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Mark Buckingham, Paris Cullins, Todd Dezago, Carla Speed McNeil, Kevin Nowlan, and Craig Rousseau are coming to Baltimore Comic Con

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The 2026 Baltimore Comic-Con will be held on September 25-27 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes Mark Buckingham, Paris Cullins, Todd Dezago, Carla Speed McNeil, Kevin Nowlan, and Craig Rousseau as guests of the 2026 event! Get your tickets online now!

Mark Buckingham, who is best-known and most-celebrated for his work on the long-running Vertigo title Fables, began his career in 1997 and was first published in the USA in 1998 on Hellblazer, followed a year later by Miracleman from Eclipse Comics. After books like Batman: Shadow of the Bat, Titans, and Shade, the Changing Man, he became a mainstay at DC Comics as regular artist on Fables. His run on the popular imprint title has earned him five Eisner Awards, including Best New Series in 2003, Best Serialized Story in 2005 and 2006, and Best Artist/Penciler/Inker and Best Anthology in 2007. Having previously had popular runs on Ghost Rider 2099, Generation X, Doctor Strange (all 1990s), and Peter Parker: Spider-Man (2000s), he is currently back at Marvel Comics as artist on Fantastic 4: First Foes.

Paris Cullins is a visionary comic book artist and storyteller known for his vibrant imagination and larger-than-life energy that leaps right off the page. Rising to prominence during DC Comics’ creative boom in the 1980s, Paris is best known for his iconic work on Blue Devil, a character he helped co-create, and his acclaimed run on Blue Beetle, which helped redefine the superhero landscape with his dynamic and fresh visual style. His artistry also brought life to the epic revival of Jack Kirby’s New Gods series and Paris didn’t stop at DC. 

He crossed into Marvel territory with Hyperkind, part of Clive Barker’s Razorline imprint, proving he could flex his artistic muscles across universes. Whether penciling, inking, or designing covers, Cullins brought a fresh, youthful swagger to every panel he touched.

Paris’s distinct style and storytelling earned him a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim. Across the decades, Paris has continued to inspire emerging artists and fans alike with his fearless creativity and passion for the craft. Whether revitalizing beloved heroes or creating new legends, Paris Cullins draws with the pulse of youth and the spirit of innovation — a true master of comic book excitement and imagination.

Email: Pariscullins@gmail.com
Twitter: @ParisCullins

Todd Dezago is a writer best known for his work in comics. He has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Image, Dark Horse, Scout Comics, and others. His credits include scripting the adventures of Spider-Man, X-Factor, the X-Men, the Avengers, Marvel Super Hero Squad, the Justice League, Flash, Impulse, Batman, and Young Justice. Todd co-created the high-adventure fantasy title, Tellos, with Mike Wieringo and The Perhapanauts with Craig Rousseau.

Carla Speed McNeil is the author and artist of Finder. She started working in comics in 1997 and hasn’t stopped since. She has also worked on a variety of projects like providing art for Queen & Country: Operation: Stormfront from Oni Press, adapted and drew Pendragon: The Merchant of Death (based on the prose book by D. J. MacHale) for Simon & Schuster, and drawn fan-favorite Frank Ironwine for Apparat/Avatar, as well as two pages of Transmetropolitan for DC/Vertigo, both by Warren Ellis. Bad Houses was released in 2013 by Dark Horse Comics, after which she began a long series of collaborations with writer Alex De Campi, including Ashes, My Little Pony (IDW), and No Mercy (Image) beginning April 2015. Other smaller projects have included drawing Legends of Red Sonja (Dynamite), the short story “Here. In My Head” (with writer Elizabeth Genco) for Comic Book Tattoo from Image, and shorts in notable anthologies such as The Sleep of Reason and Cautionary Fairy Tales of Africa. She has won an Eisner Award, Ignatz Awards, the Kim Yale New Talent Award from Friends Of Lulu, the L.A. Times Book Prize for graphic novel in 2012, and three Stumptown Comic Arts Awards.

Finder, the science fiction series Carla Speed McNeil started in 1996, was “born” in Maryland, and so were her two kids and three cats. She and her husband were born and raised in Louisiana, but they’ve lived here longer than they ever lived there, which is a funny thought sometimes. She’s won an Eisner, several Ignatzes, and the LA Times Book Prize. She teaches comics at MICA in Baltimore, and her COVID hobb-session was making teeny tiny doors.

Kevin Nowlan is a penciler, inker, colorist, and letterer, and a 40+ year veteran of the comics industry. Credits include Batman: Sword of Azreal, Batman Black and White, Tomorrow Stories, Doctor Strange, Infernal Man-Thing, Superman vs. Aliens, and, recently, Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor. Nowlan also contributed character designs to the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, most notably the Joker, Killer Croc, The Mad Hatter, and the Man-Bat.

Craig Rousseau has been working in the comics industry for over 2 decades, working for all the major publishers, including DC (Impulse, Batman Beyond, Harley Quinn, Batman ‘66) and Marvel (Iron Man Armor Wars, Captain America and the Korvac Saga, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane). Besides Young Hellboy from Dark Horse Comics, he’s currently working on the latest adventures of his creator-owned book, The Perhapanauts (with Todd Dezago) at Black Caravan… and a few other things.

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), Paris Cullins (Blue Devil), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Trish Forstner (Feral), Chris Giarrusso (Mini Marvels), 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).

The First Jack & Roz Kirby Award Recipients Revealed

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Jack & Roz Kirby Awards logo

The seven recipients of the inaugural Jack & Roz Kirby Awards (the Kirbys) have been announced. The award ceremony was held at the Original Art Expo (OAX) in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, February 21. The Kirbys are an annual award recognizing innovation, excellence, and humanity in narrative communication.

The Kirbys were announced on October 8, 2025 under a partnership between CAF, The Estate of Jack Kirby (Kirby Estate) as represented by The Rosalind Kirby Family Trust, and The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center (Kirby Museum). The award process was conducted by an Oversight Council, Advisory Board, and Voting Committee, who selectively have responsibilities to nominate candidates and vote on the award winners. The Founding Sponsors of the Kirbys were Marvel Comics, GalaxyCon, Cosmic Lion Productions, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

For its first year, the Kirbys consisted of seven total award categories that celebrate the artist’s journey. The awards categories have no time restrictions, aside from the Newcomer Award; no geographic limits; and are English only (original/translated). Nominees must be alive at the time of nomination and, after winning a Kirby Award, are ineligible to be nominated for another five years.

CORE AWARDS

The five Core Awards reflect attributes of Jack Kirby and of dedicated, lifelong creators. Voting Committee members have the exclusive responsibility to provide up to two nominations per category and are the sole voters for these categories.

NATE POWELL
INDEPENDENCE
“one who remains steadfast and fierce”

The nominee has demonstrated the ability to operate outside the confines of established systems and control structures to freely create works that express deeply personal beliefs, themes, and values without censorship and commercial pressure.

BILL SIENKIEWICZ
INNOVATOR
“one distinguished by new methods, approaches, and ideas”

The nominee has demonstrated clear innovation in methods, techniques, styles, storytelling, solutions, and/or packaging, and in so doing, has challenged the status quo and expanded the possibilities for all.

KEVIN NOWLAN
VISIONARY
“one distinguished by vital originality”

The nominee has demonstrated the ability to display and communicate worlds, characters, ideas, symbols, and realities beyond our current norms and understanding in contributing to our general comprehension and evolution.

ZOE THOROGOOD
NEWCOMER
“one to support in all ways”

The nominee has demonstrated early in their artistic life unique capabilities, viewpoints, perspectives, dedication, and perseverance that invites the possibility of consistently unique and impactful works being created.

JOHN ROMITA, JR.
STORYTELLER
“one adept at shared human connection”

The nominee has demonstrated the ability to synthesize the complex and varied components of storytelling to powerfully connect with, engage, and impact others.

LEGACY AWARDS

The two Legacy Awards are a type of career achievement award, one of which is rooted in a fundamental character trait of a distinguished creator, and the other recognizing the underlying quality, innovation, importance, and distinction of a creator’s body of work. Nominations are electively provided by all Oversight Council, Advisory Board, and Voting Committee members and then voted on by the Oversight Council and Voting Committee.

JOHN BYRNE
CREATOR
“one whose life’s work is exemplar for those to come”

The nominee has demonstrated the desire, ability, and commitment to time and again reenter the creative process and engage the often unpredictable and arduous creative journey towards conveying to us new stories, characters, themes, symbols, and possibilities.

WALTER SIMONSON
TEACHER
“one who suspends self and readily bestows experience and guidance”

The nominee has demonstrated the rare and critical ability to take that which they’ve experienced and learned and in a natural and discerning manner communicate their knowledge to others in a way that’s timely, uplifting, and impactful.

The Kirby Award statue was designed by Kasra Ghanbari and sculpted by Carlos Soca. A representative example of the statue was unveiled at the ceremony. The statue is a stark depiction of what it takes to create: a working space, the basic tools you’ve mastered, and your internal drive to create. The statue combines iconic imagery from Jack Kirby’s work space, along with ideas and symbols from two of Albrecht Dürer’s engravings, Melencolia I and Saint Jerome In His Study, and presents it to the recipient as the ultimate invitation and challenge, with the empty chair having the award winner’s name laser engraved on the seat back. The statue has been designed and constructed as a handmade work of art that we hope will take its place in a creator’s studio space or home.

Kirby Awards

DC announces the DC Black Label Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia

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DC has announced Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia, a character-driven new four-issue series by acclaimed storyteller Gabriel Hardman, launching November 26, 2025, and publishing monthly under the publisher’s DC Black Label imprint. Writer/artist Hardman comes to DC Black Label with a hard-boiled modern twist on the DC thrillers of the 1980s, updating this opinionated trio of lone-wolf vigilantes, Batman, Green Arrow and the Question, for a new era of open class warfare and ecological collapse.

Written, pencilled, and inked by Hardman, with colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr. and lettering by Simon Bowland, Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia unites three of DC’s most ideologically distinct heroes in an expansive narrative of global stakes and personal reckoning. As Bruce Wayne forms a tenuous bond with a billionaire climate visionary, Batman begins to question the true purpose of Arcadia—an ocean-sailing city, climate-hardened against weather extremes, being constructed off the coast of Greenland. Meanwhile, Green Arrow and the Question investigate the darker realities hidden beneath Arcadia’s utopian promise.

Through a high-stakes blend of suspense, espionage, and conflict, Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia is perfect for readers seeking complex narratives and iconic archetypes as the comic book series dives deep into the moral gray zones of three of the DC Universe’s most unyielding vigilantes. In Arcadia, working from the decaying husk of Hub City, Vic Sage, the Question, goes deep undercover on the trail of a human-trafficking operation in the frozen Arctic. Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, pushed out of his own company’s C-suite, must get his crumbling life back together…but what is Queen Industries’ involvement with a mysterious project dubbed Arcadia? Spurred on by the Question, Green Arrow joins the hunt for answers…but one obstacle stands in the way of their investigation: the Batman.

Expect bold storytelling, dynamic visuals, and a tone that honors the psychological depth of its vigilante protagonists, each guided by their own code and clashing as often as they unite, while posing difficult questions: When justice fails, what remains? When power corrupts, who resists? And when principle becomes weaponized, who gets hurt?

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 will feature a main cover by Hardman and variant covers from Kevin Nowlan and the legendary duo of Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz. The Cowan and Sienkiewicz variant was originally seen on a DC poster promoting the 1988 “Fables” crossover between Detective Comics Annual #1, Green Arrow Annual #1, and The Question Annual #1, and has never been offered as a variant cover until now. The Cowan and Sienkiewicz variant will be available in standard card stock and trade-dress-free foil versions.

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 debuts November 26, 2025, available wherever comic books are sold. Card stock covers will retail for $5.99 US while the foil variant cover will retail for $7.99 US. Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia will carry DC’s Ages 17+ content descriptor (for mature readers). Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia is edited by DC executive editor Chris Conroy and assistant editor Ash Padilla. Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia (hardcover, ISBN 9781799505518), collecting all four issues, hits shelves June 16, 2026, and will retail for $24.99 US.

David Finch, Mike Grell, Laura Martin, Kevin Nowlan, Mark Waid, and John Workman are coming to Baltimore Comic Con

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Don’t miss the 2025 Baltimore Comic-Con on October 17-19, 2025 when it returns to the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes comics guests David Finch, Mike Grell, Laura Martin, Kevin Nowlan, Mark Waid, and John Workman to this year’s event!. Purchase your tickets now!

For almost 30 years, David Finch has inspired fans with his raw and gritty art aesthetic. His comic credentials include creator-owned successes Ascension and Aphrodite IX and main stream hits like Ultimate X-Men, New Avengers, Moon Knight, and Ultimatum. In addition to comics, Dave has done work for film, video games, and the music industry. Moving to DC Comics in 2010, Dave used his powerful and emotional artwork to tackle Gotham’s grittiest hero in Batman: Dark Knight. His work with Geoff Johns on Justice League of America and Forever Evil brought a fresh and exciting perspective to the DC universe of villains. November of 2014 saw another chapter begin in his career when he began working on one of comics’ most iconic characters: Wonder Woman. Finch then turned his eye for detail back to the caped crusader in the pages of Batman with comic writer Tom King. When the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns hit, David started a YouTube channel to inspire and connect with his fans. The channel was a huge hit and currently boasts more than 400,000 subscribers. These days, you can find his work on the covers of the Walking Dead and various Marvel and DC titles.

Mike Grell is a writer/artist with a uniquely cinematic style of storytelling. His creations include:

  • The Warlord
  • Starslayer
  • Jon Sable, Freelance
  • Shaman’s Tears
  • Bar Sinister
  • Maggie the Cat

These, along with successful runs on such features as Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Batman, Iron Man, X-Men Forever, James Bond: Permission To Die, the Tarzan Sunday comic strip, and the internationally acclaimed, Eisner Award- Nominated Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, have won him the comic industry’s coveted Inkpot Award For Outstanding Achievement in Comic Art. His graphic novel series Jon Sable, Freelance was adapted for TV by ABC in 1987. Grell has been voted to Wizard Magazine’s Top Ten List of Comics Writers and was recently named to Wizard World’s Hall of Legends and the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Hall of Fame. It was recently announced that, beginning in 2023, the widely acclaimed Shaman’s Tears will become an “audio movie” podcast on The Fantasy Network, produced in conjunction with Native Voices under the artistic direction of DeLanna Studi out of the Autrey Museum.

Laura Martin is one of the comics industry’s most lauded colorists. Recipient of Harvey, Eisner, Eagle, Squiddy, and Comics Buyer’s Guide Awards, Martin is regularly assigned high-profile and event-oriented comics on which to bring her palate to bear. Her work can be found in DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Virgin, and CrossGen comics through the years, and she is lately working on Bad Idea’s Eniac, DC’s Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, and Marvel’s Hulk.

Kevin Nowlan is a penciler, inker, colorist, and letterer, and a 40+ year veteran of the comics industry. Credits include Batman: Sword of Azreal, Batman Black and White, Tomorrow Stories, Doctor Strange, Infernal Man-Thing, Superman vs. Aliens, and, recently, Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor. Nowlan also contributed character designs to the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, most notably the Joker, Killer Croc, The Mad Hatter, and the Man-Bat.

The multiple 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.

John Workman managed to turn a love for the comics form into a career. During the past five decades, he has held the position of editor, writer, art director, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, production director, and book designer for various companies. He created (with some help from Bhob Stewart and Bob Smith) the offbeat stories in Wild Things (with much of that material having first appeared in Star*Reach and Heavy Metal) and both wrote and drew the comics series Sindy, Fallen Angels, and Roma. In 1991, he reflected on model Bettie Page in Betty Being Bad (Eros), and later produced the hardbounds Heavy Metal: 25 Years of Classic Covers and Innocent Images: The Sexy Fantasy Females of Viper and Kiss, as well as The Adventures of Roma, a reformatted graphic novel version of his earlier series. He continues to write and draw and to do a whole lot of lettering for a number of comics companies on an international level.

2025 GUESTS

This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Kaare Andrews (Spider-Man: REIGN 2), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Russ Braun (The Boys), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Keith Champagne (Stranger Things), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jim Cheung (Young Avengers), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (Emma Frost: The White Queen), Chris Claremont (X-Men), Becky Cloonan (Somna), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Michael W. Conrad (Manowar: Invictus), Jeff Dekal (Something is Killing the Children), David Finch (Moon Knight), Trish Forstner (Feral), Franco (Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales), Barbara Friedlander (Swing with Scooter), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Mike Grell (Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Incredible Hulk), Tula Lotay (Barnstormers), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Laura Martin (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons), Shawn Martinbrough (Red Hood: The Hill), Ron Marz (Green Lantern), Mike McKone (Red Goblin), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Josh Middleton (Aquaman), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Mark Morales (Thor), Trevor Mueller (Albert the Alien), Tom Nguyen (The Switch), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Dan Parent (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), Barbara Perez Marquez (The Cardboard Kingdom), Amy Reeder (Power Girl), Esad Ribic (Conan the Barbarian), Afua Richardson (Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds), Craig Rousseau (Herculoids), Jim Rugg (Street Angel), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Mark Waid (Justice League Unlimited), Maria Wolf (Phoenix), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), John Workman (Wild Things), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival Announces More 2025 Artists Including First Time Guests

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Lake Como Comic Art Festival

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival has announced more artists who will be appearing at the 2025 event including first time guests Ivan Bigarella, J. Scott Campbell, Tomm Coker, Yannick Corboz, Werther Dell’Edera, Lee Garbett, Puppeteer Lee, Tanya Lehoux, Rachta Lin, Warren Louw, Jon J. Muth, Joe Quinones, Sylvain Repos, Darick Robertson, Marco Rudy, Zoe Thorogood, and Federico Vicentini along with returning guests Mirka Andolfo, Mahmud Asrar, Simone Bianchi, Pierangelo Boog, Mark Brooks, Elena Casagrande, Carla Cohen, Giorgio Comolo, Jeff Dekal, Gabriele Dell’Otto, Riccardo Federici, Adi Granov, Jock, David Mack, Alex Maleev, Enrico Marini, Lucio Parillo, Mark Raats, Humberto Ramos, Liam Sharp, Martin Simmonds, Pepe Valencia, and Olivier Vatine.

The celebrated art festival offers fans and collectors an intimate opportunity to meet with and purchase original art from world renowned artists at a luxury destination in Italy. Attendees will have the opportunity to converse with and purchase original art from some of the most esteemed comic book artists from around the world. One of the most exceptional experiences is the opportunity to commission stunning exclusive artwork and pick it up in person. As artists prepare for the event they begin taking requests and share them with the Festival.

Previously announced artists include first time attendees Enrique Breccia, Becky Cloonan, Pasqual Ferry, Pepe Larraz, Kevin Nowlan, Mike Perkins, Stan Sakai, Babs Tarr, and Thomas Yeates and returning guests Jordi Bernet, Travis Charest, Frank Cho, Tula Lotay, Dave McKean, and John Romita Jr.

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival begins Friday May 16th, with an opening reception overlooking the magnificent lake and gardens of the historic Villa Erba in Cernobbio, Lake Como Italy. The festival will run for two full days, Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18th. The Lake Como Comic Art Festival offers three ticketing levels: a 2 Day Pass, an All-Access Pass, and for those looking for something extra special there is a VIP Experience level that includes an original sketch by Alex Ross or Bill Sienkiewicz. The exclusive sketch will be randomly selected and will only be available for pickup in person at the show. This level also includes entry to the highly coveted opening reception. Tickets for the 2025 Festival are on sale now.

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival Announces its 2025 Guests and Tickets Go On Sale

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The Lake Como Comic Art Festival has revealed the first wave of 2025 guests. The celebrated art festival offers fans and collectors an intimate opportunity to meet and purchase original art from world renowned artists at a luxury destination in Italy. This year’s guest list includes first time attendees Enrique Breccia, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Pepe Larraz, Babs Tarr, and Thomas Yeates along with returning guests Jordi Bernet, Travis Charest, Frank Cho, Becky Cloonan, Pasqual Ferry, Tula Lotay, Dave McKean, Kevin Nowlan, Mike Perkins, John Romita Jr, Sanjulian, and Stan Sakai.

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival begins Friday May 16th, with an opening reception overlooking the magnificent lake and gardens of the historic Villa Erba in Cernobbio, Lake Como Italy. The festival will run for two full days, Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18th. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with some of the most renowned comic book artists from around the world in an intimate setting.

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival is offering three ticketing levels: a 2 Day Pass, an All-Access Pass, and for those looking for something extra special there is a VIP Experience level that includes an original art sketch by Bill Sienkiewicz or Alex Ross. The exclusive sketch will be randomly selected and will only be available for pickup in person at the show. This level also includes entry to the highly coveted opening reception. Tickets for the 2025 Festival are available for purchase starting today with Mattiniero pricing available for a limited time.

The 2-Day Pass

  • 2-Day Ticket: May 17-18, 2025
  • 2025 Lake Como Fine Art Portfolio

The All-Access Pass

  • Opening Night Reception Ticket: May 16, 2025
  • Everything in the 2-Day Festival Pass

The VIP Experience

  • 1 Original Art Sketch by Bill Sienkiewicz or Alex Ross
  • Everything in the All-Access Pass
  • Only 75 VIP Tickets Available

Moonshadow returns with a “definitive expanded edition”

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Known as America’s first fully painted graphic novel, the poetic and philosophical Moonshadow will be published in a new softcover edition from Dark Horse Comics, arriving in May 2025. Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition—Expanded presents the beloved work by the esteemed creative team of writer J.M. DeMatteis, and co-creator artist Jon J Muth, letterer Kevin Nowlan with enhanced, newly painted cover art by Muth.

Featuring gorgeous watercolor artwork, Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition—Expanded provides readers with all 12 issues of the original series, including all the original covers, as well as concept art, early notes from the creative team, and script pages from series writer DeMatteis. This beautifully designed volume also includes the illustrated novella Farewell Moonshadow to ensure the entire Moonshadow experience is available to everyone.

DeMatteis calls Moonshadow “Dickens’ David Copperfield meets Siddhartha in space.” The Eisner Award-nominated definitive edition does not disappoint. An unreliable, romantic narrator takes audiences on a coming-of-age journey that is literally out of this world. Interplanetary, mixed-species, Moonshadow recounts his strange birth, his escape from a deep-space zoo, and his struggles to survive in a war-torn universe. This “fairytale for adults” lives in a space that is both intrinsically introspective of life under the microscope and the fantastical universal truth that  life, with all its absurdity and terrors, can be resonant with awe, wonder, and genuine beauty. Satirical, whimsical, and thoughtful, Moonshadow will continue to provoke a love of comics in new and returning readers.

Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition—Expanded, now presented in trade paperback for the first time, spans 528 pages, and arrives in bookstores on May 6, 2025, and in comic shops on May 7, 2025. Pre-order now for $29.99 from TFAW, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your local bookstore, or visit PRH Comics or Comic Shop Locator for more details and stores near you.

Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition—Expanded

Baltimore Comic Con Hosts a Massive Hero Initiative Art Auction

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Hero Initiative, the charity that helps comic book creators in medical or financial need, will be the beneficiary of an incredible original art auction at the Baltimore Comic Con, which will be held over the weekend of September 8-10, 2023 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The auction will be administered by well-known art expert Scott Dunbier. Tickets can be purchased online now.

Artists whose work will be in the auction include Berkeley Breathed, John Byrne, Gene Ha, Kelley Jones, Shawn McManus, Kevin Nowlan, Walter Simonson, JK Woodward, Bill Wray, and more.

Art will be available for viewing both at the Baltimore Comic-Con, and at Hero Initiative’s website. In addition to bidding at the auction, advance proxy bidding will also be available via Hero’s website with a strict deadline of August 31, 2023. Hero will begin accepting bids on August 21. NOTE: The website will be updated continuously as more art arrives.

The live auction will take place Saturday, September 9 at 5pm, upstairs in Room 339-342 at the Baltimore Comic-Con.

This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Dan Abdo (Blue, Barry & Pancakes), Arthur Adams (Longshot), Sarah Andersen (Sarah’s Scribbles), Mirka Andolfo (Sweet Paprika), Art Baltazar (Yahgz), Jeremy Bastian (Dune: House Harkonnen), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), Carolyn Belefsky (Curls), Brian Michael Bendis (Action Comics), Jon Bogdanove (The Death of Superman), Judy Bogdanove (Steel Annual), Russ Braun (The Boys), Dan Brereton (Nocturnals), Harold Buchholz (Sweetest Beasts), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Chris Campana (Death Dealer), Joe Carabeo (Black Magic Tales), Richard Case (Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror), Castillo Studios, Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), S.A. Check (Night of the Living Dead: Revenance, courtesy of American Mythology Productions), Jo Chen (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Sean Chen (Genesis), Jim Cheung (Young Avengers), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-Men), Matthew Clark (Adventures of Superman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Nick Davis (Night Guardians), Deans Family (Crass Fed), Mike DeCarlo (The Simpsons, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Vito Delsante (Stray), Abby Denson (Uniquely Japan), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Derec Donovan (Adventures of Superman), Scott Dunbier (Jim Lee’s X-Men Artist’s Edition, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Jan Duursema (Star Wars: The High Republic), Drew Edwards (Halloween Man), Garth Ennis (The Boys), David Finch (Moon Knight), Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs), Chris Flick (Capes and Babes), Scott Fogg (Phileas Reid Knows We’re Not Alone), Tana Ford (LaGuardia), Trish Forstner (Stray Dogs), Franco (Fae and the Moon), John Gallagher (Max Meow), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Ron Garney (BZRKR), Joe Getsinger (Finding Jack Kirby in a Pile of Zinc), Mike Gold (Green Arrow), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Randy Green (Nyobi Outbreak), Mike Grell (Jon Sable), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Torunn Grønbekk (Carnage), Chris Gugilotti (Teen Titans Go!), Gene Ha (Mae), Laura Lee Gulledge (Page by Paige), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Cully Hamner (Blue Beetle), Bo Hampton (Batman: Castle of the Bat), Brian Haberlin (Spawn), Scott Hanna (Amazing Spider-Man), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Dean Haspiel (Covid Cop), Buz Hasson (Adam Green’s Hatchet, courtesy of American Mythology Productions), Glenn Hauman (They Keep Killing Glenn), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Marc Hempel (Sandman), Greg Hildebrandt (Star Wars), Morry Hollowell (Old Man Logan), Jamal Igle (Superman), Mark Irwin (Green Lantern), Chris Ivy (Venom: Tooth and Claw, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Klaus Janson (Daredevil), Geoff Johns (Geiger), Dave Johnson (100 Bullets), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Alien), J.G. Jones (Wanted), Kata Kane (Altar Girl), Chris Kemple (Artist Alley Comics), Tom King (The Penguin), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Dan Krall (House of Night), Leeanne M. Krecic (Let’s Play), James Kuhoric (Cursedverse: Blighted Dawn), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Nate Lovett (Dungeons & Dragons), Matthew Loux (Prunella and the Cursed Skull Ring), David Mack (Kabuki), Howard Mackie (Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Tom Mandrake (Spectre), Laura Martin (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons), Mariano Brothers (Claire Lost Her Bear at the World’s Fair), Ron Marz (Green Lantern), Jason May (LEGO Club Magazine), Patrick McDonnell (The Super Hero’s Journey, courtesy of Abrams ComicArts), Mike McKone (Red Goblin), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Pop Mhan (Gears of War 3), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Karl Moline (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mark Morales (Thor), Trevor Mueller (Re-Possessed), Sarah Myer (Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Dan Parsons (Jade Vampyre, courtesy of American Mythology Productions), Jason Patterson (Blue, Barry & Pancakes), David Pepose (Savage Avengers), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen), Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-Men), Khoi Pham (Star Wars: Darth Vader), Richard and Wendy Pini (Elfquest), Ed Piskor (Red Room: Trigger Warnings), Joe Prado (Superman), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Ron Randall (Trekker), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Mark Redfield (Vampire Hunters Incorporated), Afua Richardson (Omni), Christopher Ring (Seamus (the Famous)), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Peter Rostovsky (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Jennifer Rouse (Frankenstein Mobster), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Arsia Rozegar (Shahnameh For Kids), Steve Rude (Nexus), Jim Rugg (Hulk Grand Design), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Stuart Sayger (The Joker), Gene Selassie (The Ghoul Agency), Bryan SilverBaX (Creepshow), Alex Simmons (Archie), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Scott Snyder (Saturday only, Nocterra), Mark Sparacio (Omega Paradox), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Jim Starlin (Dreadstar), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Paul Storrie (Storm Kids: Stanley’s Ghost), Philip Tan (Web of Carnage), Martha Thomases (Second-Hand Rose), John Timms (Superman: Son of Kal-El), Peter Tomasi (Batman and Robin), Billy Tucci (Shi), Gus Vazquez (Sunfire and Big Hero Six), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Dexter Vines (Civil War, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Sean Von Gorman (Return of Toe Tag Riot), Wade von Grawbadger (Justice League), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics), Lee Weeks (Batman), Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo), Joey Weiser (Ghost Hog), Mark Wheatley (Skultar), Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot), Bob Wiacek (All-New Wolverine, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Keith Williams (Thor the Worthy), Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), John Workman (Wild Things), Ellie Wright (The Black Ghost), Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer Reborn), Kelly Yates (Doctor Who), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 is guilt the comic book

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Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1

Lex Luthor is dying, and he wants the Man of Steel to help him find the cure for whatever is causing his rapid decline. While the world would rather see Lex die, Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 highlight’s Superman’s greatest strength, his compassion.

Written by Mark Waid, Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 is an interesting debut with a nice setup and taking us through the first steps to trying to find someone who’s sick a treatment. There’s something methodical about it all. But, that aspect is driven by humanity and compassion as Waid also flashes back to the childhood of Clark and Lex and their experiences together. What we find is a guilt from Clark that has stayed with him all of these years.

It’s an interesting comic that is a tour of Clark/Superman and Lex’s relationship through the years. It hints at what drives some of how Superman treats the villain, a feeling of guilt. Juxtaposed to the world’s reaction of Lex’s condition, it’s an overall interesting concept and start to things and is far more than it’s tour for a cure that it feels like at times. Add in a reoccurring messianic concept, the comic delivers a lot to chew on.

The art by Bryan Hitch is good. Overall Hitch’s art for me is hit and miss but here there’s some really nice spreads and panels and there’s a subtle emotional aspect to it all that captures what Waid is going for. Hitch is joined by Kevin Nowlan on ink and David Baron on color. Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith handle the lettering. The visuals are interesting overall, with a muted, almost dialed back aspect to it that matches the borderline dirge of a story. Grand visuals would belie the basic concept of the comic.

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 is an intriguing start to a comic. It’s more about Clark and Lex’s relationship over the years than finding a cure. It’s a comic about how our past can impact us decades later and shapes who we are and what we do. Mixed with a nice look overall, it’s an interesting take on a relationship we’ve seen explored many times before.

Story: Mark Waid Art: Bryan Hitch
Ink: Kevin Nowlan Color: David Baron Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: Kevin Nowlan’s Marvel Heroes Artist’s Edition

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Kevin Nowlan’s Marvel Heroes Artist’s Edition

(A) Kevin Nowlan
In Shops: Apr 12, 2023
SRP: $150.00

Kevin Nowlan is a true “artists artist.” He has won the coveted Eisner Award for his art on Jack B. Quick, in collaboration with Alan Moore, as well for inking Batman: Sword of Azrael, over Joe Quesada. This volume will contain a selection of Nowlan’s best works for Marvel comics-Covers, pages, and two complete stories, most notably his fully painted, 62-page Man-Thing graphic novel, written by Howard the Duck creator Steve Gerber. A true labor of love, the graphic novel took Nowlan 25 years to complete. An Artisan Edition collects stories, covers and pages that have been reproduced from the original art, allowing the reader to view them as closely as possible to the original art.

Kevin Nowlan's Marvel Heroes Artist's Edition
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