Guest of Honor: Karen Berger
Science Fiction Guest of Honor: Nancy Kress
Fan Guest of Honor: Maggie Thompson
Comics Dealer Guest of Honor: Jamie Newbold
Special guests for the 2018 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein:
- Boris Karloff’s daughter: Sara Karloff
- A freelance journalist, short-story writer, novelist, and contributing writer to Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine: Kelly Dunn
- One of the world’s foremost authorities on Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, H. P. Lovecraft, and 19th-century genre fiction and editor/annotator The New Annotated Frankenstein: Leslie S. Klinger
- Writer of Frankenstein Alive, Alive! (with art by Bernie Wrightson), 30 Days of Night, Batman: Gotham County Line, and many more: Steve Niles
- One of the world’s leading horror historians and the author of several critically-acclaimed books: David J. Skal
- Author of the New York Times bestselling Violet Series of paranormal thrillers and the Gothic horror novel Fraulein Frankenstein: Stephen Woodworth
Special Cosplay Guest: Accomplished cosplayer, costume designer, actress for stage, television, and film, and season-finale winner on SyFy’s Cosplay Melee show: Jacqueline Goehner
Cartoonist, animator, director and game designer widely known as the creator of Eisner-winning Sam & Max, which has been adapted as an animated series and several video games, currently doing story development and directing at Pixar: Steve Purcell
Co-producer with Universal Cable Productions and Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Productions (Terminator Series, Incredible Hulk, TV’s Walking Dead) for TV series now in development based on Roger Zelazny’s Hugo-winning science-fiction novel Lord of Light, he earlier commissioned amazing Lord of Light design art from Jack Kirby that played a key role in the rescue of Americans from Iran as depicted in the Oscar-winning film Argo: Barry Ira Geller
One of comics’ premiere graphic designers, cartoonist and now Art Director for Berger Books: Richard Bruning
Over a long and successful career in comics that began in San Diego in the 1970s, he has been a Comic Buyer’s Guide columnist, direct-sales pioneer with Pacific Comics for which he was also flagship-store manager and editorial director, director of Comic-Con’s Comic Book Expo, and, for 23 years, Vice President Publishing and then Product Development at Dark Horse Comics: David Scroggy
Legendary artist for DC, Marvel, Warren, and Heavy Metal: Alex Niño
Beloved host of PBS how-to-draw shows The Secret City Adventures (as Commander Mark) and Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station and author of such best-selling how-to-draw books as You can draw in 30 Days: Mark Kistler
Artist providing art for clients including Lucasfilm, DreamWorks, Marvel, and Disney, who has contributed art to such projects as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Aliens, and Voltron: Lee Kohse
Animation Guests:
- 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
- Producer/Director of X-Men: The Animated Series and many more animated shows: Larry Houston
- 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
- Writers, Story Editor, Series Co-Developer of X-Men: The Animated Series and many more animated shows: Eric Lewald and Julia Lewald
- Disney Legend, animator, writer, comics creator: Floyd Norman
- Producer and head writer on the hit show Spider-Man: The Animated Series as well as writer and story editor for many other animated series, writer of Cyborg for DC: John Semper
Japanese comic 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
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: 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
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
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
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
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
An artist and writer with a varied career in underground comics, illustration, and fine art painting whose next graphic novel will be published by Fanatagraphics in 2019: Mary Fleener
Comic artist for Marvel, DC (including many for Vertigo), and five-time Eisner winner for Fables: Steve Leialoha
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:
- NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow at the Univeristy of California, Santa Barbara, leader of one of the teams that co-discovered the flare made by merging neutron stars, known as a kilonova, and organizer of Astronomy on Tap Santa Barbara: Iair Arcavi
- Professor of Physics at the University of Southern California, member of USC’s Theoretical High Energy Physics Group, science consultant for film and television, and creator of graphic novel The Dialogues: Conversations About the Nature of the Universe: Clifford V. Johnson
- Payload engineer on the Europa Clipper mission, Group Supervisor of a team of Low Temperature engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and President of the Cryogenic Society of America: Melora Larson
- Lead Engineer and Study Facilitator for the Advanced Projects Design Team (Team-X) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (and two-time winner of the National Beard and Moustache Championships in the English Moustache category): Alfred Nash
- 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: Michael Ravine
- Cognitive scientist, Director of the CAPER Center for Astronomy and Physics Education Research, and widely read author and speaker describing how society reacts to the evolution of science and technology: Stephanie Slater
- University of Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair of Science Education, internationally recognized scholar known as “the professor’s professor,” and author on more than 100 scientific journal articles and 16 books: Tim Slater
International Guests from Mexico:
- 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 Chihuahua City, Mexico, art director for Chihuahua-based video-game developer Lienzo: Daniel Gutierrez
- From Chihuahua City, Mexico, concept artist for Chihuahua-based video-game developer Lienzo: Adriano Hernandez
- From Mexico City, cartoonist: Juanele
- Mexico-based voice actor for film and animation and, since 2015, the voice of Darth Vader for Latin America: Sebastián Llapur
- CEO of iDigital Groups and Zona Tijuanense, an award-winning promoter of innovation in marketing, film, and communication in Mexico and the U.S., producer of marketing content for the series Fear the Walking Dead: Gabriel Reyes
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
- Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist, nationally-syndicated cartoonist, and award-winning children’s book author: Steve Breen
- 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
Creator of the humor/horror comic series Supernatural Law (aka Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre), writer for Archie and Bongo Comics, and creator of The First Gentleman of the Apocalypse series for David Lloyd’s Aces Weekly: Batton Lash
Storyboard artist, book illustrator, comics artist, writer, and monster historian: Pete Von Sholly
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