Guest of Honor: Bill Sienkiewicz
Artist of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Brave and The Bold, and Chief Creative Officer of Madefire Inc.: Liam Sharp
Eisner Hall of Fame Inductees, Inkpot Award-Winning creators of Elfquest, and founders of Warp Graphics: Wendy and Richard Pini
Eagle Award-Winning Writer of The New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Tomb of Dracula and Eisner Hall of Fame Inductee: Marv Wolfman
Wife of the late, great Ed “Big Daddy” Roth of Rat Fink fame: Trixie Roth
Multi-talented artist, designer, and writer for comics, films, books, museum prehistoric-life murals, Disney and Universal theme-park attractions, and much more: William Stout
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kirby’s Fourth World, fan-favorite inker of Jack Kirby and Russ Manning, Disney designer for Winnie the Pooh and more: Mike Royer
The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center was founded in 2005 with a mission to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby. Trustees Rand Hoppe and Tom Kraft will host the “Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, 50 years Later” panel: The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center
Comics Dealer Guest of Honor with over 40-years experience buying and selling collectible comics, an expert in comics grading and a Comics Guarantee Company (CGC) authorized dealer, an Overstreet Price Guide (OPG) advisor, and a producer/promoter of comic-collector shows: Terry O’Neill
Author, filmmaker, Hollywood insider, one of the most respected and knowledgeable writers on film working today, and author of the authoritative Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner: Paul Sammon
The Three Tooners
- Animator for Disney (starting with the spaghetti-kissing scene in Lady and the Tramp), Warner Bros. Cartoon’s (working with Chuck Jones and Fritz Freleng), Bob Clampett Cartoons (The Beany and Cecil Show), and Hanna-Barbera (The Jetsons, The Flintstones, and The Yogi Bear Show): Willie Ito
- Please Note: Tony Benedict and Jerry Eisenberg will be unable to attend the Fest as planned so Disney Legend and Hanna-Barbera alumnus Floyd Norman will join the Three Tooners panel to interview Willie Ito about the early days of Hanna-Barbera, followed by the two animation greats discussing their time together at Hanna-Barbera.
More Special Animation Guests
- Producer/Story Editor/Head Writer of Spider-Man: The Animated Series: John Semper
- Writer for such animation classics as Thundarr the Barbarian, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Batman, Tiny Toons as well as comics, feature films, video games, manga graphic novels, and novels: Buzz Dixon
- Disney Legend, animator, writer, comics creator: Floyd Norman
- Film and television director, head of story, director of photography, and animation storyboard artist and voice actor, comics creator, and an official Rat Fink artist for the Ed “Big Daddy” Roth estate: Ken Mitchroney
Historical Archivist of the Steve Ditko Collection: Mark S. Ditko
Eisner Award-Winning Writer of Justice, The Earth X Trilogy and Project Superpowers: Jim Krueger
President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of IDW Publishing (previously Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer from 2004), comics writer (Rom, Transformers, many more), and co-creator of Groom Lake, The Hollows, The Colonized, Onyx, and Zombies vs Robots: Chris Ryall
Creators of steampunk favorites Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel and Frank Reade: Adventures in the Age of Invention, Heartbreakers comics, and the forthcoming Aztec Empire graphic novel: Anina Bennett and Paul Guinan
Harvey Award-winning and Eisner-nominated comics writer/editor for DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and Crossgen: Barbara Kesel
Illustrator, comic artist (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse), and independent creator: Joe Phillips
Writer on pop culture for Forbes and ICv2, communications educator, and author of Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture: Rob Salkowitz
Cartoonist, animator and creator of the ever-popular Oddball Comics show: Scott Shaw!
Underground comix and women’s comics pioneer, comics herstorian, award-winning graphic novelist, first woman to draw Wonder Woman for DC, and 2013 Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee: Trina Robbins
Underground comix creator (Gothic Blimp Works, It Ain’t Me Babe, All Girl Thrills, Slow Death Funnies, Illuminations, and the forthcoming Queen of Cosmos Comix), muralist, fine artist, and “Los Angeles Cultural Treasure”: Willy Mendes
An artist and writer with a varied career in underground comics, illustration, and fine art painting whose latest graphic novel, Billie the Bee, was published by Fantagraphics in 2019: Mary Fleener
Comic artist for Marvel, DC (including many for Vertigo), and five-time Eisner winner for Fables: Steve Leialoha
A Los Angeles comics fan in the 60s and early 70s who survived the infamous Marvelmania International debacle to go on to a career as a cartoonist, writer, vintage television archivist, and underground comix creator: Bruce Simon
Science-Fiction Guests “The Killer B’s”:
- Award-winning author of fact-based science-fiction (and some great fantasy too): Greg Bear
- Award-winning author of fact-based science-fiction, alternate history, and non-fiction: Gregory Benford
- Futurist, award-winning author of fact-based science fiction and fantasy: David Brin
Science of Science-Fiction Guests:
- Astrophysicist, professor at UC San Diego, Director of the Cool Star Lab, who investigates the atmospheres and dynamics of the coolest stars, brown dwarfs, and extrasolar planets: Dr. Adam Burgasser
- UC Santa Barbara Professor of physics and astronomy, physics and astronomy textbook author, erstwhile underground-comix letterer, DC supervillain, and Marvel mad scientist: Dr. Roger Freedman
- Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry at San Diego City College and self-proclaimed “science geek”: Dr. Shane Haggard
- Her work focuses on studying the nature of dark matter, an elusive substance permeating space and making up a whopping 85% of the Universe’s matter content, and 25% of its energy content: Sophia Gad Nasr
- Advanced Projects Manager at Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, CA, where he has managed the development of three cameras currently orbiting the Moon, three orbiting Mars, four on the surface of Mars, one orbiting Jupiter and three on their way to the asteroid Benuu: Dr. Michael Ravine
- Astronomer, astrophysicist, and UCSD assistant professor in the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences: Dr. Karin Sandstrom
- Professor of Astronomy and Physics at San Diego City College, Resident Astronomer at the Fleet Science Center, and co-host of Astronomy on Tap San Diego: Dr. Lisa Will
International Guests from Mexico:
- Creator of Conque, a major comic convention in Mexico, comics editor and historian, and recognized worldwide as one of the top authorities on comics in Mexico: Luis Gantus
- From Mexico City, cartoonist: Juanele
- Creator of Gamacon, which produces popular-arts conventions in Mexico as well as educational, networking, and promotional opportunities for Mexican popular-arts students, professionals, and businesses: Hugo A. Castro
Longtime comics fan, horror author and anthologist, and radio personality: Jeff Gelb
She runs the Eisner Awards, started Comic-Con’s Artists’ Alley, and is editor and co-publisher of Exhibit A Press: Jackie Estrada
Storyboard artist, Eisner-winning creator of Age of Reptiles graphic novels for Dark Horse: Ricardo Delgado
Storyboard artist, book illustrator, comics artist, writer, and monster historian: Pete Von Sholly
Comics editor and writer best known for work at DC including overseeing the Green Lantern books during the introduction of fan favorite Kyle Rayner in the Emerald Twilight storyline: Kevin Dooley
Designer, author, instructor, photographer, and contributing editor to Print, the graphic design magazine: Michael Dooley
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award and Ink Pot Award winning comics creator and muralist, founder of literacy-promoting Cartoonists across America & the World, and publisher of Uncle Jam magazine: Phil Yeh
Creator of superhero comedy YouTube series Super Knocked Up, creator and host of Super Geeked Up LIVE, a geeky chat and improv comedy show he performs online and on stage at numerous cons across North America, host of DC Action Hour, where he and his co-hosts discuss all the DC shows on the CW, and runner of panels and gaming sessions on Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop RPGs at various cons: Jeff Burns
Live Art:
- Star Wars artist for Lucasfilm/Disney: Lee Kohse
- Sculptor who created the “Kong,” Kanamit, Kirby “Moai,” Frankenstein’s monster, and Moon-landing inspired sculptures for past San Diego Comic Fests and for 2020 is creating a Harryhausen-inspired sculpture: Robert Maya
- Master caricaturist: Dave Stephens