Thursday, April 9, 2009

HEROESCON :: Gaijin, Blvd Studios, Jolly Roger Join Guest List!



You can tell we're gearing up for HeroesCon when we start making Guest List updates EVERY DAY! It sure is going to be crowded this year! But this week we've been trying to extra-officially confirm a lot of our closest "family"-type guests, the delicious candy center of the vast and nougaty exterior of HeroesCon. While I hate to announce all these guys together in one big post--this is like a who's-who of some of our favorite people in the world, and I'd prefer to make a great big fuss over each of them--the stack of announcements I need to make is growing all the time! So, without further ado, the lords and ladies of three of comics' finest art studios:

GAIJIN STUDIOS is like royalty at HeroesCon, and with good reason--check out this lineup they boast--

CULLY HAMNER is the artist of the upcoming Question backup in Detective Comics, written by Greg Rucka. He's also recently received accolades as the artist of Black Lightning: Year One, as well as an exclusive contract with DC Comics.

LAURA MARTIN has colored, well, about everything. Her resume reads like a most-popular-ever list of comics: Astonishing X-Men, Secret Invasion, The Stand, Authority, Planetary... you get the idea. Swank!

BRIAN STELFREEZE is the only person ever in my life to take the time to (sniff!) teach me to moonwalk. Of a less tender nature, he's the influential artist and generally chatty dude behind The Ride, GunCandy, Matador, and about a bajillion Batman covers over the years.

KARL STORY is, all joking aside, one of the best inkers working in comics, period. The number of actual inkers working in comics dwindles all the time, but Karl is pretty amazing to watch, which you will be able to do in a couple of months. Some of his higher-profile jobs include Ultimate X-Men, Number of the Beast, Tom Strong, Ocean, and Nightwing.

DOUG WAGNER is the smiling writer of the crew, with books including The Ride, The Ride: Die Valkyrie, and the upcoming Hammer Sound! He's also one of the higher-ups with our buddies over at 12 Gauge Comics!

And, while he's no longer technically a Gaijin-er, TONY SHASTEEN has got the stink of that office all over him still, so I'll announce him with these other dudes (and Laura). HeroesCon attendees might know Tony first as the artist of the recent Rosario Dawson co-created O.C.T., and thus one of the people in the corner of the frame in about ten billion photos of Rosario that got taken at HeroesCon in 2006 and 2007. BUT more recently he's been announced as the artist of the upcoming Stephen King's The Talisman adaptation, as well as Final Crisis: Secret Files.



JOLLY ROGER STUDIO of Macon Georgia is ALSO extra royal at HeroesCon, and like Gaijin, extra Georgian. Though many stupendous stars have been part of Jolly Roger over the years, these days it's largely centered around:

TONY HARRIS, the Grand Buccanneer of HeroesCon, and a prolific cover artist, as well as artist of the hugely popular Ex Machina, Starman, and the Mark Millar-penned War Heroes. Busy busy!

JD METTLER somehow looks even more like a pirate, due in large part to a mighty moustache. He's a well-known colorist both working with Tony and on his own, on books including Ex Machina, Spider-Man: With Great Power, and Conan.



But wait--there's also THE BLVD, the home studio of already-on-list John Paul Leon, as well as new additions:

BERNARD CHANG, who gets some of the funniest pictures taken of him each year. When he's not cracking photographers up, he's also been a former Disney Imagineer and artist on Wonder Woman, Superman, and Deadpool, among a bunch of others.

TOMMY LEE EDWARDS is either a talented illustrator who does a ton of high-profile work for movies like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, OR a talented cartoonist who's drawn Marvel: 1985, The Question, and Batman. Or both. It's both, actually.

Jeez! That took a lot out of me. I'm going to go have a cool refreshing lemonade with Shawn and Seth and get my strength back. But I'll be back tomorrow with--I'm not kidding--ANOTHER addition to the list! Good gravy!

4 comments:

Red Moon said...

The list keeps getting better and better! Are the Top Shelf guys getting announced tomorrow? Hmmm? ;)

Dustin Harbin said...

They're coming next week--a whole crop of them, including some first-timers!

Anonymous said...

I'm already getting worked up about this, even with a couple of months to go. I hope the SCAD folks get to come, that seems like a really cool concept to me. I'm hoping for Ramona Fradon and Nick Cardy to show up on the list - also like to see John Lucas. I couldn't possibly disappointed regardless, you guys are doing a fantastic job!

Red Moon said...

Fingers crossed for Christian Slade. We love them doggie books! :)