Featured Artist Alley/Writers Way Guests
Mark Spears
Appearing Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Mark Spears is an award-winning artist who is currently creating covers for Action Comics, World’s Finest, Green Lantern War Journal, Kneel Before Zod, Power Rangers, Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, King Spawn, Scorched, Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger, Rat City and Sam and Twitch. His artwork made an appearance in the 2022 “Spirit Halloween” movie while also doing the artwork for the movie’s poster. His work has been featured on multiple trading card series from Marvel and DC Comics and his concept art was used to design a line of Marvel and DC statues and figurines. He is the creator of Mark Spears Monsters and has released three trading card series under this brand. Mark won the Rondo Hatton Horror Awards “Artist of the Year” in 2020 for was runner up the following year. His artwork was also nominated three years in a row for “Best Magazine Cover”. Mark was picked by MeTV to be a Svengoolie Featured Artist for the month of July 2023 and was the Artist Spotlight Artist for Todd McFarlane in March 2023, appearing on all 4 Spawn title covers in one month.
Zach Howard
Appearing Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Zach Howard is a freelance professional illustrator of 24 years. His most notable employers include Marvel, DC, Image, Nickelodeon, IDW, Boom, Simon & Schuster, and Steve Jackson Games. Zach’s most popular projects are Hellboy: The Return of Effie Kolb, Wild Blue Yonder, Shaun of the Dead, TMNT, Spiderman, Hulk, Wolverines, GI Joe, The Cape, and Detective Comics . He has been nominated for an Eisner and multiple Indie awards, along with receiving an Amazon Book of the Month selection for Wild Blue Yonder. In addition to his professional work, Zach is passionate about supporting young artists and has dedicated much of his time to helping nurture the next generation of creators.”
Social:
IG: @spacefriend_z
FB: https://www.facebook.com/zach.howard.359/
Deviant Art: https://www.deviantart.com/spacefriend-krunk
Edward Gross
Appearing Friday, Saturday and Sunday
EDWARD GROSS is the author of Voices from Krypton, the complete 85-year oral history of Superman. He is a veteran entertainment journalist who has been covering film, television, comic books and more for the past 40 years while serving on the editorial staff of such publications as Cinescape, Starlog, Movie Magic, Cinefantastique, Femme Fatales, Life Story, Super Hero Spectacular, Film Fantasy and Geek Monthly. Additionally, he was US Editor, Empireonline; Film/TV Editor for closerweekly.com, lifeandstylemag.com, intouchweekly.com and j14.com; and Nostalgia Editor for doyouremember.com. He has written two dozen non-fiction books, among them seven previous oral histories, including titles on Star Trek (the two-volume The Fifty-Year Mission), James Bond (Nobody Does It Better), Star Wars (Secrets of the Force), John Wick (They Shouldn’t Have Shot His Dog) and Stargate SG-1 (Chevrons Locked). On top of all of that, he’s spent the vast majority of his life as a fan of the Man of Steel.
Artist Alley/Writers Way Exhibitors
Victor Ku
My name is Victor and I am a Freelance artist since 2017, I have worked on indie comic cover SAVAGE: The Legend of Blue Raven and I’m known as the Snyder Cut Movie poster winner. I travel around the country and meet fans at various conventions and hope to inspire the new generation of young artists to create art. As the Winner of the Snyder Cut movie poster contest in 2020, I was invited to the behind the scene of the ZSJL Joker scene with Zack Snyder. I am also known for my giant artwork collecting all the Super Smash Bros Ultimate fighters in one giant piece!
Ron Braun
Ron Braun is an Indiana-based cartoonist and the artist/writer behind Once Upon A Platypus, an all-ages sci-fi/fantasy tale about a young girl whose discovery of a talking platypus with amnesia plunges her into a wild and dangerous adventure. Eight issues and a graphic novel collection featuring the first five have already been released with a ninth issue due out in the Spring of 2024. Ron is also the author of the children’s book, Josh and The SpaceBots.
Jim and Lora Pinkstaff
Jim and Lora Pinkstaff are artists based out of Terre Haute, IN. They specialize in superhero, rock and roll, sci-fi, and spooky art. Jim and Lora attend several comic and pop culture conventions as visiting artists throughout Indiana and Illinois. They are also active members in their local art and music communities.
William Hood
William (Bill) Hood is an illustrator from Louisville, KY. He began drawing at the early age of “very young” and has taught character design, comic inking, creative writing, and art over the years. Currently finishing a graphic novel for his own Dream In Color Entertainment and working on stories for InDELLible Comics he brings his art to Metropolis for the third year in a row. Stop by and say hi.
Trevor Hawkins
Trevor believes that art can and should be made based on what the artist perceives as relevant. Taking an image that moves him and then applying his own style, he creates art that goes several steps beyond the original subject. The worlds of science fiction, comic books and animation offer vast visual inspiration for making serious artwork. Popular culture is a rich playground for his images. Working in mostly acrylic paint and mixed media, He uses a process method of building images.
Peter Melonas
Many artists choose a particular medium to create their artwork. While others might prefer a different approach and many artists’ choice affects the expressive possibilities of the piece to the viewer. There are as many art styles in the world as there are artists. What is quite evident throughout is his passion for rendering Black-and-white drawings. Peter Melonas has a love of detail that is evident throughout his meticulous line work. His artwork demonstrates a particular style and skill.
Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson is an artist and illustrator based in Taylorsville, Kentucky. “I’ve been creating art most of my life in some form or another. I love the process that goes into creating a piece of art. I like to focus on subjects that make me happy and also that make others happy.” Carl works in a range of mediums including graphite, ink, and oil paint creating works featuring wildlife, pets, people, science fiction, and comics.
Todd Black
Todd Black is a creator of comics and novels and has been making his library of books for ten years. He’s created works in superheroes, sci-fi fantasy, mystery novels, and more. He loves telling stories with deep characters and fun plots, and he won’t stop until he’s got all his ideas out of his head!
