Guest of Honor: Sergio Aragonés
Special Golden Age Comics Guest: Allen Bellman
Science Fiction Guest of Honor: William Nolan
Fan Guest of Honor: Bill Schelly
Dealer Guest of Honor: Bud Plant
Special guests for the 2019 25th anniversary of Spider-Man: The Animated Series:
- Producer/Story Editor/Head Writer: John Semper
- Voice Actor: Karen Kahler
Special Animation Guests
- Animator for Disney (Sleeping Beauty, The Rescuers, The Fox & The Hound, and The Black Cauldron) and her own animation company, Baer Animation (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?): Jane Shattuck-Takamoto-Baer
- Writer for such classic Hanna-Barbera animated shows/characters as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Top Cat, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Yogi Bear Show, The Magilla Gorilla Show, and much more: Tony Benedict
- The son and daughter of the great Bob Clampett, who will be joining in honoring this year’s 60th anniversary of their father’s Beany and Cecil show as well as his classic Warner Bros cartoons in connection with this year’s 50th anniversary of the closing of the Warner’s Cartoon Studio, which brought an end to an era: Rob Clampett and Ruth Clampett
- 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
- Animator (Ralph Bakshi, Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Don Bluth, Filmation, his own Lion’s Den Productions), computer-animation pioneer, animation historian, and cartoonist: Milt Gray
- 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
- Award-winning author, historian, filmmaker and preeminent expert on women in early animation, her latest groundbreaking book is Ink & Paint – The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation: Mindy Johnson
- Disney Legend, animator, writer, comics creator: Floyd Norman
His Emmy Award Winning PBS children’s how-to-draw series, Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station, is NOW a smash hit streaming on Amazon Prime Video and nearly a million copies of his bestselling how-to-draw books have been sold, it’s Commander Mark himself: Mark Kistler
Creators and executive producers of Ben 10, Mega Man: Fully Charged and the Generator Rex animated series. Executive producers of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble series. Creators of the team and characters for Marvel/Disney’s Big Hero 6, and so much more. Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Steven T. Seagle, and Duncan Rouleau are Man of Action Entertainment
Eisner-winning comics writer for DC/Vertigo (Starman, Batman, Superman, Justice Society of America, Justice League), Marvel (Captain America, Fantastic Four, Cable, Squadron Supreme), Image (Airboy, Leave It to Chance), and Dark Horse (Grendel Tales): James Robinson
Winner of Eisner, Kirby, Harvey, and Inkpot awards, co-creator of Nexus, artist for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and more: Steve Rude
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
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
Creator, artist, writer of Usagi Yojimbo and artist on Dark Horse’s The 47 Ronin: Stan Sakai
Eisner and Harvey Award-winning creator of Too Much Coffee Man and cartoonist for The New Yorker: Shannon Wheeler
NY Times Bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award winner, creator of V-WARS (coming soon as a Netflix original series), the Joe Ledger thrillers, the Rot & Ruin series, and the Dead of Night series: Jonathan Maberry
Creator of Xenozoic Tales (adapted as animated series Cadillacs and Dinosaurs), Conan illustrator, writer for Prince Valiant and Superman: Mark Schultz
Comics creator known for Cobalt-60, Miami Mice, The Lizard of Oz, Heavy Metal magazine, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and for completing and continuing work by his father, the legendary cartoonist Vaughn Bode: Mark Bode
Harvey Award-winning and Eisner-nominated comics writer/editor for DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and Crossgen: Barbara Kesel
An Amazon #1 bestseller, author of 15 crime fiction novels, called by Publishers Weekly, “One of the best writers in the mystery field today,” and winner of such major awards in crime fiction as a Critics’ Choice Award, The Lefty (awarded to the best humorous mystery of the year), and the Odin Award for Lifetime Achievement: Alan Russell
Illustrator, comic artist (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse), and independent creator: Joe Phillips
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
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!
Fan-favorite inker of Jack Kirby and Russ Manning, Disney designer for Winnie the Pooh and more: Mike Royer
Eisner-winning comics writer (Groo), prolific writer for television and animation, and author of the authoritative, Eisner-winning Jack Kirby: King of Comics: Mark Evanier
Publisher of pioneering independent comic-anthology series Star*Reach (1974-79), comics writer for DC (Justice League, Phantom Stranger, Batman, The Flash, Teen Titans) and Marvel (Captain America, Captain Marvel, Warlock, Ant-Man): Mike Friedrich
Underground comix creator and a founder of the Wimmen’s Comix collective, regular contributor to Star*Reach, Heavy Metal, and Epic Illustrated in the 1970s, comics writer for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Emmy-Award-winning animation director, and creator of comic series The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp: Lee Marrs
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, and Illuminations), 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 next graphic novel, Billie the Bee, will be 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
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
Award-winning illustrator, comics historian, and author of The Silver Age of Comic Book Art who will be presenting 4 VisuaLectures over 3 days: Arlen Schumer
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
- Award-winning author of fact-based science-fiction and honorary “B”: Vernor Vinge
Science of Science-Fiction Guests:
- Her research has led to the discovery of an extremely rare galaxy with a unique circular structure, which is now commonly referred to as Burçin’s Galaxy: Dr. Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil
- 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
- 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
- A postdoctoral researcher and professional dark matter hunter working at UC Santa Barbara who is often found wearing a hard hat and coveralls in a gold-mine-turned-underground-laboratory 1 mile beneath the surface in South Dakota.: Dr. Sally Shaw
- They bring graduate students from the UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program to local classrooms and science festivals throughout San Diego. Their mission is to teach the community about fundamental principles in neuroscience and inspire students to explore scientific fields as they develop their educational and professional goals: UCSD Neuroscience Outreach
- 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 and Japan:
- From Mexico City, cartoonist: Juanele
- From Mexico City, a cartoonist and, per 1001 Comics you must read before you die, “a pioneer of graphic storytelling in his country” whose comics “combine Mexican folkloric iconography and myths with a visual tradition” and whose body of work “provides a graphic synthesis of what it is to be Mexican”: Luis Fernando
- 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
- From Juarez, Mexico, video-game studio Bixelium Entertainment which will be represented by Senior Artist UI/UX designer Carla Hidalgo, Jr. Developer Isaac Pantoja, Carlos Omar Diaz Dominguez, and Cesar Maximiliano Salazar Cortez.
- From Japan, artist whose work has appeared in Shonen Sunday and many other manga, and in Famous Monsters of Filmland, and whose Godzilla illustrations have been commissioned by Toho Studios: Hiroshi Kanatani
Political Cartoonists:
- Creator of the nationally syndicated daily comic strip La Cucaracha, which focuses on Latino culture and politics, graphic novelist, political cartoonist, and cultural advisor to Disney/Pixar: Lalo Alcaraz
- Award winning and frequently anthologized political cartoonist for the Los Angeles Sentinel: David G. Brown
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, book illustrator, comics artist, writer, and monster historian: Pete Von Sholly
Award-winning and nominated writers, editors, filmmakers, composers, artists, and scholars and speakers on dark fantasy: Jason Brock and Sunni Brock
Storyboard artist, Eisner-winning creator of Age of Reptiles graphic novels for Dark Horse: Ricardo Delgado
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
President and Founder of My Tesla Adventure, the Creator of The Adventures of Starman and the Starman Comic Universe (inspired by Elon Musk’s launch into space of a Tesla with the “Starman” at the wheel by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket): Eli Burton
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
Award-winning science fiction author, space historian, and founder of the Hugo-nominated Galactic Journey: Gideon Marcus
Live Art:
- Star Wars artist for Lucasfilm/Disney: Lee Kohse
- Sculptor who created the “Kong,” Kanamit, Kirby “Moai,” and Frankenstein’s monster sculptures for past San Diego Comic Fests and for 2019 is creating a Moon-inspired sculpture: Robert Maya