This year the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 2-4, 2016 at the Baltimore Convention Center, welcomes the addition of comics guests J.M. DeMatteis, Ramona Fradon, Keith Giffen, Mike Manley, John K. Snyder III, and Billy Tucci.
Award-winning writer J.M. DeMatteis began his career in the late-70s working on DC Comics’ horror line of books. In 1980, he moved over to Marvel, where he worked on The Defenders and Captain America. Over the next 30 years, DeMatteis would write nearly every major character in both the DC and Marvel Universes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Silver Surfer, Daredevil and Doctor Strange. In 2010, he teamed up with long-time collaborator, Keith Giffen on DC’s Booster Gold series, and is currently working with him again on DC’s character relaunch, Scooby Apocalypse, as well as The Adventures of the Augusta Wind Vol. 2: The Last Story and The Last One from IDW Publishing.
Beginning her extensive comics career in the 1950s, Parsons School of Design graduate Ramona Fradon is responsible for artwork in many comics, past and present. She spent much of her comics career at DC Comics working on titles like Adventure Comics, Brave and the Bold, Plastic Man, Freedom Fighters, and a very long run on Super Friends. Moving to comic strips, Fradon took over art duties on Brenda Starr from 1980 until her retirement from the title in 1995. In recent years, she continues to be active on titles like DC’s Convergence: Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters, Bongo Entertainment’s Spongebob Comics,Annual-Size Super-Giant Swimtacular, and Spongebob Freestyle Funnies FCBD 2016 Edition, and Marvel’s Invaders Now!, Namora, and Girl Comics.
Keith Giffen has gained acclaim for his art and writing contributions to many titles, series, and events over the course of his long and storied comics career. Noted for his contributions to multiple runs of DC Comics’Legion of Super-Heroes, he is also part of the creative team behind the humorous Justice League International, Justice League Europe, Formerly Known as the Justice League, and JLA Classified. He is also responsible for creating DC’s Lobo and Ambush Bug characters. At Marvel Comics, Giffen’s work includes a relaunch of The Defenders, Annihilation and the event’s supporting titles, and Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos. His latest work can be seen with co-writer J.M. DeMatteis on DC Comics’ Scooby Apocalypse and Sugar and Spike in Legends of Tomorrow.
Originally from Detroit, MI, Mike Manley has taken his skill as an artist and established a diverse career for himself. He has worked for major comic book publishers like Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. He has worked in animation, both storyboarding and working on production art. He launched his own publishing outlet in Action Planet where his character Monsterman saw print, and later ActionPlanet.com where you could find his award-winning webcomic, G.I.R.L. Patrol. He is the founder and editor of Draw! Magazine from TwoMorrows Publishing, an Eisner-nominated publication with practical articles on art creation. He has taught at numerous institutions’ art programs, including Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.
Lately, you can see his art in the syndicated comic strips Judge Parker and The Phantom. John K. Snyder III has provided interior artwork for numerous publications, and is known for his painted cover work. His artwork has graced Matt Wagner’s Grendel at Dark Horse, Zorro Rides Again and The Shadow: Year One from Dynamite Entertainment, IDW’s Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastard and Transformers: Infestation, and DC Comics’ Doctor Mid-Nite among many others.Founder of Crusade Fine Arts, Billy Tucci is most widely known for his creator-owned work on Shi. Both a writer and an artist, he has worked for nearly every major publisher including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and IDW. More recently, Tucci finished a series of limited edition Shi prints for Breast Cancer Awareness benefitting the Judi Shesh Memorial Foundation, as well as the cover and interior art for DC’s Birds of Prey, Harley’s Little Black Book, and covers for Zenescope Entertainment’s Grimm Fairy Tales Presents… titles.
“Another fantastic group of guests for us to bring to our fans,” said Marc Nathan, promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. “It would be great to have DeMatteis or Giffen individually, but to get them both simultaneously is a treat, for us and the fans alike. We know all attendees will be excited to interact with them all, as well as the rest of our large-and-still-growing guest list.”