SDCC 2015: Third Wave of Special Guests revealed by CCI – Aureliani, Baltazar, Lieber, Robinson, Ryan

It’s Monday – and you know what that means! The Toucan Blog on the Comic-Con International website has rolled out some more featured names for it’s weekly Special Guest Monday feature, all of which are confirmed as appearing at this years San Diego Comic-Con, taking place at the San Diego Convention Centre from 9th to 12th July 2015.

Joining the ten already announced names (Kelly Sue DeConnick, Carlos Ezquerra, Lev Grossman, Hugh Howey, Reginald Hudlin, Scott McCloud, Luis Royo, William Stout, Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki) are five more incredible talents: Tiny Titans/Itty Bitty Hellboy writer/artists Franco Aureliani and Art Baltazar; Whiteout artist (and regular Toucan Blog contributor) Steve Lieber, Bomb Queen writer/artist Jimmie Robinson; and, award-winning writer (and Steve Lieber’s better half) Sara Ryan.

These updates are scheduled to roll out every Monday between now and the middle of April – if this is how the Special Guest list is looking so far, the Con’s reputation of attracting the world’s finest collection of sequential art and creative talent is assured. Come back next week to see which five names are next to be featured on the clipboard down the front of the velvet rope line…

From the Special Guests page of the Comic-Con International website:

FRANCO AURELIANI (Writer/artist: Tiny Titans, Itty Bitty Hellboy): Franco and his forehead have travelled the world, writing and drawing stuff and sometimes throwing paint around on canvas. He is the creator, artist, and writer of Patrick the Wolf Boy and Aw Yeah Comics! He has also worked on titles for various comic companies, including the critically acclaimed Superman Family Adventures, Young Justice, Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Battlestar Galactica, Captain Action Cat, and the New York Times bestselling, multi-Eisner Award–winning series Tiny Titans! Currently, Franco is working on Mask, Grimiss Island, and Itty Bitty Hellboy with Dark Horse Comics.

ART BALTAZAR (Writer/artist: Tiny Titans, Itty Bitty Hellboy): Baltazar is a super-cartoonist machine from the heart of Chicago! He started his funky secret art studio in 1994 with his self-published comic book The Cray-Baby Adventures. Since then he has created other comics, including Patrick the Wolf Boy.

Art is the creative force behind the Eisner Award–winning Itty Bitty Hellboy and the New York Times bestselling, Eisner and Harvey award–winning DC Comics series Tiny Titans. He is also the artist of the DC Super-Pets children’s book series. He co-wrote DC’s Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM, Young Justice, Green Lantern: The Animated Series comics, and is the artist/co-writer for the Tiny Titans/Little Archie crossover and Superman Family Adventures.

Art is the co-founder of the Aw Yeah Comics comic shop and co-creator of the Aw Yeah Comics comic book series starring Action Cat and Adventure Bug. He lives with his lovely wife, Rose, sons Sonny and Gordon, daughter Audrey, and pup Jingle Fett Baltazar.

 

Photo by Charlie Chu

STEVE LIEBER (Artist: Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Whiteout): Lieber is a comic book artist whose publishers include DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Scholastic, Oni Press, and many others, Steve has worked on such characters and properties as Batman, Superman, and Road to Perdition, but he’s best known as the artist of the graphic novel Whiteout and its Eisner-winning sequel, Whiteout: Melt. Recent projects include Superior Foes of Spider-Man for Marvel, and Quantum and Woody for Valiant. He also writes the monthly Dilettante column for Comic-Con’s Toucan blog. Steve lives in Portland, Oregon and online at stevelieber.com.

 

JIMMIE ROBINSON (Writer/artist: Five Weapons, Bomb Queen): Robinson is a professional comic book artist, writer, colorist, and designer for feature films, toys, and illustration. He has worked in the industry for 20 years. Raised in Oakland, California, he attended an arts magnet program starting with Mosswood Arts Elementary followed by Renaissance Arts Middle School. He graduated early at 16 and pursued his art career from the bottom up. For 13 years Robinson worked in the commercial printing industry, then in 1994 he self-published his own comic, Cyberzone. In 1996 he joined Image Comics under the Shadowline imprint, which is where his books are still published today, including Five Weapons and Bomb Queen.

Photo by Joshin Yamada

SARA RYAN (Writer: Bad Houses, Empress Of The World): Sara is the award-winningauthor of the graphic novel Bad Houses (Time magazine Top Ten Graphic Novels & Comics of 2013, USA Today Best of 2013 Comics & Graphic Novels) and YA novels Empress of the World (Lambda Literary Award finalist, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Oregon Book Award winner, Booklist Top Ten Teen Romance), and The Rules for Hearts (Oregon Book Award winner, Junior Library Guild selection). Her other comics include Eisner Award short story finalist “Me and Edith Head,” and contributions to Hellboy, Welcome to Bordertown, Comic Book Tattoo, and Sensation Comics: Featuring Wonder Woman. She lives in Portland, Oregon and works as the Teen Services Specialist for Multnomah County Library. Find her online at sararyan.com.

(images are (c) Comic-Con International, unless otherwise stated)