Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bookings for your show! Dawson, Taylor, Hollinghead and more!

With the 30th Anniversary of the first "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies still fresh on our minds, we are offering some amazing talent to put togehter a Turtles panel for your convention. Book one or all of our talented crew. Contact Pros & cons Celebrity Booking at evaink@aol.com for details.

Veronica Taylor Veronica Taylor is a classically trained actor who found her way into voice acting while performing in the Batman Stunt Show at Six Flags Great Adventure. She became a mainstay of Saturday morning cartoons, best known for playing the original Ash and May on the first 8 seasons of “Pokemon”, April on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2003-2007) and roles in “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, “Cubix”, “Dinosaur King”, “Winx Club”, “One Piece”,and more. Shows for PBS include “Word World” (Sheep), “Lunch Lab” (Mixiebot), and “Chuck Vanderchuck’s ‘something something’ Explosion!” (Ramona). Current projects include Nickelodeon’s “Welcome to the Wayne” (Spy from 8-i), “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” (BerryBlue), “Dragon Ball Super” (Brianne/Ribrianne), “Sailor Moon” (Sailor Pluto), Sprout’s “Ollie and Moon” (flight attendant/ensemble) and “Astroblast” (Sputnik), “Aria” (Akari), “Mofy” (Mofy, Mogu, Sora), “Fire Emblem Heroes” (Macaiah) and “Valkyria Chronicles 4” (Crymaria). Anime favorites include “Slayers” (Amelia), “His and Hers Circumstances” (Yukino), “Nana Seven of Seven” (all 7 Nanas), among others. She has done numerous voices for animation, video games, audiobooks, commercials, and documentaries.

Wayne Grayson Wayne Grayson is an American voice actor and director primarily known for his work at 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, Media Blasters, NYAV Post, and DuArt Film and Video. Grayson is probably most famous for his role of Joey Wheeler (Katsuya Jonouchi in the English manga and Japanese versions) in the English-language version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Michelangelo from the 2003 TV series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Quinton Flynn Quinton’s voice has been burning up film and television since he first arrived in Los Angeles from his native Cleveland. He is an A-list voice actor, having played such famous animated characters as Jonny Quest, Spiderman, Speed Racer, The Human Torch, Timon, Snowbell in Stuart Little, just to name a few. His television and film appearances include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, King of Queens, Animaniacs, Woody Woodpecker, Robot Chicken, and many more. His best known roles in video game franchises have been his work providing the english voices of Raiden in the Metal Gear Solid series, Axel in Kingdom Hearts II, and Reno in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children the motion picture. If you’re hip to the anime scene you’ll know him as Iruka-sensei and Deidara in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, Marcus Damon in Digimon Data Squad, and Carl in Blood+, to name a few.

Darren Dunstan Darren Dunstan can be heard on numerous animated series including Yu-Gi-Oh! as Maximillion Pegasus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Master Splinter, P. King Ducking as Arma Dillo, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V as Jean Michel Roget and Chaotic as Kaz. His voice has been featured on Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, The CW, Cartoon Network, Jetix, Fox, KidsWB and Teletoon Canada.

Cameron "Kim" Dawson Cameron “Kim” Dawson is a 40+year veteran of the film and television industry based in Orlando, Florida. Along with his production credits (below), he has also served as a Production Executive & Line Producer for Showtime Networks, sports TV leader Trans World International (IMG), The new Mickey Mouse Club MMC for Disney Channel, and “Making the Band” in a joint venture with ABC and MTV. Kim produced “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I, II, and III” for New Line Cinema (WB), “Bobby Jones Stroke of Genius” for Sony Pictures, among many other productions. He continues to seek new, exciting intellectual property that can become engaging, impactful content.

Bobby Herbeck Writer of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle film. Which turned out be a huge success in spite of three months of being turned down as he wall papered Hollywood trying to get the film made. The critic’s panned it … “It’s one a trick pony.” they all agreed. And now the franchise will be celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary this coming March 30. Which will involve appearances and screenings at the San Diego Comic Con and several others, including autograph show appearances around the world and a two night screening in 1200 theaters around the country. While the seventh TMNT film is being shot at Paramount.

Ric Meyers Ric Meyers has written Incredible Hulk, Dirty Harry, Ninja Master, and Destroyer novels; edited and contributed to magazines like Famous Monsters and Starlog; scripted comics like Targitt; Manstalker, Batman, and Jackie Chan’s Spartan X; authored award-winning non-fiction books about TV Detectives, sci-fi/fantasy flicks, and martial arts movies; and consulted for film studios and TV networks on such shows as The Twilight Zone and Columbo as well as films like Kung Fu Panda, Minions 2: The Rise of Gru, and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. Today you can see or hear him on more than three hundred international DVDs, watch his documentary Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie on Amazon Prime, see him on Netflix in Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks, listen to his long-running Action Film Autopsy podcast, and read his latest works: Santa Confidential (which is beautifully illustrated by artist Chris Browne of Hagar the Horrible fame) and Atlas Originals Presents Targitt, a new novel based on the first comic book he wrote in 1974! So whatever program you’re planning — whether it’s about comics, movies, TV, streaming, or anything else, Ric can contribute or moderate, having interviewed hundreds of people all over the world on virtually every entertainment subject.

Iconic Actress Joycelyne Lew Available for Booking--"Blade Runner," "Kung Fu," "Big Trouble in Little China" and Much More!

There are so many ways to have Joyclynn Lew on panels at your shows. Just read her amazing story below and image how she'd fit in and add her grace and wit to any podium. For booking information contact Pros & Cons Celebrity Booking at: evaink@aol.com

Joycelyne Lew It is not often that a convention gets to book someone for whom memorable roles in the all-time legendary film”The King and I” with Yul Brunner and the martial arts classic “The Big Brawl” with Jackie Chan are just two highlights if an extraordinary, diverse resume. But that’s what you’ll be getting with Joycelyne Lew. Under contract with 20th Century Fox at the age of 8, Joycelyne will be able to regal attendees with tales of Hollywood’s true Golden Age. There is her role as Princess Ying Yaawolak in the aforementioned “King”. She can also talk about being carried off into the sunset by Rock Hudson in “Battle Hymn of the Republic”; singing while Humphrey Bogart played the piano in “Left Hand of God”; her role as a reporter in “Wrong Is Right” with Sean Connery and starring with George Hamilton in “The Happy Hooker Goes To Washington”. Oh, and her first film was with a guy named Ronald Reagan. An inductee of the USA Hall of Fame, Joycelyne’s mist famous roles are arguably in martial arts projects. She played a bombshell in one of Jackie Chan’s biggest films, “The Big Brawl”. She also had the largest role ever written for a woman in the iconic “Kung Fu” series starring David Carradine. Additionally, she played a geisha in “Blade Runner”, a ninja fighter in “Big Trouble in Little China” and the mistress in “Samurai Cop 2”. She is a member of the television academy, further making her name in some if the biggest shows of the past few decades: classics like “Golden Girls”, “The Jeffersons”, “The Fall Guy” and “Married..With Children” as well as soaps like “Days of Our Lives”, “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital”. She currently spearheads an entertaining cooking show called “Cooking In With Joycelyne”, during which she makes inexpensive, nutritious dishes with guest celebrities. Speaking of guests, Joycelyne was a guest on mire than one occasion at the famed Playboy mansion – and to this day puts out a pinup calendar annually. Her sex appeal and penchant for comedy combine when she assumes the role of Mae East, a quirky version of Mae West in which Joycelyne writes her own jokes ” with an Asian slant”. A skilled voice actor and impressionist, she has pulled off everything from a convincing 50 year-old on Cartoon Network to baby voices in Japanese cartoons. As a hand model, she has poked the Pillsbury Doughboy. As a leg model, she doubled for Kim Basinger’s limbs on a huge billboard that was placed on the Sunset Strip. Having filmed 3 movies in the past year, Joycelyne shows no signs of slowing down.

Have your own Yu-Gi-Oh Gathering with Hollingshead, Grayson and Dunstan! An Eduring Favorite for your show!

Yu-Gi-Oh was a foundational anime series for many, and it’s still going strong— more popular than ever. Here is your chance to meet some of the pivotal cast, ask your questions and buy some autographed merch and more! Now we can offer amazing voice talents Megan Hollingshead, Wayne Grayson and Darren Dunstan either alone or together for your event! Contact Pros & Cons Celebrity Booking at: evaink@aol.com for details.

Megan Hollingshead Born in the wilds of LA’s San Fernando Valley and hone in the 99-seat theatres of New YOrk City, Mega is best known in the voiceover world as the original Nurse Joy in Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!’s original Mai Valentine. She has voiced hundreds of characters in animation and games as well as hundreds of radion and telelvision commercials. Stand out roles include Rangiku in Bleach, Shizune (and Ton Ton) in Naruto, Caster in Fate/stay night, Lenneth in Valkyrie Profile, Ada Wong in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Re-L Mayer in Ergo Proxy, Viletta Nu in Code: Geass, Glenna in Guild Wars, the twisted twin sisters Mion and Shion in When They Cry, Sigrun in Fire Emblem: Heroes and Yigr and Yune in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She can be heard on the recently released Final Fantasy VII Remake, and has projects in the wroks for Cup of Teta, Bang Zoom!, and Funimation. Commercial highlights include American Express, Armed FOrces Radio/Television, AT&T (campaign), Fred Meyer, Hometown Buffet, JC Penney, Malibu Pilates, Mercedes, Publix, Serta, Taco Bell, and World of Coca-Cola.

Wayne Grayson Wayne Grayson is an American voice actor and director primarily known for his work at 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, Media Blasters, NYAV Post, and DuArt Film and Video. Grayson is probably most famous for his role of Joey Wheeler (Katsuya Jonouchi in the English manga and Japanese versions) in the English-language version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Michelangelo from the 2003 TV series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Darren Dunstan Darren Dunstan can be heard on numerous animated series including Yu-Gi-Oh! as Maximillion Pegasus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Master Splinter, P. King Ducking as Arma Dillo, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V as Jean Michel Roget and Chaotic as Kaz. His voice has been featured on Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, The CW, Cartoon Network, Jetix, Fox, KidsWB and Teletoon Canada. He has played an exhausted dad on Regal Academy (Dave), a robot and a butler on Sonic X (Bocoe, Mr. Tanaka), a fish on Kirby (Kine), a wrestling promoter and wrinkly green guy on Ultimate Muscle (Vance McMadd, Minch), a British penguin and DJ on Viva Pinata and a club owner and CSI on Funky Cops (Jerry, Jeff). Darren has had the pleasure of voicing countless creatures on Pokémon, Chaotic, Dinosaur King and Fighting Foodons, including Munchlax, Blaziken, Loudred, Swellow, Grovyle, Feebas, Wamma, Dractyl, Terry, Spiny and a quartet of Barbershop-singing Dim-sum Dragons. Currently, Darren is voice directing Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr. and Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. Recent directing credits include Welcome to the Wayne on Nickelodeon, Sunny Day on Nick Jr. and Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V on Nicktoons. He has been voice director and casting director for Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, Chaotic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dinosaur King, Pokémon, Pat and Stan, Cubix, Fighting Foodons and Rick and Steve on LOGO. Darren has also directed shorts for Nickelodeon and videogames for Sunny Day, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Chaotic.Feature film directing projects include Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions (winner: Best Director at BTVA L.A. Anime Film Festival), Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time and numerous Pokémon films. Other animation-related projects include Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie (Pegasus), Yu-Gi-Oh! Music To Duel By, (singing as Pegasus), Pokémon Nintendo commericals and Pokémon Live! Giovanni) at Radio City Music Hall.

Arthur Suydam Gets (Re) Animated About His Career, Talking Zombies!

Great new article with Arthur.  Here is the interview below:

Original Link:  https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1017?ArticleID=243121

 

 

Arthur Suydam Gets (Re)Animated Talking Zombies, His Career 

 

 

Genre mash-ups provide very entertaining stories as seemingly disparate genres come together and artist Arthur Suydam’s art is a great example of how that can work. His Marvel Zombies and homage covers have become highly collectible Modern books, featuring the decaying forms of Marvel’s biggest heroes. Suydam recently talked to Scoop about those covers, his work on Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth, and how he became a fan of comics.
Scoop: Were you a fan of comics before you got into the industry?
Arthur Suydam (AS): When I was 5 years old, I was caught in a fire and as a consequence laid up for a year in the hospital. Having been burned over 50% of my body, no one expected me to make it and the team of four doctors in charge of my case lobbied my parents, that perhaps it might be more merciful to just let me go. My father would hear none of that, and told them that if they didn't try everything to save his son that he would kill them.
On weekends my parents would come to visit me, and they would bring me comic books to read. DC’s Star Spangled War Stories with dinosaurs, Legion of Super Heroes, World’s Finest and Superman. At that time those were my favorites. I was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, wrapped up like a mummy. When I finally was released from the hospital a year later, I had to relearn how to walk. Soon as they began to take some of the bandages off my hands I began to draw. I taught myself to hold a pencil between fingers that were less burned. At that time, I drew mostly dinosaurs with my older brother who also liked to draw, later animals, and then superheroes.
In my early teens I stumbled on the Marvel pre-hero sci-fi books from the “title cut off” comic book returns, because they were cheap and that’s what I could afford. Three in a pack for 20¢ at the little corner dime store. The ‘60s sci-fi short stories with the great [Steve] Ditko and [Jack] Kirby art really caught my attention and called to me and I became a big Marvel comics fan. I spent all my money on comics. One day, years later while trading comics with a local neighbor I discovered these incredible large size black and white horror magazine size comics with the best comic art I had ever seen. Turns out those were the Warren books featuring many of the EC comics faculty – Reed Crandall, Al Williamson, Angelo Torres, Frank Frazetta along with my own personal hero, Steve Ditko, doing the best work of his career. In fact, they were all doing the best work of their careers. That work still holds up for me as the best comic art I’ve ever seen.
I made a promise to myself that someday I would work for Warren publishing doing their horror books. Years later, when I was in my senior year of high school, I went up to visit their editor, Jim Warren in New York to show him my work. Warren hired me on the spot. However, when I mentioned that I was still in high school, he informed me that I had the job if I wanted it, but to come back after I graduated. Upon graduation, the following year, I returned to New York to begin work at Warren publishing on their Creepy and Eerie magazines and on the way, I stopped off at DC Comics to see editor Joe Orlando who was managing a series of EC/Warren style horror comics for DC. During the interview, Joe informed me that he was the art director for Warren who had brought over all the great EC artists to work at Warren. After reviewing my portfolio Joe asked me to work for DC Comics instead and to forget about working for Warren. Joe opened up a drawer and told me that there were 250 scripts in that drawer and that I could have as many of them as I wanted and he handed me my first script and the pro career began. My first story was entitled: “Carnival of Dwarfs.”
Scoop: What’s your artistic process like – do you do a lot of preliminary sketches and planning?
AS: I had an uncle who reportedly studied with Albert Dorne and Norman Rockwell and I inherited his lesson books from my aunt when I was about 8 years old. That began my formal art studies. Later on, I studied at a classical atelier recreation of the school of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Da Vinci in New York City modeled after their old study notes. These studies inform my drawing process. The Rockwell system, I’d say, is the system which most resembles my process when painting illustrations. Much the same for sepia illustrations. I do lots of pre-sketches and typically a pretty exact ink drawing for most of the covers and then an exact underpainting.
Scoop: How about the environment when you work – do you listen to music, do you like having a view, etc.?
AS: I like to either listen to a mix of classical solo instrumental performances – or to silence while working depending on which stage I’m at in the job. Silence when writing and in the planning stage – and then solo music in the grunt work stages. I need to be next to a window with lots of natural light when illustrating. When so many hours are going into the work, one needs to stretch the eyes to prevent eye strain and fatigue from setting in and hopefully keep the progress moving.
Scoop: You are well known for attention grabbing cover art. What do you find challenging about crafting covers?
AS: Typically, things run pretty smoothly. My MO is always to try to deliver my best work to publishers. It’s good for everyone. At Marvel I worked directly with the artist liaison at the time, Chris Allo, who very smartly always endeavored to place the right artist with the right job and then did follow through to make it all happen. Chris was one of the instrumental forces behind the incredible zombie explosion prompted by the Marvel Zombie project.
Scoop: Did you like zombie movies as a kid? If so, what’s your favorite?
AS: Actually, I’ve always had a hard time watching them, mostly because they were low quality – and then the good ones actually gave me nightmares for decades. That said, my favorite Z-list goes something like this: Return of the Living Dead – great in large part because the creative team was comprised of talented comic book talent like Dan Obandon and Bill Stout. Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, had a nice first half and then fell flat once the comedy fell out in the second act. Marvel Zombies is what prompted the big recent zombie craze and was instrumented in establishing the signing of The Walking Dead AMC TV series. I thought the series was incredible and I like it better than the movies.
Scoop: Are there any Marvel characters that you wanted to turn into zombies but didn’t get the opportunity?
AS: In the opinion of many fans, there is an untapped gold mine for Marvel in the Marvel Zombies universe, both in publishing and more so on the big screen. The Marvel Zombies movie is the film all the fans have been calling for for years. I have IP designs for a comprehensive collection of cutting edge progressive new Marvel Zombies scripts and series titles here in the office on ice. Maybe we can all get something to happen there someday. I’d like to write and do covers for a DC “Batman Zombie” series. I’ve been pretty busy lately with the KISS Zombies series.
Scoop: For Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth you created a series of homage covers for movie posters and other covers. Which was your favorite and why?
AS: Yea, the whole mash-up homage cover thing I do began with Marvel Zombies and the Dynamite series, Raise the Dead, and Army of Darkness vs Marvel Zombies. I was told that fans were collecting the books for the covers, purchasing five copies of the same book just to get the new covers. Because these series were big hits, editors kept calling me to work on their other series. I recall one particular meeting when one editor, who had been soliciting me for a year to work on his line of books, blew up because I couldn’t work on his books because all my time was already contracted with the Marvel Zombie series, which kept selling out every couple of days mandating new covers for the second, third, and fourth printings and so on. There were a lot of months where I had very little sleep during those days. Finally, one day he called me when there was an opening and I was able to say yes to the Deadpool Merc with a Mouth series, where I continued the homage to the classics direction.
Regarding favorites, I don’t think I have any favorites. I try to do my best work on whatever series I’m working on at the time. I believe some of the fans favorite from that series might be the Nirvana water baby homage I did for issue 12. That one was based on a cover I did for the Dynamite, Raise the Dead series. I told Marvel’s editor that I didn’t want to repeat anything I had already done on another series, however the editor insisted, so here we are.
Scoop: What do you like about working on horror and sci-fi titles like House of Secrets and Heavy Metal?
AS: I grew up on horror movies, TV and novels and came into the business doing horror and have been doing horror my entire life. I guess over the decades one is informed by what one eats. What I like are writing and illustration opportunities to do some good work – unrestricted – uncensored. That’s the opportunity Heavy Metal provided. They told me I could write and draw anything I wanted and that’s what we all did. That magazine revolutionized the comics industry.
Scoop: You’ve worked on many big name characters from Black Panther to Wolverine to Ghost Rider and several others. Do you have a favorite character or title that you like working on and if so, why that one?
AS: My favorite gigs are the ones that provide opportunity to try out new things and that give me a challenge. I like inserting little ironies into the storytelling of a cover illustration and find that it can help prevent a theme from going flat.
Scoop: In addition to comics, you’ve provided art for the game Touch the Dead, for the novel Dead Street, and worked with the Misfits a few times. How do those projects differ from working in comics?
AS: There’s no difference really. Perhaps a bit more of input in the planning stage from the client working on band album covers, depending on the group. Bands tend to come to you with an idea of what they want – comic publishers tend to want me to provide the full concept from start to finish for a piece.
Scoop: Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?
AS: These days I collect sculpture and original art. I like to have a piece by some of the artists whose work I’ve admired growing up. I have a few in mind from the Warren days I’d love to get ahold of someday – maybe some splash pages. When traveling I look for little pieces of art that speaks to me to add to my collection. Could be any genre by anyone. I like to support other artists.
Scoop: What are you working on now and how can fans support your work?
AS: Well I just finished working on the big Kiss Zombies series for Dynamite and currently I’m working on the Mars Attacks vs Red Sonja series – the final cover for that series took so long. I had a friend pose for the main character and spent days painting scores of tiny Martians running around, driving little space cars and the like. I am just starting another new series, and as always, teaching Muay Thai.
Fans can come by to see me at any show when shows start up again. I’d be happy to meet you all. My agents contact is also included in this article for those who are interested in convention bookings. A big thank you to all of those who have supported my work over the years.
For more information on booking Arthur Suydam or inquiring about artwork, contact his agent at Eva Ink Artist Group: evaink@aol.com.

Graham Nolan- On His Careeer-- Batman to Monster Island!

Great interivew with Graham Nolan. Here is the original link: 

 

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1017?ArticleID=242371&fbclid=IwAR0KF6zicwJusvFB3DEwXuNWBUX-vJ0ayxhsgWTMWexN1KAJTUty2_g1heg

 

Artist Graham Nolan on His Career: From Batman to Monster Island 

 

Artist Graham Nolan is lauded for his work in Batman titles, The Phantom Sunday strip, Hawkworld, and his all-ages adventure creation, Monster Island. In particular, Nolan made his mark on the Dark Knight by co-creating Bane, one of Batman’s most formidable foes. Nolan recently spoke to Scoop about his work on these titles, the significance of Bane, and what he’s working on now.
Scoop: Were you a fan of comics when you were growing up?
Graham Nolan (GN): Oh, yeah. I started with monster magazines which always had articles or ads about comics. I really got into them when my 6th grade teacher brought a stack for the class to read at recess.
Scoop: What’s your artistic process like – do you do a lot of preliminary sketches and drafts?
GN: At this point in my career, no. I layout the story and nail it about 90% of the time. If I get stuck on something or I don’t like my attempt, I keep it as a placeholder and move on to return to it later when I have a clearer head.

Scoop: In Bane, you co-created a villain who quickly became one of Batman’s most formidable foes. What went into creating that iconic character?
GN: Bane was a necessary story element needed for the Knightfall story arc that Denny O’Neil wanted to tell. We needed a villain to take out Batman so we could replace him with a meaner, more ruthless Batman. Fans were going nuts over the Punisher and Wolverine who killed their opponents and thought Batman should do the same. We wanted to show them why that was wrong and give them a Batman that did kill. There was nobody in Batman’s rogues gallery at the time to do it, so Bane had to be created. Chuck Dixon came up with his background and I designed the character based on where he was being raised and certain story needs.

Scoop: Which of the stories you worked on in Detective Comics and other Batman books was the most challenging? Why?
GN: Every story presents its own challenges, whether it be the staging, the locations, reference needed, etc. I did them so long ago, I can’t think of any off hand that were harder than another.

Scoop: What does it take to set and maintain the tone in Batman comics?
GN: Batman was my favorite hero as a young boy growing up watching the Adam West TV show and reading the comics of the ’70s. Every artist has their approach to the character, mine is based on that he is a hero first. Everything he does is a self-sacrifice. It’s not revenge, nor is he a psychopath. That is the first thing that goes into his “look.” The rest is steeping this hero, clad in dark colors (that really represents “light”) into a shadowy world filled with bad people. He is the Dark KNIGHT. That errant knight on a holy crusade seems to have gotten lost and everyone seems to concentrate on the DARK aspect which tends to make the character a selfish narcissistic nutjob.

Scoop: What did you like about working on The Phantom Sunday strip?
GN: The Phantom is a great character and I had a lot of fun working on him. He was my Mom’s favorite character growing up.
Scoop: How is working on a Sunday strip different from working on a monthly comic? Does one present more of a challenge than the other?
GN: The biggest difference is the format. A comic book page is a blank canvas that you can layout the story any which way that works. Comic strips have panel breaks and tiers that have to be adhered to because newspapers cut them up to fit the formats of their Sunday comics pages. Much more freedom on a comic book page.

Scoop: What was your favorite part about the more futuristic look and gritty feel in Hawkworld?
GN: The futuristic look and grit of Hawkworld was all established in Tim Truman’s prestige series. Hawkworld was my first big job where I got to start a series with #1 and help guide it forward.

Scoop: How did you come up with the concept for Monster Island?
GN: I was getting fed up with the direction of comics in the late ’90s. The superhero comics were too violent and overly sexualized for me to give comp copies to my young daughters. I decided to write and illustrate an “all ages” comic filled with high adventure that someone of any age could read and enjoy on different levels.
Scoop: You’re working on a sequel, right? What’s the premise for that one?
GN: The sequel, Return To Monster Island is done and published. It and the original can be purchase here: www.indiegogo.com.

Scoop: Outside of comics, you provided art for Dungeons & Dragons. What were those experiences like?
GN: The D&D gigs were some of my first freelance jobs. I was never into that gaming, but it was fun and a challenge to work on that stuff.

Scoop: Switching gears, are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?
GN: I’m trying to collect all the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Fantastic Four comics. The only big one (as in expensive) that I’m missing is #5, so if anyone wants to make a deal…
Scoop: What are you working on now and how can fans support your work?
GN: I’m currently finishing up The Expendables Go To Hell graphic novel with Chuck Dixon which is available here: www.indiegogo.com.
For more information on convention appearances or commissions for Graham Nolan, contact his booking agent at Eva Ink Artist Group at: evaink@aol.com.

Butch Patrick on Being Eddie Munster & a Kid in Hollywood

  Great Article with our friend and client Butch Patrick. Here is the original link:

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1017?articleID=242075&fbclid=IwAR09nv59UsQf-V4lrvBQ3Jb7jvEGwpdzEJ09lW1CkxsQHWul0EYDiWzfCDA

 

 

 

Butch Patrick on Being Eddie Munster & a Kid in Hollywood 

 

 

In the mid-1960s The Munsters became a cultural phenomenon by mixing the popular family sitcom with a Universal monster twist. Butch Patrick portrayed the youngest Munster, a precocious boy who happened to be a werewolf. Since then, Patrick has entertained generations of fans on TV, film, and at special appearances. Patrick recently chatted with Scoop about his experiences on The Munsters, his appearance on many popular TV shows, and his plans for the future – including Munster-themed escape rooms.
Scoop: What was your initial reaction to learning that you would play a boy werewolf on The Munsters?
Butch Patrick (BP): I grew up in Southern California, obviously Hollywood was where you had to live back in the day to work. But I spent a lot of time with my grandmother in the Midwest and she was a big antiquer, so I had a nice balance. At that particular time, I had just finished doing General Hospital and The Real McCoys and I rode with her to go to a school, a parochial school back in the fifth grade because my mom was trying to marry a Roman Catholic and she had been divorced, so we were trying to appease the Catholic church. So, I wound up in parochial school, which was fine.
During that period, the interview came for The Munsters and I flew out to California for it and when I wound up getting it, everything changed. Number one, I had to stay in California, I lived with my uncle, my mom was married to a baseball player, or was attempting to marry a baseball player on the east coast. So, I had this sort of strange dynamic.
I don’t know if you ever saw early pictures of Eddie Munster, but he didn’t have a widow’s peak and he didn’t have really bushy eyebrows. He was really sort of a regular kid who wore a funny suit and had pointy ears like Spock. Then, they decided he wasn’t believable enough to be the offspring of Herman and Lily, so they upped the ante a little bit and made me a little more peculiar looking with the hairpiece and stuff. In a longwinded way of answering the question, I loved the monster movies at Universal. I was a huge fan, I built all the models of everything that they had to do, so working at Universal at the monster studio was a real big thrill.
Scoop: What did you like most about playing Eddie Munster?
BP: Number one, the sets were very, very cool. The whole idea of a TV show that was featuring sets with cobwebs and all the good stuff that the Universal monster movies had and they utilized them on the set. So, what we were doing was making a sitcom, but we were featuring monster movie credentials in the set design and the special effects. But, we had Leave It to Beaver producers and writers, so what they did was merge a family-friendly sitcom with lovable monsters. Once you heard Herman Munster talk, he wasn’t Frankenstein, he was lovable Herman Munster. It was a very interesting mix that worked briefly for two years really, really well and it’s got a lot of staying power because of it.
Scoop: Did any of your adult costars give you acting advice?
BP: No, actually they didn’t. They used to call me a 39-year-old midget because they thought I was wise beyond my years. I was 11 and 12 playing 8 and 9. In Hollywood, they love when you’re older and you can play younger. But, not only was I 11 and 12, I was mentally about 18 years old. I was actually very old for my age as a kid. A lot of times in a series, a kid is kind of like a set up character where they’ll walk into the room and do their thing and they kind of go on their way unless you occasionally have, like, Dennis the Menace or Jerry Mathers, the Beaver [from Leave it to Beaver], where the kids are the main characters.
When they noticed that Fred [Gwynne] and I had a good rapport, and I could handle dialogue, they started writing some scripts that featured the father and son. And when those happened, Fred and I had a lot of father and son scenes, and that’s where we would run lines together and he would give me, I wouldn’t call it advice, it was more of coaching. He would coach me a little bit and I loved it because I was learning. If you ever want to learn something, always be around people that are better than you at it.
Scoop: The show is a classic, beloved sitcom and lots of people have favorite episodes. Which episodes or storylines standout as your favorites?
BP: Oh, sure, absolutely. I have several, actually. There’s a lot of great shows, but I think the ones that I enjoyed the most, probably was the one where we introduced the Dragula and we were at the dragstrip, because I liked cars, and we were outside and it was cool. There were hotrods and stuff when the Dragula came into play. That’s number one because I was a big fan of George Barris. I used to actually have a Wednesday special when I would leave the lot for a long lunch and go by his shop and go by my hobby shop to pick up some slot car stuff.
Number two would be “Eddie’s Nickname” where I grew a beard, simply because it was so funny when we went to see Dr. Dudley, [played by] Paul Lynde – he only did two episodes – that was one of the episodes with Paul Lynde. It was just hilarious about me and Herman going down the street and Herman has a bag over my head because he’s embarrassed to be seen with a boy with a beard. It was just a funny concept.
And then, number three was “Zombo” with Louis Nye as a TV host, which I thought was a real guy because of the nature of so many horror hosts through the years on television. The episode was cute because at the end they had that very classic saying about “don’t judge a book by its cover,” “strength of your character, the size of your heart.” It has, like, 70 million views on Facebook about Herman’s little chat with me at the dinner table about why I shouldn’t judge people by their skin tone.
Scoop: Those are definitely good ones.
BP: Yeah, those are good ones. And we had a lot more, there were a lot of them. But, those three come to mind.
Scoop: What was the environment like behind the scenes?
BP: All sound stages are pretty dark anyway. Ours just happened to be dark and dirty because the whole Munster household was covered in dust and cobwebs. Everything was opposite, up was down, day was night and everything on the set was extremely dirty. But, we were, like the number one visited sound stage at Universal. And we were there the first year they started the tram when they started the Universal City Tours, which obviously became phenomenally successful.
Scoop: I did the Universal tour when I was in LA. It was really cool.
BP: My makeup man, Michael Westmore (he was still an apprentice at the time), he would do my makeup in the morning and then he would do Pat Priest and send us on our way. Then he would go up to the top of the hill. Now at the time, up where CityWalk is, there was nothing there, it was just the top of a hill where they had graded a road for the trams to go up to so they could look at the studio from a bird’s eye view. He would be up there with a little stand and a makeup chair and he would do a makeup demonstration. That’s how they started the top of the CityWalk. From that deal, all that money that they generated, became Universal Studios CityWalk, and all the hotels popped up. It was interesting to see it in its infancy. Our set was one of the stops along the tour. We used to actually have to stop production to let the tram go through. The tram had carte blanche over us because they were making so much money from it.
Scoop: Wow, so you had to stop filming?
BP: If we were outside on a location shoot, the tram with its microphone and its tour guide, we would have to stop. Because number one, we couldn’t use the sound with them in the background, but number two the deal was that when they were coming through, we waited for them, to let them go past and then we would fire it up and redo it. It was almost like when you were in the street playing football as a kid and then “Car!” and everyone stops, the tram comes through. We would stop and chat with the people a little bit and then the tram would go around the corner. Luckily back then they only had one an hour. It wasn’t like it is today where they’re coming through every ten minutes.
Scoop: Did you ever get scared by the makeup or sets?
BP: No, no I was pretty much never scared about anything. I used to love to go explore when I could ditch my social worker and have time on my own, because normally they didn’t want you to do anything that could be considered dangerous. We were next door to Stage 29, I believe, but it was the Phantom of the Opera stage. Which was the largest soundstage in Hollywood. It was, like, six stories tall. I used to go in there and climb up the ladders on the sides to get up to the catwalks where all the lights were. Instead of being, maybe 10-12 feet up there, they were like 60-70 feet up there. So, it was a really interesting place to go see. It was the stage with all the seats like a normal opera. It was a wonderful place to go explore. The whole studio was a cool spot. I had a very blessed childhood. When I wasn’t at the studio, I was at the ballpark with my baseball playing stepfather, or I was at the movie studio. So, it was pretty cool.
Scoop: How long did you get stuck in the cabinets while filming?
BP: It wasn’t too bad. They were pretty efficient in getting me in and getting me out. I was so small for my age that I really could fit into a lot of spaces. I think there was the drawers, obviously, the dresser drawers for sleeping, the kitchen cabinet, then there was the grandfather clock, behind the fireplace. They put me on wires and put me on the ceiling. I think that was about it. Running around, this and that, it was fun. But, they never left me in too long.
Scoop: You were on several popular TV shows as a little kid, including The Real McCoys, Bonanza, and Mister Ed, among others. What were those experiences like for you? Did you have a favorite?
BP: I really enjoyed the westerns because I could ride a horse and my uncle John used to supply horses to the studios, so I would see him occasionally. One of my favorite shows at the time was Rawhide, so to do Rawhide with Clint Eastwood was very, very cool for me. Bonanza and Gunsmoke were good. I watched Gunsmoke myself. As far as fun campy shows, I did My Favorite Martian and I Dream of Jeannie, which I enjoyed both of them. I would always enjoy doing a show that I watched myself. I did a lot of shows that I never watched, but The Untouchables, I watched, I didn’t watch Ben Casey, I didn’t watch The Detectives, I didn’t watch cop shows until after The Munsters when I did Adam-12, I did a couple of those. I did some Disney stuff, which was after The Munsters, the Disney Studio was pretty much the gold standard for kids. If you got work out of Disney, you were doing really well. I spent about a year and a half out there and did a lot of work for a brief period of time.
The Monkees was a big thing for me I was a big fan of the show. I missed meeting the Beatles when they came to Universal Studios, somehow I missed them. The Monkees, at the time, were as popular as the Beatles in America, if not maybe more because of the TV show connection. So, I had a good time doing their Christmas show, working with them for a whole week – as an equal. A lot of the show was about them babysitting me, so I had lots and lots of scenes with them. I was like, another small, young 13-year-old robot, genius computer type kid. Except for Mike Nesmith, the other three were kind of like playing goofy kid-like characters and I was the kid in the suit and the sports jacket who was very analytical and adult-like. At Christmas, which kind of played the whole thing that I didn’t get the meaning of Christmas. I was kind of doing a “bah humbug” approach to it.
Scoop: What was it like being on My Three Sons?
BP: Oh, that was cool. The way that came about was very interesting. I was living with Mary Grady, who was my agent, whose son was Don Grady who was Robbie [on the show]. Virginia Martindale was the casting director for My Three Sons, and I think what happened was one day, they needed somebody fast and Virginia knew that I was at Mary Grady’s house and I basically got to ride into work with Don Grady. My character was to be Ernie’s best friend and after that one time, they just kept writing me in. So, over the course of about three years I think I did nine or ten episodes, always as Ernie’s best friend. It was more of a convenience thing at the start, then I figured after that, for Virginia, it saved her having to have a casting call because she knew that “Butch worked out well the first time, so we don’t have to worry about calling anymore kids and I played different characters and nobody seemed to care. It was great. To this day, I’m friends with Stan and Barry and Don when he was alive, bless his heart, and Mary Grady, his mom, is still alive and she’s like, in her mid-90s. She was my only agent in Hollywood ever. The only agent I ever had.
Scoop: How was your experience filming Lidsville? I imagine it was fairly trippy.
BP: It was the cuckoo, kookiest. That was a series I didn’t really want to do. I was in high school, about ready to graduate and they filmed from June to September of ’71. I turned them down twice. I went out, I looked at it and said, “No, I don’t think I want to do this. I had really long hair, I looked like a should’ve been in Led Zeppelin or something. I had hair almost down to my waist. I was surfing and all I really wanted to do was go to the beach and smoke doobies and be a ’60s Woodstock type of kid in the ’70s.
But, Marty [Krofft] called up again, and I went out again, and I met with Sid [Krofft]. Sid took me out in his Corvette, we went out to Hollywood Boulevard and got my haircut. I decided to do it because The Cowsills, who I was going to school with at the time told me, “Who’s going to turn down work? It’s 11 weeks out of your life, the paycheck was pretty substantial.” They had told me they made Jack Wild a star in H.R. Pufnstuf, and I corrected them and said, “No, Jack Wild was the star from Oliver!, so don’t try to tell me something that’s not true, but I will do the show,” because I really thought the one girl was cute. Caroline Ellis. I thought, well maybe she’ll come to the set one day. That would be worth the trip right there.
So, I wound up doing it and it turned out to be an interesting summer. Charles Nelson Reilly was a handful, Billie Hayes was wonderful, Sharon Baird who played Raunchy Rabbit was wonderful, and all the Little People in the hats, I knew most of them, because at one time or another they had been my stand-ins as a kid, growing up. So, that was an interesting summer. I did it because, I never thought anybody would see the show, because obviously, Saturday morning, all my friends would be sleeping. As it turned out, they saw it, and they liked it, and in hindsight, I’m happy to have done it because it’s got a lot of staying power amongst the Krofft shows. And the Kroffts did a lot of good stuff. Lidsville was one of them.
Scoop: What was it like returning for Here Come the Munsters in 1995?
BP: That was interesting. They’d done some remakes. I saw Fred [Gwynne] and Al [Lewis] during Munsters’ Revenge, I think it was in 1982. A friend of mine had a business and said, “Hey, The Munsters are across the street from me.” And I go, “Get out of here.” And he says, “No, I’m serious.” I drove out, and kind of surprised both Al and Fred, reconnected with them at that time. Then when we did Here Come the Munsters, Edward Herrmann did a really good job. He did the best job of anybody recreating the role. The fact that we did a cameo in it, all of us together, was nice. I’m glad it happened. 
Scoop: You’ve appeared in a bunch of horror movies in recent years. Are you a fan of the genre?
BP: Not especially. I like comedies. But, work is work. [laughs] I’m not a big fan of getting scared, I never have been. I didn’t really consider the Universal monster movies to be scary. I considered them to be really cool, unusual stories. The horror genre of today, is like, slashers and chainsaws, and Saw and Hostel, and stuff like that. It’s kind of like the dark side of humanity being films. I’m not really a big fan of that. But, an actor’s job is to act and that’s what I try to do. I don’t even go on auditions anymore, what I do is, someone submits an idea to me, and if my schedule permits it... It’s usually not a payday. You’re not doing it for the money. You’re doing it sort of to get back to the filmmaking genre and it just so happens that a lot of people that are Munsters fans and write stuff for me are making horror movies.
Scoop: Are you a collector?
BP: Everybody collects something, that’s for sure. It’s an interesting thing. Obviously, being from a TV show that was highly merchandized, when I go to personal appearances, a lot of collectibles come across my table. I bought a Beatles collection about 30 years ago from a guy who wanted to open a music studio and I bought it to keep about 20-30 of the pieces for myself and I liquidated the rest of it. I try to collect little things when I travel. Something of interest that I can bring home. Most of the things I collect are autographs from people that I sat next to during personal appearances that I find to be interesting. Then I’ll try to get two – one to auction off for the St. Louis Pet Rescue or bring one home to someone that’s watching the house. That type of thing.
Scoop: What do you like about doing conventions?
BP: Mainly the fans. The multigeneration of The Munsters is into grandparents, parents, kids. It’s something they all watch together. I get a lot of people who are now, maybe in their 40s and 50s who have memories of watching it with their grandparents who have passed. A lot of times, you get these stories about how you were a part of their extended family and they have fond memories of their childhood, because one of the things they remember is watching it and their grandfather used to laugh, and it was his favorite show. Things like that.
Scoop: What are some of your most memorable fan encounters?
BP: Probably when the kids come out dressed up as me. That’s always fun. You’ll have a lot of times when people present a picture of their family at Halloween as The Munsters and they won first prize. Or they have a car that was customized to resemble the Munster car. Stuff like that. Tattoos. A lot of ink on people featuring The Munsters and Universal monsters.
Scoop: What are your plans for this summer?
BP: I bought a couple of the Munster replica cars about five years ago from a gentleman. We were working together, he was hired to drive me around in his Munster coach. We became friends. He wanted to sell them off and I wound up buying them a couple years ago. Escape rooms, a few year ago, became really popular and I got a neat trailer about six months ago, and I took the Dragula space in front and I turned it into a Munster-themed escape room. So now, when this is all said and done, first of all, I’ll probably be moving to Nashville to work in a venue that’s going to be brick and mortar that’s going to be called the Terror Zone. It will feature a Munsters sound stage on the left and a macabre theater viewing platform and a theater on the right. Then, as you go through those two sound stages and sets, you’ll enter the Terror Zone which will be an hour-long escape room. My trailer, the mini escape room, takes like 13 minutes and it features, like, 5 puzzles and 2 Munster-inspired rooms – the living room and the dungeon. That’s what I plan on doing. I’ll still be sitting at a table, I’ll still be meeting people, I’ll still have the Munster coach on display, but while I’m there with this 30-foot trailer and the truck, I’ll have an escape room where the car comes out and you walk up the ramp. I will have walls that say “1313 Mockingbird Lane.” So that’s what I’m doing.
Scoop: Well, this was really cool, I’m a fan of The Munsters, so I was excited to chat with you.
BP: Thank you, this was fun.
For more information on Butch Patrick and his convention appearances, contact his agents at Eva Ink Artist Group/Pros & Cons Celebrity Booking at evaink@aol.com.

Artist Spotlight-- Sam de la Rosa, VENOM Artist-- Available for Bookings!

Eva Ink Artist Group is pleased to announce the addition of renowned artist  Sam de la Rosa!

Sam's work on VENOM LETHAL PROTECTOR #'s 1-6 is the basis of the worldwide successful billion-dollar grossing VENOM MOVIE! 

Sam de la Rosa has provided finished art and inks for Marvel, DC Comics, Image, Disney and Dark Horse among others. Credits include Spider-man, Venom, Carnage, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, The Avengers, Star Wars, X-Men, Power Rangers and more!

He worked on Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Star Trek, Firestorm and others from DC Comics.

For Dark Horse Comics he worked on the very first Predator comic book.

Sam's favorite work in his own words has always been Venom, Carnage, and the Symbiotes!

What a great well rounded celebrity artist to add to your event. Sam truly has it ALL!

For more information on booking Sam de la Rosa contact Renee at: evaink@aol.com 

Graham Nolan Art/ Stallone & Dixon Story-- Graces New "Expendables" Graphic Novel

The Expendables Face Hell in Graphic Novel 

 

The Expendables are about to face a hellish task in a new graphic novel with story by Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Dixon, and art by Graham Nolan. The trade based on characters from the three-film action series is currently seeking backers on indiegogo.com. Perk levels start at $30 for a copy of the book and a pin-up all the way to $2,500 for variant cover art.

The Expendables are a team of highly trained, full throttle mercenaries based in New Orleans who take the riskiest jobs, often contracted by the CIA. The core team includes Barney Ross, a decorated U.S. military veteran, Lee Christmas, the knife-using second in command, the unpredictable giant Gunner Jensen, martial arts expert Yin Yang, and wrestler turned merc Toll Road.

This time their mission will really be hell. Barney Ross is wounded during a mission and wakes up in Hell. He is joined by the other Expendables and some of history’s most formidable warriors in a fight against Satan himself – and villains from thousands of years of warfare.

The graphic novel includes the 50-page main story with three side quests. In “The Bridge,” Barney finds the soul of his still-living friend Tool in Hell, “Christmas in Hell” sees Lee lured away from the team, and in “Barbarian’s Holiday,” Gunner tries to make the best of a bad situation. Art for these stories are provided by Jason Johnson (Team 7), Kelsey Shannon (Norah’s Saga), and Butch Guice (Doctor Strange).






































The graphic novel comes with a main cover by Shannon with variant covers by Billy Tucci (Shi), Richard C. Meyer (Jawbreakers), Renzo Rodriguez (Desolation Wave), and Johnson.
Those interested in backing the campaign can do so at indiegogo.com.


 For more information on booking Graham Nolan for your event, contact us at: evaink@aol.com

2020 Bookings open! Michael Golden, Mike Zeck, Rags Morales, Jim Shooter, Georges Jeanty, Graham Nolan Arthur Suydam! Read our full list and book ASAP!

2020 Artist Guests Available-- Eva Ink Artist Group List of Talent

Hi Everyone--

We are starting full force on  our bookings for 2020!  Here are just a few of the folks we'll be offering next year. If you know your dates, please do get with me ASAP!

My email is: evaink@aol.com

Best,
Renee

Check the bios of some of our great creators below:

Michael Golden--(Artist/Writer/Consultant/Designer)

One of THE storytellers in the industry,  influencing generations of comics fans and professionals, Michael Golden boasts creations that are some of the most licensed and enduring in the industry.

Co-Creator of Rogue, Bucky O'Hare, Micronauts and "The 'Nam," among much more, Golden is known as one of THE artists on such characters as Batman, Doctor Strange, G.I. Joe and the Punisher. Golden's recent covers can be seen on everything from "Spawn" to the "Walking Dead," to World Wrestling  work. Recent covers include works on "The Walking Dead," "Deadpool," and "DareDevil," to name a few.

In short, no history of comics is complete without touching on the influence that this legendary artist has had on this industry. Recent books on the colorful life and vibrant art of Golden include "Michael Golden: Alchemy" "Modern Masters: Michael Golden" and "Excess: The Art of Michael Golden," and "Michael Golden: Dangerous Curves."

In addition, having served as both Senior Art Director at Marvel Comics and Senior Editor at DC Comics, Golden's lectures and classes in storytelling are sought after world wide, with recent venues including places as diverse as Spain, France, Russia, Norway, Brazil, Chile and China. With recent gallery shows mounted in New York City, Maryland, Spain and Russia.

Programing Notes: Various panels on the art of comic books can be scheduled with Michael, to highlight this special event at your show.  (Note: Michael has specific table and listing requirements. )

Mike Zeck--(Artist, Creator)

When discussing comics heavy hitter, Mike Zeck, you'd have to argue which is his most influential work, or which is most deeply embossed on our pop culture.

His series "Kraven's Last Hunt," took Spider-man to a whole new level and has been voted by readers as the "Greatest Spider-Man story ever told." His subsequent work on the Punisher  with "Cricle of Blood," cemented him as one of the THE artists for the character, while the series "Secret Wars," set comic book readership on their ears, and heralded Zeck's creation of the black and white Spider-Man costume, still around as the attire of the super-villain, Venom. His work on Captain American also stands out as some of the most influential in the industry, and iconic images of this and other characters such as Superman and Batman, are etched in comic history. 

In fact, Zeck images are featured on Marvel merchandising ad nauseam year after year, evidence of his enduring popularity. It's hard not to notice all those "Secret Wars" t-shirts!

Recent books on Mike include "Raw Fury: The Art of Mike Zeck," while Zeck's  series with writer Steven Grant (creator of the hit movie "Two Guns"), "Damned," was released in a recent volume by IDW Publishing, which has also just released a deluxe volume of Mike's classic Marvel covers.

Programming Notes: Mike prefers not to do panels. But is at his table for fans all hours of any show he attends.  (Note that Mike will be doing very limited appearances, and certain conditions apply. Please contact me for details. )

Arthur Suydam-- (Artist/ Creator)

The Zombie King," as he is known, rose to stardom for his work on the smash hit series "Marvel Zombies," the lines at his booth at any given show are a testament to the enduring "zombie craze," with Suydam as a forerunner.

He is also renowned as the Deadpool cover artist on "Merc with a Mouth." As well as "The Walking Dead." And he is credited as being one of the first artists to bring fine art painting techniques to the world of comics in such books as "Cholly and Flytrap" and "Mudwogs."

Recent awards for Arthur include "The Spike TV Scream Award (Best Artist)," "Spectrum Gold Award for Institutional Art," "The San Sebastian Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award,"as well as the "University of Maryland Eastern Shore Lifetime Achievement Award,"  among others.

His work can also be seen on works for "DCeased,"  "The Walking Dead," "Deadpool, "Batman," "Wolverine," "Fantastic Four," "X-Men," "Ghost Rider," "Army of Darkness" "Vampirella," and too many to name here. His "Cholly and Flytrap" series has recently been compiled into a collected volumne, marking that great achievement and it's place in comic history.


Programing Notes: Arthur is also offering to do a special promo for shows that includes free sketches for kids on Sundays. Ask for details.  (Note: Arthur has certain table and listing requirements.)

Jim Shooter-- (Writer/ Marvel Editor-in-Chief)

Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter started writing Superman and other titles for DC Comics at the age of 13 in 1965.  He worked his way through high school writing stories, laying out pages and designing covers.

He was hired by Marvel Comics in 1976 as associate editor and in 1978 became Editor in Chief.  He introduced benefits, royalties and other incentives for creators that attracted a legion of phenomenal talents who., under his oversight, authored a decade of brilliant creativity and unparalleled success.  Jim wrote several notable series including the Avengers and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars.  He also headed up the creative teams that developed G.I. Joe and Transformers.

Jim went on to found Voyager Communications in 1989, where he was the CEO and President.  He also served as Editor in Chief, principal creator, head writer and occasional artist for the highly acclaimed comics published under the VALIANT imprint, which included Magnus Robot Fighter, Solar Man of the Atom, Harbinger, X-O Manowar, UNITY and more.

Programming Notes:  Jim has certain booking conditions and is open to doing numerous panels, including two that he always brings to the table.

Geof Isherwood--(Artist/Designer/Storyboards)

Renowned artist for Marvel, DC, Broadway, and Heroes Of The North, in fact, creator of Psylocke's Katana! Some of Geof's major title runs include "Dr. Strange," "Suicide Squad," "Conan the Barbarian," "Conan The King," "Namor" and "The 'Nam".  Geof is also the inker of the graphic novel, "Revenge of the Living Monolith," over Marc Silvestri. But he says the comic brought to him most often to sign is probably "Dr. Strange" #50.

Geof has also worked on over 60 film and TV productions, including X-Men: DOFP and X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, Being Human (US), Hot Wheels, Helix, Wings of the Dragon, The Phantom, The Last Templar, Race to Mars, The Covenant, Dead of Night, Battlefield Earth, Gothika, Rollerball,The Fountain and much, much more.

In addition to film work, as an expert in figure drawing, Geof teaches in the Concept Art and Illustration program at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario, as well as having a sketch list that is in demand at every show he attends.

Geof is now also working for Renegade Media drawing the final issue of the soon-to-be-released "Necromatics".

Programming Notes:  Geof is available for programming encompassing subjects ranging from comics to TV/film!

Graham Nolan-- (Writer/Artist)

Graham Nolan

Graham is an Inkpot Award winning cartoonist and writer, best known for his long run on BATMAN in Detective Comics and as the designer and co-creator of the iconic Batman Villain: BANE.

He is also the creator of the graphic novel: MONSTER ISLAND, web-comic: SUNSHINE STATE and the co-creator of the IDW horror adventure series: JOE FRANKENSTEIN.

When he is not chained to the drawing board you will find him in his Jeep, down at the lake fishing...

And we hope at a show near you!
  

  Georges Jeanty-- (Artist)

Georges is a New York Times bestselling comic book illustrator, his first major work was Marvel Comics’ BISHOP: THE LAST X-MAN, and it just got better from there. 

Currently, Jeanty's work can be seen in AGE OF X-MAN: THE X-TREMISTS, part of Marvel’s “Enter the Age of X-Man” story arc.

Along with his work on many Marvel and DC Comics titles, Georges is known for the critically acclaimed, sixties-era graphic novel THE AMERICAN WAY, written by screenwriter John Ridley and published by DC Comics, its sequel THE AMERICAN WAY: THOSE ABOVE AND THOSE BELOW , and being a regular artist for Dark Horse Comics’ official continuation of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and SERENITY (2007-2018).

If you want a legit media tie-in for your next convention-- we're talking Buffyverse, Whedonverse, Firefly, Serenity, Godzilla, Gamera, vampires, Gambit, Wolverine, Deadpool, Weapon X-- this pop culture phenom of an artist will add some sparkle to any event.

John Beatty-- (Artist)

John Beatty ( Inker – Marvel Super Heroes “Secret Wars”, Captain America, The Punisher, Thanos Quest, Batman )

John Beatty is a veteran comic book artist, best know for his inking work for both Marvel and DC Comics.

Developing into one of the industries top inkers over his career, Beatty has worked with top pencil artists, such as Mike Zeck, Kelley Jones and Michael Golden.

Working on almost every major comic character in the industry at one time or another.

Titles best known for include many fan favorites such as: Marvel Super Heroes “Secret Wars”, Captain America, The Punisher, Thanos Quest and many Batman projects, including a highly regarded fan favorite 3 year run on the monthly “Batman” book.

Being picked or picking titles and peers to work with carefully and with cause, many of these series still remain highly regarded and collectable in today's current comic culture.

Rags Morales-- (Artist, Illustrator)

A veteran of the comic industry, Rags began his career with DC Comics in 1989 with the TSR licensed book Forgotten Realms. His first super hero series was "Black Condor."

He has since worked on countless titles for DC, most notably "Identity Crisis". Other notable projects include: long runs on "JSA," "Hawkman," not to forget "Batman/Superman," "Nightwing," The New 52 and "First Wave."

Rags has also worked with Valiant, Dark Horse, and Marvel Comics.

From September to May, Rags also teaches at the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art. He lives in eastern Pennsylvania.


Programming Notes:  Rags is available for programming regarding his career in comics and creating comic books.

SAM DE LA ROSA-- Venom Artist

 

Sam's work on VENOM LETHAL PROTECTOR #'s 1-6 is the basis of the worldwide successful billion-dollar grossing VENOM MOVIE! 

Sam de la Rosa has provided finished art and inks for Marvel, DC Comics, Image, Disney and Dark Horse among others. Credits include Spider-man, Venom, Carnage, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, The Avengers, Star Wars, X-Men, Power Rangers and more!

He worked on Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Star Trek, Firestorm and others from DC Comics.

For Dark Horse Comics he worked on the very first Predator comic book.

Sam's favorite work in his own words has always been Venom, Carnage, and the Symbiotes!

What a great well rounded celebrity artist to add to your event. Sam truly has it ALL!

Phil Ortiz -- (Artist--Simpsons, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., Muppet Babies!)

Come and be sketchanized by Phil and see what you would look like if you were to appear as a character on the Simpsons! It costs $70 per person to be sketched inked and colored. This is a work of art that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Phil Ortiz grew up in East LA of Mexican and Spanish/Norwegian parents in 1953. He currently lives and works in the beautiful Lake Arrowhead area. Over his more than 30 years as a professional artist, Phil has worked on everything from daily newspaper comic strips (Bugs Bunny) to layouts and character design for animated cartoons including The Simpsons where Phil had a hand in the look of about 200 characters on the longest running comedy series in TV history.

Some of the notable characters Phil designed for the Simpsons include: Flanders, Otto, Herman, Lou and Eddie, Ralph, and Apu.

Phil has won five CERTIFICATES of ACHIEVEMENT for his work in TV animation and has been drawing for The Simpsons comic books for many years.

Programming Notes:  Phil will sketchanize your convention attendees to turn your whole world into a Simpsons landscape!

Tom Cook-- (Artist- Scooby Do, He-Man, Smurfs) 

Tom began his career as an animator and artistic director in 1978 at Hanna-Barbera Studios where he was hired to work as an assistant animator on Challenge of the SuperFriends, Godzilla, Scooby Doo, Smurfs, Pacman and the Flintstones.

A short stop at Ruby-Spears had him working on Thundarr the Barbarian (had the privilege to meet and work with Jack Kirby), Heathcliff, Fang Face and Plastic Man. Freelancing at Film Roman he worked on the Garfield Special Babes and Bullets and for Bill Melendez on the Peanuts Special This is America Charlie Brown.

He then moved over to Filmation Studios in 1980, which at this point had become the only animation studio doing animation in the United States, and worked on Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Blackstar, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Brown Hornet, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra Princess of Power, Ghostbusters, Lone Ranger, Zorro, The Kids Super Power Hour with Shazam (Captain Marvel), Hero High and the futuristic Western Bravestarr. He was also involved with many TV commercials such as The Jolly Green Giant, Chevrolet, and the 7 Up Spot campaign.

He then became the timing director on Road Rovers, Disney's Mighty Ducks, PB & J Otter, Duckman, King of the Hill, Savage Dragon, HBO's Happily Ever After Fairy Tales, Extreme Ghostbusters, Extreme Dinosaurs and many more.
He also animated on a number of motion pictures such as Walt Disney's Prince and the Pauper starring Mickey Mouse, Roger Rabbit in Tummy Trouble, The Jetson's Movie, Rover Dangerfield, Stay Tuned, Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, Steven Spielberg's Were Back, and Don Bluth's Thumbelina.

 

Mike DeCarlo-- (Archie and Marvel Artist)

Mike DeCarlo

Mike DeCarlo is a 4 decade veteran of the Comic Industry. Trained by the legendary Dick Giordano. He has worked as a penciler, artist and inker for Marvel, DC, The Simpsons, Disney, BOOM Studios, Warner Communications and Archie. His best attribute is the ability to draw ANY property in any style, period or genre.

After graduating Notre Dame High School and studying art for 2 years at Southern CT ST College, he began his professional career as sports cartoonist for The New Haven Register. He left that position to begin that apprenticeship with Giordano and after 18 months branched off to begin a solo career in the comic book industry. Over the next dozen years, he worked primarily as an ink artist on such titles as Batman, Teen Titans, Green Lantern, Thor, Iron Man and Conan the Barbarian.
In the mid-nineties, his focus changed to the cartoon/animation genre and worked as an artist on Looney Tunes, Powerpuff Girls, Ben-10, Scooby-Doo and Pinky  the Brain among others.
In the last decade, in addition to the work he now does for The Simpsons comic company Bongo Entertainment, he works for Disney Worldwide Publishing on Phineas & Ferb, Marvel Superheroes Magazine and Spider-Man Magazine.
Mike also has extended his repertoire into the digital field, becoming accomplished at digital inking in Illustrator and coloring in Photoshop. 


Jeremy Clark-- (Artist) 

Jeremy Clark is know for his stellar work on  various comic projects for multiple publishers including  IDW (TMNT), Image Comics (Prodigy) (Undiscovered Country), Zenescope Entertainment (Grimm Fairy Tales) (Hellchild) (Day of the Dead) (Escape From Monster Island), Coffin Comics (Lady Death) (La Muerta) (Hellwitch), Source Point Press (Ogre) (Franklin & Ghost) (Salvagers) (Dead End Kids) (Samurai Grandpa) (Broken Gargoyles) (Warcorns: Combat Unicorns For Hire),  Professional artist will at a bit of excitement to any show! 

Show Notes:  Jeremy is always  up for doing a panel on his career or comic art creation.  




Steve Leialoha-- (Artist)

Steve Leialoha has been an artist for Marvel, DC and others since the 70’s,
with runs on: Vertigo’s Fables, Petrefax, Warlock, Howard the Duck, Spider-Woman, the New Mutants, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the original Star Wars adaptation. 

He has also drawn issues of Dr Strange, the Justice League, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and Star Trek!  

And also as an inker on: Daredevil, GI Joe (Silent issue), Superman, Batman, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel, the Avengers, Power Man/ Iron-Fist, Secret Wars II, and the Fantastic Four!

Trina Robbins--(Writer/Historian)

Award-winning herstorian and writer Trina Robbins has been writing books,

comics, and graphic novels for over forty years. Her 2009 book, The

Brinkley Girls: the Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons from 1913-1940

(Fantagraphics), and her 2011 book, "Tarpe Mills and Miss Fury," were

nominated for Eisner awards and Harvey awards. Her all-ages graphic

novel, Chicagoland Detective Agency: The Drained Brains Caper, first in a

6-book series, was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Her graphic novel,

"Lily Renee: Escape Artist," was awarded a gold medal from Moonbeam

Chidren’s Books and a silver medal from Sydney Taylor Jewish Library

Awards. 

Trina’s most recent book is Pretty in Ink, her final and

definitive history of women cartoonists. In 2013, Trina was voted into

the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

Programming Notes: Trina is available 
for panels highlighting her career as well as panels on women in comics and
the history of comics.

D. Michael Watkins-- (Artist)

D. Michael Watkins is the founder and owner of Highburn Studios. He's also the guy underneath that shiny cowboy hat you see at most cons.

Michael received his lucky break on FEMME-NOIR with Joe Staton and has since went on to work for Marvel, DC, Image, Dynamite, Dark Horse , Upper Deck, as well as his creator owned project GUARDIANS. You've seen his work on titles such as SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, TRANSFORMERS, IRON MAN, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, PANTHA, VILLAINS SUPREME, and you can see him on film in the blockbuster movie THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.

Outside of comics, Michael is a Voice Actor with roles for Marvel and Disney voicing the characters of: Venom, Scorpion, Mole Man, and Magneto.

Michael is also an avid Martial Artist, studying Hak Dari Shon Hap Ki Do, Kenpo. and several other styles for over 30 years.


Programming Notes:  Michael is available for programming regarding his career in comics, martial arts and creating comics..

Konstantin Komardin--(Artist/Animator/Writer)

After several successful signing and screening tours in the United States, Konstantin is busy at work on his current lengthy animation project focused on human rights, now in development.

Komardin is an award-winning sequential artist, graphic artist and animator. His work includes the BD magazines “Veles,” “Hacker,” “Max Cooler,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Timof” which published his story “Siberian Dreams,” and the renowned comics “Agent Z,” “Sit-o-city,” “Gate of Alice,” and “Mechanics of Senses.” Konstantin was awarded the Grand Prize for “The Site of Polis” at the Moscow Comics Festival. 

His animation works include the concept designs on “Elka,” “Man with the Wind in his Head,” which was featured at the Suzdal Film Festival, “Tram,” “Spindel” which was honored at the Moscow Short Film Festival, and “The Man in Penze Nez,” which screened at both the Suzdal Film Festival and the Moscow International Film Festival. 

Programing Notes: Konstantin can do panels on animation as well as sequential art for your show, and talk about the cross-cultural world of comics.

Ric Meyers-- (Writer/Film Consultant/Director/Actor)

Novelist Richard S. Meyers is responsible for the Marvel prose novel featuring the Hulk among others, but around 100 other books as well! Creator of the Destroyer series, Ric is also the writer of "Santa Confidential," illustrated beautifully by artist Chris Browne of "Hagar the Horrible" fame, "The Kung Fu Movie Book," featuring everything you want to know about the martial arts world, and is the director of "The Kung Fu Movie Movie." 

His commentary is sought after on director cuts of movies and television compilations worldwide. As well as acting (most recently as a villain in a Scotland filmed production), Ric has been called on as an expert consultant for such projects as "Twilight Zone," and "Kung Fu Panda." He yearly runs the Marital Arts movie segments at the San Diego Comic Con.

Programing Notes: Ric is available for a plethora of programming, Kung Fu, comics, film and otherwise! Screening of his movie works are also possible.

Rodney Ramos-- (Artist)

Artist Rodney Ramos has worked on just about every major character for Marvel Comics and DC Comics with a flourish that makes him a master at his craft. He began his storied journey in comics as a Romita Raider at Marvel Comics, learning his craft under the legendary John Romita, Sr. Regular work on titles like "Psi-Force," "What The!?" "Thundercats" "Punisher War Journal," "Amazing Spider-Man," and "Iron Man" followed, as well as work on Green Lantern, Batman, Wonder Woman, and much more.
His works include masterful craftsmanship for clients ranging from Valiant, Malibu, Acclaim, Marvel UK, and Neal Adams Continuity Studios, in addition to Marvel and DC. He reached cult status with his work on DC's "Transmetropolitan," a huge fan favorite, and most recently over Simon Bisley's pencils at Legendary.
Programming Notes:  Rodney is available for panels on his career and comics in general.

Jim Salicrup--(Writer/Artist/Editor)

Jim Salicrup is the Editor-in-Chief of Papercutz, the graphic novel publishing company he co-founded with Terry Nantier. Papercutz is devoted to publishing great graphic novels for all ages:  Annoying Orange, Ariol, Classics Illustrated, Dance Class, Disney Fairies, Geronimo Stilton, LEGO® Ninjago, LEGO Chima,Lunch Witch, Nancy Drew Diaries, The Smurfs Anthology, and many more. Recently, Papercutz launched a new imprint, modestly called Super Genius, which publishes titles such as WWE Superstars, Neil Gaiman’s Lady Justice, and more.

After being published as a writer and artist in Kids Magazine at age 14, Jim moved on to working at Marvel Comics for twenty years, editing most of their top titles, such as Spider-Man (with Todd McFarlane), The Uncanny X-Man (with Claremont & Byrne), The Fantastic Four (with John Byrne), Iron Man, and many more. Jim was the writer, and then editor of Spidey Super Stories, , a comic created to help children learn how to read. Spidey Super Stories was produced in co-operation with the Children’s Television Workshop, the producers of Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Editing and writing Spidey Super Stories was important in getting Jim to think about comics created for kids.

Jim was also the writer of such comics as Transformers, Visionaries, The Spider-Man Child Abuse Prevention comic, The A-Team, The Inhumanoids, Kool-Aid Man, and more. He also wrote and edited Marvel calendars, toilet paper, coloring books, posters and drinking cups. He also was the editor on Marvel Age Magazine for eight years.

After Marvel, Jim developed a line of comics for the Topps Company, Inc., where he was Editor-in-Chief. At Topps Comics Jim worked with such writers and artists such as Charlie Adlard, Ray Bradbury, Steve Ditko, Keith Giffen, Michael Golden,  Don Heck, Gil Kane, Miran Kim,  Jack Kirby, Don McGregor, Mike Mignola, George Perez, Stefan Petrucha, P. Craig Russell,  Scott Shaw!,  Roy Thomas, Craig Yoe, and many others.  Jim was also Senior Writer/Editor for Stan Lee Media, and a Trustee for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art.

Programming Notes: Jim is available for panels on his career and comics in general.

 

Renee Witterstaetter--(Writer/Editor/Color Artist)

Writer, editor, colorist and publisher Renee Witterstaetter has acted as editor on such books as "Thanos Quest," "Guardians of the Galaxy,"  "Hercules," "Xena," "X-Files," "Conan," "She-Hulk,"  "The Marvel Holiday Special," "Impossible Man Summer Special," "Jurassic Park,"  and too many books to mention here.

As a film professional, she has worked on such movies as "Red Dragon" and "Rush Hour 2," while also behind the scenes, racking up credits on dozens of music videos and commercials for artists as diverse as Madonna, Seal and Usher. 

Her books as a writer include: "Jackie Chan: Dying for Action," "Nick Cardy: The Artist at War," "Excess: The Art of Michael Golden," "Nick Cardy: Wit-Lash," "Art of the Barbarian,"  "Michael Golden: Excess," "The Art of Mark Texeira," and her children's book "Kerry and the Scary Things."

In addition, combining her film work with comics, she is a producer of DVD's on various comic book creators and talents in other fields through her partnership with Amdale Media,  and has spearheaded mounting art shows and retrospectives in the United States, Spain, China, Russia and other venues worldwide. She has lectured on the industry in China, Spain, Norway, and numerous other countries, not to mention the United States!

Programing Notes: Renee is available for portfolio reviews as well as panels relating to her career and working in the publishing industry and comics.