WCLA 2016: WonderCon announces 8th – and Final – Wave of Special Guests

If you’re a follower of social media, you’ll have noticed that the Comic-Con International behemoth has started to shake off the fatigue of the holidays and growl into life – Toucan Blog posts, SDCC 2015 recollections and even announcements about special features for this July. Amongst all of that is the news about the final two names to make up the roster of talent for WonderCon Los Angeles, taking place at the L.A. Convention Center for the first time this March.

Twenty-eight names will be flying into the City Of Angels: Kyle Baker (WHY I HATE SATURN) and Connie Willis (DOOMSDAY BOOK) join a incredible smorgasbord of industry talent, meeting and greeting with fans, including the likes of Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Evanier, Agnes Gorbowska, Charles Soule, Raina Telgemeier and Jim Lee. Check out the full bio list below.

(Note: it would have been twenty-nine Special Guests, mind – Dave Roman is confirmed to NOT to be attending the show this year. We’ll put out some feelers to try and find out why.)

Badges are still available for this event as we speak – click HERE to get yours. You can only buy them online – they won’t be available at the door – and you also need to have a valid Member ID in place. But you knew all that already, right?

From the WONDERCON portal of the COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL website:

Special Guests, CONFIRMED for WonderCon Los Angeles, 25th-27th Marth 2016

SERGIO ARAGONES

(Cartoonist: MAD Magazine / Groo)

One of MAD magazine’s longest-running cartoonists (only Al Jaffee has been around longer) and the creator of dim-witted barbarian Groo the Wanderer, Sergio Aragonés is one of comics’ most popular creators.

In addition to his continuing work for MAD, Sergio—the man some call the world’s fastest cartoonist—had his own comic book series at Bongo Comics, Sergio Aragonés Funnies. His most recent work includes a 12-issue maxi series from Dark Horse Comics, Groo and Friends.

KYLE BAKER

(Cartoonist: Why I Hate Saturn / Nat Turner)

Cartoonist Kyle Baker has authored over 15 graphic novels and illustrated hundreds more in a career which extends over three decades long. His animation has appeared on MTV, Showtime, Disney Channels and Cartoon Network. He has contributed as a writer and artist to shows such as Phineas and Ferb and Looney Tunes.

Baker is the winner of 8 Eisner Awards, 4 Harvey Awards, and an Inkpot Award and Glyph Award, among others.

A pioneer in the graphic novel format since the 1980s, works such as Nat Turner, Why I Hate Saturn, and King David helped define and evolve the medium. In addition to licensing and products, his work now expands into digital realms with new apps, streaming animation, and game design.

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

(Writer: Invincible Iron Man / Guardians Of The Galaxy / Powers)

Brian Michael Bendis is an award-winning comics creator, a New York Times bestseller, and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics.

Sony’s live-action series based on Powers, the Eisner Award-winning comic series by Brian and Mike Avon Oeming on the Playstation network with Brian as executive producer and contributing writer, has been renewed for a second season.

For Marvel, Brian is currently the writer of Invincible Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy. He is also a member of Marvel Studios’ creative committee, which consults on their numerous ongoing film projects. He is the co-creator of the new Netflix series Jessica Jones, which debuts in November. His creator-owned projects include Scarlet (with Alex Maleev), Brilliant (with Mark Bagley), and Powers.

Brian’s book Words for Pictures is an intricate look at the creation of comic books and graphic novels based on the graphic novel class he teaches at Portland State University.

AMBER BENSON

(Author/Actor/Director: The Witches Of Echo Park/  Calliope Reaper-Jones series)

Amber Benson is a writer, director, actor, and maker of things. She wrote the five-book Calliope Reaper-Jones urban fantasy series and the middle-grade book Among The Ghosts. She co-directed the Slamdance feature Drones, and she co-wrote and directed the BBC animated series The Ghosts of Albion. She also spent three years as Tara Maclay on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her latest book is The Witches of Echo Park.

STEPHEN BLACKMOORE

(Author: Mythbreaker / City Of The Lost / Hungry Ghosts)

Stephen Blackmoore is the author of the noir urban fantasy novels Mythbreaker, City of the Lost, Dead Things, Broken Souls, and the upcoming Hungry Ghosts. He has written tie-in fiction for the role-playing game Spirit of The Century, the video-game Wasteland 2, and the television series Heroes Reborn.

His short stories can be found online and in the anthologies Deadly Treats and Uncage Me. He co-hosts the bi-monthly crime fiction reading series Noir At The Bar L.A. He can be found online at stephenblackmoore.com

PETER CLINES

(Author: The Fold / 14)

Peter Clines spent years toiling in the Hollywood trenches, working on such films and TV shows as Psycho Beach Party, Mystery Woman, and Veronica Mars, while also writing articles, reviews, and interviews for Creative Screenwriting magazine, before finally turning his hand to writing fiction full-time.

He is the author of The Fold, the bestselling Ex-Heroes series, and the acclaimed standalone thriller 14. He lives in Southern California. (Photo Credit: Colleen Cooper)

RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

(Artist: Thor / The Mighty Thor)

Russell Dauterman is a comic book artist best known for drawing Marvel’s female-led Thor series and its current follow-up, The Mighty Thor. Written by Jason Aaron, Thor’s collected edition debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List for graphic novels. Previous work includes the launch of Marvel’s Cyclops with writer Greg Rucka, and a stint on Nightwing for DC Comics, written by Kyle Higgins.

Russell has also illustrated covers for Valiant Entertainment titles Shadowman, Quantum + Woody, Punk Mambo, and Unity. Earlier, Russell collaborated with writer Grace Randolph on the BOOM! Studios series Supurbia. For more on Russell’s work, visit russelldauterman.com.

MING DOYLE

(Writer/Artist: Constantine / Archie)

Ming Doyle is a Boston-based comic book artist and writer. Her art has appeared in works published by Image, Marvel, DC/Vertigo, Candlewick Press, Valiant, BOOM!, and more.

She is noted for her distinctively inky style, strange turns of phrase, and ever expanding collection of unsettling vintage Halloween masks.

MARK EVANIER

(Writer, Producer, Comics Historian: The Garfield Show/ The Art Of The Simon & Kirby Studio)

Mark Evanier has been writing professionally since 1969, delving into comic books, animation, live-action TV, screenplays, books, magazine articles, and anything else he dreamed, as a kid, of writing. His comic book career commenced in 1969 when he apprenticed with the legendary Jack Kirby and also began writing comic book scripts for Disney.

Over the years, he has worked on preexisting characters and his own co-creations, including The DNAgents and Crossfire, along with collaborating since 1983 with Sergio Aragonés on Groo the Wanderer. He began writing live-action TV in 1976 and animation in 1978. He is the author of several collections of columns as well as MAD Art and Kirby, King of Comics, a book about his mentor that won two Harvey Awards and one Eisner Award. Mark is currently writing, producing, and voice-directing The Garfield Show, and his latest book—The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio—showcases the work of one of comics’ greatest creative teams.

JASON FABOK

(Artist: Justice League / Detective Comics / Batman Eternal)

Jason Fabok is a comic book artist living in Southern Ontario, Canada. He is currently working on DC Comics’ Justice League with acclaimed writer Geoff Johns.

Fabok has also worked on such DC titles as Batman Eternal with Scott Snyder and Detective Comics with John Layman.

FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

(Writer/Artist: The Black Beetle; Artist: Afterlife with Archie)

Francesco Francavilla, an Eisner and Eagle Award winner and New York Times bestselling creator, is best known for bringing his signature style (Neo-Pulp) to the comics industry, from superheroes to horror and sci-fi.

Francesco has worked on such acclaimed series as Batman, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Guardians of the Galaxy. He is currently illustrating his own creator-owned The Black Beetle for Dark Horse and Afterlife with Archie for Archie. The Black Beetle vol.1 was listed in Amazon’s top ten Best Graphic Novels of 2013.

Francesco is also an acclaimed cover artist and has won several awards, including an Eisner for Best Cover Artist.

AGNES GARBOWSKA (Artist: My Little Pony / Jem & The Holograms)

Agnes Garbowska is best know for her work on My Little Pony (IDW), Jem and the Holograms (IDW), Sonic Universe Off Panel Stripes (Archie Comics), Li’l Vampi (Dynamite Entertainment), Girl Comics (Marvel), Spider-Ham 25th Anniversary Special (Marvel), and more.

She has also illustrated cover art for many IDW titles, including My Little Pony, Jem and the Holograms, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Littlest Pet Shop, as well as Dynamite Entertainment titles including Grumpy Cat, Red Sonja, Li’l Dynamite, and Doodle Jump. Agnes has also done cover work for Sonic Universe (Archie Comics).

GILBERT HERNANDEZ

(Writer/Artist: Love And Rockets)

Gilbert Hernandez was born in Oxnard, CA with a comic book in his hand. His mother was a comics fan when she was a girl in the 1940s, so she felt it was okay for her kids to read comics 20 years later. Gilbert’s older brother Mario brought home almost every type of comics that you could buy back in the 1960s, such as superheroes, horror, kids’ comics, war, western, sci-fi, classic novel adaptations, hot rods, etc. The only comics they didn’t read were romance comics, because it was a house full of five boys until little sis came along.

Gilbert copied what he saw in comics and eventually came to make them as an adult and hasn’t stopped yet. He’s best known for his Palomar series in Love and Rockets. L&R has been going strong for over 34 years.

JAIME HERNANDEZ (Writer/Artist: Love And Rockets)

As a young aimless Latino punk rocker, Jaime Hernandez, along with his brothers Gilbert and Mario, self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets in 1981. It was picked up by Fantagraphics Books in 1982 and ran 50 issues before the brothers took a break to pursue solo projects.

Jaime’s titles have included Whoa, Nellie!, Maggie and Hopey Color Fun, and Penny Century. Love and Rockets was revived in 2000 and continues today. He has won numerous awards and has also done other comic work, magazine illustration and album covers.

JIM LEE

(Co-Publisher: DC Comics; Artist: Batman: Hush / Justice League)

Jim Lee is a renowned comic book artist and the co-publisher of DC Entertainment. In addition to his duties as co-publisher, he is the artist for many of DC Comics’ bestselling comic books and graphic novels, including Justice League: Origins, Batman: Hush, and Superman Unchained.

He also served as the executive creative director for the DC Universe Online (DCUO) massively multiplayer action game from Daybreak Games, currently available free to play on PS4, PS3, and on Windows PC. For his next project, Lee is handling the art chores on the The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4 mini-comic. (Photo Credit: Mike Jara)

Appearing Friday and Saturday Only

JEREMY LOVE

(Writer/Artist: Bayou / The Black Lotus)

Jeremy Love is an award-winning writer, illustrator, and animator. His critically acclaimed, Eisner Award-nominated, serialized graphic novel Bayou has been used as curriculum at various high schools and colleges including the University of South Carolina and Dartmouth college. It was also selected by the American Library Association as a great graphic novel for teens.

Other projects include Blackest Nightmare for DC Comics, Fierce, and Shadow Rock for Dark Horse Comics as a writer, and GI Joe, Fraggle Rock for Archaia, and Midnight Mover for Oni as an artist. Love is currently hard at work completing Bayou as well as a new mini-series from Dark Horse Comics, The Black Lotus.

TERRY MOORE

(Writer/Artist: Rachel Rising / ECHO / Strangers In Paradise)

Terry Moore began his career in comics in 1993 with the acclaimed epic series Strangers in Paradise, which garnered numerous industry awards including the Eisner Award and the National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Division Reuben Award. Moore has continued to create hit series, including ECHO, Terry Moore’s How To Draw, and SIP Kids since ending Strangers in Paradise in 2007.

His current series, Rachel Rising, wows readers and critics with its in-depth characterizations and captivating art.

Moore publishes his work through his company, Abstract Studio, while contributing work to mainstream publishers such as Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics. Fans follow Terry on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr at @terrymooreart.

HOWARD PORTER

(Artist: Superman /JLA / Flash)

Howard Porter graduated from Paier College of Art in Connecticut where he majored in illustration. He began working for DC comics in 1993 and quickly made his way to the pages of The Ray with writer Christopher Priest. Since that time he has worked on acclaimed series such as JLA with Grant Morrison and Flash with Geoff Johns.

More recently he has illustrated Justice League 3000/3001 for DC’s New 52, working with writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. Currently he can be found collaborating with Gene Luen Yang on Superman or curled up in the corner hiding from his own shadow.

JOE QUINONES

(Artist: Howard The Duck / Batman ‘66)

Joe Quinones is the artist behind 2015’s Howard the Duck series from Marvel Comics, written by Chip Zdarsky. Known for his expressive faces and fluid linework, Joe has been making comics since 2007, working for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, BOOM!, and more.

Notable recent works include Savage Wolverine, Batman ’66, and the original graphic novel Black Canary & Zatanna: Bloodspell, written by Paul Dini.

HUMBERTO RAMOS

(Artist: Amazing Spider-Man / Extraordinary X-Men / Crimson)

Humberto Ramos has been drawing comics professionally since 1993 when he began at Milestone Media, the year he also drew Impulse for DC Comics. In 1998 he co-founded the Cliffhanger imprint with Joe Madureira and J. Scott Campbell at WildStorm Productions, where he released Crimson and Out There. In 2003, Ramos worked on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man for Marvel.

In 2005, he released his creator-owned Revelations series through Dark Horse. In 2006, he worked on Wolverine, New X-Men, X-Men, and Runaways. In 2011, he released Fairy Quest Book 1, and recently drew Spider-Man in both Superior Spider-Man and the Amazing Spider-Man. His current work includes Extraordinary X-Men for Marvel with writer Jeff Lemire.

PAOLO RIVERA

(Artist: Daredevil / The Valiant)

Paolo Rivera was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. He began his career at Marvel, working for them almost exclusively for a decade. He has since worked for a number of publishers, creating covers, posters, and comics. Since his run on Mark Waid’s Daredevil, he has worked with his father, Joe Rivera, an award-winning inker.

He recently finished The Valiant and is currently working on a Hellboy miniseries. He now lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter. You can see his work at paolorivera.com.

VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB

(Author: The Archived / Vicious / Darker Shade Of Magic series)

Victoria “V. E.” Schwab is the critically acclaimed author of more than a dozen books, including The Archived (about a library of the dead), Vicious (a supervillain origin story), and the Darker Shade of Magic series (a multi-London adventure). Schwab’s handling of the lines between good and evil, life and death, have earned her starred reviews, commercial success, and status as a rising star. Her books have been translated into 10 languages and optioned for TV and film. When she’s not wandering Scottish hills or Paris streets, she’s usually holed up in a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

SCOTT SIGLER

(Author: Infected / Contagious / Pandemic / Generations trilogy)

New York Times best-selling author Scott Sigler is the creator of 15 novels, 6 novellas, and dozens of short stories. His works are available from Crown Publishing and Del Rey Books. He is also a co-founder of Empty Set Entertainment, which publishes his young-adult Galactic Football League series.

In 2005, Scott built a large online following by releasing his audiobooks as serialized podcasts. A decade later, he still gives his stories away—for free—every Sunday at scottsigler.com (link is external). His loyal fans, who named themselves “Junkies,” have downloaded over 35 million individual episodes.

Scott lives in San Diego. (Photo Credit: Joan Allen)

CHARLES SOULE

(Writer: Uncanny Inhumans / Daredevil / Swamp Thing)

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Charles Soule is the writer of numerous series for Marvel, DC, Image, and other publishers.

His current series are Daredevil, Uncanny Inhumans, and Letter 44, and notable past works include Death of Wolverine, She-Hulk, Swamp Thing, and many more.

RAINA TELEGEMEIER

(Writer/Artist: Smile / Drama / Sisters)

Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning creator of Smile and Sisters, which are both graphic memoirs based on her childhood.

She is also the creator of Drama, which was named a Stonewall Honor Book and was selected for YALSA’s Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens. Raina lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more, visit her online at www.goRaina.com. (Photo Credit: Marion Vitus)

CARRIE VAUGHN

(Author: the Kitty Norville series / Dreams of the Golden Age / Steel)

Carrie Vaughn is the author of the New York Times bestselling series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty, the 14th installment of which is Kitty Saves the World. She’s written several other contemporary fantasy and young adult novels, as well as upwards of 80 short stories.

She’s a contributor to the Wild Cards series of shared-world superhero books edited by George R. R. Martin and is a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop. An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado. Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com.

CONNIE WILLIS

(Author: Doomsday Book / Crosstalk)

Connie Willis is the Nebula- and Hugo-winning science-fiction author of Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, and the two-volume Blackout and All Clear. She has won an unprecedented total of seven Nebula Awards and eleven Hugos for her novels and short stories, has been named to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and is a SFWA Grand Master of Science Fiction.

Her work ranges from laugh-out-loud funny to deadly serious and encompasses time travel, aliens, fads, near-death experiences, and everything in between. Her newest novel, a romantic comedy about telepathy, Crosstalk, is due out in October of 2016.

ANNIE WU

(Artist: Black Canary / Hawkeye / Archie)

Annie Wu is an artist whose work can be seen in Black Canary, Hawkeye, Archie, and The Venture Bros.