Special Guests

At 16 (going on 17), Trevor became DC's first black artist, the youngest artist they ever hired, and co-creator of their first original black super-hero to have his own title (preceded only by GL knock-off John Stewart's one-shot appearance.) Over the decades, Trevor been known for his work on The Batman Annual #8, THRILLER, The Green Arrow Mini-series in the '80s, Black Canary in the '90s--and his final job for DC following the national tragedy of 9/11, LOTDK #149-153, for which he was honored to have Jose Luis Garcia Lopez as inker. Trevor’s first self-written/drawn GN, "The Original Johnson" was born on Dec. 23rd, 2009, to much fan and critical acclaim. He currently lives in the Baychester section of The Bronx — just off Gun Hill Road. A much quieter residential area than you might imagine, actually...

Blake is an actor and martial artist; best known for his role as Justin Stewart, the Blue Power Ranger. He made his debut for the show in the feature-film, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.

Alex Zahara is a graduate of the UBC Theatre Program and has been acting professionally for 27 years. Alex is a very familiar face in TV & Film with over 150 credits, guest starring in: Stargate SG-1, The Man In The High Castle, Riverdale, Once Upon a Time, Hell on Wheels, appearing in the films: HORNS, starring Daniel Radcliffe, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, starring Jamie Dornan, Brain on Fire, & The Assignment with Sigourney Weaver. Alex have voiced a great number of animated characters including: Red Skull in Marvel’s Lego Adventures, Vic Hoskins Marvel’s Jurassic World and Lyle Dylandy in Gundam OO, and over 30 other anime shows

Laura Benedict is the Edgar- and ITW Thriller Award- nominated author of eight novels of mystery and suspense, including The Stranger Inside (Publisher's Weekly starred review), and the Bliss House gothic novels and stories. Her latest book is a compilation of her short fiction, When I Make Love to the Bug Man: Collected Stories. Her stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Strand Magazine, Mystery Tribune and in numerous anthologies. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she lives in Southern Illinois with her family.

Challenging the notions and definitions of art and illustration, Brad Moore is a psyhedelic surrealist painter, draftsman, comic book creator, and thinker.

Coming from the world of horror comics, Moore had carved out a unique niche in the universe of Death Metal Art. Using rigorously complex imagery, audacious application of color theory, and subject matter so radically apart from the mainstream, Moore's art stands outside the accepted world of critique and observation.

Published worldwide over 600 times, Brad Moore has amassed a cult following, and his album cover for Worm's "Foreverglade" was voted #11 out of the top 30 metal album covers of 2021. No less a legend than H.R. Giger invited Moore to exhibit in his castle in Switzerland. Working in arcane realms of advanced artistry, Brad Moore continues to create for a world-wide audience.

Sean Dulaney is a writer, broadcaster, and artist. Based out of southeastern Illinois, his work has appeared in books from Amryl Press, Digital Webbing, Markosia, Pro Se, and Arcana Press, along with his own BIMOR imprint.

His popular 400 Court Street podcast led to a series of books on the history of professional wrestling in Evansville, Indiana—with two volumes released in 2022, along with a True Crime title set in Nashville, Tennessee.

Zac Atkinson is a comic creator, cartoonist, and designer. He resides somewhere in the corn of Illinois and has worked in the comic industry for over 20 years as a colorist.

You can see Zac's work in titles like Bruce Lee, Shazam, Marvel Action Spider-Man, Justice Society, Young Justice, Transformers, Amory Wars, Farscape, and many others.

When he's not making comics for others, he's making comics for himself at zacsart.com. 

Brian K. Morris is an award-winning author, editor, publisher, Facebook-famous YouTuber, and former mortician's assistant.His work has appeared in publications from Stormgate Press, Atomic Press, Stone Door Studios, Pro Se Press, Flinch Books, Crazy 8 Books, Becky Books, BEN Books, Hogan's Alley, TwoMorrows Publishing, GDC Publishing, and Lion's Share Press, as well as his own Rising Tide Publications and Freelance Words imprints.

His output covers many genres: Action/Adventure, New Pulp, Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Westerns, Non-fiction, and even Romance. A prolific, in-demand writer, Brian's latest offerings include Spurs and Six-Shooters, The New Adventures of Captain Hawklin, and The Terrors, a socially conscious reinterpretation of the classic Black Terror character.

An Illinois native, Brian now lives in Central Indiana with his wife, Cookie, who is also a freelance editor and book designer, along with no children, no pets, and too many comic books.

For more information on what keeps Brian busy, please sign up for his free insider information email at www.RisingTide.pub and check out his twice-weekly blog, "Every Blog Deserves a Name," only for his Patreon subscribers at www.Patreon.com/briankmorris

Camron Johnson is a creator/artist/writer based out of Central Illinois. His work is featured in comics, books, and trading cards with companies & licensed properties such as Marvel, Spider-Man, Upper Deck, Star Wars, Topps, IDW, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dynamite, Thundercats, Warner Brothers, Middle-Earth (The Lord of The Rings + The Hobbit film trilogies), Cryptozoic Entertainment, Space Jam, Adult Swim, Rick and Morty, Printed in Blood, Hannibal (TV series), Assassin's Creed, Massive Publishing, Ubisoft, Source Point Press, Perna Studios, and Legends Publishing.

He is the Creator of the best-selling independent graphic novel / comic book series' BONECHECK, FREEZER BURN, and MEDUSON.

www.camronjohnson.com (website)
@camrontjohnson (instagram)
@Camron Johnson Illustrations (facebook)

Mandi Jourdan is the author of six published novels, two fiction collections, and numerous short stories, totaling over one hundred publications. She earned her BA and MFA in creative writing from Southern Illinois University, and in 2019, she won the Missouri Review’s Miller Audio Prize for Prose with “Inheritance,” the first sci-fi piece published by the Missouri Review. She works as Acquisitions Editor for Republications and Marketing Associate at SIU Press, where she also hosts the weekly radio show Inside the Blanket Fort.

USA Today Bestselling Author Jason J. Nugent has been a paperboy, pizza maker, dishwasher, restaurant manager, promotional products sales rep, chamber of commerce director, and one time BBQ champion. He has skated with Tony Hawk, had a babysitter with a serial killer brother, and is followed by rapper Chuck D on Twitter. He and his wife share a home in beautiful Southern Illinois with their son, three cats, and two dogs.