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Russ Braun, Richard Case, Ron Marz, Dan Parsons, Erica Schultz, and John Workman are coming to Baltimore Comic Con

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The Baltimore Comic-Con returns on September 25-27, 2026 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes Russ Braun, Richard Case, Ron Marz, Dan Parsons, Erica Schultz, and John Workman as guests of the 2026 event! Buy tickets online today!

Russ Braun has been drawing comics for over 30 years, with time out for a 7-year stint with Walt Disney Feature Animation. Known for his expressive characters and storytelling on everything from Batman, Swamp Thing, Fables, and Jack of Fables, Russ is best known for his frequent collaborations with Garth Ennis, including The Boys, Night Witches, their creator-owned book, Jimmy’s Bastards, and its new sequel Jimmy’s Little Bastards.

Richard Case has been illustrating comics for more than 30 years. His run on Doom Patrol with writer Grant Morrison inspired much of the recent TV series seen on HBO Max. He has also illustrated a number of books, including Sandman, Preacher, Shade the Changing Man, Hunter: Age of Magic, Dr. Strange, Sensational Spider-Man, and Batman ‘66. He is currently a Lead Concept Artist for Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment. Follow on Instagram @richardcaseillustration

Ron Marz has been writing comics for more than three decades, starting his career with a lengthy run on Silver Surfer for Marvel. Since then, he has worked for virtually every major publisher and compiled a long list of credits, including stints on Thor for Marvel, Green Lantern and Superboy for DC, Star Wars for Dark Horse, and the historic Marvel vs. DC crossover. He co-created the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner during his landmark run on the title.

Marz is also known for penning numerous inter-company crossovers, including Green Lantern-Silver Surfer, Batman-Aliens, Batman-Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman, Green Lantern-Aliens, and Amalgam title Doctor Strangefate. He was Senior Writer at CrossGen Comics, where his titles included Mystic, Scion, Sojourn, and The Path.

Other credits include his acclaimed run on Witchblade, as well as Magdalena, Artifacts, and Cyber Force for Top Cow/Image, and many others. Marz’s creator-owned series include the all-ages tale Dragon Prince at Top Cow; the historical adventure Samurai: Heaven and Earth at Dark Horse; the vampire tale Shinku at Image; and cosmic graphic novel Resolution.

Marz has also written for video games, including multiple Skylanders titles, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Spider-Man 2, and more. He is currently part of the narrative team for Blizzard’s Diablo franchise. Marz also teaches comic book writing at the Jacob Krueger Studio, based in Manhattan.

Dan Parsons started out in comics self-publishing his creator-owned “bad girl” series Harpy in the mid 1990s. He wrote and penciled Harpy as an ongoing series and, with its popularity, he was hired to pencil and ink another comic series called Razor. He also penciled, inked, and did cover work for the classic Battlestar Galactica comic book series; all this while still working full-time as a scientific researcher at Johns Hopkins Bay-View Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.

Parsons went on to release another creator-owned series, Savage Planet, which he describes as a tribute to the EC Comics of the 1950s, honoring the work of Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson. Parsons recently gathered these comics as well as new additions into a graphic novel version.

Parsons worked for Dark Horse as the primary inker on a wide range of Star Wars titles until the end of the Dark Horse era in 2014. These include the hugely popular Clone Wars, Legacy, Dawn of the Jedi, and the ongoing Star Wars comics as well as Republic and many other titles.

Parsons won an Inkwell Award in 2010 and again in 2015 for his ink work on the Star Wars comics. Other inking credits include DC Comics’ Nightwing and other Dark Horse titles Ghost and King Kong. More recently Parsons penciled and inked Conan for the Savage Sword magazine.

Parsons also did some work for Hollywood, including providing elaborate pencil drawings for HBO’s Game of Thrones Season One special features. He illustrated an Avatar The Last Airbender book for Nickelodeon/Insight Editions and a graphic novel adaptation of Ayn Rand’s 1937 sci-fi classic, Anthem.

In addition to these projects, Parsons painted numerous trading cards for the Topps Company from 2002 to present. Parsons is currently doing cover artwork for American Mythology Productions and penciling their new Dracula comic book series. He is also painting covers for various Tarzan and other Edgar Rice Burroughs novels.

Erica Schultz is an Inkpot Award recipient (2025) with her writing work having been nominated for both Ringo and Eisner awards. She is currently writing Rogue for Marvel Comics and Spawn: Rat City for Image Comics. Schultz is best known for her work on Daredevil and Laura Kinney: Wolverine for Marvel and creator-owned books like The Deadliest Bouquet for Image.

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.

This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), Josh Blaylock (Mercy Sparx, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Russ Braun (The Boys), Jeffrey Brown (Hulk Teach, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Richard Case (Doom Patrol), Keith Champagne (Stranger Things), 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), Garth Ennis (The Boys), Trish Forstner (Feral), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Chris Giarrusso (Mini Marvels), Randy Green (Witchblade), Torunn Grønbekk (Catwoman), Gene Ha (Mae), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), 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), Peter Krause (The Power of Shazam, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Laura Martin (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Ron Marz (Green Lantern), 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), Trevor Mueller (Bat Pat), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Phil Noto (Fantastic Four: First Foes), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), Dan Parent (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Margeaux Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Khoi Pham (Star Wars: Darth Vader), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Afua Richardson (Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds), Tone Rodriguez (Feral, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Joe Schmalke (We Don’t Kill Spiders), Erica Schultz (Rogue), 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), Bob Wiacek (All-New Wolverine, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Chuck Wojtkiewicz (Justice League, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Rich Woodall (Sgt. Werewolf), Kelly Yates (Doctor Who), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance).

Exclusive: Dive into Mark Russell and Russ Braun’s The Forgotten Divine with Character Blurbs

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AHOY Comics has made its reputation on witty satires, acclaimed creators, and a commitment to bold and risk-taking storytelling. Now the publisher is launching its debut Kickstarter for The Forgotten Divine, a satirical science fiction drama from writer Mark Russell and artist Russ Braun. The inaugural campaign from the publisher that asks its readers to Expect More will offer exclusive campaign-only covers, unique AHOY goodies, and more tantalizing perks yet to be announced. Sign up here to be notified when the campaign goes live.

Meet Rodney Coleman, an unhoused veteran whose sleep is haunted by dreams of a faraway planet. (At least, he thinks they’re dreams.) Soon Coleman connects with others plagued by dreams of the same world and finds himself at the head of a UFO cult. The group’s shared effort to understand their visions is heartfelt at first—but over time it descends into unreality, conspiracy, paranoia, violence, and conceivably… revelation. 

We have an exclusive look at the characters with blurbs from Russell and art by Braun. Check it out below and sign up now so you don’t miss out when this launches!

Rodney: A homeless veteran whose visions of an alien world start a global movement that would become known as The Forgotten Divine. An explosives expert in Afghanistan, he returns home to a country that now considers him a liability. But his visions give him a sense of purpose he never had on the battlefield.

Doc: Rodney’s mental health therapist. A better friend than therapist, Doc is divorced and lives alone in a house with no pets and only one fork. The only inhabited house in a deserted cul-de-sac, he goes from trying to talk Rodney down from his visions to being a dedicated believer in The Forgotten Divine.

Willemina: Willemina was working at a museum of the weird when she became an oddity herself. Having strange visions, she had no idea what to make of them until she saw a poster for a support group looking for people who were having dreams at once too real and too alien to just be dreams. 

Toby: A ten year-old girl who has the strongest and most detailed visions of anyone in The Forgotten Divine. She comes to be seen as a prophet by those who share her affliction/calling.

Agent Reeve: An FBI agent and psychologist, she is willing to do whatever it takes to infiltrate The Forgotten Divine and prevent what she fears will be another Jonestown or Waco. TA dedication which puts her on a collision course with the very people she’s trying to save.

Russ Braun, Jeff Dekal, Trish Forstner, Kevin Maguire, Afua Richardson, and Joe Staton are coming to Baltimore Comic Con

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The 2025 Baltimore Comic-Con comes to the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center this October 17-19, 2025. The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced new comics guests Russ Braun, Jeff Dekal, Trish Forstner, Kevin Maguire, Afua Richardson, and Joe Staton appearing at this year’s event!. Tickets are now on sale — sign up for the mailing list to receive announcements as they are made.

Russ Braun has been drawing comics for over 30 years, with time out for a 7-year stint with Walt Disney Feature Animation. Known for his expressive characters and storytelling on everything from Batman, Swamp Thing, Fables, and Jack of Fables, Russ is best known for his frequent collaborations with Garth Ennis, including The Boys, Night Witches, their creator-owned book, Jimmy’s Bastards, and its new sequel Jimmy’s Little Bastards.

Jeff Dekal is a freelance illustrator who was born and raised in South Florida. Drawing since childhood, the introduction to graffiti while in high school gave the first serious meaning to Jeff’s art and is also where he adopted the alias, Dekal. After being educated about art history in college, he was launched into an obsession centered around figurative work. Jeff then began working as an illustrator, drawing album covers for indie musicians and illustrating editorial articles for local newspapers and magazines. He slowly worked his way into the comic industry and has now become a prominent cover artist for over a decade. Jeff’s clients include Marvel, DC, AWA, Image, BOOM!, and many other independent publishers.

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!

Kevin Maguire is an artist who is known for his work on Justice League International, Man Of Steel, Adventures Of Captain America, Batman Confidential, Defenders, and so many more it would just seem like bragging. You probably know him as the guy who draws goofy facial expressions. In his spare time, he enjoys yoga, IMAX films, and tweeting.

Afua Richardson (pronounced “ah-FOO-wah”) is an award-winning American comic book illustrator best known for her work on Marvel’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda. Some of her other works include The Wild Storm, Attack on Titan, X-Men ’92, Captain Marvel, and All-Star Batman to name a few. Afua is also a musician, voice actor, activist, and mentor. As a recipient of the Nina Simone award, she is aptly called a Jane of All trades.

Joe Staton has been drawing comics since he started working for Charlton Comics in 1971, where he co-created E-Man and Michael Mauser. Though the bulk of his work has been for DC Comics, at last count, Staton has worked for at least 30 publishers and 100 different editors. Among his many comics credits are Action Comics, Green Lantern, The Legion, Classics Illustrated, and various incarnations of Batman. During his time on Green Lantern, he co-created several GLs, including Kilowog, Arisia, and Salakk. He also designed GL Guy Gardner’s “bad boy” look. More recently, with his writer-wife Hilarie, he produces medical comics such as Pete Learns All About Crohn’s and Colitis and Amy Goes Gluten-Free. In 1998, he received the Eisner Award for his work on World’s Finest: The Superman-Batman Adventures. He penciled over 100 issues of the Cartoon Network’s Scooby Doo comic. He illustrated a graphic novel adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Anthem for NAL and a graphic biography of Ronald Reagan. Since 2011, working with writer Mike Curtis, Joe was the regular artist for the long-running Dick Tracy newspaper strip (available online at www.gocomics.com/dicktracy). Dick Tracy received Harvey Awards in 2013, 2014, and 2015 for Best Syndicated Strip or Feature.

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), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), 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), Barbara Friedlander (Swing with Scooter), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Mike Grell (Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters), 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), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Josh Middleton (Aquaman), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Mark Morales (Thor), Trevor Mueller (Albert the Alien), Dan Parent (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), 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), and Maria Wolf (Phoenix).

Exclusive: Kolchak Challenge Coin from Monstrous Books revealed!

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Throughout the course of the fan-favorite 1970s TV show, legendary reporter Carl Kolchak went toe-to-toe with all manner of otherworldly fiends. Now, he will take on his most fearsome foes yet — Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Werewolf! Monstrous Books presents a three-issue series of stand-alone comics as well as a deluxe hardcover collection from an all-star lineup of creators coming to Kickstarter this October. 

Actor and Writer David Dastmalchian will team-up with Count Crowley artist Lukas Ketner, and colorist Zac Atkinson, for a Kolchak – Count Crowley 22-page comic book crossover in “Kolchak Meets the Werewolf and Count Crowley,” featuring a cover by Ketner and a variant from superstar artist Matt Wagner. Rodney Barnes will be writing a 22-page comic book thriller titled “Kolchak Meets Dracula,” with art by Eisner-award nominated artist Alex Lins with a cover by Colton Worley. And Steve Niles will be collaborating with artist George Quadros, and colorist Zac Atkinson on a 22-page comic book called “Kolchak Meets Frankenstein” with a cover from Russ Braun. Monstrous Book will publish a deluxe, hardcover edition of Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters, featuring all three stories and an all-new cover by Dave Acosta. 

The Kickstarter campaign for Kolchak: The Night Stalker Meets the Classic Monsters features comics, graphic novels, and for the first-ever officially licensed Kolchak trading cards and a limited-edition challenge coin.

We have an exclusive first look at the challenge coin! Check it out and then the Kickstarter!

Russ Braun, Scott Hanna, Emma Kubert, Mark Morales, Tom Nguyen, and Geoff Shaw are coming to Baltimore Comic Con

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Be sure to attend the 25th Anniversary of the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 20-22, 2024 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes comics guests Russ Braun, Scott Hanna, Emma Kubert, Mark Morales, Tom Nguyen, and Geoff Shaw to the 25th Anniversary event! The convention website has information about ticketing options and more!

Russ Braun has been drawing comics for over 30 years, with time out for a 7-year stint with Walt Disney Feature Animation. Known for his expressive characters and storytelling on everything from Batman, Swamp Thing, Fables, and Jack of Fables, Russ is best known for his frequent collaborations with Garth Ennis, including The Boys, Night Witches, their creator-owned book, Jimmy’s Bastards, and its new sequel Jimmy’s Little Bastards.

Scott Hanna is an Eisner Award-winning artist in the graphic novel industry. Scott Hanna has been drawing and inking comic books for over 30 years. His work has been published in over 1,000 comics and graphic novels, and he’s inked over 22,000 pages of comics art. At Marvel Comics, Scott’s worked on all the top characters at the company, including the Avengers, Iron Man, The X-Men, and The Hulk. He’s most known for his more than 15 year run on the Spider-Man titles. At DC Comics, he has worked on most of their major titles, including a five-year run on Detective Comics starring Batman, Green Lantern Corps, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Superman, and Teen Titans. Recently, he has worked on Venom #200, Heroes Reborn, Marvel Double Action, and X-Men Legends for Marvel, and DC Generations, Nightwing, and the Milestone books Icon and Rocket and DUO at DC Comics. He is founder of the Arts and Fashion Institute in PA with his wife Pamela Ptak, where Scott teaches classes in sequential art, painting, drawing, and cartooning.

Emma Kubert is a freelance comic book artist, writer, and teacher/alumni of the Kubert School (graduated in 2018). She has worked for various companies including DC Entertainment, Marvel Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Image Comics, and Tapas Media. Currently, she’s embarking on many different projects; she is exploring the dark fantastical world of Pandora (Frank Miller Presents) as the ongoing series artist, diving into the superhero adventure story of Radiant Pink (Image Comics) in her own spectacular miniseries as the penciler and inker, and creating an offbeat, exciting fantasy adventure as the creator, writer, and artist of Stoneheart (Image), which debuted in March 2023.

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. Recently, he has worked on Heroes Reborn and The High Republic from Marvel Comics.

Tom Nguyen began his 28-year professional career freelancing for comic book publishers such as DC Comics and Marvel Comics from the age of 19 on major titles such as Batman, Green Lantern, JLA, Catwoman, and Superman: The Man of Steel, among others.

Along with writer/artist Keith Champagne, Tom is the co-creator of the successful Kickstarter hit comic book The Switch, and is currently working on the sequel.

In addition to comics, Tom has done artwork for notable television shows such as CBS’s Big Brother, TBS’s Wipeout, and Nickelodeon’s All That among others.

Geoff Shaw received his BAFA from University of New Mexico and his MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. His creator-owned comics work include God Country and Crossover. He is currently a Marvel Comics cover artist as well as drawing series featuring Wolverine and Ghost Rider. More to announce soon!

This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Rose Besch (Miles Morales: Spider-Man), Russ Braun (The Boys), Brett Breeding (Superman), Tom Brevoort (coursey of Hero Initiative, FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Richard Case (Doom Patrol), John Cassaday (X-Force), Castillo Studios, Keith Champagne (Stranger Things), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Michael Cho (Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories–Qui-Gon Jinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Matthew Clark (Adventures of Superman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Scott Dunbier (Jim Lee’s X-Men Artist’s Edition, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Chris Eliopoulos (Ordinary People Change the World), Steve Epting (New Avengers), Trish Forstner (Feral), Franco (Teen Titans Go to the Library), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Ron Garney (BZRKR), Mitch Gerads (Mister Miracle), Sanford Greene (Bitter Root), Gene Ha (Mae), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Bo Hampton (Batman: Castle of the Bat), Scott Hanna (Amazing Spider-Man), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Jamal Igle (Superman), Klaus Janson (courtesy of Hero Initiative, Daredevil), Sandy Jarrell (Batman ’66), Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer), Chris Kemple (Artist Alley Comics), Karl Kesel (Impossible Jones), Tom King (Wonder Woman), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Emma Kubert (Inkblot), Jim Lee (Superman, Friday only), Sam Maggs (Marvel Action: Captain Marvel), Shawn Martinbrough (Red Hood: The Hill), Mike McKone (Red Goblin), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Mark Morales (Thor), Fabian Nicieza (courtesy of Hero Initiative, Deadpool), Tom Nguyen (The Switch), Jerome Opena (Uncanny X-Force), Dan Parent (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), Khoi Pham (Star Wars: Darth Vader), Nick Pitarra (Ax-Wielder Jon), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Tim Probert (Lightfall), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Afua Richardson (Omni), Don Rosa (Uncle $crooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Alex Segura (Secret Identity, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Liam Sharp (X-O Manowar Unconquered), Geoff Shaw (God Country), Don Simpson (Megaton Man), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), Matt Slay (Equalibrium), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Mark Sparacio (Omega Paradox), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Joshua “Swayart” Swaby (Star Wars), Babs Tarr (Batgirl of Burnside), Zoe Thorogood (Hack/Slash: Back to School), Gus Vazquez (Sunfire and Big Hero Six), Jeremy Whitley (Navigating With You, courtesy of Mad Cave Studios), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Stephanie Williams (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons), Marv Wolfman (What If…? Dark: Tomb of Dracula), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), David Yardin (Daredevil: Woman Without Fear), and Leinil Francis Yu (Wolverine).

AHOY Comics heads to Baltimore Comic Con

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AHOY Comics

AHOY Comics, the Syracuse-based independent publisher of comic books and graphic novels, will be represented at the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 8-10, 2023 at the Baltimore Convention Center by Deron Bennett with signings by creators Jamal Igle, Russ Braun, Gene Ha, and Mark Waid.

Mark Waid and Gene Ha will be at the AHOY Comics booth on Saturday from 1pm – 2pm and will pass the baton to Jamal Igle and Russ Braun, who will be there from  2pm – 3pm.

They will have trades, t-shirts, prints, and more available. 

Tickets to the Baltimore Comic-Con are now available.

Exclusive: Get a look at Russ Braun’s art for Dead Detectives & Society

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In the tradition of the great pulps of yesteryear, contemporary masters of the macabre Kevin J. Anderson, David Avallone, Nancy A. Collins, Nancy Holder and Alan Phillipson, John Jennings, Kasey Lansdale and Joe R. Lansdale, Rena Mason, Jonathan Maberry, Lisa Morton, Steve Niles, Jeff Strand, Tim Waggoner, and writer and editor James Aquilone are joining forces for Dead Detectives Society. This one-of-a-kind anthology from Monstrous Books features a cover by Hugo Award-winner John Jennings and interior art by Zac Atkinson, J.K. Woodward and Jennings.

Dead Detectives Society is currently funding on Kickstarter. Everyone who backs at a physical level will receive a signed and numbered Dead Detectives Society membership card. Other tiers include signed books by Steve Niles, Rena Mason, Lisa Morton, and Tim Waggoner.

We have an exclusive look at  Russ Braun’s art for “Cal McDonald: Blood and Fur” by Steve Niles.

Russ Braun art

Dead Detectivs Society gathers the greatest weird detectives in pulpdom, including:

  • Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. (who has featured in nine novels and dozens of short stories  by New York Times bestseller Kevin J. Anderson), 
  • Cal McDonald (Steve Niles’s occult detective whose adventures have been published by Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing), 
  • Matt Richter (zombie detective who’s been featured in award-winning author Tim Waggoner’s Nekropolis series), 
  • Sonja Blue (punk vampire hunter who has starred in four novels as well as short stories and comics from the Bram Stoker Award-winning author Nancy A. Collins), 
  • and Dead Jack (the zombie detective who first appeared in Weird Tales magazine and has featured in three novels from Bram Stoker Award nominated editor and writer James Aquilone)

…and adds some new macabre investigators to their ranks, including: 

  • A reanimated Nick Carter by David Avallone, based on the character who appeared in the Nick Carter-Killmaster novels written by his father, Michael Avallone.
  • Saul When: Halloween Detective by John Jennings and Jin G. Fox, Death Investigator by Rena Mason, based on a character from her story in the award-winning anthology Black Cranes.

As part of the Kickstarter, Monstrous Books will also be launching Monstrous Magazine, a digest-size magazine — just like pulps of yesteryear — that will feature a mix of comics, prose stories, and articles. The debut issue will include:

  • A collectible cover by Colton Worley (Classic Monsters Unleashed, The Shadow) 
  • An essay by Elvira Mistress of the Dark writer David Avallone about the legacy of his father, pulp legend Michael Avallone
  • A reprint of pulp legend Michael Avallone’s first short story “The Man Who Walked on Air, ” originally published in Weird Tales in 1953,
  • The very first Dead Jack comic, “Dead Jack and Oswald Meet Frankenstein,” written by James Aquilone and illustrated by J.K. Woodward,
  • “Monster Rally,” a comic story by Nancy A. Collins with art by Zac Atksinson

“‘Monster Rally’ will be packed with all —and we mean all — of your favorite classic monsters,” said editor James Aquilione. 

Dead Detectivs Society will include:

“Mystery Meat: a Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. Adventure” by Kevin J Anderson

Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. is back from the dead and back on the case. In the Unnatural Quarter, inhabited by all manner of unusual people, Dan has to solve his wormiest case yet, when Mama Fly’s children go missing…and secretive industrial magnate Gold Boris launches a brand new “mystery meat” product that is taking the unnaturals by storm.

“Dead Drop: A Johnny Fade Story” by Nancy Holder and Alan Philipson

Deceased, corrupt, circa-1940 Hollywood Homicide cop Johnny Fade gets a furlow from Deadtown (the last stop before the Worse Place) whenever singing, dancing, homicidal, living movie star Rachel Alcina gets herself in trouble. This time, the L.A. mob has forced her to act in a bio-pic about Oso the Maneater, a professional wrestler and in-the-ring murderer. Rachel knows it will end her career: her medium told her so.

“The Ghost Thieves” by John Jennings 

Saul When: Halloween Detective gets hired by a haunted house whose favorite ghosts have been stolen. Saul must use his Halloween tricks to get to the bottom of the ghost-napping and face whatever entity that has the power to actually steal a spirit from its spectral home.

“I was so honored to be asked to be a part of such a groundbreaking collection,” said John Jennings. “The premise is so unique and it’s filled with some of the greats in the genre! The anthology sports my original cover art and my story centers on a new character of mine called Saul When: Halloween Detective. The collection features Saul’s very first adventure called ‘The Ghost Thieves.’”

“Jin G. Fox, Death Investigator: Vixen Screams” by Rena Mason

Slain after receiving the dreaded fourth tail, the unrelenting vixen, Jin G. Fox is given another chance to earn her full powers back, as well as immortality, from the Queen Mother of the West by becoming a Death Investigator tasked with cleaning up 1900s San Francisco to make way for a “new” Chinatown.

“Being a part of the Dead Detectives Society means the world to me,” said three-time Bram Stoker Award winner Mason. “There’s nothing more exciting, fun, and humbling than creating a character who gets to play in the sandbox alongside legends.” – Rena Mason, three-time Bram Stoker Award winner.

“Half A Monster Is Better Than None” by Tim Waggoner

Zombie P.I. Matt Richter works the very mean streets of Nekropolis, an other-dimensional city full of monsters, ghosts, and witches. Matt’s latest client is a shifter with a unique problem. She’s a were-thylacine – an exceptionally rare breed – and someone has stolen her animal form, making it impossible for her to change shape. Even if Matt can figure out who stole her shifter form and why, how can he possibly reunite his client’s two halves and make her whole again? Good thing Matt’s already dead, or this case just might kill him.

“You can’t keep a good zombie P.I. down, and I’m thrilled that Matt Richter is going to join the Dead Detectives Society!” said four-time Bram Stoker Award winner Waggoner. “Get ready for more magic, monsters, mystery, and mayhem on the very dark streets of Nekropolis!” 

“Snippy” by Jeff Strand

Timothy Perkins incorrectly promotes himself as the greatest detective who ever lived. His most marketable skill is his ability to wander into dangerous situations, because every time he’s killed he comes back to life. This advantage is offset by his occasional glimpses into The Void, where he screams in uncontrollable terror because there is no existence beyond our current realm. Hopefully he can get his client’s dog back.

“The Case of the Ravenous Werewolf” by James Aquilone

Dead Jack has a dilemma on his hands when a creepy werewolf asks the zombie detective to kill him. The fairy-dust-addicted P.I. must decide to become an assassin or allow dozens of innocent fairies to get devoured. 

“This anthology gave me a chance to write a character my father rebooted in 1964,” says David Avallone, who has (literally) reanimated Nick Carter for a new adventure, “and bridge together two pieces of detective genre history that have been begging to be connected ever since…in a short story that should, if I’m successful, remind readers of the particular pulp fiction genius and madness of Michael Angelo Avallone”

“DEAD DETECTIVES SOCIETY is my pulpy passion project,” says editor James Aquilone. “With this annual anthology series I hope to expand the weird detective subgenre and have a blast while doing it.” Aquilone’s first two anthologies — both of which were crowdfunded on Kickstarter — recently won Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (Best Graphic Novel or Collection for KOLCHAK and Best Graphic Novel or Collection for CLASSIC MONSTERS UNLEASHED). Both books are also nominated for an Imadjinn Award this year, while KOLCHAK is up for the Best Graphic Novel Bram Stoker Award.

Russ Braun, Bo Hampton, Sarah Myer, Alex Saviuk, Keith Williams, and Rich Woodall are coming to Baltimore Comic Con

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Get ready for the 24th annual Baltimore Comic-Con taking place at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 8-10, 2023. The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced comic creators Russ Braun, Bo Hampton, Sarah Myer, Alex Saviuk, Keith Williams, and Rich Woodall. You can purchase tickets online now!

Russ Braun has been drawing comics for over 30 years, with time out for a 7-year stint with Walt Disney Feature Animation. Known for his expressive characters and storytelling on everything from Batman, Swamp Thing, Fables, and Jack of Fables, Russ is best known for his frequent collaborations with Garth Ennis, including The Boys, Night Witches, their creator-owned book, Jimmy’s Bastards, and its new sequel Jimmy’s Little Bastards.

A 30-year comics vet, Bo Hampton is known for Batman: Castle of the Bat, Moon Knight, Swamp Thing, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Riven, Batman: The Animated Adventures, 3 Devils, Demons of Sherwood, Verdilak, and much, much more. He was a former assistant to Will Eisner and Al Williamson, as well.

Sarah Myer is a freelance comic artist, writer, cover artist, colorist, and art educator from Maryland. Credits include their graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story* (First Second Books), TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen series (Variant Cover Artist), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Street Fighter comic series (colorist), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #1-4 (Colorist and Variant Cover Artist), MAKER COMICS: Create a Costume!, “Asian American Exclusion” in the Votes for Women Comic Anthology** (Writer, Artist), and Hello Kitty & Friends Coloring Book from VIZ Media (Illustrator).

They taught Drawing I & II and Color Theory & Application courses as an adjunct professor of Foundation Studies at Savannah College of Art and Design for 3 years.

*Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, Kirkus Starred Review Recipient, Booklist Starred Review Recipient
** Ringo Award Nominee, Best Anthology (2021)

Alex Saviuk started his professional career at DC Comics in 1977 after studying sequential art with Will Eisner at The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Within a few short months, he became the regular artist on Green Lantern and The Flash. He also drew Superman, Hawkman, Aquaman, The Atom, and Air Wave, among others. In 1986, Alex moved over to Marvel Comics, filling in on Iron Man 211 and various covers before eventually becoming the penciler on Defenders of the Earth, featuring The Phantom, Flash Gordon, and Mandrake. Then, after successfully filling in on Amazing Spider-Man for 3 issues, he started a 7+ year run on Web of Spider-Man followed by over 2 more years on Spider-Man Adventures. From 1997-1998, Alex penciled the last 12 issues of The X-Files for Topps Comics (#30-41). In 2003, he joined the ranks of a Swedish and an Australian publisher chronicling the adventures of Lee Falk’s The Phantom. In 2004, he also assisted his mentor Will Eisner (legendary creator of The Spirit) on The Spirit Meets The Escapist published by Dark Horse, which unfortunately was Will Eisner’s last completed work before his passing in January 2005. Alex also worked on the graphic novel Feast of the Seven Fishes, glowingly reviewed by Stan Lee; it was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2006, and that same year, the Spider-Man newspaper strip, on which Alex worked, also received a Harvey nomination. In 2012, Alex worked with Stan Lee on a mainstream superhero book called Stan Lee and The Mighty Seven published by Archie Comics. Besides comics, Alex also does storyboards and conceptual art for advertising agencies and the occasional feature film (Never Back Down, The Reaping, Hoot, and Lonely Hearts). Currently and recently, besides drawing The Phantom, Alex contributed pencils and inks for 11 variant covers for Marvel’s Symbiote Spider-Man mini-series. Alex’s co-creation with writer Gerry Conway, Tombstone, appeared in the academy-Award winning hit movie Into the Spider-Verse! Also, the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Feast of the Seven Fishes by Robert Tinnell and Alex Saviuk is now a major motion picture directed and produced by writer Robert Tinnell and opened in mid-November 2019 to glowing reviews as a top ten holiday movie to watch! The book itself is still available online on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, among others!

Keith Williams, comic book inker, enrolled in the School of Visual Arts in New York City from 1976 to 1980. Keith received his Bachelor of Fine Art in Media Arts and studied under Will Eisner, the creator of The Spirit comic strip. With the help of Marvel comic book artist and mentor Don Perlin, Keith started working for Marvel Comics in 1982 as a background inker. He worked for inkers including Joe Sinnott and Mike Esposito. At Marvel, he became the first John Romita Raider, an art correction group. Keith later became an assistant editor under Jim Owlsley (Christopher Priest) on the Spider-Man group of books. The two became the first all-black editorial team in Marvel’s history. He later became John Byrne’s background artist on Alpha Flight, The Hulk, Superman, and Action Comics. Keith began inking regularly on Web of Spider-Man, which lasted for four years. In between that time and after, he worked on many other books at Marvel, including Silver Surfer, She-Hulk with John Byrne, Warlock, Quasar with Greg Capullo, Star Trek, and the X-Men. At Dark Horse Comics, he worked on The Mask and Walter with artist Doug Manke, and Star Wars Droids. At DC Comics, he was on Superman, and the Lobo/Mask graphic novel with Doug Manke. For Valiant, he worked on Quantum and Woody and the covers of X-O Manowar. At Moonstone Comics, he was on The Kolchak Night Stalker Chronicles, Buckaroo Banzai, and Domino Lady. For ten years, he had worked on The Phantom for King Features Syndicate. And at Avatar Press, he inked Lady Death and Crossed covers, a Crossed webisode comic, “Wish You Were Here”, and the cover and interiors of the comic book Uber. He has also inked Avatar Press’ published graphic novel Max Brooks’ Harlem Hellfighters. And recently, he has inked over Ron Frenz pencils for Marvel’s Thor the Worthy one-shot book.

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.

2023 GUESTS

This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Dan Abdo (Blue, Barry & Pancakes), Arthur Adams (Longshot), Sarah Andersen (Sarah’s Scribbles), 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), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jim Cheung (Young Avengers), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Nick Davis (Night Guardians), Deans Family (Crass Fed), Abby Denson (Uniquely Japan), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Derec Donovan (Adventures of Superman), Jan Duursema (Star Wars: The High Republic), 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), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Mike Grell (Jon Sable), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), 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), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Dean Haspiel (Covid Cop), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Marc Hempel (Sandman), Greg Hildebrandt (Star Wars), Morry Hollowell (Old Man Logan), Jamal Igle (Superman), Mark Irwin (Green Lantern), Klaus Janson (Daredevil), Dave Johnson (100 Bullets), J.G. Jones (Wanted), Kata Kane (Altar Girl), Chris Kemple (Artist Alley Comics), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer), Nate Lovett (Dungeons & Dragons), Matthew Loux (Prunella and the Cursed Skull Ring), 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), 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), Jason Patterson (Blue, Barry & Pancakes), David Pepose (Savage Avengers), David Petersen (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen), Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-Men), Richard and Wendy Pini (Elfquest), Ed Piskor (Red Room: Trigger Warnings), Joe Prado (Superman), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Afua Richardson (Omni), Christopher Ring (Seamus (the Famous)), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Peter Rostovsky (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Arsia Rozegar (Shahnameh For Kids), Steve Rude (Nexus), Jim Rugg (Hulk Grand Design), Andy Runton (Owly), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Stuart Sayger (The Joker), Alex Simmons (Archie), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Sozomaika (DC Power: A Celebration), Mark Sparacio (Omega Paradox), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Philip Tan (Web of Carnage), John Timms (Superman: Son of Kal-El), Peter Tomasi (Batman and Robin), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Wade von Grawbadger (Justice League), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics), Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo), Joey Weiser (Ghost Hog), Mark Wheatley (Skultar), Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot), Keith Williams (Thor the Worthy), Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), John Workman (Wild Things), Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer Reborn), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).

Jimmy’s Little Bastards #2 goes to whole new levels of juvenile humor

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Jimmy is back and sort of taking a break while also trying to right his ship. But, he’s pulled back into service to deal with a mission that involves his relatives.

Story: Garth Ennis
Art: Russ Braun
Color: John Kalisz
Letterer: Rob Steen

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.

Zeus Comics
comiXology/Kindle

AfterShock provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Jimmy’s Little Bastards #1

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Jimmy is back and sort of taking a break while also trying to right his ship. But, he’s pulled back into service to deal with a mission that involves his relatives.

Story: Garth Ennis
Art: Russ Braun
Color: John Kalisz
Letterer: Rob Steen

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.

Zeus Comics
comiXology/Kindle

AfterShock provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

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