FAN EXPO Is Celebrating Comic-Book Creators! Here's Who You'll Want to Meet

Comic books may not be the singular focus of most national conventions anymore, and FAN EXPO HQ is admittedly no different, but it's inarguable that pop-culture conventions owe their wide success and existence to the seminal American medium. There’s a lot of talk in hobby circles about how comics have taken an unfortunate and unfair back seat at many cons, but FAN EXPO Denver is endeavoring to prove that wrong, scheduling a solid number of sequential art stars right along with the celebrities and vendors and all the things that make a con awesome.

So break out those comics and save up some cash for a sketch from your favorite artist or an autograph from a favorite writer. Get ready for some lines, for sure, because these folks are popular for a reason — but take advantage of meeting your comic heroes while you can. And FAN EXPO, thanks for giving comics their due.

There are too many awesome creatives coming to FAN EXPO this summer for us to highlight here (for a complete and up-to-date list of all the comics guests, see the FAN EXPO website), but here’s a list of a dozen comic-book creators you don't want to miss.

Frank Cho
Cho is perhaps best known for his cheesecake takes on Shanna the She-Devil, Power Girl, Wonder Woman and She-Hulk, a talent he honed in his popular Liberty Meadows syndicated strip. He also does astounding pen sketches, and his commissions go for thousands of dollars. If you like your superheroes with a bit of wink-wink-nudge-nudge, you already know — and appreciate — Cho’s work.

Patrick Gleason
Gleason might be the youngest artist on this list, but he’s gotten a lot of play on Marvel covers recently, from the Spider-Man/Venom issue from this year’s Free Comic Book Day to Captain America and X-Men and Amazing Spidey comics. His style walks an effective line between realism and comic-book hyperbole. If you want a web-slinging signature or even a sketch, then Gleason’s your guy.

Tom Grummett
Canadian-born Grummett was one of the architects of DC’s Superman lore over the years, including serving as an instrumental part of the infamous Death of Superman back in 1992, and the reinvention of the new Superboy in 1993. If you’re a Super-fan, bust out those first appearances of Doomsday and get those suckers signed.

Andy Kubert
Andy Kubert is comics royalty. He and his brother Adam have been working in comics since the ’80s; their legendary dad, Joe Kubert, did significant work for DC for years, and later started the Kubert School in New Jersey. Andy got his start on the same book for which his father, Joe, was the classic artist: Sgt. Rock. But he’s done far more since, including copious X-Men and Batman work for the Big Two.

Mike Kunkel
If you don’t know Mike Kunkel, you’re missing out on some of the coolest art and sweetest storylines spanning the last twenty years. His childhood fantasy series, Herobear and the Kid, is a nostalgic and superhero take on Calvin and Hobbes to some degree, but it’s a thing unto itself. It’s also the perfect book for that younger kid who needs a more innocent origin story to their comics collecting — and it’s a book you won’t mind reading to them again and again.

Greg Land
Land is a popular artist, no question, but he’s also somewhat controversial in his use of modeling from certain photo-reference sources, including pornography. But for his fans, that’s easy to overlook: It’s all part of a body of work that has graced the covers of the CrossGen’s much-missed Sojourn, as well as Marvel’s Ultimate Fantastic Four (including the first appearance of the super-popular Marvel Zombies) and such landmark issues as Uncanny X-Men 500.

Jae Lee
Lee began his long career with a short Beast storyline in Marvel Comics Presents in 1991. Since then, he’s moved from book to book, making his mark and garnering positive reviews from fans and critics alike. In more recent years, he’s moved to more independent properties, including Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, DC’s Before Watchmen and IDW’s upcoming Rocketeer one-shot.

Steve McNiven
Another CrossGen veteran, McNiven moved from that company’s Meridian to work on major Marvel projects such as the Civil War and Secret Empire events, the 2011 Captain America re-launch, the Death of Wolverine limited series and much more. He’s become the go-to for Wolverine stories now, including the fan-favorite “Old Man Logan” storyline. Wolvie fans, pop your claws and snikt on over to check out McNiven’s impossibly sharp work.

Don Rosa
Rosa is the undisputed spiritual successor to Disney-duck-great Carl Barks, especially when it comes to Uncle Scrooge. A Harvey Award nominee for his first Duck story and an Eisner-award winner for his collection The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Rosa proves himself to be one of the few creators who can capture not only the visual style of classic Barks books, but also continue the stories, characters and settings from the Disney past.

Joe Rubinstein
If you’re a comic book fan, it’s likely you’re also a fan of Joe Rubinstein. He’s taken part in several of the most important comic books of the last half-century, including serving as inker on mini-series such as Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s legendary Wolverine, not to mention the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and Infinity Gauntlet. And despite his notoriety as an inker, his pencils are equally noteworthy.

Marc Silvestri
Silvestri has been a mover and shaker in comics since the early ’80s, but really hit big during his long run on the Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine ongoings. After that, he was one of the original seven artists who started Image Comics, creating properties such as Witchblade, though he’d eventually make his way back to Marvel and DC both, particularly with Catwoman.

Local Artists and Up-and-Comers
Just because you can occasionally catch Colorado’s local creatives at comic shops like Time Warp or Mile High or Hall of Justice doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t support them at big shows like this one. And there’s a healthy crop of local talent appearing: Morgan Beem, Jorge Corona, Rye Hickman (who has a Dreamer story in the DC Pride issue featured in the video above), Travis Hymel, Travis Mercer and many others. If anything, it’s more important to seek them out. Wander Artists Alley to find these folks and new favorites, too, and thank them for their work (and also buy their wares to support their burgeoning careers). Getting in on the early career of a rising star is a pretty good feather in your collector's cap, too. Good karma and good comics — can't beat that combo.


Fan Expo Denver happens at Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, June 30-July 2. Ticketing and more information can be found at the FAN EXPO website.