The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced that two prominent figures who originated in Underground Comix, Frank Stack and Denis Kitchen, will be coming to the 14^th annual show, taking place September 7-8, 2013.

Frank Stack is credited by some comics historians with creating the very first underground comic (The Adventures of Jesus) back in 1962, well before R. Crumb’s first ZAP in 1967. Frank is not merely a respected cartoonist — he is an accomplished painter and for many years was a tenured art professor at the University of Missouri. But we know him in our corner of the world as the creator of such comics as his iconoclastic Jesus series, Feelgood Funnies, Amazon, and Dorman’s Doggie, and contributions to underground anthologies like Rip Off Comix and Snarf. Frank collaborated with the late Harvey Pekar on American Splendor and the graphic novel My Cancer Year.

Frank, who very rarely attends any comics conventions, is making his first appearance at Baltimore Comic-Con. Though now retired from teaching, Frank continues to paint, make prints in his own print-making studio, and has a new comics project underway.
  Denis Kitchen wears many hats in comics (“Too many,” he tells us). Like Frank, he began as a self-published underground cartoonist (Mom’s Homemade Comics, 1969), but quickly became primarily a publisher. His Kitchen Sink Press for three decades published such legendary and diverse artists as Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, R. Crumb, Mark Schultz, Charles Burns, Al Capp, Scott McCloud, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, Dave McKean, Howard Cruse, and countless others. Kitchen also founded the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and chaired it for eighteen years.

A monograph of his cartoons (The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen) was recently published. Kitchen curates exhibitions, is an art agent, a literary agent, a comics historian and author (The Art of Harvey Kurtzman and a brand-new biography Al Capp), and just last month announced with partner John Lind that they are bringing back Kitchen Sink Books as an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. This is Denis’s 4th appearance at Baltimore Comic-Con where he has a special connection: as the representative of the Kurtzman estate, he was responsible for bringing the annual Harvey Awards to us.

Stack and Kitchen joins the previously announced guests, including: Josh Adams (Doctor Who); Neal Adams (First X-Men); Art Baltazar (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); Brian Bolland (Dial H); Harold Buchholz (Archie Comics); Mark Buckingham (Fables); Sal Buscema (Amazing Spider-Man); Frank Cammuso (Knights of the Lunch Table, Otto’s Orange Day); Jimmy Cheung (Avengers vs. X-Men); Frank Cho (Savage Wolverine); Steve Conley (Bloop); Amanda Conner (Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre); Jamie and Tyler Cosley (Cody the Cavalier, Ninja Squirrel); J.M. DeMatteis (Phantom Stranger); David Finch (Justice League of America); Franco (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); John Gallagher (Buzzboy, Roboy Red); SL Gallant (GI JOE); Zack Giallongo (Broxo); Chris Giarrusso (G-Man); Keith Giffen (Masters of the Universe); Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!, The Dumbest Idea Ever!); Joe Hill (Locke and Key); Jason Horn (Ninjasaur); Adam Hughes (Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan); Barry Kitson (Empire); Roger Langridge (Popeye); Paul Levitz (World’s Finest); Kevin Maguire (World’s Finest); Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space); Mark Mariano (Happyloo); Dave McDonald (Hamster Sam); Mark McKenna (Star Wars, Banana Tail); Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie); Mike Mignola (Hellboy In Hell); Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground); Chris O>Matic (The Chris O>Matic Show!); Jimmy Palmiotti (Batwing); Dan Parent (Archie, Veronica, Kevin Keller); George Perez (World’s Finest); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Joe Prado (Earth 2); Ivan Reis (Aquaman); Dave Roman – Saturday only (Astronaut Academy, Teen Boat); Chris Samnee (Daredevil); Jeff Schultz (Archie, Jughead); Louise Simonson (X-Factor); Walt Simonson (The Mighty Thor); Kevin Smith (Batman: The Widening Gyre); Allison Sohn (sketch card artist); Bobby Timony (Night Owls, Detectobot); Mark Waid (Indestructible Hulk), and Bill Willingham (Fables).