The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill, and fun of comics. The awards return for their ninth year on Saturday, September 26, 2026 as part of the fan- and pro-favorite convention, 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 the awards ceremony in October.
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 is open to the public (fans and pros) between March 13, 2026 and May 28, 2026.
Final Ballot Voting
After processing by the Ringo Awards Committee and Jury, the Final Ballots are targeted to be available to comic creative professionals for voting on July 29, 2026 and will be due by August 26, 2026 for final tallying. Presentation of the winners will occur at the Baltimore Comic-Con on the evening of Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Nomination Eligibility
Eligibility for creators and creative works is determined by publication in the preceding calendar year (January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025) – 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.
Updated Categories
New in 2026, we have mad a number of updates based on juror, publisher, and voter submissions:
Best Single Issue or Story is renamed Best Short Story
Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel is now divided into subcategories for Ages 11 and Under and Ages 12 and Up
Added the Best Comics-Related Publication category, recognizing outstanding non-comic works that explore, analyze, or document the art, history, and/or culture of comics
These updates reflect clarity of category intent, rationalizes the dichotomy between early reader and young adult titles within the kids’ category, and supports publications found at your local comic shop or bookseller about comics but not presented as a comic.
Fan and Pro Nomination Categories
Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
Best Writer
Best Artist or Penciller/Inker Team
Best Letterer
Best Colorist
Best Cover Artist
Best Series
Best Short Story
Best Original Graphic Novel
Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel — Ages 11 and Under
Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel — Ages 12 and Up
Best Anthology
Best Humor Comic
Best Webcomic
Best Humor Webcomic
Best Non-fiction Comic Work
Best Comics-Related Publication
Best Presentation in Design
Perennial Jury-Only Nomination
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)
Get yourself to the 2026 Baltimore Comic-Con this September 25-27 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes Marty Baumann, Trish Forstner, Jamal Igle, Mike McKone, Al Milgrom, and Rich Woodall as guests of the 2026 event! Find your tickets online now!
Marty Baumann is an illustrator, graphic artist, and production designer. He has contributed to some of the most popular, Oscar-winning animated films of all time. Marty has worked as an artist at Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios as an illustrator, graphic artist, and production designer on such films as Toy Story 3, Big Hero 6,Zootopia, Cars 2, Planes, Wreck-It Ralph 2, and many others. He also helped develop theme park installations, toy packaging, and Pixar corporate branding. Marty has rendered illustrations and developed characters for toy manufacturers, magazines, and newspapers, and illustrated children’s books, created logos, info-graphics, broadcast promotions, and presentation art for Hasbro, Universal Studios, National Geographic, Scholastic Books, Nickelodeon, and many others. Recent projects include his role as concept artist for the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the visual development of Sir Paul McCartney’s feature film, High in the Clouds.
Trish Forstner is an Eisner and Ringo Award-nominated cartoonist from Baltimore, Maryland. She brings a lifetime of experience creating fun, lovable, and believable characters. She’s been drawing since she could hold a pencil. Trish loves classic animation and has drawn influence from many sources, particularly classic 80s and 90s toons. Her style has been compared to Don Bluth, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros., but she likes to think she’s found a way to separate herself from those comparisons while still drawing inspiration from them. Her love of expression and emotion is on full display in any work she creates. You’ve most recently seen her work in Image Comics’ ongoing scary “cat-pocalypse” series Feral and in the Eisner Award-nominated Stray Dogs. She is also an amazing cover artist for Dynamite’s Disney comics, from Darkwing Duck to Zootopia! From her beginnings as an artist for My Little Pony all the way to award nominated co-creator of Stray Dogs and Feral and everything in-between, Trish is sure to draw something you’ll love!
Jamal Igle is the recipient of the 2011 Inkpot Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comic Art. He is writer/artist/creator of Molly Danger for Action Lab Entertainment, the co-creator of Venture with Dynamo 5 creator/writer Jay Faerber, and the penciller/co-creator of The Wrong Earth with writer and Editor in Chief, Tom Peyer for AHOY Comics. Jamal is a comic industry veteran whose detailed pencils have graced books as varied as The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the all-ages action miniseries Race Against Time, as well as mainstream hits such as G.I. Joe, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Green Lantern. Jamal has served as the series artist for popular runs on Firestorm the Nuclear Man, Nightwing, Tangent: Superman’s Reign, Superman, Supergirl, and Zatanna for DC Comics, Noble Causes for Image Comics, and a four-issue run on New Warriors for Marvel Comics.
Jamal recently completed the sequel to the hit series Black called White from Black Superpowers/Black Mask Studios, and The Wrong Earth: Night and Day, The Mysterious Micro-Face for NPR Planet Money, and Milestones in History for DC Comics. Jamal also worked with legendary Batman writer Scott Snyder on his new creator-owned series, Dudley Datson and the Forever Machine for Comixology.
Currently, Jamal is hard at work on the newest volume of The Wrong Earth as well as helping shape the next generation of comics creators at The School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Hailing from England, Mike McKone‘s first published work was for DC Comics’ Justice League of America and Marvel Comics’ Punisher series. In the years since, he has illustrated almost every major character from the big two publishers, including lengthy runs on Teen Titans, Amazing Spider-Man, and Fantastic Four. Recent projects were the Avengers graphic novel, Endless Wartime and Justice League United. Now residing in the US, McKone is working on a creator-owned project while providing covers and merchandising illustrations for clients such as Marvel, DC, Dynamite, Valiant, Dorling Kindersley, and Converse.
Allen Milgrom was born March 6, 1950 in Detroit, Michigan. Al graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in art and design in 1972 and moved to New York. After a year interning at DC Comics with legendary artist Murphy Anderson, Al began inking and, soon after, penciling. He’s worked on lots of comics over the years, (penciling, inking and even some writing) primarily for Marvel Comics, but he also co-created Firestorm at DC Comics and did work at Archie Comics as well as Atlas, Dark Horse, and others. He also did stints as an editor at Marvel and DC.
Married to his wife, Judy, since 1979, they have a daughter and two sons and the cutest two grandsons and granddaughters ever to walk the earth (of course he may be biased).
Rich Woodall is the former Co-Publisher of Black Caravan. He is also the creator or co-creator of The Bloody Ring of Dracula, Gods of Brutality, The Electric Black, Kyrra: Alien Jungle Girl, Johnny Raygun, and Sgt. Werewolf! Woodall has also worked on covers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Last Ronin, The Powerpuff Girls, Masters of the Universe, Crossover, and Phantom Starkiller.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try),Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Jamal Igle (Superman), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Infernal Hulk), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Afua Richardson (Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, courtesy of Flesk Publishing), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Gus Vazquez (Sunfire and the Big Hero Six), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Rich Woodall (Sgt. Werewolf), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance).
Join the 2026 Baltimore Comic-Con at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 25-27, 2026. Baltimore Comic-Con has announced Howard Chaykin, Steve Conley, Amanda Conner, Pop Mhan, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Brian Stelfreeze as guests of the 2026 event! Your tickets are waiting for you online now!
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 principal 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. And, yes, sex that wasn’t confined to pinup posing for most proclivities to enjoy. Chaykin continues to produce work that pushes the envelope of concept, context, and content in comics…his The Divided States of Hysteria, for example, a comic book which, thanks to social media, enraged an entire new generation of the willfully ignorant who might have had a better case if they’d actually read the damned book. Chaykin’s 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 five decades. His magnum opus bebop comic book, The Time² Omnibus, might still be out there…and The Black Kiss Omnibus, four hundred pages of unredeemed filth, is in stores now.
Steve Conley is the writer and artist of The Middle Age, a “beautifully drawn and hilarious” fantasy webcomic that has earned ‘best webcomic’ nominations in the Ringo Awards, Eisner Awards, and National Cartoonists Society Awards. He has provided art and covers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (BOOM! Studios), Adventure Time (BOOM Studios!), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Publishing), Star Trek: Year Four (IDW Publishing), and Michael Chabon’s Escapist (Dark Horse Comics). Steve is a co-host of the weekly Pencil to Pencil comics livestream with Jamar Nicholas and Mike Manley.
When not making comics, Steve’s gaming work includes writing and illustrating Dungeons & Dragons-compatible supplements including Nibblemancy, Death Dealing, and Intoximancy. Steve’s comics and TTRPG work can be found online at SteveConley.com.
Amanda Conner has worked on many of the top titles in comics, such as Lois Lane, Codename: Knockout, and Birds of Prey for DC Comics, X-Men Unlimited for Marvel, Gatecrasher for Blackbull Comics (which she also co-created), and The Pro, an Eisner-nominated creator-owned book for Image Comics with Jimmy Palmiotti and Garth Ennis. Recently, she worked on the highly successful Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre series with Eisner-winning creator Darwyn Cooke.
Amanda’s work can also be seen outside the comic-book community, in such places as ABC’s Nightline, New York Times, MAD Magazine, Arm & Hammer, PlaySchool, and Nickelodeon. She has also done monthly spot illustrations for Revolver magazine and has enjoyed a huge success with the DC Comics title Harley Quinn with Jimmy Palmiotti. Her collaboration with pop sensation Ingrid Michaelson was industry celebrated. Additionally, her work has been featured and spotlighted on the award-winning CBS comedy series The Big Bang Theory, where her artwork was used for multiple episodes.
She continuously produces cover work for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and an assortment of independent titles. Her involvement with DC and Warner Brothers for the Harley Quinn animated series along with several characters and themes leveraged for the cartoon and motion pictures are evident.
Pop Mhan was lucky enough to get his jump into the comics industry under the tutelage of Jim Lee at Wildstorm Productions. Since those early days, his art has graced the pages of comics from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Top Cow, Dark Horse Comics, and Tokyopop. His recent work can be seen at DC Comics, where he has been penciling licensed properties like Gears of War 3 and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Marvel Comics on All-New X-Factor and variant covers for Amazing Spider-Man.
Jimmy Palmiotti is a writer, editor, and a multi-award winning character creator with a wide range of experience in advertising, production, consulting, editorial, film writing, development and production, media presentation, and video game development. Just a few of his clients include Nike, Nickelodeon, Universal Pictures, Disney, Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Lion’s Gate, Vidmark, Starz, Fox Atomic, Alliance Films, New Line, Spike TV, MTV, 2K Games, Midway, Radical Games, Activision, and THQ Games.
He is co-founder of such companies as Event Comics, Black Bull Media, Marvel Knights, a division of Marvel Comics, and the current Paperfilms, where he is partners with Amanda Conner. Together, they have created and co-created numerous universes, comics, TV series, and characters including: The New West, Monolith, 21 Down, The Resistance, The Pro, Gatecrasher, Beautiful Killer, Ash, Cloudburst, Trigger Girl 6, Thrill Seeker, Trailblazer, Ballerina, The Twilight Experiment, Killing Time in America, Rage, Queen Crab, Retrovirus, Pop Kill, and the TV series, Painkiller Jane. Other titles with which he is involved are hit series Harley Quinn, DC Comics’ relaunch into the Wal-Mart nationwide stores, Jonah Hex, and several other series. Several of his contributions for both DC and Marvel can be found in major motion pictures and TV series, including Black Panther, Daredevil, Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn animated, and more.
Brian Stelfreeze is an American comic book artist. Stelfreeze is a painter, penciller, inker, and colorist, and has worked for nearly every major American comic book publisher. He is one of the original members of Atlanta’s Gaijin Studios. Stelfreeze began his career as the artist of the sci-fi miniseries CyCops in the mid-1980s. While Stelfreeze has been known throughout his career primarily as a cover artist, painting more than fifty cover illustrations for DC Comics’ Shadow of the Bat, he’s also produced a significant amount of sequential work, most notably of late with the miniseries Domino for Marvel Comics and Matador for DC Comics’ Wildstorm imprint. Currently, Stelfreeze acts as art director for 12-Gauge Comics and occasionally has provided artwork for their series The Ride and its prequel, Gun Candy. Recent work can be seen on the Walt Simonson-written Demon/Catwoman feature in DC Comics’ Wednesday Comics. Stelfreeze is the artist on the 2016 revival of Marvel’s Black Panther with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. In 2020, Stelfreeze launched Thomas River, a spy series with a 40-page first issue. He created the art for the series, and co-wrote the series with Doug Wagner. The first issue, crowdfunded through Kickstarter, surpassed its funding stretch goal of $30,000, and was published by 12-Gauge Comics.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try),Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Jamal Igle (Superman), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Infernal Hulk), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Afua Richardson (Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, courtesy of Flesk Publishing), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Gus Vazquez (Sunfire and the Big Hero Six), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Rich Woodall (Sgt. Werewolf), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance).
Come to the 2026 Baltimore Comic-Con at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 25-27, 2026. Baltimore Comic-Con 2026 welcomes Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, Gene Ha, Jose Marzan Jr., Mark Morales, Patrick Olliffe, and Tom Raney to the 2026 event! Avoid lines — get your tickets online now.
Olivia Cuartero-Briggs is an award-winning dramatic writer born and raised in New York City. She holds an M.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and is currently enjoying a career writing for film, TV, and comic books in Brooklyn, NY. Recent credits include E! Entertainment’s The Arrangement, USA’s Queen of the South, and co-producer on Mike Schur’s Field of Dreams. Published comic books include The College Try with Maverick, Jill and the Killers with Oni Press, Kill Train with Mad Cave Studios, and Mary Shelley Monster Hunter and Silver City with Aftershock Comics. OCB also currently has unannounced projects in the works with Humanoids, IDW, Mad Cave Studios, Maverick, and Scholastic. Awards include The Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, The New York Theater Festival’s Best Original Play Award, Hollywood Comedy Shorts Best of Fest Award, and the Flint Film Festival’s Best Screenplay Award.
Four-time Eisner winner Gene Ha is known for his art on Fables and on Alan Moore’s Top 10. He currently writes and draws Mae from Oni Press. It’s the story of Mae Fortell, a girl who follows her long missing sister Abbie to a world of mad science and mystery. Gene lives outside Chicago in Berwyn, IL with his lovely wife Lisa. Learn more at https://www.geneha.com/.
Jose Marzan Jr. is a 43-year veteran of the comic book industry. He has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse, and Disney Comics. Some titles from his long list of credits include Y: The Last Man, The Flash, Action Comics featuring Superman, The Adventures of Superman, Jack of Fables, The House of Mystery, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, The Justice League of America, Time Masters, Dr. Strange, The Silver Surfer, GI Joe, Marvel Comics Presents, and Roger Rabbit.
Jose Marzan Jr. received two 2008 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for work on Vertigo Comics’ Y: The Last Man. One award (along with penciller Pia Guerra) for Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team for their work on Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC Comics), and an award (alongside his fellow creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra) for Y: The Last Man as Best Continuing Series.
Recent work has included contributing to DC Comics‘ Hellblazer and Batgirl titles, Marvel Comics’ Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and cover and interior illustrations for O’Reilly Media.
His paintings were exhibited in the 1990 and 1991 Society of Illustrators Annual exhibitions in New York.
A longtime comics pro, Mark Morales has worked for many companies, including Image, Dark Horse, Chaos, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics, mostly as an inker. Past projects from Mark include Thor, Daredevil, Batman, X-Men, Avengers vs. X-Men, Spider-Man/Deadpool, and Astonishing X-Men. Currently, he is working on Weapon X-Men from Marvel Comics.
Patrick Olliffe is a veteran comic book illustrator with over 39 years of experience, working for some of the largest publishers in the industry, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse, and Disney Publishing. His long list of credits include Untold Tales of Spider-Man, Spider-Girl, Thor, Marvel Team-Up, Secret Wars Battleworld, Star Wars, Captain Marvel, Barb Wire, DC’s 52 series, Booster Gold, The Atom, Catwoman, Scooby Apocalypse, and Hawkman, plus Captain America, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and the X-Men for Disney’s Marvel Press. He, along with writer Chuck Austen, has created the sci-fi western series Edgeworld and the supernatural series The Tormented for Comixology Originals as well as the sci-fi book Defiant for DSTLRY.
Tom Raney has spent much of his career working for the mid- to large-size publishers in the comics industry. He has contributed to many of Marvel’s titles, from Thor to X-Men, spent some time with Valiant’s relaunched titles, and Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars among many other titles and publishers. He recently wrapped up a year-long run on DC Comics’ Green Lantern.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Mark Buckingham (Fables),JimCalafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit),Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try),Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Jamal Igle (Superman), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), JaeLee(Inhumans), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts),Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stagrate Atlantis: Gateways), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance),
The 2026 Baltimore Comic-Con will take place at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 25-27. Baltimore Comic-Con has announced Jo Chen, Dan Jurgens, Terry Moore, Ryan Ottley, David Petersen, and Thom Zahler to the 2026 event! Purchase your tickets online now.
Jo Chen is a veteran illustrator and Eisner Awarding-winning comic book artist whose painted covers and pristine interiors can be seen throughout the runs of Marvel’s highly-acclaimed Runaways, Dark Horse’s Firefly/Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Wars: Invasion, UDON’s Street Fighter and Darkstalker books, and Wildstorm’s Speed Racer/Racer X mini-series. At age 19, her first graphic novel, The Other Side of the Mirror, was published internationally by TokyoPop, and her art graces the packaging for all of XBOX’s best-selling Fable video games. She currently illustrates the popular yaoi-noir crime drama, In These Words, published by Libre in Japan, and throughout the rest of Asia.
Dan Jurgens began his comics career in 1981 as artist on DC Comics’ The Warlord. He then created, wrote, and drew Booster Gold and added Flash Gordon, Legion of Super-Heroes, Green Arrow, Justice League America, and many more titles to his résumé. Most notably, he logged a very long run as writer/artist on Superman, including the best-selling Death of Superman, for which he won the National Cartoonists Society Award. Jurgens followed that up by writing and drawing the mega-hit crossover Zero Hour, which redefined the DC Universe. He drew several other crossovers as well, such as Armageddon 2001, DC Versus Marvel, and both wrote and drew Superman/Aliens and Superman/Fantastic Four.
At Marvel Comics, he wrote and/or drew The Sensational Spider-Man, Iron Fist, The Mighty Thor, and Captain America. Jurgens then returned to DC Comics to write and/or draw Green Arrow, Justice League International, Firestorm, and more. He then revived the true Superman in the Superman: Lois and Clark series, which featured the establishment of Superman’s son, Jonathan Kent, as a major DC character. After that, Dan had long stints writing Action Comics, Batman Beyond, and Nightwing.
Over the past couple of years, Dan has drawn a number of covers for Marvel Comics while also writing and drawing a special story for Thor #750. At DC, he brought the popular pair of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold together for the Blue & Gold miniseries, wrote and drew the 30th anniversary Death of Superman Special, and the Doom Rising series in Action Comics, which featured young Jon Kent. His recent project The Bat-Man: First Knight from DC’s Black Label imprint tells the story of Bat-Man as he was originally presented, back in 1939.
Indy powerhouse Terry Moore began his career in comics with the critically acclaimed epic series, Strangers in Paradise, the compelling love story between three unlikely friends who find themselves bound together by their pasts. The long-running series garnered many awards, including the coveted Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story and the National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Division Reuben Award. Strangers in Paradise has been translated into twenty-one languages and is as popular today as when it was first published in 1993.
Moore has created many award winning series, including Motor Girl, the story of a wounded warrior and her imaginary best friend, Rachel Rising, a horror comic with a ten-year-old serial killer named Zoe, ECHO, a science fiction thriller, FIVE YEARS, the series that brings together characters from all of his series in one heart stopping story, and Parker Girls, the Tambi story you’ve been waiting for. Terry has also published a How to Draw book detailing techniques and tools to create comics which he updated and expanded in 2026.
Terry’s work has won numerous international awards and continues to entertain readers worldwide. In addition to publishing work under his own label, Abstract Studio, Moore has worked with major publishers on titles including Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Birds of Prey, Fables, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Wars Tales throughout his thirty three year career. Beginning in October 2026, Terry will team with Dark Horse Comics to reissue his catalog of legacy series.
Ryan Ottley is an American comic book artist who is most known for his work on the Invincible series. He is a contributing creator on the series who designed and co-created a large part of the Invincible universe with writer Robert Kirkman, and is the primary artist for 127 issues of the 144 issue run. It is now an animated TV series on Amazon Prime video for which Ottley works as a consultant.
After Invincible, Ottley went to Marvel and did 20 issues on Amazing Spider-Man with writer Nick Spencer, and then artist on Hulk with writer Donny Cates. Ottley finished that run as both the writer and the artist.
Ottley is now back at Image comics working on something NEW…announcement coming soon!
David Petersen is a cartoonist and children’s book illustrator who launched his career with a self-published issue of his series Mouse Guard in 2005, when it was then picked up by Archaia, who continues to publish the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series. Petersen has also worked on covers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Dark Crystal. He’s illustrated an edition of Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows for IDW and his artwork also graced the cover for the 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con program, as well as the show-exclusive t-shirt.
In 2008, David won the Eisners for Best Publication for Kids (Mouse Guard Fall 1152 & Winter 1152) and Best Graphic Album – Reprint (Mouse Guard Fall 1152 Hardcover). In 2010, he was nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Artist (Mouse Guard: Winter 1152).
Thom Zahler is a northeast Ohio-based comic book artist and writer. He’s particularly known for his romantic comedy comics. In 2006, he debuted Love and Capes, the superhero romantic comedy about the adventures in love of an ordinary bookstore owner and her accountant boyfriend…who also happens to be the superhero The Crusader. In 2014, he introduced readers to Long Distance, a story about two young professionals who meet while stranded at an airport during a snowstorm and decide to date even though they both live in different states. In 2016, he debuted Time and Vine for IDW, about a magical time-traveling winery.
He is the writer and artist of the hit Cupid’s Arrows series on WEBTOON, chronicling the story of a pair of Cupids who get couples together across the world. His previous WEBTOON was Warning Label, featuring a girl cursed by her ex-boyfriend so that every guy who asks her out gets the list of what they need to watch out for.
His current projects include the young readers’ series The Ghost Whiskerers for John Carpenter’s Storm King comics line, about cats that see ghosts (starring Zahler’s own cats). He is also the artist on Rocketship’s Angry Birds series.
He is also a frequent writer and artist for IDW. He is a regular contributor for My Little Pony, and has also contributed to Star Trek and Disney Tsum Tsum Kingdom.
Zahler has written for the Disney XD cartoon Spider-Man Web Warriors, where he wrote the first part of the season finale “Contest of Champions.” He is also a frequent contributor to the Topps’ Star Wars card sets. He recently wrote the second episode of the Knights of the Zodiac Netflix series.
He continues to work as a cartoonist, illustrator, and letterer for many companies across the country.
He is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art and of Lake Catholic High School.
He lives at his palatial estate, Zahlerdu, in Northeast Ohio. Okay, he doesn’t really call it “Zahlerdu” but if he did, it’d be because he liked Orson Wells’ “Citizen Kane” and not that Olivia Newton John disco-and-roller skating movie. It’s not really a palatial estate, either, but it is a nice place.
See more of Zahler’s artwork at www.thomz.com or follow him on Instagram and X at @thomzahler.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Mark Buckingham (Fables),JimCalafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit),Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try),Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), JaeLee(Inhumans), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts),Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stagrate Atlantis: Gateways), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance),
This year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will take place at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 25-27, 2026. The convention has announced the return of Jim Lee to the 2026 event on Saturday, September 26th! Fans will want to get their tickets now, which are on sale on the convention website.
Jim Lee, a world-renowned comic book artist, writer, editor, and publisher, is currently Chief Creative Officer of DC and Publisher for the company.
Known for his incredibly detailed and dynamic artistic style, Lee is one of the most revered and respected artists in American comics. A veritable legend in the industry, he has received numerous accolades and recognition for his work, including a Harvey Award, an Inkpot Award, Diamond Gemstone Awards, and Wizard Fan Awards.
Since becoming Publisher in 2010, Lee has overseen many of the company’s highly successful publishing programs, including the recent record-breaking Rebirth line of comics, as well as The New 52 initiative that relaunched the entire line of monthly superhero comic books. As part of the revamp, Lee designed and reimagined the new, more contemporary costumes for some of the DC Universe’s most iconic characters, including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Under Lee’s leadership, DC also successfully launched same-day digital across the entire line of comic books.
As Chief Creative Officer, Lee is charged with leading all creative efforts to fully integrate DC’s rich portfolio of characters and stories from iconic brands such as DC (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Justice League), DC Vertigo (Sandman), and MAD across all media. As part of these efforts, Lee works closely with DC’s Franchise Management team and fellow Warner Bros. colleagues to develop cross-promotional support for DC properties.
In addition, Lee also serves as the Executive Creative Director for DC Universe Online (DCUO), the only massively multiplayer online (MMO) game set in the DC Super Hero universe. Created by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), this story-driven action adventure game is currently operated by Daybreak Games. Prior to his current post at DC, Lee served as Editorial Director at DC where he oversaw WildStorm Studios and was also the artist for many of DC’s bestselling comic books and graphic novels, including All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder, Batman: Hush, and Superman: For Tomorrow.
Jim Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea but moved with his family to St. Louis, Missouri when he was young. After graduating cum laude with a BA in Psychology from Princeton University in 1986, he started his professional career at Marvel Comics where his work on the X-Men continues to hold the all-time sales record for single-issue sales at an incredible 8 million copies sold in one month. In 1992, he started his own production company, WildStorm Productions, and co-founded Image Comics, an independent comics company that quickly grew to become the third largest North American publisher. Two of his creations, WildC.A.T.s, and Gen13, saw life beyond comics as a CBS Saturday morning cartoon and as a DTV animated movie distributed by Disney, respectively. In 1998, DC purchased WildStorm Productions and Lee left Image Comics to join the DC Entertainment creative team.
Lee resides in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, 9 kids, 5 dogs, and a cat.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try),Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stagrate Atlantis: Gateways), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance),
This year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will take place on September 25-27, 2026 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. To open the guest announcements for 2026, the Baltimore Comic-Con adds Frank Cho, Colleen Doran, Larry Hama, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, and Mark Waid to the 2026 event! You can purchase tickets to this year’s event now!
Ringo Award winner and Harvey and Eisner Award nominee Frank Cho launched his career as a comic strip artist at the University of Maryland-College Park student newspaper, penning University2, which was the predecessor of his creator-owned syndicated strip and comic series, Liberty Meadows. His body of work also includes Marvel Comics’ New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Shanna the She-Devil, New Ultimates, and X-Men: Schism, as well as Jungle Girl for Dynamite Entertainment. His recent work can be seen on covers from DC’s Harley Quinn.
Colleen Doran is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist. From her first work on The Sandman, she also adapted the short stories Troll Bridge, Snow Glass Apples, and Chivalry, winning two Eisners, The Bram Stoker, Locus, and Ringo Awards, and nominations for Best Penciler/Inker Eisners, Reubens, the Excelsior, Rondo, and Tripwire Awards.
Other works include American Gods, Norse Mythology, and the adaptation of Good Omens with Terry Pratchett, at that time, the most successful comics crowdfund in Kickstarter history at over $3.1 million.
She taught Syrian refugees for the US Embassy and the Athens, Greece National Library, and contributed to Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds to benefit Ukrainian refugees. The project is an Eisner winner.
She’s illustrated works by Alan Moore, Margaret Atwood, Anne Rice, J Michael Straczynski, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Amazing Fantastic Incredible Stan Lee, and graphic novels for The Doors, Blondie, Melissa Etheridge, and Tori Amos. In Balmain Dreams 10R, she created an original story for the French fashion house Balmain for designer Oliver Rousteing.
She’s had multiple solo shows at the Society of Illustrators, The Museum of Cartoon Art, and the San Diego Comic Con Museum. She’s also exhibited at shows in Milan, Rome, Portugal, and Germany.
Other credits: Action Comics, Conan, Detective Comics, Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jessica Jones for Netflix, Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Vampire Diaries, and Wonder Woman.
Larry Hama is an Eisner Hall of Fame writer/artist/editor/actor who is best known as the writer of Marvel’s GI Joe and Wolverine comics in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Larry created and scripted Bucky O’Hare, which was a comic, an animated show, and toy line from Hasbro. He has also written, edited, or drawn for Avengers, Conan, Batman, Wonder Woman, X-Men, Spider-Man, and dozens more. His illustrations and cartoons have appeared in National Lampoon, Esquire, New York, and Rolling Stone. His most recent novel is The Death of Captain America, which was also released as an audio book. In comics, he has recently scripted Iron Fist/Heart of the Dragon for Marvel and Spy Hunter/Paper Boy for DC. He has also done layouts for Deathstroke, Damage, and Michael Cray at DC. He is currently writing GI Joe: A Real American Hero for Skybound. He is also an Inkpot Award winner, and an inductee in the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
As an actor, he has appeared on TV in M.A.S.H., SNL, and Another World. He originated the characters of Lord of the South and Lt. Williams in the 1976 B’Way production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures, and has done commercials and voice-overs.
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 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 multiple Ringo, Harvey, and Eisner Award-winning Mark Waid has been the voice behind dozens of series that have resonated throughout comics fandom and the creative community alike. His more acclaimed runs include DC Comics’ The Flash, Kingdom Come, JLA: Year One, JLA, Legion of Super-Heroes, and Superman: Birthright, Marvel Comics’ Captain America, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, The Indestructible Hulk, and Daredevil, BOOM! Studios’ Incorruptible and Irredeemable, Archie Comics’ Archie, and his creator-owned works Empire and Potter’s Field. He previously served as Publisher (U.S.) at Humanoids.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stagrate Atlantis: Gateways), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance),
Standing up to save our future, 10 creators have voiced their hopes, thoughts, fears, and knowledge to inspire the next generation to VOTE and stand against the tyranny of our government.
CREATIVE TEAMS Eric Neal Allred Marie Grousset Brandon Bloxdorf Lex Castellon Angel K Max Flowers Jeff Lorentz Javi Martinez Kevin Zoldan M. Ryan Arnold James Madison
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
Next year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will take place at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 25-27, 2026. 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
2026 Baltimore Comic-Con Exclusive Convention T-Shirt (size subject to availability)
2026 Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook with a VIP Exclusive Cover
Show-exclusive lithograph
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Gene Ha (Mae), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), and Scott Snyder (DC K.O.),
The Baltimore Comic-Con and Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore have announced the winners of their 15th Annual Cosplay Contest. The contest took place on Saturday, October 18, 2025 for both amateur and professional adults, and Sunday, October 19, 2025 for kids. Visually stunning costumes ranged from classic superheroes to video game, TV, and movie characters and beyond, and our contest has proven to be one of the most anticipated events at the show, for cosplayers and fans alike.
This year’s cosplay contest was split into novice, intermediate, and advanced contests, and a separate contest was held for kids as well.
The grand prize winner for Best in Show Costume, and the recipient of the $1,000 cash prize, was Equinox Cosplay for Iron Man – MCU.
Winners for this year’s contest include:
Overall Best Costume (Best in Show): Equinox Cosplay, Iron Man – MCU
