Tokyopop has announced a publishing partnership with 247 Comics, a creator-led publishing and content studio. Tokyopop will begin publishing and providing product development and marketing support for a broad range of 247 Comics’ manga-inspired original graphic novels. Tokyopop also will work with 247 Comics to create a range of licensed merchandise based on these properties.
Engaging Tokyopop’s digital marketing resources, production expertise, and extensive channel distribution network that is managed by Penguin Random House, the initiative will launch in coming months with exclusive print editions for 247 Comics titles including the sci-fi adventure, Evermind, the intense revenge saga, Heroes Be Damned, the swords and martial arts action of Bladesmyth, and the supernatural crime drama, Zero Ghost. The comic bookstore exclusive editions published by Tokyopop will feature variant covers by world-class manga cover artists.
Tokyopop surprised the ComicsPRO community with an exclusive announcement of its comic shop exclusive single-issue and graphic novel partnership with the team at 247 Comics, formally introducing the 247 Comics powered by Tokyopop publishing initiative.
Announced as Executive Editor of 247 Comics on stage at last year’s ComicsPRO, Terry Kavanagh brings his legacy role as editor of Marvel Comics Presents and shared details on the first issue of 247 Comics Presents & Spotlight, a flip-book quarterly anthology series. The debut issue of “Presents” features original stories by Larry Hama, Howard Mackie, and newcomer Anderson Carman’s original series Cyber League, along with a variant cover by superstar artist Daniel Warren Johnson. The “Spotlight” side will feature reprint and remastered titles New Men, created by Rob Liefeld (Deadpool), and Sons of the Devil, created by Brian Buccelatto (Flash).
EVERMIND
written by Sean Chen and Daniel Wu; artwork by Sean Chen
A science fiction graphic novel set in the future follows renowned scientist Lucas Zhang, who develops breakthrough technology to control robots through the human mind. Zhang’s Neurolink tech powers theme parks and military mechs alike—but when those worlds collide, his quest for immortality and glory spirals into chaos. Welcome to EVERMIND.
HEROES BE DAMNED
written by Vince Sunico and Nicholas Lukic; artwork by Vince Sunico
The Murders of Heroes & Villains by a Mysterious Figure Seeking Revenge. Heroes. Villains. Kill or Be Killed! In a world where capes and cowls maintain cosmic balance, the invincible Victory Force stands as humanity’s last defense. When a shadow dubbed “The Man in Black” begins systematically eradicating heroes and villains alike, leaving only destruction in his wake, even the mighty Victory—the greatest superhero ever known—finds himself at a loss. While the Victory Force scrambles against an enemy they cannot track or identify, young Mystic—granddaughter of Victory himself—is called upon by her mentor Dr. Magic to unlock her unique abilities and pierce the veil surrounding their mysterious adversary. But some darkness refuses to be illuminated, and some truths are better left buried.
BLADESMYTH
written by Lingie Park and Justin Calen-Chenn; artwork by Creees Lee
Honor the Blade, Defy the World. Asian American creator team unlocking Action and Appetite. Loren is visited by a mysterious figure who seems to know everything about what he does in the day and what he really does at night.
ZERO GHOST
written by Justin Jordan; artwork by Brian Ching
An epic adventure set in a world where magic exists and is almost entirely dominated by criminals. Kira Kaine is out for revenge, even if it costs her soul. Literally.
For centuries, the Five Families have operated in the shadows, using hidden magic and sudden violence to dominate the criminal underworld. Kira is heir to the Kaine family, the strongest of them all. But on her eighteenth birthday, unknown enemies slaughter the Kaine family, intending to use Kira as a sacrifice to attain ultimate power. What they didn’t anticipate was Kira breaking free, leading to her being accidentally bonded to an angel of death named Shrike.
With Shrike, she has the power to enact bloody vengeance on the people who betrayed her family, but every use of his power burns away a part of Kira’s very soul. Can she find the truth and her revenge before Shrike destroys her entirely?
Japan’s mightiest hero rises with the release of the Ultraman Omnibus, publishing from Marvel in July 2026. Featuring the complete adventures of Ultraman from across decades of comic book history, the 800-page collection presents a thrilling vision of the pop-culture phenomenon that is Ultraman!
Discover how a young man named Shin Hayata merged with a mysterious hero from beyond the stars and gained the incredible ability to become the towering Ultraman – for three minutes at a time! Working alongside the United Science Patrol, Ultraman protects the Earth from monstrous creatures known as Kaiju – and is set on a multiversal collision course with Spider-Man, the Avengers…and Galactus! Plus: rare, long out-of-print classic comic-book adventures of Ultraman from the 1990s, a gallery of original Ultraman and Kaiju pinup art by top Marvel artists, and much more. Whether a longtime Ultraman fan or a newcomer looking to dive into the superhero’s incredible journey, this high quality, full color, hardcover omnibus is a perfect addition to comic collections.
The Ultraman Omnibus features stories by renowned comic book writers including Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins, Shigenobu Matsumoto, and others, in addition to an incredible assortment of rare Ultraman materials and artwork. Contents include:
An exclusive Ultraman 60th Anniversary key visual specially created by Tsuburaya Productions for the book trade edition
Cover by renowned artist Peach Momoko for the direct market edition
An introduction by Starlight Runner Entertainment transmedia producer and Ultraman Connection Fan Hub favorite Jeff Gomez
The Rise of Ultraman #1-5
The Trials of Ultraman #1-5
Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #1-5
Ultraman x Avengers #1-4
The Fall of Ultraman #1, concluding the Marvel Ultraman storyline
Eight issues from the classic comic book adventures of Ultraman, originally released in the 1990s
Exclusive behind-the-scenes materials from the various Ultraman series from Marvel Comics, including model sheets and guides to the Ultra Heroes, Kaiju, Robots, Weapons & Vehicles
An Ultraman Superstar Gallery drawn from the Ultraman Card Game with spectacular pin-ups by top artists such as Alex Ross, Art Adams, Sean Chen, David Lopez, Davide Tinto, Reilly Brown, EJ Su, Bob Eggleton, Colleen Doran, Ray Lago, and Doug Wheatley.
Ultraman is a legendary giant from a faraway galaxy, who comes to Earth to protect us from giant monsters called Kaiju. He is aided by Japan’s Defense Teams, whose main purpose is to defend the Earth from monsters and aliens. For almost 60 years, Ultraman and his people, the Ultras, have been friends and guardians to humankind. Celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, the Ultraman Universe first debuted in 1966 with the launch of the television series Ultra Q. Over the last nearly 60 years, the Ultraman franchise has spawned a record number of television series, films, video games, and more.
Retailing for $125, the Ultraman Omnibus will release on July 14, 2026 with the standard edition cover drawn by Ed McGuinness and a direct-to-market exclusive cover drawn by Peach Momoko.
(W) Patrick Zircher, Fabian Nicieza (A) Patrick Zircher, Sean Chen Publisher: Titan Comics & Heroic Signatures B&W, 64pp, $6.99, On Sale: July 9, 2025
Patrick Zircher slashes into the Hyborian Age with a tale of high adventure starring Conan and Valeria, whilst Fabian Nicieza and artist Sean Chen craft a high-stakes assassination story starring KULL. Also featuring instant-classic covers from Alex Horley and the late Neal Adams, incredible art pin-ups, and more.
Japan’s most iconic hero, Ultraman, will be getting an artistic infusion from some of the world’s most renowned comic artists as Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd has unveiled the initial line-up of iconic comic artists who will be drawing their own spin on the Ultraman Universe as part of Wave 2 of the highly-buzzed about Ultraman Card Game. Just as the initial Ultraman Card Game Starter Deck is set to hit stores on Friday, October 25, Tsuburaya announced it is doubling down on the huge potential of this new collectible trading card game by bringing on an exciting roster of well-known artistic talent including fan-favorite Marvel artists Sean Chen, Reilly Brown, Davide Tinto, and David López, illustrator and Ultraman fan community favorite Klenda Vee, and revered fantasy painter Bob Eggleton. Each will be bringing their own fresh designs to Ultraman with awe-inspiring illustrations and colorful depictions like never before.
The second wave of the Ultraman Card Game is scheduled to be released globally in early 2025, in four languages including Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, and 23 countries and regions. The announcement was made during the Ultraman panel at New York Comic Con.
First announced in July 2024, the Ultraman Card Game is a new trading card game inspired by the world of Ultraman featuring playability appealing to both adults and kids, as well as collectability with specially designed cards by creators from around the globe. The initial five iconic talents confirmed for wave two are some of the hottest artists in the industry and their impressive credits speak for themselves:
Sean Chen: Iron Man, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, Avengers, Batman Beyond, Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero.
David López: Catwoman, All-New Wolverine, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Justice League Adventures, Wonder Woman, and Birds of Prey
Bob Eggleton: Godzilla, Jimmy Neutron, Magic: The Gathering, Famous Monsters of Filmland, G-Fan, and Japanese Giants
Davide Tinto: Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven, Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, Marvel Action Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Commanders In Crisis
Klenda Vee: Known for hand drawn, ink pen/pencil on paper, as well as watercolor painted pieces of the Ultra Heroes and Kaiju, Klenda has been a leading voice in the Ultraman fan community.
Ultraman Card Game tournaments are also being planned for 2025 for players to begin competing in earnest. Players who win qualifying events will have the opportunity to participate in a World Tournament planned for Spring 2026 in Tokyo, Japan.
Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
The previously teased content studio 247 Comics has announced its first release; Evermind from artist Sean Chen, and actor Daniel Wu, on a meteoric rise in Hollywood’s emerging Asian American stars in film and television, is now funding on Kickstarter!
Evermind tells the story of overlooked innovator Lucas Zhang (whose likeness was inspired by Wu himself) who has worked his entire life to push humanity beyond the bounds of physical limitations with his incredible developments in neurolink technology, but his quest for success has come at a cost. Now in a desperate attempt to save his own humanity—and the life of his only child—Zhang unleashes a powerful new technology that is too dangerous to be trusted. Now Zhang is selling out and cashing in, and his patented masterworks are serving only two purposes—destruction and desire.
Perks highlights:
Digital Edition of the first three issues – $18
Standard Edition of the first three issues – $35
Sean Chen original comic art – $300
Sean Chen original Marvel character design art – $500
Project end date: Thursday, October 19, 2023 3:00 PM EDT
Baltimore Comic-Con takes place this September 8-10, 2023 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Baltimore Comic-Con is excited to announce the appearance of comic guests Sean Chen, Vito Delsante, Randy Green, Howard Mackie, Philip Tan, and Caitlin Yarsky in 2023. Get your tickets now.
Sean Chen has been a major part of the comic book industry for over two decades. Starting with Valiant Comics, his debut book, Rai And the Future Force, topped the charts with over 800,000 copies sold. He then moved on to Harbinger and Bloodshot before landing on their flagship title X-O Manowar. Sean then found a new home at Marvel, where he started what would become the longest and most remembered run of his career, working on Iron Man. For the next decade, he had his hands on a number of titles, including Wolverine, X-Men, Spider-Man, Nova, and The Avengers.
Vito Delsante is a comic book writer/graphic novelist. He’s written for Action Lab Entertainment, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Image Comics, AdHouse Books, and Simon & Schuster among others, and his stories have been reprinted in other countries. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Michelle, their daughter, Sadie, son, James, and their new pit bull puppy, Bruno. Find him if you can and say, “Hello.”
After graduating with a BFA in Painting, Randy Green worked for several advertising agencies as an artist/art director and did some comic book work on the side. During this time, he worked mostly for Dark Horse and Image. Eventually, Randy was able to get enough steady work to pursue comic book art full-time, working for Marvel, DC Comics, and others as well. Top Cow’s Witchblade was his first long run as an artist on a title and opened the doors to many other opportunities, including Tomb Raider and a short-run creator-owned title, Dollz which he hopes to do more with in the future. Afterwards, he continued on some more work at Marvel on Emma Frost and New X-Men Academy X, always managing to squeeze in a project or cover for some of the comic companies here and there. In recent years, Randy has been doing most of his work behind the scenes for Disney Parks, and has had several books come out through Dark Horse and Aspen Comics, as well as several indie creators, and is currently working on a title, Stopwatch, written by Beau Smith coming soon from Clover Press.
Randy has been working comics full-time for nearly two decades now, and enjoys life in the country with his family, wife Amy, and children Haley and Max.
Howard Mackie was dragged kicking and screaming into writing his first comic book (Iron Man #211) a few years ago, and has been working in comic book publishing ever since. Chronicling the adventures of Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, The X-Men, X-Factor, Gambit, Wolverine, Batman, and countless other characters for Marvel, DC, and Archie Comics. His most recent work for Marvel was Ghost Rider: Return of Vengeance. Mackie also takes on writing commissions (haven’t you always wanted to have an original comic book script page or two written for you?) and can be contacted at Howard Mackie-Writer on Facebook.
Philip Tan is a comic book artist who’s worked with most of the major publishers in the last 22 years. Mostly known for his works on Uncanny X-Men, Batman & Robin, and Spawn, he recently did The Last ShadowHawk comics, and is currently drawing Frank Miller’s Ronin Book Two.
Caitlin Yarsky is a comic book artist based in Portland, OR. Her first two series were Sean Lewis’ Coyotes and Bliss at Image Comics. She was the main artist for Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer Reborn series at Dark Horse, drew a DC one-shot called Olympus: Rebirth with Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad, and has since drawn Catwoman and back-ups for Shazam (with variant covers from different publishers in between). She is currently working for DC and has started writing and drawing her own series.
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), Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer), 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), 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), 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), Sozomaika (DC Power: A Celebration), 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), 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), Marv Wolfman (Raven: Daughter of Darkness), 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).
You won’t want to miss the Baltimore Comic Con next weekend, October 28-30, 2022 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced the addition of comic writers and artists Sean Chen, Nikkol Jelenic, Terry Kavanagh, Rick Leonardi, Alitha Martinez, Bella Rachlin, Joe Rubinstein, and Kevin VanHook. Tickets for admission and VIP experiences are online now.
Sean Chen has been a major part of the comic book industry for over two decades. Starting with Valiant Comics, his debut book, Rai And the Future Force, topped the charts with over 800,000 copies sold. He then moved on to Harbinger and Bloodshot before landing on their flagship title X-O Manowar. Sean then found a new home at Marvel, where he started what would become the longest and most remembered run of his career, working on Iron Man. For the next decade, he had his hands on a number of titles, including Wolverine, X-Men, Spider-Man, Nova, and The Avengers.
Nikkol Jelenic is an American horror illustrator, comic book creator, and cover artist. While creating fantastic and gory tales for her own comics and freelancing pin ups and painted canvas works, she continues collaborating with other independent authors and artists that share the same genre interests.
Recently working for AfterShock Comics on graphic novels titled Midnight Rose and horror anthology After Dark as a sequential artist, she is also currently working independently on a few creator-owned titles through various publishers. One is set in a post apocalyptic world and another features monster hunting in a cyberpunk backdrop, both equally loaded with fantasy and horrific art. Nikkol has wrapped up her creator-owned title A Taste For Killing horror comic collection, taking place in the ACID i COMICS universe, with her killer clown tale Chuckles Knuckles-Hook. Her past works include A Taste For Killing, Side-Kicked, Spiralmind, The Fall, Tales From The One Eyed Pussy, Gideon & Sebastian, The Women of Darby Pop, Vampire, Vampire 2, and Siren.
Terry Kavanagh was a Marvel Comics editor from 1985 to 1997. Titles he edited during that time included Marvel Comics Presents, Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Black Widow. For the company, he wrote such titles as Moon Knight, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Man.
Terry also wrote for Marvel until the mid-2000s. He was one of the writers on the “Maximum Carnage” storyline which ran through the various Spider-Man titles in 1993. He pitched a storyline involving the return of Spider-Man’s clone, which then formed the basis of the long-running Spider-Man maxi-series The Clone Saga.
In 2011, Terry co-founded the Internet startup company www.mybeanjar.com. He also wrote and edited comics for Zenescope Entertainment from 2017 to 2019, and consulted on the Marvel Entertainment streaming series, Marvel’s Hero Project. Terry is now Head of Development for inksmyth, a custom comic book company.
Leeanne M. Krecic, also known to her fans as “Mongie“, is the creator of the Eisner-nominated and Amazon bestselling comic phenomenon Let’s Play. As a webcomic, Let’s Play has over 5 million global subscribers and is available in English, French, Spanish, and German through the webcomics platform, Webtoon. The graphic novel collections of Let’s Play are 2 of the top 30 all-time Kickstarters in the Comics category and are published by Rocketship Entertainment. Announced in 2021, Let’s Play is being adapted as a live action series by Allnighter (Final Fantasy, Luther Strode). In 2021, Leeanne was nominated for the Ringo Award for Best Cartoonist. With a degree in computer science, Leeanne worked as head of IT for an Internet-based company for eleven years, helping it become a multi-million dollar company, before deciding to pursue her dream of becoming a comic creator. Entirely self-taught, Leeanne has worked as a commissioned freelance artist for over eight years, creating concept art for tabletop games, and book covers. Leeanne resides in Kansas City with her husband, two dogs, two cats, and over a hundred fish.
Rick Leonardi has drawn comics for more than forty years. His best-known works include various issues of The Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants, as well as runs on Cloak & Dagger, Spider-Man 2099, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Green Lantern vs. Aliens. He is credited, along with fellow illustrator Mike Zeck, with designing the black-and-white costume to which Spider-Man switched during the miniseries Secret Wars, and with creating the costume for Spider-Man 2099. He was penciler/inker for the original four issues of Watson and Holmes, which received an Eisner nomination for Best New Series in 2014.
Currently, Rick is finishing up an original graphic novel, Blue Angel, for the US Naval Institute Press, contributing pages to the upcoming Nightwing #100, and looking forward to Spider-Man 2099’s appearance in Across the Spider-Verse, to be released 2 June, 2023.
New Yorker Alitha E. Martinez jumped right into the deep end of the comic book industry, working as an assistant to ex-Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, initially doing art assists like background work on DC Comics’ Azrael, Event Comics’ Ash, and Marvel Comics’ Daredevil, and assistant inking DC Comics’ Aquaman, before taking over the reins of Marvel’s Iron Man. She then moved onto titles like Battlebooks, Marvel Age Fantastic Four, and Black Panther from Marvel, Batgirl from DC, New Crusaders from Archie Comics, Voltron from Devil’s Due, and the Aspen Comics adaptation of the NBC hit television series Heroes, and has self-publishing her own title, Yume and Ever. Lately, her work can be found in Papercutz’s WWE Superstars and Barbie, Archie Comics’ Riverdale, DC Comics’ Vertigo Quarterly CMYK, and Marvel’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda.
Bella Rachlin is a comic book artist who works mostly in traditional painting techniques. She’s been working as a freelancer since 2016. she has been doing mostly covers for various companies, card sets for Marvel Upper Deck, and private commissions.
Inker extraordinaire Joe Rubinstein has had a storied career, having had opportunity to participate in the creation of works that have had lasting impacts on comics. He holds a Guinness World Record for inking more pencilers than any other inker, and worked on inking The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe for over 20 years. His contributions include Marvel’s original Wolverine limited series, Micronauts, and Warlock, and DC Comics’ Batman, Green Arrow/Black Canary, Justice League titles, and Superman among many, many others.
Kevin VanHook is a film maker and comic cook creator born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
As a writer/director, he has made seven feature films, including the popular Slayer and Death Row horror.
He has created VFX for many films, including Olympus Has Fallen and I Am Number Four, and TV series ranging from Vampire Diaries to Law & Order and Rizzoli & Isles. He supervised visual effects for the Netflix Original, Project Power starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jamie Foxx.
As a comic book writer and artist, he is best known for co-creating Bloodshot for Valiant Comics with Don Perlin and Bob Layton. The premiere issue sold nearly one million copies and continued to be a top-selling title.
Bloodshot was released as a major motion picture from Sony in March 2020 starring Vin Diesel.
Kevin also wrote and drew The Rocky Horror Picture Show movie adaptation for Caliber Press as well as over a hundred other comic books for Valiant Comics from X-O Manowar to Solar, Man of the Atom. He wrote the Flash Gordon Sunday comic strip for King Features for two years and joined DC Comics to create Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves as well as Oracle: The Cure, Red Tornado: Family Reunion, and Lobo for Weird Worlds.
In 2022, Kevin wrote an original graphic novel for Heavy Metal and is writing multiple titles for Indonesian Publisher Visi8. It was recently announced that he is writing several new projects for Frank Miller Presents.
Kevin appears courtesy of Visi8.
Confirmed guests for this year’s show include:
Andrew Aydin (Run), Chris Barcomb (The Amazing Adventure of Superior Sam), Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Carolyn Belefski (Curls), Dr. Christina Blanch (Good Boy), Brett Breeding (Superman), Dan Brereton (Nocturnals), Russ Braun (The Boys), Reilly Brown (Deadpool), Harold Buchholz (Sweetest Beasts), Jeffrey Burandt (Killer Bad), Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Chris Campana (The Adventures of Parker Reef), Joe Carabeo (Black Magic Tales), Richard Case (Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror), John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jim Cheung (Miracleman), Sean Chen (Iron Man), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Matthew Clark (Adventures of Superman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Kevin Cuffe (Metalshark Bro), Shawn Daley (Better Place), Alan Davis (Thanos), Nick Davis (The Night Guardians – Awakenings), Kristina Deak-Linsner (Roses for the Dead), J. Robert Deans (Crass Fed), Vito Delsante (Stray), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Terry Dodson (Harley Quinn), Mike Dringenberg (Sandman), Scott Dunbier (Jim Lee’s X-Men Artist’s Edition, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Ryan Dunlavey (The Comic Book History of Animation), Garth Ennis (The Boys), Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs), Chris Flick (Capes and Babes), Scott Fogg (Phileas Reid Knows We’re Not Alone), Trish Forstner (Stray Dogs), LJ and Kayla Fowlkes (The Adventures of CHIBIWONGTONG), Franco (The Ghost, The Owl), Bob Frantz (Metalshark Bro), John Gallagher (Max Meow: Cat Crusader), Kami Garcia (Teen Titans: Raven), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Ron Garney (BZRKR, Friday and Saturday only), Mitch Gerads (Mister Miracle), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Steven Grant (X), Mike Grell (Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Brian Haberlin (Spawn), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Cully Hamner (Blue Beetle), Dean Haspiel (The Fox), Mike Hawthorne (Happiness Will Follow), Karama Horne (Protectors of Wakanda: A History and Training Manual for the Dora Milaje, courtesy of The Quarto Group), Jamal Igle (Molly Danger), Klaus Janson (Daredevil), Nikkol Jelenic (Midnight Rose), Frederick L. Jones (The Massively Multiplayer World of Ghosts, courtesy of The Quarto Group), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Alien), Kata Kane (Altar Girl), Terry Kavanagh (Spider-Man), Chris Kemple (Artist Alley Comics), Tom King (Batman), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Leeanne M. Krecic (Let’s Play), Greg LaRocque (The Three Stooges), Jim Lee (Action Comics, Friday only), Rick Leonardi (Spider-Man 2099), Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja), Howard Mackie (Ghost Rider), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Francis Manapul (The Flash), Dirk Manning (Twiztid Haunted High-Ons, courtesy of Source Point Press), Mariano Brothers (Claire Lost Her Bear at the World’s Fair), Alitha Martinez (Nubia), Ron Marz (Silver Surfer), Whitney Matheson (Pandemix: Quarantine Comics in the Age of ‘Rona), Jason May (LEGO Club Magazine), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Mike McKone (Genis-Vell: Captain Marvel), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Jarrett Melendez (Chef’s Kiss), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Frank Miller (Sin City, Saturday only), Chris Miskiewicz (Elvis: The Graphic Novel), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Trevor Mueller (Albert the Alien), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Fabian Nicieza (Deadpool, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Ann Nocenti (The Seeds, Friday and Saturday only, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Sedat Oezgen (Judge Dredd), Jerry Ordway (Superman), Rachel Ordway (Chainmail Bikini), Steve Orlando (Rainbow Bridge, Saturday and Sunday only), Richard Pace (Second Coming, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Dan Parent (Archie vs. Sharknado), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-Men), Khoi Pham (Teen Titans), Ed Piskor (Red Room: Trigger Warnings), Eric Powell (The Goon), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Bella Rachlin (Agents of PACT), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Afua Richardson (Omni), Christopher Ring (Seamus (the Famous)), David A. Rodriguez (Skylanders), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Arsia Rozegar (Shahnameh For Kids), Joe Rubinstein (Wolverine), Jim Rugg (Hulk Grand Design), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Stuart Sayger (The Joker), Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, courtesy of Flesk Publications), Pat Shand (Destiny, NY), Liam Sharp (Green Lantern), Louise Simonson (X-Men Legends), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok), Don Simpson (Megaton Man), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), Matt Smith (Hellboy), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Jim Starlin (Infinity Gauntlet), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Paul Storrie (Storm Kids: Stanley’s Ghost), Joe St. Pierre (New Zodiax), Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), Billy Tucci (Shi), Christopher Uminga (Batman’s Mystery Casebook), Kevin VanHook (Bloodshot, courtesy of Visi 8 Entertainment), Fred Van Lente (The Comic Book History of Animation), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Dexter Vines (Civil War, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Sean Von Gorman (Return of Toe Tag Riot), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Micheal Yg, Sean Chen (CA) Leinil Francis Yu RATED T+ In Shops: Aug 31, 2022 SRP: $3.99
• The seal has been broken! • As a dark god’s power begins to rise, LIN LIE faces an impossible choice! • Will the power of the IRON FIST finally accept him…and even if it does, will it be enough?
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Micheal Yg, Sean Chen (CA) Leinil Francis Yu RATED T+ In Shops: Aug 31, 2022 SRP: $3.99
• The seal has been broken! • As a dark god’s power begins to rise, LIN LIE faces an impossible choice! • Will the power of the IRON FIST finally accept him…and even if it does, will it be enough?
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Michael Yg, Sean Chen (I) Michael Yg, Victor Olazaba, Keith Champagne, Don Ho (C) Jay David Ramos (L) Travis Lanham (CA) Leinil Francis Yu, Sunny Gho (VCA) Jim Cheung RATED T+ In Shops: May 18, 2022 SRP: $3.99
DANNY RAND’S SEARCH CONTINUES! But he’s about to realize that he isn’t the only one hunting for the mysterious new Iron Fist! As demons stalk K’UN-LUN and ugly histories are dragged into the light, the new Iron Fist will have to make a choice between his duty…and his conscience.
