© 2 0 0 9 Ta r a M c P h e r s o n . A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d .
September 4–7, 2009 Atlanta, Georgia
THE
WHEEL OF
TIME ON
Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. This Friday night, Tor.com will make an unparalleled announcement about The Gathering Storm and the Wheel of Time® series. Join us at 8:30 PM on Friday Sept. 4 at The Winespring Inn Party in the Kennesaw conference room, Motor Lobby level of the Hyatt Regency hotel.
DRAGON*CON 2009 9
September 4-7, 2009
Table of Contents
Program Book Credits EDITORS 9 Eugie Foster, Jeremy Abernathy, Vandy Beth Glenn, Katya Jenson, Shannon O’Connor, & Lawrence Schwartz
General Information Mark Your Calendars ...............................................................1
GRAPHIC DESIGN & TYPOGRAPHY 9 Cassy Gordon
Special Convention Ribbons ...................................................2
PROGRAM COVER / COMMEMORATIVE POSTER 9 Artwork © 2009 Tara McPherson. All rights reserved.
Charity Auction . .......................................................................2 Blood Drive . ..............................................................................2
MEMBERSHIP BADGE 9 Artwork © 2009 Eric Powell. All rights reserved.
Daily Dragon Onsite Updates ..................................................3
2009 SOUVENIR T-SHIRT 9 “Dawn” © 2009 Joseph Michael Linsner. All rights reserved.
Disability Services .....................................................................3 Convention Policies ..................................................................3
2009 COMMEMORATIVE HYATT HOTEL ROOM KEY 9 Created especially for Dragon*Con © 2009 Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas. All rights reserved.
Convention Rules . ....................................................................3 2009 Convetion Directors . ......................................................4 Staff Service Awards.........................................................................5
Mark Your Calendars Today:
Souvenir Collectibles . ....................................................................6
Future Dragon*Con dates are now confirmed on Labor Day weekend through 2012:
Awards and Banquet . .....................................................................9
September 3–September 6, 2010 (Labor Day Weekend)
In Memorium ............................................................................... 10
September 2–September 5, 2011 (Labor Day Weekend)
Dragon*Con Featured Guests .................................................... 12
August 31–September 3, 2012 (Labor Day Weekend)
Concerts and Performances ....................................................... 95
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton Towers, and Atlanta Sheraton hotels will co-host our grand event. Please join us next (and every) year for North America’s premier annual event for those who dare to dream!
Art Show Participants ............................................................... 104 Dragon*Con Independent Short Film Festival . .................... 105
Dragon*Con Would Like to Thank Our 2009 Sponsors
The Dragon*Con 2009 Program Book, Volume XXIII, September 2009, published by Dragon*Con, Inc. office of publication: P.O. Box 16459, Atlanta, GA, 30321-0459. Published annually at Dragon*Con, Copyright © 2009, Dragon*Con, Inc. All rights reserved. Price: $15.00 postpaid US and Canada, $0.00 elsewhere.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
General information Selected items may be previewed, as they are available, at the Charity Events booth, located in the Marquis Registration Booth at the Marriott Marquis. Direct donations to the Alzheimer Association can be made at the Charity Events booth from 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, as well as before the Auction on Sunday.
Special Convention Ribbons During the course of the Convention, you are likely to see various individuals running around with different colored ribbons hanging from beneath their badge. Just for clarification, we thought we’d let you know what they all mean. Red, White, and Blue Ribbon . ........................................Guest of Honor Canary Ribbon....................................................................Featured Guest Brown Ribbon........................................................... Program Participant
Remember, only you can help us in our quest to raise over $10,000 by coming to this year’s charity auction, to be held on Sunday, September 6, 2009, from 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. in the Regency V Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel! And this year, don’t miss our Stargate Charity Auction, immediately following our regular Charity Auction, featuring Stargate related items! All proceeds will be donated to the Georgia Chapter of the American Alzheimer’s Association.
Black Ribbon......................................................................Senior Director Navy Ribbon...............................................................................Office Staff Blue Ribbon...........................................................................Area Director Sky Blue Ribbon............................................................Tournament Judge Goldenrod Ribbon........................................................................Exhibitor Red Ribbon........................................................................................ Dealer Pink Ribbon......................................................................................... Artist Hot Chartreuse Ribbon...........................................................Press/Media
2009 Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” Blood Drive
Peach Ribbon....................................................................Eternal Member Teal Ribbon.......................................................... Masquerade Participant
In 1976, only a few years after recovery from two years of extensive illnesses that prevented his final editing “cuts” of I Will Fear No Evil, Robert Heinlein put his own words into action. With the help of other science fiction devotees, including many well-known authors, he organized a blood drive at MidAmericon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention. It was the first of many such blood drives and was the start of a tradition.
White Ribbon................................................................Parade Participant White Ribbon..................................Dawn Costume Contest Participant White Ribbon . ................................................................ Thriller Attempt Lilac Ribbon ...................................................... Film Festival Participant
In 2008, Dragon*Con took up the challenge to more than double the number of units donated in 2007 (319 units), and beat the total collected by the San Diego Blood Bank of 856 units, just five weeks earlier at Comic Con—not an easy feat when one considers the size of Dragon*Con!
Lime Green Lanyard ......................................................... Volunteer Staff Purple Ribbon ............................................. Onsite Volunteer Registrant Maroon Ribbon . ....................................................................... Interpreter
Never a group to back down from a challenge, our attendees exceeded even our wildest and most optimistic expectations! By the time the dust settled, 1,165 individuals had registered to donate blood, 938 of them had successfully donated—75 of them double red donations using the ALYX machines—for a total of 1,013 units collected, making this the single largest blood drive ever at an SF related convention! Twenty people were even able to donate platelet aphaeresis, which is a first for any Sci-Fi convention.
Dragon*Con Charity Auction We are pleased to announce that the 2009 Charity Auction will be held to benefit the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association! About the Alzheimer’s Association1 The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research.
In 2009, our 7th year of the “Pay It Forward” Blood Drive at Dragon*Con, sponsored by The Heinlein Society and LifeSouth Community Blood Center, we have a new, even more ambitious goal of 1200 units.
Our mission: To eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
If you’ve ever enjoyed the Grand Master’s work as we have, thank him by “paying it forward” in the way he would have appreciated the most, and join us at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, on the Atrium Level, rooms A701–A702, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., and on Monday from 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Each donor receives a cloisonne pin originally designed by Heinlein for the MidAmericon blood drive, as well as a t-shirt and a chance to win other cool stuff! We’ll see you there!
Our vision: A world without Alzheimer’s disease. The Association’s nationwide organization, founded in 1980 by a group of family caregivers, includes the national office in Chicago, the public policy office in Washington, D.C., and chapters in local communities. We are here to help: The Alzheimer’s Association is a leading source of information, education and support for millions of individuals, caregivers and care professionals who face dementia every day. 1 Originally published on the Alzheimer’s Association website, © 2009 Alzheimer’s Association. All rights reserved. Helpline number 1.800.272.3900 or on the web at www.alz.org.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Daily Dragon Onsite Updates
Convention Rules
Additions and changes to our programming and activities schedule, our award winners, rumors and innuendo, general news, and most importantly the nightly room-party roster will be featured in our daily ’zine, The Daily Dragon. If your group or club will be hosting an open room party, please stop by one of the Information Booths and let us know! The Daily Dragon is also updated live on the web at: dailydragon.dragoncon.org. Realizing the simple impossibility of attending over thirty programming tracks simultaneously, we’ve come to your rescue. Brian Richardson and his superb crew will be video recording such memorable events as the Dawn Look-Alike Contest, Masquerade, Costume Contest, and our live concert performances. DC*TV will again be broadcasting many of our Main Programming events live or on tape delay throughout the Convention. And brand new this year, don’t miss the Dragon*Con Late Show, live every morning at 9:00 a.m., only on DC*TV!
1.
You must wear your membership badges at all times to be admitted to any convention function. In other words: Yes, you have to wear your steenkin’ badge!
2.
Possession of alcoholic beverages by anyone under the age of 21 is grounds for expulsion from the convention without refund.
3.
Please keep all behavior that polite fans would find offensive in your hotel rooms.
4.
We’ll offer sympathy, but Dragon*Con is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property, or for injuries sustained during the course of the convention.
5.
In accordance with state law, there will be NO SMOKING allowed inside any of the convention facilities. Please take all smoking outside the hotels.
6.
Cameras are not permitted in the Art Show/Print Shop or the Walk of Fame areas. Flash photography will not be allowed during the Masquerade; please check with Masquerade personnel for scheduled pre- or post-Masquerade photo sessions. At the request of the Fire Marshall, there will be no photography allowed on Friday, September 4, 2009, Saturday, September 5, 2009 or Sunday, September 6, 2009 from 7:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. on the Ballroom level of the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel.
7.
We reserve the right to ask you to leave the convention and refuse to refund your membership money if you are behaving in technical terms–like a jerk.
8.
Announced events and guests are subject to change and/ or cancellation without notice. Every effort will be made to announce any changes via the Internet and pre-convention publications and our on-site newsletter, but sometimes lastminute changes will occur.
9.
Please abide by our weapons policy: All weapons must be nonworking and peace bonded. No functioning projectile weapons including water pistols, silly-string guns, and ping-pong pistols. Bladed weapons must be cased or sheathed at all times. No clowning around or showing off in the common areas. Any weapon used in an offensive manner will be confiscated and rule 7 will be enforced. We expect you to use good judgment; with your help, we can continue to allow peace-bonded weapons.
Disability Services At Dragon*Con we welcome everyone! Our staff wants everyone who attends to have fun and enjoy the convention with as little hassle as possible—that’s where Disability Services comes into the picture. If you feel that you are in need of our assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us and sign up for our special services. Disability Services can be located during regular registration hours at their table in Convention Registration area of the Georgia Ballrooms in the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. If you ever need any assistance, just look for Security, or someone wearing our “Disability Services Assistant” badges.
Convention Policies As a Dragon*Con 2009 Member, Guest, Staff, or Program Participant, you have received a membership badge. Please wear it at all times during the convention and in convention public areas. Staff personnel, recognizable by the STAFF imprint on their badge labels and lanyards, can usually assist you with problems or questions, or at the very least direct you to those who can. Our Information Desks are located in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta at the base of the escalators, just outside the Centennial Ballroom, and over at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, at the base of the escalators, the Atlanta Hilton Towers in the main lobby near the elevators, and in the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel in the main lobby. They’ll have the answers to all the questions.
10. Especially in the harsh reality of 2009, Dragon*Con security staff, hotel security, and local law enforcement officials will treat anything that looks like a real gun as a real gun. We do not post bail. Read rule 7 and 9 again. 11. NO CAMPING IN THE HALLS OR LOBBY! If you are found sleeping in the public areas, you will be asked to go to your hotel room. If you do not have a room, hotel or venue security will be forced to ask you to leave. 12. Please do not abuse our hotels or convention facilities. This includes putting signs on walls. Room Parties and other announcements may be dropped off at our Information Desk for inclusion in the Daily Dragon. 13. Costumers remember that no costume is no costume is NO costume, and there are public nudity laws in Georgia. Please wear appropriate (or at least enough) clothing in the common areas. 14. Please abide by the above rules and a good time will be had by all!
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Vendor Relations............................................................ Mark Fingerman
Dragon*Con 2009 Directors
Dealer Hall.........................................................................Robyn Chappell
Administration/Facility Liaison
Exhibit Hall 1......................................................................... Mike Dillson
Chairman........................................................................... Pat Henry
Exhibit Hall 2........................................................................... Sarah Steele
Art Show & Print Shop..............................................John & Anne Parise Art Show Marketing.................................................... Ingrid Eichelbaum
Gaming Division
Art Show Operations.............................................................Sam Wallace
Senior Director.................................................................Dave Cody
Art Show Programming.......................................................Heidi Wallace
Board Games.............................................................................Phil Collins
Convention Office..............................................................Brenda Tackett
Campaign RPG’s................................................................... Brooks Banks
Creative Director...................................................................Billy Messina
Card Games................................................................................Jim Colson
Internal Audit............................................................................ Ben Collier
Computer Gaming..................................................................Don Stauffer
Convention Registration........................................................ Gus Furlong
Game Programming......................................................... Jeffrey W Kahrs
On-Site Pre-Registration.......................................................Troy Bradley
Gaming Registration............................................................ Shy Aberman
On-Site Registration.............................................................. John Bunnell
Live Action Role Playing..................................................Wayne Melnick
Volunteers..........................................................................Richard Sanders
Miniature Games................................................................Nicholas Perch MMORPG............................................................................ Kevin Stallard
Convention Operations / Hyatt Liaison
Non-Campaign RPG’s...................................................... Mark Liberman
Senior Directors................................Robert Dennis & Mark Brown Child Care.............................................................................. Regina Miller
Guest Services Division
Con Suite.................................................................................Joe Campbell
Senior Director.............................................................. Mischa Hess
Disability Services...................................................................Cherie Wren
Guest Hospitality................................................................ Michael Green
Hyatt Concourse Area.........................................................Paul Cashman
Guest Operations.......................................................................Kat Haines
Information Services.................................................Sara Mc Corkendale
Guest Transportation............................................................ John Liszeski
Outside Security............................................................Pete Montgomery
Guest Travel.......................................................................... Rachel Reeves
Parade..............................................................................................Jan Price
VIP Badge Pick Up...............................................................Chris Ceraolo
Security..........................................................................................Len Scott
Walk of Fame.........................................................................Tom Gennaro
Security–Marriott.......................................................................Jeff Moore
Programming
Security–Hilton............................................................................. Eric Bass
Senior Director............................................................. Regina Kirby
Finance/Marriott Liaison
Program Operations
Senior Director.............................................................Sherry Henry
Senior Director............................................................. Bill Harrison
Charity Events......................................................................... John Tackett
Masquerade.................................................................... Marilee Coughlin
Dragon*Con Store.......................................................................Tracy Bell
Production Director.............................................................. Cat Harrison
Marriott Concourse Area.......................................................Johan Tabor
Technical Services............................................................ Thomas R Kerns
Special Events....................................................................Amanda Collier
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Video Rooms....................................................................Michael Allgood
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Publications & Public Relations Senior Director............................................................Cassy Gordon Daily Dragon........................................................................... Eugie Foster Media Relations....................................................................... Dan Carroll Photography.............................................................................. Fong Dong Signage.................................................................................. Jason Mitchell Social Networking................................................................... Finesha Lee Videography................................................................... Brian Richardson Web Master.............................................................................Jamey Reeves Fan Track Operations Senior Director........................................................... David Gordon On-Site Fan Track Coordinators................................. Bill & Lucy Smith Alternate History.............................................................Cindy Mac Leod American Sci-Fi Classics......................................................Ron Nastrom American Sci-Fi Media...................................................... Kelley Harkins Animation Programming..............................................Jessica Merriman Anime-Manga Programming........................................ Jonathan Tarbox Anne McCaffrey’s Worlds...............................................Charlotte Moore Apocalypse Rising..................................................................Kelly Brewer British Sci-Fi Media....................................................... Carolyn Mc Cully Comics and Pop Art.............................................................Thom Trainor Costuming..........................................................................Brian Holloway
Staff Service Awards
Dark Fantasies........................................................................ Derek Tatum
Over 1600 volunteers comprise our 2009 Dragon*Con convention staff. Without them, Dragon*Con would not be possible.
Electronic Frontiers Forum......................................................Scott Jones Filk........................................................................................ Robby Hilliard
We would like to take this opportunity to again thank our staff who often work far in excess of their regularly assigned hours, and sleep little-tonone over the course of the convention to ensure everything is running smoothly or if it isn’t, to minimize any problems, and to recognize our convention staff that has been assisting us for fifteen years of volunteer service. Service Awards for 1994-2009:
Independent Film & Festival............................................Matthew Foster Podcasting......................................................................Robyn Mc Carthy Robotics................................................................................ Michael Mach Science Track.............................................................................. Dru Myers
Dewey Hamrick
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Literature......................................................Sue Phillips
W. Michael Henigan
Silk Road: Asian Cinema & Culture................................ Susan Shockley
Janet Liberman
Skeptic Track..................................................................Derek Colanduno
Bruce Sheffer
Space Track......................................................................... Lorraine Glynn
Michael Daniell Thomas Kerns John Richardson Denise Yeager
Over 125 additional Fifteen Years Service Awards have been presented since 2001. Our Inaugural convention was held in 1987.
StarGate Multiverse....................................... Jennifer M. Breland-Dykes Star Trek: TrekTrak.................................................................Eric L. Watts
2009 marks our 23rd year! The following volunteers will be honored for 20 years of service:
Star Wars at Dragon*Con.................................................Brandy Roatsey Tolkien’s Middle Earth......................................................Jean Baughman
Joseph Forlini
Whedon Universe........................................................Wayne Hutchinson
Wayne Melnick
Rebecca Tabor
Robert Teague
James Whitlock
Wheel of Time...................................................................... Jennifer Liang
Robyn Chappell
Mike Wilmot
Writer’s Track........................................................................Nancy Knight X-Track...................................................................Leigh Bennett-Conner Young Adult Literature............................................................. Bev Kodak
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
souvenir collectibles Pendants and key chains: We have extra-heavy brushed pewter designs for both pendants and key chains, as well as pendants hand cast in pure sterling silver.
To commemorate your Dragon*Con experience, we have designed a number of souvenir collectibles that are available at the Dragon*Con Store located in Registration Booth #2 on the Marquis Level at the Atlanta Marriott. This year we have added a satellite location in the Sheraton Registration Booth, which will be selling t-shirts and lanyards only.
You’ll also see our logo embroidered in full color on knit polo shirts and in both gold and green on baseball caps. You’ll also find our logo on travel clocks, mouse pads, and a host of merchandise, including mini sharpies and luggage tags. We’ve added shot glasses and wine glasses to our inventory this year, as well as votive candles.
We strive to present fine fantasy illustrations on our souvenir t-shirts. Shirts from previous years featured the work of such notable artists as Roger Dean, Arthur Suydam, Olivia DeBerardinis, Rowena, Jim Steranko and Dave Stevens.
The book Here Be Dragons–Tales of DragonCon, features stories by such fan favorite authors as Jody Lynn Nye, Todd McCaffrey, Janny Wurts and others, and includes the last work of Robert Aspirin, perennial favorite of Dragon*Con. The book is edited by Bill Fawcett and available only at the Dragon*Con Store. At only $14.95 each, you’ll want to be sure to add this to your collection.
Our Dragon*Con 2009 T-shirt features original artwork by comic artist Joseph Michael Linsner, celebrating 25 years of Dawn. They are available in adult sizes(XL–2XL for $18; 3XL for $20) and the ever popular “baby doll” style (all sizes $18). Dragon*Con 2009 Commemorative Poster: We produce a limited number of lithographs and commemorate each convention year. The 2009 lithograph features the work of artist Tara McPherson and are available at the convention for $20.
Dragon*Con is pleased to announce the special advance release of Dunny Series 2009 – debuting during Dunn*Fest – at the Comics and Pop Art Reception. A very limited number of Series 2009 figures will be available, while supplies last, in the Dragon*Con store and in the Dragon*Con booth in Comics and Artists Alley.
Additional prints from past years feature original artwork by Steve Hickman,Joseph Michael Linsner, Larry Elmore, Arthur Suydam, Alex Grey, Syd Mead, Yoshitako Amano, Stephen Youll, Roger Dean, Tom Canty, Keith Parkinson, Bob Eggleton, Alan M. Clark, Tim and Greg Hildebrandt, Jim Steranko, Charles Vess, and a special six-artist composite poster with Jeff Jones, Jon Muth, Kent Williams, George Pratt, Walt Simonson, and Dave McKean. Limited lithographs remain in our inventory and are available for purchase.
Dealer dollars: Sculpted by Tom Meier and cast in pewter by Iron Wind Metals, these coins will be awarded to contest and event winners and are good for a fivedollar credit from any Exhibitor or Dealer in the Dragon*Con 2009 Exhibit/Dealer Halls and at the Dragon*Con store.
Our Dragon*Con logo was originally designed by Atlanta artist Stan Bruns over two decades ago. Dinosaur illustrator William Stout updated it, rendering it in brilliant color (with a touch of computer magic by artist David Robinson).
BRAND NEW THIS YEAR! We have added a satellite location in the Sheraton Registration Booth, which will be selling t-shirts and lanyards only!
Travel mugs and Coffee Cups are available in limited supply this year, and look for our very own logo’d lanyards, which will be available exclusively at both Dragon*Con Store locations. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR 2009 CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS!
The Julie Awards In 1998, Dragon*Con established the Julie Award presented annually in tribute to the legendary Julie Schwartz. The Julie Award is bestowed for universal achievement spanning multiple genres, selected each year by our esteemed panel of industry professionals. Our inaugural recipient in 1998 was science fiction and fantasy Grandmaster Ray Bradbury. “Julie” co-founded the first SF fan magazine, the first World Science Fiction Convention, and the world’s first science fiction literary agency, representing the works of Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Alfred Bester, and H.P. Lovecraft. In 1944, Julie began his 45-year editorial role at DC Comics, rescuing the super-hero genre from near-extinction, and revived and modernized Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, The Justice League of America, and Superman. Past winners include: Julius Schwartz (1998)
Ray Bradbury (1998)
Will Eisner (1999)
n ue t
o C * nq n o g Ba a r D & 9 0 0 y 2 The n o m Awards Cere
The Dragon*Con 2009 Awards Banquet will take place Saturday evening beginning promptly at 7:00 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom. Master of Ceremonies for the Banquet is Peter Jurasik. Featured entertainment includes musical performances by Paul Mercer and a very special performance by Tom Smith. Banquet Tickets may be purchased at convention registration, as available, and theatre seating at no charge will be available at the event.
Neil Gaiman (2000)
Harlan Ellison (2001)
Alice Cooper (2001)
Carmine Infantino (2002)
Paul Kantner (2002)
Marty Balin (2002)
Jim Steranko (2003)
Forrest J. Ackerman (2003)
Denny O’Neil (2004)
Chick Corea (2004)
Joss Whedon (2005)
Paul Dini (2006)
Peter David (2007)
Micky Dolenz (2008)
Georgia Fandom Awards The Georgia Fandom Award is presented for outstanding contributions to the genre by a Georgia writer, artist, or fan. Past winners include: Hank Reinhardt (1990)
Marilyn Teague (1991)
Lamar Waldron (1992)
Gerald Page (1993)
Samanda Jeude (1994)
Stan Bruns (1995)
Thomas E. Fuller (1996)
Sue Phillips (2000)
Dragon*Con will recognize our 2009 Guests of Honor at this very special event:
Yoshitako Amano (2000)
Irv Koch (1998)
Guest of Honor Awards
Anne McCaffrey (1999)
Avery Davis (1997) Brad Strickland (1999) Bill Ritch (2001)
Floyd Chappell (2002)
Wendy Webb (2003)
Lois McMaster Bujold
Nancy Knight (2004)
Regina Kirby (2005)
Tara McPherson
John Ringo (2006)
Bill Harrison (2007)
Mike Mignola
Patrick Roberts (2008) 9
Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Michael Crichton
Bettie Page
(October 23, 1942–November 4, 2008)
(April 22, 1923–December 11, 2008)
Michael Crichton was an American author, producer, director, screenwriter, and physician. Best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres, his books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted into films.
Bettie Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s and had a significant cult following. Often called the “Queen of pinups,” her jet black hair and trademark bangs influenced many artists.
Forrest J. Ackerman
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry
(November 24, 1916–December 4, 2008)
(February 23, 1932–December 18, 2008)
Also called “Forry,” “The Ackermonster,” and “Mr. Science Fiction,” Forrest J. Ackerman was one of science fiction’s staunchest spokesmen and promoters for over seven decades. Possibly the world’s most avid collector of genre books and movie memorabilia, he was central to the formation, organization, and spread of science fiction fandom and a key figure in the wider cultural perception of science fiction as a literary, art, and film genre. Famous for his wordplay and neologisms, he is credited with coining the genre nickname “sci-fi.”
As a result of her marriage to Gene Roddenberry and her ongoing relationship with Star Trek—having contributed to every series to date—American actress and producer Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was often referred to as the “First Lady of Star Trek.”
Patrick McGoohan (March 19, 1928–January 13, 2009)
Eartha Kitt
Patrick McGoohan was an American-born actor with an extensive stage and film career, well known for his roles in the 1960s television series Danger Man and the cult classic The Prisoner. He subsequently appeared in Mel Gibson’s Oscar winning epic Braveheart as Edward Longshanks.
(January 17, 1927–December 25, 2008) Eartha Kitt was an American actress, singer, and cabaret star. Orson Welles once called her the “most exciting woman in the world.” She played the role of Catwoman in the third season of the 1960s Batman television series but is perhaps best known for her 1953 Christmas song, “Santa Baby.” September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Ricardo Montalban
Farrah Fawcett
(November 25, 1920–January 14, 2009)
(February 2, 1947–June 25, 2009)
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino had a career spanning seven decades with multiple notable roles and accolades—receiving an Emmy Award in 1978 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993. He was well known as Mr. Roarke from the television series Fantasy Island, which aired from 1977 to 1984, and he played Khan Noonien Singh in the “Space Seed” episode of the first season of the original Star Trek television series in 1967, reprising the role in the 1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan movie.
A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Farrah Fawcett rose to international fame in 1976 when she appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the TV series Charlie’s Angels, receiving a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Performer in a New TV Program. Fawcett later appeared in critically acclaimed off-Broadway shows as well as in highly rated television movies in roles that were challenging and sometimes unsympathetic. A pop culture figure and an international sex symbol in the 1970s and 1980s, her hairstyle was emulated by millions of young women, and her iconic poster generated record-breaking sales.
Bob May
Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958–June 25, 2009)
(September 4, 1939–January 18, 2009)
Dubbed the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful entertainers of all time. A double-inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, awarded 13 Grammy Awards, and with 17 number one singles, his contributions to music and dance made him a prominent figure in popular culture for four decades. His 1982 album, Thriller, remains the best-selling album of all time.
Bob May was an American actor, stage performer, stuntman, director, and public speaker. He is best remembered for playing The Robot on the television series Lost in Space, which debuted in 1965 and ran until 1968.
Andy Hallett (August 4, 1975–March 29, 2009)
Mollie Sugden
Andy Hallett was an American singer and actor, best known for playing the part of the green-skinned demon, Lorne (The Host), in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show and performed two songs on the series’ 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.
(July 21, 1922–July 1, 2009)
Tom Deitz
John Hughes, Jr.
(January 17, 1952–April 27, 2009)
(February 18, 1950–August 6, 2009)
A native of Georgia, novelist Tom Deitz had a B.A. and M.A. in medieval English from the University of Georgia. He was the author of the Soulsmith Trilogy—Soulsmith, Dreambuilder, and Wordwright—active in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was awarded the Phoenix Award in 2007 in honor of his myriad contributions on behalf of Southern Fandom.
John Hughes, Jr., was an American film director, producer, and writer. Responsible for some of the most successful films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon’s Vacation, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Home Alone and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, his realistic depictions of middle-class high school life helped to inspire such industry luminaries as Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson.
Mollie Sugden was an English comedy actress, internationally renowned for her portrayal of the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? which aired from 1972 to 1985.
David Eddings (July 7, 1931–June 2, 2009) David Eddings was an American author of several bestselling series of epic fantasy novels, including the Belgariad series, Malloreon series, Elenium series, and Tamuli series.
David Carradine (December 8, 1936–June 3, 2009) David Carradine was an American stage, television, and film actor. Best known for his work in the 1970s television series Kung Fu and more recently in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, he appeared in more than 100 feature films and was nominated four times for a Golden Globe Award.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Featured Guests Lynn Abbey
D. A. Adams D. A. Adams first novel, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, was released in 2005 and has been described as “a solid, honest work about camaraderie, bravery, and sacrifice” and “a very personal journey, more interested in the ways that a person is changed by life’s events than in epic battles and high magic.” In 2008, the sequel, Red Sky at Dawn, was released to the exaltation that “this novel thunders along, at times with dizzying speed. The action is visceral and imaginative without being gratuitous.” Currently, Adams is working on the third installment of the five-book series.
Lynn Abbey was born in New York’s Hudson River Valley, in the city of Peekskill, during the so-called “baby boom.” Family legends confirm that she’s been a storyteller pretty much from the moment she learned to talk. Her first novel was Daughter of the Bright Moon. Since completing Daughter, she’s published over two dozen novels. She also wrote for and eventually wound up editing the Thieves’ World shared-world anthology series which ran for twelve volumes in the 1980s and has resurrected for the third millennium, including a “bridge” novel, new anthologies, and some reprints. In addition, Green Ronin, an award-winning game-design company licensed Thieves’ World for a series of fantasy role-playing supplements.
Scott Adsit Scott Adsit is an American writer, actor, and improviser. He is currently appearing in 30 Rock on NBC and played an active role in Moral Orel on Adult Swim. In 1994, he joined the mainstage cast of The Second City in Chicago, where he appeared in several Jeff award-winning revues, including Pinata Full of Bees and Paradigm Lost. A sketch he performed with future SNL head writer Adam McKay, “Gump,” was included as one of Second City’s all-time best in the theater’s 25th anniversary compilation.
In 2006, TOR published Rifkind’s Challenge, a long-simmering sequel to Lynn’s first novel, Daughter of the Bright Moon. Currently, she’s hard at work on two projects, one of them is “top secret” and the other is a contemporary fantasy inspired by the not-quite-reality of central Florida.
Pete Abrams Pete Abrams is the creator of the highly addictive niftiness that is Sluggy Freelance, a remarkably twisted daily online comic strip that has been appearing at www.sluggy.com since August 25, 1997. Starting the comic strip as a creative outlet, his world with the switchblade-wielding rabbit quickly expanded into uncharted territory and grew into over a decade of alien vampire missile-launching fun. Since its Satan-spamming beginnings, Sluggy Freelance has attracted a devoted global following and is one of the most popular and well-known comics on the web.
From 2005-2008, he co-directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the Adult Swim show Moral Orel with Dino Stamatopoulos and Jay Johnston. He was nominated for an Annie Award for his work as Clay. In 2006, he joined the cast of 30 Rock with former Second City castmate Tina Fey. He also continues to act, improvise, and teach at I.O. West and the Upright Citizens Brigade. He starred in a pilot for Adult Swim entitled “Let’s Fish.”
Pete has gained recognition not only online, but through such high profile appearances as the original comics included in NY Times bestselling author John Ringo’s Hell’s Faire, and as part of the New York’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art webcomics exhibition in 2007. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Ana Aesthetic
Aaron Allston
Meredith Placko, also known as Ana Aesthetic to most of the online world, is best known for her skilled costume designs and cosplay modeling. She has been featured in publications like Wizard magazine and Cosplex. You can see one of her best known character portrayals, Jean Grey, in the Marvel Masterpieces sketch card series, where she was chosen to represent the Dark Phoenix. As a well-known expert, Meredith has contributed as a host of Radio Sci-Fi, is a frequently featured convention guest, and a correspondent for several media outlets.
New York Times bestselling novelist Aaron Allston has authored nineteen novels, including Celtic hero-pulp fantasies Doc Sidhe and Sidhe-Devil, and numerous offerings in the the Star Wars series; Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi #1: Outcast is his most recent. Before becoming a full-time novelist, Aaron wrote or co-wrote nearly fifty role-playing games and game supplements, including titles for Dungeons & Dragons, the Hero System, GURPS, Car Wars, and Paranoia. He has won awards for his game work and game magazine editing, and has been inducted into the Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame.
Karen Allen
Richard L. Altstatt
In 1978, Karen Allen made her major film debut in National Lampoon’s Animal House. Her career-changing role came with the blockbuster hit Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg. Allen won a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Richard L. “Hawk” Altstatt produces radiation models and performs radiation effects engineering and design for military and civilian purposes. He received an MS in Nuclear Engineering, specializing in Plasma Physics (fire) and Material Science (burning stuff) from NCSU in 1996 and an MS in Engineering Science and Mechanics, specializing in Thermal Mechanics (fire again) and Instrumentation (sticking stuff in fire) from UTSI in 1992. Work performed and published for NASA includes: investigation of the STS-107 tragedy, modeling of the radiation shielding for the International Space Station, meteor observations for International Leonid Meteor Shower Campaigns, modeling the Van Allen belts and the solar wind, test design for a solar sail, radiation testing of electronics parts for the DART spacecraft, and environment modeling for both Jupiter and the Moon. He is a storyteller, an Eagle Claw sensei, an excellent swordsman, and one of the world’s great experts on catching stuff on fire. Join his ongoing search for Mad Science and Super Villainy at madsci.us.
Karen debuted on Broadway in the 1982 production The Monday after the Miracle. After a few small films, she co-starred with Jeff Bridges in the science fiction film Starman. She returned to the big screen as Bill Murray’s long-lost love, Claire, in the Christmas comedy Scrooged. She made guest appearances on television’s Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She has also starred in the short-lived series The Road Home and portrayed Dr. Clare Burton in the video game Ripper. Allen reprised her best-known role as Marion Ravenwood for the 2008 sequel Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which she renews her relationship with Indiana Jones and reveals to him that they have a son named Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf.
Scott Allie
Lou Anders
Scott Allie started his comics career as a self-publisher and is best known as the editor of some of the most notable comics in recent years, including Hellboy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Conan, The Umbrella Academy, and The Goon, all from Dark Horse Comics. His writing includes contributions to licensed properties including Star Wars at Dark Horse and Buffy at Pocket Books, but his focus has always been horror comics, most notably his creator-owned series The Devil’s Footprints, a sequel to which is underway. This September, Dark Horse debuts the new Solomon Kane series, written by Allie and based on the character created by Robert E. Howard.
A Hugo Award nominee, Chesley Award nominee, and World Fantasy Award nominee, Lou Anders is the editorial director of Prometheus Books’ science fiction and fantasy imprint Pyr, as well as the anthologies Fast Forward 2 (Pyr, 2008), Sideways in Crime (Solaris, 2008), Fast Forward 1 (Pyr, 2007), FutureShocks (Roc, 2006), Projections: Science Fiction in Literature & Film (MonkeyBrain, 2004), Live Without a Net (Roc, 2003), and Outside the Box (Wildside Press, 2001). In 2000, he served as the Executive Editor of Bookface.com, and before that he worked as the Los Angeles Liaison for Titan Publishing Group. He is the author of The Making of Star Trek: First Contact (Titan Books, 1996), and has published over 500 articles in such magazines as The Believer, Publishers Weekly, Dreamwatch, DeathRay, Free Inquiry, Star Trek Monthly, Star Wars Monthly, Babylon 5 Magazine, Sci Fi Universe, Doctor Who Magazine, and Manga Max.
Brent Allison Brent Allison received his Ph.D. in social foundations of education at the University of Georgia in 2008. His dissertation, “Authenticity from Cartoons: U. S. Japanese Animation Fandom as an Agency of Informal Cultural Education,” was the culmination of four years of observing and interviewing anime fans in Athens, GA; Atlanta; Baltimore; Chicago; and Raleigh-Durham, NC. Currently, Brent teaches as a professor at Gainesville State College and as an instructor at the University of Georgia in the fields of education and qualitative research, respectively. His work on anime and anime fandom has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and books. Brent also enjoys appearing at conventions to get a good discussion rolling amongst fans who often make knowledgeable and insightful contributions. A publication of his dissertation as a book is currently in the works as is a volume of essays on Japanese popular culture in a transnational context that Brent is editing.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Kevin J. Anderson
Heidi Arnhold
Kevin J. Anderson is the author of more than one hundred novels, forty-seven of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists. He has over twenty million books in print in thirty languages, and he has won or been nominated for numerous prestigious awards.
Heidi Arnhold majored in Sequential Art at Savannah College of Art and Design and graduated in 2006. She made her comics debut as the illustrator for Tokyopop’s Legends of the Dark Crystal in November, 2007. In 2008, she illustrated “Inalienable Rights,” written by Nate Bowden, in Star Trek Uchu, Tokyopop’s third Star Trek anthology. Heidi is looking forward to making steps in her career and working on a variety of projects as the years progress.
Kevin coauthored eleven books in Frank Herbert’s classic Dune universe with Herbert’s son, Brian. The most recent volume is Jessica of Dune, released in August, 2009. Anderson is also a co-producer with Brian Herbert on a major new film of Dune from Paramount Pictures. Anderson’s Star Wars Jedi Academy books were the three top-selling SF novels of 1994. His three original anthologies—Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, Tales from Jabba’s Palace, and Tales of the Bounty Hunters—are the bestselling SF anthologies of all time. He has also completed numerous other projects for Lucasfilm, including the Young Jedi Knights series (co-written with his wife, Rebecca Moesta). He is the author of three hardcover novels based on the X-Files, and he coauthored a major bestseller with Dean Koontz, Prodigal Son.
Catherine Asaro Winner of the Nebula Award for her novel, The Quantum Rose, Catherine Asaro blends space adventure, science, romance, and strong characterization into her fiction. Her latest science fiction novel is The Ruby Dice, and her most recent fantasy is The Night Bird. She also writes thrillers, including Alpha and Sunrise Alley. Catherine’s upcoming book, Diamond Star, is about a rock star in the future. Working with the Baltimore rock band Point Valid, she and the band recorded a music CD that offers readers a soundtrack to the book, released in April, 2009, by Starflight Music. Catherine’s short fiction has appeared in Analog and anthologies, including “Walk in Silence,” “A Roll of the Dice,” and “Aurora in Four Voices,” which all won the Analog Readers Poll for best novella and were nominated for both Nebula and Hugo Awards. Her novella, “The Spacetime Pool”, is currently up for the Nebula. Catherine also served for two terms as president of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA).
Zachary William Anderson Zachary Anderson has been designing modeling systems and playing games for as long as he can remember. His first entry into the game industry failed horribly when, in 2003, nobody seemed interested in his game idea. So he self-published and sold out of his initial print run of ~100 at the Origins convention the following year. After continuing to appear at conventions, he made contact with Atlas Games. They accepted his submission and published Mad Scientist University in 2007. He has since signed on to help publish Mad Scientist University: Spring Break and has other designs in the works.
Catherine Bach Catherine Bach is best-known for her role as Daisy Duke, the feisty sister of “good ol’ boys” John Schneider and Tom Wopat on the popular CBS comedy-drama The Dukes of Hazzard. She also graced such ongoing TV specials as The Battle of the Network Stars, Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes, Circus of the Stars, and World’s Greatest Stunts, as well as one-time shots on The Nashville Palace, The Magic of David Copperfield, and Willie Nelson’s Picnic, and also provided the voice of Daisy in an animated version of the series, The Dukes.
Ben Armstrong Ben Armstrong is the co-owner of NETHERWORLD Haunted Attractions in Atlanta, producers of the infamous NETHERWORLD Haunted House. In 2006, NETHERWORLD was ranked the #2 Haunted House in the country by Hauntworld Magazine and AOL. Ben is also well known in haunt and convention circles as a twisted character actor and appears as many hideous creatures, including werewolves, vampires, demons, and a certain mad scientist known as Dr. Speculo. Dr. Speculo was a television horror show host in the Emmy-nominated Tales from Six Feet Under television program that aired on WCTV 6 in Tallahassee, Florida, in the 90’s.
She teamed up with Burt Reynolds for Cannonball Run II and had her first starring role in the low-budget actioner Driving Force. Since then, it’s been large roles in small films: another actioner, Street Justice, and the horror flick Criminal Act; the biker road comedy Masters of Menace; and the martial arts film Rage & Honor. Former co-star Burt Reynolds gave her a theatrical showcase in the drama Extremities at his Florida dinner theater.
Other Dr. Speculo adventures have included acting as the master of ceremonies at the 1995 World Horror Convention and a recent fullpage photo in Weekly World News. For three years, he hosted Rock N Roll Monster Bash at the Starlight Drive-In. Ben also appeared in the Telly award winning UPN 69 horror show in Atlanta, The True NETHERWORLD Story of the Harvestman, based on one of his haunted house characters. In 2007, he hosted “Dr. Speculo’s Superhero/Supervillain Challenge” at Atlanta Comics Expo. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Christina Barber
Peter S. Beagle
An award-winning author of speculative fiction works noted for their dark tones, Christina Barber loves to create dark fantasy worlds for readers. With a focus on the paranormal and dark forces of evil, Christina’s books give readers a taste of what happens when real life collides head-on with characters from dark, demonic worlds.
Peter S. Beagle was born in New York City in 1939 and raised in the borough of that city known as the Bronx. He originally proclaimed he would be a writer when ten years old; subsequent events have proven him either prescient or even more stubborn than hitherto suspected. Today, thanks to classic works such as The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place, Tamsin, The Innkeeper’s Song, and the Hugo- and Nebula-winning story “Two Hearts,” he is acknowledged as America’s greatest living fantasy author.
Her published books include Seely’s Pond, Spirits of Georgia’s Southern Crescent, and Greystone. Christina’s short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies across the writing spectrum.
C. Kevin Barrett C. Kevin Barrett holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Ohio State University. He lectures on Biological and Forensic Anthropology at Ohio State University and other colleges in central Ohio; has worked with federal, state, and local law enforcement on dozens of forensic cases; and is a member of the Society for the Scientific Detection of Crime. Currently, he is using teeth to estimate levels of developmental stress in modern and prehistoric populations, including Inuit from Point Hope, Alaska, and Neanderthals from Europe and the Middle East. When not engaged in academia, he practices martial arts and writes speculative fiction. His short fiction has won numerous contests and has been published in both the United State and in Europe.
In addition to stories and novels, Peter has written numerous teleplays and screenplays, including the animated versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn, plus the fan-favorite “Sarek” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Now 70 years old, Peter is writing more than ever, having completed and sold 30 new stories and two new novels in the last three years. To mark his 50th year as a professional writer, in April of 2009, he launched “Peter S. Beagle’s 52/50 Project”—a marathon set of 52 week-by-week releases of new poems and song lyrics.
Davey Beauchamp
Eric Basaldua
Davey Beauchamp is best known for his Writers for Relief charity anthologies, Agency 32 series, Amazing Pulp Adventures series, and awardnominated podcast, The Amazing Pulp Adventure Radio Show Starring Mister Adventure.
Eric Basaldua is a mainstay of the Top Cow universe. He started working at Top Cow in 2000 under the direct tutelage of Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri. He has since become one of the Top Guns and Top Cow. A self-professed thong lover, Eric is known for his depictions of beautiful women and sexy artwork. Eric has worked on many fan favorite comic series, including Hunter-Killer, Witchblade, Tomb Raider, Freshman, The Magdalena, Blood Legacy: The Young Ones, The Darkness, Battle of the Planets, the Darkness/Vampirella crossover, and the Witchblade/Wolverine crossover. In 2006, Top Cow published a sketchbook of Eric’s fabulous artwork. In 2008, Eric did the artwork for the first ever Virgin Comics/Top Cow crossover, Devi/Witchblade #1. Recently, he has provided various covers for Top Cow and Zenescope, as well as contributing to the recently released Witchblade Annual #1.
Writers for Relief has brought together top talents in the realms of science fiction and fantasy, with each volume helping a different worthy cause. The last two volumes have brought help to Hurricane Katrina survivors through the Red Cross and Bay Area Food Bank. The second volume was published by Dragon Moon Press, featuring such authors as Todd McCaffrey, A.C. Crispin, and David Drake. The Amazing Pulp Adventures Radio Show Starring Mister Adventure is old-time radio meets new-time tech. A rebirth of the old action-adventure pulp radio shows of the golden age, the show was nominated for a 2006 and 2007 Parsec Award. His YA novel, Amazing Pulp Adventures, will be coming out later this year.
Trace Beaulieu Trace Beaulieu was a founding writer/ performer on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), playing Dr. Forrester and Crow for the show’s first seven seasons as well as the feature film version of MST. Trace continues to work as both a performer and writer. As an actor, he has appeared on Freaks and Geeks, The West Wing, and several independent features. He was also the host of People Traps on Animal Planet. Trace’s writing credits include ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos, Fast Food Films on FX, and authoring the popular comic book, Here Come the Big People! Trace is also a dedicated visual artist, with pieces in many collections.
Jeremy A. Bastian Jeremy Bastian has been called by many as a “crazy” person. His dedication for filling a page from gutter to gutter with delicate detail, whimsical characters, and strange creatures might not seem out of the norm. However, Jeremy draws his pages at 100 percent and does it all with a very small brush. If anything, one might have to blow up the images that pour from his mind, just to be able to see them. His creator-owned project, Cursed Pirate Girl, beckons to the 19th century in subject and style. Cursed Pirate Girl found the perfect home with the Century Guild (purveyors of Art Nouveau and Symbolist antiques and artworks) and their publishing house, Olympian Publishing.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Michelle Belanger
Julie Benz
One of the most recognizable experts on vampires today, Michelle Belanger has appeared on HBO documentaries associated with True Blood, as well as shows on the History Channel, XYTV, and A&E. She is the author of numerous books, including the forthcoming paranormal thriller, This Heart of Flame. She lectures at colleges around the country on topics from vampires to dreamwalking to ghostly encounters and co-hosts a popular Pagan podcast, Shadowdance. She is also a regular guest on A&E’s hit series Paranormal State.
Julie Benz captivates any room she walks into with her radiant beauty and infectious energy. Star of cult classics such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Roswell, Julie has never been one to shy away from challenging roles, and she continues her streak as a serial thriller alongside Sylvester Stallone in 2008’s most anticipated action film, Rambo. Released on January 25th, Benz performs grueling stunts as she stars as a missionary taken prisoner by sadistic Burmese soldiers.
Veronica Belmont Veronica is the co-host of Revision3’s tech-centric show, Tekzilla, and Qore on the PlayStation Network. Previous to that, she hosted several other online video shows and podcasts, including Mahalo Daily, Buzz Out Loud, MP3 Insider, and Crave. She also created tech video content for CNET TV, including the popular series Prizefight.
She went brunette to play the vengeful blue-collar wife of a murdered cop in her next project, The Punisher: War Zone. And in the newest in the Saw series, Saw 5, she plays one of Jigsaw’s latest victims. Benz will be returning to the big screen shortly after post-production wraps in the sequel to the cult classic Boondock Saints. In Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, Julie will be reunited with the original cast, playing the only female lead.
Veronica frequently guest hosts other technology-related podcasts, and also speaks about technology, gaming, and social networking. She also hosts the science fiction and fantasy-themed podcast/book club The Sword and Laser. In her free time, she helps to manage the largest North American World of Warcraft guild, Alea Iacta Est, as one of the founding members.
When she’s not headlining films, she stars in Showtime’s hit series, Dexter, as Rita Bennett, the titular character’s tormented girlfriend, oblivious to her partner’s homicidal tendencies.
Dirk Benedict
Bob Bergen
Dirk Benedict’s career break came in 1978 when he appeared as Lieutenant Starbuck in the movie and television series Battlestar Galactica. Four years later, Dirk gained further popularity in what is arguably his most famous and popular role, as con-man Lieutenant Templeton “Faceman” Peck in 1980s action television series, The A-Team, and played this high profile role from 1982 to 1986.
Bob Bergen is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Porky Pig, having performed the character in Tiny Toon Adventures, Space Jam, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and the Duck Dodgers TV show, and he also hosted Jep!, a kids’ version of the popular game show Jeopardy! Bob played Lupin the Third in Mystery of Mamo, The Castle of Cagliostro, and Lupin the Third’s Greatest Capers. He also played the part of No-Face in the 2001 academy award winning movie Spirited Away and Kai and Masaru in the anime classic Akira.
Dirk appeared as a contestant on the controversial fifth UK series of Celebrity Big Brother, broadcast in the UK. He made what is possibly the show’s most memorable entrance to date, arriving in the classic A-Team van, accompanied by the famous theme tune. Dirk was the third-to-last contestant to be evicted from Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in third place overall with 16% of the public vote.
Additionally, Bob is one of the announcers on the Disney Channel, voices Bucky the squirrel in The Emperor’s New School, and is responsible for the voice of Luke Skywalker in over a dozen Star Wars video games, as well as the Robot Chicken “Star Wars Special.”
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Steve Berman
Gina Biggs
Since he began writing at age 17, Steve Berman has published over 80 articles, essays, reviews, and short stories. His work has seen print online at Strange Horizons and Velvet Mafia, in the young adult anthologies of Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, and on the blog GuysLitWire. His young adult novel, Vintage: A Ghost Story, a dark fantasy set in New Jersey’s suburbs, earned high praise from Locus Magazine, School Library Journal. The book was featured on the Rainbow List, which is a listing of gay positive works for children and teens sponsored by the GLBT-Roundtable of the American Library Association. It is routinely a bestseller for the InsightOut Book Club. Vintage was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award for best speculative novel for teens.
Gina Biggs has been creating comics for over 10 years and has run the indy comic publishing group, Strawberry Comics, since 2004. Strawberry Comics is an all-female group of creators banding together to help promote women in the comic industry as well as the neglected and often overlooked genre of love and romance in the medium. Gina’s current works include Red String, Erstwhile, and Love of Sausage. Red String is a romantic webcomic series that started in 2003 and continues to update three times a week, published by Dark Horse Comics. Erstwhile adapts lesser known Grimm’s fairy tales into comic form. Gina works with another member of Strawberry Comics on this project, Louisa Roy. Together, they illustrate the series.
Berman is also an accomplished editor. For both Charmed Lives and Wilde Stories 2008, he was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. He has also edited the anthologies Best Gay Stories 2008, So Fey, and Magic in the Mirrorstone, an anthology of fantastical YA fiction released from Mirrorstone Books. As an editor, Berman has worked with such diverse authors as Cassanda Clare, Jameson Currier, and Tiffany Trent.
John Billingsley John Billingsley can currently be seen on Alan Ball’s HBO series True Blood and also starred in the ABC series The Nine as Ethan Foote as the Denobulan, Dr. Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise, and opposite Denzel Washington in the feature film Out of Time. He has also appeared in Cold Case, CSI, New York, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, The Glass House, High Crimes, and White Oleander and starred in the independent film Breathing Hard, which won a number of awards on the festival circuit.
Mark F. Berry “Mark Berry obviously watches far more dinosaur movies than can be healthy for any grown man,” states Donald “Dino Don” Lessem in his foreword to Berry’s definitive volume, The Dinosaur Filmography. Mark’s prolific articles have enlivened such periodicals as Filmfax, Monsters from the Vault, HorrorShow, Prehistoric Times, Horror Biz, CreatureScape, and the award-winning Video Watchdog, while garnering Rondo Award nominations in each of the last two years. He also wrote the foreword for Allen Debus’s Dinosaurs in Fantastic Fiction. But his magnum opus thus far is undoubtedly The Dinosaur Filmography, a comprehensive, 500-pluspage history of “dino-cinema,” now available in a
He was a series regular on The Others and guest-starred in other television series, including 24, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, The West Wing, Family Law, Judging Amy, NYPD Blue, Gideon’s Crossing, The Practice, X Files, and Six Feet Under.
Mark’s magazine articles have tended toward exclusive retrospective interviews, some with genre film personalities who have never before granted full-length interviews. His latest interview—the cover feature of Video Watchdog #146—Last Survivor of Skull Island, is a last chance lookback-in-time conversation with 99-year-old special effects veteran Harry Redmond, Jr., who worked on FX for the original King Kong.
John will be in the upcoming American disaster film 2012 as Professor West, an American scientist. The film is inspired by prophecies made from oracles and several hypotheses made from the ancient Mayans that a doomsday event will occur when the sun, moon, and Earth will be perfectly aligned in the 2012 winter solstice.
Tom Biondolillo
Michael Connell Biehn
Tom Biondolillo is currently a professor of Media Arts and Animation at the Art Institute of Atlanta, teaching such subjects as 2D animation, visual development for animation and game art and design, storyboarding, digital ink and painting, and sculpting for animators.
Perhaps Michael Connell Biehn’s most memorable role was that of Kyle Reese in the 1984 movie The Terminator, one of four films directed by James Cameron that he has appeared in, the other three being Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Biehn has also played a Navy SEAL in three different films: The Abyss, Navy SEALs, and The Rock.
He has worked as a game and story illustrator for companies including White Wolf, TSR, AEG, Steve Jackson Games, FASA, and WOTC, and he painted and inked art for titles such as Dragonlance, Legends of the Five Rings, Weird West, Mage, Vampire, and GURPS. He has also penciled, inked, and written for comics for Dark Horse, Caliber, and Image.
Michael has taken acting roles ranging from big budget movies such as The Art of War and Clockstoppers, to video games like Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, and independent movies, such as Havoc. He also starred in three TV series, including the CBS drama The Magnificent Seven, the Tribune Entertainment syndicated TV series Adventure, Inc., and the NBC TV series Hawaii.
Dee Bitner Dee Bitner is a certified hypnotist, HypnoBirthing practitioner, NLP pratictitioner, and geek from a long line of geeks. She has explored hypnosis in roleplaying and loves to explain and demonstrate hypnosis to new audiences.
In 2008, TV Guide reported that Biehn will guest-star in a February episode of the CBS drama Criminal Minds.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Steven and Whitney are appearing at Dragon*Con this year to promote their latest project, the documentary Mythic Journeys, a unique fusion of documentary, story, and animation starring Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, and Lance Henriksen that boldly asks the question: will you know who you are when you die or will death have to tell you?
Claudia Black Claudia Black is best known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun and Vala Mal Doran in the science fiction television series Farscape and Stargate SG-1, respectively. For her role in Farscape, Claudia was nominated Best Actress by Saturn Award in 2001 and 2002, and won the award in 2005. She has appeared in the feature films Queen of the Damned and Pitch Black. Claudia also appears as Vala Mal Doran in Stargate SG-1 as a regular cast member starting in season 10; she portrayed the same character in a season eight episode (“Prometheus Unbound”) and in eight episodes of season nine. She has also appeared in theater with parts in Spotlight On Women, Portrait of Dorian Gray, Loose Ends, and Pick Ups. Claudia is a professional singer of jazz and classical music.
Darlene Bolesny Darlene Bolesny has lived overseas, worked as a firefighter/EMT, raced motorcycles, shot tournament pool, and plays with swords. With such a life, it seemed that fate was grooming her to write fantasy action adventure—then she met Robert Asprin. The resulting 20-year friendship was as full of adventure as her writing. Her first novel in the Duanor Series was published by TSR in 1996, but then encountered events which rivaled her bizarre life. Luckily, there is a happy ending. DarkStar Publishing has now purchased the entire series! The first book will be released in summer of 2009.
M. H. Bonham
Dr. Bob Blackwood
M. H. (“Maggie”) Bonham is the multiple award-winning author of some 30 books, including six fantasy novels: Prophecy of Swords, Runestone of Teiwas, Lachlei, Howling Dead, The King’s Champion, and Serpent Singer and Other Stories and the editor of anthology WolfSongs I. Her work has appeared in Tales of the Talisman, Lorelei Signal, Kidvisions, and anthologies such as Four Bubbas of the Apocalypse, Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, A Time To…, and Flush Fiction. She is the editor of the WolfSongs Anthology.
Dr. Bob Blackwood and Dr. John Flynn, dubbed “The Film Doctors” by fans at the World Science Fiction Convention in Toronto, conducted a survey of the members of the World Science Fiction Society of the Top 10 Science Fiction Films of the 20th Century, published the results, and created a book on the ten films. They were assisted by Diane Miller Blackwood, MA, Sociology, who created the survey instrument. In the last 12 years, Dr. Bob has attended a variety of science fiction and film events. Blackwood and Flynn’s book, Future Prime: The Top Ten Science Fiction Films, was released by Galactic Books in July of 2006.
Barry Bostwick In 1972, Barry Bostwick originated the role of bad boy Danny Zuko in the stage production of Grease, earning a Tony Award nomination for his performance. He also won a Tony Award for his performance in the 1977 musical The Robber Bridegroom. In 1975, he starred with Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Barry portrayed Randall Winston, the Mayor of New York City, in the sitcom Spin City opposite Michael J. Fox and his successor, Charlie Sheen.
Jennifer Blanc Jennifer Blanc made her TV series debut as straight girl in the Kenny Ortega-helmed drama/musical Hull High. Following episodic roles in Sweet Justice and Rebel Highway, Jennifer got her first break when she joined the cast of the well-received series Party of Five in the role of Kate Bishop. While working on the show, she had a feature role in the Betty Thomas film, The Brady Bunch Movie, and worked on movies and TV films, such as Awake to Danger, Steve Anderson’s Dead Men Can’t Dance, and The Ride. She also guested on many TV series like Touched by an Angel, Early Edition, and Providence). Her next TV breakthrough was in 2000 when she landed the role of Kendra Maibaum on James Cameron’s Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly. In late 2005, she appeared as Jacinda Hendler in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She appeared as a Catholic school girl in an episode of Veronica Mars, and also plays Jenna in the comedy/drama film West of Brooklyn, and Harley in the drama 365 Days.
Other television credits include guest appearances in Charlie’s Angels, Hawaii Five-O, The Golden Palace, Grace Under Fire, Cold Case, Scrubs, and Las Vegas, among others. In the Cold Case episode, “Creatures of the Night,” in which he is the main suspect, the theme of the episode revolves around The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is among his best-known performances to date.
Steven & Whitney Boe
Barry served as host of the nationally televised annual Capitol Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for eight years, and recently, he gained a recurring role as Grandpa Clyde Flynn on Phineas and Ferb.
Steven and his wife, Whitney Boe, are the founders of Imaginal Cells FilmWorks in Los Angeles, California, where they have produced a number of award-winning films including Ugly on the Inside, Nudity Required, The Hannah Virus, and Adrianne: a Dog-umentary. Steven has also directed music videos and edited various graphic packages for television and independent projects, including Yu Gi-Oh “School for Duel.” Onscreen, Steven had a successful acting career appearing in film and television in such shows and productions as E.S.P., Wild Bill, the NBC miniseries The 60’s, L.A. Law, and most notably as the evil Cam Cutler in the Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! movie.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
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Bruce Boxleitner is best known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring ‘Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and Babylon 5. He also starred in The Gambler trilogy. In 2005, he co-starred as Captain Martin Duvall in Young Blades, and in 2007, he returned to the Babylon 5 universe and filmed Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, a direct-to-DVD release. He joined the cast of Heroes for season three, playing New York Governor Robert Malden in two episodes.
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He reprised his role in the Tron sequel, TR2N, a sequel video game, Tron 2.0, and the Disney/Square Enix crossover video game Kingdom Hearts II. He provides the voice of Colin Barrow in the animated sci-fi horror movie Dead Space: Downfall, based on the Dead Space video game, and Boxleitner has written two science fiction novels with a Western setting: Frontier Earth and Searcher.
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Count down! to our big online Labor Day announcements!
Dr. John E. Bradford Dr. John E. Bradford is President of SpaceWorks Engineering. Dr. Bradford’s background is in space systems design with a focus and primary interest in advanced propulsion systems. He has served as the project manager for numerous government sponsored programs with the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL), NASA, and DARPA. Working with various NASA field centers, he has provided both concept analysis and disciplinary expertise in the area of propulsion, aeroheating, and thermal protection system analysis. Dr. Bradford led the firm’s activities in support of the joint DARPA/Air Force FALCON, DARPA’s RASCAL program, AFRL’s Robust Scramjet Program, the Air Force’s Affordable REsponsive Spacelift (ARES) project, and the ongoing Future-responsive Access to Space Technologies (FAST) program with the Air Force.
Comicpalooza is a festival featuring science
comic
books,
fiction,
horror,
fantasy, television & film, gaming, web comics, art, and
a
variety
entertainment.
Doug Bradley
of
other
See
what
great things we’ve got in
Doug Bradley is probably most famous for his role as Hellraiser’s Pinhead—Dark Prince of Pain, Angel of Suffering, Leviathan’s Lord of the Damned.
store for you at www.comicpalooza.com!
As well as the Hellraiser series, Doug has starred in Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, alongside his friend Robert Englund (Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street) in The Killer Tongue, and in two award-winning short horror films, “On Edge” and “Red Lines.” Doug also voiced and executive produced the anime feature Dominator, with a sequel, Dominator X, in development. Other film and TV appearances include Inspector Morse and the movies The Prophecy: Uprising and Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes. Doug’s theater work includes his one-man show, An Evening With Death. He also displayed his literary skills in the insightful and entertaining book, Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Comicpalooza March 26 - 28, 2009 Houston, TX 20
w w w . c o m i c pa l o o z a . c o m
Bruce Boxleitner
Jennie Breeden
Mark Brooks
Jennie Breeden began her daily autobiographical webcomic, The Devil’s Panties, in 2001 and released it in comic shops in 2006. With over two thousand free comics on the web, she shares her adventures at conventions, comic shops, and pirate fun with the world. She brings her leaf blower and goes kilt hunting every night at Dragon*Con. With a reality like this, who needs to make up stories?
Mark Brooks is an illustrator contracting with Marvel Comics for the last four years, as well as recently becoming an authorized Lucasfilm artist. Mark has worked on dozens of titles, including Amazing Spider-man, Ultimate Spider-man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, New X-Men, and Cable/Deadpool, as well as co-creating the new Latina Spider-girl character, Arana. Past and current clients include DC Comics/DC Licensing, Darkhorse Comics, Capcom USA, Upperdeck, Devil’s Due Publishing, Gentle Giant Studios, and Hasbro Toys.
Dan Brereton Dan Brereton is an award-winning and critically acclaimed painter, illustrator, and comics writer. He is best known for his work on Nocturnals, a comic book property he created ten years ago, which is now published in various volumes by Oni Press and can best be described as “Spooky Noir Superheroes.”
Fiona Broome
He’s painted hundreds of comic book covers and over a thousand comic book pages, and worked on such titles as Buffythe Vampire Slayer, Clive Barker’s Dread, Batman, Ultimate Spiderman, Justice League, Superman, Conan, Giantkiller, The Psycho, Birds of Prey, and many more. Outside the comics field, his work includes art for Rob Zombie’s CD Hellbilly Deluxe and Toto’s Tambu.
Fiona Broome is one of America’s top psychic ghost researchers and an enthusiastic paranormal historian. For over a dozen years, her true ghost stories have fascinated fans online and in real life. She’s the author of three ghost books, including The Ghosts of Austin, Texas (2007), and she’s contributed to books such as Weird Hauntings (2007), Weird Encounters (2009), and Armchair Reader: Weird, Scary & Unusual (2008). Fiona was the inspiration for the “Fiona” character in the Charmed novel, Trickery Treat. In the Fall 2008 issue of Haunted Times, Fiona was listed as one of the world’s top paranormal experts. She starred in the Halloween 2008 special on the TV show, Hollywood New England. Fiona’s popular websites include HollowHill.com, one of the Internet’s oldest and largest ghost-related sites. Fiona appears regularly on the UK radio show, Psychic Sundays, and she is the paragenealogist for the British TV series, Cromwell’s Quest. Fiona also hosts several paranormal podcasts and an Internet radio show on Psychic Rock Radio.
2004 marked the 10-year anniversary of Nocturnals with the release of the hardcover Nocturnals: A Midnight Companion, an RPG sourcebook and guide for readers of the Nocturnals trades. Additionally, his miniseries with Jim Hudnall, The Psycho, was acquired by Universal Pictures to be a major motion picture. Look for new Ghostbuster covers and two stories appearing in Michael Chabon’s Adventures of the Escapist from Dark Horse comics.
Bill Bridges Bill Bridges is a game designer at CCP/White Wolf. He is the co-creator of Holistic Design’s Fading Suns science fiction game universe and was the lead designer of the award-winning storytelling system rules for White Wolf ’s World of Darkness games. He designed and developed the award-winning games Mage: The Awakening, Promethean: The Created, and Werewolf: the Apocalypse. His novels include The Silver Crown and Last Battle. He has also written for Chaosium and helped develop Last Unicorn’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine roleplaying games. He co-wrote the scripts for Viacom’s interactive horror movie, Dracula Unleashed, Interplay’s Starfleet Academy, and contributed to world design for Segasoft’s Emperor of the Fading Suns. He is an adviser for the Mythic Imagination Institute, host of Atlanta’s Mythic Journeys conferences.
Ben Browder Ben Browder appeared as a recurring guest on the U. S. television show, Party of Five, as Sam Brody. Ben moved to Australia during the production of Farscape, on which he starred as American astronaut John Crichton. He returned to play John Crichton in the SyFy Channel mini-series, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. The mini-series wrapped up the remaining plot lines of Farscape, while leaving open the possibility of future adventures. He has received two Saturn Awards for Best Actor in a Television Role for his acting in Farscape. The audiobook release of Interlopers, a novel written by Alan Dean Foster and narrated by Ben. He voiced the character Bartholomew Aloysius “Bat” Lash in an episode of the animated series Justice League Unlimited, “The Once and Future Thing, Part 1: Weird Western Tales.”
John Bridges John Bridges has been a professional illustrator for almost two decades. He has worked in comics, games, advertising, and entertainment design for clients such as Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf, and Marvel Comics. John was also art director of the Fading Suns universe of game projects for Holistic Design, Inc. Currently, John is a concept artist at CCP/White Wolf games.
He returned to the SyFy Channel when he joined the cast of Stargate SG-1 for its ninth season in 2005. He played the character of Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the new commanding officer of SG-1. Several episodes of Stargate SG-1, most notably “200,” comically alluded to Farscape during Browder and Black’s time on the series.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Bujold is the daughter of Robert Charles McMaster and attributes her early interest in science fiction, as well as certain aspects of the Vorkosigan saga, to his influence. He was editor of the monumental Nondestructive Testing Handbook generally referred to as “McMaster on Materials.”
Julie Caitlin Brown Julie Caitlin Brown comes to producing after a 20-year career as a performer, which has included stage, television, and film. Among her most memorable credits are Raffaela Ottanio for Tommy Tunes’ Tony Award winning musical, Grand Hotel on Broadway, and a turn as Gymnasia with George Wendt in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Over 35 guest starring and a series regular role on Babylon 5 followed, with Julie producing, writing, and performing on two original music CDs along the way. Julie has associate produced two films, Silent Hearts and Never Die Twice.
Bob Burden Self-taught Atlanta writer and artist Bob Burden hit the comics scene in the 80’s with his raw, primitive, and iconoclastic artwork just as a “new wave” of revolutionary independents were pioneering a creative renaissance. His seminal comic work includes Mystery Men, Flaming Carrot, and Gumby. Recently licensed by Burden for comics, the awardwinning Gumby series was written by Bob and drawn by Rick Geary.
Matthew J. Brown
Burden’s work has been honored with almost every major award in the comics industry, including the Inkpot Award, the Eisner Award, the ACE Award, the Ignatz Award, and several Kirby Award nominations. In between working on comic book stories, running an antique business, and preparing a book of his poetry, Burden is currently engaged in developing projects and screenplays for the big screen, and, in 2010, he is planning to introduce a number of properties on the Internet.
By day, Matthew J. Brown is a mild-mannered Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas who studies philosophy of science and the American pragmatism movement. But in times of need, he also acts as a scholar of comic books and popular culture. He organized the first ever Dragon*Con Academic Mini-Conference, in association with the Institute of Comics Studies and the Comics and Popular Arts track. The conference brought together scholars from philosophy, literature, religious studies, and film studies. He has written about or presented on such topics as the preservation of character-identity through retcons, Crisis on Infinite Earth, Watchmen, the morality of vigilante justice, and picky eating. He has published in academic journals as well as in Wiley’s Philosophy for Everyone series.
Chesya Burke With more than forty publishing credits to her name, including the acclaimed Chocolate Park, Chesya Burke has been making her mark in the horror and fantasy worlds. Her work has appeared in such publications as Dark Dream I, II and III: Horror and Suspense by Black Writers, published by Kensington Publishing Corp., the historical, science and speculative fiction magazine Would that It Were, and many more. She received the Twilight Tales award for fiction and an honorable mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Several of her articles appeared in the African American National Biography, published by Harvard and Oxford University Press. In early 2010, production will begin on the film, The Light of Cree, based on her story by the same name published in Voices From The Other Side by Kensington Publishing.
Ginjer Buchanan In the early ‘70’s, Ginjer Buchanan moved from Pittsburgh, PA. to New York City where she made her living as a social worker, while doing freelance editorial work. In 1984, she took a job as an editor at Ace Books. She has been promoted several times. Her current title is Editor-in-Chief Ace/Roc Books. Her novel, a Highlander tie-in titled White Silence, was published in February of 1999. She has also had “pop culture” essays included in the third Buffy, The Vampire Slayer episode guide and in Finding Serenity, a collection about Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
James Burns
Lois McMaster Bujold
James Burns is an illustrator, graphic designer, and animator. As a graphic designer for television, James has created 3D animations for clients such as CNN, TBS, and various television stations around the country. In 2002, he was diagnosed with a detached retina, which threatened his eyesight. After recovering, and at age 45, he wrote and drew his first comic book, Detached, about the experience and the fear and doubts connected with it. His first non-autobiographical comic, Daemon Process, is best described as a supernatural tale of death, love, computers, and an ancient, evil book. He’s also recently finished a large anthology entitled Real Magicalism.
Lois McMaster Bujold is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein’s record. Her novella, “The Mountains of Mourning,” won both the Hugo and Nebula Award. In the fantasy sphere, The Curse of Chalion won the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature and was nominated for the 2002 World Fantasy Award for best novel, and both her fourth Hugo and second Nebula were for Paladin of Souls.
Laura A. Burns Laura A. Burns has been a space enthusiast for her entire life. Since 1998, Laura has been on the James Webb Space Telescope project, most recently for the Space Telescope Science Institute. During the summer of 2007, she spent nine weeks in Beijing, China, at the International Space University. She is an alumnus of the prestigious NASA Academy student internship program and is actively involved in the NASA Academy Alumni Association. She regularly attends space conferences and enjoys speaking to the public on space related topics. In addition to her interest in space, she is a longtime science fiction and fantasy fan, podcast listener, board game player, and an avid book collector. Her voice talents can be heard in several podcasts.
Bujold is best known for her series of novels featuring Miles Vorkosigan, a physically-impaired interstellar spy and mercenary admiral from the planet Barrayar, set approximately 1000 years in our future. In A Civil Campaign, Bujold explores yet another genre: a high-society romance with a plot that pays tribute to Regency romance novelist Georgette Heyer. Her psychological insights and creation of complex characters are particularly appreciated by many readers.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Dr. Campbell believes strongly in the importance of sharing science with everyone. In 2008, she started a new website at sciencepodcasters.org, which is a blog for science podcasters. It provides a place where people interested in science can find shows on a wide variety of topics.
Patrick Burns Patrick Burns is best known for his starring roll as the paranormal investigator on Tru TV’s hit series, Haunting Evidence. He is also the founder and director of Ghost Hounds, the largest paranormal research network in the southern United States. He is one of the most respected and in-demand paranormal researchers today, receiving requests to conduct investigations and lectures from coast to coast. Patrick is a veteran both in front of and behind the camera lens. A videographer in his own right, his selfproduced video production, Haunted, won him acclaim from his peers in the paranormal field and a nomination from Ghost Convention International for “best documentary.”
Charisma Carpenter Charisma Carpenter made her first television appearance in 1994 in an episode of Baywatch. In 1997, she auditioned for the title role in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer but instead was cast as Cordelia Chase, a snobby and popular high school student. After three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she was offered an even larger role as the same character on the spin-off series Angel. She played Cordelia Chase for three seasons on Buffy and four seasons on Angel.
He currently has several ambitious media projects in the works, including development of a new television series, a “how-to” instructional video on ghost hunting and a series of DVDs profiling allegedly haunted locations around the country. He recently concluded co-writing a guide to paranormal investigation that he collaborated on with two other authors.
She had a three-episode guest appearance on the TV show Charmed and played a recurring role on NBC’s Miss Match. She also had a recurring role as Kendall Casablancas in the TV series Veronica Mars. Charisma guest-starred in the first season finale of ABC Family’s television show, Greek. She also had a guest appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Matt Busch In the early 90’s, Matt Busch began his career in Hollywood working in every aspect of the movie business from concept design work on The Matrix, to storyboards for Con-Air, to poster design for The Devil’s Own. Simultaneously, he began illustrating books, magazines, posters, comics, trading cards, and toys for notable pop culture properties, including Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, The Crow, Heroes, G.I. Joe, Night of the Living Dead, The Hulk, Battlestar Galactica, Reservoir Dogs, Bruce Lee, Witchblade, Robocop, The Mummy, Stargate SG-1, and Star Trek.
Charisma has starred in an assortment of made-for-TV and direct-tovideo movies, including the sex comedy What Boys Like, the horror film Voodoo Moon, the romantic comedy See Jane Date, and Relative Chaos. She is also starring in the SyFy Channel movie, House of Bones, and in the production company Red Sparrow’s first film, Vivid. She has recently been added to the cast of the upcoming movie The Expendables, a Sylvester Stallone written/directed film, set for a 2010 release.
Matt has written and illustrated dozens of Star Wars books and magazines. He created the cover of Tales from the Empire and has been involved with creating artwork for all three Star Wars prequels. Busch also provided nearly 400 drawings and paintings for the critically acclaimed You Can Draw Star Wars book from DK Publishing.
Luciana Carro
The first hardcover collection of his work, Fantastic Visions: The Art of Matt Busch, was published by Avatar Press. SQP Publishing later released a follow-up, Pucker: The Seductive Art of Matt Busch, and last year, Hermes Press published the quintessential collection, The Worlds of Matt Busch.
Luciana was cast in the Wayan Brothers comedy White Chicks and the thriller Two for the Money and has appeared in lead roles in the short film “Passageway,” a dramatic tale of the forbidden love between two women, and in Dr. Dolittle 3. She booked a recurring role in Everwood in the show’s fourth season and returned to the big screen when she landed a gig in the sports comedy Blades of Glory.
Luciana Carro is best known for her portrayal of the Viper pilot Louanne “Kat” Katraine on the critically acclaimed Emmy Award winning series, Battlestar Galactica.
Tim Byrd The author of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, the first novel in a pulp adventure series from G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Tim lives with his adventurous son and a treacherous cat near Atlanta, Georgia. He is often barefoot, prone to irony, and interested in everything. He knows how to tie a tie, but doesn’t care to. He has been a dishwasher, shoe salesman, waiter, soldier, game designer, independent filmmaker, and outdoor guide. He wants to be a kid when he grows up.
In 2007, she was cast in an ABC Family movie of the week, Snowglobe, and most recently, she completed shooting on the independent film Urgency. Besides working on both the big and small screen, she attends a theater school to perfect her skills. She has her own theater project in the works, with the goal of starring in and producing Tennessee William’s play, The Rose Tattoo in Los Angeles.
Ginger Campbell, MD Ginger Campbell, MD, has spent most of her medical career as an emergency physician, but in 2006, she jumped into the emerging world of podcasting. Her Brain Science Podcast is one of the most highly rated shows in iTunes and has devoted listeners from around the world. Not content to stick with neuroscience, Dr. Campbell uses her second podcast, Books and Ideas, to explore everything from particle physics to science fiction.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
James Cawley
Sandra Anglin Chastain Named one of the “10 Most Important Star Trek Fans in History,” James Cawley is the driving force behind Star Trek New Voyages/ Phase II. He is the Senior Executive Producer; constructs and designs sets, props and costumes; spearheads the FX makeup; and portrays Captain James T. Kirk.
Sandra Anglin Chastain is the award-winning author of more than fifty novels and numerous short stories. She is currently working on a paranormal novel and a YA paranormal. She is also a partner in BelleBooks/BelleBridge Publishing Company, which publishes paranormal/fantasy novels.
Justin Chon
James’s dedication to detail, boundless energy, and deep respect for TOS has attracted hundreds of fans and industry professionals to contribute their talents to the non-profit production, including Star Trek alumni Walter Koenig, George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney, Denise Crosby, D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, Jon Povill, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, and Eugene Roddenberry, Jr.
Justin Chon is a Korean actor, and the son of a Korean actor who began his acting career in 2005 in shows such as Jack & Bobby and Taki & Luci. He came to fame in 2006 when he played Peter Wu in the Disney Channel film Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. He also played Tony Lee in the Nickelodeon sitcom Just Jordan. In 2008, he played Eric Yorkie in the film Twilight, based on the book by Stephenie Meyer. Justin will reprise his role as Eric Yorkie in Twilight’s sequels, New Moon and Eclipse.
Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II’s numerous awards include the 2007 OnLine TV Guide Award for Best SciFi Webseries, two Icon Awards, and both a Hugo and Nebula nomination.
Jamie Chambers
Claudia Christian
The son of a Trekkie and an early D&D player, Jamie was doomed early to a life of geeky pursuits. He began playing role-playing games at the age of seven and writing his own fiction at eight.
Claudia Christian is probably best known for her role as Commander Susan Ivanova on the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. She landed her first TV series at 18 on NBC’s nighttime drama, Berringers, and her first feature at 20 in the cult hit The Hidden.
Science fiction was also a love, and many years later, he was one of the fans heartbroken by the cancellation of Firefly—so much so that he was determined to be involved in creating a game tie-in to the movie Serenity. After a lifetime of creating (and playing) games and writing (and reading) stories, Jamie now manages Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd., creating game and entertainment products for his favorite author. He’s had stories, game products, and articles published by many companies and is constantly working on personal projects as well as new creations for MWP.
Claudia moved to London in 2005, and in August of 2006, she debuted onstage in her first UK play, Killing Time, at the world famous Edinburgh festival, for which she received a best actress nomination.In 2007, Yard Dog Press published an autobiography of Claudia’s life, My Life With Geeks and Freaks, and she also had a short story, “Wicked Women,” published by Under The Moon in Forbidden Love issue #2 and another, “Sacred Bands,” appear in Forbidden Love issue #3.In 2008, she appeared in an episode of Nip/Tuck and co-starred in the romantic comedy Overnight.
A. C. Charania A. C. Charania is President of SpaceWorks Commercial. At SpaceWorks Commercial, Mr. Charania works with entrepreneurial and established aerospace clients to explore future commercial opportunities and to develop businesses to service those markets. Examples of projects he has led include a NASA-funded study to examine the economic development of space using agent-based modeling, a planetary defense concept using swarms of robotic spacecraft to alter the course of an earthbound asteroid, and a planetary telecommunication network on Mars based upon reflecting signals off of meteor trails in the atmosphere. He has also been a NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts fellow.
Colin Christian Bold and outgoing, Colin showed his rebellious side through music. In 1989, he met Sas as he was was just breaking out as a DJ in the trendy nightclubs of Bournemouth. They moved to the United States and launched Hotbox, Inc., a small latex clothing manufacturing business. Parallel to their business, both were continually devoted to their everevolving artistic creativity: Sas through her painting and Colin through his sculpture. In mastering the use of fiberglass material, Colin developed a fantastical universe, and in 1998, he created his first sculpture, Suki, a reference to the female archetype in Japanese anime.
Mr. Charania holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Economics/Mathematics from Emory University. He is currently a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, member of the Space Generation Advisory Council, member of the Space Power Association/Sunsat Energy Council, and board member of the Space Frontier Foundation. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Colin is fascinated by the Harajuku Kids, young kids living in Tokyo disguised as anime characters. He draws from the anime and provocative artistic characters of Takashi Murakami such as Hiropon and My Lonesome Cowboy. Colin shares Murakami’s commercial principles and ideas as laid forth by Warhol’s Factory, expressing himself through the universe of sadomasochism. However, Colin always treats his creations with a sense of humor and combines eroticism with references to science fiction. 24
Sas Christian
Freddy Clements
Timid and introverted, Sas took refuge from her rigid religious schooling in drawing. In 1989, she met Colin Christian as he was just breaking out as a DJ in the trendy nightclubs of Bournemouth. In 1992, they moved to the United States and launched Hotbox, Inc., a small latex clothing manufacturing business. Parallel to their business, both were continually devoted to their ever-evolving artistic creativity: Sas through her painting and Colin through his sculpture. Sas defines her evolving style as influenced by the artist Tamara de Lempicka’s “élégantes,” which can be seen in Spun through the use of graphic line and hemmed eyelids. Like her husband, she is also inspired by the world of anime and Japanese pop culture. Working in oil on linen, she expresses her doubts, desires, and hopes, as well as those of her generation, through a gallery of feminine portraits with ever changing moods but an unchanging aesthetic model.
Freddy Clements is Professor of Drama and Faculty Costume Designer at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. He has been instrumental in the mentorship of many young designers as they continue along the paths to professional careers. He holds a B.A. in English/Theatre from Emory & Henry College in Virginia and an MFA in Costume Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has designed costumes for various theaters, including Wayside Theatre in Middletown, VA; CPCC in Charlotte, NC; Converse College Department of Music in Spartenburg, SC; Barter Theatre in Abington, VA; and Theatre in the Square in Marietta, GA. At the university level, he has taught courses in costume design, costume construction, stage make-up, and advanced stage make-up.
John Cmar John Cmar, MD, has been long enthralled with horrible infections that could spell doom for humankind, as well as sanity and skepticism in the practice of medicine. He is currently an Instructor of Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an Infectious Diseases specialist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Maryland. In his role as Associate Program Director for The Johns Hopkins Internal Medicine residency program at Sinai, he teaches an annual course series in evidence-based medicine, among many other duties. He also does Infectious Diseases outreach in Baltimore television and print media. John is also a science fiction and fantasy fan, avid gamer, and podcast enthusiast. He has made contributions to several podcast projects, and can be currently heard in Mur Lafferty’s audio drama The Takeover.
John Christopher John has worked as a commercial artist over the past several years in a variety of mediums, including print, multimedia, broadcast, and video games, and recently became a member of Studio Revolver. His work has appeared on the covers of Witchblade, as a designer for Star Wars Miniatures, and in the pages of Dungeon & Dragons, a variety of White Wolf publications, and Mutants and Masterminds. He enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, painting, playing his PS3, and waxing intellectually about the sheer awesomeness of the Gorn.
Julie Cochrane Julie Cochrane is a New York Times bestselling author, with John Ringo, of Cally’s War, Sister Time, and Honor of the Clan, from Baen Books. She wrote her first stories at age five and holds a degree in Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Her hobbies include martial arts, shooting, swimming, reading, and fanatical consumption of large amounts of coffee. She lives in Marietta, Georgia, with her daughter Katie, Polly the dog, and Katie’s persistent, purring, fuzzy little monster, Amy.
Amanda Conner Amanda Conner is a comic book illustrator known for several years as penciler on the hit series Vampirella for Harris Comics, the bestselling Event Comic Painkiller Jane vs the Darkness, and Painkiller Jane #0 (the origin book). She also wrote and illustrated a story for Kid Death and Fluffy. Since then, Amanda has worked on many of the top titles in comics, such as Lois Lane, Codename: Knockout, Terra, and Birds of Prey for D.C. Comics’ Vertigo line and X-Men Unlimited for Marvel. She co-created Gatecrasher for BlackBull Comics and The Pro, a creatorowned book for image with Jimmy Palmiotti and Garth Ennis. Amanda’s work can also be seen outside the comic book community in such places as ABC’s Nightline, the New York Times, Mad Magazine, and character designs for film and television. Amanda is also featured in a Biography magazine commercial on A&E. Amanda’s current work can be seen in Power Girl monthly for DC Comics as well as the Supergirl series for Wednesday Comics.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Frank Conniff
Bill Corbett
Frank Conniff is a comedy writer and performer who began his TV career writing for the Peabody award winning Comedy Central series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), where he also played “TV’s Frank,” the bumbling yet lovable mad scientist. He then went on to be a writer, producer and actor on the ABC TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He was a writer and producer on The Drew Carey Show on ABC, The New Tom Green Show on MTV, and the satirical series O2BE on the Oxygen Network, where he was also a cast member. He was also head writer of the animated Nickelodeon series Invader Zim, and was a writer and producer for the Air America Radio network, where he provided material for on-air personalities Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, Randi Rhodes, Marc Maron, and Lizz Winstead. He was the creator and executive producer of This Evening With These People, a comedy pilot for the Bravo Network, and has recently written Akihabara@Deep, an anime-style pilot for Nickelodeon International. Currently he is the creator, writer, and star of Cartoon Dump, an original web series, and is also in the cast of The Writers Room, a new series for Sony Digital. He is also writing, producing, and performing on Cinematic Titanic, a new project with his old cohorts from MST3K.
Bill Corbett is a former writer and performer for Mystery Science Theater 3000 on the SciFi Channel and previously on Comedy Central. He provided the second incarnation of the robot Crow and other strange characters, including the all-powerful but clueless alien The Observer, a.k.a. “Brain Guy.” He now works with former MST3K colleagues Michael J. Nelson and Kevin Murphy at Rifftrax.com. Corbett is also a screenwriter and playwright. His plays have been produced at numerous theaters across the U. S., Canada, Great Britain, and (seriously) Japan.
Bob Coughlin A professional writer/artist/editor since 1967, Bob Coughlin has recently completed a Dick Tracy “Sunday page” that will appear in the 75th anniversary tribute jam in Dick Tracy Magazine #71, an irresistible opportunity to write and draw the solution to the mystery of Tracy’s disappearance, and to bring into the story Tracy’s pal, B.O. Plenty, as well as B.O.’s fishing buddies, Snuffy Smith, and Pappy Yokum. Bob has produced film segments for Jon Ludwig’s Heaven Hell Tour at the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts; worked with Jim Henson on The Muppets Take Atlanta; and written, produced, and scored several short films, including the 1988 documentary Bob Smith and Howdy Too. He has published Orange Bode; re-inked hundreds of comic strips for the publications Dick Tracy Monthly and The Missing Years; and produced the CD At the White House, a 1964 session by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for LBJ and King Hussein.
Dave Cook Zombies, Rollergirls, and Rock ‘N’ Roll Monsters! Atlanta-local artist, illustrator, and graphic designer Dave Cook brings his unique brand of illustration and design once again to Dragon*Con. Locally, you’ve seen Dave’s work for the Atlanta Rollergirls, NETHERWORLD Haunted House, and Dad’s Garage, to name a few. Nationally, you can see Dave’s work for rock bands like Ghoultown, Electric Frankenstein, and Scum of the Earth.
Hunter Cressall Hunter Cressall is a director and editor who specializes in bridging the narrowing gap between consumer, prosumer, and broadcast video. He is a skilled HD digital editor with a background in feature films that includes art direction, miniatures, and special effects photography. Hunter found work as a prop master and eventually art director. Hunter soon became a production designer and worked on over thirty-six feature films. In 2003, Hunter (with Happy Nowhere’s Brad and Shannon Hodson and Leo Ticheli’s Chris Nuccio) shot the Mac switch parody, Crash Different, a spoof that has produced email both positive and outraged from literally all around the globe. Hunter also writes and maintains a webcomic, Vexxarr.
Want to be a Zombie? Dave can also draw a zombie portrait of you, known as a “Cadaviture.” Exactly like what you can get at a carnival, but with a lot of BLOOD. Dave is also the creator of Splatter Comix, a retro horror magazine that features gory thrills, sly humor, and “a bucket of blood in every issue” guaranteed.” The title has been picked up by Diamond Distributors, and the first brain-crushing issue will be splattering stores in early October.
Darwyn Cooke Darwyn Cooke is an Eisner Award–winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist, and animator. He published his first comic book work as a professional artist in 1985 and worked as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, animated the main title design for Batman Beyond, and worked as a director for Sony Animation’s Men in Black: The Series. With DC Comics, he wrote and drew Batman: Ego, and he teamed up with writer Ed Brubaker to revamp the Catwoman character with a four-issue serial in Detective Comics #759–762.
Ann C. Crispin A. C. Crispin is the author of the bestselling Star Wars novels The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn. She has also written four top-selling Star Trek novels, Yesterday’s Son, Time for Yesterday, The Eyes of the Beholders, and Sarek, and the 1984 novelization of the television miniseries, V. She went on to collaborate on two more books in the V series, East Coast Crisis, with Howard Weinstein, and Death Tide, with Deborah Marshall, and she and Andre Norton wrote two Witch World novels together, Gryphon’s Eyrie and Songsmith.
His next project was DC: The New Frontier, a six-issue miniseries set in the 1950s that featured dozens of super-hero characters. He and writer Jeph Loeb collaborated on Batman/The Spirit, which was followed by the first issue of Cooke’s The Spirit.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Crispin is also the author of the StarBridge series for Berkley/Putnam. These books, written solo or in collaboration, have been placed on the American Library Association’s Young Adult Services Division’s list of Best Books of 1991, made the 1991 Preliminary ballot for the Nebula Award, been placed on the 1993 Recommended Books for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library, and been nominated for the A.L.A Young Adults “Best Books” list. Crispin’s newest work, The Exiles of Boq’urain (Storms of Destiny, Winds of Vengeance, and Flames of Chaos), is an original fantasy trilogy for Harper/Eos.
Carl Cunningham
C. Martin Croker
Carl’s published work includes features for Cinescape, Sci-Fi World, Total Film, and Movie Insider. He is currently writing for Titan Publications, who produces the official magazines for such hot properties as Heroes, Lost, Supernatural, Smallville, and Torchwood.
Carl Cunningham is a writer who has been involved with various facets of pop culture for several years. He has several personal writing projects in the works, including two feature films (The Artist House and GOLDILOX), two graphic novels (Gabriel Gothic and The First War), and a proposed television anthology series.
C. Martin Croker (a.k.a. Clay Croker) has been in the animation field for over 22 years now, working with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block for much of that time. He helped create Cartoon Network’s Space Ghost Coast to Coast, as well as supplying numerous voices, including regulars Zorak and Moltar.
He also participated in regular Episode I Update spots on BBC Radio in the UK and has supplied continued commentary on the Star Wars universe in various media publications, including contributing to Entertainment Weekly and their “Star Wars Watch” reports.
Through his Atlanta-based animation house, Big Deal Cartoons, Inc., Croker has produced and directed the new animation for Space Ghost as well as designing and animating other characters in numerous ADULT SWIM shows, including The Brak Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Assy McGee. He has lent his voice to all these shows as well and also designed characters and animated sequences for 2006’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie Film for Theaters, including voicing longtime ATHF characters Dr. Weird and his assistant Steve.
Colin Cunningham Colin Cunningham relocated to Vancouver in 1993, took a film class, started up his own production company, made a movie, and put himself in it. That movie was Zacharia Farted, a highly successful indie feature. Zacharia was also nominated for five Leo Awards (B.C. Film Awards), including Best Picture. He recently won a Leo Award for Best Supporting Actor in the series Davinci’s Inquest. Colin also just finished up writing, directing, and starring in the movie Centigrade. The film has already taken a Best Picture and Best Actor Award, qualifying the film for an Academy Award.
Joe Crowe Joe Crowe is writer and editor for science fiction magazine RevolutionSF. He hosts and writes GameBits, a Daily Show-style video game news for The Birmingham News and AL.com. He is lead writer of the sci-fi commentary RevolutionSF Newsblast and co-writer of WhiteRocket Books’ Assembled, a book series about Marvel Comics superheroes the Avengers.
Colin has worn many “faces,” from the rule-bound Major Paul Davis on Stargate SG-1 to a sleazy tabloid editor in CSI: Miami. Colin only has to turn to his closet where he becomes long haired druggy cop Brian Curtis, the Devil incarnate (The Collector), or the blonde, caring and ever present ex-husband Neil on The Chris Issac Show.
Joe hosts live game shows and trivia contests at sci-fi conventions, such as Fanboy Frak-Off, The Star Trek Amok Time Challenge, and Stump The Geeks.
Larry D. Curtis By day, Larry D. Curtis is mild mannered newspaper and web editor. After hours, Larry is better known as MrCere, a senior staff member at TheOneRing.net, where he plays photographer, reporter, reviewer, merchandiser, and public speaker, produces parties and events, and co-ordinates line parties around the globe. He is an advocate for fans of books, film, and games, especially those involved in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. He was also a unit director for Ringers: Lord of the Fans and is involved with film festivals including Sundance and Slamdance.
Steven William Cummings Steven Cummings has been working in comics and manga since returning from Japan in 2002. He has worked for all the major publishers in America, including Marvel, DC, Image, Devil’s Due, and Humanoids. He is a part of the Canadian publisher Udon’s crew of artists working on a variety of titles and projects, starting with Street Fighter and moving through to work on art for the Exalted roleplaying system for White Wolf. For the last several years, he has returned to his roots in manga, first by creating the three-part original manga Pantheon High for Tokyopop with Paul Benjamin, and has continued in that vein by handling the art chores on Tokyopop’s upcoming CSI: the Manga. He is undoubtedly one of the best looking men in manga.
Jeremy Dale Jeremy Dale is a comic book artist most known for his work on G. I. Joe comics for Hasbro with creator Larry Hama, as well as the 2008 Harvey Award–winning Popgun v.1 from Image Comics. He is currently working on several projects, including the upcoming Carter Kain: Rocket Ranger and Miserable Dastards, and is working on some work for the big two.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Anthony Daniels
Bruce Davison
Anthony Daniels is an English actor, best known for his role as the droid C-3PO in the Star Wars series of films. It was while playing in Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead that he got the call to meet George Lucas about a science fiction movie being filmed in England. Lucas was interested in Anthony’s acting and mime skills, but Anthony had never been attracted by the world of sci-fi. It was a conceptual painting by Ralph McQuarrie that actually gained his interest. He liked the golden robot and so was thrilled to be given the role.
Bruce Davison has had a career rich with a variety of roles, both hero and villain, and all shades in between. The range of his projects reflects that versatility. He co-starred in the hit FOX film The X-Men as Senator Kelly, the avowed opponent of the mutant heroes. Davison’s roles have always spanned all the entertainment mediums. Audiences have seen him starring in such disparate productions as Harry and the Hendersons, Summer of My German Soldier, Taming of the Shrew, the mini-series Poor Little Rich Girl, and the PBS science-fiction drama The Lathe of Heaven. Bruce has guest-starred on series including The Practice, Seinfeld, and Touched By An Angel.
Anthony has written extensively about his experiences especially in his New Improved Wonder Column in the original Star Wars Insider, He produced his first comic book for Dark Horse, The Protocol Offensive. His writing skills were harnessed by Hasbro Interactive for their Monopoly Star Wars CD-ROM. He is currently working on the animated series Clone Wars.
For his work in the film Longtime Companion, Bruce was nominated for an Academy Award, won a Golden Globe, the New York and the National Film Critics Award, and a Spirit Award. Other notable film classics include Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, Six Degrees Of Separation, Short Eyes, Last Summer, and the cult favorite Willard.
Kathleen O’Shea David
Felicia Day
Kathleen O’Shea David started working with puppets when she was 2 and over 40 years later she is still “wiggling dolls” for fun and profit. Her puppets are in collections all over the world. Along the way she picked up a few more skills and careers. She is a freelance book editor and the owner of No String Attached (Custom Puppets, Masks, and Dolls). Her short story “On a Pedestal” appeared in The Big Finish Doctor Who: Qualities of Leadership anthology. With her husband, Peter David, she adapted the first four issues of the Japanese manga Negima for Del Rey Books. Currently, she is an associate editor for Time & Space Magazine. She is a former associate editor at Del Rey Books and spent a lot of time in the Star Wars universe. Her costumes have won awards at various science fiction conventions both for performance and workmanship. She has an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and over 20 years of stage, film, and television experience. Current projects include a couple of novels, the Gawblin Boys, and various art projects that have been on the drawing board for a while, including a set of puppets based on a short story by Neil Gaiman and a set of Scary Godmother puppets based on the characters created by Jill Thompson.
Felicia Day is most widely known for her work in web video, and co-starred in Joss Whedon’s Internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, voted the Best TV of 2008 by Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and People Magazine, just to name a few. She also can be seen in the web series The Guild, which she created, writes, and stars in. The Guild was the winner of the YouTube, Yahoo, and SXSW Best Web Series Awards for 2008 and for the first season alone collected over 11 million hits web-wide. Recently, in a ground-breaking deal, The Guild partnered with Xbox to produce and release Season 2 on the Xbox Marketplace as well as other Microsoft distribution platforms. Day retained complete creative rights and control of the show.As an actress, she has appeared on TV shows such as House, Strong Medicine, and Monk, and films such as Bring it on Again and the Emmy award-winning Warm Springs. She had a recurring role as Vi in the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and can be soon seen in a four-episode arc on the new ABC Family sitcom Roommates. In her downtime, Felicia’s hobbies include video games, reading (particularly science fiction/fantasy), writing, and performing sketch comedy and improv comedy.
Peter David Peter David is the bestselling author of over eighty novels, including Tigerheart, Mascot to the Rescue, the Sir Apropos of Nothing trilogy, the Hidden Earth series, the Star Trek: The New Frontier series, the fan favorite Star Trek novel Imzadi, and many others.
Aaron Armand de Orive A graduate of the University of Texas’ film program, screenwriter Aaron de Orive began working in the video game industry in 1999. He has served as a lead or senior writer on a variety of PC and console titles, including Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, Tabula Rasa, Anarchy Online, Ultima Online 2, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. In collaboration with comic book artist Jim Daly, Aaron created the web comic Good Green Earth. He’s also the creator of the penand-paper role-playing game SHARD: World of the False Dawn.
He is also known for his twelve year awardwinning stint on The Incredible Hulk. For Marvel Comics, he writes X-Factor, the adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books, and Wolverine: First Class. He also writes the creator-owned Fallen Angel for IDW. He is a past winner of Dragon*Con’s Julie Award, as well as an Eisner. Mr. David’s presence is courtesy of the New York Parole Board. Please do not taunt Mr. David. If Mr. David makes eye contact with you and begins to growl or twitch, make no sudden or threatening moves. Just back away slowly while whispering, “Pleasant mother pheasant plucker.” September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Keith R. A. DeCandido
Thomas Dekker
Keith R. A. DeCandido is a writer, editor, anthologist, musician, podcaster, TV personality, critic, essayist, blogger, and martial artist. He has given up on such outmoded concepts as “sleep.” Recent work ranges from the Star Trek novel A Singular Destiny to the Supernatural novel Bone Key to the various Farscape comic books from BOOM! Studios (co-written with series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon) to the Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Klingons comic book to stories in the Star Trek anthologies Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows and Seven Deadly Sins to editing the Doctor Who: Short Trips anthology The Quality of Leadership. Among his forthcoming projects are more Star Trek fiction and pieces in the world of the videogame StarCraft: a manga series called Ghost Academy and a novel, Spectres (the sequel to his 2006 novel Nova).
Thomas Dekker is one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood. Chosen as one of the five actors to watch in this year’s Hollywood reporter, Thomas was also featured in the Young Hollywood Issues of Marie Claire and Nylon Magazine. Thomas is currently shooting the lead role in Michael Bay’s remake of Nightmare On Elm Street opposite Jackie Earle Haley for New Line Cinema and director Sam Bayer. With his starring role on Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and his recent film My Sister’s Keeper, he is quickly becoming a household name. His other credits include NBC’s hit series, Heroes where he played Zach the engaging best friend to cheerleader, Claire. He also spent three seasons as a lead role in the Disney Series, Honey I shrunk the Kids.
He is also one of the co-hosts of the twice-monthly podcast The Chronic Rift, where he, among other things, reviews TV shows. In what he laughingly refers to as his spare time, Keith studies Kenshikai karate and follows his beloved New York Yankees.
Thomas has been working professionally in acting in both television and film since he was five years old, including a lead role in John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned. In addition, his voice was featured in lead roles of various animated films, such as the character of Littlefoot in Land Before Time and Feivel in the sequels to An American Tale. Dekker is also an accomplished composer, singer, songwriter with two albums completed as well as an artist, painter and sculptor.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Beginning his writing career in the role-playing business, he wrote the Morrow Project in the late 70s and received college credit for doing so. In the late 80s, he wrote SEALs in Action, which started off his long association with the Navy SEALs. Since that time, he has written a number of biographies as well as a historical overview in his large work, The Complete History of the Navy SEALs. His ordinance-related books include Weapons of the Navy SEALs, Future Weapons, and a history of sniping, Stalkers and Shooters.
Demolition Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 80s/early 90s in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) made up of Ax (Bill Eadie), Smash (Barry Darsow), and later Crush (Brian Adams). In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the record for the single longest reign. On February 28, 2009, Demolition participated in a tag team match under the sanctioning body of Jersey All Pro Wrestling in Jersey City, New Jersey. During their match against the “Heavy Hitters,” Ax struck the referee with a folding chair, and Demolition was subsequently disqualified from the match. Smash was sporting face-paint, bald head, and traditional Demolition gear, with Ax wearing face-paint and a black singlet.
Doktor A Doktor A has always scribbled monsters. “You will never make a living drawing little men,” said a teacher once. They were nearly right. He has to draw, design, and build little men to make a living. These dubious skills have seen him work in theater, TV, advertising, magazines, toy design, merchandising, and the music industry. He lives under a hill in the UK. From there he monitors the world’s off-kilter-culture and produces his dark twisted dreams, character-driven clashes of urban pop culture, classic children’s stories, and neo-Victorian industrial neverlands.
Brian Denham Brian Denham is the artist of The X-Files and StarCraft comic books from Wildstorm/DC Comics. His credits also include Star Trek, Iron Man: Hypervelocity, Nova, and Thunderbolts. As an approved Lucasfilm artist, his work was featured during the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars. He has also designed toys and merchandise for the Star Wars saga. His work has also been featured in the Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Iron Man trading cards. Brian is the new artist on IDW’s Angel, written by Bill Willingham.
Linda L. Donahue
Anna DeStefano
Linda Donahue, an Air Force brat, spent much of her childhood traveling. Having earned a pilot’s certification and a SCUBA certification, she has been, at one time or another, a threat by land, air, or sea. For 18 years, she taught computer science, mathematics, and aviation. Now, when not writing, she teaches tai chi and belly dance. Her first novel, Jaguar Moon, will be available in April from Yard Dog Press. In short fiction, her twenty-plus stories appear in various anthologies, including MZB’s Sword & Sorceress 23. As well, Linda coauthored a story with Mike Resnick for Martin Greenberg’s Future Americas, from DAW Books. Find her other stories in anthologies published by Yard Dog Press, Fantasist Enterprises, From the Asylum Books, Elder Signs Press, BenBella Books, Permuted Press, Shroud Publishing, Ricasso Press, and Kerlak Publishing, and watch for her story in Esther Freisner’s anthology Strip Mauled, from Baen Books.
Anna DeStefano is a bestselling author of romantic suspense and paranormal romantic suspense for Harlequin, Silhouette, and Dorchester Publishing. She’s a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award winner, winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and Past President Advisor for Georgia Romance Writers. Her interactive workshops on the writing process plotting through character, drafting, and rewriting regularly attract standing room-only crowds at conferences, college seminars, and one-day workshops. Her series of communication workshops are the latest addition to her teaching resume, and they’re quickly becoming the most requested of her programs.
Marc DeVidts
Elizabeth Donald
Marc DeVidts one of the most well known builders and recognized for his success in all aspects of robotics. He has competed in over 40 events, including BattleBots, Robo-Games, and a series of invite-only events for the top eight robots in the world. His robot “Icewave” is recognized as one of the most destructive in competition.
Elizabeth Donald is a writer fond of things that go chomp in the night. Her first published work was a two-sentence essay in the Westfield (Mass.) Evening News titled “Why My Mom is the Greatest.” It won first place in the paper’s Mother’s Day contest when Elizabeth was ten.
Marc is a lead mentor in the BattleBotsIQ program and is responsible for many of the methods and processes in place for the IQ program and spends countless hours a week working hands-on in the Miami “Starbot” facility. Marc is currently involved in a project for NASA building a fully autonomous robot for the Mars missions.
Her first novel, an erotic vampire mystery titled Nocturnal Urges, won the Darrell Award and was a finalist for the Prism Award. The sequel, titled A More Perfect Union, was released in 2005. Both books were combined in a trade paperback titled Nocturne. The third vampire book, Abaddon, won the Darrell Award as well. Current projects include The Dreadmire Chronicles, a role-playing game novelization for Spellbinder Books.
Kevin Dockery Kevin Dockery has been working with the military in one form or another throughout his adult life. From being an enlisted man in the President’s Guard in Washington D.C., where he cared for 77 flintlock muskets among other arcane weapons, to an infantry platoon sergeant, he has managed to be a hands-on expert with most of the tools of modern warfare.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Elizabeth has written a number of short stories and essays that have appeared in a variety of online and print publications. One such story, “Wonderland,” won the Darrell Award in 2006. 30
Besides game development, Elonka is best known for her work with cryptography. She has been referred to in PBS documentaries as the world’s leading expert on the CIA’s mysterious Kryptos sculpture, and she is webmistress of two popular cryptography related websites. She is the author of The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms.
Aaron Douglas Aaron Douglas is best known for his role as Galen Tyrol on the SyFy Channel’s Peabody Award-winning television program Battlestar Galactica. He will headline the upcoming CTV drama The Bridge, which has also been picked up by CBS for broadcast in the United States. Douglas will play Frank Leo, a charismatic police union leader who is simultaneously battling criminals on the street while facing down corruption within the ranks of his own department.
Brian Dunning Brian Dunning is the host and producer of the podcast Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena, applying critical thinking to paranormal and pseudoscientific subjects promoted by the mass media. He is also the author of two books adapted from the podcast, Skeptoid and Skeptoid 2. A Silicon Valley computer scientist by trade, Brian now uses new media to promote critical thinking in education. His free 40-minute video, Here Be Dragons: An Introduction to Critical Thinking, is used in classrooms around the world.
Carole Nelson Douglas
Not forgetting traditional mass media, Brian is a co-executive producer and host of the new The Skeptologists television pilot and is the producer and co-host of Truth Hurts, a new web TV project.
Carole Nelson Douglas is author of fifty-four novels ranging from fantasy and science fiction to mystery, mainstream, and romance. Her novel Dancing with Werewolves launched a noir urban fantasy series, Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator. Dancing with Werewolves and its sequel, Brimstone Kiss, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and made Nielsen Bookscan bestseller lists. Vampire Sunrise arrives November 24, shortly in after Midnight Louie’s latest, Cat in a Topaz Tango, in August. Good Night, Mr. Holmes, the first Irene Adler novel and New York Times Notable Book of the Year, will reissue in trade paperback to coincide with the new Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes film debut in November.
Talon Dunning Talon Dunning is a fantasy illustrator. A survivor of both Auburn University’s Fine Art school and White Wolf ’s production intern program, he was the chief illustrator for the Ravenloft 3rd Edition Roleplaying Game and a regular in other Sword & Sorcery Studios projects, as well as Mage The Awakening. He’s also done work for West End Games (D6, Star Wars, TORG Revised), Wizards of the Coast (Legend of the 5 Rings CCG, Star Wars RPG website), Kenzer & Co. (Kingdoms of Kalamar, Knights of the Dinner Table), Green Ronin (Mutants & Masterminds), as well as a host of other small-press RPG companies.
Kathleen Duey Kathleen Duey has published seventy-two books for kids and teens with S&S and Penguin. She speaks professionally at schools, writer’s conferences, and book events worldwide.
Carlos East
Skin Hunger, first of the Resurrection of Magic trilogy, was widely ravereviewed, a National Book Award Finalist, shortlisted for the Cybil, and featured in Locus. A champion of fantasy literature in schools, Kathleen is delighted to see Skin Hunger on several prestigious best-books-for-teens lists and is excited to know that many adults are reading the trilogy as well.
Born in an Aztec temple, deep inside the jungle of Mexico, The Beast Brothers spent most of their childhood developing their unique and distinct style of art. Through the years, this royal pair have used their mighty twin powers to create memorable works for Nike, KidRobot, Reebok, Bacardi, and Vans. Carlos and Ernesto East continue to make paintings, illustrations, and sculptures in their secret jungle laboratories located in Mexico City, Miami, and New York. The Beast Brothers have always made jaw-dropping toys, one of which was the chase figure in the Azteca Dunny Series.
Always interested in new forms, artistic experiments, and the exciting jumble of new story-delivery mechanisms, Kathleen is writing a Twitter novel that is tweeted, in progress, almost everyday.
Elonka Dunin Elonka Dunin is Executive Producer and General Manager of Online Community at Simutronics Corporation, as well as cofounder and the 2007–2009 chairperson of the International Game Developers Association’s Online Games SIG. Her company, Simutronics, is a leading developer of online multiplayer games. Simutronics has several games, including medieval fantasy games such as GemStone IV and DragonRealms; a modern-day mystery adventure, Modus Operandi; the awardwinning 3-D action game CyberStrike; and the Greek mythology game Alliance of Heroes. Simutronics is also working on a new game for the graphical multiplayer arena called Hero’s Journey, and it has created the game development platform, HeroEngine, which has been licensed by several other MMO companies for their own products.
Casey Edwards Casey Edwards is a graphic designer/illustrator as well as creative director for Mowie, Inc. Some of his clients include Geffen Records, Warner Music Group, UMG Music Group, Karen Hunter Publishing, Markosia Enterprises, and White Wolf Publishing. He provided cover art for Joseph Gauthier’s Lazarus, Immortal Coils from Markosia Enterprises, and the Mad Scientist card game Mwahahaha! for White Wolf Publishing. He believes in the Tooth Fairy, but not the Easter Bunny. He is definitely a cat person.
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Bob Eggleton
Jeffrey J. Ello Bob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times. He has also won the Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement.
Jeff Ello (aka “Jello”) is a technologist and filmmaker, specializing in digital production and special effects techniques for independent film and commercial projects. Jeff adapts technologies and techniques from a wide range of disciplines to make filmmaking easier, cheaper, and fresh. Jeff is a CG artist/3D animator by training and has enjoyed a 20-year digital career that spans a wide array of visual communication and information technology fields serving as DP, VFX supervisor, and many IT roles. He is constantly experimenting with emerging technologies and distilling tips and tricks for use in the field.
His drawings and paintings cover a wide range of science fiction, fantasy, and horror topics, depicting space ships, alien worlds and inhabitants, dragons, vampires, and other fantasy creatures. His view on space ships is that they should look organic, and he claims that as a child, he was disappointed with the space shuttles and rockets NASA produced; they were nothing like fantasy artists of the twenties and thirties had promised. His fascination with dragons originated with his childhood interest of dinosaurs, which can be seen in the book Greetings From Earth.
Larry Elmore Larry Elmore has a broad span of experience in the fantasy industry. His primary area is cover illustrations. Larry has done work for role-playing games, comics, paperback books, hardcover books, magazines, computer games, toys, and cards. His art has been published by all major publishers of paperback books and role playing games. Elmore is best known for his covers for the original Dragonlance novels.
Bob is a fan of Godzilla and worked as a creative consultant on the 1998 film Godzilla and while in Japan appeared as an extra in one of the more recent films. Asteroid 13562 was named Bobeggleton in his honor.
Josh Elder
He has coauthored one paperback book, Runes of Autumn. Larry is also the creator of the world of SovereignStone. The first trilogy of SovereignStone hardback novels is entitled The Well of Darkness and was written by bestselling authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Larry presented this world and its epic story to Margaret and Tracy as “a project that we could all have fun with.” The SovereignStone role-playing game was subsequently released.
Josh Elder spent several years successfully avoiding gainful employment until 2005, when Mail Order Ninja won the grand prize in Tokyopop’s Rising Stars of Manga contest. The series has garnered rave reviews from numerous sources, including The School Library Journal, where it was named one of the 25 best graphic novels for children. Josh’s other works include several issues of the DC Comics’ all-ages action/ adventure title The Batman Strikes, the romantic comedy graphic novel Love Bytes for Platinum Studios, and a trilogy of stories for the StarCraft: Frontline anthology series. He has also worked as an associate editor at the comic-centric magazine Wizard and currently writes graphic novel reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Egg Embry Egg Embry’s writing has been printed by Viper Comics (Dead@17), Arcana Studios (Dark Horror Anthology and Ezra), Sky-Dog Press/ CBLDF (Kamen), and Ronin Studios (Ezra). He’s edited comics for Arcana Studios (ANT, Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Ezra) and Thr3d World Studio (Omega Chase). His comic journalism and reviews have appeared on the websites Newsarama, Comicon, and ComicBulletin.
When not writing, Josh serves as Director of Operations for Kids Love Comics, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy among using comics, graphic novels and manga. Josh also recently took on the position of CEO of ComicFeast, a digital comics distribution solution and online marketplace.
Egg’s long-form series, Global Freezing, marks his debut as a one-stopshop taking a project from concept to finish. Following the adventures of Jaia and her imaginary friend as they are chased by monsters through an ice age, Global Freezing is updated three times a week at ComicsByEgg.com as well as printed in The Burner anthology produced by 4Js Publishing.
Stephen Eley Stephen Eley is the editor of Escape Pod, the leading science fiction podcast magazine. Each week Escape Pod delivers great stories by top authors to more than 25,000 listeners in free audio format, making it the largest dedicated market for short science fiction in the English language. Under his company, Escape Artists, Inc., he is also the publisher of horror podcast Pseudopod and fantasy podcast PodCastle. He also writes fiction and software.
Richard Epcar Richard Epcar is well known to anime and game fans, starting with Robotech. He is the voice of Batou in Ghost in the Shell. He’s in Bleach, Lupin The Third, Bobobo-Bobobobo, Transformers, Digimon, Power Rangers, X-Men, Kenshin, and The Mr. Men Show. Some games you’ve heard him on: Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe as The Joker and Raiden, Kingdom Hearts as Ansem/Xehanort, Star Craft as Dark Templar, Star Wars: Empire At War, Star Wars: Old Republic, Xenosaga as Ziggarat 8, Blue Dragon, Naruto, Dynasty Warriors, World of Warcraft, and Star Ocean.
Sara Elizabeth Ellis Sara Ellis was born and raised in the American South. She is the assistant editor for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show. She is also a dancer, writer, and full time smack-talker. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
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At Talisman Studios, he published Shaintar: Immortal Legends, which became the premiere Epic High Fantasy setting for the awardwinning Savage Worlds system, and it was nominated for an Origins Award in 2008. Sean is now working for OneBookShelf.com, featuring DriveThruRPG and RPGNow as the RPG Marketing Coordinator, as well as the Senior Writer/Designer with Talisman Studios.
John Everson John Everson is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the Leisure Books novels Covenant, Sacrifice, and the upcoming The 13th. Over the past fifteen years, John’s short fiction has appeared in more than fifty magazines, including Space & Time, Dark Discoveries, and Grue, as well as in a couple dozen anthologies, most recently in Horror Library Vol. 3, A Dark and Deadly Valley, Damned, and Kolchak: The Night Stalker Casebook. A wide selection of his short fiction has been collected in three short story collections: Needles & Sins, Vigilantes of Love, and Cage of Bones & Other Deadly Obsessions. “Letting Go,” one of the short stories from Needles & Sins, was nominated for a 2007 Bram Stoker Award. John is also the editor of the anthologies Sins of the Sirens and In Delirium, and co-editor of the Spooks! ghost story anthology.
Bill Fawcett Bill Fawcett’s novel writing began with the juvenile series Swordquest for Ace Penguin Putnam Publishing. He wrote or co-wrote four fantasy novels, beginning with the Lord of Cragsclaw. The Fleet series he created with David Drake has become a classic of military science fiction. Bill has collaborated on several novels, including mysteries such as the authorized Mycroft Holmes novels, the Madame Vernet Investigates series, and edited Making Contact, a UFO contact handbook. As an anthologist, Bill has edited or co-edited almost fifty anthologies.
Peter Facinelli Peter Facinelli made his feature film debut as the devil in Rebecca Miller’s Angela. The handsome young actor caught the attention of critics and audiences in the TV-movie The Price of Love, then played Tim Matheson’s son and the target of his father’s jealous ex-lover (Jennie Garth) in An Unfinished Affair. Other TV roles followed, including the pivotal part of the teen who committed suicide in After Jimmy and a college dropout pursuing his dream of a life as a fisherman against his family’s wishes in Calm at Sunset.
Bill is the editor of Hunters and Shooters and The Teams, two oral histories of the SEALs in Vietnam. He is co-author of It Seemed Like a Good Idea: Great Historical Fiascos, You Did What, How To Lose A Battle: A Modern Look at How Bad Generals Lose Battles, They Lied to You (a look at the great lies and deceptions though out history), and Oval Office Oddities, thousands of fun facts, quotes, and just plain strangeness about the US President, First Lady, and White House.
Peter appeared in the sci-fi film Supernova in 2000. Solid roles in Riding in Cars With Boys in 2001 and Scorpion King in 2002 were soon followed by a leading role in the hit Fox drama Fastlane. After his recurring role in HBO’s critically acclaimed series Six Feet Under, he tacked a few more films on to his resume, and then starred in A&E’s made for TV movie, Touch the Top of the World, the true-life story of Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man ever to reach the top of Mount Everest. Peter joined the cast of the highly anticipated feature film Twilight as Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch of the mysterious vampire family. His latest role is in Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.
Tom Feister Tom Feister has been a member of Jolly Roger Studio since 2001 and works in the arctic cold of his office in Atlanta’s Studio Revolver. Tom’s work has appeared on the covers of Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Exiles, and Legion. In 2007, Tom and penciller Tony Harris were nominated for an Eisner Award for best penciller-inker team for their work on Ex-Machina. Currently, Tom is providing covers for IDW’s GI Joe: Origins and working on an issue of Witchblade for Top Cow. Tom is also developing a pilot for the SyFy Channel.
G. D. Falksen
Tom Felton
G. D. Falksen is the author of several serials, including The Strange Case of the All-Seeing Ear, as well as An Unfortunate Engagement and The Mask of Tezcatlipoca, both of which are appearing in Steampunk Tales. He is also a speaker on the steampunk subculture, having given interviews on the subject to the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and MTV. He is also the lead writer for the video game project AIR: Steampunk. He has given talks on history, the neo-vintage movement, and the steampunk subculture at various conventions on the East Coast.
Tom Felton began acting in commercials by winning a role in a coveted advertising campaign over 400 young actors. In 1995, he performed the voice of James in the television series Bugs and landed his first feature film role in 1997, when he played the part of Peagreen Clock in Peter Hewitt’s film The Borrowers. Roles in Second Sight and Anna and the King followed, and Felton made an appearance in the episode “Hide and Seek” of Second Sight 2.
Sean Patrick Fannon Sean Patrick Fannon has been professionally involved in RPGs and interactive entertainment for the last 20 years of his life. In 1995, he published the premiere book about the roleplaying game hobby and industry, The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer’s Bible. He also wrote and developed the Fuzion version of Shards of the Stone: Core and wrote books for the world-famous Champions RPG. He was Continuity Director of the Champions Universe property and wrote for such properties as the Shatterzone RPG and the Star Wars RPG, as well as Shadis Magazine, Adventurer’s Club Magazine, and Dragon Magazine for TSR. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
By 2001, he had become known internationally for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy, the bully, enemy, and foil of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.He has appeared in all of the Harry Potter films. Felton’s schedule began to fill with the work of filming the movies, premieres, contributing to articles and interviews, and receiving the Disney Channel’s Kids Awards for Best DVD Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on 22 September 2003. 34
After filming the fourth Harry Potter film, Felton made a guest appearance on Home Farm Twins in 2005. Felton most recently appeared in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film of the series. Felton also played the character Simon in the 2008 horror/thriller movie The Disappeared.
Joe Flanigan Joe Flanigan originally pursued a writing career. On the advice of some of his friends, he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse, was coached by Gerald Gordon, and then moved back to Los Angeles in 1994 to pursue an acting career.
Lou Ferrigno Lou Ferrigno became a superstar with the emergence of the CBS mega-hit, The Incredible Hulk, and the 1977 bodybuilding documentary, Pumping Iron. In 2000, the cable television premiere of Pumping Iron was televised on both HBO and Cinemax.
Flanigan had guest roles in numerous television series including Profiler, First Monday, and Sisters, until he got his breakthrough with his current role on Stargate: Atlantis as Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, the military leader of the Atlantis Expedition. He continues to write, and created the stories for the second season episode “Epiphany” and the fourth season’s “Outcast.”
Bodybuilding has always been a part of Lou’s life, and he is the only person ever to win the Mr. Universe title two years in a row, and at 21 he became the youngest bodybuilder to hold the record, both feats recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. He has authored such books as Lou Ferrigno’s Guide to Personal Power, Body Building, and Fitness for Everyone. Ferrigno is one of the most sought after personal trainers in the United States.
Joe appears in Brooks Institute photographer John Russo’s upcoming book About Face. Part of the proceeds are to be donated to Smile Train.
Charles Fleischer Charles Fleischer is best known as the voices of both Roger Rabbit and Benny the Cab in Disney’s 1988 live action/animated hybrid film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. After that film’s success, Fleischer continued to perform the voice of Roger in several television and theme park appearances, and in three follow-up short subjects to the original film. Other voice roles for Fleischer include The Polar Express and We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story. On-screen roles include Back to the Future Part II and Gridlock’d and more recently David Fincher’s film Zodiac.
After starring in seventeen motion pictures and fulfilling his lifelong dream of portraying Hercules on the big screen, he starred in the stage production of Arsenic and Old Lace and in ambitious stage presentations of Requiem for a Heavyweight and Of Mice and Men throughout the U. S.
Susan Fichtelberg
Fleischer has also had roles on TV shows: he has had a recurring role on the 1970s hit TV series Welcome Back, Kotter as Carvelli, as Chuck on the hit ABC series Laverne & Shirley, and on the popular Disney cartoon series House of Mouse as the voice of Benny the Cab.
Susan Fichtelberg is the author of the reference bibliography Encountering Enchantment: A Guide to Speculative Fiction for Teens and, with Bonnie Kunzel, is the co-author of Tamora Pierce, part of the Teen Reads, Student Companions to Young Adult Literature series. She regularly presents programs on fantasy and science fiction titles written for children and teens at state and national conventions, including The Witching Hour: A Harry Potter Symposium and the World Science Fiction Convention, Denvention 3. Susan is currently writing two more books: Primary Genreflecting and Junior Genreflecting.
Stephen Fleming Stephen Fleming is Chief Commercialization Officer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, an active aerospace investor, and a director of XCOR Aerospace. Fleming has 13 years of private equity experience at the General Partner level. Prior to his venture capital career, he spent 15 years in operations roles at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Nortel Networks, and LICOM.
Rob Fitz Rob Fitz started his film career as a professional make-up artist. He has done FX and straight make-up for over twenty feature films from low budget independents to huge studio features like Surrogates and Edge of Darkness. During this time he also directed short films. One of these, Lost Face, was bought and put on several DVD releases from EI independent cinema.
An Atlanta native and summa cum laude graduate of Georgia Tech, Stephen returned to his alma mater in mid-2005. His appointment led a reorganization designed to streamline the handling of intellectual property, accelerate the licensing of technology, and make the Institute’s resources more readily accessible to business and industry. He is also a member of the Investment Committee of the Seraph Group, an early-stage venture capital firm. Stephen is active in the “alternative space” industry; he is an investor in three private aerospace companies and is a founding member of the Space Angels Network.
For the last five years, writer, producer, and director Rob Fitz has created the epic gore film God of Vampires. He put the film together under a tiny budget and extremely harsh conditions. With great pride in their work, Rob Fitz and his small crew has completed the film. The film is currently seeking distribution and has won a Director’s Choice award at Shockerfest in Modesto, CA. God of Vampires has also been an official selection in several US and international film festivals and had several nominations including best picture and best special FX. Rob is already preparing to shoot his next film, The Pact, and has been hired to direct several music videos.
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She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her recurring role on the television series Picket Fences. She also had a continuing role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the scheming Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami. Fletcher played the character of Ruth Shorter, a supporting role, in the 2005 film Aurora Borealis, alongside Joshua Jackson and Donald Sutherland, and appeared in the Fox Faith film The Last Sin Eater.
Tom Fleming In 1990, Tom Fleming landed his first full-time position as an artist/designer for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) by answering an ad in the New York Times. After three and a half years of a corporate environment, he decided to return to freelance. He was commissioned by DC and Marvel Comics to illustrate characters such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, and The X-men, along with fantastic fantasy characters for Magic the Gathering and World of Warcraft.
Eric Flint Eric Flint’s writing career began with the novel Mother of Demons, which was selected by Science Fiction Chronicle as one of the best novels of 1997. With David Drake, he has collaborated on the six novels in the Belisarius series (An Oblique Approach, In the Heart of Darkness, Destiny’s Shield, Fortune’s Stroke, The Tide of Victory, and The Dance of Time), as well as a novel entitled The Tyrant. His alternate history novel 1632 was published in 2000, followed by many sequels, several of which made the New York Times extended bestselling list. Other works include the Joe’s World comic fantasy novel series, the alternate history volumes 1812: The Rivers of War and 1824: The Arkansas War, and a major fantasy series with Mercedes Lackey and Dave Freer with two novels released, The Shadow of the Lion and This Rough Magic.
In 2000, Tom landed a job as the official illustrator for the Jodie Foster movie The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys with animation by Todd McFarlane. Since then, Tom has worked on movies and TV shows such as Stateside, Stay Alive, Surface, Private Valentine, and Life. Tom has been featured in Spectrum: the Art of the Fantastic and has won numerous awards in fantasy art, including three nominations for the prestigous Chesley Award. Tom’s art book Draw & Paint Fantasy Females by publisher David & Charles/Impact will be released at this year’s Dragon*Con.
In addition to his own writing, Flint is the editor of several series reissuing the works of past SF authors. These include James H. Schmitz, Keith Laumer, Christopher Anvil, Murray Leinster, Randall Garrett, Tom Godwin, and Howard L. Myers. He is also the editor of the online science fiction and fantasy magazine Jim Baen’s Universe.
Louise Fletcher Louise Fletcher is an Academy Award and Golden Globe–winning American actress. After attending the University of North Carolina, she traveled to Los Angeles, California, where she found work as a secretary by day and took acting lessons by night.
Rev. Suzie the Floozie Rev. Susie the Floozie’s early years as poster girl and stage hostess made her the darling of the early Atlanta SF Con scene. Since then, she’s moved on to conquer diverse fields as a writer, radioshow creator, comicbook letterer, performance artist, graphic designer, columnist, comedian, record-album archivist, and high priestess of a comedy UFO cult, among other things. Since 1994, she has written, directed, performed in, and produced her own one-woman radioshow for the church of the SubGenius at Atlanta’s WREKfm, Bob’s SlackTime Funhouse, with a pioneering new approach to soundediting which she calls “Recombinant Comedy.” By skillful manipulation of soundbites, Susie has turned George W. Bush into a comedy character, and her mind-blowing radio work has garnered her praise from all corners and a devoted Internet following.
Louise began appearing in several television productions, including the highest-rated episode of Maverick, but married Jerry Bick and took time off to raise her two children. In 1974, she returned to film in Thieves Like Us. Miloa Forman saw her and cast her as McMurphy’s nemesis Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. She also appeared in such films as The Cheap Detective, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Firestarter, Brainstorm, Flowers in the Attic, Big Eden, Two Moon Junction, and as Sebastian’s aunt in Cruel Intentions.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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On top of the weekly radio gig, Susie is also the regular columnist for Ruse Magazine, continuing her long-running and irreverent “Insolent Bystander” column. Right now, she is working on Slow Dance in Strangerville, her memoir detailing her insane roller-coaster life in the worlds of comics and science fiction while struggling with the terrors of faceblindness.
Rick Forrester Rick Forrester is a veteran actor with over 20 years experience. He is most well known as the voice of Shinesman Grey in the OVA Special Duty Combat Unit:Shinesman and has vocally appeared in over twelve anime titles, including Virtua Fighter, Sailor Victory, Voogie’s Angels, VP Miyu, and Crusher Joe. He also voiced Retsudo (and many others) in Shogun Assassin 3, 4, and 5. In the horror genre, he was Deputy Beau in Cherry Falls, as well as the salesman Lee in the American Gothic episode “The Beast Within.” In the sci and sci/fi category he did Surface, October Sky, From The Earth To The Moon, Pickford Paradox, and the title role in The Simple Life of John Smith. Most recently, he appeared in Leatherheads and John Adams.
Jason Flowers Jason Flowers has always had a love for art and comic books. At the early age of 15, he started creating and self publishing his own ideas and hasn’t looked back. Heavily influenced through horror and sci-fi, he has built a reputation from his unique and dark style of art throughout the Atlanta, GA, area. He has had art published in HorrorHound Magazine, following a short story in a horror anthology Velvet Rope, for Arcana Comics. Recently, he completed on a 120-page full-color time-travel graphic novel called Ripped, also for Arcana Comics, that has been optioned as a motion picture from Romark Films. Currently, his time is split between being the poster artist for the Atlanta-based horror show Splatter Cinema, doing art for the Atlanta Horrorfest and Atlanta Rollergirls, and working on new horror graphic novels, Bloody Olde Englund and The Strange Adventures of Emory Falls.
Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster is a prolific American author of fantasy and science fiction best known for his science fiction novels set in the Humanx Commonwealth and his fantasy Spellsinger series. Many of Foster’s works have a strong ecological element to them. Often the villains in his stories experience their downfall because of a lack of respect for other alien species or seemingly innocuous bits of their surroundings. This can be seen in such works as Midworld, about a semi-sentient planet that is essentially one large rainforest, and Cachalot, set on an ocean world populated by sentient cetaceans.
John L. Flynn John L. Flynn, Ph.D., is the author of thirteen books, two screenplays, and several dozen articles and short stories. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and has been nominated for three Hugo Awards, which is the award given for excellence in the field of science fiction writing. He has appeared on television and spoken on the radio about science fiction. His books include Future Threads, Cinematic Vampires, The Films of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Phantoms of the Opera, Dissecting Aliens, Visions in Light and Shadow, The Jovian Dilemma, Future Prime (with Bob Blackwood), 75 Years of Universal Monsters, 50 Years of Hammer Horror, 101 Superheroes of the Silver Screen, and 2001: Beyond the Infinite.
Foster authored ten volumes of novelizations based upon Star Trek: The Animated Series, several of which involving taking the script for a half-hour episode and expanding it into a full-length novel. He also wrote the original novelization of Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), which had been credited solely to George Lucas. Recently, Foster has written the books for the major films Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Terminator: Salvation, and Star Trek. He also authored the original novel Transformers: Infiltration, which links/bridges the first two films.
Eugie Foster Eugie Foster’s fiction has been translated into Greek, Hungarian, Polish, and French; received the Phobos Award; been nominated for the British Fantasy, Bram Stoker, and Pushcart awards; and received Honorable Mentions in Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction and Ellen Datlow et al.’s Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies. Her publication credits number over 100 and include stories in Realms of Fantasy, Interzone, Cricket, Fantasy Magazine, Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show, Apex Magazine, and Jim Baen’s Universe; podcasts Escape Pod, Pseudopod, and PodCastle; and anthologies Best New Fantasy (Prime), Heroes in Training (DAW), and Best New Romantic Fantasy 2 (Juno). Her articles and interviews have appeared in Strange Horizons, Fantasy Magazine, the Internet Review of Science Fiction, Writing-World, and Absolute Write.
Bill Fogarty Bill Fogarty works with Netherworld Haunted House in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been involved in other haunted attractions, including Silo-X in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Dr. Speculo’s Trail of Terror in Tallahassee, Florida. Bill also served as a writer/director/actor on Tales From 6 Feet Under, an Emmy-nominated television show in Tallahassee. He has worked as a playtester for Victory Games and Lost Worlds, a demo rep for various game companies (Steve Jackson Games, Cheapass Games, and Precedence), a playwright/director/actor with the Oldenfeld Players (a Commedia-style theatre company), the director of Monster Makers, LTD. (a troupe that created and presented live fantasy roleplaying games), and the director of merchandising for a professional minor league ice hockey club. Recently, Bill issued, through Stone Press, three expansions for Button Men (a great dice game from Cheapass Games) and CasualTees (a cool miniatures game). He is currently working on Cthulhu Rising (a nifty card game).
Eugie’s short story collection, Returning My Sister’s Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice, is now out from Norilana Books. 37
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Francesco Francavilla
Stephen Furst
A native of Italy, Francesco Francavilla is probably best known for his brushy ink style and love of everything pulp. He is currently illustrating Dynamite’s Zorro series with comics legend Matt Wagner and just completed a stint as guest artist on Vertigo’s critically acclaimed series Scalped with writer Jason Aaron. He is also the artist of the recent horror graphic novel Sorrow (Image) and the upcoming Frazetta Comics special Dracula Meets the Wolfman with writer Steve Niles.
Stephen Furst started his career almost 30 years ago as an actor, starring in Animal House. He went on to do numerous other memorable starring roles in features like The Dream Team and prestigious television series such as the multi-award-winning St. Elsewhere and Babylon 5. Recently, Stephen has started producing his own projects. Currently he is executive producer on the Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin film, My Sister’s Keeper, from the number-one best selling novel of the same title. He has also produced a “red carpet” event TV film, The Tenth Circle, based on another number-one bestseller of the same title for Lifetime television. He is currently producing two other films, The Photograph and The Sleeping Beauty Proposal.
Francesco also has a new co-creator series, Garrison, debuting from Wildstorm this summer with writer Jeff Marriotte. When he’s not hard at work on comics, Francesco manages to find time to work on concept art and storyboards for film and TV (Wolverine & the X-Men, American Idol) and also illustrates a variety of books. Many believe Francesco perfected the cloning process and is slowly using it to take over the (illustration) world.
His production company, Curmudgeon Films, has the feature Are You Prepared in development with The Mark Gordon Company and the TV series The Experiencers for Joel Silver. Also in development for Curmudgeon Films is an animated series called Alien House. Stephen is also the author of the award-winning book Confessions Of A Couch Potato distributed by McGraw-Hill.
Chandra Free Chandra Free is writer and illustrator of The God Machine, from publisher Archaia. Intensely interested in the incorporation of psychology into her art, she focuses on the subconscious and human aspects of her characters. In addition to her comic The God Machine, she has worked on the comic Sullengrey (published by Ape Entertainment), as a digital painter for Issues 5 and 6 and parts of the Sullengrey graphic novel titled Cemetery Things.
Diana Gabaldon Diana Gabaldon is the author of the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Outlander novels, described by Salon Magazine as “the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting ‘Scrooge McDuck’ comics.”
When not chained to her desk, she can be seen out and about at soirees, dancing to industrial clanging, Goth chanting, and Moz-like croonings.
The adventure began in 1991 with the classic Outlander, continued through five more New York Times bestselling novels—Dragonfly In Amber, Voyager, Drums Of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath Of Snow And Ashes—and a nonfiction (well, relatively) companion volume, The Outlandish Companion, which provides copious details on the settings, background, characters, research, and writing of the novels. She has also written two historical mysteries, Lord John And The Private Matter, and Lord John And The Brotherhood Of The Blade, as well as several novellas featuring Lord John Grey (which appear together in volume form as Lord John And The Hand Of Devils).
Bonita Friedericy Bonita Friedericy is an American actress, currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director General Beckman. She has also appeared on Star Trek: Enterprise, The Nine, The West Wing, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Nurse Margaret Downey created the Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Nurse in 2002 to breath new life into an Anti-Superstition Party she hosts in Philadelphia every two years. Margaret also founded the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, the Anti-Discrimination Support Network, and the Thomas Paine Memorial Committee. As a freelance journalist and public speaker, Margaret pursues stories of discrimination, choice in dying, humanitarian lifestyles, living as a Secularist, atheism, and family planning. Her articles concentrate on activist issues, political and religious satire, separation of church and state, and the advancement of freethought. She has been published in two books, Parenting Beyond Belief and Voices of Disbelief.
Dr. Pamela L. Gay Dr. Pamela L. Gay is perhaps best known for her work on the Astronomy Cast and Slacker Astronomy podcasts. Combining a solid background in astronomy with a sexy voice, this young astronomer is working to bring the cosmos to the masses, one download at a time. Astronomy Cast is a featured podcast in iTunes and has been in the top 20 podcasts in the iTunes Science and Medicine section since its creation in September 2006. Prior to working on Astronomy Cast, Pamela and her fellow Slackers Aaron Price and Travis Searle worked on Slacker Astronomy, this first podcast devoted explicitly to astronomy. Off-air, its three personalities produced the first peer-reviewed papers on what it takes to make a podcast and find out who is listening.
Margaret has been a guest speaker on National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation and Radio Times. She has also been featured on radio programs in Texas, South Carolina, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, and Georgia, and most recently in China. She is regularly featured at nontheist and skeptic conferences as a speaker and is well known for her fun-filled presentations and workshops, which always include visuals, door prizes, props, and well-prepared complimentary literature.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
In addition to her podcasting, Pamela also communicates astronomy to the public through her blog Star Stryder. Her writing has also appeared in Astronomy magazine and Sky and Telescope magazine. She also gives frequent invited public talks around the United States. 38
Thousands of people have come to know of Stephen L. Gibson’s journey to skepticism by way of his popular internet podcasts, DVDs, and two books: Truth-Driven Thinking: An Examination of Human Emotion and Its Impact on Everyday Life; and his latest, a novel illustrating the dangers of uncritical, wholesale acceptance of any dogma, A Secret of the Universe: A Story of Love, Loss, and the Discovery of an Eternal Truth.
Huck Gee Huck Gee honed his skills as an illustrator, allowing him to explore more commercial art styles and delve into the alluring world of Japanese and Hong Kong pop art, which in turn led him to the fascinating world of Toy Art & Design, and he teamed up with a little-known company named Kidrobot.
Allan Gilbreath Allan Gilbreath is a nationally recognized and award-winning author, publisher, speaker, and instructor. He has appeared on television, radio, web/pod cast, and tours the country in live appearances. He has served on numerous convention panels covering a wide range of topics from the serious to the outrageous.
Not to be confined to the role of just toy designer and illustrator, Huck has also begun his own clothing line, Moshpop Manufactory, in late 2008 with many new pieces on the way. Over the last few years, the demand for Huck’s Custom Toy Art and illustrations has grown quite immense. Small runs of hand-crafted Custom Art Toys and original prints sell out in seconds online to ship to art collectors worldwide. Huck now runs a studio in San Francisco with several assistants and the coming year brings a full schedule with signings, events and appearances planned the world over: more custom toys, new prints, and numerous new toy designs for Kidrobot, ToyQube, Adfunture, and Fresh Manila to name a few.
Terry Gilliam For most of Terry Gilliam’s early career, fans of the popular comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus assumed that he was British, since Python’s other five members were natives of Britain. But the innovative animator and future director, who spent more time behind the scenes than in front of the camera, was actually the troupe’s only American member. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Terry was briefly employed by Mad Magazine as a writer/illustrator before he emigrated to England in 1967. Soon after he arrived in the U.K., he began working on Do Not Adjust Your Set, a popular children’s TV show, developing his eccentric animated cartoons, which put into motion a hodgepodge of images, including photographs, cutouts from magazines, and famous works of art. His contributions to the show were geared more toward adults, as his surrealistic stream-of-consciousness segments, drenched in black humor, were beyond the grasp of most children.
Gil Gerard Gil Gerard has starred in numerous, successful made-for-television movies as well as feature films. However, his millions of fans prefer to remember him as “Buck Rogers” from the Universal motion picture box office hit and NBC acclaimed television series, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Gil followed the success of Buck Rogers with several highly rated movies of the week, including Help Wanted: Male, Not Just Another Affair, For Love or Money, and Stormin’ Home. Interspersed with these projects were several series that included Sidekicks for ABC, in which Gil starred as Detective Jake Rizzo, a series for CBS entitled E.A.R.T.H. Force, in which Gil starred as the leader of an environmental task force; and Nightingales for NBC and Aaron Spelling, where Gil was reunited with good buddy Suzanne Pleshette. Two years hosting the Fox Television series, Code 3, followed.
Laura Anne Gilman Laura Anne Gilman is the author of the Cosa Nostradamus books for Luna (the Retrievers and Paranormal Scene Investigations series), a YA trilogy for HarperCollins, and the forthcoming Vineart War novels from Pocket, while her short fiction has appeared in major anthologies and magazines, including Unusual Suspects and Apex & Abyss. Her first short story collection, Dragon Virus & Other Stories, will be out in 2010. She also writes paranormal romances as Anna Leonard. Laura Anne lives in New York City where she runs d.y.m.k. productions, an editorial services company.
Gil’s many charitable endeavors include serving on the board of People in Progress, an L.A. group committed to finding jobs and housing for homeless women with children. In addition, Gil has been active for the past thirty years with Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish foundation. He has also hosted several celebrity golf tournaments to benefit the Down Syndrome Foundation.
Stephanie Gladden Stephanie started her comics career in 1993, and was soon drawing a wide variety of licensed characters in Looney Tunes at DC Comics, Ren & Stimpy at Marvel, Wolf & Red at Dark Horse, The Simpsons at Bongo, and a lot of other titles. In 1998 she wrote and drew her own comic, Hopster’s Tracks, at Bongo Comics. She worked as a character artist at Cartoon Network for ten years, drawing the Powerpuff Girls, Billy & Mandy, Chowder, and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends. But she still took time out to draw a lot of comics such as Jim Ottavini’s Dignifying Science, Peter Bagge’s Sweatshop, and Paul Dini’s Jingle Belle. Currently, Stephanie is working on a series of Tom & Jerry books and promoting her most recent creation, Girls of Monster Paradise.
Stephen L. Gibson Stephen L. Gibson is a successful entrepreneur, pilot, author, consultant, and elected official. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, however, he became fascinated with human beliefs, and our tendency to seek only information that affirms what we already believe we know. Called “epistemology” in academic circles, this study of the origin and nature of knowledge grew for Stephen into a journey of introspection and inquiry that has been both invigorating, and at times downright painful—costing him even his religion.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Ron Glass
Steve Gonsalves Ron Glass made his stage debut at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, regarded as America’s foremost classical theatre company. Critics and audiences alike celebrated his work on such productions as Tyrone Guthrie’s groundbreaking production of The House of Arteus, The Taming of the Shrew, Misalliance, The Dutchmman, and Ceremonies in Dark Old Men.
Steve Gonsalves has been on the paranormal television circuit for close to five years on the wildly popular sci-fi hit show Ghost Hunters. Steve has also been showcased on many other television shows as well as all major media outlets. Steve has been investigating the paranormal for over 15 years, and he is one of the founders of the TAPS Paramagazine. The TAPS Paramagazine is the country’s premiere paranormal publication. Steve is set to have a leading role in an upcoming paranormal television show on the SyFy network called Ghost Hunters: Next Generation.
He is known for his roles as the witty Detective Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller, and as the spiritual Shepherd Derrial Book in the science fiction series Firefly and its sequel film Serenity. Most recently provided the voice for the knowledgeable scholar “Garth” in the video game Fable II.
R. W. Goodwin
Christopher Golden
R. W. Goodwin, the producer/director of Alien Trespass, was a vital member of the creative team behind The X-Files. He worked on more than a hundred episodes of the groundbreaking show, as co-executive producer or executive producer, director and, on “Demons” in the fourth season, writer. He has been honored with four Emmy Award nominations for Best Drama Series and three Golden Globes.
Christopher Golden is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) The Map of Moments. Golden co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and The Vampire with Mike Mignola, which they are currently scripting as a feature film for New Regency.
He received his first Emmy nomination in 1986 for Outstanding Children’s Program as a producer of the ABC television movie The Girl Who Spelled Freedom.
He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence, honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA’s Best Books for Young Readers. Upcoming teen novels include a new series of hardcover young adult fantasy novels for Atheneum, coauthored with Tim Lebbon and entitled The Secret Journeys of Jack London.
From his first writing credit on The Manhunter series in 1974 to his most recent success as a producer of twenty episodes of the Fox TV series Tru Calling, Goodwin has enjoyed a prolific career as producer, director and/ or writer for television; other highlights include the popular ABC series life goes on and the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of John Steinbeck’s Winter of Our Discontent.
Christopher is also known for his many media tie-in works, including novels, comics, and video games, in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Angel, and X-Men, among others.
Dr. Frank Gordon Frank Gordon is a clinical psychologist with an interest in mind-body interactions. Born and educated in the South, he holds degrees in Mathematics, Divinity, Counseling, and Clinical Psychology. Other work includes the use of biofeedback and psychopharmacology. He has presented at professional conferences about various topics including religious practice and hypnosis, and changes in brain activity during meditation and chi gung. He is a longtime science fiction fan and enjoys studying religious practices, hard science, and the interaction between the two. Dr. Gordon is currently a clinical psychologist working with the military.
Michael Golden Michael Golden has been called “a legend” in the comics industry, and is sought after for his unique style, cover dynamics, and story construction that have garnered him a legion of devotees. As a cover artist, Golden has penciled everything from Batman and Captain America to Vampirella, and “Virtually every character in the industry at some point or another.” Other creations include “Bucky O’Hare,” with Larry Hama, which led to an animated series and toy line designed by Michael, and “Spartan X” with Jackie Chan and Renee Witterstaetter.
Stephen Granade Dr. Stephen Granade is a senior scientist who is an expert in quantum mechanics and ultra-precise space-based sensors. He worked with NASA on the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS), which measures the distance from a spacecraft to a target satellite so that the spacecraft can dock gently with the satellite. When AVGS was first tested on orbit, the sensor guided the spacecraft right to the satellite, where the two promptly collided.
Current projects include Manga Bucky O’Hare; Michael Golden Monsters; Heroes and Villains Sketchbook; Modern Masters in the Studio with Michael Golden; a DVD and trade paperback; The Creator Chronicles: Michael Golden, a DVD; and the bestselling Excess: The Art of Michael Golden. Michael’s new sketchbook More Heroes and Villains is due out in the fall. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
He was part of the team that developed a video-based sensor to measure 40
the Hubble Space Telescope’s location and orientation. The sensor is part of the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 that, NASA willing, will fly on Shuttle flight STS-125 in May, 2009. His teaching and lecturing career has focused on making science understandable and relevant to non-scientists. He has provided scientific commentary for CBS Marketwatch and The Insider Academia.
Rob Granito Rob Granito is an internationally known artist and illustrator, having worked for over a decade in the fields of SF/fantasy, horror, and comic art. His work has appeared in projects by Warner Brothers, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Disney, and Upper Deck, where he worked on animated projects, comic books, trading cards, magazines, and novel covers. Rob’s current projects include graphic novel I of the Wolf with Transformers voice actor Neil Kaplan, The Simpsons, The Lost Boys, Superman, and the Legion animated series, a Superman lithograph series with actress Noel Neill, and a recently announced Charlie Brown project.
Erin Gray It’s next to impossible to recall Buck Rogers in the 25th Century without visualizing the show’s aesthetic spark—beautiful brunette, Erin Gray. One could argue that Gray did more for spandex than Jennifer Aniston did for hairstyles. And on NBC TV’s Silver Spoons, Erin Gray was the American public’s image of the ideal woman. Her “Kate” managed to have it all: marriage, family, and business career. For over two decades, Erin has performed in over a dozen feature films, including Six Pack, with Kenny Rogers, and Friday the 13th: Jason Goes to Hell. Her acting debut began with the four-hour critically acclaimed miniseries, Evening In Byzantium, starring Glenn Ford, and she has continued to show her diversification in numerous TV movies such as Addicted to His Love, Born Beautiful, and Breaking Home Ties and co-starring in some of TV’s top episodic series, such as Magnum PI, L.A. Law, Baywatch, and Hunter.
Kevin R. Grazier Dr. Kevin R. Grazier is currently the Science Advisor for the series Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, and Virtuality as well as the animated series The Zula Patrol. He coauthored the book Science of Battlestar Galactica and served as author/editor for two books in the BenBella SmartPop series: The Science of Dune and The Science of Michael Crichton. Kevin has been featured in several documentaries, he co-hosted the premier episode of Discovery Channel’s Science Live! Kid’s Edition, and even co-anchored CNN’s coverage of Cassini’s Saturn orbit insertion with CNN’s Miles O’Brien. In what passes for his spare time “Dr. G,” as his students call him, teaches classes in basic astronomy, planetary science, cosmology, and the search for extraterrestrial life at UCLA and Santa Monica College.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Matt Green
Eric Griffin
Matt Green has been a working professional in the Atlanta film business for over twenty-four years as both a special effects coordinator on over thirty films as well as preparing to direct his seventh feature film, The Barrow, in Kentucky. He has also taught animatronics for three years at the Tom Savini school of Makeup FX.
Eric Griffin is the bestselling author of the Tremere Trilogy: Widow’s Walk, Widow’s Weeds, and Widow’s Might. His other novels include Tremere and Tzimisce in the Clan Novel series. A special edition of this millionword epic was released in the four-volume Clan Novel Saga. He worked as a fiction editor and developer on the Tribe Novels and wrote three books in that series: Get of Fenris, Fianna, and Black Spiral Dancer. His graphic novels include the acclaimed Geronimo, Last Apache Warrior, and The Sleep of Reason from Moonstone Books. His short stories have appeared in the Clan Novel: Anthology, The Beast Within, Inherit the Earth, and Champions of the Scarred Lands. Eric was initiated into the bardic mysteries at their very source in Cork, Ireland. He is currently engaged in the most ancient of Irish literary traditions—that of the writer in exile.
Andrew Greenberg Andrew Greenberg, best known for designing computer games and roleplaying games, co-created the Fading Suns role-playing and computer games, and was the original developer of White Wolf ’s Vampire: The Masquerade.Currently helping develop Kaneva.com’s cutting-edge virtual world, he has also worked on products with other role-playing game companies, including Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. His computer game credits include Dracula Unleashed, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Emperor of the Fading Suns, Warhammer 40K: Final Liberation, Merchant Prince II, Mall Tycoon, Dungeon Lords, and more.
Rosemary Ellen Guiley Rosemary Ellen Guiley is a leading expert on the paranormal with thirty books in print, including eight single-volume encyclopedias. Since 1983, she has worked full-time in the paranormal, researching, investigating and writing. She has done extensive field work investigating haunted and sacred places, and has compiled one of the largest data bases on the mysterious Shadow People. In addition, Rosemary researches magic and alchemy, angels and demons, the Tarot, reincarnation, UFOs and ETS, mysterious creatures, dreams, and mystical and visionary experiences in other realities. She writes a popular column for TAPS Paramagazine, and is a consulting editor for FATE magazine.
His most recent computer game credit is Railroad Tycoon Mobile, and he is currently working on the Global Agenda MMO. He is also the organizer of the Southeast Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo (SIEGE).
Robert Greenberger Bob Greenberger began his professional career began at Starlog Press where he created Comics Scene then joined DC Comics as assistant editor, working on the seminal before switching to the administrative side of the company, rising to the role of Manager-Editorial Operations. As a freelancer, Bob has written numerous Star Trek novels and short fiction in addition to short works of science fiction and fantasy. His adult nonfiction includes last year’s novelization of Hellboy II: The Golden Army and The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Coming this summer will be Iron Man: Femme Fatales and in November, Running Press will release Batman Vault coauthored with Matthew K. Manning.
Rosemary makes numerous media appearances, including occasional guest spots on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and a regular monthly appearance as the paranormal expert for the Richard Syrett Show in Toronto. She is featured in Children of the Grave, and Possessed, docu-dramas produced by the Booth Brothers, and also in documentaries on various topics in the paranormal. In addition, she lectures in America and abroad.
Sanford Greene Sanford Greene is currently with DC Comics working on the new miniseries, Wonder Girl. He is also the cover artist for Bat Man Strikes and you can see his work in Legion of Superheroes in the 31st Century, based on the hit animated series! Some of his past projects include Army of Darkness and work as the cover artist for Sonic.
Dean Haglund Dean Haglund trained at Simon Fraser University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Fine and Performing Arts. Best known for playing Langly, one of the computer geeks known as “The Lone Gunmen” from the hit FOX TV series The X-Files, he also starred in the the X-Files spin-off series, The Lone Gunmen. He appears on trading cards, T-shirts, and even has his own comic book, The Lone Gunman, published by Dark Horse Comics.
Hugh S. Gregory Hugh S. Gregory is a spaceflight historian, who lectures occasionally in local schools on spaceflight history and astronomy. His latest research includes the conceptual design theory work on the E.L.D.S.R.R. space reactor, Project M.O.S.S. for the Musk Mars Desert Observatory, and Project and a VR simulator for the Mars Society to help train and prepare crews for their simulations of Mars surface exploration.
A longtime comedy improviser, Dean got his start with the likes of Ryan Stiles and Colin Mockerie in the internationally award-winning Vancouver Theatre Sports League. He now regularly performs in Los Angeles with The Groundlings and Second City.
Recently, he coauthored a paper published in Cartographia on the mapping of Mars. He is the Mars Society Engineering Team’s Chief Training Documents Editor, Chief Cartographer, and Waypoint Database Curator for both the MDRS and the FMARS research stations. The Orbital Commerce Project team is the world’s first non-government funded flight school for training sub-orbital pilots and payload specialists. He’s produced and sold such videos as Voyager 2 at Neptune, The Gas Planets, SSTO-The DC-X, Soviet Space Disasters, and The Flight of Buran-The Russian Shuttle Story. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
His television credits include roles in the series VIP Pamela Anderson, Home Improvement, The Commish, Sliders, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the animated series Robocop, and The Big Guy. His feature film credits include The X-Files: Fight the Future, Radio Free Steve, Design of Darkness, Rice Girl, and the animated feature film Tom Sawyer. 42
Stacy Hague-Hill
Charlaine Harris
An Assistant Editor at Tor Books, Stacy Hague-Hill works with an expanding list of SF and F novels, including works by L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Dave Farland, John Brown (the forthcoming Servant of a Dark God), Kage Baker, and more. She is also the editor for the tie-in to BioWare’s RPG, Dragon Age, and works with the Dune titles, FlashForward, and others. In addition, she works with Hugo Award-winning editor David Hartwell and well-known tie-in author and editor Greg Cox.
Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, she had the opportunity to stay home and write, and the resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of writing mystery series, and soon had her own traditional books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.
Doc Hammer Doc Hammer is a multi-disciplinary artist, most notable as co-writer (with Christopher McCulloch), editor, and voice actor (Doctor Girlfriend, Henchman #21, and Master Billy Quizboy) for the animated television series The Venture Bros. Hammer and Ben Edlund (The Tick) have collaborated on various scripts (including Crawley), and Hammer also has contributed to McCulloch’s comics anthology Monkeysuit. Together, the three have collaborated on episodes of The Venture Bros.
Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.
He is also an oil painter whose work was exhibited at the Arcadia gallery of fine arts in SoHo. Most of his portraits are of melancholic women in their underwear, and are titled “Saint” with successive numbers. He is completely self-taught, and cites Rembrandt and Whistler as two of his inspirations. One portrait, of Liz Vassey who played Captain Liberty from the live-action incarnation of The Tick, can be seen in the background of the Venture Bros. episode, “Return to Spider-Skull Island”.
When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who just enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, has drawn more readers, and has been produced as the television series, True Blood.
Cully Hamner Cully Hamner is these days mainly known for drawing DC Comics’ latest Blue Beetle series, and as the co-creator, with Warren Ellis, of Red, now in development as a feature film from Summit Entertainment. In 2006, he re-teamed with Ellis on the well-regarded Down for Top Cow. For years, though, he’s also been the go-to guy for a long list of projects likes of Batman: Tenses, The Ride, The Titans, Green Lantern, X-Men, Daredevil, Spider-Man Unlimited, and many others. In January of 2009, DC began releasing his six-issue, bi-weekly project with writer Jen Van Meter, Black Lightning: Year One. In June, his feature with writer Greg Rucka, “The Question,” begins monthly in Detective Comics. He brings the ruckus.
Tony Harris Tony broke into the Indie scene in 1989 with the self published B.L.A.D.E. thru his and Seaborn Mercers company Buccaneer Publications. After several issues Tony cofounded Gaijin Studios in Atlanta and thru Brian Stelfreeze landed the fully painted Nightmare on Elm Street with Innovation. Then onto the adaptation of Universal’s the Mummy for Dark Horse. Many covers and mini series later for everone from Millenium comics, Dark Horse Comics, Topps, and scores of others, Tony landed his first mainstream work for Epic at Marvel in the form of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed. Then onto The Hulk at Marvel, Punisher, Darkhold, and scores of pinups, covers and various assignments. After getting the attention of Archie Goodwin at DC Comics from painting his first cover for Green Lantern Corps Quarterly, Archie offered the ongoing Starman series with James Robinson to Tony. After 45 issues, almost 100 painted covers, and various spin offs and specials, Tony left that series to do a myriad of projects like JSA: The Liberty File, it’s sequel, JSA: The Unholy 3. Tony landed on his 2nd monthly in an almost 20 year career, Ex Machina (also creator owned with Brian K. Vaughan) for Wildstorm Productions.
David Harmer David Harmer has been active in game design since 1988. His newest work includes The Survivors Guide to the Apocalypse, an RPG supplement that details the steps required to survive the collapse of civilization in the Aftermath! world, and Aftermath! Technology! 2.0, a revision of the game’s high-tech supplement. Other recent works include Aftermath! Magic!, a set of expansion magic rules for the Aftermath! role-playing game; The Four Horsemen: Hand of Death, a gothic horror card game; Requiem for Dark December Designs; and the card game, Faerie Haven. Harmer’s previous works include the Legacy live action role-playing game and expansion rules for Aftermath!, the Chrome Book for Cyberpunk by R. Talsorian Games, rules and scenarios for the NERO live action role-playing game, and design work for Quintessential Mercy Studios. David is also an experienced costumer, bodypaint artist, and prop maker, having won his first costume contest thirty years ago. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Raven Hart Raven Hart writes the Savannah Vampire Chronicles series from Ballantine books. The series started with The Vampire’s Seduction and continued with The Vampire’s Secret and The Vampire’s Kiss. The latest book in the series is The Vampire’s Betrayal. Raven has been a newspaper reporter, a speechwriter for a K Street PR firm in Washington, D.C., and for most of her career, a technical writer. Believe it or not, though, writing about how to keep your crane hoist in good working order didn’t satisfy her creative urges. So she decided to become a novelist, at least part-time. 44
She joined Georgia Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America, and during the years that followed, she wrote romances for Harlequin and Zebra. Along the way, she won awards like West Houston RWA’s Emily award, Virginia Romance Writers’ Fool for Love contest, and Northwest Houston RWA’s Lonestar contest. Later, she sold stories for literary anthologies published by Belle Books. Raven created a vampire series of their own, starring two sexy Savannah vampires, southern aristocrat blood drinker William Cuyler Thorne and Jack McShane, a blue-collar, NASCAR-loving vampire, who didn’t know what he was getting into when he volunteered for everlasting undeath.
Jason Hawes Jason Hawes is the founder of TAPS and the main star of the SyFy channel hit show, Ghost Hunters. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, with a new book coming out in late 2009. Jason Hawes founded TAPS in the 1990s and started the show Ghost Hunters in 2004. Ghost Hunters has become the top-watched reality show on cable and has become a huge success, spawning spin-offs and opening the door for other paranormal television.
A. J. Hartley A. J. Hartley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Hawthorne Saga, the first of which, Act of Will, was released to critical acclaim in March, 2009. The second book of the series will be released in 2010. Hartley is also the author of the mystery/thrillers The Mask of Atreus, One the Fifth Day, and What Time Devours. All of these center on issues of history, archaeology, and culture, the last drawing expressly on his experience as UNC Charlotte’s Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare. In this role, Hartley is a director and dramaturg, a prominent critic who has authored many articles and books on Renaissance drama, and is the editor of the academic performance journal, Shakespeare Bulletin.
Lindsey Rush Hawkins Lindsey Rush Hawkins is an artist and designer. Issues of self-confidence, homesickness, spirituality, and surreal relationships with nature are main focal areas of her work. These issues are expressed through the visual use of small objects, symbols, landscapes, textures, and color schemes. Much of Lindsey’s inspiration comes from her childhood growing up on a farm in Southern Indiana. She still has dreams about the farmhouse and fields of open land. Within the farm community, Lindsey was in 4-H for ten years and still is just a country girl at heart. Throughout the years, her graphic design career has taken her to San Francisco, New York City, Indianapolis, and Chicago, and currently she has settled into the Atlanta area.
Tariq Hassan A seasoned illustrator with experience in comics, advertising, and design, Tariq Hassan has experienced creating sequential art, traditional and digital illustration, toy design, character designs, environment renderings, and conceptual art. Recently, he’s completed figure designs for the Star Wars Mini’s line, as well as Illustrations for White Wolf RPG books. And with upper deck, he completed forty sketch cards for Marvel Masterpeices sets One and Two. Past clients include White Wolf Games, Wizards of the Coast, DC Comics, and Upper Deck, Inc.
Gary Kim Hayes Gary Kim Hayes has been a Navy flyer, a keyboard player for several notso-famous local rock bands, a classically trained concert pianist, a standup comedian, magician, and photographer, and at present, he makes his living as a senior master instructor in Taekwondo and other martial arts. Most recently, he has worked with the Georgia National Guard to develop and implement a hand-to-hand combat training program at various Army bases throughout Georgia. He is a multi-award winner for his short fiction—an example of his work may be found in Tales of the Dark River, an audio production of Atlanta Radio Theater. For a time, he was managing editor of Critical Mass, an Atlanta based, small press magazine about science fiction. He is a member of Dark River Writers, one of Georgia’s oldest and most prestigious professional writers’ organizations. His radio play, Biting A Fat Man’s Neck, was produced by Horror House and has aired annually during Halloween. The play is now available as part of a multi-CD set by Audio Realms. At present, he is polishing the final draft of his fantasy novel, Sleag’s Quest.
Richard Hatch Internationally known actor writer, producer, and Golden Globe nominee Richard Hatch “classic and re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Streets of San Francisco, and All My Children” has had a career spanning four decades. Among his many accomplishments, he has also starred as Jan Berry in the cult classic Dead Mans Curve, Charlin Chan and the Curse of The Dragon Queen with Peter Ustinov and Michelle Phiffer. He has coauthored eight Battlestar Galactica novels, comic, and most recently So Say We All, and a forthcoming Battlestar Galactica manga for Tokyopop focusing on his character Tom Zarek in the new BG series currently playing on the SyFy channel. Most recently, Richard just completed the film Season of Darkness and is currently filming a new reality show entitled Who the Frack is the Real Richard Hatch. In addition, Richard just directed a new infomercial for the securities industry and is in preproduction on a new TV series for his production company, Marsland 2096. Between acting, writing, and directing, Richard teaches and lectures all over the country on acting, film-making, and “Taking Your Career To The Next Level.” One of Richard’s most cherished achievements was writing, producing, and co-directing the now famous “Second Coming” Battlestar Galactica trailer.
Jennifer Heddle Jennifer Heddle is a senior editor at Pocket Books, Pocket Juno Books, and MTV Books at Simon & Schuster, specializing in fantasy, paranormal romance, women’s fiction, pop culture and media tie-ins, and teen fiction. At Pocket she has worked with such authors as Kevin J. Anderson, Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson, Marjorie M. Liu, Melissa Anelli, Adrian Phoenix, and Christopher Golden; and has worked on media franchises including Hellboy, Marvel Comics, CSI: NY, Serenity, The Girls Next Door, and Prison Break. Prior to her position at Pocket Books, she was at Roc/NAL, where she acquired and edited Jim Butcher, Barb & J.C. Hendee, and Diana Pharaoh Francis, among others. She is the co-editor with Laura Anne Gilman of the Roc anthology Treachery and Treason and has two published short stories to her credit. She is also the author and co-creator of the Xeric Grant-winning comic book Cynical Girl. 45
Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
He is a founding member of the South Sound Algonquin Writer’s Group, as well as, a founder of The League of Reluctant Adults, an urban fantasy cadre of smart-asses. Mark is also a member of the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association, the International Thriller Writer’s Association and Fangs, Fur and Fey.
Tom Heintjes Tom Heintjes joined the staff of The Comics Journal in 1984 and became its Managing Editor in 1985. While there, he helped to spearhead the battle to help Jack Kirby obtain his original art from Marvel Comics. In 1994, he cofounded Hogan’s Alley, the magazine of the cartoon arts, which focuses on vintage and contemporary cartooning and is circulated around the world. His founding partner on Hogan’s Alley is the renowned comics historian Rick Marschall. Tom has extensively chronicled the career of Will Eisner for reprints of his work. He is the founder of the Carolina Comic Book Club and is a member of the National Cartoonists Society.
Richard Herd Richard Herd is a recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role as Mr. Wilhelm in the award winning sitcom Seinfeld. Richard was most recently on the popular Desperate Housewives series. He is known to millions of television viewers for his portrayal of John the Supreme Commander on the mini-series V, and V: The Final Battle, and his recurring role as Admiral William Noyce on Seaquest. In recent years, he has had guest star roles in the PBS Masterpiece Theater’s Song of the Lark, NBC’s Shattered Mind, and Ike-The War Years. Additional television credits include Admiral Owen Paris on Star Trek Voyager, and three seasons as Captain Dennis Sheridan in T.J. Hooker among numerous guest star roles.
Mark Henry Mark Henry is a relative newcomer to the urban fantasy scene. His first foray into the genre, the irreverent zombie driven Happy Hour of the Damned was well received and optioned quickly for a possible series by Showtime and Double Feature Films. His second novel in the Amanda Feral, Celebrity Ghoul series is Road Trip of the Living Dead, and third, Battle of the Network Zombies (March 2010) follow the same scandalous blueprint.
Three years ago Herd became part of the “Enterprise Blues Band,” created by Vaughn Armstrong (another Star Trek actor), with his fellow convention veterans and actors, Casey Biggs, Steve Rankin, and long-time Trek visual effects supervisor Ron B. Moore and actor and friend William Jones. Together they have recorded two CDs and are invited to play throughout the world.
Up until three years ago, Mark was a psychotherapist in the Pacific Northwest, soggy home to serial killers and the chronically depressed. Rather than join his clientele in misery, he decided to turn frowns upside down with laugh out loud satire, selling his first series within six months of his decision to write.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Rita Herron
Bill Holbrook
Former teacher and storyteller Rita Herron turned to professional writing 12 years ago, has sold 50 books to date, and won numerous awards, including Reader’s Choice for Best Romantic Suspense and the Maggie Award. She has also been nominated for Best Intrigue for 2009 and in 2008 a Career Achievement award in Romantic Suspense from Romantic Times. She currently writes romantic suspense novels as well as a paranormal romantic suspense series for Grand Central Publishing entitled The Demonborn. Book one in the series, Insatiable Desire, received rave reviews and debuted in ‘08. Book two, Dark Hunger, comes out in August ‘09, and book three in ‘10!
Bill Holbrook grew up in the Space Age atmosphere of Huntsville, Ala. in the 1960s. Upon graduating from Auburn University in 1980, he was hired by The Atlanta Constitution as an editorial staff artist. After several attempts at syndication, his office strip On the Fastrack was picked up by King Features and debuted in 150 papers on March 19, 1984. In September, 1995, he began a new strip called Kevin & Kell and sold it exclusively to online clients, which collectively get over 3 million page views a month. It has been featured in 14 book collections, the latest being Rules of Engagement. He was named Cartoonist of the Year at the 1998 Pogofest, an annual gathering in Waycross honoring the great Walt Kelly and “Pogo.” Kevin & Kell was given the Ursa Major Award in 2003 for Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip. In 2004, it entered the newspaper domain by appearing daily in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Virginia Hey Born in Sydney, Australia, Virginia Hey was raised and educated between her hometown and London, England. Virginia was a freelance fashion stylist and fashion editor for two magazines in Australia, one of which specializing in makeover fashion for the everyday woman.
Tobe Hooper In 1974, Tobe Hooper organized a small cast comprised of college teachers and students, and with Kim Henkel, on a budget of $60,000 made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Hooper claims to have got the idea for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre while standing in the hardware section of a crowded store. While thinking of a way to get through the crowd, he spotted chainsaws for sale. The highly successful film changed the horror film industry, and landed him in Hollywood.
Virginia’s acting career began following a successful modeling career, where she was spotted by casting directors and placed in her big screen debut with Mel Gibson in the film classic, Mad Max 2: Road Warrior, in which she portrayed Warrior Woman. Since then, she has also appeared in Mussolini, Roar, in The Living Daylights, and Signal One.
Richard Korbitz, producer of the suspenseful and acclaimed John Carpenter telefilm, Someone’s Watching Me!, hand picked Hooper to direct an adaptation of Stephen King’s vampire novel Salem’s Lot. Salem’s Lot was Hooper’s most well polished and mainstream film to date. The telefilm was well received by critics and fans alike and is generally thought of as a genre classic. Salem’s Lot would influence other vampire films, most notably, Fright Night and The Lost Boys.
Virginia played one of the five lead characters, an Alien Priest Zhaan on the award-winning international blockbuster television series, Farscape.
Kathryn Hinds Kathryn Hinds has written more than forty books for young adults about ancient, medieval, and early modern cultures—most recently the four-book series Life in the Medieval Muslim World. A six-book series, Barbarians!, will be published by Marshall Cavendish Benchmark at the end of this year, and next year will see the publication of another six-book series, Fantastic Creatures. Much of Kathryn’s work for young people has been focused on social history, with particular interests in belief systems, the lives of everyday people, and the roles of women. Kathryn is also a novelist, lyricist, and award-winning poet, and co-author of a mythology book for adults, Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. Her first book of poetry, After the Red Rose, is due out this summer.
Tobe is currently in pre-production on From A Buick 8 an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Filming should begin summer of 2009. Mick Garris (executive producer of Masters of Horror) will serve as a producer on the film. It was revealed in June 2009, that Hooper would be writing a horror novel, to be released in October 2010.
Eva Hopkins Eva Hopkins has been working in the comics industry for about 14 years. She’s mostly known for her creative partnership with Joseph Michael Linsner. Eva colors on Dawn, & co-created/colors teen vampire comic Dark Ivory, both published by Image Comics. Eva also did a B&W indie anthology comic of her short stories called Fear of Flight, selfpublished under Luna Muse Studios, and is currently hard at work on a follow-up to that project. One of Eva’s quests, to get more realistic-looking women portrayed in pinup art and in comics, is being fulfilled nicely by her longtime collaboration with Mr. Linsner. Eva is a full-on ‘net junkie & loves to write, draw, color, cook & dance.
Kane Hodder Kane Warren Hodder is an actor and stuntman, standing 6’ 3½” (192 cm), he is best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th film series. He is the only actor to portray Jason more than once, in a total of four movies. He has also portrayed horror icons Leatherface in the stunts of the third Texas Chainsaw Massacre film, and Freddy Krueger when he pulls Jason’s mask to hell in Jason Goes to Hell. Kane stars in the slasher flick Hatchet as main character Victor Crowley, a physically deformed young boy who comes back from the dead to kill the people who invade the swamp in which he lives. This is similar to Jason Voorhees, who died as a young boy in a lake and came back from the dead to kill people who came to Camp Crystal Lake. Hatchet 2 will begin filming shortly picking up right where Hatchet ended.
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Kriss Hougland
Matt Hughes
Kriss Hougland’s technical expertise spans payload design to space operations. He is the electronics and computer expert for a NASA outreach program, Highschools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH).
With obvious influences from the Romantics to the Pre-Raphaelites to the Fin de Siecles, Matt Hughes’ ethereal visions deliver a novel approach that is pioneering a new movement that is best defined as Gothic Art Nouveau. By blending the romantic aesthetic beauty of Art Nouveau with the beautiful dark concepts of Gothic art, he invites the viewer to not only interact with other worldly realms but delve into self-reflection and introspection. His elaborate poses of striking woman draped in extravagant textiles and patterns appear to blend seamlessly with the abstract surroundings, resulting in a refreshingly new interpretation of Art Nouveau. And while the Gothic subjects of religion, mythology, death, and spirituality are present, they are addressed more subtly in his contemporary methodology. In addition, the decorative elements associated with Art Nouveau are ingeniously incorporated into the surroundings, fabrics, ornamentation, and even pose of the subjects to deliver a well balanced artistic statement.
Kriss was the lead software developer at the University of Alabama, Birmingham’s scientific ISS experiment called Commercial Protein Crystallization Growth - Video (CPCG-V). The payload was ready for the ULF-1 misson, but was scrubbed after Columbia’s energetic disassembly. He also contributed to developing UAB’s GLACIER payload. He shares a patent with his former UAB coworkers; is listed on several science publications; and has a published play based on nanotechnology.
Scott Houle Scott Houle was scholarshipped to the Interlochen Academy of the Arts at age 10, and by 16 was opening concerts for acts such as Pink Floyd, Santana, The Who, John Lennon, etc. He toured on the road for over fifteen years. Scott then began a career in dialogue replacement with the American movie industry and has worked on projects such as The Lion King, Batman II, III & IV, The Crow, and many more. During this time, Houle was introduced to anime. His projects include the English language versions of Oh!, My Goddess, You’re Under Arrest!, Lupin III - The Fuma Conspiracy, Baoh, Spirit of Wonder, and Crusher Joe. Scott also gave us the English dubs of the live action classics, Ashura and Shogun Assassin (Lone Wolf and Cub). His latest project is the 26-episode series CLAMP School Detectives for Bandai Entertainment.
Neil Innes In the mid-1970s, Innes became closely associated with the TV series Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He played a major role in performing and writing songs and sketches for the final series. He wrote a squib of a song called “George III” which appears in “The Golden Age Of Ballooning”. He also wrote the song “Where Does A Dream Begin?” and he co-wrote the “Most Awful Family In Britain” sketch in the last episode, “Party Political Broadcast”. He is one of only two nonPythons to ever be credited writers for the TV series, the other being Douglas Adams (who co-wrote another sketch in “Party Political Broadcast”).
Dr. Stephen D. Howe Dr. Steven D. Howe is a nuclear scientist, science fiction author/fan, and Dragoncon attendee for some years. Steve is currently the Director of the Center for Space Nuclear Research in Idaho Falls, ID. Prior to this, he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for twenty years in areas such as nuclear weapons physics, nuclear rockets, in-situ resource utilization for space exploration, manned-Mars missions, medium-energy particle physics, antimatter physics, and fusion/plasma physics. As part of these efforts, he flew on the KC-135 “vomit comet”, poked his nose in the hatch of the space shuttle Atlantis while it sat on the pad, created a large hole in the ground at the Nevada Test Site, and had various other fun experiences.
Neil wrote the songs for Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He appeared in the film as a head-bashing monk, the serf crushed by the giant wooden rabbit, and the leader of Sir Robin’s minstrels. He also had a small role in Terry Gilliam’s Jabberwocky. He performed with the Pythons on stage, including their legendary Hollywood Bowl concert. Because of these longstanding connections, Neil is often referred to as “the Seventh Python”.
In addition to his regular activities, Dr. Howe is a published author of fiction having published the novella, Wrench and Claw, in Analog magazine. He also published the novel, Honor Bound Honor Born, which detailed the possible development of the first commercial base on the Moon. He has also appeared in numerous television programs about space and rocketry.
The Iron Sheik The Iron Sheik is a former WWE world heavyweight champion, tag team champion, and battle royal champion. He is known for ending the near six year World Wrestling Federation Championship reign of Bob Backlund and for being the man Hulk Hogan defeated for his first WWF Championship, setting off the “Golden Age” of professional wrestling. This Iranian born superstar has seen a resurgence in popularity due to the You tube craze and his appearances on the Howard Stern show.
John Hudgens After creating a Babylon 5 music video as a personal project in 1994, John sent it to show creator J. Michael Straczynski, who then hired Hudgens to continue creating the videos, which became popular on the science fiction convention circuit. They collaborated on a total of eight videos over the course of the series. Hudgens is an award-winning filmmaker, having won the Audience Choice Award in Lucasfilm’s Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards with The Jedi Hunter and Sith Apprentice. Another of his films (Crazy Watto, made with Men in Black creator Lowell Cunningham) played at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival to help promote the premiere of Revenge of the Sith. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Richard Jakiel
Bill “Splat” Johnson
For nearly twenty years, Richard has been known in the astronomical community as an advanced observer, writer, and more recently, as an imager. Dozens of his articles have appeared in mainstream astronomy and professional publications over the years. Much of his earlier work dealt with observing the night sky, while later articles have covered a much broader range of topics including historical biographies, astrophysics, and archeoastronomy. In 2006, he coauthored Galaxies: How to Observe Them (Springer), and he is currently working on several related projects. Richard has a master’s degree in geochemistry and was a Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Tech. For the past fifteen years, he has been a research scientist for the State of Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division. He runs a small observatory about 35 miles west of Atlanta where he images the solar system and deep-sky objects.
Bill “Splat” Johnson has been working on films for over thirty years. He began his make up skills working in super eight features back in the late seventies. After graduating from college with a BFA in graphic design, he was accepted into Dick Smith’s Advanced Professional Make Up Course. It was during his enrollment that he got his first major make up effects job, doing Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3. He has now worked on over forty movies including, The Book of Eli, The Crazies, Ben 10 Alien Swarm, H2, Zombieland, Year One, The Patriot, Eight Legged Freaks, Hoodlum, In Dreams, October Sky, and three of the Tyler Perry Madea films. He also designs and creates the “spokes monsters” and poster graphics for NETHERWORLD Haunted Attractions. He is currently in talks to create a bigger budget version of his critically acclaimed film, Don’t Worry It’s Only Your Imagination.
Georges Jeanty
Les Johnson is the deputy manager for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He is also the co-investigator on a Japanese space experiment that will fly in the summer of 2009. During his career at NASA, he served as the manager for the Space Science Programs and Projects Office, the In-Space Propulsion Technology Program, and the Interstellar Propulsion Research Project. He was the chief scientist for the ProSEDS space experiment, has twice received NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, and has three patents. He is an author of two popular science books, Living Off the Land in Space and Solar Sailing: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel, and he has recently signed a contract for Earth Park: High Tech Eden, which will explain why space advocates and environmentalists should work together. Les was the technical consultant for the movie, Lost in Space.
Les Johnson
Georges Jeanty has been in a whirlwind of work this year, stretching from Hellmouth to Hellmouth. His continuing work on the critically acclaimed, award-winning Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 series for Dark Horse Comics has kept this fan favorite artist quite busy. Most of the year has been devoted to drawing the adventures of everyone’s favorite Slayer. The series continues to receive critical acclaim and has won numerous awards, such as best new ongoing series as well as securing a position on the New York Times hot 100 books for the collected trade paperback Buffy the Vampire Slayer “No Fate For You.” Georges has found time to do a few things other than Buffy for DC Comics this year in the form of a Nightwing cover and Manhunter stories. Georges’ dance card is very full this year with appearances at numerous conventions and signings in addition to continuing the Buffy series every month with series creator Joss Whedon. With credits including Green Lantern, Superboy, Gambit Bishop the Last X-Men, Wonder Woman, and Superman, Georges has amassed quite a checklist.
Paul Jenkins Paul Jenkins is one of the premier creators and writers of comic books, graphic novels and video games in the world today. After five years working with the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he began his freelance writing career in 1993 as scribe of the DC Comics Hellblazer. In 1997 Paul won an Eisner for his work on Marvel comics Inhumans series. He has since worked on virtually every comic character in the business, including Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, and the smash hit Wolverine: Origin, for which he won five Wizard Fan Awards. His latest work for Marvel includes the blockbuster Frontlines series, a part of the Civil War event, and the Mythos series. In addition, his creation The Sentry has become a mainstay of the Marvel Universe. Paul’s work as Writer and/or Creative Director in the video game genre includes Twisted Metal: Black, Soul Reaver, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and others. The Darkness earned him a BAFTA nomination for storytelling and characterization. His latest work, Activision’s Prototype.
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Benjamin Curtis Jones
Alessandro Juliani
Known for his stunning movie illustration, Ben Curtis Jones brings to life the heart of characters and stories throughout the world of cinema. Ben is one of Lucasfilm’s official artists where he has created licensed artwork for Star Wars and Indiana Jones as well as working on additional projects for The Topps Company, Red Five Entertainment, Mix International Media, and more. Ben’s art can be viewed in posters, cover art, trading cards, and ad designs.
Alessandro Juliani was the voice of Pit/Kid Icarus in the Captain N: The Game Master cartoon series, and offered his voice in many other cartoons and anime including Ranma 1/2 (as Toma), X-Men Evolution (as Gambit), the three My Scene films (in the role of River) and two of the Bionicle films (as Toa Vakama). He played the voice of Nightscream in Beast Machines, he was also the voice of one of the male leads in Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. He also voices the character Koji in the English version of Ōban Star-Racers. In his most recent voice acting work, he voices the character ‘L’ in the anime series Death Note and its dubbed live action counterpart. He also played two minor roles in Stargate SG-1 as Eliam in “Scorched Earth” and Katep in the 8th season finale episodes “Moebius: Part 1 and 2.”
Doug Jones Doug Jones has worked as an actor and a contortionist. “You’d be surprised how many times that comes into play in commercials. They’ll want somebody to hold a box of Tide funny or something. I once squished into a box for a commercial for relaxed fit jeans”.
In March 2009, Juliani won the Streamy Award for Best Male Actor in a Dramatic Web Series for his work on Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy .
Peter Jurasik
His performance as Abe Sapien in Hellboy, which opened at the top of the U. S. box office, brought him an even higher profile and much praise from audiences and critics alike.
Peter Jurasik graduated as a theater major from the University of New Hampshire and began his professional career in and around New York City and at regional theaters all over the east working as both an actor and director.
In 2005, he renewed his association with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, starring as the Faun in del Toro’s multi-Oscar-winning Spanish language fantasy/ horror project El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth).
A few years back, he finished a five-year run portraying the outrageous Londo Mollari on the award-winning sci-fi show, Babylon 5; however, audiences also seem to remember his work on Hill Street Blues as Sid the Snitch and for a collection of various fruits and nuts throughout the eighties and nineties on a wide variety of television movies, series, and films. Among his guest appearances are an entomologist in one episode of MacGyver, CID investigator Captain Triplett in two episodes of M*A*S*H, and Dr. Oberon Geiger on three episodes of Sliders. He also starred as Mitch Kline in the 1983 short-lived CBS series Bay City Blues.
He appeared in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer as the Silver Surfer. He reprised his role as Abe Sapien in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, once more under the direction of Guillermo del Toro.
Gary Jones Gary Jones is a Welsh-born actor best known for his recurring role as Sgt. Walter Harriman in Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. He has also made guest appearances on such shows as Sliders, The Outer Limits, Andromeda, and Dead Like Me.
His recent work includes Runaway Jury, Stateside, A Christmas Carol, Dawson’s Creek, Going To California , and Amy & Isabelle.
He joined Toronto’s Second City Improv Company in the mid ‘80s. Together with Second City, he came over to Vancouver in 1986 for the Expo. For six months, there were improv shows at the Expo’s Flying Club. After the expo was finished, Jones stayed in Vancouver and started his acting career with guest appearances in TV shows like Wiseguy, Airwolf, and Dangerbay. He was also a player of the Vancouver TheatreSports League.
Stacia Kane Stacia Kane’s debut urban fantasy novel, Personal Demons, started off the Megan Chase series and was chosen by Barnes & Noble’s Paul Goat Allen as one of the best paranormal releases of 2008. Her new Chess Putnam series is a cross between Ghostbusters and Escape From New York, with an awesome punk rock soundtrack, black magic, greasers, drugs, human sacrifices, and a black 1969 Chevelle. It kicks off with Unholy Ghosts, which will be released in late 2009 by Del Rey Publishing. Stacia is a member of the League of Reluctant Adults, a group of urban fantasy writers who don’t take themselves too seriously.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Neil Kaplan
Bill Keel
Neil Kaplan is best known for having been a voice actor on video games, anime, and children’s television. Neil’s voice-over work on television has included several seasons on various versions of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, as well as the popular series Digimon, Higglytown Heroes, and the quirky Tokyo Pig. To this day, however, he is best known around the world as the voice of the iconic hero Optimus Prime on the animated series Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Bill Keel is a University of Alabama astronomer with research interests encompassing the sweep of cosmic evolution. The move of astronomy to increased reliance on space-borne facilities has come to mingle these research goals with particular concern for spacecraft and the development of space technology. He has been fortunate enough to obtain data using many space-based as well as ground-based instruments. He has been called on to participate in the NASA proposal reviews for the Hubble Space Telescope (five times now) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, as well as mission concepts and extensions for astrophysics satellites.
He has also voiced people, animals, aliens, and other creatures in the world of video games. Titles include Bee Movie Game Conan, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Justice League: Heroes John Woo’s Stranglehold, Spider-Man 3, Lord of the Rings, Medal of Honor, Command and Conquer 3, World of Warcraft, and the infinitely popular Everquest. Neil is currently touring the globe with his new comic book/graphic novel called I, of the Wolf.
Keel’s 2005 book, The Sky at Einstein’s Feet, celebrated the penetrating role that the insights of relativity have played in the last century of astronomical discovery. The second revised edition of The Road to Galaxy Formation appeared this year, recognizing the pace of progress in our understanding of the history of galaxies; it was just named one of the top academic titles of 2008 by Choice magazine. His next major writing effort traces the history of astronomy from space in its political as well as scientific and technological aspects.
Lloyd Kaufman Lloyd Kaufman is president of independent film studio Troma Entertainment and has written, produced, and/or directed more than 30 films, including The Toxic Avenger, Tromeo and Juliet, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.
Julie Kenner
Currently, Kaufman is hard at work promoting his acclaimed novelization of The Toxic Avenger, and his previous book, Make Your Own Damn Movie, has inspired a series of successful Lloyd Kaufman taught Master Classes at colleges and institutions across the country and the world! In addition, he created 20 half-hour television episodes for England’s Channel 4. The series, “Troma’s Edge TV,” brought UK viewers all the Tromatic superheroes, cutting-edge humor, and great music they’ve come to expect from Troma movies. Kaufman’s latest celluLloyd masterpiece is the upcoming satire about the fast-food industryzombie film, Poultrygeist, currently in post-production and planned for a 2007 theatrical release.
National bestselling author Julie Kenner’s first book hit the stores in February of 2000, and she’s been on the go ever since, with well over 20 books to her credit. Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations,” Julie’s books have hit lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Locus Magazine. Julie is also a two-time RITA finalist, the winner of Romantic Times’ Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Contemporary Paranormal of 2001, the winner of the Reviewers International Organization’s award for best romantic suspense of 2004 and best paranormal of 2005, and the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award for best mainstream book of 2005. She writes a range of stories, including urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and paranormal mommy lit, including the popular DemonHunting Soccer Mom series currently in development with 1492 Pictures.
Susan Kearney
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Susan Kearney is a USA Today bestselling author, having written paranormal sci-fi fantasy romance for Tor, sensuous romance for Harlequin Blaze, romantic suspense for Harlequin Signature and Tor, and is now writing her new sci-fi fantasy paranormal trilogy, The Pendragon Legacy. She authored a Star Trek book, The Battle of Betazed (2002), collected widely by Trek fans everywhere and is well known for her Rystani series—The Challenge, The Dare, The Ultimatum, and The Quest. She released two books in 2008, the second book in her new series, Solar Heat, and Dancing With Fire. She was the lead author in the anthology Beyond Magic in September. Susan Kearney has been part of a paranormal fantasy anthology called Midnight Magic with authors Rebecca York and Jeanie London and a Berkley fantasy anthology titled Unleashed with Rebecca York and Diane Whitestead.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon lives a life of extraordinary danger...as does any woman with three sons, a husband, a menagerie of pets, and a collection of swords that all of the above have a major fixation with. Writing as Kinley MacGregor and Sherrilyn Kenyon, she is an international phenomenon and one of the founding authors of the current paranormal craze. She was the first genre author to put a paranormal novel on the print list of the New York Times. She’s the author of several series including: The Dark-Hunters, The League, Brotherhood of the Sword, Lords of Avalon, and the forthcoming Nevermore and Chronicles of Nick. Her Lords of Avalon novels have been adapted by Marvel and her Dark-Hunter novels are now manga published by St. Martins and packaged by the talented Dabel Brothers.
Currently she’s plotting her way through her 48th book, a “sci-fi futuristic” third book in her new Pendragon Legacy series due to be released in 2009.
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The New York Times bestselling series The Wheel of Time®® continues…. On sale November 3, 2009
Book Twelve of The Wheel of Time® A MEMORY OF LIGHT was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm, the first of three novels that will complete the struggle against the Shadow, bringing to a close a journey begun almost twenty years ago and marking the conclusion of the The Wheel of Time®, the preeminent fantasy epic of our era.
(ARDCOVER s s ,IMITED %DITION LEATHER s
Enter our universe. Sign up for Tor’s free monthly newsletter: www.tor-forge.com/newsletter
Jackie Kessler
Richard A. Knaak
Jackie Kessler writes about superheroes and demons. (And sex. Shhh. Don’t tell your parents.) Her demon protagonist, Jezebel, interviews the characters of other authors. She is the coauthor with Caitlin Kittredge of the novels Black and White and the forthcoming Shades of Gray from Bantam Spectra. She is also the author of Hell’s Belles, The Road to Hell, and Hotter Than Hell and a number of short stories.
Richard A. Knaak is the New York Times Bestselling author of some forty novels and numerous short stories, including in such series as WarCraft, Diablo, Dragonlance, Age of Conan, and his own Dragonrealm. In addition, he has scripted a number of mangas for WarCraft through Tokyopop, including the top-selling Sunwell trilogy, and has also written background material for games. His works have been published worldwide in many languages.
Richard Kiel
Upcoming releases include the epic novel Stormrage for WarCraft, The Gargoyle King—the third in his Ogre Titans trilogy for Dragonlance— and Shadow Wing, the first volume of the Dragons of Outland saga for WarCraft through Tokyopop. A new novel based on the original Beastmaster film will also be out soon in trade paperback. September sees the release by Simon & Schuster of a new omnibus of his first three Dragonrealm novels in Legends of the Dragonrealm.
Seven foot, two-inch, 345-pound actor, writer, and producer Richard Kiel is best known for his role as the steel-toothed Jaws in the two James Bond movies, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Richard became an overnight success after Bond, co-starring in many films, such as So Fine with Ryan O’Neal and Jack Warden; Pale Rider with Clint Eastwood; and Force Ten From Navaronne with Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw. Kiel made audiences laugh in Happy Gilmore, and most recently filmed a Sci-Fi Movie, The Portal, co-starring Robert Picardo.
Nancy Knight Nancy Knight is the author of twelve published novels, numerous short stories, seven produced plays and a produced screenplay. Her film Insanity du Jour was accepted by the Dragon*Con Independent Film Festival in 2008. She is a partner in BelleBooks Publishing Company, parent company to BelleBridge, a new publisher which publishes fantasy and paranormal novels. She is also a partner in Soundhole Publishing Company, which helps people who want to self-publish. She has taught fiction writing since 1988 in venues across the country.
In recent years, Kiel has co-written and co-executive produced his own family-oriented movie which he starred in, The Giant of Thunder Mountain, which received four-star reviews and a Family Film award. Richard has teamed up with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Pamela Wallace to co-write Kentucky Lion, The Cassius Clay Story. Richard has also written his autobiography, which has proven to be very interesting to his fans, as it contains insights and secret moments from his Bond films as well as other projects.
Alethea Kontis A former child actress, Chemistry major, and Orson Scott Card Boot Camper (class of 2003), New York Times bestselling author and selfproclaimed Genre Chick Alethea Kontis’ first foray into the literary world was a mixed-up picture book—AlphaOops: The Day Z Went First.
Kaza Kingsley
She co-edited the critically acclaimed SF all-star Elemental: New Stories of Science Fiction and Fantasy for Tor Books. She penned the Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark-Hunter Companion, and her short stories have appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, and The Writer’s Eye. Her “Beauty & Dynamite” essays are featured in Apex Magazine.
Kaza Kingsley is the author of the bestselling young adult Erec Rex fantasy series. Her books have won many awards, and the first was a Borders Books Original Voices pick. The series is now coming out around the world, with an eight-book deal in the U. S. by Simon and Schuster. The first two Erec Rex audio books were released in April, and Book Three, The Search for Truth, debuted on June 30. Kaza hails from Ohio.
George Krstic
James P. Kinney, III
Writer, producer, and director George Krstic has been honored numerous times for his varied work in genre media. He has written comic books, feature films, video games, and TV episodes. A few of his credits include co-creating the fan-favorite animated series Megas XLR, writing on the on-going Clone Wars series, and directing the sci-fi film The Last Actor.
Physicist James P. Kinney, III has studied the mechanics and thermodynamics of zymurgy, beer making, for more than a decade. He brings news methods of beer production for a space going civilization. Realizing the social need for a relaxing brew at the end of a long day of repairing the moon base ventilation systems, James is exploring ways to convert off world sugars into potent potables. Last year, a packed room was thoroughly engaged in the introduction to zymurgy and the challenges a space going society faces in continuing the craft. This year promises to be even more gripping with experimental grains and rapid fermentation methods.
Bonnie Kunzel Bonnie Kunzel, was the youth services consultant for the New Jersey State Library and the Librarian of the Year for the State of New Jersey in 2006. An acknowledged expert on the subjects of young adult literature and science fiction and fantasy, she presents programs nationally for the ALA, PLA, Bureau of Education and Research, and the Science Fiction World Con. On the local level, she is a founding member of the Garden State Teen Book Award Committee and was a member of the organizing committee for the annual Youth Services Forum. She is currently serving a fourth term as an ALA Councilor-at-Large and was appointed to the 2005 Printz Award Committee for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.
Caitlin Kittredge Caitlin Kittredge is the author of the bestselling Nocturne City series from St. Martin’s Press as well as the Black London novels and the Iron Codex trilogy, a steampunk adventure for young adults. Additionally, she is the co-author of the Icarus Project superhero series with Jackie Kessler. Caitlin received her first book deal at age 21 and currently writes full time.
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Katherine Kurtz
Cheralyn Lambeth
Katherine Kurtz is the author of numerous fantasy novels, most notably her epic, groundbreaking Chronicles of the Deryni. Although born in America, for the past several years, up until just recently, she has lived in a castle in Ireland.
Cheralyn Lambeth likes to refer to herself as a “fan who went pro,” crediting her work in the entertainment industry to her early love of Star Wars. She created Muppet costumes for Sesame Street Live and worked with Jim Henson Productions on the TV series Dinosaurs! and the film The Muppet Christmas Carol.
She was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers’ Guild of America (SAGA), a looseknit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter’s Flashing Swords! anthologies. She also was an early member of the Society for Creative Anachronism; in her persona of Bevan Fraser of Stirling she achieved the rank of Duchess, ruling the Kingdom of the West as Queen Consort on two occasions.
After her time at Henson, Cheralyn worked with Paramount Production Services, creating costumes and props for properties such as Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. Some of her other credits include work on The Patriot, The New World, Evan Almighty, and Leatherheads, the National Park Service film “Manassas: End of Innocence,” and the History Channel docudrama Isaac’s Storm.
Stephen & Suzie Lackey
Most recently Cheralyn has been combining her interest in paranormal research with her theatrical background to produce her first book, Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas. She is currently working on Ghosts of Charlotte and a book on puppetry, The Well Dressed Puppet. Cheralyn is proud to be an active and long-time member of the Fighting 501st Legion of Stormtroopers.
Stephen and Suzie both started their work in film and television in college. Together, Stephen and Suzie took advantage of the digital revolution in filmmaking and crafted their first feature documentary film called Fans and Freaks: The Culture of Comics and Conventions. That documentary consumed them for nearly two years as they covered the wild and weird world of science fiction, fantasy, anime, horror, furry, and gaming fandom around the Southeast. The film had a solid festival run and won several awards before getting distribution via Diamond Comics. Following that daunting feature, Stephen and Suzie decided to take a look at some offbeat Southern characters with their trilogy of short films: “River Reflections,” “Tasty Weed: A Celebration of Poke Sallet,” and “A Cheaper Way to Go.” Those three short films also had solid festival runs. In 2006, Stephen wrote the horror novella “Middling Meat” which is now being adapted into a graphic novel. Currently, Stephen and Suzie are developing two television series, one magazine show, and a documentary series. Stephen and Suzie also write for the successful entertainment website Cinegeek.com. Stephen is also a writer for the popular website Mania.com, providing reviews and articles covering television. Stephen has also created the popular weekly podcast for Cinegeek.
Sheila Larken Sheila Larken has endeared herself to millions around the world playing the role of Margaret Scully (Dana Scully’s mother) on the popular The X-Files series. She appeared in over fifteen episodes. Sheila has appeared in such notable television series as Outer Limits, Cagney and Lacey, The Incredible Hulk, L.A. Law, Baretta, Ghost Story, Hawaii Five-O, Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke. Her made-for-television movies include She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal, Behind the Mask, and Moment of Truth: To Walk Again.
Rich Larson Rich Larson’s fantasy art is heavily influenced by his early exposure to MAD magazine, 60’s Marvel superhero comics, and obscure 50’s horror and SF movies on late night TV. He began his career as an advertising artist and broke into comics in 1976, illustrating ghost stories for Charlton Publications. Soon, he and fellow Minneapolis fan/airbrush artist Steve Fastner teamed to produce the first Marvel superhero portfolios, as well as covers for Warren’s horror and SF magazines, SQP’s Hot Stuf ’, and the first Paperback Price Guide. Over the last 30 years, Fastner & Larson have done ground level and underground comics; paperback and album cover art; t-shirt, collector card, and movie prop design; and numerous comic and paperback book covers. Their work has been collected into 13 volumes, including the Haunted House of Lingerie, Little Black Book, and Bed & Bondage series.
Mur Lafferty Mur Lafferty is a new media expert, award-winning podcaster, and author. She’s the mind behind the podcasts I Should Be Writing, This Day in Alternate History, The Takeover, Geek Fu Action Grip, Pseudopod, Voices: New Media Fiction, and the Parsec Award-winning fiction Heaven series. In 2008, her first novel, Playing For Keeps, was published by Swarm Press. Mur has also contributed to over fifteen RPG books including World of Warcraft, Mage, Vampire, and Exalted.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Rosemary Laurey
J. F. Lewis
Georgia Evans is the fantasy pseudonym for USA Today bestseller Rosemary Laurey. Georgia launched this summer with Bloody Good, Bloody Awful, and Bloody Right, a dark Dark Fantasy, WWII set vampire trilogy from Kensington Publishing. Rosemary grew up in England, in a village in the Mole Valley, spending far too much time reading, dreaming, and making up stories, but it paid off in providing the background and setting for this new trilogy. Early years filled with family stories about survival and loss during WWII became a wonderful source for this new series. The magical word of Brytewood and its unusual inhabitants came from a childhood spent surrounded by the remnants and scars of war and the old magic and folklore of the North Downs, all given the free reign of a writer’s imagination and the support of a wonderful editor.
J. F. Lewis decided that he wanted to be a writer when a supposed creative writing teacher questioned his sanity and suggested therapy. Staked (Void City, Book 1), his first novel, was published in 2008, and ReVamped (Void City, Book 2) was released in March, 2009. The author spent eight wonderful years working in comic and game stores and is currently employed as corporate stooge. An avid reader, Jeremy also enjoys sushi, popcorn, and old black and white movies. His two favorite activities are singing lullabies to his kids at bedtime and typing into the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately, like the protagonist of the Void City series, the author takes very little sleep. Jeremy is a member of the SFWA, where he volunteers as editor for their Press Book pages. He is also a member of the HWA.
Leo Liebelman
Laurie B!
Fine art painter Leo Liebelman graduated from the High School of Music and Art in 1990 and later attended the School of Visual Arts for a year, both in Manhattan, taking a comic arts class with the legendary DC Comics artist Carmine Infantino. Following this fortuitous meeting came many covers and pinups for Savage Sword of Conan, and that work opened the door for the artist to go to Acclaim comics as well, where he worked on Turok and Magic: The Gathering. Other comics work soon followed, including pieces for Topps Comics on Hercules and work for NBM Publishing, Penny Farthing Press, Black Ice Comics, and Arcana Comics. He’s worked on over a dozen movies ranging from Disney to low-budget horror films. Some of this film and TV work include Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, Devil’s Pass, Mutant X, Chicago, Cube Zero, Child Star, Wild Card, Codebreakers, Skinwalkers, The Way, Sanctum, American Pie 5, Aaron Stone, Sky Runners, Aqua, and many more. Leo is finishing up a book for Arcana Comics and doing some riveting covers for Heavy Metal and a Planet of the Apes project. Recent work has appeared for Forest Primeval and Radical Publishing.
Freelance illustrator and animator Laurie B! is the artist of Pure Heroine, the guest cover artist on Witchblade #126 Variant from Top Cow, and selfpublished the comic mini-series A Monk’s Tale.
Rob Levy St. Louis based Rob Levy contributes film reviews, music reviews, and content for Needcoffee.com, where he’s the coconspirator behind their music forum. He also is a regular on the Needcoffee.com podcast, Weekend Justice. Rob has published pop culture articles and essays for St. Louis Magazine, St. Louis Gateway Arts, 52nd City, and Nighttimes.com. He currently serves as the intrepid film editor and music reviewer for Ink19. com. Rob is also a freelance pop culture blogger and writer. Rob works for an arts granting agency in the St. Louis area and volunteers for several organizations, including his local PBS station and the St. Louis International Film Festival. He also is a member of the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association. Rob hosts several monthly DJ residencies in St. Louis and has also spun in pubs and clubs in London, New York, and Chicago. Since 1996 Rob has hosted Juxtaposition, an awardwinning music program. Since 1996 Rob has served as president of the United States’ oldest Doctor Who/British media fan club, the Celestial Intervention Agency.
Joseph Michael Linsner
Scott “Raven” Levy
Joseph Michael Linsner is the creator of Dawn. Dawn is a modern retelling of ancient pagan mythology; a redheaded Goddess figure who could have gotten her wardrobe from “Beezlebub of Hollywood.” Her marks are distinctive: roses on one arm, chains on the other, and three tears that streak down her face. Dawn is the lover of Death, god of the hunt and of changes and of Darrian Ashoka, a young New York warrior who finds his role in the order of things through her.
Better known by his ring name Raven, Scott is professional wrestler, actor, writer, and producer, best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and most recently returning to TNA along with Shane Douglas to be apart of TNA’s Seventh Anniversary of Slammiversary. He currently works for VCW and won the Heavyweight Title on August 2, 2009. Raven was the first professional wrestler to hold championships in each of the major American promotions of the last decade; World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Levy is also the innovator of numerous types of “gimmick” wrestling matches, such as the Clockwork Orange House of Fun match, the Raven’s Rules match, and the Hangman’s Horror match.
December 2009 marks the beginning of Dawn’s 20th Anniversary. Dawn’s iconic image has appeared all over the world and has inspired the Dawn Look-a-Like Contest, now in its twelfth year, right here at Dragon*Con, Atlanta, Georgia. Outside of Dawn, Joe has also co-created Dark Ivory and created bluehaird demoness Sinful Suzi and a host of other characters. He’s also done comics and cover work for most of the major publishers out there. Look for Joe’s two artbooks, The Art of Joseph Michael Linsner and Girls & Goddesses, a collection of his pinup art, both published by Image Comics.
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Todd Livingston
Kelly Lockhart
Filmmaker, author, and fried chicken lover Todd Livingston began his career as a comedian in the critically acclaimed trio Open Season. After scoring a novelty hit on the Dr. Demento radio show with “The Shakespeare Rap,” the group toured the USA and Canada, headlining clubs and colleges and becoming regulars at L.A.’s Comedy Store, New York’s Comic Strip, Comedy Cellar, and The Improv. With Open Season partner Nick Capetanakis, Todd wrote and produced the supernatural comedy feature film So, You’ve Downloaded a Demon, which Todd directed. The film enjoyed its premiere at the prestigious and far away Cannes Film Festival. He teamed with Robert Tinnell and Neil Vokes to produce The Black Forest and The Black Forest 2 and The Wicked West. He also teamed up with them at many monster conventions discussing who would win if Dracula and the Mummy got in a fight. (The answer: The Mummy.) In between jobs writing, producing, and directing television, Todd created and wrote the graphic novels The Living and the Dead, Chopper Zombie, The Wicked West 2, the award-winning America Jr, the miniseries Starring Sonya Devereaux, and The ODD Squad. Todd also modeled as Professor Xavier for the Marvel comic X-Men Origins: Jean Grey, illustrated by Mike Mayhew.
Kelly Lockhart is a familiar face to conventions, having been involved with them for over twenty years. Among his many fan activities, he founded and still maintains the popular Southern Fandom Resource Guide convention calendar website, has served on the board of several conventions over the years running everything from art shows to masquerades to computer gaming rooms, cofounded a WorldCon bid, is on the committee for the 2010 Raleigh NASFiC, is part of a multiple award-winning Chattanooga-based costuming group, and for the past nineteen years has overseen the popular Robot BattlesTM competitions across the country. Kelly has written three feature film adaptations with John Ringo (A Hymn Before Battle, The Princess of Wands, and Ghost) and is currently working with novelist Travis Taylor on a screenplay adaptation for One Day on Mars.
Traci Lords
Gareth David Lloyd
Traci Lords was cast in her first feature film, Roger Corman’s sci-fi cult hit, Not of This Earth, but it was John Waters’s Cry Baby that elevated her to the level of an actress to be reckoned with.
Gareth David Lloyd is a Welsh actor who has shot to fame as one of the team at Torchwood Three, a secret agency outside the government, beyond the UN, and based in Cardiff where they protect humanity from alien incursions. As Ianto, the team’s archivist and the lover of Captain Jack, the team’s fearless leader, Gareth has become a firm fan favorite. He also appeared in Doctor Who. He is a professional musician with his own band, Blue Gillespie, and appears in the new independent movie A Very British Cover-Up.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
She recorded her debut solo album 1000 Fires for Radioactive/MCA Records, and the Juno Reactor-produced first single, “Control,” reached #2 on the Billboard Dance Charts. Traci later appeared opposite Wesley Snipes in the massively successful movie Blade. Around that time, she was cast as a serial killer in NBC’s series Profiler and then went on to executive produce her next film, Extramarital. She won Best Actress at the US Comedy Arts festival for her work in the Miramax/Dimension film Chump Change. Coming in 2009, watch for the comedy I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, based on Tucker Max’s outrageous bestselling novel.
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John Lotshaw
Daniel Loxton
John Lotshaw always knew that his future would involve some combination of cartoons, computers, and television. While at UGA John drew a comic strip for a local entertainment weekly.
Daniel is the editor of skepticism’s premier critical thinking publication for kids, Junior Skeptic magazine. He writes and illustrates most issues. As a writer and researcher, Daniel is Skeptic magazine’s resident expert on cryptozoology and monster mysteries. He has also written on subjects from Roswell to crystal skulls to sheep herding for Skeptic, eSkeptic, Skeptical Briefs, Ascent magazine, Cryptomundo, and (in Finnish translation) Skeptikko. A Skeptrack 2008 panel was based on Daniel’s manifesto essay “Where Do We Go From Here?”
John was offered a position with Gulliver Ritchie Associates producing, creating, and animating a series of safety videos for children starring a lovable talking kangaroo named Troo the Traumaroo. In 1996, John started The Toon Factory and began to work as a freelance computer animator. His clients have included Coca-Cola, IBM, Ford Motor Company, the National Football League, and the University of Georgia. In 1997, the company contributed computer generated imagery for Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s exhibit “Planet Dinosaur.” He was also postproduction supervisor of Damn Good Dog, a documentary about Uga, the bulldog mascot of the University of Georgia.
As an illustrator, Daniel specializes in computer generated and mixed media cover art for magazines relating to science, skepticism, and humanism—especially for kids. In addition to his many Junior Skeptic covers, he has done covers for Yes Mag, Skeptic, Free Inquiry, and Princeton’s CommonSense.
In 2008, John undertook the publication of Bill Holbrook’s pioneering webcomic Kevin & Kell in addition to publishing Accidental Centaurs and several other webcomics.
Rachel Luttrell
Travis Louie Travis Louie was born in Queens, New York, about a mile from the site of the 1964 World’s Fair. His early childhood was spent making drawings and watching Atomic Age sci-fi and horror movies. He did thousands of sketches of genre characters like Godzilla, King Kong, and a host of creatures from Ray Harryhausen movies. After a few years freelancing, he created a body of paintings and began showing them in local art galleries. Later, he stopped actively pursuing illustration work and began taking on more private commissions and concentrating his efforts on gallery shows. The visual style of his work is mostly influenced by the lighting and atmosphere of German Expressionist and film noir motion pictures from the Silent Era to the late 1950’s. To achieve the dramatic mood in his paintings, they are produced primarily in black and white or limited color. He uses acrylic paints over tight graphite drawings on smooth grounds, like plate finish illustration board or finely sanded, primed wood panels. When he is not painting, his time is spent writing in his notebooks and journals. Many little drawings and sketches are made from those writings, most of which are less than 10 centimeters square.
Josephine.
Her professional stage debut began with the Toronto premiere production of Miss Saigon. She was subsequently cast in the Toronto production of Beauty and the Beast. Other stage work includes the world premier of Lynn Nottage’s Las Meninas at the San Jose Rep for acclaimed director Michael Edwards. She also participated in the workshop production of Great Expectations for Richard Jay Alexander. Other noted roles include Lizzie in the challenging musical Goblin Market (ACT in Seattle) and Erzulius in Once on This Island (La Mirada Theater in California).
George Lowe The first original piece of production to hit the air at Cartoon Network was the quirky cult hit Space Ghost Coast to Coast voiced by Atlanta resident George Lowe. Guests lined up to be ridiculed by the ad-libbing Space Ghost, even Metallica, who called the front office themselves to be on the show and, as the story goes, whoever answered the phone thought it was someone playing a joke and promptly hung up on Metallica.
Jonathan Maberry Jonathan Maberry is a multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author whose novels include Ghost Road Blues, Dead Man’s Song, Bad Moon Rising, and Patient Zero. Upcoming novels include The Dragon Factory and The King of Plagues and The Wolfman. His nonfiction works include Vampire Universe, The Cryptopedia, and Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead. Upcoming books include They Bite! and Vampire Hunters and Other Enemies of Evil.
Lowe recently performed in five episodes of Assy McGee, two new episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and the Robot Chicken episode “Adultizzle Swizzle.” Other credits include The Brak Show, Sealab 2021, and Perfect Hare Forever.
Jonathan is doing freelance writing for Marvel Comics. His first story, Wolverine: Ghosts will be released in April and Punisher: Naked Kill is tentatively scheduled for June. Jonathan is the cocreator (with Laura Schrock) of On the Slab, an entertainment news show for ABC Disney/ Stage 9, to be released on the Internet in 2009. Jonathan is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, and is a member of SFWA, MWA, and HWA. He is a frequent guest at genre cons and writers conferences.
An accomplished artist, Lowe’s landscape drawing from the permanent collection of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art was recently included in a show of Visionary Landscapes.
Rachel Luttrell stars as Teyla in Sony Pictures Television’s drama series Stargate Atlantis for the SyFy Channel. Among her television credits are ER, Charmed, Touched by an Angel, and the lead role of Lisette in the Anne Rice miniseries Feast of All Saints. She was also a series regular on the long-running hit Canadian television drama Street Legal. Other guest starring roles include Sleepwalkers, In the House, Dogs, and The Damon Wayans Show. Film credits include The Impostor and the independent films The Aviary, House, and the Genie nominated Joe’s So Mean To
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David Mack
Don Maitz David Mack is the creator, author, and artist of Kabuki published by Image Comics and the writer and artist of Marvel Comics’ Daredevil, one of the top ten best selling comics in the United States.
Enthusiastic reception and international acclaim have surrounded the imaginative paintings of Don Maitz for thirty years. “A-Maitz-ing” artwork has appeared on book covers worldwide and has expanded into other arenas. Maitz created the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum character. He has worked as a conceptual artist on the animated feature films Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Ant Bully. He has had work represented in National Geographic publications, The History Channel, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. He has created a wealth of book jackets and magazine art. Don Maitz has received two Hugo awards, a special Hugo for Best Original Artwork, a Howard Award, an Award of Excellence from the Society of Illustrators, the Inkpot Award, and ten Chesley Awards. Don Maitz is an artist member of the American Society of Marine Artists.
Kabuki has earned David international acclaim for its innovative storytelling, painting techniques, and page design. It is available in seven different languages in addition to well over a million copies of Kabuki comics, paperbacks, and hardcovers in print in the U. S. alone. His books have been the subject of undergraduate and graduate university courses in art and literature and listed as required reading. His work has been studied in graduate seminars at USC and hung in the Los Angeles Museum of Art.
Maitz’s art has hung in public museum venues across the country as part of exhibits that have had record breaking attendance. His artwork adorns books, calendars, magazines, cards, limited edition prints, puzzles, computer screen savers, and other merchandise. Two now out-of-print art books of his work have been produced, Dreamquests: The Art of Don Maitz and First Maitz.
David Mack is listed in Wizard Magazine’s Top Ten Writers List. In addition to the writing and cover art for Daredevil, and writing and painting the Kabuki comic books, he has also written the treatment for the Kabuki film which is in preproduction with Fox Animation, a division of Twentieth Century Fox.
Racheline Maltese Racheline Maltese is the author of The Book of Harry Potter Trifles, Trivias, and Particularities and has served as an SF/F columnist for several websites, including Gather and IllusionTV. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous outlets, including the horror anthology Cthulhu Sex: Horror Between the Sheets. She is an active member of Broad Universe, which strives to encourage and promote female writers in SF/F. Also a working actor, Racheline voiced Desire and Delirium in a New York City performance of two issues of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Scott MacMillan Scott MacMillan (occasionally known as Mr. Katherine Kurtz) was educated at the University of Southern California and the American Film Institute. He has been a filmmaker, an award-winning editor of Western fiction, a world-class black-powder shootist, a mounted police officer, a novelist, a screenwriter, a reserve army officer, a vintage car enthusiast, an expert on antique arms and armor, and an avid student of heraldry, military history, crumbling castles, chivalry, and Scottish and Irish heritage. While living in Ireland, he served as a Herald of Arms in the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland. Now that he and Katherine are mostly settled in their new home in Virginia, readers might look forward to the long-awaited third Nazi Vampire book in the not-too-distant future. Meanwhile, Scott is working on several potential film projects while he observes the differences (and similarities) between Scottish and Southern gentlemen.
Mari Mancusi Mari Mancusi is a multiple Emmy award winning television producer and author of thirteen novels for adults and teens. Best known for her teen series Blood Coven Vampire (Boys that Bite, Stake That, Girls that Growl, and Bad Blood), she has also written speculative fiction/cyberpunk romance for Dorchester’s Shomi line. She’s worked at television stations in Boston, San Diego, and Orlando and is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communications. In 2007, she left the local TV news world to become a segment producer for the nationally syndicated women’s lifestyle show Better TV.
Jim Mahfood Jim Mahfood aka Food One is a muralist, comic book artist, painter, live art show rocker, and drunken freestyler extraordinaire. His comic book work includes illustrating filmmaker Kevin Smith’s Clerks comics and illustrating various Spider-Man projects at Marvel Comics. His creatorowned comic books include Grrl Scouts, Kick Drum Comix, Stupid Comics, Felt, One Page Filler Man, 40oz Collected, Puttin’ the Backbone Back, Bad Ideas, Classic 40 Ounce, and many more.
Julia S. Mandala Julia S. Mandala is a reformed lawyer who does penance by writing fantasy and science fiction. Her work includes her novel House of Doors and appears in Witch Way to the Mall, The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy II, “The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse,” “Dracula’s Lawyer,” International House of Bubbas, Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, and Flush Fiction, and Best of the Bubbas. Future releases will include The Four Redheads: Apocalypse Now!. She has degrees in history and law and is a scuba diver, underwater photographer, costumer, and belly dancer.
He can be seen rocking the live mural art at various hip hop and funk shows around the country. Food’s art was featured in the Murs (of Living Legends) andSlug (of Atmosphere) music video for the track “Early Morning Tony” off of their successful Felt 2 album. Mahfood’s newest projects include Mixtape Vol. 2 (Image Comics), a brand-new, full-color hardcover art book out on Sept. 3rd and Kick Drum Comix (Image Comics), a brand-new, full-color two issue miniseries with all new comics and stories, dropping on Sept. 10th and Oct. 29th.
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As an author of horror and dark fantasy fiction, Anya’s works include the modern Southern Gothic cautionary tales “Lizard Man” and “Balloons” (GothicNet), the comics story “Dolly Dearest” (Chaos! Comics’ Nightmare Theater), and two collaborations with Philip Nutman, the short story “Still Life With Peckerwood” (Gahan Wilson’s Haunted House) and the novella “The Devil’s March” (Dark Destinies 3: Children of Dracula).
Marrus Three weeks after receiving her B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, Marrus caught a one-way Greyhound bus to New York City. Despite a successful (but thankfully short) stint selling animation to some of the world’s top advertising agencies, she began illustrating for Valiant Comics and WaRP Graphics, painting book and album covers, and creating interior illustrations for various magazines and entertainment companies.
Gail Z. Martin Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven, and Dark Lady’s Chosen (2010)) from Solaris Books. She also hosts the Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast which interviews SF/F and paranormal fiction authors. Her third book, Dark Haven, launched in 2009.
After 9/11, she’d had enough, and relocated to New Orleans ... just in time for Hurricane Katrina. Opportunity lives where most fear to tread, so she bought a flooded house in the 9th Ward and put it back together under the direction of her amazing partner, Jay. Her new studio finally finished, she is once again creating whimsically sensual paintings and has recently completed an illustrated autobiography which will be published in 2009 by Kissena Park Press.
Gail discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy, and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wrote—at age five—was about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs, and living history sites.
Laura Martin
James Marsters
Laura Martin makes delicious colors. Her seminal work on Planetary, The Authority, and Ruse earned her many awards. More recently, she has worked on Astonishing X-Men, The Ultimates, Thor, Stephen King’s The Stand, and Black Lightning. Currently, Laura is re-coloring all of Dave Stevens’ seminal series The Rocketeer, and teaming up with Cully Hamner again on The Question co-feature in Detective Comics. She hopes to eventually finish her own book, Telling Stories with Color, one day when she has a chance to come up for air.
James Marsters may best be known around the world for his ever popular cult character Spike, the punk-goth vampire he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel for seven years. Marsters made his on-screen debut gueststarring on the television series Northern Exposure. He was inspired by the success to move to Los Angeles and within months was sinking his teeth into the role of Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Marsters has appeared in Strange Frequency, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, Torchwood, Saving Grace, and Cool Money. In addition, Marsters stars in the Richard LaGravenese film PS I Love You and the thriller Shadow Puppets. In the fall of 2005, James joined the cast of Smallville as Brainiac.
William C. Martin
As a solo singer/songwriter, he has completed very triumphant tours in conjunction with the promotion of his album, Civilized Man.
William C. Martin, Ph.D., is a longstanding member of First Fandom and the Science Fiction Research Association. He began reading and collecting science fiction and became a member of a fan club in about 1934. His pulp magazine collection goes back to the first issue of Amazing Stories. His book collection contains most important SF books published 18901960, as well as most major books published since. He has taught Honor Seminars in Science Fiction at Georgia State University and penned numerous professional papers on the history and development of science fiction as the literature of the 20th century.
Anya Martin
Lee Martindale
Anya Martin is a freelance writer and journalist who has written widely about science fiction, fantasy, horror, comics, and rock music, as well as local Atlanta hauntings, happenings, and weird poets. Over the past two decades, she has penned numerous feature articles, reviews, and author, artist, filmmaker, musician, and comic creator interviews and is managing editor for the web magazine Up Against the Wall and a former correspondent for Marvel Age and assorted Marvel Comics collector magazines. Some of her best-known nonfiction works include “Rockin the Midnight Hour,” featured in Splatterpunks 2, and “A Monster of Wealth and Taste” in Sequitar Journal. Current projects include a book of inside-the-studio interviews with today’s top science fiction, fantasy, and horror illustrators.
They don’t call writer, editor, and filksmith Lee Martindale “Hell on Wheels” for nothing. She’s brought grown men to tears (To Stand as Witness from Yard Dog Press), incited belly laughs (“Combat Shopping” in Esther Friesner’s Turn the Other Chick), and written high-brow (stories in three Sword and Sorceress anthologies) and low (in three volumes of Selina Rosen’s Bubbas of the Apocalypse anthology series). She’s edited a groundbreaking anthology (Such a Pretty Face from Meisha Merlin) and released a CD of original filk music (The Ladies of Trade Town) and an audiochapbook CD (To Stand as a Witness: Three Arthurian Tales from HarpHaven Publishing). Her most recent work appears in the anthology Catopolis, edited by Martin Greenberg and Janet Deaver-Pack, and Esther Friesner’s Witch Way to the Mall.
When not slinging fiction, Lee is a Named Bard, Lifetime Active Member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a fencing member of the SFWA Musketeers, a member of the SCA, and a Browncoat.
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Randy Martinez
Ginny Mauldin-Kinney
Randy Martinez is a Southern California illustrator whose art has depicted everything from Star Wars and rock stars to monsters and aliens. Martinez got his big break in 1999 with Star Wars Kids magazine and then Star Wars Insider. Since 2004 Randy has produced “Sketch Cards” for Topps Trading Cards’ Star Wars Heritage, Revenge of the Sith, Lord of the Rings: Evolution, Heroes, and Indiana Jones collections. In 2008 Randy created an original piece, “Tusken Hero,” for Topps’ much anticipated Star Wars Galaxy 4.
Ginny Mauldin-Kinney is a veteran JPL Solar System Ambassador, educating the general public on all JPL missions. As an annual presenter for Space Day celebrations in the USA, in 2008 Ginny gave a major presentation on the “History of Manned and Unmanned Space Flight.” She has also represented JPL at such functions as the groundbreaking of the Saturn V building at the US Space and Rocket Center which featured Astronauts Richard “Dick” Gordon and Walter Cunningham and Dr. George Mueller, head of Apollo Manned Space Flight Programs.
Martinez illustrated the official program cover and posters for both Star Wars Celebration IV (Los Angeles) and Star Wars Celebration Europe (London) in 2007. For the Celebration Europe piece, Randy re-created the famous Sgt. Pepper’s album cover using Star Wars characters in place of the original icons. Randy has also illustrated games for Playroom Entertainment, including “Sitting Ducks” and this year’s “Scary Tales.” Martinez’s illustration credits include art for Red 5 Comics, Inkworks, Gag Magazine, Cracked Magazine, Green Ronin Games, the Los Angeles Times, and Guitar Center.
Ginny is frequently sought after for her knowledge of many aspects of space exploration. She assisted Laura S. Woodmansee on her books Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier and, more famously, Sex in Space.
James Maxey James Maxey is the author of the Dragon Age trilogy of fantasy novels, Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed, published by Solaris Books. He’s also the author of the cult-classic superhero novel, Nobody Gets the Girl. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, InterGalactic Medicine Show, and numerous anthologies.
Patrick Mason Patrick Mason spends most of his time as a reactor engineer at a nuclear power plant in St. Francisville, LA. When he’s not moving control rods or reloading nuclear fuel, he travels to spread the good word of nuclear power. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and while not utilizing the degree in a professional manner, he does still study rocketry in hopes that the U. S. will get off its lazy duff and embrace nuclear power as the way to traverse the stars so he can finally utilize both of his degrees at the same time.
James is a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writer’s Workshop and Orson Scott Card’s Writer’s Boot Camp. In 2008, he returned to Odyssey as a guest lecturer. He’s a frequent guests at many cons in North Carolina and Virginia, including Shevacon, Stellarcon, RavenCon, ConCarolinas, and TriNoCon.
Peter Mayhew
Patrick is also the owner of a small gaming company known as Ruminant Productions, current producers of the Vanished Lands series of roleplaying books. He and his fellow writers have some big stuff in store for the future of gaming ... in the small time gaming company kind of way.
Peter Mayhew is an actor known for playing the Wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) tall. Before getting into acting, Mayhew worked as an orderly at London’s King’s College Hospital.
Nathan Massengill Nathan Massengill is a comic book brush inker best known for his work on Deadpool, JSA, Detective Comics, and Tellos. His work was recently featured in the JSA Kingdom Come sequel over artist Dale Eaglesham. He also recently worked on Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods and Marvel Adventures titles such as Spider-Man.
He received his first acting job in 1977 when the producers of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger discovered Mayhew from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and they cast him as the minotaur. He says all he had to do to be cast in the role of Chewbacca was stand up. Mayhew has played Chewbacca in four Star Wars films, The Star Wars Holiday Special, and The Muppet Show, as well as commercials and hospital appearances for sick children.
Menton J. Matthews, III
He has also made media appearances without the Chewbacca costume, including NBC’s Identity is very active in the fan convention circuit. Mayhew has appeared in the horror film Terror, voiced the character Susha in the English version of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy, and appeared in the scifi noir film Yesterday Was a Lie.
Menton J. Matthews, III is the creator, writer, and artist of his new graphic novel series Ars Memoria. Menton has been painting and illustrating since he was a child. Growing up with comic books only adds to his excitement to bring his unique art, style, and vision to one of his favorite mediums. Ars Memoria is a dark and visually captivating story that he hopes others will enjoy as much as he has creating it.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Tyson McAdoo No one has the ability to combine the essence of 1950’s housewife, 1960’s sexpot, 1970’s exploitation femme fatale, and modern day pin-up quite like Tyson McAdoo. His ladies, teetering on impossibly high heels, seem as likely to screw you, as shoot you or cook you some bacon in nothing but an apron. Tyson is one of the few modern day artists whose work I keep close tabs on, and he never fails to thrill!
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Todd McCaffrey
Sandra Ann McDonald
Todd Johnson McCaffrey wrote his first science-fiction story when he was twelve and has been writing on and off ever since. His books include the Pern books Dragon’s Kin, the New York Times Bestselling Dragon’s Fire, Dragon Harper (all in collaboration with his mother, Anne McCaffrey), his solo Pern book, Dragonsblood, and the non-fiction work, Dragonholder.
Sandra McDonald is a former military officer with a master’s degree in Creative Writing. Her debut novel, The Outback Stars, mashed together science fiction/romance with Australian Aboriginal mythology, and was a Science Fiction Book Club main selection. The sequels, The Stars Down Under and The Stars Blue Yonder, continue the epic tale. Her short fiction about sexy firemen, gay superheroes, transvestite ghosts and more has appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons and other national and small press magazines. Once she got to hang out on the set of Stargate: SG1, and embarrassed herself terribly.
His publications include nine short works, including “The Dragons of Prague,” a short story in the anthology Doctor Who - Short Trips: Destination Prague, one animated screenplay, and one novellength Choose-Your-Own-Adventure type book. His most recent short, “Dragoncon: Trials and Tribulations” appeared in the 2008 Dragon*con anthology, Here be Dragons: Tales of Dragon*Con. His second solo Pern book, Dragonheart, was released in hardcover November, 2008.
Mary McDonnell Two-time Oscar-nominated actress Mary McDonnell has transformed both period and present-day screen roles into dynamic character portrayals. As President Laura Roslin in the miniseries event Battlestar Galactica, she brings to the role a naturalistic depth, strength and compassion few other performers could reach.
Kandyse McClure Kandyse McClure became a popular young star through the teen-oriented Fox Family series Higher Ground, as well as the NBC’s Saturday-morning series Just Deal. She scored a lead role with her first ever audition, playing opposite Lou Diamond Phillips in the 1999 telefilm In a Class of His Own.
Mary received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination as well as Golden Globe nomination in 1993 for her portrayal of a paraplegic soap-opera star in John Sayles’ critically acclaimed Passion Fish, a story portraying the relationship between a woman and her taciturn caretaker. In 1991, she received her first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of Stands With a Fist, a white woman raised by the Sioux, in Kevin Costner’s Dances With Wolves. She also received her first of two Golden Globe nominations for her performance.
Drawn to stories that touch her heart and stir her passions her favorite memories were on the sets of NBC’s Carrie, Dark Angel, and alongside Malcolm Jamal Warner on Jeremiah. But none have moved her more than her experience on the set of Battlestar Galactica where Kandyse starred as Anastasia “Dee” Dualla, a Petty Officer Second Class in the Colonial Fleet. Currently, Kandyse is filming in Mexico and will be seen this fall in Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie’s latest TV series called Persons Unknown. Persons is a mystery drama about seven strangers who wake up in a deserted town with no recollection of how they got there, only to realize that they are watched by omnipresent security cameras and that there is no escape. To survive, they must come together to solve the puzzle of their lives.
Over the years, McDonnell has played a wide variety of leading roles both Off-Broadway and in many of the country’s most renowned regional theatres. Her New York debut was in Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prizewinning Buried Child. She has worked steadily ever since, playing the classic heroines of Ibsen, Shakespeare and Chekov, while originating roles in the works of the most prestigious contemporary playwrights.
Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell is well known in Star Trek circles as “the man who killed Captain Kirk” in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations, in which he played the mad scientist Dr. Tolian Soran. He has also appeared in several computer games, most notably as Admiral Tolwyn in the Wing Commander series of computer games. His appearance in Wing Commander III marked the series transition from 2D pre-rendered cutscenes to liveaction cutscenes. He also voiced the Enclave president John Henry Eden in Bethesda Softworks’ acclaimed 2008 title Fallout 3. In the Game Informer magazine the president is named the second best video game villain of 2008.
LCDR Mark McDonagh Mark McDonagh is a retired Navy Captain, a 30-year submarine officer with experience in attack and ballistic missile submarines, plus in tactical development capacities, and at the Naval War College and Navy Warfare Development Command. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in physics. He is the co-developer of the National Security Decision Making (NSDM) Game. NSDM is modeled after the simulations used by senior U. S. Government officials to explore geopolitical options. Mark McDonagh and his brother Dan McDonagh developed NSDM at the U. S. Naval War College as a civilianized version, for entertainment and education, of the politicalmilitary-economic games run there for professional objectives. Captain McDonagh has run NSDM about 200 times at dozens of venues, both gaming and academic. Captain McDonagh leads an international game control staff with broad experience in profefssional wargaming, modeling and simulation and time in the Departments of Defense, State, Energy and subject matter experts from private industry and academia.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
In 2007, he portrayed the wealthy, conspiratorial villain Mr. Linderman during the first season of the NBC hit series Heroes. He also appeared as Dr. Sam Loomis in Rob Zombie’s remake of the horror film Halloween, and it’s sequel H2: Halloween 2. He also began a recurring role on the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse as Vater Orlaag and other characters. 62
Paul McGillion Paul McGillion has worked extensively in film, TV and theatre for over fifteen years and is best known for the role of Dr.Carson Beckett, the loveable Scottish physician in Stargate: Atlantis. Paul appeared in J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek feature film. Television credits include lead and guest starring roles on Da Vinci’s Inquest, Cold Squad, Smallville, Stargate: SG1, The Twilight Zone, and The X-Files. Theatre credits include leading roles in productions such as recent sell-out run of Reservations for Four and previously The Foreigners, Piano, Savage in Limbo, El Salvador, and the Jessie nominated Reservations for Two which McGillion also produced and directed to rave reviews.
Dan McGirt Dan McGirt sold his first novel at age 20, the comedic fantasy adventure Jason Cosmo, which was compared to the works of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, and was followed by Royal Chaos, and Dirty Work. The latest addition to the series is Hero Wanted. Dan is a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and was recently listed as one of the Top 100+ Authors on Twitter (@JasonCosmo) by Mashable.com. Dan has also written for several fantasy RPG settings, including Shaintar: Immortal Legends. He is the founder of the independent press Trove Books and a member of the Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network (SPAWN) and the Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN).
ISBN: 9781419959912 Available now from Cerridwen Press in Trade Paperback.
Robert Duncan McNeill Robert Duncan McNeill enjoyed early success as a professional actor, winning the role of Charlie Brent on All My Children and starring in the feature film Masters of the Universe. He also starred in an acclaimed episode of the 1980s version of The Twilight Zone, “A Message from Charity.” He appeared in featured guest roles on numerous TV series, including Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Murder, She Wrote and was a featured cast member on the short-lived series, Going to Extremes before earning the role of Tom Paris on Voyager.
Visit a world filled with men who transform themselves into dragons, women with extraordinary psychic powers and a creature belched up from the bowels of Hell bent on destroying them all. Lives will be lost. Prejudices cast aside. And legends born.
Praise For Shadow Queen
McNeill began his directing career with several episodes of Voyager. He then wrote, produced, and directed two award-winning short films, The Battery and 9 mm of Love, and began to direct other episodic television. While he has since performed as a guest star on television shows like The Outer Limits and Crossing Jordan, McNeill is now focusing on his directing career, helming episodes of Dawson’s Creek, Everwood, Star Trek: Enterprise, Dead Like Me, The O.C., Las Vegas, Summerland, and Supernatural. In 2007 he directed the season five premiere of Las Vegas, the pilot of Samantha Who and then signed on as a producer/director of the new NBC show Chuck, helming numerous episodes, including the 3D episode in 2009, the first episode of a TV show to be entirely in 3D.
“Shadow Queen is an engrossing, complex tale of dragons, queens, sexy men and dangerous foes, all woven into a wonderful fantasy world. More than a romance, this is a fantasy novel not to be missed…” –Literary Nymphs Reviews “This is a very imaginative and action-packed story…It’s easy to disappear into the fantasy world of this great tale.” Top Pick and 4 ½ stars, Romantic Times magazine
www.ChristineMcKay.com
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Tara McPherson
Tom Merritt
Tara McPherson is a painter, poster artist and freelance illustrator, whose array of art includes painted comics and covers for DC/Vertigo, advertising and editorial illustrations for companies such as Pepsi and Spin? magazine, and numerous gig posters for rock bands such as Beck, Modest Mouse, Mastodon, and Death Cab For Cutie. She exhibits her paintings and prints in fine art galleries all over the world.
Tom connects with the CNET audience by showing them how to get the most out of their consumer electronic and personal technology purchases, whether it’s through the top-rated podcast Buzz Out Loud, CNET Live, or help-and-how-to videos. With twenty years of experience in journalism and media, Tom is an expert at demystifying tech jargon and helping consumers find the excitement and usefulness in their tech gear.
McPherson’s art has been included in books such as Lonely Heart: The Art of Tara McPherson (Dark Horse Press), Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (DC), The Art of Modern Rock (Chronicle), Illustration Now! (Taschen), SWAG and SWAG 2 (Abrams), and more.
He also hosts two independent podcasts, Sword and Laser with Veronica Belmont reviews scifi and fantasy books, movies, and TV shows, and East Meets West with Roger Chang covers politics, pop culture and more.
Some of her clients include DC Comics, Warner Brothers, Dark Horse Comics, KidRobot, Spin, Pepsi, Fanta, Goldenvoice, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury, Revolver, Knitting Factory, Playstation 2, House of Blues, Punk Planet, Dogfish Head Brewery, and Nike/Wyden & Kennedy, among others.
Before CNET, Tom worked at TechTV where he was the executive Web producer and a radio host. Tom has been featured in several media outlets including CBS Evening News, CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, MSNBC, G4 and CNBC. He also is a regular guest on Leo Laporte’s This Week in Tech, Scott Johnson’s Extra Life Radio and many other podcasts.
Richelle Mead
Tanya Michna
Richelle Mead is the author of a number of urban fantasy novels for both adults and teens. Her YA series, Vampire Academy, has been on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists and has received commendation from the American Library Association. Her darkly humorous adult series, Succubus Blues, follows a reluctant succubus caught in Hell’s middle management system. Her other adult series, Dark Swan, is about a mercenary shaman who travels between our world and that of ghosts and fey.
Award-winning author Tanya Michna got her start selling short stories such as the humorous fantasy piece “The Farmer’s Daughter” in “Fantastical Visions”, but quickly went on to sell full-length books to NAL (part of the Penguin Group) and Harlequin. She’s won awards from reveiwers, readers, booksellers and peers alike, has been nominated three times for the presitgious Romance Writers of America RITA Award, and has been published in more than twenty countries.
Travis Scott Merrill Scott Merrill is a professional costume crafts artisan, currently in his fifth season at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. His skills include leatherwork, mask making, millinery, puppetry, armor construction, airbrush painting, make-up prosthetics, and wearable sculpture for largescale theatrical productions. He has also worked with some of the best theatrical designers, on shows like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, and Camelot. He has written and directed small scale outdoor theater that was performed all over the Southeast. Scott has studied costuming at Jacksonville State University, focusing on historical costumes of the thirteenth to eighteenth centuries and armor and mask construction for the stage. He has worked three seasons at the Savannah Shakespeare Festival as the director and costume designer for Shakespearean adaptations Shake ‘n Bake and Yoric Must Die. He also spent two seasons at the Tony Award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival as senior crafts artisan and wardrobe crew.
Though she’s best known for romance novels and a great sense of humor, Tanya’s favorite writing jobs are nonfiction essays for BenBella SmartPop because what could be possibly be better for a devoted fangirl than getting paid to watch TV? Her latest BenBella contribution can be found in In The Hunt (05/09), an anthology based on the popular television show Supernatural.
Vic Mignogna Vic is a professional music composer/ producer and veteran actor most well known as the voice of Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist. Currently he is playing roles that include Fai in Tsubasa Chronicle, Ikkaku inBleach, and Yukito in Air and is also working on shows like Wallflower, Gurren Lagan, and Shuffle. Vic is also known for such roles as Dark in DN Angel, Kurz in Full Metal Panic, Broly in Dragonball Z, Kougajji in Saiyuki, Tatsu in Peacemaker, Virgil Walsh in Trinity Blood, and many others. He is Vic currently playing Tamaki Suoh in Ouran High School Host Club. Vic has voiced characters in more than 100 shows and many video games.
Byron Patrick Merritt Byron Merritt is the grandson of science fiction author Frank Herbert and nephew of Brian Herbert, author of the new DUNE series coauthored with Kevin J. Anderson. Byron is also a writer in his own right, with stories published around the internet, near his home in Monterey, California, and in magazines abroad. His stories consist of science fiction comedies to historical fiction and beyond. His story “Father Figure” was featured in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine out of Australia and was chosen in an internet poll as one of the top stories for that issue. Byron has a plethora of information on his famous grandfather, Frank Herbert, too. He oversees many of the business aspects related to his work and was instrumental in getting the latest film adaptaion moving forward through Paramount Pictures. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Mike Mignola
Trish Milburn
Mike Mignola was born in Berkeley, California. He began his career in 1980 by illustrating spots in the Comic Reader. His first published piece was in the Comic Reader #183, a spot illustration of Red Sonja. His first published front cover was the Comic Reader #196; Dominic Fortune, The Spirit, and Doc Savage in November 1981.
Trish Milburn writes contemporary romance for Harlequin American under her own name and young adult novels under the name Tricia Mills for Razorbill, part of the Penguin Young Readers Group. She’s also a contributor to BenBella Books’ nonfiction anthology about her favorite TV show, Supernatural. She’s an eight-time finalist for and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart award, including a win in 2007 for her paranormal young adult manuscript, Coven. She was one of the two finalists in the American Title contest co-sponsored by Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine and Dorchester Publishing in 2008, the year the focus was on paranormal manuscripts.
In 1983 he accepted an inking spot at Marvel Comics working on Daredevil and Power Man & Iron Fist for Marvel Comics, and later worked on titles such as The Incredible Hulk, Alpha Flight, and the Rocket Raccoon limited-series. He also drew covers for several Batman storylines, including A Death in the Family and Dark Knight Dark City. Previously, Mignola had always worked on characters and properties owned by others. He deviated from that practice in 1994, when Mignola’s first Hellboy story, The Seed of Destruction, was published by Dark Horse Comics. Hellboy draws heavily on Mignola’s own interests—folklore, B-movies, ghost stories, monsters and pulp stories—and the series about a paranormal investigator from Hell, the eponymous Hellboy, soon proved to be a popular and critical success with its abstract artwork and H. P. Lovecraft-style horror. It has since been the endeavour Mignola has been most closely connected with, and he has kept up a steady stream of Hellboy stories and merchandise. According to Mignola, much of Hellboy’s personality was based on his father.
Cindy Miles National Bestselling author, Cindy Miles, graduated in 1994 from Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah, Georgia with a degree in Registered Nursing. After graduation she resumed her love of reading, and before long decided to try her hand at writing. After placing/winning several RWA-sponsored contests, such as the Marlene Award, and the prestigious Maggie Award, she sold her debut novel, Spirited Away, to New American Library, in 2006, which made bestseller status. She is a romance writer by day, having published six novels with New American Library: four on the shelves, and two more for 2009 plus a Christmas anthology. Cindy continues to work as a part-time trauma nurse by night. Witnessing near-death experiences as a nurse, coupled with a lifelong interest in ghosts, has given her mysterious and whimsical romances a unique twist. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Georgia Romance Writers.
Kara Mikos Before joining the legal profession, Kara Mikos worked on character development for Vampire: The Masquerade. For the last six years, Kara has focused primarily on helping injured parties by fighting for their rights. In 2006, Kara came to Dragon*Con and spoke about First Amendment rights and pornography. Last year, she returned to sit on a panel with the movie Busted! that also discussed the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments and individuals’ rights.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Rebecca Moesta
James A. Moore
Rebecca Moesta is the author or coauthor of thirty books, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Little Things and three novels in the Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights series. With her husband, bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson, Moesta wrote all fourteen volumes of the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights series. Moesta and Anderson also wrote StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel’Naga, based on the bestselling video game, two original novels based on Fox’s animated feature film Titan A.E., several short stories, two pop-up books, the graphic novel Star Trek TNG: The Gorn Crisis, and the four-issue humorous comic series Grumpy Old Monsters. Moesta holds an MSBA from Boston University, has taught every grade level from kindergarten through junior college, and has worked for seven years as a publications specialist and technical editor at Lawrence Livermore National laboratory. Moesta and Anderson are currently coauthoring the Crystal Doors young adult series for Little, Brown.
James A. Moore is the author of over twenty novels, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, The Haunted Forest Tour, with Jeff Strand, and Deeper. He has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and spent three years as an officer in the Horror Writers Association, first as Secretary and later as Vice President. The author cut his teeth in the industry writing for Marvel Comics and authoring over twenty role-playing supplements for White Wolf Games, including Berlin by Night, Land of 1,000,000 Dreams, and The Get of Fenris tribe book for Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, among others. He also penned the White Wolf novels Vampire: House of Secrets and Werewolf: Hellstorm. His latest Jonathan Crowley novel, Cherry Hill, is slated for release in 2009.
Tony Moran Tony Moran played the original Michael Myers in Halloween 1 & 2, which has placed him within the top horror Icon status for the roll played in the classic slasher film that has become the staple of horror lovers around the world. Tony has several new projects he is working on. Beg is a throw back slasher film that will be coming out this fall, starring: Tony Moran, PJ Soles, Kristina Klebe, Tiffany Shepies, Debbie Rochon, Tony Todd, Michael Berryman. Tony is currently working on a documentary Michael Myers “unmasked”.
Jason Momoa Jason Momoa is currently a series regular as “Ronon Dex,” an elite firearms and melee warrior in Stargate Atlantis. Jason is an actor, artist, and writer who was cast in his television debut as a series regular on the popular syndicated show Baywatch: Hawaii. Momoa made his feature film debut in Johnson Family Vacation and was a series regular on the television drama series, North Shore, playing the character of “Frankie Seau.” Other credits include the Fox television special, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding, and the telefilm, Tempted.
Sharon Morgan Sharon Morgan is the owner of internationally known Altertyme Corsets and is one the foremost experts on modern corset making. She has made corsets for various independent artists, most recently in the Atlanta made independent film Psychopathia Sexualis. She has freelanced at several Atlanta based theatres, including the Alliance, and worked for the JSU Opera as the costume designer. She spent three seasons at Tony Award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival as the senior costume tech and wardrobe supervisor. She is currently the cutter draper and assistant costume shop manager at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Theatre. She is also a corset maker for Romantasy Corsets, one of the world’s oldest custom corset companies, and has built custom corsets for models for Playboy and various recording artists and performers.
Anthony Montgomery Anthony T. Montgomery is an American film and television actor. He is best known in the role of Ensign Travis Mayweather on the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. Sometimes credited as “A.T. Montgomery”, his first starring role was in the horror-spoof Leprechaun: In the Hood. He had a recurring role on the television series Popular before being cast in Star Trek: Enterprise in 2001. In 2004, he returned to the stage in Los Angeles, producing his own show, Dutchman by LeRoi Jones, as well as returning to stand-up comedy.
Eric Morin What were you doing when you were a kid? Playing baseball with the neighborhood kids? Flying kites? Not Eric, he was in front of the tube watching old horror flicks on Saturday afternoons. Call him strange, he wears that badge with pride. After all, how many kids do you know that could tell you who Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi were at the age of six? Not many I dare say. That was the was the start of a life long fascination of spooky stuff for Eric. Eric currently writes stories that would be deemed off kilter at the least and working on the web comic, Norman. A large portion of what he does was self taught. But, he couldn’t have done it without a lot of help along the way from friends, giving him hints and pointers on how to do little stuff. There is an ever growing arsenal of stories in his head that he is just waiting to unleashed. Lord only knows what might pop up next and goodness help us all when it does!
He has produced one CD of his own music, What You Know About..., featuring four songs about Star Trek themes. He is a keen martial arts student, and a practitioner of Hapkido. He has also studied Koga Ryu Ninjutsu. In April 2007 Anthony Montgomery signed with the Germany based AGR Television Records. His (Hip-Hop) debut-album.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Tracy S. Morris
Kate Mulgrew
Tracy S. Morris is convinced that ferrets are trying to take over the world. Which tells you plenty about the way her mind works.
Mulgrew’s first television role was of older daughter Mary Ryan on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. She became a fan favorite and is still associated with the show long after its cancellation. Kate left Ryan’s Hope to take on the role of Kate Columbo in the series Mrs. Columbo. Among Mulgrew’s television guest roles were Garnet McGee, a country singer, on Dallas; Hillary Wheaton, a Canadian anchorwoman wrestling with alcoholism, on Murphy Brown; and legal counselor Janet Eldridge, a romantic interest of Sam Malone, in the three-part fourth season finale of Cheers entitled “Strange Bedfellows.”
She is the author of fifteen published fiction stories, two novels and countless articles. Her publishing credits include short stories in the forthcoming Baen anthology Strip Mauled and In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural, one of the Benbella Books Smart Pop anthologies, as well as Things Aren’t Always What They Seem from The Asylum Press, and the magazine Aoifie’s Kiss. She is the author of the award-winning Tranquility series of novellas from Yard Dog Press. Her newest novel in the series, Bride of Tranquility, will be released in 2009. She has received an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future competition for two consecutive quarters, as well as a runner-up for a Darryl award. Additionally, Tracy writes paranormal articles, social commentary and reviews for Firefox news and her likeness has appeared in the artwork for the gaming company Castles and Crusades.
Kate is perhaps best known for her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway on the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager which ran from 1995 to 2001. The character’s name was changed to Kathryn and history was made in the Star Trek franchise when she became the first female captain, as a series regular, in a leading role.
Dean Motter Dean Motter, while not known particularly for superhero comics, authored the award-winning ‘film-noir’ graphic novel Batman: Nine Lives and is currently scripting Dominic Fortune for Marvel. His retro-futuristic series Electropolis has just been re-issued by Smashout Comics at wowio. com in downloadable pdf form and is currently available in a deluxe anthology from lulu.com. He is most notorious as the creator of the 80’s comic book sensation Mister X. This year marks its 20th anniversary, which is being commemorated by Dark Horse with a newly-restored archive collection and an all-new four-issue reboot, Mister X: Condemned. His two acclaimed Vertigo miniseries, Terminal City andAerial Graffiti, were nominated for Eisner and Kurtzman Awards. Dean is also known for his DC Comics graphic novel The Prisoner: Shattered Visage, based on the British cult TV series. In the 90’s Dean served on staff at both DC Comics and Byron Preiss Visual Publications as art director, supervising graphic novel projects such as the Ray Bradbury Chronicles, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Nine Princes in Amber, and The New Two-Fisted Tales. He has also designed a number of award-winning album covers and book jackets.
She has also contributed her voice to various video games including reprising her role as Janeway in the video game Star Trek Legacy. Furthermore, she has voiced several audio books: Mosaics (Star Trek: Voyager) by Jeri Taylor, Miami, It’s Murder by Edna Buchanan, and Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Also, she added her voice for projects with the Trappist monks of New Melleray Abbey as well as the MetroHealth System of Cleveland, Ohio. Additionally, she contributed to a new book, Voices of Alzheimer’s.
Sabutai Musashi Subatai Musashi began his training as a young boy in 1966 under Grandmaster Yoshiaki Musashi, from whom he inherited the title of Grandmaster and the Ninkage ryu bujutsu style. Ninkage ryu is a complete martial arts system that includes weapons like Iaijutsu, the sword art of harmonizing the draw and cut and Kenjutsu, the art of the sword. Ninkage ryu also incorporates bare-handed techniques and internal arts. Within the internal arts are Kokyu no michi, the way of the breath; Mushin no michi, the way of no mind; Ki ku no michi, the way of the spirit of the void; Aiki no kime, focus of spirit harmony; Kokoro me no michi, the way of the mind’s eye; and Mekura waza, blind technique. Undefeated in bare knuckle, full-contact fighting, he was inducted into the United States Karate Alliance (USKA) Hall of Fame in July 1992. A nearly fatal car crash in 1991 paralyzed his left side. The doctors told him he would never do martial arts or even walk again. Despite this, he has been teaching for 30 years. His pupils include the Army Special Forces, Navy Seals, Marine Recon, police departments in many major cities, bodyguards, teachers and students from a wide variety of other martial arts, and all kinds of different groups of “non-martial artists” in everything from self-defense to internal energy studies.
Chris Mueller Chris Mueller is proud to be back for his second year as a costuming track panelist at Dragon*Con. Chris is a recent graduate of the MFA Costume Design program at Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently embarking on his new career as a freelance costume designer. As a costume technician, Chris has worked in regional theatres across the country as both a cutter/draper and patternmaker and as a costume craftsperson. As a designer, he has barely scratched the surface with work at the nationally acclaimed Hartford Stage Company and Long Wharf Theatres and an award for graduate level costume design from SETC. Chris has also spent time as an educator, teaching three years of beginning costume construction at VCU, classes in costume crafts, and seminars in kilt-making. He has studied under Tony nominated Broadway costume designer Toni-Leslie James, costume historian Liz Hopper, and Freddy Clements, one of his colleagues in the Dragon*Con Costume Track. All that said, Chris still dedicates his love of costuming to Star Wars, Halloween, and all things sci-fi.
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Ted Naifeh
Ingrid Neilson
Ted Naifeh swooped onto the comics and goth culture scene as the cocreator of Gloomcookie with Serena Valentino in 1998. Ted illustrated the first volume of the gothic romance hit before departing to pursue his own projects. In 2002, he introduced us to the world of Courtney Crumrin. Courtney’s adventures have been published in three volumes: Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things,Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics, and Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom. In 2008, Ted added to Courtney’s adventures with a new volume entitled Courtney Crumrin and the Fire-Thief ’s Tale, and Courtney Crumrin and the Prince of Nowhere. Ted’s next creation was Polly and the Pirates, also published through Oni Pres. Polly and the Pirates was nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album Previously Published. Ted has also illustrated six volumes featuring videogame character Death Jr. for Image Comics. With Tristan Crane, Ted is also the co-creator of How Loathsome. Ted is excited to be illustrating a trilogy of graphic novels written by bestselling fantasy author Holly Black and published by Scholastic. The first volume is The Good Neighbors.
Ingrid Neilson is an artist who is internationally known for her whimsical ink and watercolor drawings of dragons, griffins, and other creatures of fantasy. She began exhibiting at major conventions beginning with the 1977 Miami Worldcon and has several awards to her credit, including a Best of Show at the New Orleans Science Fiction Worldcon. Her work has appeared in Vampirella, The Comics Journal, and Marvel’s Epic magazine, and various convention publications around the world. She has also designed logos for the Intergalactic Trading Company and performed inking for the comics Space Ark, MythAdventures, and Elfquest: New Blood. A longtime member of the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA), Ingrid oversees nominations for the Chesley Awards and was a consultant for the Hugo-winning book The Chesley Awards: A Retrospective. You can see Ingrid’s artwork on the CD-ROMs Dragons & Dinosaurs, Rockets & Robots, and Atlantis to the Stars II.
Scott Nicholson Scott Nicholson won the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award in the 1999 Writers of the Future contest with his short story “The Vampire Shortstop.” Since then, he has published seven novels, two story collections, sixty short stories, and a comic book series, and has written six screenplays. His first novel The Red Church was a Stoker Award finalist and an alternate selection of the Mystery Guild. “The Home” was recently optioned for film development. Scott is a freelance editor and also helped launch Post Mortem Comics Studio. He hosts the annual Green Park Inn Paranormal Conference in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. A journalist and reviewer, he has won three North Carolina Press Association awards.
Michael Nankin On the strength of his 1978 UCLA student film, “Junior High School” (starring 14-year-old Paula Abdul), Michael Nankin was hired by Disney studios as a disgustingly young writer/director. He made a film for them, Midnight Madness, and went on to write screenplays for several years. Writer credits include The Gate, The Gate II, Russkies, and, under the nom de cinema of Manuel Fidello, Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Episodic television provided him the opportunity to produce and direct, so he jumped in with both feet. He has worked on Life Goes On, Picket Fences (and won a Humanitas award), American Gothic, Early Edition, Roar, Cover Me, Strong Medicine, The Agency, Veritas, Invasion, The Dresden Files, Eureka, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and eight episodes of Battlestar Galactica. He has written countless unproduced pilots which paid countless bills. He has been working as a writer/director/producer for thirty years.
Joe Nickell Since 1995, Joe Nickell, Ph.D., has been the only full-time salaried paranormal investigator in the world. His autobiography appears in Contemporary Authors, and he has been profiled in The New Yorker and on The Today Show. The 2007 movie The Reaping (starring Hillary Swank) was based in part on his work as a miracle investigator. He has worked variously as an advertising writer, stage magician, private investigator, carnival pitchman, blackjack dealer, and riverboat manager. These were all great experiences for an aspiring poet and writer. He subsequently returned to the University of Kentucky for a master’s and doctorate, while teaching technical writing, English literature, editing, and other subjects. In 1995 he took the full-time position as Senior Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, the publisher of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Nickell has since become known internationally as an investigator of myths, mysteries, frauds, forgeries, and hoaxes. He is the author, co-author, or editor of some two-dozen books, countless articles, and other writings, and he has appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, and many documentaries. He received the the Isaac Asimov Science Award from the American Humanist Association in 2004.
David Napoliello David Napoliello is the creator and co-writer of the sword-and-sorcery comic book series Books of Lore. David is currently working on a new project, entitled Books of Lore: Elfstone, with legendary fantasy illustrator Larry Elmore. David has also operated Peregrine Entertainment for almost a decade, providing a home for quality creator-owned properties in the comic book industry. The company has worked with a wide range of talented artists, including Joseph Michael Linsner, James O’Barr, Joe Jusko, Jason Alexander, and Dark One, who have published a variety of books under his guidance, including the all-ages adventures of Forty Winks, the super-hero antics of Buzzboy, the gothic horror of Countess Vladimira, and the anthology Independent Voices, which has benefited charities such as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Make-AWish Foundation.
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King’s e-book story, Riding The Bullet; and was hired to rewrite the feature, Riders on the Storm, for Ray Manzarek of legendary rock band, The Doors. This year has been an exceptionally productive period for his company, RPM Filmworks, with commercials, music videos, a concert feature, and two in-development TV shows. Most recently, he wrote Scream and Scream Again, the definitive history of Britain’s Amicus Productions.
Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimoy’s most famous role is the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock from Star Trek: The Original Series, which ran from 1966 to 1969. He earned three Emmy nominations for playing this character. Before his success in Star Trek, Nimoy had acted in more than 50 movies or television shows. After the cancellation of the original Star Trek series, Nimoy immediately joined the cast of the spy series Mission: Impossible. He co-starred with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna in Catlow (1971) and appeared in various made-for-TV films. He received an Emmy award nomination for best supporting actor for the TV film A Woman Called Golda (1982).
Jody Lynn Nye Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as “spoiling cats.” Otherwise, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories. Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Nye worked as a file clerk, bookkeeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant, and costume maker. For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO). She has published thirty-eight books and more than one hundred short stories since 1985. Her novels include the epic fantasy series, The Dreamland and three medical science fiction novels. Strong Arm Tactics, a humorous military science fiction novel, begins her new series, The Wolfe Pack. She has collaborated with Anne McCaffrey on four science fiction novels, The Death of Sleep, Crisis On Doona, Treaty At Doona, and The Ship Who Won. She also edited an anthology of humorous stories about mothers in science fiction, fantasy, myth, and legend entitled Don’t Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear! Her newest book is A Forthcoming Wizard, the second half of a fantasy duology for TOR Books (after An Unexpected Apprentice).
Leonard broke into film directing in 1984 with the successful third installment of the Star Trek film series, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He then directed the most successful film in the franchise to date, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and Three Men and a Baby, the highest grossing film of 1987. He had a central role in Brave New World, a 1998 TV film adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s novel. Leonard has also “appeared” in Futurama and The Simpsons, as both himself and Spock. In 2003, Nimoy announced his retirement from acting. However, it was revealed in 2007 that Nimoy would return to reprise his famous role as Spock one more time in J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek.
Steven Novella In addition to being the host of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast, Dr. Steven Novella is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. He is the president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society, founded in 1996. He also writes for several blogs. His personal blog NeuroLogicaBlog covers news and issues in neuroscience, general science, scientific skepticism, philosophy of science, critical thinking, and the intersection of science, the media, and society. He contributes every Sunday to the SGU official blog, The Rogues Gallery, and every Monday to SkepticBlog. He is the executive editor of ScienceBased Medicine, a group blog dedicated to issues of science and medicine, for which he also contributes every Wednesday. Novella is a contributing editor of Quackwatch and associate editor of The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine.
Kathie Olivas Kathie Olivas is a multi-media artist who has been featured in galleries across the globe and is represented in the permanent collection at the Tampa Museum of Art. Sugary treats, dichotomous dreamlands, and the cute and corrupted all find their way into Olivas’ series depicting the “misery children.” Her figures are inspired by early American portraiture that often depicted children as small adults in an idealized new land. The series focuses on imperfect characters and post-apocalyptic conformity, uniquely documenting Olivas’ mysterious brave new world. Childhood serves as a starting ground, a place where things begin. At the same time, children personify “cuteness” as a representation of projected innocence. Our comfort in this ideology comes into question when these sweet creatures have other ideas. How would they be able to adapt if they chose to be independent? Isolated in a war-torn environment, they are forced to develop their own defense mechanisms. These unapologetic anti-heroes guide us through mysterious lands mysteriously untouched by human destruction. Their mutated limbs, mighty sidekicks, and improvised armor present a satirical look at how fear affects our sense of reality. Kathie resides with her husband and fellow artist, Brandt Peters, in Tampa, Florida, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters appear not only as artist guests, but also as representatives of their limited edition company, Circus Posterus, Inc.
Philip Nutman Philip Nutman is the author of the awardnominated apocalyptic espionage novel, Wet Work, and screenwriter of the feature film Jack Ketchum’s the Girl Next Door. He is also a multiple award-nominated short story writer, comic book scripter, and occasional journalist. Philip has worked extensively in print, film, and TV in the U. S. and in his native Great Britain. Since 2005, he has added the title of movie producer to his credits. Although he has penned and published over forty acclaimed short stories and novellas over the past twenty years, film and TV projects are now his primary focus. He has written an adaptation of the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child novel, Thunderhead; worked with writer/director Mick Garris on the feature film adaptation of Stephen September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Jana Oliver
Terri Osborne
Jana Oliver is best known for her Time Rovers series set in 1888 London during the terror of Jack the Ripper. Whether it’s researching bordellos in turn-of-the-century Chicago or the asylums of Victorian London, Jana Oliver’s quest for new stories frequently strays off the beaten path. Time Rovers deftly blends time travel, shape shifters, and Jack the Ripper conspiracies. The series (Sojourn, Virtual Evil, and Madman’s Dance) have received ten awards, including the Prism Award for Time Travel and the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense. When not researching her next novel, Oliver can be found savoring a growing collection of single malt scotch.
Terri Osborne is a media tie-in and original dark fantasy author who has taken us from the depths of Star Trek’s Gamma Quadrant to the long-ago paths of Ancient England with Doctor Who. Her past work in the Doctor Who and Star Trek universes paved the way for the launch of her Realms Next Door dark fantasy universe in 2009. Now, she’s working in the Europe of yesterday, the New York of tomorrow, and everywhere (and every when) in between.
James Palmer James Palmer is an author, editor, short story writer, copywriter, and journalist. He has written articles, interviews, reviews, columns, fiction, and poetry for Strange Horizons, Revolution SF, Vision: A Resource for Writers, The Agony Column, Blood Blade, and Thruster: The Magazine of Speculative Fiction and Satire, The Internet Review of Science Fiction, Tangent, Continuum SF, and SciFaikuest. James is also the editor of Voices for the Cure, a speculative fiction anthology to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Voices features stories by Mike Resnick, Cory Doctorow, Robert J. Sawyer, Eugie Foster, Mur Lafferty, and Davy Beauchamp, and is published by White Rocket Books.
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos starred in the breakout hit Battlestar Galactica as Admiral William Adama. Eddie found refuge in baseball as a means of staying away from street gangs and drugs. But early in his teen years, he found a new love: music. He taught himself to sing and play piano, and by 1961 he was good enough to join a band, the Pacific Ocean. Purgatory, an album released in 1968, includes such classic tunes as “Tracks of My Tears” and “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” To support his family, Eddie took jobs delivering antique furniture between gigs and small acting roles. Then in 1978, during an audition for another play, he was asked if he would like to try out for Zoot Suit. He dazzled them at the audition, and, by the time the show closed, he had won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award, a Theatre World award, and was nominated for a Tony Award. In 1982 he accepted the role of Gaff in Blade Runner with Harrison Ford, and in 1984, he joined the cast of the very popular Miami Vice.
We n d y E l l e r t s o n Dragon*Con 2009 Exhibitor Hall One
In 2008 he busily prepared for his next project in which he will act, direct, and produce The Crystal Frontier, a drama that examines U. S.-Mexico border issues and the effects of the two nations’ foreign-policy decisions.
Nils Onsager Nils Onsager is a Hapkido Master (a Sixth Degree Black Belt). As a professional stunt coordinator, he has jousted, been hit by cars, fallen off of buildings, and reveled in mayhem. As one of Hank Reinhardt’s “sons,” he has preformed sword fighting and cutting demonstrations for 20 years. Over the years, Nils, Whit, and Hank have had some amazing sword fights. Nils is also the head of Black Knight Stunts, Atlanta’s award-winning, full-service stunt team. Specializing in violence, Nils has a special flair for character-driven fights. He has coordinated some of Atlanta’s most memorable movies, including Dance of the Dead, The Other Side, and many others. Mostly he enjoys a good fight, teaching, and a very sharp sword.
Heather Osborn
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Heather Osborn is the editor in charge of Tor Books’ romance line. A fan of all things science fiction, fantasy, and romance, Heather combines all of her interests by acquiring paranormal romances and urban fantasies. Editing since 2003, Heather moved across the country in pursuit of her dream job, and has been happily working for Tom Doherty Associates since 2007.
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Jason Palmer
Craig Parker
Jason Palmer began working in the comic book industry by painting covers for Star Trek and Star Wars in 1990. His recent projects include Indiana Jones concept designs for Lucasfilm, and licensed work for Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. After becoming a huge fan of the Firefly series, Jason created a print of the show’s cast for a local LA convention. Encouraged by Joss Whedon, Jason has since been working together with Universal Studios, producing licensed artwork for Serenity, the movie that was made, in no small part, as a result of unprecedented efforts of Firefly fans. Jason has recently completed a line of popular limited edition Serenity collectible portraits, which are now available as an album set, including exclusive character sketches and convention slipcase tote carrier.
Craig Parker is most famous for his role as Haldir of Lórien in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. He also does voice-overs for New Zealand documentaries. His recent work has also involved voiceover work in the recent Power Rangers series since the filming moved to New Zealand. He is currently starring in the TVNZ soap Shortland Street, as Guy Warner, from which his character has been absent for eleven years. He is the reigning champion of New Zealand’s Celebrity Joker Poker. Craig is currently starring as Darken Rahl in the syndicated series Legend of the Seeker. He will also be a regular character as Glaber in the upcoming TV show, Sparatcus: Blood and Sand, which will be coming out in 2010 and is produced by Sam Rami and Rob Tapert.
Jimmy Palmiotti Jimmy Palmiotti is an award-winning character creator with experience in advertising, production, consulting, editorial, film writing, development and production, media presentation, and video game development. Jimmy is also the co-founder of such companies as Event Comics, Black Bull Media, Marvel Knights (a division of Marvel Comics), and Paperfilms, where he is currently a partner with Amanda Conner and Justin Gray. Together they have created and co-created numerous universes, comics, TV series, and characters, including The New West, Monolith, 21 Down, The Resistance, The Pro, Gatecrasher, Beautiful Killer, Ash, Cloudburst, Trigger Girl 6, Thrill Seeker, Trailblazer, Ballerina, The Twilight Experiment, and the TV series, Painkiller Jane. His current work includes Powergirl, Jonah Hex and Prototype for DC Comics, The Last Resort for IDW, Back to Brooklyn for Image Comics, and Vampire Hunter D for Devils Due.
Teresa Patterson Teresa Patterson is best known as the co-author of The World of Robert Jordan’s the Wheel of Time with Robert Jordan and The World of Shannara with Terry Brooks. Her newest work, No Quarter, is a murder mystery written with acclaimed writer Robert Asprin and Eric DiCarlo, set in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She has also written various fantasy stories, including one published in Here be Dragons: Tales of Dragoncon, and non-fiction articles, such as those in the humorous collections You Said What? and It Looked Good On Paper. She has even ghostwritten a military adventure with a Navy SEAL. In 2004 she was awarded the Chesley Award by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA) for service to artists. She served two terms as president of ASFA, an organization dedicated to promoting and educating artists and collectors. When not writing, she works as a balloon sculptor and show horse trainer.
Dustin Pari
D. M. Paul Doug M. Paul is an aerospace engineer and the author of the One Wizard Place series of fantasy/SF novels. Doug Paul grew up in the Florida Keys, pursued engineering in college, and later obtained a graduate degree in aerospace engineering. Throughout college, Doug maintained a passion for science fiction and fantasy. One day he finally decided to take a chance and pen a novel. Doug’s One Wizard Place was picked up by a publishing house, and, on average, users on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel’s websites gave it a perfect score of 5/5. One Wizard Place, Doug’s first novel in a series of three, features a rich, robust plot that combines high-technology science fiction and fantasy into an intriguing story. In a world where magic and technology are intertwined, they have the unpleasant job of righting magic that has gone wrong. The One Wizard Place series has been nominated for both an EPPIE and EVVY awards. From the profits generated by the One Wizard Place series, Doug created Arctic Wolf Publishing, a book and graphic novel publishing company to help establish new authors.
Dustin Pari is currently featured on his second season of Ghost Hunters International as one of the lead investigators. He has also been seen on three seasons of the Sci Fi Channel’s original Ghost Hunters as part of the TAPS team. Dustin is currently endeavoring to publish his first book on his work in the paranormal field and his travels throughout the world.
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Jason Pearson
Bob Pendarvis
Having been a professional for the last nineteen years, Jason Pearson is just now hitting his stride. After finishing a new installment of Body Bags (Body Bags: One Shot) last October, Jason has involved himself with numerous Marvel projects over this year such as a Punisher Annual with Rick Remender, a Wolverine/X-Force special with Robert Kirkman, the current cover artist for Daniel Way’s Deadpool, and a new Deadpool mini-series titled “Wade Wilson’s War” with Duane Swierczynski. As a new member of Studio Revolver, look for more in the upcoming year. Past projects have been Legion of Superheroes, Savage Dragon: Blood and Guts, Global Frequency, The Penguin, and Penthouse Comix.
Bob Pendarvis taught the Savannah College of Art and Design’s first comic book illustration class and was the original founder of their Sequential Art Department. Over the years, Bob has taught classes in storytelling, penciling, inking, fantasy illustration, life drawing, cartooning, animation character design, storyboard design, children’s picture book illustration, and manga. Bob’s graphic novel, The Bristol Board Jungle (co-written by fellow professor Mark Kneece), was recently named a top ten recommended non-fiction graphic novel for young readers by the Public Schools Library Association. His newest projects include an all-new art textbook called Ana Teaches Kittens How To Draw, as well as Sugar/Spice, a massive all-girls comics anthology featuring over fifty of Bob’s former students. Bob also writes and records his own music CDs, including his latest release, Midnite Garden Party.
Lars Pearson Lars Pearson is one of the foremost experts on Doctor Who in North America. Lars began as an editor for Wizard: The Guide to Comics, before founding Mad Norwegian Press, a publisher of SF reference guides and novels, in 2001. The company name made little sense when it was based in New Orleans, but Mad Norwegian Press now resides in Des Moines, Iowa, where it is surrounded on all sides by corn and pastry-baking Scandinavians. He has authored, edited, or published twelve books on Doctor Who (with at least eight more on the way), as well as guidebooks on Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Transformers.
George Perez Along with John Byrne, George Pérez was arguably the most popular and influential artist in American comic books in the 1980s. Following a popular stint on Justice League of America, his career took off with the launch of The New Teen Titans, written by Wolfman. Wolfman and Perez followed this with DC’s 50th anniversary event, Crisis on Infinite Earths. After Crisis, he inked the final issue of Superman (Issue #423) for Part 1 of the two-part story “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” by writer Alan Moore. He and Greg Potter were responsible for relaunching Wonder Woman, tying her more closely to the Greek gods and jettisoning many of the extraneous elements of her history. In 1991, George signed on to pencil the six-issue limited series Infinity Gauntlet for Marvel Comics. He returned to a major ongoing title for the third series of The Avengers, and he worked to produce the long-awaited JLA/Avengers. He is currently working on Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds.
Carlos Pedraza Carlos Pedraza is a screenwriter and co-executive producer of the Hugonominated Star Trek: Phase II, and one of the creators of the series, Buck Rogers. Before joining Phase II as an associate producer, Carlos was the staff writer and one of the producers of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier, the world’s longest-running online fan series. Over the course of four seasons, he wrote thirteen of that series’ fifty episodes, and charted the story lines for the final two seasons. David Gerrold, writer of The Trouble with Tribbles, authorized Carlos to rewrite his famous, previously unproduced TNG script, Blood and Fire. Carlos is a regular media reviewer and blogger on the science-fiction website DoorQ.com. He is a former Associated Press writer, deputy press secretary for the Governor of Washington, teacher, consultant, and trainer for nonprofit organizations throughout the U. S.
Brandt Peters Brandt Peters is an illustrator and character, film, and animation designer whose commercial work has thrust him to the attention of the fine art gallery circuit. He is an internationally exhibited self-taught artist whose work is formed from the eclectic backdrop of his childhood; his work is filled with old cartoons, Victorian toys, and vintage Pop ephemera. The subject of Brandt’s paintings is a world of creepy side show icons, deviant animalia, and glorified cartoon alter egos. He utilizes these icons and character cultures as antithetical counterparts to what we are lead to believe as being innocent and socially acceptable. Although misfits on the surface, a sense of relation is understood, secret from the public. The environment and its limited population are meant to conjure these questions; the viewers are confronted with finding their own answers. Brandt is currently working on several designer toy projects with MINDstyle and Wheaty Wheat Studios, as well as developing his own animation projects including his well known Slap-Happy! property.
Mary Jo Pehl Mary Jo Pehl was one of the writers on the series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). From 1992 to 1996, she played the role of Magic Voice, a disembodied female voice who would announce upcoming commercials at the beginning of the show. In 1996, she began playing the role of Pearl Forrester, the mother of Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu). When Beaulieu left the series at the end of the seventh season, she took over as the head “mad” on the series. She also played a number of other small roles on the series, such as Jan in the Pan, a woman’s head that had been removed from a body. Mary Jo turned her hand to writing in 2004 with her first book I Lived With My Parents and Other Tales of Terror. In 2007, she returned to MST3K-style riffing on bad movies, joining former cast member Mike Nelson’s RiffTrax for the film Glitter, and Bill Corbett for The X-Files movie.
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Dr. Plait is well known as a skeptic, giving TV, radio, and podcast interviews about critical thinking and science, and is in-demand across the world as a lecturer and panelist on these topics. He is President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting critical thinking and attacking pseudoscience.
David Petersen David Petersen was born in 1977. His artistic career soon followed. A steady diet of cartoons, comics, and tree climbing fed his imagination and is what still inspires his work today. He is the creator of the Mouse Guard series and is excited to be working on projects he dearly loves doing. David was the 2007 Russ Manning Award recipient for Most Promising Newcomer, and in 2008, won the Eisners for Best Publication for Kids (Mouse Guard Fall 1152 & Winter 1152) and Best Graphic Album: Reprint (Mouse Guard Fall 1152 Hardcover). David and his wife Julia reside in Michigan with their dog Autumn.
Van Allen Plexico Comics commentator, editor, professor, and pulp writer Van Plexico created and edited the very popular Assembled! Five Decades of Earth’s Mightiest, a commentary and analysis work covering the history of the Avengers series. He’s currently working on a sequel. He’s also now under contract with Swarm Press to continue the Sentinels series of superhero adventure novels that began with When Strikes the Warlord. His novella, “Conspiracy of Terror,” reviving the classic pulp character “the Griffon,” appeared earlier this year in Thrilling Tales #1 from Adamant Entertainment. His short story, “Spearhead of Invasion,” appeared in the spring issue of A Thousand Faces quarterly. He has also written for the Rittenhouse Archives and is a regular contributor to RevolutionSF.com.
Brandon Peterson Brandon Peterson has been working professionally as a comic book illustrator for over fifteen years. Although he has worked primarily as a penciller, he has also exhibited his talents in every other job associated with making a comic book. He was VP of Special Projects and Art Director for CrossGen Comics, where he worked on titles like Mystic and Chimera. He also spent a long time working for Top Cow Productions, where he did runs on comics like Codename: Strykeforce, Cyberforce, Ripclaw, MedievalSpawn/Witchblade, and his own book, Arcanum. He is currently exclusively working for Marvel Comics, and has worked on titles that include X-Force, Ultimate Vision, Ultimate Extinction, Strange, Ultimate X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Magneto Rex, X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and covers on numerous other books published at Marvel. He is preparing to work on a Wolverine/Black Widow miniseries that he will be drawing while sharing the writing chores with his friend Jimmy Palmiotti.
Ken Plume Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of Kevin Smith’s Quick Stop Entertainment and a contributor at Needcoffee.com (where he’s known for avoiding responsibility under the pseudonym “Tobias Clutch”). He’s the co-host of the award-winning Ken P. D. Snydecast (with Adult Swim star Dana Snyder) and Nuts On The Road (with Needcoffee.com’s Widgett Walls). He also performs editing duties and music selection for Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier’s Smodcast. In addition to all this, he proudly holds the rank of Honorary Astrobase Cadet, and rumor has it he can even be heard on an episode of The Venture Bros. (a free No-Lollipop if you can identify him). And he does other stuff, too, but he’s getting too bored of listing it. Move along.
Felice Picano Felice Picano is the author of twenty-three books of poetry, fiction, memoirs, non-fiction and plays. His first novel was a finalist for the PEN/ Hemingway Award. Since then he’s been nominated for, or won, dozens of literary awards and honors. His collection of strange stories, Tales: From a Distant Planet came out in 2006. His memoir, Art & Sex in Greenwich Village (2007) received rave reviews. His third play, The Bombay Trunk, was a sold-out hit in Palm Springs in 2008. He has compiled a new collection, Twelve O’Clock Tales, finished an autobiographical novel, New Kid in Town, about three strange decades as a writer for Hollywood, and is completing the second novel in his Sci-Fi trilogy. In addition he is guest editing Volume 7 of the Paris-based Van Gogh’s Ear magazine, and with Prof. Lazaro Lima compiling an anthology of GLBT Latino-American fiction for Floricanto Press. Picano’s novel Dryland’s End was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and a Locus Novel award.
Lynnette Porter Always a fan of science fiction and fantasy, Lynnette Porter blends her interests in research and film/television and literary criticism with a love of SF/fantasy in her many books. She has written Unsung Heroes of The Lord of the Rings: From the Page to the Screen, Lost’s Buried Treasures and Unlocking the Meaning of Lost, Finding Battlestar Galactica: An Unauthorized Guide, Saving the World: A Guide to Heroes, and the forthcoming The Hobbits: The Many Lives of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. In addition to these books, she has authored chapters in other Tolkien-themed books, such as How We Became Middle-Earth and the fan-written Lembas for the Soul. Other forthcoming publications include two chapters, about The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and Quantum Leap, in David Lavery’s Cult TV book from University of Kentucky Press.
Phil Plait Dr. Philip Plait is an internationally renowned astronomer, author, blogger, and skeptic. He is best known for his award-winning Bad Astronomy Blog, where he delights in deflating scientific misuses and myths. Receiving ten million views per year, it is one of the most popular science blogs on the planet and was recently acquired by Discover Magazine. He is the author of two books, Bad Astronomy (Wiley and Sons, 2002), currently in its 7th printing, and Death from the Skies! (Viking, 2008), where he gives loving detail on all the ways astronomical events can wipe out life on Earth. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Eric Powell
David Prowse David Prowse parlayed a reputation as the best-known “heavy” in modern British show business as Star Wars’ Darth Vader—and became a symbol of villainy for a whole generation of film-goers.
Although eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric Powell didn’t find true success until he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. He has written and provided artwork for franchises of Dark Horse, DC Comics, and Marvel, but is most regarded for his original series The Goon, which debuted from the small publisher Avatar Press. Eric quickly switched to self-publishing under the moniker Albatross Exploding Funny Books, before being picked up by Dark Horse after only a handful of issues. The five-time Eisner Award winning series celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and has been optioned by David Fincher, Blur Animation, and Dark Horse Entertainment to be produced as an animated feature film.
A former bodybuilder and weightlifter, he helped train Christopher Reeve for the role of Superman in the 1978 film and its sequels after lobbying for the part himself. He also trained Cary Elwes for his role as Westley in The Princess Bride. He is also well-known as the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero invented to promote a British road safety campaign for children. David is now the official leader of the 501st Legion, a fan group dedicated to Star Wars costuming.
James Pruett
Jeff Preston
James Pruett began his career as one of the co-founders of the criticallyacclaimed anthology series, Negative Burn. It was through this association with Caliber Comics that James eventually accepted the position of Managing Editor for Caliber. James has written extensively for Caliber on such titles as Negative Burn, The Apparition, Book of Angels, Inferno, Caliber Core, and he is also the co-writer of the popular Kaos Moon series with creator David Boller. After leaving Caliber, James continued to do freelance writing and editing for such titles as X-Men Unlimited and Kaos Moon for Tusk Enertainment. Desperado Publishing recently released the collected edition of Black Mist: Blood of Kali illustrated by Mike Perkins and Abandoned painted by Michael Gaydos. Future projects include writing Strait Jacket, Seraphim, a new Black Mist series and a comic history of Alexander the Great.
A mixed breed of designer, musician (if 5-string banjo counts), educator, haunted attraction designer, and aging weight lifter, Jeff is above all an illustrator. Monsters held an inexplicable fascination to him as a child, and he drew them constantly. Where most boys in his neighborhood grew up idolizing sports figures, the names of Gogos, Frazetta, and Rockwell were the giants he looked up to. What he relishes the most has been the opportunities to illustrate horror, his first love. Monsterscene and Little Shoppe of Horrors magazines have both carried his covers and interior illustrations in the past.
Joe Pruett
This year for the first time he entered the prestigious Spectrum competition and his “Caretaker of the Crypt” was chosen for inclusion in Spectrum 15. That also proved to be somewhat prophetic, as he has the honor and distinction of being the very first illustrator published as a new Creepy artist (now under Dark Horse ) in over a quarter of a century.
Joe Pruett has been in the comics industry since 1989. He began his Caliber Comics in 1992 and continued there through 1998 as a writer, an editor, and finally as Creative Director, where he was responsible for recruiting some of the industry’s biggest talents and being among the first to publish some of the today’s top creators. Joe and his long-running anthology title, Negative Burn, have been nominated for numerous Harvey and Eisner Awards, the comic industry’s most prestigious awards, winning an Eisner in 2007 for his work editing and designing The Art of Brian Bolland. In 1998 he left Caliber to focus on his freelance writing career where he became a regular contributor to Marvel’s X-Men franchise title of books including X-Men Unlimited, Cable, Magneto Rex, Domino, Wolverine, and Gambit. Realizing that the comic marketplace no longer offered many choices for writers and artists to create and nurture their own properties, Joe formed Desperado Publishing in the summer of 2004 to become a home for today’s top talent to bring to life their own personal creations.
Cherie Priest Cherie Priest is the author of six novels, including the Blooker-award winning Four and Twenty Blackbirds, as well as Fathom, Wings to the Kingdom, and the Endeavour-award nominated book Not Flesh Nor Feathers from Tor Books. Her short novels Dreadful Skin and Those Who Went Remain There Still are published by Subterranean Press; and she has two steampunk novels that will be available in 2009 (Boneshaker, Tor; and Clementine, Subterranean).
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Jackson Publick Jackson Publick was born in 1971, the only son of Jackson Publick, Jr., author of the popular Rusty Venture series of boys’ adventure novels (himself the son of Jackson Publick, author of over six dozen Jonas Venture Boys’ adventure novels), he forsake his literary birthright to pursue comic books and a degree in the liberal arts. He was successful at neither, and after a period of sky country hoboing and soul-searching, he decided to put his limited skill-set to use in the Creative Warfare department of the Marine Corps: Psi-Ops division. His most notable achievements during his short tenure were designs for something called “The Mindcopter” and a squadron of giant, flying metal lions, which, when reconfigured and joined together via electrical current, formed a giant, flying metal man. Neither project was ever put into production and, upon learning that he had plagiarized the latter, the Marine Corps discharged Publick summarily, but honorably. It was to be the most important day ever. Drawing on the powers and influence of his amazing Bilderberg Group superpals, he then made up The Venture Bros.
Brian Pulido Brian has created and written several hundred comic books including: Lady Death, Evil Ernie, Purgatori, Chastity, Smiley, the Psychotic button, Bad kitty, Jade, Lady Demon, Bedlam, Unholy, War Angel, Mischief Night, Bad Moon Rising, Gypsy, Belladonna, and The Undead, as well as stories based on Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Chucky. On the motion picture front, Pulido created, produced and wrote the story for ADV Film’s animated feature, Lady Death, its top selling title to date. He also wrote and directed the feature film The Graves, starring Tony Todd, Bill Mosley, and D. Randall Blythe. He is also on the Board of Directors of The Hero Initiative, a not-for-profit organization the raises and disperses money for comic book creators in financial need. Among his creations for THI is the Spiderman Ultimate #1 Ultimate Edition.
Benjamin Radford Benjamin Radford is the managing editor of the science magazine, Skeptical Inquirer. He has written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, film, and media literacy. He is the author of three books: Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking; Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us; and Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures. Radford is also a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer and the Skeptical Briefs newsletter, as well as online at LiveScience.com and MediaMythmakers.com. In his work with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Radford is one of the world’s few science-based paranormal investigators, and has done firsthand research into psychics, ghosts, and haunted houses, exorcisms, miracles, Bigfoot, stigmata, lake monsters, UFO sightings, reincarnation, crop circles, and other topics. He also served as a consultant for the MTV series, The Big Urban Myth Show.
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Gary Raisor
David Reddick
Gary Raisor has written the novels Less Than Human, Graven Images, and Sinister Purposes, along with three or four dozen short stories, many of which have been collected in “Year’s Best” collections. He also wrote an article for Phil Nutman’s Up Against The Wall online magazine, and a story for Nancy Kalanta’s online Horrorworld last year. Gary edited Dark Harvest’s best selling anthology of all time, Obsessions, with stories by Dean Koontz, F. Paul Wilson, Joe Lansdale, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dan Simmons, to name but a few. Right now, Gary is working with Sean Taylor, Doug Draper, Kariann Childs, Tony Guaraldi-Brown, and Mike Mano, who are helping Gary to turn Less Than Human and Graven Images into graphic novels, so that a whole new generation of fans can enjoy them.
David Reddick is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator, whose work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, books, in galleries, and on products and websites worldwide. David’s comics include his twice-weekly popular fantasy/barbarian webcomic “Legend of Bill,” as well as his two weekly webcomics for the official Roddenberry Web site, Roddenberry.com called “Gene’s Journal and “Rod & Barry.” David is also the creator of the webcomic “The Trek Life” which appeared 3 times a week on the official Star Trek Website for CBS Studios, and also appears as a regular feature in the officially-licensed Star Trek Magazine, published by Titan Publishing and distributed worldwide. “The Trek Life” has also appeared as a regular backup comic book page feature in IDW Publishing’s officially licensed Star Trek comic books, and “The Trek Life” is included in the new “Star Trek Manga: Volume 2,” published by Tokyopop.
Humberto Ramos Humberto Ramos began working for American comic market in 1993. With his recognisable cartoonesque and manga-inspired style, he became one of the most noted artists for his work for companies as DC, Milestone and Marvel. He had his breakthrough with the Impulse series, which appeared at Image and later DC. He is best know for his monthly series Crimson, from DC Comics and Wildstorm Productions. He also created Out There, together with Bryan Augustyn. He filled in for Mark Buckingham on Marvel’s Peter Parker: Spider-Man’ before he took on Spectacular Spider-Man with writer Brian Jenkins in 2004.
Barry Reese Barry Reese broke into the professional ranks in 2003 when he worked on volume five of the Marvel Encyclopedia series, handling the chapters devoted to the Blade and Ghost Rider characters. Following this, he worked on both The Fires of Amatsumara, a roleplaying game supplement for West End Games’ D6 Space line and the ongoing Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe series for Marvel Comics. Amongst the issues of the Handbook that Reese worked on were Marvel Legacy: 1960s, Marvel Legacy: 1970s, Spider-Man 2006, Teams 2006, A-Z volumes 1-7, and Horror 2006. Barry also contributed to the New Avengers: Most Wanted and Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone books. He next contributed to USER’s Most Wanted, a villains supplement for the Godsend Agenda roleplaying game published by Khepera Publishing.
Rodney Ramos Rodney Ramos has been as a professional penciler/inker in the comics industry for over fifteen years. He has worked for such companies as Marvel Comics, Marvel U. K., DC Comics, Valiant, Acclaim comics, Malibu, and Continuity Comics with Neal Adams. His inks have graced many titles over the years including, Spider-man, X-men, Ironman, Peter Parker, Toxin, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, JSA, and the critically acclaimed series Transmetropolitan with Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. Currently he is working at DC Comics on 52, Countdown, Final Crisis, Hellblazer, and the new mini series Bang Tango !
Barry’s first novel, Conquerors of Shadow: The Adventures of Eobard Grace, was published in 2005, featuring a setting and character inspired by the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This work was followed by Lucifer’s Cage and a sequel entitled Kingdom of Blood, two novellas that featured the adventures of a 1930s era masked vigilante dubbed the Rook.
Stephen W. Ramsden Stephen Ramsden is a full time air traffic controller in Atlanta, GA. He attended Georgia State University and majored in astrophysics. He then entered the US Navy’s Nuclear power program and afterwards became an Air Traffic Controller. There was a brief sting with several regional metal bands in there also. His telescopes are narrowband in nature and only show the H alpha wavelength of light eminating from Hydrogen fusion processes on the Sun.
Mike Resnick Mike Resinick’s breakthrough novel was Santiago, published in 1986. He has since published Stalking the Unicorn, The Dark Lady, Ivory, Second Contact, Paradise, Purgatory, Inferno, Bwana/Bully!, and the collection Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut off the Sun? His most recent were A Miracle of Rare Design, A Hunger in the Soul, The Outpost, and The Return of Santiago.
Trina Ray Trina started her career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a bang. Her first and still favorite experience was working on the Voyager Neptune Encounter in August of 1989. Her current position is Science System Engineer for the Project Scientist on Cassini and the co-chair of the Titan Orbiter Science Team (TOST) where she coordinates the targeted Titan science opportunities, which is very exciting. Trina received her bachelor’s degree in Physics from California State University, Northridge, and her master’s degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University, where her research specialty was Planetary Nebulae. Trina is an active public speaker for NASA, JPL, and Cassini, and a founding member of the Cassini Virtual Singers: a group of project staff that rewrites lyrics to popular melodies and performs at various Project and Laboratory functions.
In the 1990s Mike published Soothsayer, Oracle and Prophet, Lucifer Jones, The Widowmaker, The Widowmaker Reborn, and The Widowmaker Unleashed, and Kirinyaga: A Fable or Utopia and Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Amulet of Power. He has recently completed A Gathering of Widowmakers, Dragon America, and Lady With an Alien. 77
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Kat Richardson
George A. Romero
Kat Richardson is the bestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective series from Roc books. A former magazine and curriculum editor, Kat has a degree in journalism and a background in history, gemology, technical theater, English, and vocal music. She has a particular interest in local history and incorporates both historical fact and legend into her fiction.
George A. Romero attended Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University. He and friends formed Image Ten Productions in the late 1960s, and they chipped in roughly $10,000 apiece to produce what became one of the most celebrated horror films of all time: Night of the Living Dead. The movie, directed by Romero and co-written with John A. Russo, became a cult classic and a defining moment for modern horror cinema. Romero’s films during the years after 1968 were less popular, but in 1978, Romero returned to the zombie genre with Dawn of the Dead. Romero made a third entry in his “Dead Series” with Day of the Dead. In 1998, Romero returned to the horror scene, this time with a commercial. He directed the live-action commercial shot promoting the video game Resident Evil 2 which was shot in Tokyo, Japan. Romero, who lives in Toronto, Ontario, and has applied for permanent residency there, filmed a fourth “Dead” movie in that city titled Land of the Dead. In August 2006, The Hollywood Reporter made the announcement that he would write and direct George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead, which follows a group of college students making a horror movie in the woods, who stumble on a real zombie uprising. After a limited theatrical release, Diary of the Dead was released on DVD in May, 2008.
John D. Ringo John Ringo had visited twenty-three countries and attended fourteen schools by the time he graduated high school. This left him with a wonderful appreciation of the oneness of humanity and a permanent aversion to foreign food. He chose to study marine biology and really liked it. Unfortunately, the pay was for beans. So he turned to quality control database management, where the pay was much better. His highest hopes were to someday upgrade to SQL Server, at which point, he thought, his life would be complete. But then Fate took a hand: John has become a professional author and over course of time has published numerous (thirty at last count) novels including the Legacy of the Aldenata, Paladin of Shadows, Council Wars, Looking Glass, and Special Circumstances series’ and seven stand-alone novels.
Eric Roberts Roberts received Golden Globe nominations for his early starring roles in King of the Gypsies and Star 80. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his role as the escaped convict Buck in the film Runaway Train. In 1987, he won the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut performance in Burn This. He played the Archangel Michael in The Prophecy II. In 1996, he appeared in the Doctor Who TV movie in the role of the Master. As of 2008, he is the only American actor to ever play this role. In 2006, Roberts appeared in the film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. In the same year, he was also guest starred on The L Word as Shane McCutcheon’s father, Gabriel. He appeared in the 2007 action film DOA: Dead or Alive. He was in the Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, as Sal Maroni, an organized crime boss. Roberts voiced the Superman villain Mongul in the animated series Justice League and reprised his role in Justice League Unlimited in the episode “For the Man Who Has Everything.” He appeared in the first season of Heroes as Thompson, an associate of Mr. Bennet.
Scott Rorie Scott Rorie is a freelance artist from Cary, North Carolina. After studying art all through high school, he attended Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina majoring in Advertising Design. Although Scott works in many different media, his mainstay is the airbrush, which he taught himself to use. Some of Scott’s past clients include: Kane Hodder (Jason from Friday the 13th), Gunnar Hanson (Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Vernon Wells (Wez from Road Warrior), Elizabeth Grayson (from TV’s Highlander), Barbara Leigh (Vampirella cover model), Barbie Blake (Penthouse model) and Peter Betz, a German businessman, who sold some of Scott’s work through a friend’s gallery in Germany. In April 2006, Scott was invited to participate (and had five pieces accepted) in an art exhibit entitled NASCAR: Inspired at the Hickory, NC Museum of Art. As a result of the Hickory show, Scott was interviewed by Stock Car Pit Pass online magazine.
Don Rosa Don Rosa is an American comic book writer and illustrator best known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other Disney characters. His most famous work is The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.
Louis John Robinson In his thirty-five years at the BBC, Louis Robinson worked on Doctor Who, Doomwatch, and more. As a radio and TV producer he also was involved in many British series. Louis attended the prestigious London Film School in Covent Garden in 1968. He joined the BBC as a film editor in 1969, where he worked on dramas such as Doctor Who, The Onedin Line, The Brothers, and Doomwatch. For the Light Entertainment Department, Louis worked on It’s Lulu, The Dick Emery Show, and The Morecambe and Wise Show. In 1975 he moved to radio, becoming a producer/presenter at BBC Radio Bristol. He stayed with Radio Bristol till 1982. Returning to the BBC Television as a freelance in 1984, Louis became Program Associate on the hit TV family quiz show Telly Addicts. In 1994 Louis joined The Greensleeves Theater Company for their tour of Canada with an entertainment entitled Brush Up Your Shakespeare. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
His first real cartoon was a comic strip featuring his own character, Lancelot Pertwillaby. He created the strip in 1971 for The Kentucky Kernel, a college newspaper of the University of Kentucky. He later talked them into letting him feature adventures starring Lancelot Pertwillaby and drew the story Lost in (an alternative section of) the Andes. He took a chance at more professional cartooning with his creation of the comic strip character Captain Kentucky for the Saturday edition of the local newspaper Louisville Times. Captain 78
disaster film Twister. His most recent work in film was as a ghost vying for Ricky Gervais’ attention in Ghost Town. In 1990-1991, he starred as Chicago ad man Charlie Davis, in the ABC series Going Places. In 2005, he played “Leo Bloom” in the Broadway version of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, a role initiated by his Ferris Bueller co-star, Matthew Broderick. In the 2007 comedy Kickin’ It Old Skool, he appears as Dr. Fry, a possible reference to Cameron Frye. He even mentions still needing to save up to get a new Ferrari, which could refer to Cameron totaling his dad’s Ferrari in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He currently plays the role of Dean Bowman in the college fraternity drama Greek. He will play Mr. Cooverman in the film I Love You Beth Cooper, which is slated to be released in 2009.
Kentucky was the superhero alter ego of Lancelot Pertwillaby. Years later, as his fame grew, his non-Disney work was published by the Norwegian publisher Gazette Bok in 2001, in the two hard-cover books The Pertwillaby Papers and The Adventures of Captain Kentucky.
Cristine Rose Cristine Rose is an American actress best known for her role as Angela Petrelli on the hit NBC cult drama Heroes. She has had roles in various shows, including 7th Heaven, Party of Five, Matlock, Malcolm in the Middle, Charmed, Ally Mcbeal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, ER, Go Figure, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gilmore Girls, How I Met Your Mother, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clueless, Friends, The Nanny, The King Of Queens, Two and a Half Men, Big Love, and Six Feet Under. As of 2006, she plays Angela Petrelli on the NBC series Heroes. In 2008 her role went from recurring to series regular. Also as of 2009, she had a small role in the movie He’s Just Not That Into You.
Tony Ruggiero Tony Ruggiero’s published novels include, Operation Immortal Servitude: Book I of the Declassified Files of the Team of Darkness, Operation Save the Innocent: Book II of the Declassified files of the Team of Darkness, Operation Face the Fear: Book III of the Declassified Files of the Team of Darkness, Alien Deception, and Alien Revelation. Tony is also a contributing author to The Fantasy Writers’ Companion, Writers for Relief, No Longer Dreams and Breach the Hull. In addition, Tony has a humorous tale called, The Importance of Undergarments at Science Fiction Conventions, which will be appearing in the Writers for Relief Anthology II. Coming in 2010 from Dragon Moon Press, the fourth and final book in his vampire series, Operation Endgame.
Selina Rosen Selina Rosen’s short fiction has appeared in several magazines and anthologies including Sword and Sorceress, three of the MZB Fantasy mags, Tooth and Claw, Turn the Other Chick, and Anthology At the End of the Universe; the two newest Thieves’ World anthologies; HelixOnLine; and the 2008 Dragon*Con anthology, Here Be Dragons. Her novels include Queen of Denial, Recycled, Chains of Freedom, Chains of Destruction, Strange Robby, The Host trilogy, Fire and Ice, Hammer Town, Reruns, and novellas entitled The Boatman and Material Things. Her newest project is one that, hopefully, will be ongoing for several years. In her capacity as editor-in-chief of Yard Dog Press, Rosen has edited several anthologies, including the award-winning Bubbas of the Apocalypse, The Four Bubbas of the Apocalypse: Flatulence, Halitosis, Incest and…Ned, International House of Bubbas, Houston: We’ve Got Bubbas!, and two collections of modern fairy tales, the Stoker-nominated Stories That Won’t Make Your Parents Hurl and More Stories That Won’t Make Your Parents Hurl.
Andy Runton Andy Runton is the creator of the breakout all-ages series of graphic novels, Owly, starring a little owl who’s always searching for new friends and adventures. Relying on a mixture of symbols, icons, and expressions to tell his silent stories, Runton’s animated and heartwarming style has made him a favorite of both fans and critics alike. In addition to winning the Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz awards, as well as the Howard E. Day Memorial Prize, his work has also garnered praise from such high-profile publications as People, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today. After only a few years on the comics scene, Andy already shines as one of the industry’s brightest stars. He currently resides in the greater Atlanta area, where he’s working full-time on the next Owly graphic novel.
Chris Ryniak
Alan Ruck
A graduate and former instructor of the Ringling School of Art and Design, Chris Ryniak is now a painter and sculptor of all manner of critters. Chris’ work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the US including Miami, LA, New York City as well as Hamburg, Germany and Rome, Italy. His paintings have also been published in numerous books and periodicals in the States as well as in Europe and Singapore.
Alan Ruck is perhaps best known for his role as Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ruck was 29 when he portrayed the 17-yearold Cameron. Ruck played Captain John Harriman of the USS Enterprise-B in the 1994 film, Star Trek Generations, a role which he has reprised along with Generations co-star Walter Koenig and other Trek alumni in the fan film Of Gods and Men. He also played the annoying tourist, Doug Stephens, on the ill-fated bus in the blockbuster Speed. Another supporting role was of the eccentric storm chaser Robert “Rabbit” Nurick in the
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Steve Sansweet
John Schneider
Steve Sansweet has transformed his love for Star Wars into a busy career. He is the author or co-author of 14 books (12 of them on the saga), writes columns and feature articles for magazines, and travels the world as Lucasfilm’s liaison to Star Wars fans everywhere.
John Schneider’s big break came when he won the role of Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. He auditioned for the role pretending he was a genuine country boy. He had a weeks growth of beard and held a beer can claiming he was from Snellville, Georgia. Fast forward to 2008, John plays Marshall Bowman on the ABC Family show The Secret Life of the American Teenager. More recently John can be seen on several episodes of the FX Network show Nip/Tuck as Ram Peters, the CEO of an adult film company. He is known to television sci-fi audiences as Jonathan Kent, the adoptive father of Clark Kent on the hit show Smallville. John also directed episodes of Smallville, including “S3E20” and “Talisman”.
Steve started collecting robots and space toys in the mid-1970s, and over the years that has transformed into the largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia in the world. He also has written columns for the Star Wars Insider and Star Wars Galaxy Collector magazine, was an editor and writer of five sets of Star Wars trading cards, and was co-host on nearly thirty QVC Star Wars broadcasts. Steve’s books include The Punishment Cure, STAR WARS: From Concept To Screen To Collectible, Quotable Star Wars: I’d Just as Soon Kiss A Wookiee, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive, Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels, The Star Wars Poster Book, and The Star Wars Vault, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, and Star Wars: 1,000 Collectibles.
Jason Schneiderman Dr. Jason Schneiderman is a neuroscientist who over the last decade has worked for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, NASA’s Space and Life Sciences Directorate, and the National Institutes of Health on a variety of research and educational projects, including those on space medicine, the biological effects of long-duration space flight, mental illness, and brain imaging.
Richard Saunders Richard Saunders is best known as an international expert on skepticism and one of the stars of the top rating paranormal TV show from Australia The ONE, where he takes the role as the ‘Skeptic Judge’.
He has a B.S. in Psychology from Stony Brook University, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and is currently a researcher at Harvard Medical School. His research has appeared in scientific journals including The Journal of Vestibular Research, Psychological Medicine, Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychobiology, and Schizophrenia Research. Currently, he is working in the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory of Brigham and Woman’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School.
A podcaster since 2005, Richard is now the producer and host of ‘The Skeptic Zone’ the No.#1 Podcast in Australia for Social Sciences with thousands of listeners world-wide. He is a past President of Australian Skeptics and is now a Technology Consultant for the Skeptic magazine (Australia) and Chief Spoon Bender of the organization. An author and origami expert with thirty books and one DVD published, he is also the creator of Origami Pigasus for James Randi.
Edmund Schubert Edmund R. Schubert is the author of over thirty short stories and one novel, Dreaming Creek. He’s held a variety of editorial positions, currently serving as editor of Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show. An anthology of IGMS stories, co-edited with Card, was published by Tor. Schubert still insists, however, that his greatest accomplishment came during college, when his self-published underground newspaper was the subject of a professor’s lecture in abnormal psychology.
Adam Savage Adam Savage has spent his life gathering skills that allow him to take what’s in his brain and make it real. He’s built everything from ancient Buddhas to futuristic weapons, from spaceships to dancing vegetables, from fine art sculptures to animated chocolate—and just about anything else you can think of.
Dwight Schultz Dwight Schultz’ breakthrough role was the mentally unstable Captain “Howling Mad” Murdock on The A-Team. At the series outset, the producers felt that his character would be too over-the-top for viewers and planned to drop him after his debut, but early test screenings showed that he was popular with the audience. As a result, he was effectively “written back in” to the series.
Not only has he worked and consulted in the research and development division for toy companies and made several short films, but Adam has also acted in several films and commercials—including a Charmin ad, in which he played Mr. Whipple’s stock boy, and a Billy Joel music video, “Second Wind,” in which he drowns.
He has also appeared in films including The Fan and Fat Man and Little Boy. In the early 1990s, he had a recurring role as Lieutenant Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He reprised the role for Star Trek: Voyager and the film Star Trek: First Contact. Dwight is known for his voice talent, with his voice credits include numerous popular video games and cartoons. He is the host of a conservative talk radio podcast called Howling Mad Radio.
Today, in addition to co-hosting Discovery Channel’s MythBusters, Adam teaches advanced model making, most recently in the industrial design department at the San Francisco Academy of Art. Somehow he also finds time to devote to his own art—his sculptures have been showcased in over forty shows in San Francisco, New York and Charleston, W.Va.
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Randal L. Schwartz
Steve Scott You have seen the work of Smallville artist Steve Scott if you are a fan of the hit TV show. Although some of you may be discovering him for the first time through the magic of television, others have known about his work for quite some time via his sequential print illustrations at Malibu Comics and his wildly popular stint on Razor for London Night, as well as New Warriors for Marvel and Hourman and JLA for DC Comics.
Randal L. Schwartz is a renowned expert on the Perl programming language, having contributed to a dozen top-selling books on the subject, and over 250 magazine articles. Schwartz runs a Perl and Smalltalk training and consulting company, Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc., and is a highly sought-after speaker for his masterful stage combination of technical skill, comedic timing, and crowd rapport. Randal is infamous amongst the System Administration community for his arguable 1995 criminal conviction while performing activities for the Intel Corporation, and publicly advocates for appropriate computer crime laws. His presentation about the landmark case, titled “Just Another Convicted Perl Hacker”, has inspired action for computer professionals and lobbyists at computer conferences all over the world.
Steve’s work began to appear in the pages of DC Comics’ Shadowpact, The Creeper, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, and Checkmate. Recent and current projects at Marvel Comics, and DC Comics include working with industry legends Louise Simonson and Chris Claremont on the titles Magik and Exiles, the Marvel Adventures line featuring Fantastic Four, Avengers, and the Hulk, work on She-Hulk, and a Kyle XY one shot for Disney/ABC with writer Jeff Parker. In other words, he’s busy making comics, which is a good thing for his ever growing number of fans.
Tracy Scoggins Tracy is well-known for her lead role as Captain Elizabeth Lochley, a career military officer, in the award-winning international hit series Babylon 5. Her feature film credits include Dangerous Toys with Bentley Mitchum, Dead Space with Billy Dee Williams, Toy Soldiers with Tim Robbins, Watchers (the film adaptation of Dean Koontz’ best seller), the lead role of Evelyn opposite Maxwell Caulfield in Dangerous Company, and Timebomb co-starring Michael Biehn and Patsy Kensit.
Scott C. Scott C. is a multi-talented writer and actor who, as far as scientists have been able to determine, has no last name. After witnessing Widgett Walls in all his psychotic glory at Dragon*Con, Scott C. investigated Widge’s Internet home, Needcoffee.com. Stifled by the bureaucratic mendacity of the powerful and evil government agency where he works, Scott found that Needcoffee was the perfect place to perfect his talent of freeform malevolence. He has since become a full-time caustic reviewer of DVDs and other media and explores his loves of naughty torture and cuddly animals. Not torturing cuddly animals. He is also a founding member of Curious Echo Radio Theater, Tallahassee’s premiere audio performing troupe. Scott’s contributions include writing and performing at the eldritch NecronomiCon in 2004 and portraying Dr. Kenneth Denton in Curious Echo’s latest CD release, Beware the Moon Wraith: The Orb of Phoebe.
Tracy’s passion for languages, the arts and travel are a balancing counterpoint to her continuing commitment to physical fitness and to acting. Most recently Tracy has starred in the Babylon 5 TV movies River of Souls and A Call to Arms, the Canadian TV series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, and reprised her role as Captain Lochley in the Babylon 5 spinoff series, Crusade.
Stephen H. Segal
Eugenie C. Scott
Stephen H. Segal is the editorial and creative director of Weird Tales, the world’s oldest magazine of fantastic literature. He also designs book covers for the award-winning fantasy/SF imprints Juno Books and Prime Books, and serves on the executive board of the Interstitial Arts Foundation.
Eugenie C. Scott has been since 1987 the Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc., a pro-evolution nonprofit science education organization with members in every state. She holds a PhD in biological anthropology from the University of Missouri. She also holds the University of California-San Francisco’s highest honor, the University Medal.
He has previously been an editor at In Pittsburgh Weekly and WQED’s Pittsburgh Magazine, a publication designer for Carnegie Mellon University, and a writer for the Philadelphia Weekly.
Scott is listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of Sigma Xi. She has been honored by scientists, educators, and advocates of church and state separation. From her fellow scientists she has received the AAAS Award for scientific Freedom and Responsibility, the National Science Board’s Public Service Award, among others. Public interest groups have honored her with the Isaac Asimov Science Award from the American Humanist Association, the Defense of Science Award from the Center for Inquiry, the Skeptics Society James Randi Award, and the Hugh H. Hefner First Amendment Award.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Tony Shasteen Tony Shasteen is currently illustrating Image Comic’ Occult Crimes Taskforce (the O.C.T.), co-created by David Atchison and Rosario Dawson. Tony has been an illustrator since 1995. His work has been seen in publications such as Playboy, Communication Arts, Spectrum, and The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. Most recently, his clients have included Coca-Cola, BellSouth, IBM, Siemens, NASCAR, Hasbro, Shadowrun, Business Week, Ten Speed Publishing, Picador Publishing, Realms of Fantasy, Boom Studios, Markosia Comics, Virgin, and Image Comics.
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William Shatner
Seth Shostak
William Alan Shatner is an actor and novelist who gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk, captain of the starship USS Enterprise, in the television series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969, Star Trek: The Animated Series, and in seven of the subsequent Star Trek feature films. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk and being a part of Star Trek as well as several co-written novels set in the Star Trek universe. He has also authored a series of science fiction novels called TekWar that were adapted for television. His distinctive voice and cadence have been the subject of many imitations, spoofs, and parodies—all contributing to his status as a pop icon. In addition to being an Emmy Award-winning actor, he has also written numerous books, directed several projects, and even recorded a few albums.
Seth is a Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. Seth has conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published papers in professional journals. He worked at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute in Groningen, The Netherlands, using the Westerbork Radio Synthesis Telescope. He also founded and ran a company producing computer animation for TV. Seth has recently been seen and/or heard on Discovery Channel, Learning Channel, History Channel, the BBC, Nightline, The O’Reilly Factor, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Coast to Coast AM, NPR, CNN News, and National Geographic Television. He is the host of the weekly radio program on astrobiology entitled Are We Alone? Seth’s first tome, Sharing the Universe: Perspectives on Extraterrestrial Life, appeared in March 1998, followed by Cosmic Company. He has also coauthored an astrobiology text, Life in the Universe, and his latest book is Confessions of an Alien Hunter. In 2004, he won the Klumpke-Roberts Prize. Seth was science advisor for The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Shatner also played the title veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker from 1982 to 1986. He has since worked as a musician, bestselling author, producer, director, and celebrity pitchman, most recently as the “Negotiator” for the Priceline.com travel website. From 2004 to 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane on the television drama Boston Legal, for which he has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 2008, he relaunched his online video blogs on YouTube in a project aptly TheThe attempt will be onAs Sunday, 6, 2009 7:00ofPM! named Shatner Project. of 2009,September Shatner stars as theatvoice Don Salmonella Gavone on the animated series The Gavones.
Don’t Miss Our World Record Attempt for Most Dancers to Thriller!
Scott Sigler New York Times bestselling novelist Scott Sigler is the author of Infected and Contagious, major hardcover thrillers from Crown Publishing. Before he was published, he built a large online following by giving away his self-recorded audiobooks as free, serialized podcasts. His fans have downloaded over seven million individual episodes of his stories.
Sean H. Shaw Sean Shaw entered the funnybook field in the mid-1990s with titles such as Captain Satan and his creator-owned title, Wicked, at small press publisher Millennium. He also had stories in Penthouse Comix and Penthouse Max. His work quickly came to the notice of Wildstorm, where he did a pair of Gen 13 Bootleg issues and a Vampirella/ Wetworks one shot. At Avatar, Shaw has done a number of covers and interior stories, including Avengelyne, Shi, The Cavewoman Color Special, Razor, and Jungle Fantasy.
His podcast novel, Ancestor, drew 30,000 listeners and saw 700,000 episodes downloaded by fans. The buzz caused Sirius Satellite Radio to pick up the novel, making it the first audiobook serialized on the satellite network. Scott’s use of technology puts him at the forefront of modern-day publishing, and has garnered brand-name exposure among hundreds of thousands of fiction fans and technology buffs
Sean has recently done covers for Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales, Return to Wonderland, and Sinbad. He is working on new covers for Warren Ellis’s Anna Mercury from Avatar Press.
Hildy Silverman Hildy Silverman took over the reins as publisher of Space and Time Magazine from its founder, Gordon Linzner, in early 2007. She works both sides of the field as an editor and an author. She has had several short stories published, including “Play Misty for Me” in The Adventures of Mist and Vale; “Picky” in Dark Territories; “The Darren” in Witch Way to the Mall; and “Damned Inspiration” in Bad-Ass Faeries.
Josepha Sherman Josepha Sherman is a science fiction and fantasy writer, editor, storyteller, and folklorist who has written everything from Star Trek novels to folklore titles. Among her books are Son of Darkness, Mythology For Storytellers, and (proving that she can write horror) a biography of Bill Gates. In addition, she owns and operates Sherman Editorial Services, which does everything from writing and editing to PR and design. When time and finances allow, Sherman loves to travel, preferably by plane. She also knows horse whispering, and has had a new foal fall asleep on her foot.
Hildy is a member of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, for which she serves as co-chair of guest programming. She is a member of the Philcon literary programming committee and a member of the Garden State Horror Writers. When not reading, editing, or writing speculative fiction, she writes and edits for businesses, creating corporate training, marketing communications materials, and search-engine-optimized articles for Web sites.
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Bradley H. Sinor
Helen Slater
Bradley H. Sinor has seen his short stories published in numerous anthologies, such as Dracula In London; Bubbas of the Apocalypse; Haunted Holidays; On Crusade; Gateways; Small Bites; Places to Be, People to Kill; All Hell Breaking Loose; Space Cadets; Houston: We’ve Got Bubbas!; The Grantville Gazette; and Ring of Fire 2.
Helen Slater’s career has encompassed motion pictures, television, music, and the legitimate stage. Upon graduating from the famed High School of Performing Arts, her debut film performance, opposite Faye Dunaway and Peter O’Toole in Supergirl, won praise from the most cynical of critics and launched her performing career. She went on to star in such films as Ruthless People, The Secret of My Success, City Slickers, Sticky Fingers, and The Steal, among others. She was in Seeing Other People, and appeared on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
Three collections of his short fiction have been released by Yard Dog Press: Dark and Stormy Nights; In the Shadows; and Playing With Secrets (which also features two stories by his wife Sue Sinor). His newest collection of stories, Echoes From the Darkness, appeared this year from Arctic Wolf Press. He has also seen his non-fiction appear in a variety of magazines and anthologies. His latest essays can be found in Stepping Through the Stargate, The Cherryh Odyssey, and House Unauthorized.
Her credits also include Lifetime’s Wasting Away, the Fox original movie 12:01, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Life Estates with Gena Rowlands, and Toothless with Kirstie Alley. She was a part of Showtime’s guided improvisational films Chantilly Lace and Parallel Lives, and guest-starred on such series as Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, Dream On, Michael Hayes, and Will and Grace.
Susan Sizemore New York Times bestselling author Susan Sizemore is the author of the Laws of the Blood urban fantasy series from Ace and the Primes paranormal romance series from Pocket. She has written numerous fantasy and science fiction short stories. She lives in the Midwest, is owned by a dog, knits and watches anime as hobbies.
Dave Slusher Dave Slusher hosted the science fiction radio talk show Reality Break from 1992 to 1998. It began on Atlanta’s own WREK-FM, and eventually spread to national syndication. In those years, he conducted over 200 interviews with authors, artists, actors, musicians, scholars, and others from the fields of the fantastic. The emphasis was always on the written word in science fiction and fantasy, with side trips out into the worlds of comic books, film, audio drama, mystery, and more. If it had a sense of wonder, it was fair game for Reality Break.
Sket One Sket One is a visual artist with an old school urban background. A Connecticut-based graffiti artist and founder of the Bode Jam, Sket One has designed toys for such toymaker heavyweights as Kaching Brands, MINDstyle, Kidrobot, Wheaty Wheat, Red Magic, Circus Punks, and more.
With his personal podcast Evil Genius Chronicles starting in August 2004, he was one of of the first dozen podcasters. In 2008, Slusher Reality Break in podcast form. This series is a mix of interviews from the archives with notables such as Will Eisner and Robert Jordan, and with current practitioners of the form like Tobias Buckell and Mur Lafferty.
Sket One is also published online in the legendary graffiti archive artcrimes, and has designed for such companies as: Universal Records, EMI, Graffiti TV, Sedgwick & Cedar, and Monkey Skateboards. While now working as an art director for one of the leading sports marketing agencies in the world, Sket One still maintains his passion for being an artist, toy designer, and graffiti writer.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Fr. Bryan Small
Jennifer St. Giles
Fr. Bryan Small is an Atlanta native and Catholic Chaplain at Emory as well as an adjunct faculty member. He graduated from St. Meinrad College with a degree in psychology. Between 1998 and 2002 he attended St. Vincent’s Seminary, where he earned an M.A. in Systematic Theology and an M.Div. While the stereotypical image of the clergy has them casting science fiction and fantasy in a negative light, Fr. Bryan has always used the stories and images presented throughout the various genres as a means of expressing humanistic values and as a bridge to a better understanding of the language of faith.
USA Today bestselling author, Jennifer St. Giles writes Contemporary Paranormal fiction for Pocket Books and Gothic-Paranormal Historicals for Berkley Publishing. A former nurse and a homeschooling mother of three, Jennifer has won a number of awards for writing excellence, including two National Reader’s Choice Awards, two Maggie Awards, the Daphne du Maurier Award, Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, and RT Book Club’s Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Historical Gothic/Mystery of 2006. Her published books include The Mistress of Trevelyan, His Dark Desires, Midnight Secrets, Touch A Dark Wolf, Darkest Dreams, The Lure of the Wolf, Silken Shadows, Kiss of Darkness, and Bride of Wolf Book #4.
Alison Michelle Smith Alison Smith is a retired private investigator, founder of Skeptical Analysis of the Paranormal Society, and research assistant for the James Randi Educational Foundation, where she negotiates protocols for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge.
Michael Stackpole Michael A. Stackpole is an award-winning novelist, editor, game designer, computer game designer, graphic novelist, screenwriter, and podcaster. His forty-plus novels include the New York Times bestselling I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron, and over a dozen BattleTech novels.
Her work with SAPS has included presentations for the North Texas Skeptics, the DFW Ghost Hunters, the JREF’s Amaz!ng Meeting, and Dragon*Con. She has also been published in eSkeptic, the JREF newsletter, the newsletter of the Secular Student Alliance, and has been interviewed on the Skepticality podcast, the Amateur Scientist podcast, and the Darkness on the Edge of Town paranormal radio show, amongst others.
John C. Snider is the editor of the long-running online science fiction magazine www.SciFiDimensions.com, published since February 2000. He’s also the host of the SciFiDimensions podcast and co-host of the skeptic-oriented American Freethought podcast. His non-fiction work has appeared in such diverse publications as Skeptic, Secular Nation, Philosophy Now, Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest, and INsite Atlanta.
His career begin in 1978 with the publication of City of Terrors from Flying Buffalo, Inc. He was inducted into the Academy of Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame in 1993. In gaming circles he is best known for his work in the BattleTech franchise and for his defense of gaming against the Religious Right back in the 1980s and 90s. His report on the subject, The Pulling Report, is available on the ‘Net and is widely read by those who find themselves under suspicion because they enjoy gaming.
Dana Snyder
Cat Staggs
John C. Snider
Cat Staggs joined the Star Wars/Lucasfilm family in 2004, and illustrated over 130 cards for the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith card set for Topps. The highly collectible artist’s sketch cards brought Staggs into the forefront of Star Wars fandom. Cat has also contributed drawing tutorials and Halloween masks articles to the kid’s section, and illustrated short fiction for StarWars.com. Not content to only play in that galaxy far, far away, Cat’s work has also been featured on The Lord of the Rings Evolution and Masterpieces card sets, and three sets featuring Indiana Jones for Topps. Further cementing her reputation among collectors and fellow artists, Cat’s distinctive work can also be seen on Rittenhouse Archives’ Complete Marvel Avengers, X-Men Archives, and DC Legacy card sets, as well as The World’s Finest VS trading card game for Upperdeck.
Dana Snyder is perhaps best known for providing the voice of Master Shake on Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and has also provided voices to characters in other Adult Swim shows. He is also the voice of Todd and Benny Lee on the G4TV show Code Monkeys, Gazpacho on the show Chowder, and “Granny” Cuyler on the Adult Swim show Squidbillies. He has also occasionally voiced the Alchemist on The Venture Bros. He has had supporting roles in the TV series ER and Brothers & Sisters. He co-hosts the award winning Ken P.D. Snydecast with Ken Plume, which is produced out of Kevin Smith’s Quick Stop Entertainment. The podcast is full of non-sequitur social and cultural commentary that often side-tracks into autobiographical diatribes which usually revolve around some imagined skill, talent, or knowledge that one of the hosts claims to possess. This leads to further debate between the two, leading to a hateful argument, usually resulting in Dana hurling abuse and misguided, but hilarious rants in Ken’s general direction.
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Rev. Ivan Stang
Jeanne C. Stein
Rev. Ivan Stang is the creator of the satirical Church of the SubGenius, which counts among its ordained ministers many celebrities, including the late Robert Anton Wilson, Bruce Campbell, Jonathan Demme, David Byrne, Robert Crumb, the late Dr. Timothy Leary, Nancy Collins, the bands Sublime and GWAR, and roughly 40,000 much less well-known people. On the Internet, the SubGenius newsgroup alt.slack is a very highvolume Usenet forum. The SubGenius website gets 25,000 visits on a good day. It is one of the largest websites on the ‘Net due to the long history of contributions, and detailed reports and videos of Church events. When Stang preaches, he brings props and a DVD created to go with SubGenius subject matter. Stang has not had to have a “real” job since the early 1990s.
Jeanne Stein’s first novel, The Becoming, was a Barnes & Noble national bestseller. Others in the Anna Strong series include Blood Drive, Watcher, and Legacy. Next up, the fifth in the Anna Strong Chronicles, tentatively titled Retribution, to be released in the fall of 2009. She has a story in an anthology titled Many Bloody Returns, and her short story, “Better Lucky Than Good”, appeared in the anthology At The Scene of the Crime. Jeanne is active in the writing community, belonging to Sisters in Crime both nationally and in San Diego and LA. She also belongs to Horror Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She was just named RMFW’s Writer of the Year for 2008, an honor given to a writer who has contributed to the organization as well as achieved success in publication.
Toni Stauffer
Aimee Major Steinberger
Toni Stauffer began her writing career when she joined the Flashshot mailing list, the creation of the infamous G.W. Thomas, back in 2002. She learned to write flash fiction from the list, and later began writing longer stories. Her work has appeared in various horror anthologies and online publications. She is working on completing her first novel and a collection of her flash fiction.
Aimee Major Steinberger is the creator of the illustrated books Cosplay Ai and Japan Ai, A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan from Go!Comi. She is an animator who has worked on The Simpsons, Futurama, Phineas and Ferb, Pink Panther 2, Sit Down and Shut Up, and many other projects. She’s currently Assistant Director on the new season of Futurama. She also writes for Shojo Beat Magazine and the Gothic & Lolita Bible.
Ken Steacy
Brian Stelfreeze
Ken Steacy is a Canadian Air Force brat who decided to become a professional comic book artist. He realized this dream in 1974 with the publication in Orb magazine of “Super Student,” a two-page strip that he wrote, penciled, inked, and lettered. Ken has written and illustrated the exploits of practically every popular character you could name, including Astro Boy, Batman, Superman, Spider-man, and the X-Men. His four major works in print are The Sacred & the Profane, Night and the Enemy, Megapowers, and Tempus Fugitive. Ken created, produced, directed, and illustrated The Awesome Adventures of Victor Vector & Yondo, an interactive edutainment CD-ROM series for kids. He has worked for many years with Lucasfilm, producing stories and computer-rendered illustrations for Star Wars books and prints. Chronicle Books has published Brightwork, which Ken wrote, designed, and art directed. He also produced all of the artwork for the Space Place gallery at Edmonton’s TELUS World of Science, and painted World of Warcraft, Marvel Masterpieces, and Indiana Jones gaming cards.
Brian Stelfreeze has the distinction of painting over fifty consecutive Batman: Shadow of the Bat covers. His other covers for DC, Marvel, and various other publishers are beyond the ability of most people to count. He has, over the last few years, turned his attention to interiors, turning out books like Matador (with Devin Grayson), Gun Candy, The Ride: Die Valkyrie!, and Domino. His work has been seen in numerous X-Men and Batman books, as well as The Midnighter for Wildstorm and Angelus for Top Cow. Soon, he’ll be out there again with the “Demon/ Catwoman” feature in Wednesday Comics, as well as Jonah Hex.
Rick Sternbach
Rick Sternbach has been a space and science fiction artist since the early 1970s, often combining both interests in a project. His clients include NASA, Sky and Telescope, Data Products, Random House, Smithsonian, Analog, Astronomy, The Planetary Society, and Time-Life Books. With the rebirth of Star Trek, beginning with The Next Generation, Rick was one of the first employees hired to update the ‘Trek universe. He created new spacecraft, tricorders, phasers, and hundreds of other props and set pieces. Using pencil, pen, and computer, Rick added Deep Space Nine and Voyager to his spacecraft inventory, and kept his hand in real space design with Voyager’s Ares IV Mars orbiter. Rick contributed graphic designs for the recent Star Trek: Nemesis feature film. He also provided computer playback graphics and animation elements for Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris.
Kim Steadman Kim received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. Her first job at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was as a Systems Engineer on the X2000 Integrated First Delivery, a technology project whose goal was to develop the nucleus for control, communications, and monitoring of a spacecraft. After X2000, Kim became a Mission Planning Engineer for the CassiniHuygens Mission to Saturn. She also worked for six months on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, validating communication window timing using DSN coverage requests and generating data rate capability requests and data volume summaries prior to EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing). Currently, Kim is a Science Planning Engineer on Cassini-Huygens, where her job consists of integrating the science and engineering activities for Titan flybys and leading implementation of sequences. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Paul Stevens
Karl Story
Paul Stevens is an Editor with Tom Doherty Associates. He acquires a wide range of books, including science fiction and fantasy, for Tor Books. Some of his recent books are Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe, and Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez.
Karl Story inks, and inks, and inks, and that makes him one of the most sought-after inkers in comics. He’s carved out a vast body of work on Nightwing, Batman, Star Trek, Aliens Vs. Predator, X-Men, and Tom Strong, among many others.
Patrick Stewart
Over the last few years, he’s put his ink-stained hands on Terra Obscura, Ocean, The American Way, Ex Machina, Number of the Beast, and DC’s Decisions. And check out his latest stuff on Tom Strong, Ultimate X-Men, and Uncanny X-Men. Put ‘em on the glass, Karl!
In 1987, Stewart went to Los Angeles to star in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 1991, Stewart performed his stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol. He later starred in a TV-movie version of A Christmas Carol, receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
William Stout
He has played a range of characters, from the flamboyantly gay Sterling in the 1995 film Jeffrey, to King Henry II in The Lion in Winter. He portrayed Captain Ahab in the TV-movie version of Moby Dick. In 2003, Stewart appeared on Frasier as a gay Seattle socialite who mistakes Frasier for a potential lover. He has played a recurring role on American Dad, as well as making guest appearances on Family Guy.
In 1971, William Stout began to assist Russ Manning on the Tarzan of the Apes newspaper strips and graphic novels. He joined Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder on Little Annie Fanny for Playboy in 1972. Bantam Books published Stout’s masterwork The New Dinosaurs, followed by Ray Bradbury’s Dinosaur Tales and The Little Blue Brontosaurus (the basis for The Land Before Time). Buck Rogers (1978) saw the beginning of his film career. He has worked on over thirty-five films, including both Conan films, First Blood, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Return of the Living Dead made Stout the youngest production designer in film history. He designed the Predator and the big bug in Men In Black. His work for Pan’s Labyrinth and The Prestige helped garner those films three Academy Award nominations (winning two for Pan’s Labyrinth). He is slated to work on Guillermo del Toro’s At The Mountains of Madness and Frank Darabont’s Fahrenheit 451.
Stewart has also starred in X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand as Charles Xavier. He has also voiced the role in video games. In 2009, Stewart appeared alongside fellow X-Men star, Ian McKellen, in Waiting for Godot.
Maggie Stiefvater All of Maggie’s life decisions have revolved around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you’re a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she’s tried), but are highly prized traits in authors, musicians, and artists (she’s made her living as every one of these since she was twenty-two).
Gillian Summers Gillian Summers is the writing duo of Berta Platas and Michelle Roper. Roper’s whimsical and hilarious Southern tales have appeared in Belle Book anthologies. The Faire Folk trilogies allow her to unleash her wacky sense of humor on the unsuspecting populace. She is currently working on a middle grades fantasy about extreme gaming. Three more Keelie Heartwood books are slated. Berta and Michelle are busily writing the fourth.
Since her debut novel, Lament, was released in October of 2008, it has garnered three star reviews and acclaim from several bestselling and award-winning authors, including Richelle Mead, Tamora Pierce, and Cynthia Leitich Smith.
Laurie S. Sutton
S. M. Stirling
As an editor, Laurie S. Sutton began her career at DC Comics working with Mike Grell on Warlord, as well as with Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen on Legion of Superheroes, with Jan Duursema on Arion: Lord of Atlantis, and with Roy Thomas on Arak: Son of Thunder. She then moved on to Marvel, where she worked with the legendary Archie Goodwin on Epic Illustrated magazine and was one of the three founding editors of Epic Comics.
Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. His novels are generally conflict-driven and often describe military situations and militaristic cultures. In addition to his books’ military, adventure, and exploration focus, he often describes societies with cultural values significantly different from modern Western views. One of his recurring topics is the influence of the culture on an individual’s outlook and values, with a particular emphasis on the idea that most people and societies consider themselves (mostly) moral. Stirling is best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels, and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket and Emberverse series. His novels Go Tell The Spartans and Prince of Sparta are set in Jerry Pournelle’s CoDominium future history.
As a writer, Laurie S. Sutton is known for her Star Trek comics, including Star Trek: Voyager for Marvel, Star Trek: Deep Space 9 for Malibu, and the original run of Star Trek comics for DC. She has also written sets of Star Trek trading. Her earliest works were writing Adam Strange for DC and stories for Eerie and Vampirella at Warren Publications.
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Kristy Swanson
Jonathan Tarbox
In 2006 Kristy Swanson glided into television screens across the country, appearing in the reality television show Skating with Celebrities. She paired with former Olympian Lloyd Eisler to take home the crown, as they defeated five other teams of celebrities and skating pros.
Jonathan Tarbox spent 14 years living and working in Japan. While working for NFL Japan, he was recruited to join the staff of Coamix Inc., the publisher of Weekly Comics Bunch, as the senior editor of their manga magazine for the North American market, Raijin Comics. He oversaw translation, design, and production for this weekly 200-page magazine, the first of its kind in North America. As Senior Editor for the full line of Raijin Comics, Jonathan managed a team of translators, writers, designers, and editors who produced trade paperbacks including Fist of the North Star, Slam Dunk, and City Hunter.
Kristy appeared in the 2000 film Dude, Where’s My Car. Previously, she costarred with Adam Sandler in the summer blockbuster comedy, Big Daddy. She is probably best known for her starring role in the feature film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The film remains a cult classic to this day, and was spun off into the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Anthony Taylor Anthony Taylor is a writer and producer with Proteus Media Group, as well as product development honcho for tin10 collectibles, which has line of merchandise for the classic Irwin Allen sci-fi shows. His most recent book is The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim, chronicling artist Mike Trim’s career designing models and special effects for Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and UFO, and illustrating the cover for Jeff Wayne’s musical War of the Worlds album.
Swanson landed small roles in two of John Hughes’ films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Pretty In Pink. She went on to star in Flowers in the Attic, Hot Shots, The Program, The Phantom, and Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag. Most recently she has appeared in episodes of Just Shoot Me, CSI: Miami, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
He’s currently working on several new non-fiction book titles, including The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen Archives, as well as an original graphic novel, and several film projects.
Cap P. Szumski
Sean Taylor
Having been in the tattoo trade as an apprentice since the age of 17, Cap Szumski has nurtured a career that has earned him a reputation worldwide for his realistic black and gray tattoo. Pulsatingly life-like photographic imaging is Cap’s calling card, but in addition, in a kind of dialectical process, he likes old-school tattoos as well. The old-school style gets tweaked under Cap’s needle, one notices, as he experiments with line variations and colors. Equally impressive is his religious iconography, such as a recent Christ child with Virgin Mary image.
Sean Taylor is the writer of Gene Simmons Dominatrix, and has written for Gene Simmons’ House of Horrors. He’s also writing the fantasy graphic novel Shan: Be My Hero, the upcoming miniseries Last Chance School for Girls, Jesse James in the Mayan Underworld, and the ongoing title The Veil. He’s the former editor-in-chief of Shooting Star Comics, where he edited the critically-acclaimed Children of the Grave comics series and edited and contributed to the fan favorite Shooting Star Comics anthology, and was creator and author of the Fishnet Angel: Jane Doe comic book miniseries He’s written and edited for the role-playing game industry as well, having contributed to the DCU Role Playing Game sourcebooks published by West End Games.
Tom Taggart Tom Taggart is a mixed media artist, working as a sculptor, illustrator, and designer. He has worked for DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Lucasfilm Arts. As well as doing many 3-D illustrations for book covers, Taggart has also built movie sets, props, and costumes. Currently Tom is working on a number of personal book projects and art prints.
Greg Theakston Greg Theakston is the publisher of Pure Imagination. He has also worked for all of the major comics publishers, and has written extensively on the topic of comic books. He also published The Betty Pages and Tease! magazine.
Dave Tango Dave Tango travels throughout the world investigating places said to be haunted. He is the youngest member of the Ghost Hunters team. He has been interested in the paranormal and ghosts since he was a little boy. He loves creating music and art, working out, photography, magic, and people.
Toy Baroness The Toy Baroness is Kidrobot’s promotions queen and event planner. It’s safe to say that if she isn’t at a party, she’s planning one. For the past five years she’s helped make sure that the world of vinyl keeps on smiling. At events and parties she’s the HBIC, and does her best to make sure everyone is taken care of and has a good time. Basically her job is to make people happy, which she thinks is pretty awesome.
One of his main goals in life is to educate people on the subject of Tourette Syndrome, which he has had since he was a little boy. He is always trying to raise funds for research. Dave has been an inspiration to many people, especially the young ones who can see that they can succeed in life despite having this affliction.
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Tiffany Trent
Wayne Vansant
Hailed by David Farland as “one of the best dark fantasy writers of our time,” Tiffany Trent is the award-winning creator and author of the young adult dark fantasy series, Hallowmere. In the Serpent’s Coils, the first book of the series, was named a BookSense Children’s Pick for Autumn 2007, and chosen as a “New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2008.” Her story “Blackwater Baby” was published in the critically-acclaimed young adult anthology Magic in the Mirrorstone. Tiffany was awarded the 2008 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress grant for her young adult dark fantasy based on Charles Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle.
For more than 20 years, beginning with Marvel’s The ‘Nam, Wayne Vansant has written and/or illustrated scores of comics and books on historical and military subjects. Covering conflicts including the American Civil War, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and even the Bay of Pigs, Vansant has researched and produced stories that are both textually and visually accurate. He has written and illustrated historical fiction, straight historical non-fiction, and adapted works such as Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. His first professional work appeared in Marvel’s Savage Tales in 1987. He recently completed illustrating a history of the Vietnam War, written by Jon Dwight Zimmerman.
Michael Trucco
He is currently working on a project that is very close to his heart, a threepart graphic novel series called Katusha: Girl Soldier of the Great Patriotic War.
Michael Trucco: resistance fighter, husband to Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica. A recurring role as Josh Hunter on Beverly Hills 90210 brought Michael the recognition he sought. He followed that role with two seasons as Lt. Tucker “Spoon” Henry on Pensacola: Wings of Gold starring James Brolin. Trucco has made guest appearances on numerous series, including One Tree Hill, CSI, and CSI: Miami. He recently played Jessica Biel’s boyfriend in the Sony/Revolution feature Next starring Nicolas Cage.
Denise Vasquez Denise Vasquez is a professional artist whose talents range from illustration to singing, playing the guitar, acting, dancing, and writing (music, short plays, poetry). Denise has performed in many theatrical productions, improv shows, educational films, TV (Law & Order, Saturday Night Live, MTV), feature films (Carlito’s Way, Jungle Fever), as well as dancing in music videos. Denise created WO+MEN 4 A CAUSE, which was the beginning of her career as a singer/songwriter. She has self-produced three albums and is currently working on her fourth. Denise is a five-time winner of the ASCAP PLUS performing songwriters award, has been listed on Music Connection Magazine’s Hot 100 Unsigned Artists list for six consecutive years. She recently completed 50 sketch cards for the Topps Star Wars Galaxy Red set (Exclusive for Target).
J. M. Tuffley J.M. Tuffley tends to write about pop culture for anyone who’s silly enough to take him on. Currently, that includes Needcoffee.com, where he contributes assorted news and rants, and co-moderates Dr. Winston O’Boogie’s Stereophonic Shangri-La (the site’s music forum). Tuff Diddy also runs his own media experiments on the aptly titled randomwerks.com.
Kate Vernon The Canadian native was the daughter of John Vernon, best known for his portrayal of Dean Wormer in Animal House (1978), and Nancy West, a former actress/model. After a 1984 guest spot on an episode of NBC’s Family Ties, there followed a part in the made-forTV movie, Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac. Around that time she also appeared on an episode of Remington Steele before winning her first regular role on Falcon Crest in the 1984-85 season. Soon after that first big brush with notoriety, many other TV and film roles followed, including Pretty in Pink (1986). Vernon continued to work steadily, making guest appearances on many TV series and movies.
Clifton Tunnell Cliff Tunnell is an attorney whose legal specialty is in the field of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Cliff graduated from Auburn University’s Electrical Engineering program, then attended law school at the University of Alabama. He is currently licensed to practice in law in Georgia and Alabama, and is also licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office as a registered patent attorney.
Lani John Tupu Multi-talented Lani John Tupu had two major roles in the prestigious Saturn Award-winning TV series Farscape. He was the cranky, unpredictable Captain Crais, and the voice of Pilot, the ship’s navigator. Lani is also in the international, critically-acclaimed Australian film Lantana, which won the AFI (Australian Film Institute) award for Best Australian Film of the year in 2001 and which picked up no less than seven major awards.
In 2005, she won the Battlestar Galactica role of Ellen Tigh, the alcoholic wife of second-in-command Colonel Tigh. Kate’s latest projects include the lead role in the Lifetime TV movie Last Chance Cafe.
Lani’s screen film credits include Lantana, The Punisher, and Liquid Bridge, and his television credits include Farscape, The Lost World, Green Sails, Tales of the South Seas, Flipper, Time Trax, Stingers, Police Rescue, and Tanker Incident, to name a few.
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Dexter Vines
Garrett Wang Dexter Vines is an American comic book artist and inker. He is most well-known for being one half of the “eDex” team, along with artist Ed McGuinness. Dexter is one of the comic industries’ most respected inkers, having worked on a multitude of titles for both Marvel and DC. Titles he has worked on include Marvel’s big 2007 summer event Civil War and Wolverine: Old Man Logan. For DC, he has worked on Superman/ Batman and JLA Classified.
Garrett Richard Wang graduated from Harding Academy High School in Memphis, Tennessee. He then moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA and study Asian culture. While there, he was encouraged by a professor to study theater. His work includes Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, Into the West (TV miniseries), Demon Island, Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force (video game), The Auteur Theory, Hundred Percent, Ivory Tower, Angry Cafe, Flesh Suitcase, and of course Star Trek: Voyager.
Jeffrey Joseph Wagg
Jean Marie Ward
Jeff Wagg is the Communication and Outreach Manager for the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). In his work with Randi and the JREF, Jeff has found himself bored in “haunted” hotels, baffled by so-called “psychics,” and bewildered by the public’s lack of basic science knowledge. Jeff lectures and writes for the blog Swift, and is the editor of the JREF’s quarterly newsletter. He also administers the $1,000,000 psychic challenge, and the Internet’s most popular Skeptics forum, at randi.org.
Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction, and everything in between. Her first novel, With Nine You Get Vanyr (written with the late Teri Smith), finaled in two categories of the 2008 Indie Book Awards. Here Be Dragons: Tales of DragonCon features one of her stories. Fantasy Art Templates, her latest nonfiction project, will be published in 2010. Other credits include editing the respected web magazine Crescent Blues for eight years, and bylines in periodicals as diverse as Science Fiction Weekly and Romance Writers Report. She is the author of Illumina: The Art of Jean Pierre Targete. Her story, “Most Dead Bodies in a Confined Space,” appears in the Prime Books anthology Strange Pleasures 2. Strange Pleasures 3 includes her flash fiction “First Stone.”
Doug Wagner Doug Wagner got his start writing Ultraforce for Malibu Comics. After he drove that company out of business, he went into hiding for awhile; now he’s back, writing books like The Ride, with artists Cully Hamner, Brian Stelfreeze, Jason Pearson, Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, and Dexter Vines; Gun Candy; and The Ride: Die Valkyrie!, both with artist Brian Stelfreeze. He has also written Hammer Sound for Zuda Comics. He shocks the noggin!
Graham Watkins Graham Watkins, a former researcher at J.B. Rhine’s parapsychology laboratory in Durham, North Carolina, published his first novel, Dark Winds, in 1989. Since then his works in the horror genre include The Fire Within (1991), Kaleidoscope Eyes (1993), the script for Hillbettys (Roger Corman, producer, not yet filmed), and numerous appearances in horror anthologies, especially the Hot Blood series. His most recent novels are Virus (1995) and Interception (1997), thrillers based on current Internet and computer technology. His works are available in six languages. He has expertise in the areas of parapsychology and cryptozoology.
Kelly O. Wallace Kelly Wallace is a partner at Wellborn, Wallace & Woodard, LLC, an Atlanta law firm with a strong emphasis and specialty in Internet law and litigation. He holds the current record for the two largest anti-spam judgments awarded in any U. S. court (over $12 billion combined), and has been lead counsel in numerous civil actions against spammers, scammers, and fraudsters on behalf of ISPs, Internet businesses, and individuals.
Rebecca Watson Rebecca keeps busy leading a team of skeptical female activists at Skepchick.org, co-hosting the weekly podcast The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe, hosting her public radio show Curiosity, Aroused, producing pin-up calendars, and attending rock shows. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where she works as a writer in order to fund her hardcore skepticism habit. There is currently an asteroid orbiting the sun with her name on it. She does nothing in moderation and hopes it shows.
Kelly’s publications include “Electronic Document Issues” and “Common Cybercrime Torts” (presented at the 2006 Atlanta Cybercrime Summit). With his law partner Pete Wellborn, he has coauthored and presented “Law of Commercial E-mail” (Georgia ICLE, 2008); “Internet Law: Nuts & Bolts” (Mercer Law Review, 2004); “Litigating the Computer Case” (Georgia ICLE, 2005); and “Marketing on the Internet”.
Widgett Walls Widgett Walls is the chief cook and bottle washer of Needcoffee.com, which won the 2006 Bloggie for Best Kept Secret Weblog. He has served in this position since the site’s creation in 1998. He also worked as an editor, content creator, and janitor for the now defunct Corona’s Coming Attractions from 1997 to 2001. He has managed to publish two books over the objections of authorities, the straight fiction novel Mystics on the Road to Vanishing Point and the dark fantasy short story collection Magnificent Desolation. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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The New York Times bestselling series continues….
BRIAN HERBERT AND KEVIN J. ANDERSON
Paul has walked off into the sand, blind, and is presumed dead. Jessica and Gurney are on Caladan; Alia is trying to hold the Imperial government together with Duncan; Mohiam is dead at the hands of Stilgar; Irulan remains imprisoned. Paul’s former friend, Bronso of Ix, now seems to be leading opposition against the House of Atreides. Once again, Herbert and Anderson have expanded Frank Herbert’s ideas, giving life to these exciting characters and an adventure full of wonder. “Satisfying.... Fans of the original Dune series will love seeing familiar characters, and the narrative voice smoothly evokes the elder Herbert’s style.” —Publishers Weekly s (ARDCOVER Get the latest from Tor by signing up for our free monthly newsletter! www.tor-forge.com/newsletter
Now In Paperback Paul of Dune 978-0-7653-5150-0 Paperback
Discover the untold story of how Paul Muad’Dib created his empire in the time between Dune and Dune Messiah.
Toni Weisskopf
Chris Wiese
Toni Weisskopf succeeded Jim Baen as publisher of Baen Books, a leading publisher of science fiction and fantasy, in 2006. She has worked with such authors as David Weber, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, Eric Flint, Wen Spencer, and many others. For Baen she’s edited three original hard science fiction anthologies: Cosmic Stories: Adventures in Sol System, Cosmic Stories: Adventures in Far Futures, and most recently Transhuman, with science fiction author Mark L. Van Name.
Chris Wiese is a managing partner at Holistic Design, Inc. (HDI) and developer for the Noble Armada, Carnage, and Fantasy Encounters game lines. He has authored or coauthored many of HDI’s game titles. Game designer, artist, writer, and business owner/operator, Chris brings a vision for taking games from concept to finished product. He is in charge of production, marketing, sales, and licensing for HDI’s Fading Suns, Real Life Roleplaying, and all of the company’s miniatures games. His background includes service to the Game Manufacturing Association (GAMA) at different times as board member, as vice-president, and as president. Chris has experience as a commercial artist, art/advertising/ print production director, and–because he isn’t busy enough with HDI– has recently opened a small resort on a tropical island in Belize.
Weisskopf is a graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in anthropology. The widow of Southern fan and swordmaster Hank Reinhardt, she is the mother of a delightful seventeen-year old daughter, and is possessed by a truly devilish little dog and a fat and lazy cat who styles himself a “rare white mini-puma.”
Eric Wight
Byron Werner
Eric Wight is the author and illustrator of Frankie Pickle, a new chapter book series published by Simon & Schuster. Prior to that, he was an animator for almost ten years for such companies as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, and Cartoon Network. Wight’s comic book adaptation of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay garnered both the Harvey and the Eisner Awards for Best Anthology, as well as the Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer, and his debut graphic novel My Dead Girlfriend was listed among the 2008 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by YALSA. His artwork has also been prominently featured on such television series as The OC and Six Feet Under.
Byron Werner has established himself in three major fields: Film, Art, and Music. Joining art school friends in 1977, Byron found himself working in the rotoscope department on a little film called STAR WARS. This was the beginning of a twenty-eight year stint in the Animation/Special Effects field in Hollywood. Some of the films he was involved with include Tron, Buckaroo Bonzai, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Titanic, and many others. He has been doing comix (Bob’s Favorite Comics, Anarchy Comics, and Cocaine Comics) and painting “found” statues (his two painted goddess statues have stood in the lobby of LA’s Nuart Theater since 1981). He evolved a kind of psychedelic folk art style of paper mosaic using holepunched gift wrap. His “mandalas” spin and sparkle with many colors, often changing color with the angle of viewing. He also does portraits of musicians, sci-fi writers, and psychedelic pioineers. Their wild color schemes and varying approaches make them highly unusual, indeed.
Greg Williams Greg “Dark One” Williams is a comic book artist who has published over 30 books, and is best known for creating Animal Mystic. Greg has been published by Cry For Dawn, Sirius Entertainment, Neko Press, Comic Images, Dynamic Forces, London Night Studios, Peregrine Z, and in Heavy Metal, to name a few. He has also worked on Lady Death and Razor. Greg recently started a new company called Void Comics.
Mark I. West Mark I. West has published numerous books and articles, many of which relate to fantasy literature. His books include The Japanification of Children’s Popular Culture: From Godzilla to Miyazaki; A Children’s Literature Tour of Great Britain; Psychoanalytic Responses to Children’s Literature; Wellsprings of Imagination: The Homes of Children’s Authors; Roald Dahl; Trust Your Children: Voices Against Censorship in Children’s Literature; Children, Culture, and Controversy; A Wondrous Menagerie: Animal Fantasy Stories from American Children’s Literature; and Before Oz: Juvenile Fantasy Stories from Nineteenth-Century America.
His published works include Animal Mystic, Water Wars, Klor, Safety Belt Man, (Matt Kimball’s) Brutal Planet, Heavy Metal, Scriptures Of The Third Eye, Lady Death, Razor, and Paleo Pirate.
Walter Jon Williams Walter Jon Williams is the author of twenty-seven novels and three collections of short fiction. After an early career as a historical novelist, he switched to science fiction. His first novel to attract serious public attention was Hardwired. In 2001 he won a Nebula Award for his novelette, “Daddy’s World,” and won again in 2005 for “The Green Leopard Plague.” A recent novel is the far-future novel Implied Spaces, which features fantasy tropes, poetry, speculations about machine intelligence, the fate of mankind, and the origins of the universe.
M. B. Weston Award-winning author M. B. Weston is one of the fantasy genre’s new, emerging voices. The Elysian Chronicles, her fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. The Elysian Chronicles is also being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with M. B. Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist Adam Black doing the art. She is also a radio talk show host for The Final Cut in Movies, the show that puts science fiction and fantasy movies center stage; and with Ad Astra Radio, an internet science fiction and fantasy talk radio station. The Final Cut in Movies can also be downloaded as a podcast at M. B. Weston’s Podcast site, or on iTune. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
His latest work is This Is Not a Game, a near-future thriller set in the world of alternate reality gaming. It was released in March 2009. Walter has also written for the screen and for television, and has worked in the gaming field. He was a writer for the alternate reality game Last Call Poker in 2005, and scripted the recent mega-hit Spore.
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Michael Z. Williamson
Gene Wolfe
Michael Z. Williamson is a science fiction and fantasy author, an immigrant from the U. K. and Canada, and a 24-year veteran of the US Army, U. S. Air Force, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a competitive shooter, a bladesmith, and an aficionado of fine Scotch. He writes, smiths, provides props for stage and screen, receives products to test and review, and sometimes gets to keep them.
Gene Wolfe began writing in 1957, hoping to make enough money to buy new furniture. His first sale was “The Other Dead Man,” to Sir Magazine. He has written The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch, The Urth of the New Sun, The Castle of the Otter, Nightside the Long Sun, Lake of the Long Sun, Calde of the Long Sun, Exodus From the Long Sun, On Blue’s Waters, In Green’s Jungles, Return to the Whorl, There Are Doors, Peace, The Fifth Head of Cerberus, Castleview, Soldier of the Mist, Soldier of Arete, Soldier of Sidon, Pirate Freedom, An Evil Guest, and various other titles. He has won two Nebulas and four World Fantasy Awards, including one for lifetime achievement, the British Science Fiction Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Prix Apollo, and others. He is in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
He believes he has just about the coolest job in the world. His novels include Freehold, The Weapon, Better to Beg Forgiveness..., Contact with Chaos, The Hero (with John Ringo), a contemporary trilogy of snipers hunting terrorists, and some works in progress. His other writings include technical and satirical commentary on firearms, tactical gear, the manly way to cook meat, and why all politicians are idiots.
C. L. Wilson C. L. Wilson is an award winning New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author of a cross-genre series that combines sword and sorcery fantasy with romance. Her first novel, Lord of the Fading Lands, debuted on the USA Today bestseller list in October 2007, and each subsequent book in her Tairen Souls series has gone on to hit the New York Times list. She was voted by the members of ParaNormal Romance as the best debut author of 2007, and by LifetimeTV’s Michelle Buonfiglio as the best paranormal debut novelist of 2007. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Science Fiction Writers of America, and currently serves on the Board of her local RWA chapter, Tampa Area Romance Authors.
Matthew Wood Matthew Wood has been bringing digital technology to the forefront of filmmaking for over nineteen years. He was invited to join Lucasfilm in 1990. He was the Supervising Sound Assistant on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles from 1992-1994. His crew won an Emmy Award in 1993. Working at Skywalker Sound in between Star Wars films, Matthew supervised the animated film Titan A.E. As the Supervising Sound Editor for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Matthew continued to create and oversee the use of completely new technology. Adding to his acting roles of Bib Fortuna and Ody Mandrell in Episode I and the voices of Magaloof and Seboca in Episode II, in Episode III Matthew landed the role of the voice of General Grievous.
Grant Wilson Grant Wilson has been investigating the paranormal for over 18 years. The last five have been on TV on the show Ghost Hunters. He is also a composer of music for the piano and guitar. He works with Jason Hawes, and together they lecture at colleges, have authored a New York Timesbest selling book, Ghost Hunting, and have another on the way, and they created the TAPS Paramagazine.
Renee Witterstaetter Writer, editor, color artist, agent, and publisher Renee Witterstaetter began her career working on Superman at DC Comics, and Silver Surfer, Conan The Barbarian, and Conan Saga at Marvel, then went on to spearhead the reintroduction of She-Hulk at Marvel as well. She then moved to Topps Comics, where she was the editor on X-Files, Jurassic Park, Xena, and Hercules, and the co-creator of the popular series Spartan X.
Janny Wurts Through her career as a novelist and her background in the trade as a cover artist, Janny Wurts has immersed herself in a lifelong ambition: to create a seamless interface between words and pictures that explores imaginative realms beyond the world we know. She has authored eighteen books, including a hardbound collection of short stories, and has published over thirty contributions to fantasy and science fiction anthologies. Her novels and stories have been translated worldwide, with most editions bearing her own jacket and interior art.
She is the author of numerous books, boxing articles, and feature articles, including Dying for Action: The Life and Films of Jackie Chan, and she contributed to The Fantastic Art and The Art of the Barbarian—Conan, Tarzan and Death Dealer. She also authored the top-selling Excess: The Art of Michael Golden, and the upcoming Tex: The Art of Mark Texeira—The Artist’s Great Escape.
Beginning in May of 2009, nine of her titles will be returning to North America, distributed for HarperCollins, London by Trafalgar Square.
In addition to film work, she is the president of Little Eva Ink Publishing and Little Eva Ink Toys, printing art books, comics, portfolios, and more.
As a writer, she is best known for the Empire trilogy coauthored with Raymond Feist and a recent stand-alone fantasy,To Ride Hell’s Chasm, with her latest Wars of Light and Shadow novel, Stormed Fortress, just released. 93
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Derek Yaniger
Timothy Zahn
Lemme clue ya’ to what Derek’s been up to these most recent dims n’brights. He’s makin’ art like no-tomorrow-style. This cat’s got a long history of scratchin’ out art for lots of king-sized bigwigs like Marvel Comics and Cartoon Network. But nowadays he strictly digs the gigs that let him beat his own bongos.
Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago in 1951 and grew up in the western suburb of Lombard. After spending way too many years studying physics, he quit two years short of a doctorate and began a full-time career writing science fiction. Since then he has published over eighty short stories and novelettes, thirty-five novels, and four short fiction collections. Somewhere along the way (1984, to be exact), he won a Hugo Award for the novella “Cascade Point.”
He gets a large charge creatin’ art for a whole heap of way-out events such as the Tiki Oasis, The Rock n’ Roll Monster Bash, The Hukilau, and even Spain’s Wild Weekend! He’s also laid out art for several righteous rags like Barracuda, 1313, Atomic, and Tiki Magazine. But what really flips his switches is makin’ with the Van Gogh routine. Derek’s had his paint splatters well-hung in galleries all over the world. M Modern in Palm Springs, Outré in Australia, and Castor and Pollux in the U. K., to name just a few. Derek has also been commissioned to create art for such hi-falootin’ fat cats as Shag and Pixar director Lee Unkrich! Crazy, man! Korero Books in London released a collection of Derek’s retro art entitled Wildsville, the art of Derek Yaniger, and shortly thereafter, Tiki Mugs, which features a heapin’ helpin’ of Derek’s mid-century tiki art as well as several tiki mugs he’s designed for Tiki Farm and Munktiki.
He is best known for his eight Star Wars books: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, and Allegiance. Other books include the Quadrailseries, the Cobra series, and the young-adult Dragonback series. His most recent books are Dragon and Liberator, the sixth Dragonback book, and Odd Girl Out, the third in theQuadrail series. From the Ashes, a prequel novel to the upcoming movie Terminator Salvation, will be published in early 2009.
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro A professional writer since 1968, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has published over eighty books and more than seventy shorter works in a wide range of genres: science ficttion, mystery, fantasy, western, young adult, horror, and non-fiction. Her Saint-Germain series of historical horror novels, now on book 24, is the longest-running single-author vampire series in the English language.She received the Grand Master award from the World Horror Association in 2002, and in 2005 the International Horror Guild made her a Living Legend.
Fiona Zedde Fiona Zedde is the author of numerous short stories, three novellas, and four bestselling novels—Bliss, A Taste of Sin,Hungry for It, and the vampire love story Every Dark Desire, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies, including Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers, Best Lesbian Romance, Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica, and Fist of the Spider Woman. The novellas “Pure Pleasure,” “Going Wild,” and “Sexual Attraction” appear in the collections Satisfy Me, Satisfy Me Again, and Satisfy Me Tonight, respectively. Reviews of her work have appeared in DIVA Magazine, the Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Curve, and GirlfriendsMagazine, among others. Eroticarevealed.com says of Every Dark Desire: “The sensuality of the narrative style, the intensity of the characters’ emotions, and the complexity of the plot are all satisfying.”
Jason Yungbluth Jason Yungbluth burst forth from the chest of a space colonist in 1971 with one goal in mind: create the comics that would destroy civilization. Jason is the creator of the cult underground comic books Deep Fried and Weapon Brown, published under his Death Ray Graphics imprint. He is a regular contributor to MAD Magazine, and is most well known for his gruesome Scooby Don’t strips. His work has been published in DC Comics’ Bizarro World and in Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists. Jason’s comic strips have appeared in newspapers across the country including the Kansas City Star, Duluth’s Reader Weekly, The Buffalo News, and the Rochester Insider. Jason’s website features many popular animations seen around the web, including Gummi Razorblades and Zogg, the Cuddly Menace. He is also an adjunct professor of cartooning at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Jason’s latest project is Weapon Brown: Blockhead’s War, a graphic novel parody pitting a postapocalyptic Charlie Brown against Calvin and Hobbes.
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Concerts and Performances Abney Park
ArcAttack
Abney Park is a Black Sheep of the Black Clad crowd.Evocative of both old-world mystery and futuristic technology, Abney Park is a strong and original musical presence in a genre far too used to formula. With music and lyrics both dark and mystical, Abney Park creates an emotional and cerebral world unlike anything found in the Gothic genre today. Ghost stories and nightmares, myths and magic float in and out of a music that bounces between industrial dance and symphonic epics, from the dark western forests to the desserts of the far east.Abney Park began in the late ‘90s, but their popularity exploded with the onset of Internet music, with much success through MP3.com in the early 2000s. The band was a regular chart topper, often holding the number 1-5 positions in Goth and Darkwave, and Industrial Dance music charts.Abney Park’s music has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks, including Insomnis Amour, Goth, and Lord of the Vampires. The band’s music has also been featured in many compilation CDs, including Cleopatra Records The Unquiet Grave vol. III, Annihilation and Seduction, Eighteen, and many more.Abney Park has performed all over North America, appearing in Portland, Chicago, Las Vegas, Reno, Hollywood, and countless shows in their home base of Seattle. Members of their loyal cult following have been known to travel from as far away as Mexico City and New Zealand just to see them perform.
ArcAttack is a high-tech performance group that was born in Austin, Texas, in 2005 after developing the first disrupted mode audio modulated tesla coils. This specific form of modulation is what makes their singing tesla coils so unique. ArcAttack employs a unique, HVDJ DJ setup of their own creation to generate an “electrifying” audio visual performance. The HVDJ pumps music through a PA System while two specially designed, dual-resonant, solid-state tesla coils act as separate synchronized instruments. These high-tech machines produce an electrical arc similar to a continuous lightning bolt which puts out a crisply distorted square wave sound reminiscent of the early days of synthesizers. Their music consists of original, highly danceable electronic compositions that sometimes incorporate themes or dubs of popular songs. ArcAttack uses these machines in conjunction with other homemade and traditional instrumentation. From robotic drums to bass/electric guitar, ArcAttack’s music fills the spectrum between electronic music and straight-up rock and roll.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Atlanta Radio Theatre Company
Bella Morte
Atlanta Radio Theatre Company (ARTC) has been adapting great stories for audio (live and radio performances) since 1984, and has been a popular mainstay at Dragon*Con for many great years. This year’s ARTC shows: “The Call of C’thulhu”, in celebration of twenty-five years of quality, original audio drama, returns to its roots with an original adaptation by Ron N. Butler of H. P. Lovecraft’s highly influential tale of horror, The Call of C’thulhu. In 1987 ARTC performed this classic story at the very first Dragon*Con. Now...the horror is reborn.
For Bella Morte, having a self-titled release called Beautiful Death (albeit the Italian to English translation of the name of the band) doesn’t signify a “return to its origins” as it would for some bands. Instead, they named their album Beautiful Death to symbolize the band coming into their own and becoming the band that they have been striving to be. Bella Morte has built a very loyal and devoted underground following with their brand of dark alternative rock. With Beautiful Death, the band’s growth over the last twelve years makes itself more apparent in the album’s cohesiveness and strength in songwriting.
“Fresh Blood 2”, original audio drama provokes the imagination as few other media can. Delving deep into the psyche of the listener, the sound effects, the music, and most importantly the story itself can incite feelings of elation, terror, jealousy, or even love and hatred for the characters. ARTC once again calls upon its troupe of talented writers to bring forth the best that the imagination has to offer with a collection of never-beforeheard selections.
Few bands can match the energy and intensity of a Bella Morte concert. They have toured Europe, the UK, Canada and the US extensively and performed on the Vans Warped Tour.
Ayria Ayria is anime, glam, 80’s, gothic Lolita, cyber, and punk all wrapped up in an energetic ball of furry. Canadian singer/songwriter Jennifer Parkin has become a true icon on the electronic music scene with her unique writing and performing style. In 2003, she began Ayria and shook the foundation of the electro-industrial scene by mixing striking feminine visuals and straight old-school industrial music with harsher, aggressive electro while still maintaining elements of electro-clash and 80’s new wave.
Early in their career, Bella Morte entered the Virginia Battle of the Bands, where their dark sound bested a host of rock bands for first place. The cash prize funded their first album, Remains. After self-releasing their second album, Where Shadows Lie, the band got a major boost when Cleopatra Records re-released it with bonus tracks, including a cover of Berlin’s “The Metro”. After selling thousands of copies of Shadows, Bella Morte caught the attention of a larger label, Metropolis Records, who has released four full-length CDs and one EP to great success.
Ayria has been intensively and successfully touring across the globe over the past three years, gaining a very solid reputation for putting on energetic live performances. Ayria toured the U.S. as the chosen supporting act for the legendary electronicgoth band the Crüxshadows in 2007 and 2008 and Combichrist in 2007. Ayria has also toured the U.K., Europe, Russia, Mexico, and Japan.
In 2009 Andy’s debut novel, The Sticks, was published by Delirium Books, and since then he has completed a yet to be titled follow up expected to be released in 2010.
Crossed Swords Broadswords, rapiers, and even batlefs clash in this dazzling display of Hollywood-style combat. Nicole Harsch and Mike Sakuta, the Crossed Swords, reveal secrets and demonstrate many behind-the scenes moves that make up your favorite movie, television, and theater sword fighting stunts. For over twenty years, their Crossed Swords Stage Combat Shows have been seen across the U.S. and Canada at renaissance festivals and science fiction conventions and previous Dragon*Cons. The duo also teach stage combat and have been fight directors for renaissance festivals and many historical plays, including Hamlet, Cyrano, Camelot, Caesar & Cleopatra, Robin Hood, Romeo & Juliet, and I Hate Hamlet.
Ayria released three full-length CD’s on the Belgium label Alfa Matrix (Front 242, Leatherstrip, etc.), including the highly acclaimed Hearts For Bullets, released in September, 2008, 12 hard-hitting, tightly written and produced tracks, each one uniquely evolving the Ayria sound. Hearts For Bullets was produced in Canada by Sebastian R. Komor (Icon of Coil, Zombie Girl).
During the school year, they teach history to students all over the country with their swashbuckling educational shows about knights, musketeers, conquistadors, and Roman legionaries. In his spare time, Mike uses his PhD to teach chemistry at Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta. They also run an online sword-selling business, Swordmark.
Bedlam Bards The Bedlam Bards have been performing rowdy Celtic music at trashy bars, renaissance festivals, and sci-fi cons for over a decade. Their awardwinning album, On the Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity, cemented their position as the musical voice of Browncoat fandom, won them a free cruise, led to numerous brushes with stardom, and gave them the chance to raise lots of money for charity. They have performed from one end of the United States to the other, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Their most recent album, Barnyard Bedlam, was recorded live at the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival and may violate morality statutes in several states. The Bedlam Bards use pawn shop and flea market instruments exclusively.
Nicole is a co-author of the Dragonlance sourcebook Knightly Orders of Ansalon and creator of twenty-eight illustrations therein. Nicole also wrote two stories and eleven pieces of music (including a four-part string quartet) published in The History of the Dragonlance, More Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home and Lost Leaves. Meanwhile, Nicole has drawn over 75 spacescapes for collectible card games such as Galactic Empires, Star of the Guardians, and Wing Commander. Most recently, Nicole wrote lyrics for three songs for the Dragonlance animated film.
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Cruxshadows
DJ Nemesis
One of the most notable Dark-wave bands internationally, the Crüxshadows started in the early 1990’s in a little town in North Florida. Over the last seventeen years their success among fans of gothic, ebm, new wave, & dark electronic music has contributed to their near legendary status in the underground/counterculture scene. The band’s dark electronic rock and introspective lyrics quickly earned them a fan base beyond the United States, particularly in Europe. A blend of new wave, gothic, pop, rock, and electronica, the band’s unique and often catchy songs have become staples of the darkwave, ebm, and electro-alternative scene.
DJ NEMESIS sank his fangs into Georgia State’s WRAS 88.5FM in 1995/1996 and continues to make believers of his ever-growing congregation of disciples. Mastering the beat in his early teens, this drummer-turned-DJ honed his craft for the next decade in Industrial, Heavy Metal, and Glam Rock bands including Planet Psycho, FUSEBOX, and The Glitterdome Allstar Band. This prodigal son came home to the decks for www.secretroom.net in 2001, making his proclamation to a crowd at The Chamber, and continues to inspire the evolution of his coveted underground subculture scene and leading the charge at album and movie release parties, fetish events, club nights and conventions such as Dragon*Con, Dom Con, Imagicon, Zeitgeist Apocalypse, The Crimson Web, Hexxt, Phobia, Kink Patrol, Harvest Erotic Art Show, Twinkledome, Purgatory (Charlotte, NC), Black List (Club La Vela, Panama City Beach), and Sleep When You’re Dead (Birmingham, AL), to name just a few. Don’t fear the temptation, it only takes one bite: industrial/EBM/synthpop/goth and more. Feel and believe. Visit iTunes for mixes and Podcasts to begin your understanding (just search for DJ NEMESIS PODCAST).
Dragon*Con 2009 Cabaret Performers Stormy Knight (also known as Audrey Starphoenix) is an accomplished bellydancer, makeup artist, martial artist, and burlesque performer. She performs with and loves being a part of Big City Burlesque & Vaudeville, though she often travels and performs individually. This Georgia-based Yankee is also, with the aegis of Dragon*Con, the producer of the Cabaret now in it’s second year.
With over fourteen CDs, a DVD, and more compilation appearances than you can count, The Crüxshadows have made themselves synonymous with a new breed of electro-goth music. Their energy and intensity on stage led them to be called “the best live band in Europe today” by the host of Hamburg’s popular Crazy Clip Show and their performances have been aired regularly on German national television. Songs by The Crüxshadows have appeared on ABC World News, National Geographic Television, The Style Channel, MTV and many others including some in Europe and Asia.
Big City Burlesque and Vaudeville is Atlanta’s original, all retro troupe since 2002. This unique concept is Stormy Knight the brainchild of creator and Director Kenton McGhee, aka ‘King Rouge’, and has been painstakingly developed in both style and content. Featuring some of Atlanta’s greatest talent and some of the most glamorous costumes since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Kenton guides his troupe to recapture the sultry glamour and smoky magic of by-gone eras.
Current band members are: Rogue (vocals, songwriting, programming, lyrics, keyboard programming, some violin, front man), Cassandra Luger (guitars), Jen Jawidzik (aka Pyromantic, keyboards/back-up vocals), David Wood (violins), JoHanna Moresco (violins), Jessica Lackey (dancer/backup vocals) and Sarah Stewart (dancer/back-up vocals).
Scarlett Letter is an award-winning performer and costumer who has been delighting audiences throughout Los Angeles and beyond since 2004. Four feet of red hair and miles of bad intentions indeed!
DJ Catt Ninetails
Kelia bint Devera is a professional bellydancer hailing from Florence, Alabama. She is an eclectic dancer skilled in tribal, eqyptian cabaret, gothic fusion, techno fantasy, and everything in between.
Amber Ginsburg, aka DJ Catt Ninetails, started DJing at a college radio station in Pennsylvania. She then spent eight years spinning at several New Orleans clubs: The Crystal, Crowbar, Pendragon’s Den, ShimSham Club, and Whirling Dervish. She now spins at several clubs in the Atlanta area, including Sping4th and The Spot. She has spun at The Labyrinth Ball, Mobicon, Frolicon, Hallowcon, Chattacon, Dragon*Con, The NOBLE New Year’s Fetish Ball, and several other southern events. She has also spun online off and on for the last two years at clubs on secondlife.com under the moniker Catt Ninetails.Her music knowledge is based but not limited to 80s, goth, industrial, electroclash, ebm, punk, alt rock, mashups, and covers.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Emerald Rose Emerald Rose (Brian Sullivan, Arthur Hinds, Larry Morris, and Clyde Gilbert) formed in late 1996, releasing their first, self-titled CD in 1998. Since then, they have released four independently produced CDs: Bending Tradition, Fire in the Head— Emerald Rose Live!, Celtic Crescent, and Archives of Ages 98
to Come. Emerald Rose is one of the top Celtic folk-rock bands in the Southeast US. A rich “world fusion” sound with influences ranging from the Chieftains to Jethro Tull has given this band a thirteen year career and national following. The band’s original lyrics address everything from Celtic myth to modern science, often with a touch of humor as noted in their latest release, Con Suite.
Faith And The Muse have been called “an art band with a pop sensibility”; artists in the truest sense, refusing to conform to current fads in music, a high caliber of musical output in their wake–integrity without question. Well-known and widely respected in the Underground community, Faith And The Muse have already made their indelible mark on Independent music and culture.
Blending vocal harmonies, pennywhistle and world percussion with driving guitars and bass, their sound is “rock-n-reel” but not ear-splitting. Emerald Rose music has been included in two soundtracks, Ringers (about Lord of the Rings fans) and Done the Impossible (about the Firefly/Serenity series). They were headliners for the Lord of the Rings Oscar parties in Hollywood in 2003 and 2004. The band performs across the USA and has led multiple tours of Ireland. The band frequently performs at Celtic festivals and sci-fi/fantasy conventions. “Hauntingly beautiful poetic lyrics and the knack for crafting a solid and fluid arrangement. They are tight, close and cohesive as a group, and their latest release represents their roles as musical veterans reaching for the path of musical legends.”
Flynn’s Folly Flynn’s Folly entertains with new and exciting arrangements of traditional Celtic and Renaissance music. Storytellers and weavers of dreams in the grand Celtic tradition, Flynn’s Folly brings to life a ceilidh atmosphere with music and stories for one and all. The witty banter flies throughout the show as you hear legends and fables of Grand Uncle Flynn. Be amazed as you watch the talented duo switch among seven different instruments, often during a single song! Flynn’s Folly takes crowd participation to a whole new level as they direct their audience to compose a song on the spot. So join the frolicsome half-a-foursome for a family-friendly performance of Celtic folk music and fun!
Faith And The Muse Faith And The Muse provide one of the rarest experiences in art, theater, and music. As artists and songwriters, William Faith and Monica Richards have created their own unique universe by allowing no boundaries to the music they write, reaching across historical genre and cultural style. Based in Los Angeles, Faith And The Muse came together in 1993 with the intention of taking music to new extremes; both being established veterans in underground music. With the release of five albums and one double CD live/remix album, along with extensive touring throughout the U.S. and Europe over the last ten years, the band has managed to gain the attention of a vast assortment of music fans, owing to their constantly evolving sound: undefineable but unmistakeable. While the music is created by Faith and Richards alone, Faith And The Muse as a live entity includes additional musicians assisting in the expression of the music. Performances change from tour to tour, featuring at times theatrical and orchestral instrumentation, or quiet intimate acoustic events, and other times, straight-up hard rocking shows.
The Ghosts Project The Ghosts Project are pioneering the underground movement of neoclassical improvised music. Although the sound is based on the sizzling violin and pounding drums of founding members Paul Mercer and Davis Petterson, their live sets have become known for their frequent stage guests from all genres and styles. Opera divas, classical string musicians, jazz trumpeters, hip-hop MCs, and tuvan throat singers have all appeared and combined to form a unique musical experience that has led The Ghosts Project to be invited around the country to appear at the Anne Rice Halloween Ball and Endless Night in New Orleans, where they headlined a show at the House of Blues, to the West Coasts own Edwardian Ball in San Francisco and LA and to Portland for the Conflux Dark Arts festival. 99
Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Marc Gunn
How I Became the Bomb Cats. Irish music. Drinking songs. Nowhere else but from the bright imagination of Marc Gunn would those three elements be so neatly integrated. Yet Gunn, sometimes called “the hardest working man in Celtic music” around his hometown in Austin, is an accomplished musician and entrepreneur who not long ago headlined at the Oscar party for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Marc’s early background in folk and rock music led him to discover the roots of both genres in Celtic music. He worked for many years at Renaissance festivals and events across the country as lead vocalist of the Brobdingnagian Bards. Recent work includes parody albums setting cat-inspired lyrics to traditional Irish music, and adaptations of traditional Celtic music to contemporary rhythms and forms.
How I Became the Bomb’s origins date back to 1997 when Jon Burr and Adam Richardson attended high school together in Rome, GA. It wasn’t until the summer of 2003 that plans came together when Andy Spore, Denis Deck and Burr all worked together at a Murfreesboro, TN bookstore. Their first show was at the Temptation Club in Murfreesboro, TN in June of 2005. Just before taking the stage, the band still didn’t have a name, so they looked to a friend, Shane Spresser who coined them in an instant: How I Became the Bomb (they’d just watched Dr. Strangelove together the night before).
In addition to being a working musician, he is a podcaster of note; his “Irish and Celtic Music Podcast” is one of the most popular of its kind on iTunes, with over three million downloads. His “Renaissance Festival Podcast” is extremely popular in that focused market.
On September 2, 2006, How I Became the Bomb was featured in Billboard Magazine and on October 25, 2006, Rolling Stone named the group “Online Pick of the Day”. By June 4, 2007, the Guardian UK picked How I Became the Bomb as “Band of the Day”.
Marc is an innovative marketer and producer, instrumental in the production of Celtic MP3s Music Magazine and publishing The Bards Crier: Music Marketing and Promotion Tips Ezine. In order to promote Celtic music, he publishes lyrics and chords online, and provides the “Song Henge” forum, a website featuring free and legal Celtic music that also helps promote other performers.
While on their first European jaunt, the Bomb signed licensing deals with V2 in the UK (later getting bought by Universal), Yep Roc in Japan, and Sinnamon Records in Spain (Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Hot Hot Heat). From January 2007 to June of 2008, it would seem How I Became the Bomb had disappeared. With a couple of shows here and there between European tours, the band was actually back at Lake Fever Productions working on a new collection of songs with producer, John Baldwin.
Hellblinki Sextet Simple Music for Difficult People... The Hellblinki Sextet is a Shape-Shifting conglomerate of eclectic musicians from Asheville, N. C. serving an oddly beautiful musical vision envoking Broken tooth blues in a Tux, Choral fantasies for agnostic angels, and peg-leg waltzes on the rim of Mt. Vesuvius. In the studio or on the stage Hellblinki is prone to suprises, tension, and dramatic release; its material is refreshingly unusual, while remaining accessible to mortal ears.
Vol. I: Who Dares Wins was released on November 5, 2008 (Guy Fawkes Day). The band plan to make this the first of many three song “volumes,” which are digital-only free downloads. Videos were shot for “Salvage Mission” and “A Formal Occasion”, the first two songs on Who Dares Wins. At the end of a year, they hope to compile all the volumes into an Annual—physical packaging, vinyl, DVDs, and bonus tracks.
The band has been know to perform as a true extet, composed of male and female vocalists; acoustic electric and bass guitars, brass and woodwinds, multiple percussionists, violin, keyboards, samples, radio, various towy and empty wine bottles. In its present incarnation, Hellblinki is, Andrew the one-man band on guitar, vocals, drums and the occasional cornet, or accordion, joined by additional percussion, strings and voices provided by a rotating cast of characters.
George Hrab Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, composer and heliocentrist George Hrab has written and produced five independent CDs; published one book; performed for President Clinton; shared the stage with countless numbers of musicians and acts; and has traveled across the country as drummer, vocalist, musical director, and event host for the nationally recognized Philadelphia Funk Authority. His music, skepticism and wit have been featured on many radio broadcasts, TV shows, and podcasts.
This Hellblinki takes its raw pirate blues into the bloody public arena with careless abandon, and has been seen conquering entire unwary audiences: victime halt conversation and dance like mad drunken fools, joyously participating in the madness boiling over the boards. September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
He produces a weekly, award winning podcast called The Geologic Podcast which features humor, sketches, and skeptical/free-thinking commentary through various weekly segments. He was asked to write the theme song to the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast and premiered the song “FAR” at the 213th American Astronomical Society Meeting in Long Beach, California.
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I Fight Dragons
mc chris
I Fight Dragons is Chicago’s finest (and quite possibly only) NES-Rock band. They have very detailed delusions of grandeur, most of which include gross misuses of Nintendo products in combination with music in the Popular Rock genre.
You may recognize mc chris’ voice from some of the several cartoon characters he’s played on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, where he worked for five years as a writer, actor and animator. He played MC Pee Pants in the Aqua Teen Hunger Force series, major motion picture and Midway video game. He also played Hesh on Sealab 2021 as well as bit parts on The Brak Show. Soon he’ll be returning to Adult Swim in two new projects: Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge with Neko Case, MF Doom, and T Pain, as well as the new live action series, 1000 virgins, with SNL’s Fred Armisen. When he’s not acting, mc puts out hip hop records on his own label, mcchris llc.
This February, they sold out Chicago’s Elbo Room as they self-released their debut EP, Cool Is Just A Number, which has since gone on to chart nationally at 169 on the CMJ College Radio charts, and been featured across Commercial Radio formats in Chicago, on Alternative Rock (Q101), Top 40 (101.9 The Mix), and Independent Rock (93 XRT).
mc’s one year old nephew Murray was born with the disease Cystic Fibrosis. In 2008, mc and his fans met the goal of raising 25,000 dollars with a silver bucket on his merch table. So far in 2009, mc has already raised 15,000 dollars by selling all his nerdy toys and possessions on ebay every week to his fans, as well as touring. mc chris has a new album out in 2009, still untitled, which will be released in multiple parts, the final installment being the entire album remixed and mastered with some secret bonus tracks. The first part, part six part one was released in March. Often times, these “rants” end up on youtube. mc chris’ rant on Kingdom Hearts 2 has been seen on youtube almost two million times. mc chris is first ever video game comedian rapper with a cartoon background. They use a talking computer a lot, or possibly a talking computer uses them a lot. They were selected as the Best new Chicago band for 2009 by Metromix.com. There are several TVs at all of their shows, occasionally showing people playing videogame versions of their songs, while the band plays the songs live on videogame controllers, and everyone’s heads explode. They played a date on this year’s Warped Tour. They tend to release free music to their email list every couple weeks (but you already know, since you’re on it, right?). This fall, they’ll be branching out from Chicago to tour the nation for two months with mc chris. All in all, there are six of them, and at least one of them is really really cool, but they haven’t figured out which one yet. It’s Hari.
Lips Down on Dixie In 2002, LDOD spread its focus, keeping The Rocky Horror Picture Show a priority but also establishing itself as a theatre troupe. In May of 2002, a thunderstorm knocked out power for several city blocks, including the Plaza Theatre, but instead of canceling the show, the cast just kept on performing what became affectionately known as “LDOD Unplugged.” LDOD invaded Atlanta’s fetish nightclub, The Chamber, for a fetish themed show entitled “The Rocky Horror Fetish Show.” In its later years, LDOD has appeared at other venues in town including Starlight Drive-In’s yearly “Rock n Roll Monster Bash” performing Rob Zombie’s “Brick House,” Club Future performing “I’m a Slave for You,” and Tongue & Groove for their Lingerie Fashion Show. LDOD wants to offer an atmosphere for young adults in the Atlanta area where they can be themselves, without the stigma of peer pressure or the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Not only does the cast achieve its goal, it also puts on a performance that is cohesive, screen-accurate, and, most importantly, energetic and fun. They perform weekly at the Plaza Theatre in Midtown Atlanta every Friday at midnight, in the Rocky tradition.
Pandora Celtica Pandora Celtica is a five-piece vocal quintet offering soulful Celtic harmonies in rich layering. These talented singers pride themselves on their songs of shipwrecks and troubled times in the mists of Celtic history. With a Renaissance feel, the singers will have you swigging your pints and thinking of the stormy days of Celtic prehistory. Don’t hope for cheery songs from this lot, but if you thrive on mayhem, death, and plunder, then this is your crew! Their motto? “If it sank, we’ll sing about it.”
Tom Smith There’s every other singer out there... and then there’s Tom Smith. Tom is not your ordinary comedy musician. With the lyrical complexity of Ashman and Sondheim, the vocal fireworks of Meat Loaf, the comedic timing of Robin Williams, and the dynamic physique of the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island, the only thing he won’t do is be boring. The only recording artist to be featured on both NPR’s Sound and Spirit and The Dr. Demento Show, and writer of the official chantey for “Talk Like A Pirate Day,” Tom has been praised by such diverse folk as Christine Lavin, Larry Niven, Phil Foglio, and Randy (Something Positive) Milholland. He has 16 albums so far, blending comedy, tragedy, science fiction, fantasy, romance, popular culture, politics, religion, and the occasional recipe with virtually every genre of music you can imagine. Starting out at science fiction and fantasy conventions, Tom has been branching out more to house concerts and regular gigs in the past couple of years. He arranges and records a lot of stuff at home, using MIDI, loops, and all manner of software gadgetry, but on stage, it’s just him and his guitar, in a high-energy, family-friendly performance filled with laughter, shtick, and really, really bad puns. You may think you’ve heard it all, but you have never heard anyone like Tom Smith. 101
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RETURNING FOR THE
EIGHTH
PRESENTED BY
YEAR AT
PERFORMING
LIVE!!!
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT SEPTEMBER 5, 2009 LATE NIGHT (AFTER THE BAND) IN THE CENTENNIAL BALLROOM
plus, don't miss the weekly show, less than 5 miles from Dragon*Con Every Friday at Midnight (including this weekend) Always with a Live Cast at the Plaza Theatre 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave. Atlanta, GA 30306 (404) 873-1939 RATED R $8.00 All Seats www.lipsdownondixie.org Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/lipsdownondixie
Spider Lilies
Voltaire
Spider Lilies is a musical project created by Stacey Campbell, former guitarist/backup vocalist of the Crüxshadows. The first Spider Lilies song, “Sand,” produced by Rogue of the Crüxshadows, was published online in 1999. After touring the U.S, Europe, and Scandinavia extensively with the Crüxshadows, Stacey got back to the Spider Lilies project in 2003. Many important contributions have been made to the project by various talented artists. Dawn Perego gave special production support for the first two releases: a three-song limited edition EP in August 2005, and the full-length album In the Light, released in 2006. Also in 2006, William Smith joined the Spider Lilies as lead guitarist and co-writer, followed by Kevin Smith, who performed as the live keyboardist until 2009. Most recently, Connor Clay joined Spider Lilies as keyboardist.
Voltaire is a singer/performer and a creator of comic books, animation, and toys. He is a songwriter whose music can be described as a collection of murder ballads, tongue-in-cheek exercises in the macabre, with just enough bawdy songs about Star Trek and Star Wars to keep a Con audience rolling in the aisles. Many know him for his song “Brains!” from the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
The Spider Lilies have toured throughout the eastern and central part of the United States, and have gained international recognition for their music, which is a blend of rock, darkwave, electro, and goth, featuring female vocals, guitar, electronic rhythms, and samples. The band is currently recording songs for their next full-length CD to be released in Summer/Fall 2009, and expect many exciting things coming up for the rest of 2009!
Three Quarter Ale Three Quarter Ale is a Ren-rock band based in Atlanta, GA. Comprised of players Ariana Pellayle (Becky Cormier), Rosemary Quench (Rivka Levin), and Wicked Pete Speakeasy (Dolph Amick), Three Quarter Ale combines the lilting charm of 17th-century madrigals and traditional favorites with the high-energy impact of modern folk-rock for a truly arresting sound. The toast of the Georgia Renaissance Festival pub crowd, Three Quarter Ale’s tempting blend of lively harp, flute, guitar, and ethnic percussion with delicious three-part vocal harmonies in turn uplifts, enchants, and makes listeners want to dance in their seats.
VJ Anthony VJ Anthony plays music videos from the ‘80s to current hits of today with a vast collection of over 5,000 music videos and twenty years of nightclub DJ experience. Specializing in New Wave ‘80s and Alternative ‘90s dance, styles include New Wave, Dance, Rock, Alternative, Britpop, EBM, Goth, Industrial, and Electroclash. From the ‘80s, ‘90s, and beyond to current hits of today, no party would be complete without these music videos playing throughout your next event, private party, or themed club night.
Voltaire’s live shows are highly theatrical—full of stories and games. Voltaire began animating at the age of ten on a Super-8 camera. Voltaire has created dozens of animated spots for MTV, The SyFy Channel, and many more. Eventually Voltaire embarked on a new career as a comic book creator. His series, ChiChian (a dark Cinderella story for the 31st century), was picked up as an animated web series by the SyFy Channel’s website. It won the Flash Forward People’s Choice Award. Other notable comics and books by Voltaire include Oh My Goth, What is Goth?, Paint it Black—A Guide to Gothic Homemaking, and most recently, Deady. The latter includes collaborations with Clive Barker, James O’Barr, Neil Gaiman, Billy Tucci, David Mack, and other luminaries of the spooky comics realm. In 2004 Hong Kong’s Toy2R made a toy of his comic book character, Deady. It was an instant hit and led to other Voltaire toys, including “Pocket Goth” plush toys.
Whit Williams Whit began sparring with sticks and magic markers as a child. At the age of 17 he befriended Hank Reinhardt and began a 20-year study of swordsmanship and martial arts. He has appeared on stage with Hank in several previous Dragon*Cons, and performed in Hank’s two instructional videos, The Viking Sword and The Myth of the Sword. Recently Whit appeared in the documentary Reclaiming the Blade from Galatia Films. He currently teaches swordsmanship in partnership with Nils Onsager at Blacknight Martial Arts of Atlanta, and is fight coordinator for the Reinhardt Legacy Fight Team, recently formed to promote Hank’s The Book of Swords. Additionally, Whit is working on his own book documenting the traits and techniques of historically effective swordsmen.
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Participating Artists Attending Guest Artists/Jurors
Paulina Cassidy
Bryan Jones
Diana Robicheaux
Bob Eggleton
Echo Chernik
Veronica V. Jones
Mark Roland
Lindsey Hawkins
Brent Chumley
John E. Kaufmann
Elmer Roush
Don Maitz
Sarah Clemens
Shawna King
Nigel Sade
Jenifer Marrus
Mike Conrad
Heather V. Kreiter
William S. Saloka
Scott Rorie
Tracy Cornett
Chris Kuhlmann
Sandra Santara
Rick Sternbach
Joseph Corsentino
Stephanie Law
Angela Sasser
Janny Wurts
Tiffany Crosby
Laura Law
Clay Sayre
Kristy Cyples-Gilbert
Kate Lebherz-Gelinas
Stacia Schmidt
Participating Artists
Kathleen David
Meg Lyman
Sarah B. Seiter
Ahyicodae
Deanna Davoli
Brenda Lyons
Lynnette Shelley
Jean Alexander
Meredith Dillman
Kerry Maffeo
Elizabeth Shick
Lindsay Archer
Jessica Douglas
Jen Marlow
Jennifer Skarupa
Joshua Baldwin
DPI Studios
Gabe Marquez
Joshua Smith
Rebecca Baldwin
Lisa Duncan
Theresa Mather
Grace Spengler
Jason Basden
Kevin Dyer
Roy Mauritsen
Cristina Steele
Jasmine Becket-Griffith
Caralyn Edwards
Rachel Mayo
Stacy Stover
Misty Benson
Luke Eldridge
Patricia McCracken
Apryl Rae Tackett
Laura & Paul Bernier
Kim Feigenbaum
Lynda Metcalfe
Charlene Taylor-Dalessio
Michael Bielaczyc
Joshua Fields
Jerry Minor
Christine Thomas
Paul Bielaczyc
Tom Fleming
Peter Mohrbacher
Tiffany Toland
Mike Bocianowski
Ivan Flores
Lora LaVonne Moore
Rebecca Hing Kei Tsang
Anna Borowiecka
Joseph Formichella
Gwyneth Morford
Paul Vincenti
Lindsey Brown
Jacob & Wayne Fowler
Stan Morrison
Robert Walker
Michael Budzisz
Sarah Frary
Joseph Mueller
Donna Waltz
Wanda Burns
Fox Gradin
Christy Nicholas
Scott Webb
Michelle Burns
Christy Grandjean
Mael Yako Nohara
Bill Wieger
Daniel Byrd
Patricia Hedegaard
Karil Nowak
Maria William
Melissa Byrd
Mark Helwig
Nicole Pellegrini
Laura Williams
Dave Cain
Christopher Hill
Shelly Pinder
Amy Wood
Leslie Camara
Robert E. Hobbs
Mark Poole
Brent Woodside
Jeff Carlisle
James Humble
Chris Range
Alan Yarmark
Rob Carlos
Jennifer Jacobsen
Christopher Ready
Marie Carter
Robin Jaeckel
Laura Reynolds
September 4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Dragon*Con Independent Short Film Festival O
nce again the Dragon*Con Independent Short Film Festival will be presenting the finest independent short films of the fantastic. These are great films that are great fun to watch.
Our selection committee had the nearly impossible task of paring down the list of the many fine submissions we received to just the very best. The 84 selected films will make you scream, laugh, think, cry, and sometimes feel a little uneasy. You’ll meet ghosts in need of marriage counseling, kung-fu babies, a winged man, red-neck zombie hunters, a sociopathic dentist, an angst-ridden superhero, and an action hero that just keeps getting it wrong. You’ll see Death taking on babysitting duties, the undead joining a Canadian curling league, a pair of nude strangers traveling in an enchanted bathtub, the real-life account of a family reenacting the Crucifixion—complete with nails, and breathtaking wirework martial arts. You can take in the performances of Patrick Warburton, Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, Lance Henriksen, Jim Belushi, Joey Fatone, Doug Bradley, and Ted Raimi. The shorts will screen in blocks built around themes. There will be a block of horror, one of twisted tales, and one reserved for zombies. There will be two for animation, one with comedies, one filled with unspeakable acts, and one where only aliens need apply. There will be films to start off your day (at 10:00 a.m.) and ones to check out before catching a few hours sleep (the final block of the day ends at 4:00 a.m.) And we’ve mixed in a few features to spice things up. Our features The Death of Alice Blue, From Inside, George’s Intervention, and Mythic Journeys will screen with several shorts. The films will be shown over the 4 days of Dragon*Con. Most screenings will be in the Hyatt Learning Center. Check your pocket program for other locations.
Awards & Judging
T
he films are placed into genre categories for judging purposes. An award is given for the best film in each category. For 2009, the genres are: Acton, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Documentary, Fantasy, Horror, Horror Comedy, Magic Realism, Science Fiction, Thriller, Animated Comedy, Animated Fantasy, Animated Science Fiction, and Animated Short-short. Our judges will select three finalists from each category, and choose one of those to award 1st prize. We also present two Best of Fest awards, one for live-action short and one for animated short, chosen from the category winners. The wining films will be announced in a ceremony on Monday, September 7th, at 1:00 p.m.
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
The Action Hero’s Guide to Saving Lives
Be Good
Writers: Brett Simmons, Opie Cooper; Director: Justin Lutsky.
Writers: J.V. Kelly, Barney Cokeliss; Director: Barney Cokeliss.
If At First You Don’t Succeed, You Must Be Ace Mulligan. Starring Patrick Warburton.
One man’s mission to do the right thing—somehow or other. Live Action, United Kingdom, 11 min
Live Action, USA, 15 min
Bohemibot
Altar
Writer/Director: Brendan Bellomo.
Writer: Andrew Jenner; Director: Nathan Bezner.
A cyborg harpist, forced to serve in the last war on his planet, struggles to overcome a debilitating injury and the loss of his family.
A janitor re-examines his life when a toilet he cleans daily becomes possessed.
Live Action, USA, 26 min
Live Action, USA, 18 min
Bridge
Animated American
Writer/Director: Frank Fearon.
Writer: Tim Talbott; Directors: James Baker, Joe Haidar.
A retelling of old moral tales, blending elements of Eastern and American cinema into a bedtime story filled with fantasy, action and comedy,
A toon hating executive has a hare raising experience when he meets an out of work toon rabbit.
Live Action, USA, 10 min
Mixed, USA, 15 min
Brother’s Keeper
The Assassin Project
Writer/Director: Martijn Smits.
Writer/Director: Hal Jordan.
The women Elias brings home should never look in the cellar.
Seattle is your average woman. She hates her job, her personal life is a mess, and she assassinates men for a shadowy government agency... With Ted Raimi.
Live Action, Netherlands, 15 min
Burden
Live Action, USA, 14 min
Writer/Director: Michael David Lynch. Ordered to evacuate Earth on the eve of an Alien invasion, a lone “Hero” must decide between his sworn duty to flee, and saving the world.
The Baby Shredder Song Writer: Mark Nutter; Director: David Avallone.
Live Action, USA, 10 min
A musical fantasy about a visionary inventor and his modest proposal. With apologies to Jonathan Swift.
Cataclysmo
Live Action, USA, 5 min
Writer/Director: Duong Tran. 65 million years ago, a galactic battle brings a nuclear device to prehistoric earth.
Back to Life Writer/Director: Mike Salva.
Animation, USA, 7 min
Animated Frankenstein Monster has a few things to say about being brought back to life.
Cell
Animation, USA, 3 min
Writer: Michael Aronson; Director: Dawn Boyd. An enigmatic story about a man’s relationship with his surroundings both natural and artificial.
Bathtub to Happiness Writers/Directors: Nadine & Norbert Keil.
Live Action, Canada, 7 min
An enchanted comedy about romantic evenings gone wrong, true love, and magical bathtubs.
Cheap Date
Live Action, Germany, 27 min
Writer/Director: Mike Bell. Intimate moments are difficult when you have roommates, and when you are a puppet. Mixed, USA, 6 min
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
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A Christmas Tale
Death in the Garden
Writer/Director: Michael Chen
Writer: Edmund Jory, Michael Chrisoulakis; Director: Michael Chrisoulakis.
Leroy reminisces of a X-mas when he was 8 years old, and how it was that particular year he discovered the true magic of Christmas. Animation, Canada, 12 min
The stillness over Chifley gardens is shattered by the scream of the groundsman after coming face to face with Death itself. Live Action, Australia, 11 min
Chroma Chameleon Writers: Marc Adler, Scott Biear; Director: Warren Grubb, Marc Adler. Chameleons don’t just dance, they chrome– an explosive combination of crazy moves with wild bursts of color-changing, something timid Hue can’t do.
Dish Communication Writer: Tim Logan; Director: Shaun Wilson. At a remote radio dish, a professor and a cleaner are the only ones able to stop angry intergalactic neighbors destroying Earth.
Animation, USA, 4 min
Live Action, Australia, 7 min
Clowns Vs. Ninjas
Elder Sign
Writer/Director: David Brocca.
Writer/Director: Joseph Nanni.
A Japanese warlord, bored with the usual mayhem and murder, orders his thugs to organize the ultimate bloody battle
If you suffer from an overwhelming sense of dread brought on by the realization of your own insignificance in the universe, then you need Elder Sign
Live Action, USA, 9 min
Live Action, Canada, 2 min
A Conscience Will Kill You Writer/Director: Salvatore Lumetta. A wife’s assumed infidelity and a killer’s bout of conscience, lead to vengeance, a romantic interlude, and a hit man’s demise, in this homage to Italian sex comedies.
Elephants Writer/Director: Sally Pearce. In a totally grey world, a little girl’s life is turned upside down by an infestation of elephants.
Live Action, USA, 9 min
Live Action, United Kingdom, 13 min
Dead EXIT
Enter the Sandbox
Writers: Wes Young, Ryan Goff, Bob Herron, Randy Foos; Directors: Wes Young, Ryan Goff.
Writer/Director: Kevin Adams.
Abandoned by the authorities, three survivors must deal with the multitude of ravenous undead just steps behind them.
An argument between two toddlers spirals into an over the top kung fu world where their dispute is played out in grand fashion. Animation, USA, 3 min
Live Action, USA, 17 min
Deadspiel Writers: J. Andrew Molloy, Pat Corcoran; Director: J. Andrew Molloy. Greatest Curling Zombie Film Ever Made. Live Action, Canada, 8 min
Excision Writer/Director: Richard Bates. A neglected teen takes refuge in the dreams that used to haunt her and orchestrates a shocking plan to prove her worth to her disapproving parents. Live Action, USA, 18 min
Death in Charge Writer/Director: Devi Snively. Death gets derailed when an impatient single mom carelessly mistakes the scythe-carrying cloaked one for her tardy babysitter. Live Action, USA, 15 min
First Kill Writer/Director: Micah Ranum. Rayburn, a reluctant contract killer, faces his own mortality after his latest hit is photographed by a hunter’s camera, owned by a different kind of killer. Live Action, USA, 16 min
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Frantic Undead
Interpretation
Writer/Director: Maxwell O. Perry.
Writers: Matt Olmstead, Lin Oeding; Director: Lin Oeding.
Four friends drink a toast, unaware that the moonshine has a curse, causing the drinkers to become food for the dead.
A romantic couple’s brief encounter with several philosophical thugs unfolds in an unusual way.
Animation, USA, 12 min
Live Action, USA, 8 min
A Giant Mistake
Jabbawaki
Writer/Director: Michael Ricca
Writer/Director: Sean B. Conly.
A man drunkenly mistakes a loud and obnoxious giant for a loud and obnoxious baby, and then tries to do some thing about it.
Jabbawaki is the story of a monster’s love, and a journey of self discovery. Animation, Canada, 12 min
Animation, USA, 4 min
Hector Corp. Writer/Director: Gary H. Lee.
Living With Cartoons Writer/Director: Mark Smith.
Hector Corporation takes extreme measures to manage their employees with the aid of unexpected executioners.
A struggling cartoonist and his wife share their 2-bedroom apartment with Mark’s offbeat cartoon characters, but just until his comic strip takes off.
Live Action, USA, 10 min
Animation, USA, 5 min
Hirsute
Loser Pays, Winner stays
Writer/Director: A.J. Bond.
Writer/Director: Jerry Fuchs.
A young time traveler is confronted by an arrogant and hairless future version of himself.
A tribute to bowling alleys and arcades, and the knights and dragons within.
Live Action, Canada, 15 min
Animation, USA, 2 min
The Hunt For Gollum
Lucy Wants To Kill Herself
Writer/Director: Chris Bouchard.
Writers: Andrea Brookes, Craig Brookes; Director: Andrea Brookes.
Based on appendices to The Lord of the Rings, Strider must find Gollum to discover the truth about the Ring, and to protect the future Ringbearer.
A surreal black comedy about a melodramatic writer/poet and her pet cat’s attempts to keep her from suicide.
Live Action, United Kingdom, 38 min
Animation, Australia, 13 min
The Icebox
Magritte Moment
Writer/Director: Michel Tremblay Jr.
A frustrated painter searching for his muse gets some help from the surreal visions of Rene Magritte. With Tom Noonan.
Charles, bored by life and diagnosed with cancer, decides to play an underground game. Whatever the outcome is, everything will be fine. Live Action, Canada, 18 min
Live Action, USA, 17 min
Makazie One
In The Rope (Dans La Corde)
Writer/Director: Brent ‘Clutch’ Gaubatz.
Writer/Director: Marc Alepee.
Set in the Star Wars universe, an elite soldier is sent to track down and destroy a known threat to the Empire in a war zone.
A man finds himself locked up in the dark. Escaping, he faces his worst nightmare, where his only hope lies… in the rope. Live Action, France, 16 min
Live Action, USA, 20 min
Mrs. Brumett’s Garden Writer/Director: Patrick Rea. An elderly woman believes she is talking to fairies in her garden. Her angry husband thinks she is crazy, and plans on putting her in a home. Live Action, USA, 22 min
109
Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Mythic Journeys: The Bone Orchard
realTIME - It’s Just a Game...
Writer/Director: Steven & Whitney Boe.
Writer: Christopher Klein; Director: Steffen Mueller.
A stop-motion adaptation of an ancient myth in which a noble king accepts the invitation of a sorcerer. Voices by Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, and Lance Henriksen.
A spy ring infiltrates an online game with real missions and an addicted nerd walks into the trap. Live Action, Germany, 26 min
Animation, USA, 23 min
Rekindled
Night and Day
Writer/Director: Jack Daniel Stanley.
Writer/Director: Berin Tuzlic. A 2D animated character falls in love with a 3D one, but they cannot meet.
A woman with fragmented memories returns to her lover to discover that he’s been disemboweling women in their basement.
Animation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 min
Live Action, USA, 8 min
On Edge
Revenge Academy
Writer/Director: Frazer Lee.
Writer: Alan Steadman; Director: Andrew W. Jones.
An angry businessman gets more than he bargained for from a mysterious dentist.
Within the walls of Hunter Duke Academy, a group of malicious students must face their greatest adversary: Public Relations.
Starring Charley Boorman & Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley.
Animation, USA, 13 min
Live Action, United Kingdom, 15 min
Rosfeld
Parking Garage
Writer/Director: Henning Ricke.
Writer/Director: Justin Lazernik.
36 years after Pioneer, a small German village is turned upside down when an alien spacecraft appears. Finally Mayor Berger’s big time has come.
Blair can’t remember where she parked and may be lost in the garage forever.
Live Action, Germany, 30 min
Live Action, USA, 9 min
Scrimshander
The Peasant and the Root
Writer/Director: George Smaragdis.
Writer/Director: Brock Gallagher.
A friendship blossoms between an inquisitive young boy and a solitary bone carver. But, the old man’s mysterious past catches up with him.
A peasant covets the powers granted by the magical mandrake root. After discovering the proper way of harvesting one, will he get what he seeks?
Animation, USA, 7 min
Animation, USA, 4 min
SHADOW.NET
The Price to Pay “Le Prix à Payer “
Writer/Director: John V. Knowles.
Writer/Director: Paul Gayard.
A secret network of anonymous groups compete to post the latest films online and the members of an upstart group known as DMG are tired of being overshadowed.
A black & white crime movie with jazz music, a beautiful car and a beautiful girl—in the trunk of a car...
Live Action, USA, 20 min
Live Action, France, 24 min
Shoot!
Quiet
Writer/Director: Jim Menza.
Writers: Steve Barr, Marshall McAuley; Director: Marshall McAuley.
Mel hires a production company to shoot a commercial for his small, family owned, plumbing business. It turns out to be much more than he bargained for.
A newly-deaf girl’s struggle to cope with her disability turns deadly when she is attacked by a stalker. Live Action, USA, 15 min
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
Live Action, USA, 8 min
110
Sirens
Survivors
Writer/Director: Benjamin Radford.
Writers: Soham Mehta, Marcel Rodriguez; Director: Soham Mehta.
A young boy in a library is drawn into a world of fantasy while reading about the mythological sirens.
A classic zombie tale told with Bollywood bite. Live Action, USA, 13 min
Animation, USA, 6 min
Snapshots
That’s Magic!
Writer/Director: James Mullins.
Writers: Brandon McCormick, Charlie Wetzel; Director: Brandon McCormick.
An average Joe alien on a trip to an asteroid field mistakenly picks a flower that is much more than a common flower.
A disillusioned magician seeks his own answer to what is ‘magic’ in the world around him.
Animation, USA, 6 min
Live Action, USA, 15 min
Snowyville
Theosaurology
Writers: Michael Attardi, Peter Raymundo; Director: Michael Attardi.
Writer/Director: Alex Austin.
Have you ever wondered what magical things could happen under your Christmas tree? Starring Jim Belushi, Tim Curry, and Joey Fatone.
Why couldn’t dinosaurs have been superheroes that performed wondrous acts? There has been no fossil evidence to prove otherwise.
Animation, USA, 4 min
Animation, USA, 5 min
Snuggle Time
Throwaway
Writer/Director: Angela O’Sullivan.
Writers/Directors: Dennis Widmyer, Brian James Fitzpatrick.
Snuggle Time is the story of a little girl, a vampire and the stuffed toy lamb that is caught between them.
Abby confronts a bum that has been keeping her awake in the hopes of negotiating for some daily solace, but he has plans that have nothing to do with a little spare change.
Animation, USA, 5 min
Live Action, USA, 21 min
Soulmates Writer/Director: Tom Flynn. After a series of paranormal events, a fledgling couples therapist must rely on his shoddy counseling skills to make it through the night with his body and soul intact.
Tiny Legs of Fire Writer/Director: Doug Bayne. Apparently David Bowie used to write song lyrics by throwing pieces of paper into the air. Honestly- I don’t see how that would help.
Live Action, USA, 19 min
Animation, Australia, 2 min
Springbringer: Songs from the World of New Nature
Trafficking
Writer/Director: Jukka Eronen.
Writer: Josh Mitchell; Director: David Lindabury.
Springbringer is an epic, poetic, and dream-like music fantasy journey to the world of New Nature.
A courier gets stuck in rush hour gridlock where he finds himself stalked and tormented by someone—or something—that really wants the mysterious package.
Live Action, Finland, 20 min
Live Action, USA, 8 min
Striking Metal (Tira Bakal) Writer/Director: Scott Wurth. Since 1963, the Santos’ family has reenacted the suffering of Jesus Christ, including the crucifixion. Live Action, Australia, 25 min
Tree of Knowledge Writer/Director: Gregory Walsh. A documentary depicting the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia’s attempt to erect a non-religious display on the lawn of the county courthouse. Live Action, USA, 13 min
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Dragon*Con Program Book 9 23rd Edition
Unawakening
A Woman in the West
Writer/Director: Jack Daniel Stanley.
Writer/Director: Jeremy Dylan Lanni.
In this thriller, loosely inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee and part homage to Hitchock’s Psycho, love will prove key—but to what—sanity or madness?
Reuniting three stars from the series Deadwood, A Woman in the West tells the true story of a frontier wife who is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect her home.
Live Action, USA, 9 min
Live Action, USA, 10 min
Until the End of Everything
X-Mess Detritus
Writers: Logan Blackwell, Nathan Blackwell, Craig Curtis, Jason Curtis; Director: Nathan Blackwell.
Writer/Director: Aurelio Voltaire.
Gentleman superspy Ethan Hazard is back in action! Only you have the power to help him!
Voltaire, takes a dark look at gift-giving and the negative effect it has on the Earth in this one-minute Christmas parable. Narrated by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance.
Live Action, USA, 7 min
Animation, USA, 2 min
Urban Wolf
Zombeer
Writer/Director: Laurent Touil Tartour.
Writers/Directors: Rob van der Velden, Barend de Voogd.
an American tourist freshly landed at Paris airport in France is persecuted by a CCTV operator.
If you love beer, maybe you shouldn’t work in a brewery. Head brewmaster Herman values his lager more than his life.
Live Action, France, 58 min
Live Action, Netherlands, 12 min
The Water
Zombie Hunters
Writers: Carl Firth, Dean Nye; Director: Carl Firth.
Writer/Director: Christopher Baker.
Following his fiancée’s tragic death, one man takes revenge against her killer
A reality show camera crew follows 4 friends one night as they go hunting for zombies in their small town of Troy, North Carolina.
Live Action, Australia, 4 min
Live Action, USA, 13 min
The Winged Man Writer: José Rivera; Director: Marya Mazor. All we know for certain is that Daysi, a high school girl, is pregnant. Is the conception the son of a mystical winged man, or the result of a one-night stand? Live Action, USA, 14 min
Who’s Your Daddy? Writers: Dov Engelberg, Andrea Schwartz, Brian Schwartz, Marcus Zalewski, Eric Guerin; Director: Dov Engelberg. A puppet youngster finds out from his human parents that he is not their biological son and sets out with his “brother” find his parents. Mixed, USA, 8 min
Wilted Writer/Director: Rafael De Leon Jr. A young man introduces his homecoming date to his mother, a gravely ill woman with sinister intentions. Live Action, USA, 5 min
September 4–7, 2009 9 Atlanta, Georgia
112
“Life gives us music, & music defines our lives.”
Source music for film & television
stella@stellablack.com www.stellablack.com
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