Arthur Suydam. Award-winning creator Arthur Suydam's artwork has most recently been featured on covers for the groundbreaking series Marvel Zombies, Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Hellstorm, Wolverine Origins, Moon Knight, and Wolverine for Marvel Comics. Suydam has teamed up with Dynamite Entertainment on the cult classic crossover Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, Raise the Dead, Savage Tales, and Red Sonja. His artwork and writing were honored with the Gold Award in Spectrum 12 in 2006. Other honors include the 2005 Dragon Con Comic Guest of Honor Award, the San Sebastian Film Festival Guest of Honor Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Maryland, and many other awards for excellence. With the third chapter of his popular Marvel Zombies series due to hit the shelves just in time for Halloween, we're thrilled to announce that Arthur has created a new Marvel Zombies poster exclusively for Mid-Ohio-Con 2008. The poster, which features Arthur's brilliant zombification of Mike Zeck's iconic cover to Secret Wars #1, will be limited to 1,000 pieces and will be given away to Mid-Ohio-Con attendees on the weekend of October 4–5.

Catherine Asaro. Catherine Asaro's fiction is a successful blend of hard science fiction, romance, and exciting space adventure. Her novel The Quantum Rose won the Nebula Award for best novel of 2001. She is a three-time winner of the Romantic Times Book Club award for Best Science Fiction Novel. She has written over 20 novels, many of which belong to her Saga of the Skolian Empire. In addition, she has published short fiction in Analog magazine and in several anthologies, as well as reviews, nonfiction essays, and scientific papers. Catherine has a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics and an M.A. in Physics, both from Harvard, and a B.S. with Highest Honors in Chemistry from UCLA. A former ballerina, she has been a principal dancer and artistic director of the Mainly Jazz Dancers and the Harvard University Ballet.

Franco Aureliani. Franco was born in 1492 aboard the cruise ship Santa Maria. He currently resides in Nueva York with his wife and son in a warm ranch style house with white picket fence. He spends most of his time in his Batcave-like studio and emerges occasionally to yell at people and stuff. He is the creator of Weirdsville, co-creator and writer of the acclaimed indie title Patrick the Wolf Boy, and co-creator of DC's all-ages hit Tiny Titans. He has also been known to write paint or draw other things. His car needs a new muffler, and he's always asking people if they would like to pose for him. People usually get mad at this (or get the wrong impression), and hilarity will ensue, as a fight will usually break out. So if he asks you to pose for one of his drawings . . . be nice.

Art Baltazar. Art is the super-cartoonist machine behind the DC Comics kids hit Tiny Titans. He's all about the peace, love, and joy. He defines cartoons and comics not only as an art form but as a way of life. Art started his funky secret art studio Electric Milk Creations in 1994 with his self-published comic book The Cray-Baby Adventures. Since then, he has created other comics such as Gyro-Man, Captain Camel & the Space Chicken, Jimmy Dydo, Lunar Lizard, Meteor Mite, and the famous Patrick the Wolf Boy. This guy shows no signs of stopping! Art has also had a few gigs with Warner Bros. and has a monthly comic strip in Disney Adventures Magazine called GORILLA GORILLA. He has some cool character design skills and has recently completed the Big Amoeba graphic novel for Platinum Studios.

Patrick and Shelly Block. Pat and Shelly Block are a popular writing and drawing team behind stories for various Walt Disney comic books around the globe. They have just received a pair of 2008 Harvey Awards nominations for Best Story and Best Original Graphic Album for their Donald Duck mystery The Case of the Missing Mummy. Working out of their studio and art school, Art Quest, in Pennsylvania, the ducky duo has produced thousands of pages of story art for fans of every age. Look for their short stories currently running in the Gemstone titles Walt Disney's Comics and Uncle Scrooge, as well as special one-shots featuring their newer longer tales. When you see them at Mid-Ohio-Con, bring a piece of paper or a comic book and ask for a free sketch!

Tobias S. Buckell. Tobias S. Buckell is a Caribbean-born speculative fiction writer who grew up in Grenada and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. His Caribbean roots often inform his fiction, as does his love of technology, science, and the rapidly changing world around us. He is a Clarion graduate, Writers of the Future winner, and finalist for the Campbell Award for Best New SF Writer. He has published more than 30 stories in magazines and anthologies and is the author of the novels Crystal Rain (2006) and Ragamuffin (2007), as well as the forthcoming Sly Mongoose (August 2008) and Halo: The Cole Protocol (fall 2008), the sixth novel set in the Halo universe.

Chris Eliopoulos. Chris Eliopoulos is a cartoonist and writer best known for his work on Marvel's all-ages series Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, co-written by Marc Sumerak. The title's first one-shot was nominated for an Eisner Award and a Harvey Award in 2005, and the series continues to receive critical acclaim and fan praise. Eliopoulos is also known for his comic strip Desperate Times, published by Image Comics and AAArgh! Comics, and his web comic strip Misery Loves Sherman, published daily on the eponymous website. He has also contributed hundreds of cartoon strips to the book series The Complete Idiot's Guide on almost every imaginable topic and has created dozens of custom cartoons for clients including Sports Illustrated.

Mark Evanier. Mark Evanier is the author of Kirby: King of Comics (Abrams, 2008), an essential illustrated biography of the legendary Jack Kirby. Mark's career in writing for television and comics spans nearly four decades and includes work for Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Gold Key, Marvel, and DC (Blackhawk), as well as creator-owned titles such as Groo the Wanderer (with Sergio Aragonés), DNAgents, and Crossfire. He has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for animation by the Writers Guild of America.

Chris Giarrusso. Chris Giarrusso is best known for his creation Mini Marvels, which originally appeared as Bullpen Bits in the Marvel comics letters pages in the late 1990s and later blossomed into one-shot comics of their own. A number of those issues were recently collected in the digest-sized trade paperback Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors, which promptly sold out and is being reprinted with a new cover. Chris also created G-Man and several other mini-sized superheroes in the strip Comic Bits, which began running as a backup feature in Savage Dragon in 2002. In 2004, Chris released the G-Man one-shot through Image Comics, and he hopes to return to the character in the future. Visit www.chrisgcomics.com to see more of his work.

Bryan J. L. Glass. Bryan is the co-creator and writer of the acclaimed comic series The Mice Templar with artist Michael Avon Oeming. He is also the writer of the upcoming Marvel adaptation of Raymond E. Feist's fantasy epic Magician: Riftwar, which picks up directly where his work on Magician: Apprentice left off. Bryan's first The Mice Templar short story was published in 2003 in the More Fund Comics charity book, and then again in 2005 with Quixote: A Novel and 86 Voltz: The Dead Girl. The Mice Templar is currently in development at Cartoon Network, with Bryan serving as producer. Quixote is also under consideration by competing production companies. Bryan is also developing a new sci-fi horror series with artist Robert Hack. Visit hiddenrobot.com for more about Bryan and his amazing body of work.

Mike Grell. Mike Grell started his career in comics in 1973 with DC Comics, working on titles such as Aquaman, Batman, The Phantom Stranger, and most notably Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. He cemented his status as a fan favorite with his best-known creation Warlord, one of the first sword-and-sorcery comics and reportedly the best-selling title published by DC Comics in the late 1970s. Through the 1980s, Grell developed grittier, down-to-earth titles such as the groundbreaking Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters at DC Comics and his creator-owned Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer at First Comics. It was recently announced that Grell will be returning to DC with a new Warlord series to be launched in 2009 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the celebrated title.

Tony Isabella. Tony Isabella is best known for his work as a contributing editor and lead reviewer for Comics Buyer's Guide. His humorous and thoughtful Tony's Tips! is a favorite among fans and industry professionals alike. Tony began his career in comics as an assistant to Stan Lee and Roy Thomas at Marvel Comics in 1972. Thirty-six years later, having worked for every major publisher in the comics business, he's still going strong. Tony created Black Lightning for DC Comics, co-created Tigra for Marvel Comics, and developed Jack Kirby's Satan's Six at Topps Comics. His diverse body of work covers countless titles including Captain America, Daredevil, Doc Savage, Donald Duck, Dracula, Elvira, Ghost Rider, Hawkman, Luke Cage, Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Star Wars, Superman, Tarzan, Uncle Scrooge, and Young Love.

Arvell Jones. Arvell is part of an amazing group of comic book industry talent that came from the Detroit area in the mid-1970s. The group also included Rich Buckler, Al Milgrom, Keith Pollard, and Jim Starlin. Arvell first began working at Marvel on titles such as Iron Man, Thor, and Iron Fist's early appearances in Marvel Premiere. In the early 1980s, Arvell also did some work for DC Comics, including its Super Team Family and Superman Family titles. The comic book that Arvell is most associated with is DC's All-Star Squadron, which he worked on with his friend Roy Thomas. Arvell is a successful television producer, but he still does comic book commissions and attends conventions to meet his fans when his schedule allows. Visit www.comicbook-art.com for more about Arvell.

Bob Layton. During the course of his vibrant career, Bob Layton has drawn, written, and edited many of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful comic book characters and titles for major and independent publishers alike. In 1978 Layton and David Michelinie totally reimagined Marvel's Invincible Iron Man, ultimately transforming it into one of Marvel's all-time best-sellers. Their story line "Demon in a Bottle" is now considered a milestone in comics history. Many of the concepts and characters David and Bob created were reflected in the 2008 blockbuster motion picture Iron Man. Bob recently returned to Marvel with two limited series that were released in conjunction with the Iron Man movie. Visit www.boblayton.com to see his stunning commission art gallery.

David Mack. David Mack is best known as the author and artist of Kabuki, published originally by Image Comics and now by the Marvel Comics Icon imprint. He also gained widespread acclaim as the writer and artist of Marvel's Daredevil series and as the cover artist for Alias. Mack's work has garnered nominations for two International Eagle Awards in the categories of Favorite Comic Artist (Painted) and Best Cover Art of the Year (Painted), the Eisner Award in the category of Best Painter, and both the Harvey and Kirby Awards in the category of Best New Talent. Mack has also designed toys and packaging, created ad campaigns for Sakura art materials, and illustrated rock and jazz album covers for Japanese and American labels and musicians such as Tori Amos and Paul McCartney.

Sean McKeever. Sean is best known as a writer of introspective, character-driven tales, as seen in his breakthrough teen-drama series The Waiting Place. The Eisner Award winner has written many titles for Marvel, including Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, The Incredible Hulk, Sentinel, Mystique, Inhumans, Gravity, Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, and the recently published X-Men Origins: Jean Grey one-shot. Sean has written Countdown to Final Crisis and Birds of Prey for DC Comics and is currently under exclusive contract with DC for the hit Teen Titans and the forthcoming Terror Titans. Terror Titans #1 of 6 will be on the shelves Wednesday, October 1—just days before Mid-Ohio-Con! Check out seanmckeever.com for more on the writer and his work.

Bob McLeod. Bob McLeod is best known as the co-creator of Marvel's New Mutants along with legendary and writer Chris Claremont. Bob has also had a long and prolific career beyond the New Mutants as a writer, penciler, inker, and letterer. Among his notable projects, McLeod inked Dave Cockrum's pencils in the seminal X-Men #94, the first issue of the series featuring the "All New, All Different X-Men." He also inked Mike Zeck's pencils on the six-part Kraven's Last Hunt storyline that ran through all three of the Spider-Man regular titles for two issues each during 1987. McLeod recently wrote and illustrated a children's book, Superhero ABC, published by HarperCollins, and he will be partnering with writer Wayne Osborne on a second FX limited series in fall 2008.

Wes Molebash. Wes Molebash is the creator of the web comic strip You'll Have That, a slice-of-life comic following the lives of Andy and Katie, a newlywed couple in their twenties, as they try to figure out life together. Molebash has been drawing comics ever since his mom bought him a Bruce Blitz "How to Draw Comic Strips" VHS tape in the fourth grade. You'll Have That has a strong and growing following on the Internet with more than 60,000 hits each month and has been featured in Wizard magazine and published in two books by Viper Comics. You can read You'll Have That every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at www.yhtcomic.com.

Marc Nobleman. Mid-Ohio-Con special guest Marc Tyler Nobleman grew up thinking he would become a superhero because his last name already sounded like one. Instead he turned into a writer and cartoonist. In researching Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, he dug up never-before-published details and was the first to find photos of the building in which Joe Shuster lived and where he and Jerry Siegel forged the Man of Steel; it was demolished in 1975 before the city knew its significance. He also discovered the truth behind the death of Jerry Siegel's father. Come by his booth at Mid-Ohio-Con for a signed copy of Boys of Steel, as featured in USA Today, Wired magazine, Fox News, and the A.V. Club. For more about Marc and his work, visit his blog, Noblemania.

Wayne Osborne. Wayne Osborne burst onto the comics scene in 2008 with the launch of his creator-owned title FX from IDW Publishing, featuring cover and interior pencils and inks by the legendary artist John Byrne. FX initially started as a one-issue commission by Byrne and developed into a six-part limited series by Osborne and Byrne. FX tells the tale of Tom Talbot, a boy struck down by a mysterious accident, who awakens to find that childhood play has suddenly become all too real, as he now has power limited only by his imagination. This superheroic coming-of-age series offers action, adventure, drama, intrigue, and romance as Tom comes to grips with his new powers and enters an amazing world of heroes, villains, and more.

David Petersen. David Petersen is the creator of the hit series Mouse Guard from Archaia Studios Press. In the world of Mouse Guard, mice struggle to live safely and prosper against the threat of harsh conditions and fierce predators. The brave mice of the Guard are soldiers, pathfinders, weather watchers, scouts, and bodyguards who fight vigiliantly to keep the mouse territories safe. Mouse Guard has been acclaimed by critics and fans alike, landing David the Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2007 and two Eisner Awards in 2008. David was born in 1977 and credits his steady diet of cartoons, comics, and tree climbing as a child for his inspiring his rich imagination—the driving force behind his great work today.

Keith Pollard is a comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics. Pollard had the distinction of working on three of Marvel's main books simultaneously when he was penciling Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, and Thor during the late 1970s and early '80s. During his stint with Marvel, Pollard co-created the Black Cat with writer Marv Wolfman. He is also widely remembered for his work on the original Deathlok stories in Astonishing Tales. In the early 1990s, he drew all the character profiles for The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition. Pollard also worked extensively for DC Comics, including pencils on Green Lantern and Vigilante. Visit www.comicbook-art.com for more on Keith and his work.

Brian Pulido. Best known as the creator of indie favorite Lady Death, Pulido's words and creations have been infecting the wild world of comics and beyond, creating a legacy of edgy characters and stories with a dark, rock-and-roll sensibility that has influenced pop culture and made underground images mainstream. Brian was the founder of Chaos! Comics and has created and written comics that include Lady Death, Evil Ernie, Purgatori, and Chastity, as well as Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Chucky, among many others. Also active in film, Pulido wrote and directed The Graves, a major motion picture starring Tony Todd (Candy Man) and Bill Mosley (The Devil's Rejects), in May 2008. Read more about Pulidio and his work at www.BrianPulido.com.

P. Craig Russell. P. Craig Russell is a Harvey and Eisner Award–winning artist and writer whose diverse body of work includes pioneering adaptations of literary and operatic classics as well as mainstream collaborations with creators such as Roy Thomas, Neil Gaiman, and Mike Mignola for DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Eclipse. Russell broke into comics in 1972 with his 11-issue run on Amazing Adventures, followed by his Marvel graphic novel Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds. In 1984 Russell began work on his adaptations of literary and operatic works by Rudyard Kipling, Maurice Maeterlinck, Oscar Wilde, Mozart, and Wagner. Russell has been a frequent collaborator with Neil Gaiman, working on his groundbreaking comic Sandman and adapting Gaiman's Murder Mysteries and Coraline into comics form.

Beau Smith. Beau has been writing comic books since 1985, and they haven't found a way to stop him yet. He has worked for all of the major publishers including DC, Image, Marvel, Chaos, Dark Horse, Knight Press, AC Comics, Wildstorm, Top Cow, and Axis on many of the leading characters and titles in the world of comics. In addition to writing comics, Beau has also done significant video game and film work. In the late 1970s, Beau was personally deemed president for life of the Sgt. Rock fan club by Sgt. Rock creator Robert Kanigher. Basically, if it's manly, Beau has had a hand or two in it, and his passion for writing rivals that of his lust for cold beer and pretty women.

Chris Sprouse. Chris has been working in comics as an artist, designer, and writer since the early 1990s. He is best known as the artist and co-creator of Alan Moore's Tom Strong for Wildstorm's imprint ABC Comics. With writer Warren Ellis, Chris designed and drew Wildstorm's science fiction miniseries Ocean, which is being turned into a motion picture by Warner Brothers. Chris has worked with an array of major and indie publishers on projects including Number of the Beast, Midnighter, Legionnaires, Batman, Justice League, WildC.AT.S., Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Grendel, Supreme, New Men, and X-Men and Marvel 2099 titles. Chris is currently working on projects for DC and Wildstorm. Check out his blog at sprousenet.blogspot.com.

Roger Stern. Roger is a writer of books, comics, radio, and television who has built an incredible following over the past 30 years with his vivid characterization, intricate plot lines, powerful drama, and fast-paced action. Roger has written an incredibly diverse range of characters, including Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Green Lantern, Starman, Supergirl, and Superman. Notably, he wrote the New York Times best-seller The Death and Life of Superman in 1994. His stories have been collected in dozens of editions, including Captain America: War and Remembrance, The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus, Darkman vs. Army of Darkness, Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern, Volume 1, and JLA: That Was Now, This Is Then.

Marc Sumerak. Marc is best known for his writing work on the Marvel Comics series Power Pack and the Eisner and Harvey Award nominated Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius. While earning his degree at Bowling Green State University, Sumerak had the life-changing opportunity to move to New York City and spend a semester working at Marvel. This experience paved the way for a staff position at Marvel and a highly successful career in comics as a freelancer. Sumerak is currently writing Marvel Adventures: Avengers and Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, as well as a number of other new projects. Other clients that Sumerak has worked with include DC Comics, American Greetings, the Elks, SAMHSA, PBS Kids, Pepperidge Farm, Tyson Foods, Triple-A Baseball, and SEGA.

Billy Tan. Superstar artist Billy Tan recently took over Marvel's flagship New Avengers title, continuing his remarkable run on iconic Marvel comics that have included Spider-Man and the Uncanny X-Men. Starting his career at Top Cow with Code Name: Strike Force, Tomb Raider, and Witchblade, Billy joined Marvel in 2003 as the artist on the groundbreaking series X-23. He was announced as part of Marvel's second lineup of "Young Guns" in 2006, a list of artists exclusive to Marvel Comics and featured on the publisher's most prominent projects and titles. Billy was in good company with Clayton Crain, Simone Bianchi, Pascal Ferry, Ariel Olivetti, and Leinil Yu, and he was soon was teamed with writer Ed Brubaker on Uncanny X-Men. Visit billytanart.com for more.

Layne Toth. As seen on TV and in magazines such as TIME, 11-year-old Layne Toth has had her art and stories published in 23 comic books to date, including Sisters Comics Annual, featuring her property The Adventures of Lucky: The One-Eyed Stray Dog!, Levi Krause's Scribble Monster with Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from TV's Buck Rogers, Owosso Taco House Funnies with Arrow Comics editor in chief Randy Zimmerman, and Fat Momma of Sci-Fi Channel's Stan Lee's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? Layne's paper sponsor is Canson FanBoy, and her comic book creator mentor is Levi Krause. Layne and her sister Peri are regular guests on The Fly Over Zone with Hugh Moore and friends on WQNA 88.3 FM. Visit Layne at www.sisterscomics.com.

Peri Toth. Li'l sister eight-year-old Peri Toth has had her creations published in 11 comic books to date, including Sisters Comics Annual, featuring her property Peri Toth's See-Thru-Baby!, Levi Krause's Scribble Monster with Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from TV's Buck Rogers, Owosso Taco House Funnies with Arrow Comics editor in chief Randy Zimmerman, and Fat Momma of Sci-Fi Channel's Stan Lee's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? Currently, Peri is working on her latest creation The Mysterious Mr. Briggs: Space Killer. Peri's paper sponsor is Canson FanBoy, and her comic book creator mentor is Levi Krause. Peri and her sister Layne are regular guests on The Fly Over Zone with Hugh Moore and friends on WQNA 88.3 FM. Visit Layne at www.sisterscomics.com.

Billy Tucci. Eisner Award nominee Billy Tucci took the comics world by storm when he launched his self-published series Shi in 1994 while working from his one-bedroom apartment. Still a fan-favorite title to this day, the phenomenally successful character has sold more than 4 million comics worldwide in her own title and in cross-over projects with some of the most well-known characters in the industry, including Daredevil, Witchblade, and Wolverine. Coming up in November 2008 is Tucci's DC miniseries Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, which is set in October 1944 after D-Day when Easy Company has been transferred to the 36th Division. The six-issue story about the rescue of a lost battalion will feature many of Sgt. Rock's long-standing cast of characters.

Ethan Van Sciver. Ethan Van Sciver is a comic book artist whose work includes the critically acclaimed Green Lantern: Rebirth miniseries and the Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps one-shot, both written by Geoff Johns. Ethan's other work includes titles such as Cyberfrog, Bog Swamp Demon, X-Men, The Flash: Iron Heights, Impulse, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Batman, and Green Lantern. He is currently working on Green Lantern: The Blackest Night, forthcoming in 2009.

Len Wein. Len Wein is the creator of the legendary comic book character Swamp Thing (generating four comic book series, two feature films, a TV series, an animated series, and a new feature film in development for Joel Silver), the Human Target (several comics series, a live-action TV series, and a feature film in development for Warner Brothers), and Wolverine and the new X-Men (the most successful comic book series of the 1980s and 1990s, two long-running animated series, three hugely successful feature films, with a Wolverine solo feature in development), as well as many other characters. In television Len developed and story-edited the award-winning War Planets: Shadow Raiders. He has scripted more than sixty episodes of series such as Hypernauts, Conan, Hulk, X-Men, Godzilla, Spider-Man, Action Man, Street Fighter, Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Exosquad, Pocket Dragon Adventures, and many others. Len also received Emmy honors for work on Batman: The Animated Series. In comics, he has served as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, Disney Comics, and Top Cow Comics, and senior editor at DC Comics. He is noted for long runs in writing almost every major character in the business.

Chris Yambar. Award-winning creator Chris Yambar is best known for his work on such titles as Bart Simpson Comics, Radioactive Man, I Dream of Jeannie, Mister Magoo, and Elfquest. He has also received acclaim for his own over-the-top characters such as Mr. Beat, the Fire-Breathing Pope, El Mucho Grande—Wrestler for Hire, Suicide Blonde, Spells, Meow Wow!, Twerp and the Blue Baboon, Faith: Warrior Princess, Bambeano Boy, Misfits, McBride—the Faerie King, Suckulina: Vampire Temp, Life Maxx, Edison's Frankenstein 1910, and Buttler—Everyone's Favorite Impacted Pup. In late 2007 Chris signed an animation development deal with Cinemanix which is now working on test animation for several of his creator- and co-creator-owned properties. Visit Chris at www.yambar.com.

Thom Zahler. By day, Thom Zahler is a cartoonist and graphic artist. By night, he is also a cartoonist and graphic artist. But that's because he's a workaholic. Besides, he gets bored easily, sometimes even writing about himself in the third person just to amuse himself. Thom is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. His client list includes companies such as Marvel Comics, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Prilosec, and Toon Tumblers. He is also the writer and artist of the Cleveland Indians' Slider comic strip. He has written and drawn three graphic novels: Raider: From the Shadows, Raider: A Cold Day in Heaven, and Raider: Dead Men's Tales. See more of Thom's artwork at www.thomz.com.

Dave Aikins. Dave is a professional artist and graphic designer based in Columbus, Ohio. He has been most active recently on projects for Nickelodeon, including book and DVD covers featuring Dora the Explorer, Diego, The Backyardigans, and SpongeBob Squarepants. He has also worked extensively with other licensed properties, including Barney, Mr. Potato Head, Powerpuff Girls, Space Ghost, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Disney's Tigger and Pooh. He is the illustrator of Twilight Creations' popular Zombies!!! game series, as well as the cover artist for Moonstone's new Kolchak: Night Stalker of the Living Dead miniseries. His newest work can be seen in Moonstone's upcoming The Avenger Chronicles. For more information, visit letsdrawstudio.com.

Darryl Banks. Darryl is from Columbus, Ohio, and a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design with a bachelor's degree. He began his comics career in 1989, working for various independent comic companies. In 1993 he started working with DC Comics on Legion of Superheroes and later on Green Lantern. Co-creating the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, Parallax, and other characters was a great honor and challenge for Darryl's costume design skills. In addition to various other projects for DC, his work includes Tomb Raider: Epiphany from Top Cow, GI Joe Reloaded for Devil's, Johnnie Zombie for Midgard Comics, covers to Moonstone's Phantom, and other more.

Andy Bennett. Andy has been working professionally as an illustrator for thirteen years. An Ohio native, he graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 1995 with a BFA in illustration. That same year, he did his first comics work for Caliber Comics' Negative Burn. He has since expanded his résumé to include nearly 20 comics from Caliber and, most recently, a series of graphic novels for Moonstone Books' Vampire: The Masquerade—Tremere and Ventrue graphic novels. His newest releases include Moonstone's upcoming Kolchak the Night Stalker / Sherlock Holmes miniseries, The Avenger Chronicles, IDW's Lifelike graphic novel, and Ferret Press's critically acclaimed PANEL anthology. Visit Andy on the web at B3NN3TT.com.

Brant W. Fowler. Brant W. Fowler is a freelance writer, letterer, and occasionally artist and web/graphic designer currently residing in Kentucky. His credits include (writing) his creator-owned title Wannabez, as well as (lettering) Abiding Perdition, Corrective Measures, Shelter, Academy of Heroes, Arcana Comics, and more. Brant has also contributed columns, reviews, and interviews at several sites, is a former editor in chief of two small comic companies, and a regular blogger, as well as the current editor in chief for comic news site www.silverbulletcomics.com. He is known on the Internet as "Gonzogoose" or simply "Gonzo" for reasons he declines to comment on. Brant is currently pursuing both company- and creator-owned opportunities in comics and other media. He aspires to someday write, illustrate, and letter a comic-turned-novel-turned-movie in which he will play a role and record some of the music. It's a lofty goal, but that is why he is the fabled Gonzogoose! www.brantfowler.com.

Sean Forney. Sean Forney is the co-creator and artist on the self-published comic book Scarlet Huntress. He has worked professionally in the illustration and comic industries for the past six years. Recent work includes Camp Comics' Camp Dangerous Curves, which was released at Wizard World Chicago 2006. Sean was the cover artist for Twisted Gate Entertainment's Portal no. 2, Snow Ninjas no. 1, and Man of Prey no. 1. He also penciled and inked interior pages for Portal nos. 1 and 2. www.smcomics.com.

Robyn Griggs. Robyn started acting at the age of three and has been working in television and film ever since. Her first prominent TV role was on ABC's soap opera One Life to Live, and she later starred in ABC's Another World. Since 2001 Robin has appeared in independent horror and thriller films, such as Abattoir (2001) and Ghost Tour (2003) for Deepkut productions. She has also appeared in Minds of Terror (2003), Zombiegeddon (2003), Project 187 (2003), The Urn (2003), Demon Hunters (2003), Aberration Boulevard (2001), Severe Injuries (2003), Dead Clowns (2003), The Absence of Light (2004), and Dead Planet (2004). Robyn currently tours with various horror film conventions and produces and promotes low-budget independent horror films.

Kenn Minter. Kenn is the art director for the University of Kentucky's Creative Graphics and Web Design team. He has been working in the print industry for well over 10 years and is a longtime independent comic creator self-publishing titles such as The Experts and Super World. He's also the man behind I'm Not from Here, the semi-embellished autobiographical comic strip that Kenn has been creating since 2002. Visit kennminter.com to see more of his work. Kenn's appearance at Mid-Ohio-Con is presented by Comic Related.

Dara Naraghi. Dara has been writing and self-publishing comics for the past six years. His debut creator-owned graphic novel Lifelike was published this year by IDW Publishing. He has worked with IDW on several more projects, including Cory Doctorow's Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now, Igor movie prequel, and the upcoming prequel series Terminator Salvation, which will lead in to next year's movie starring Christian Bale. Dara is also a founding member of the comic book writers and artists collective known as PANEL and has contributed to, and helped publish, 12 volumes of their well-received anthology series through his Ferret Press imprint. Visit him on the web at ferretpress.com.

Brett R. Pinson. Brett is the co-founder of Boomtown Press as well as the co-creator of Boomtown Scabs and The Adventures of Carl. Brett is currently working on the Fat Momma comics as a contributing writer, colorist, and letterer. He is also collaborating with Kevin Leen on Dinosaurs, Zombies, and Flying Saucers, with Adam Talley on The Expendables, and with Josh Warner on Incessant Yarns and several other projects in the near future.

Cathy St. George. Cathy St. George is a model and actress. Her film credits include Star 80 with Eric Roberts, The Man Who Loved Women with Burt Reynolds and Julie Andrews, Brewster's Millions with Richard Pryor, Beverly Hills Brats with Martin Sheen, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind with George Clooney. Her television work includes The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Tonight Show, and Santa Barbara. As a model, she has appeared twice as a Playboy cover model among many major publications and served as the inspiration for comic title Saint 7 International Spy and Ken Kelley's striking cover to issue #33 of Red Sonja. St. George has just completed 2 new horror films called No Strings and Grave Danger and a new comedy called Foursome, which is in post production.

Paul Storrie. Paul has been writing comics professionally since 1998, starting with Robyn of Sherwood, a series about the daughter of Robin and Marian taking up the cause 15 years after the death of her parents. He has written extensively for Moonstone Books, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics, including his noted collaboration with David Lloyd in the 60th Anniversary anthology Captain America: Red, White & Blue. Paul authored the Shi-Tenth Muse crossover for Blue Water Productions and penned an installment of IDW Publishing's Star Trek: Alien Spotlight series. He has also contributed extensively to the Graphic Myths & Legends line of graphic novels from children's book publisher Lerner Books. His latest work will be on comic shop shelves this October in Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons #7 from Devil's Due Publishing. Visit Storrieville for more about Paul and his work.

Joe Shover. Joe Shover is a writer and artist living in Springfield, Ohio. Joe is a co-founder of Zonetrooper LTD and could easily be described as a human hat rack, since he wears so many of them where Zonetrooper is concerned. Joe designs and maintains the website, maintains contacts and submissions, co-hosts the Zonecast, designs and does layout for Zonetrooper magazine, where he writes Cronac: Temporal Enforcer and Major Tom's Journal, both ongoing storylines. Joe has written his own role-playing game, which will hit the Zonetrooper site sometime in the future.

Scott D. M. Simmons. Scott D. M. Simmons resides in the Cincinnati area and is the artist for Wannabez (written and lettered by Brant W. Fowler). He is an inker over artists such as Nicola Scott and David Baldeon for the upcoming Halloween Man books. He is also a frequent art and story contributor and editor at www.globalcomicjam.com (especially on Fusion Odyssey and JetDog Goes to Egypt) and has a few comic book projects in the works for various writers, as well as his own creations like Journeymen. Scott worked as a photographer at Hasbro Toys for eight years and has taught at the Art Institutes. He also currently writes the (Th)Inking Globally artist column at www.silverbulletcomics.com. His artwork portfolios can be seen at www.scottdmsimmons.com and at www.comicspace.com/scottdmsimmons.

Uko Smith. Uko Smith, a full-time freelancer who was born and bred in Washington, D.C., then fled to the Columbus College of Art and Design, has a usable BFA degree in illustration and a minor in fashion. Uko first gained recognition for his erotic pinup work and his sensual style. Collectors of his work have come to notice his distinctive use of line work and stylized realization. Uko has appeared in Heavy Metal magazine as the Featured Artist of the Month; Julie Strain's Nightmare on Pin-up Street, where he has four pieces displayed; Jade Magazine, Marquis, Aphrodisia, and others. Other work of Uko's can be found in the world of sketchcards from DC Legacy, Marvel Masterpieces, and The Complete Avengers. Currently he just finished 600 cards for The Women of Marvel through Rittenhouse. He produces self-published works such as sketchbooks, prints, original works, and T-shirts, along with a steady load of freelance work for various companies such as Green Ronin. He has taught fast sketch and figure drawing and currently teaches the comic book class at CCAD.

Jamie Snell. A graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, Jamie has become a freelance comic book artist, working for various independent comic companies. His most recent projects include Lord of the Rings Masterpieces II sketch cards from Topps and New Line Cinema, various Beast Wars Source Book profiles from IDW Publishing and Hasbro, Pop Gun Anthology from Image Comics, Cereal and Pajamas from Ape Entertainment, and various chores for General Jack Cosmo Productions.