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Christa Cassano, Dean Haspiel, Dave Proch, Peter Rostovsky, David Trustman, and Sarah Trustman Head to Baltimore Comic Con

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The 20th annual Baltimore Comic-Con occurs the weekend of October 18-20, 2019 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Baltimore Comic-Con features a posse of niche-bending comix auteurs, which include Christa Cassano, Dean Haspiel, Dave Proch, Peter Rostovsky, David Trustman, and Sarah Trustman. Purchase your tickets online at the Baltimore Comic-Con website.

Christa Cassano

Christa Cassano is an award winning artist currently residing in Philadelphia, PA. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has been an Artist-in-Residence at IAIA, Yaddo, and The Atlantic Center for the Arts, a regular contributor to comix anthologies, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force, RESIST!, and A.P.B.- Artist Against Police Brutality. She is also the publisher of The Giant Effect and Le Cadavre Exquis. In 2016, she was nominated for an Eisner Award for co-adapting John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown into a graphic novel. Her work can be seen at BillMyers.com, Crypt TV, The Les Paul Museum, on The O’Jays new album, and in the upcoming New Stranger Things Art book.

Emmy and Ringo Award-winning cartoonist Dean Haspiel is best known for creating Billy Dogma and The Red Hook and illustrating for HBO’s “Bored to Death.” His published work includes The Fox, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Deadpool, Batman ’66, Wonder Woman, Godzilla, Mars Attacks!, Heavy Metal, SpongeBob SquarePants, Popeye, and American Splendor. He has collaborated with Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Ames, Inverna Lockpez, Jay Lynch, Jonathan Lethem, Stoya, and Stan Lee. In addition, Haspiel is an accomplished playwright and Yaddo fellow. Check out his latest graphic novel, The Red Hook vol.2 War Cry (Image Comics), and read his recent webcomic, STARCROSS (The Red Hook, season 3 at Line WEBTOON).

Dave Proch is a native of west Philadelphia and was published in the Locust Moon Press anthology books, Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, Once Upon a Time Machine, and various issues of their Quarter Moonanthology series. He self-publishes Mango Lizard, as well as The Homecoming King. He’ll be drawing 5 dollar business card size paintings of your favorite characters throughout the weekend.

Peter Rostovsky is a Russian-born artist and writer whose art has been shown widely in the US and abroad at museum venues such as PS1/MoMA, The Walker Art Center, MCA Santa Barbara, Artpace, The Blanton Museum of Art, S.M.A.K., and a host of private galleries. His art criticism, under the pen name David Geers, has appeared in the magazines October, BOMB, The Brooklyn Rail, and Frieze. Meanwhile, his comics-based work has appeared in the Third Rail Quarterly, Unbag, Topic, and Devil’s Due’s Talk Bernie To Me!, and the acclaimed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force, where his contribution was highlighted by the New York Times, Vice, and other media outlets. At Baltimore Comic-Con, Rostovsky will be giving a sneak peak into his first major graphic novel: Damnation Diaries.

David Trustman is an Indy comix writer/artist, mnemonist, and TEDx speaker. He is the co-creator and artist of the groundbreaking graphic series The Memory Arts which teaches ancient mnemonic (memory) techniques through vibrant watercolor imagery, and has been called “…one of the most important books in magic…ever!” (Vanish Magazine, May 2018). David got his start in indy comix as writer/artist of The Rise, Welcome to Karma Springs, and GOD Slap. David’s new comic Theuth: Totem Quest is debuting at Baltimore Comic-Con!

Writer/ Artist Sarah Trustman broke into the publishing scene with her co-creation, The Memory Arts. The renowned series teaches mnemonics (the ancient art of memory) through fun, modern, graphic storytelling. A mnemonist and TEDx speaker, Sarah regularly speaks and teaches about memory to audiences both large and small. Her newest comic Theuth: Totem Quest is debuting at Baltimore Comic-Con!

In addition to on-site CGC grading, this year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Joel Adams (Savage Eve), Neal Adams (Detective Comics), Zeea Adams (Neal Adams Monsters), Scott Ethan Ambruson (Destiny, Queen of Thieves), Art Way Alliance, Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned), Jeremy Bastian (Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Under The Spell), Marty Baumann (Disney/Pixar), John Beatty (Secret Wars), Carolyn Belefski (Curls), Ziggy Blumenthal (Operation Pajama Pants), Russ Braun (The Boys), Brett Breeding (Superman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Harold Buchholz (MST3K), Mark Buckingham (Justice League Dark), Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, courtesy of AfterShock Comics), Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs), Buzz (Superman: Coming of the Supermen), Jim Calafiore (The Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute), Chris Campana (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Joe Carabeo (The Legettes), Richard Case (Doom Patrol), Christa Cassano (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Castillo Studios, Ally Cat (Death of Love), Jacob Chabot (Ziggy Pig – Silly Seal Comics), Howard Chaykin (Hey Kids! Comics!), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Steve Conte (Action Figure Kingdom), Katie Cook (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Jamie Cosley (Star Wars Insider), Clayton Crain (Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales, courtesy of Frankie’s Comics), Kristina Deak-Linsner (Vampirella: Roses for the Dead), The Deans Family (La Moo Du Chocolat: A Shakes Adventure), Vito Delsante (Midnight Tiger: Stronger), Christian DiBari (Magdalena), Steve Ellis (The Only Living Girl), Tod Emko and Piggy (A Piggy’s Tale), Steve Englehart (Doctor Strange, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Garth Ennis (The Boys, Friday and Saturday only), G.D. Falksen (Mine!), Rob Feldman (Cyko KO), Brenden Fletcher (Isola), Chris Flick (Capes & Babes), LJ and Kayla Fowlkes (The Adventures of CHIBIWONGTONG), Shea Fontana (DC SuperHero Girls), Francesco Francavilla (Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica), Franco (Superman of Smallville), Simon Fraser (Tales of the Night Watchman, courtesy of So What? Press), Julie Fujii Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden), John Gallagher (Max Meow), David Gallaher (The Only Living Girl), SL Gallant (Magic: The Gathering: Chandra – Tales of Alara), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Mitch Gerads (Mr. Miracle), Gerhard (Cerberus the Aardvark), Ransom Getty (Suicide Squad Special Edition), Chris Giarrusso (Hashtag: Danger), Mike Gold (The Whisper Campaign), Jimmy Gownley (Disney Zootopia: School Days), Garth Graham (Star Power), John Patrick Green (Kim Possible Adventures), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Juanjo Guarnido (Blacksad),  Laura Lee Gulledge (Will & Whit), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Cully Hamner (Batman Beyond), N. Steven Harris (Michael Cray), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Glenn Hauman (Mine!), Mark Hempel (Sandman), Greg Hildebrandt (Old Man Logan), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine artist), Javon and Tarik Holmes (The Adventuers of Waffle Boy), Adam Hughes (Superman), Jamal Igle (Wrong Earth), Chris Ivy (Venom: Tooth and Claw, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Klaus Janson (New Challengers), Justin Jordan (Reaver), Kata Kane (G.F.F.s Ghost Friends Forever), Chris Kemple (The Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute), Matt Kindt (X-O Manowar), Sharlene Kindt (Dept. H), Tom King (Batman), Evelyn Kriete (Hullabaloo), Greg Land (Hulkverines, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Jeehyung Lee (The Batman’s Grave, courtesy of Frankie’s Comics), Jim Lee (Batman: Hush, Saturday only), Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer), Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja), Nate Lovett (Marvel Comics Presents), Howard Mackie (Ghost Rider), Mike Manley (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Comic), Chris Mariano (Claire Lost Her Bear at the World’s Fair), Mark Mariano (Puddleton Farm: Ewing! What Are You Doing?), Ron Marz (Turok), Xavier McLaren (The Bubbler), John McCrea (Hitman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Twisted Romance), Pop Mhan (Raven, Daughter of Darkness), David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man, Saturday and Sunday only, courtesy of The Living Corpse), Matt Miner (All We Ever Wanted: Stories of a Better World), Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez (Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico), Karl Moline (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mark Morales (Justice League), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Kevin Nowlan (Black Widow, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Jerry Ordway (Archie Meets Batman ’66), Rachel Ordway (FTL, Y’all!), Greg Pak (Star Wars), Tom Palmer (Doctor Strange), Dan Parent (Archie: The Married Life – 10th Anniversary), Paul Pelletier (Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special), Andrew Pepoy (Archie: The Married Life – 10th Anniversary), Mike Perkins (Swamp Thing), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Kasey Pierce (Seeress, Book One: The Reckless), Mark Poulton (Koni Waves), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Dave Proch (Mango Lizard), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers), Ron Randall (Trekker), Tom Raney (Dog Days of Summer), Mark Redfield (Vampire Hunters Incorporated), Afua Richardson (Run), Rafer Roberts (Grumble), Don Rosa (The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck), Peter Rostovsky (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Jennifer Rouse (The Death of Poe), Craig Rousseau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X), Mike Royer (New Gods), Arsia Rozegar (Man Plus), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), Stuart Sayger (KISS: The End), Bob Schreck (Batman: Hush), Greg Schigiel (Pix: One Weirdest Weekend), Erica Schultz (Xena: Warrior Princess), Bart Sears (Turok), Jeff Shultz (Archie Jumbo Comics Digest), Louise Simonson (Death of Superman), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok), Matt Slay (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Andy Smith (Demi-God), Brian “Smitty” Smith (The Stuff of Legend), John K. Snyder III (Killers), Allison Sohn (The Art of Red Sonja, Volume 2), Charles Soule (Curse Words), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Rise of the Black Panther), Jim Steranko (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Paul D. Storrie (The Viking Queen), Karl Story (Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Han Solo), William Stout (Fantastic Worlds – The Art of William Stout), Nathan Szerdy (Vampirella), Ty Templeton (Marvel Super-Hero Adventures, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Michael Terracciano (Star Power), David and Sarah Trustman (The Memory Arts), Timothy Truman (Grimjack), Billy Tucci (Shi), Ted Tucker (Caricatures), Mike Vasquez (Rick & Morty, courtesy of Frankie’s Comics), Brian K. Vaughan (Paper Girls), Gus Vazquez (Big Hero 6), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Robert Venditti (Hawkman), Doug Wagner (The Hard Place), Mark Waid (Avengers: No Road Home), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Adam Warren (Empowered And Sistah Spooky’s High School Hell), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics), Lee Weeks (Batman), Mark Wheatley (Songs of Giants: The Poetry of Pulp), Emily Whitten (The Underfoot), Bob Wiacek (Iron Man), Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs), Javier Cruz Winnik (Puerto Rico Strong), Marv Wolfman (Raven: Daughter of Darkness, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), John Workman (Riverdale), Kelly Yates (Torchwood), Thom Zahler (Star Trek: Waypoint Special 2019), and Mike Zeck (The Punisher).

Devil’s Due Wants you to Talk Bernie to Me!

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Talk Bernie To Me!:​ The Bernie Sanders Special and AOC Surprise

After making international headlines with its superhero comic about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chicago’s Devil’s Due Comics has announced a sequel is now available for pre-order. Talk Bernie To Me!:​ The Bernie Sanders Special and AOC Surprise is a one-off commemorative comic celebrating two-time Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, featuring contributions from several acclaimed and award-winning writers/artists. (Variant covers are also available.) 

In addition to depicting the Vermont Senator as a full-fledged  superhero, Talk Bernie To Me! will be chock full of short-form Bernie comics, Trump and GOP skewering, plus satirical games and puzzles. The comic is slated for a July 3, 2019 release (in both physical and digital form), and by popular demand will include additional AOC content. Pre-orders can be made at BernieComic.com, with a portion of all sales going to the ACLU and RaicesTexas.org, which provides free and low-cost legal services to under-served immigrant children, families, and refugees.

Talk Bernie to Me! features contributions from Josh Baylock, Tim Seeley, Hoyt Silva, Marguerite Dabaie, K. Lynn Smith, CW Cooke, Aly Faye, Christa Cassano, Paul Buhle, Kit Caoagas, Gary Dumm, Laura Dumm, Nick Accardi, Sam Wells, Liz McArthur, Jason Goungor, Sherard Jackson, Peter Rostovsky, and Joel Herrera. It’s set for release July 3, 2019.

The announcement comes mere weeks after Devil’s Due announced its Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez And The Freshman Force comic (available here as of May 15), and ten years after the debut of its wildly-popular Barack the Barbarian graphic novel series. All three titles are the brainchild of artist and Devil’s Due Publisher Josh Blaylock, ​working in tandem with an all-star group of talent.

Review: Ghetto Klown

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Growing up In Queens, New York, is a one of a kind experience. The thing is, I did not realize how good I had it until I left home and joined the military. Growing up in my neighborhood got me ready for dealing with people from all walks of life, different parts of the world, and to different languages.

During my time serving, it felt if my fellow soldiers weren’t from major metropolises they had never seen anyone of color. Ever. This became even more apparent when we would visit different countries and I watched as many of the people I came with had never heard certain languages or ate certain foods. Much of what we saw during my time serving, I had experienced right there in Queens years before. As the immortal Rakim Allah once said “its not where you from, its where you at.” It calls for the individual to take their experience where they’re from and apply it to where they are going. In John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown, another resident son of Queens sheds light on his journey for all to see.

We meet John through his parents and their struggle as immigrants, working their hands to the bone, trying do better for him. As he grows up, he soon finds out he has a knack for comedy, one that would get him a reputation in the neighborhood and school. Soon he catches the eye of one drama teacher, one that would introduce him to the plays of Arthur Miller and Sam Shepherd. He eventually goes to school for acting and works under the tutelage of the great Lee Strassburg.  As he gained notice, he was cast in his first film Casualties Of War, one that would prove he was good, but h did not find his voice as of yet. It was not until he wrote Mambo Mouth, his first play, which caught the eyes of his heroes, Miller, and Shepherd, but also made Hollywood take another look at him. He books his next movie and one of my personal favorites, Carlito’s Way, one which he has more than a tenuous relationship with Al Pacino. He eventually books another film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, which he starred alongside the late great Patrick Swayze and the underrated Wesley Snipes, which garnered him a Golden Globes nomination, and gave him enough influence to write Buggin, his second play. Eventually, he would marry his longtime on again off again girlfriend, Teeny, and have a son and a daughter. By book’s end, he eventually realizes he cannot run away form who he is, an actor, a husband, a father a son, a grandson, and a native New Yorker.

Overall, an excellent memoir that reveals much about the man behind the public personality that is John Leguizamo. The story by Leguizamo, is raw, emotional, funny, and brimming with hope at times. The art by Beyale and Cassano is simply beautiful. Altogether, a graphic novel that proves to part therapy and part memoir.

Story: John Leguizamo Art: Shamus Beyale and Christa Cassano
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Hang Dai Coming to Baltimore Comic-Con

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Hang DaiFive members from Brooklyn’s legendary Hang Dai Studios will be attending Baltimore Comic-Con, being held the weekend of September 25-27, 2015 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Featuring artists and writers Dean “The Fox” Haspiel, Gregory “B+F” Benton, Christa “Ghetto Klown” Cassano, Jonathan “Plunder” Lang, and Vito “Stray” Delsante, they will be playing the dozens and selling their latest comix, prints, graphic novels, and be available for commissions. Hang Dai Editions (in conjunction with Alternative Comics), will be debuting their three new graphic novels: Smoke by Gregory Benton, Beef With Tomato by Dean Haspiel, and Schmuck by the late Seth Kushner.

Emmy award winner and Eisner Award nominee Dean Haspiel created Billy Dogma, illustrated for HBO’s “Bored To Death,” was a Master Artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, is a Yaddo fellow and a playwright, helped pioneer personal webcomics with the invention of ACT-I-VATE.com and TripCity.net, and is the co-founder of Hang Dai Editions in Brooklyn, NY. “Dino” has written and drawn many comic books, including The Fox, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men: First Class, Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Godzilla, Mars Attacks, Garbage Pail Kids, Creepy, The Walking Dead, and collaborations with Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Ames, Inverna Lockpez, Jonathan Lethem, Mark Waid, and Stan Lee. Look out for his upcoming graphic novel memoir, Beef With Tomato (Alternative Comics).

Gregory Benton‘s book B+F was awarded the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art’s inaugural Award of Excellence at MoCCAFest 2013. An expanded version of B+F was published in the autumn of 2013 through Adhouse Books (USA) and Editions çà et là (France). The long form edition of B+F was selected for the Society of Illustrators’ first Comics and Cartoon Art Annual in 2014. Gregory has written and drawn stories for Nickelodoeon, Vertigo, DC Comics, Disney Adventures, Watson-Guptil, and Entertainment Weekly. Gregory has also produced numerous limited-edition mini-comix, some of which reside in The Library of Congress’ rare books collection. Gregory’s latest book Smoke, published by Hang Dai Editions, makes its BCC debut!

Christa Cassano has a background in fine arts and began making comics in 2012 when she attended The Atlantic Center for the Arts. In 2013 she became a member of Hang Dai Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where she wrote and drew The Giant Effect, did a comix-accordian collaboration with Dean Haspiel called A Letter Lasts Longer, and contributed to The Hang Dai Comix Anthology and Seth Kushner’s Schmuck. Christa recently co-adapted John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown, coming out this fall from Abrams, and is currently working on her own graphic series, titled Pawnland.

Swifty Lang was born in Liege, Belgium and raised in South Florida. He received his M.A. in Film Studies from the University of Amsterdam. He is a comix writer and filmmaker. He won a Van Gogh Award for World Cinema Directing in 2015 from the Amsterdam International Film Festival for his film The Showing. Swifty is co-creator of the critically acclaimed, Feeding Ground (Archaia), which was optioned by Pressman Films in 2014. He was a contributor to Occupy Comics (Black Mask). He has worked with IDW on Garbage Pail Kids with Dean Haspiel, and lived his childhood dream of creating a GPK. His mini-series Plunder was published by Archaia in 2015 and a collection is forthcoming in 2016. He has been a member of Hang Dai Studios since 2013. He is a founding partner of S/Lang Entertainment.

Vito Delsante is a comic book writer/graphic novelist and the co-creator of Stray, published by Action Lab Entertainment. He’s written for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Image Comics, and Simon & Schuster, including stories for Superman, Batman, X-Men, and Scooby Doo, and his stories have been reprinted overseas. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Michelle, his daughter, Sadie, his son, James and his dog, Kirby.