has assisted in the management of the He-Man and She-Ra-themed Convention, Power-Con based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Rob Stull

Rob Stull is an accomplished illustrator, curator, teacher, penciler, inker, designer, and creator of comic books. In addition to working through his own studio, Ink on Paper, he has worked over two decades for every major publisher in the industry, including Marvel and DC Comics, where his projects include: Spider-Man Adventures, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Iron Man, X-Force, Wolverine, Nightwing, 52, Firestorm, and more. He was a member of the original Tellos creative team with Todd Dezago, Mike Wieringo, and Paul Mounts, and inked Mike’s pencils on the initial series run published by Image Comics. He also inked the covers for the Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute books and drew a chapter in Volume 1. He created and curated Sequential Art: The Next Step, a 10-year traveling exhibition spotlighting the work of African American comic book artists and their contributions to the industry and popular culture, and his work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States. He is featured in the ground-breaking books Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture and The History of American Graffiti. “I have always believed that all art is relative,” says Stull. “Sequential Art is a storytelling medium, but most visual art is telling a story of some kind.”

Gus Vazquez

Gus Vazquez is an illustrator who has worked in nearly every field, including comic books, trading cards, storyboarding for music videos, commercials, animation and film, logo design, character and toy design, and more. He started his career in comic books working as an assistant to comic book artists Adam Pollina on X-Force, and Kevin McGuire on Trinity Angels. He got his first solo gig at Marvel Comics drawing the covers and interiors for Sunfire and Big Hero 6, the series that introduced the characters featured in Disney’s Oscar winning Big Hero 6. He has worked on such Marvel titles as Deadpool, X-Force, Spider-Man, What If? Civil War, What If? Back in Black, The Official Handbook if the Marvel Universe, and more. For DC, he has worked on such titles as Green Lantern, JLA, Blue Beetle, and most recently on Flash, Suicide Squad, and Green Arrow. Gus was the artist on several issues of Claudio Sanchez’s (of rock music group Coheed and Cambria) The Amory Wars, and was instrumental in helping bring together the creative team of his friends, David Atchison (writer) and Tony Shasteen (illustrator), and his niece, film and TV actress Rosario Dawson on 12 Gauge’s The O.C.T. Currently, Gus has been working for DC Comics on The Sasquatch Detective, a backup story which can be found in the pages of Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, as well as DMC (Daryl Makes Comics) and on La Borinqueña. He is also working on his creator-owned book, Fang.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/03/introducing-the-2018-ringo-awards-jury/

Ringo Awards 2018 Nominations Now Open

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill, and fun of comics. The awards return for their second year on Saturday, September 29, 2018 as part of the fan- and pro-favorite convention, The Baltimore Comic-Con.

Unlike other professional industry awards, the Ringo Awards include fan participation in the nomination process along with an esteemed jury of comics professionals.

More than 20 categories will be celebrated with top honors being given at an awards ceremony.

Fan and Pro Nominations

Fan (including non-jury comic industry professionals) and pro-jury voting are tallied independently, and the combined nomination ballot is compiled by the Ringo Awards Committee. The top two fan choices become nominees, and the jury’s selections fill the remaining three slots for five total nominees per category. Ties may result in more than five nominees in a single category. Nominees will be listed on the ballot alphabetically. Nomination ballot voting will be open to the public (fans and pros) between March 15, 2018 and May 30, 2018.

Publisher Submissions

New to the Ringo Awards nomination process in 2018, we are enabling publishers to submit works for consideration to the Ringo Jurors. Publishers can submit up to five submissions per “Fan and Pro Nomination” and “Jury-Only Nomination” category that they feel are worthy of consideration. To participate in this process, publishers are asked to have a single representative send an email to contact@ringoawards.com for further information.

Final Ballot Voting

After processing by the Ringo Awards Committee and Jury, the Final Ballot is targeted to be available to comic creative professionals for voting on June 25, 2018 and will be due by August 31, 2018 for final tallying. Presentation of the winners will occur at the Baltimore Comic-Con on the evening of Saturday, September 29, 2018.

Nomination Eligibility

Eligibility for creators and creative works is determined by publication in the preceding calendar year – print publication date takes precedence over electronic publication date. For electronic works, the date of publication is time-stamped with most publications and at least 3 episodes/installments of continuing works must have appeared during the eligibility period.

New Categories

New in 2018, we have added two categories based on juror feedback from our inaugural year:

Open to Fans and Pros, we are now including “Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel”. This category recognizes publications that are tailored to the evolving generation of comic readers, and one that Mike Wieringo would have been behind 100%.

In Fan-Only Favorites, we have added “Favorite Publisher” to the list, allowing readers to nominate the publisher they thought created the best works in the previous year. Will it be one of the big comics houses? An online company? Perhaps a book publisher? Did an indie publisher knock it out of the park? Your vote counts!

Fan and Pro Nomination Categories
* Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
* Best Writer
* Best Artist or Penciller
* Best Inker
* Best Letterer
* Best Colorist
* Best Cover Artist
* Best Series
* Best Single Issue or Story
* Best Original Graphic Novel
* Best Anthology
* Best Humor Comic
* Best Comic Strip or Panel
* Best Webcomic
* Best Non-fiction Comic Work
* Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel
* Best Presentation in Design

Jury-Only Nomination (with three bonus jurors)
* The Mike Wieringo Spirit Award

Fan-Only Favorite Categories
* Favorite Hero
* Favorite Villain
* Favorite New Series
* Favorite New Talent
* Favorite Publisher

Hero Initiative Award (selected by the Hero Initiative)
* The Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award
* The Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award

Thank You to Our 2017 Sponsors

The Ringo Awards Committee would like to thank our 2017 inaugural year sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors:
Baltimore Comic-Con
Cards, Comics & Collectibles
Gold Sponsors:
The Amazing Comic Shop
BOOM! Studios
Geppi Family Enterprises
Painted Visions
Silver Sponsors:
AfterShock Comics
SC Comicon
Valiant Entertainment
Gift Bag Sponsors:
Abrams ComicArts (Star Wars Galaxy, Raven Girl, The Age of Selfishness, Trashed)
AfterShock Comics (Animosity Vol. 1, Alters Vol. 1)
Archie Comic Publications (Jughead, Road to Riverdale)
BOOM! Studios (Mouse Guard Coloring Book)
Dark Horse Comics (Dark Horse Presents)
DC Entertainment (New Teen Titans: Games)
Dynamite Entertainment (The Bionic Man Volume Three: End of Everything, Dejah Thoris and The White Apes of Mars, The Last Phantom Volume One: Ghost Walk, Battlestar Galactica 1880)
Flesk Publications (Brom Sketchbook, Major Thrill’s Adventure Book)
IDW Publishing (March Trilogy Slipcase Set)
Scholastic (Graveyard Shakes)
Source Point Press (Holliston, Salvagers)
‘Toon Tumblers (Superman Mug)
Valiant Entertainment (Faith Vol. 1)
If you would like to sponsor the Ringo Awards in 2018, please email us at contact@ringoawards.com for more information.

About Mike Wieringo

Michael Lance “Mike” Wieringo was known to fans and friends as “Ringo”, which is how he signed his artwork. His comics artist graced the pages of DC Comics’ The Flash, Adventures of Superman, Batman, and Robin, Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man, and Rogue, and his co-creation Tellos. He passed away on August 12, 2007 at the young age of 44 from an apparent heart attack.

About the Ringo Awards

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. The Ringo Awards recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories, and are the only industry awards nominated by fans and pros alike, with final voting by the comic professional community. Launched in 2017, the awards ceremony is held annually at the Baltimore Comic-Con. Further details are available at www.ringoawards.com.

About the Baltimore Comic-Con

The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 19th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/03/ringo-awards-2018-nominations-now-open/

Ringo Awards 2018 Dates Announced, Thanks to 2017 Sponsors!

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill, and fun of comics. The awards return for their second year on Saturday, September 29, 2018 as part of the fan- and pro-favorite convention, The Baltimore Comic-Con.

Unlike other professional industry awards, the Ringo Awards include fan participation in the nomination process along with an esteemed jury of comics professionals.

More than 20 categories will be celebrated with top honors being given at an awards ceremony.

Thank You to our 2017 Sponsors

The Ringo Awards Committee would like to thank our 2017 inaugural year sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors:

• Baltimore Comic-Con
• Cards, Comics & Collectibles

Gold Sponsors:

• The Amazing Comic Shop
• BOOM! Studios
• Geppi Family Enterprises
• Painted Visions

Silver Sponsors:

• AfterShock Comics
• SC Comicon
• Valiant Entertainment

Gift Bag Sponsors:

• Abrams ComicArts (Star Wars Galaxy, Raven Girl, The Age of Selfishness, Trashed)
• AfterShock Comics (Animosity Vol. 1, Alters Vol. 1)
• Archie Comic Publications (Jughead, Road to Riverdale)
• BOOM! Studios (Mouse Guard Coloring Book)
• Dark Horse Comics (Dark Horse Presents)
• DC Entertainment (New Teen Titans: Games)
• Dynamite Entertainment (The Bionic Man Volume Three: End of Everything, Dejah Thoris and The White Apes of Mars, The Last Phantom Volume One: Ghost Walk, Battlestar Galactica 1880)
• Flesk Publications (Brom Sketchbook, Major Thrill’s Adventure Book)
• IDW Publishing (March Trilogy Slipcase Set)
• Scholastic (Graveyard Shakes)
• Source Point Press (Holliston, Salvagers)
• ‘Toon Tumblers (Superman Mug)
• Valiant Entertainment (Faith Vol. 1)

If you would like to sponsor the Ringo Awards in 2018, please email us at contact@ringoawards.com for more information.

Fan and Pro Nominations

Fan and pro-jury voting are tallied independently, and the combined nomination ballot is compiled by the Ringo Awards Committee. The top two fan choices become nominees, and the jury’s selections fill the remaining three slots for five total nominees per category. Ties may result in more than five nominees in a single category. Nominees will be listed on the ballot alphabetically. Nomination ballot voting will be open to the public (fans and pros) starting March 15, 2018 and will close May 30, 2018.

New Categories

New in 2018, we have added two categories based on juror feedback from our inaugural year:

Open to Fans and Pros, we are now including “Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel”. This category recognizes publications that are tailored to the evolving generation of comic readers, and one that Mike Wieringo would have been behind 100%.

In Fan-Only Favorites, we have added “Favorite Publisher” to the list, allowing readers to nominate the publisher they thought created the best works in the previous year. Will it be one of the big comics houses? An online company? Perhaps a book publisher? Did an indie publisher knock it out of the park? Your vote counts!

Fan and Pro Nomination Categories

• Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
• Best Writer
• Best Artist or Penciller
• Best Inker
• Best Letterer
• Best Colorist
• Best Cover Artist
• Best Series
• Best Single Issue or Story
• Best Original Graphic Novel
• Best Anthology
• Best Humor Comic
• Best Comic Strip or Panel
• Best Webcomic
• Best Non-fiction Comic Work
• Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel
• Best Presentation in Design

Jury-Only Nomination (with three bonus jurors)

• The Mike Wieringo Spirit Award

Fan-Only Favorite Categories

• Favorite Hero
• Favorite Villain
• Favorite New Series
• Favorite New Talent
• Favorite Publisher

Hero Initiative Award (selected by the Hero Initiative)

• The Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award
• The Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award

Publisher Submissions

New to the Ringo Awards nomination process in 2018, we are enabling publishers to submit works for consideration to the Ringo Jurors. Publishers can submit up to five submissions per “Fan and Pro Nomination” and “Jury-Only Nomination” category that they feel are worthy of consideration. To participate in this process, publishers are asked to have a single representative send an email to contact@ringoawards.com for further information.

About Mike Wieringo

Michael Lance “Mike” Wieringo was known to fans and friends as “Ringo”, which is how he signed his artwork. His comics artist graced the pages of DC Comics’ The Flash, Adventures of Superman, Batman, and Robin, Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man, and Rogue, and his co-creation Tellos. He passed away on August 12, 2007 at the young age of 44 from an apparent heart attack.
About the Ringo Awards

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. The Ringo Awards recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories, and are the only industry awards nominated by fans and pros alike, with final voting by the comic professional community. Launched in 2017, the awards ceremony is held annually at the Baltimore Comic-Con. Further details are available at www.ringoawards.com.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2018/02/ringo-awards-2018-dates-announced-thanks-to-2017-sponsors/

Baltimore Comic-Con Announces 2017 Costume Contest Winners

The Baltimore Comic-Con is happy to announce the winners of our 9th Annual Costume Contest. The contest took place this past Saturday, September 23, 2017 for both amateur and professional adults, and Sunday, September 24, 2017 for kids. Visually stunning costumes ranged from classic superheroes to video game and movie characters and beyond, and our contest has proven to be one of the most anticipated events at the show.

This year’s costume contest separated amateur adults from professional adults, and held a separate contest for amateur kids as well.

The grand prize winner for Best in Show Costume, and the recipient of the $1,000 cash prize, was Matt Yeager for his “Monster Hunter Gen. Dreadking Rathalos” costume.

Special thanks go to everyone who entered the contest and showed their support, as well as to our sponsor, Super Hero Stuff and Masters of Ceremonies, Greg Bell and Patrick Storck!
Winners for this year’s contest include:

Professional
Best Overall Costume: Matt Yeager, Monster Hunter Gen. Dreadking Rathalos
1st Place: Brad Hallock, 5th Element Police Character
2nd Place: Kathryn Redfield, Merida
3rd Place: Nile M. Wilson, Queen Ravenna (from Snow White and the Huntsman)

Amateur
1st Place: Sarah Figut, Kraang Sub-Prime
2nd Place: Brian Parker, Fierce Deity Link
3rd Place: Jeff Ludthe of Capt. Shanks Cosplay, The Flash

Best Group:
1st Place: Bartholomew and Jennifer Macasieb, Cowboy Curtis with Conky and Miss Yvonne with Chairy from Peewee’s Playhouse
2nd Place: Jordan Poino and Tam Luckett, Suited Shockwave and Soundwave

Amateur Kids
Kids Prizes in the Age 12 to Age 17 category:
1st Place: Olivia, The White Queen from Alice in Wonderland
2nd Place: Claire Marie, Erza Scarlet
3rd Place: Aidan, Cyborg

Kids Prizes in the Newborn to Age 11 category:
1st Place: Audrey, Ciel Phantom Hive
2nd Place: Shahira, Kanna from Ms. Koboyashi’s Dragon Maid
3rd Place: Keira Pullen, Undyne
Honorable Mention: Declan & Oliver, Charlie Brown & Linus

The Baltimore Comic-Con would like to thank our 2017 judges: Maria Bella, Lauren Singleton, Kevin Uribe, Kristina Green, Candice Miller, David Cardin Schmidt, Jacob Dillow, Sam Gras, Casey Sanders, Bambi Galore, Jim Baxter, and Amy and Greg Bell.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, because we can’t wait to start making announcements for next year’s show, our biggest yet, which will be held the weekend of September 28-30, 2018!

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2017/09/baltimore-comic-con-announces-2017-costume-contest-winners/

The Comics Industry Celebrates the Inaugural Ringo Awards

Comic creative professionals, publishers, retailers, and fans came together Saturday night, September 23, 2017 to socialize, dine, and experience the comic book industry celebrating recognition of their peers, co-workers, and competitors at the 2017 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards. The inaugural Ringo Awards was sponsored by Presenting Sponsors Cards, Comics & Collectibles and the Baltimore Comic-Con; Gold Sponsors The Amazing Comic Shop, BOOM! Studios, Geppi Family Enterprises, Painted Vision Comics; Silver Sponsors AfterShock Comics, South Carolina Comic-Con, ComicMix, and Valiant Entertainment; and Gift Bag Sponsors Abrams ComicArts, AfterShock Comics, Archie Comic Publications, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Flesk Publications, IDW Publishing, Scholastic, Source Point Press, ‘Toon Tumblers, and Valiant Entertainment. The banquet and awards ceremony honoring nominees and winners in professional and fan categories was hosted by the Baltimore Comic-Con and Cards, Comics & Collectibles.
The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. The nomination ballot is determined by fans and pros alike.

The Ringo Awards was honored to present David Petersen, best known as the multiple award-winning writer and artist of Mouse Guard., as the inaugural keynote presenter at the event.

A very special thanks go to the sponsors who donated items to the 2017 Ringo Awards Gift Bags, including Abrams ComicArts, AfterShock Comics, Archie Comic Publications, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Flesk Publications, IDW Publishing, Scholastic, Source Point Press, ‘Toon Tumblers, and Valiant Entertainment.

Winners of the 2017 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards are:

Fan Favorites:

• Favorite Hero: Cash Wayne (Spectrum)
• Favorite Villain: Arlo (unOrdinary)
• Favorite New Series: Spectrum
• Favorite New Talent: InstantMiso

Jury and Fan Winners:

• Best Cover Artist: Frank Cho
• Best Series: Vision, Marvel Comics
• Best Letterer: Todd Klein
• Best Colorist: Laura Martin
• Best Humor Comic: I Hate Fairyland, Image Comics
• Best Original Graphic Novel: March: Book III, Top Shelf Productions
• Best Comic Strip or Panel: Bloom County, Berkeley Breathed, Universal Uclick
• Best Single Issue or Story: Emancipation Day, www.redistrictedcomics.com
• Mike Wieringo Spirit Award: Future Quest #1, DC Comics
• Best Anthology: Love is Love, DC Comics/IDW Publishing
• Best Non-fiction Comic Work: March: Book Three, Top Shelf Productions
• Best Presentation in Design: Mike Mignola’s Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects: Artist’s Edition Hardcover, IDW Publishing
• Best Webcomic: The Red Hook, Dean Haspiel
• Best Inker: Sean Murphy
• Best Writer: Tom King
• Best Artist or Penciller: Fiona Staples
• Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Skottie Young

Hero Initiative Awards:

• Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award: Joshua Dysart
• Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Marv Wolfman

In addition, the Baltimore Comic-Con would like to thank those individuals who presented at this year’s award ceremony, including: Keynote speaker David Petersen, Tom Brevoort, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Amy Chu, Walter and Louise Simonson, Terry and Robyn Moore, Kazu Kibuishi and Charlie Kochman, Lora Innes and Thom Zahler, and Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, and Mark Waid. We would also like to thank John Gallagher for his contributions to our program guide for the evening and awards ceremony presentation.

Please join us next year for the second annual Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards taking place at the 19th annual Baltimore Comic-Con on September 29, 2018, and keep an eye on our website and social media accounts below for 2018 ballot information.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2017/09/the-comics-industry-celebrates-the-inaugural-ringo-awards/

Game Sportsbar to Host the First Official Baltimore Comic-Con After Party

Americas Greatest Comic Book Convention and Baltimore’s Greatest Sports Bar are teaming up Saturday, September 23rd at 8pm for an incredible night to remember. The convention after party will be held at GAME Sports Bar next to the Horseshoe Casino. The night will feature awesome music, live DJs, multiple genre rooms and themes, fantastic food, door prizes, and GAME’s version of a costume contest. Free transportation will be available leaving the convention center directly at the closing of the convention Saturday night, or Uber, walk, or drive and park free at the Casino or the venue. This party is OPEN to the public so if you LOVE this scene, you can just come on by.

The night will be chock full of fun, surprises, and, most of all, OTHER comic enthusiasts to party with, meet, and have a great time with. Advanced tickets may be purchased at baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets or through MISSIONTIX and are now available for $20. The prices will go up, so make sure you buy your tickets NOW! HURRY the event is only a week away.

The official Baltimore Comic-Con after party will be held at GAME Sports Bar, 1400 Warner Street. This year, you don’t have to be upset because it’s over…the night just gets better! Do not miss this one and only EPIC night.

Visit us on Facebook: @GAMEBMORE or on the web www.gamebaltimore.com for further information.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2017/09/game-sportsbar-to-host-the-first-official-baltimore-comic-con-after-party/

Leon, Protector of the Playground Debuts in Baltimore

Kids Love Comics returns to the 2017 Baltimore Comic-Con this September 22nd, 23rd, and 24th at the Baltimore Convention Center. Kids 10 and under are free with the purchase of General Admission tickets, which are available now on our website.

Jamar Nicholas launches his all-ages graphic novel at BCC! What do you do when you’re a kid hero with the rarest super-power of all: common sense? Award-winning cartoonist and educator Jamar Nicholas tries to answer that question with his new graphic novel, LEON: Protector of the Playground, premiering in the Kids Love Comics (kidslovecomics.net) area at the Baltimore Comic-Con. Jamar joins over 30 all-ages comics creators in this special family-friendly section of the show, where kids can meet artists and writers, and participate in comics workshops and classes throughout the weekend.

LEON combines a hip latchkey kid super-hero with hilarious super villains, such as Broccoli Ron, Mr. Nipsey the hamster bad-guy, and rogue hall monitors. All this, plus daily life in public school, makes a smart, super fun graphic novel read. LEON was created as part of the Comic Book Diner trilogy of books (including Buzzboy by John Gallagher and Roboy Red by Rich Faber, both of which will be available in the Kids Love Comics section). LEON combines elements of Jamar’s childhood with a diverse cast of kids and almost every child’s fantasy of being a super hero. But Leon must also face the harsh realities of a working mom, learning to work with others, and to clean up after himself when he eats. “I wanted to create characters that kids could relate to,” said Jamar, adding, “LEON is a hero, but he also makes mistakes. And kids need to know that’s okay, as long as they work to make things better.”

Besides LEON, convention goers will also be able to get Jamar’s work on the BCC show program guide as well as on a special collectible BCC t-shirt. Why all the fuss? Well, one of Jamar’s biggest fans is none other than Marc Nathan, founder and director of the Baltimore Comic-Con. “Jamar is a good soul, and a true friend of the show” said Nathan. “And we at the Baltimore Comic-Con want to help everyone discover what that looks like in Jamar’s work.” In fact, the Baltimore Comic-Con has been helping to promote kid-friendly comics and creators since the show’s beginning, and now brags the largest kids’ section in any comic-con across the United States. So it seemed only natural to premiere the graphic novel in Baltimore. “I just hope that everyone enjoys LEON as much as I enjoyed working on it,” said Jamar. “And I’m proud to be a part of the Kids Love Comics crew in Baltimore!”

LEON: Protector of the Playground, an original graphic novel, is a 144-page, full-color graphic novel, available at Jamar’s booth on LEON LANE in the Kids Love Comics section, for the first time anywhere. More information is available at JamarNicholas.com.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2017/09/leon-protector-of-the-playground-debuts-in-baltimore/

AfterShock at Baltimore Comic-Con 2017

Dark Ark #1 exclusive

Headed to Baltimore Comic-Con this year? AfterShock will be there in full force to celebrate the annual convention which hosts a variety of comic creator guests, retailers, exhibitors, panels, and special events! Visit them at Booth #2004 to pick up Baltimore Comic-Con exclusive covers of Dark Ark #1 and Fu Jitsu #1.

AfterShock Creators & Staff that will be in attendance at the Baltimore Comic-Con include*:

• Amanda Conner (SuperZero)
• Phil Hester (Shipwreck, Blood Blister)
• Justin Jordan (Strayer)
• Brian Stelfreeze (Alters)
• Mark Waid (Captain Kid)
• Mike Marts (AfterShock Editor-In-Chief)
• Stephan Nilson (AfterShock Publishing Operations Manager)
• Joe Pruett (AfterShock Publisher/CCO & Black-Eyed Kids)
• Lisa Wu (AfterShock Retailers/Fan Relations Manager)
• Ashley Wyatt (AfterShock Publishing Assistant)

+ more!

*Note: Guests are subject to change

To get all of the details about the event packages and limited ticket availability, please see our tickets webpage.

from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2017/08/aftershock-at-baltimore-comic-con-2017/