I love comic books. There are not many things I will evangelize about—but I will about comics.
It is a medium that has endured in its present form for 100 years. Nothing seems to spark our imagination and sense of wonder, nostalgia, sentimentality and idealism quite like a comic book. Comic books have the power to tap into something deep, about which fully grown humans will still engage in enthusiastic (and heated) arguments. And, I know this is not just a “me” thing.
“No offense to film or television, but comics is the greatest visual storytelling medium on the planet.”
I had the pleasure to interview one of my favorite comic book writers at San Diego Comic-Con. This is a person who has created some of the most beloved comics of all time and developed multiple television shows and film adapted from comics. They understand the many modes in which we can tell a story, and they told me, “No offense to film or television, but comics is the greatest visual storytelling medium on the planet.”
I think everyone should get the chance to meet their favorite comic creators. And, if you’re not a comic book reader (yet), a local comic shop is a great place to start. I came to comics as an adult, and I couldn’t believe I had gone so long without immersing myself in this vibrant, CMYK world. And, who knows, you could meet your soon-to-be favorite at your local comic convention.
A few comic book creators will be at our local convention, FanX Salt Lake Comic and Pop Culture Convention, this week (Sept. 26-28) at the Salt Palace Convention Center, and it sure would be a shame to miss a chance to talk to them, take a look at their work, get an autograph and thank them for their service. You’ll find many of them in Artist Alley.
Featured Comic Creators at FanX 2024
Afua Richardson is an artist who won an Eisner Award for her work on Black Panther World of Wakanda. Her Black Panther art directly inspired the look of the subsequent Blank Panther Marvel film. She was one of the first Indigenous/Afro-American female artists to work for Marvel Comics as a penciler, inker and colorist. Her latest work is the title Aquarius, Book of Mer and A Marvel Voices Specials celebrating Native American Heritage Month, Kahhori: Reshaper Of Worlds, which comes out in November.
Do you remember The Crow? Of course you do—the remake literally just came out this year. Well, O’Barr is the guy who made the highly influential and stylized “goth” comic that started the whole thing.
Ken Lashley is a longtime career artist who has worked for Marvel, D.C., Lucas Film, Mattel and Hasbro, to name a few. Odds are, he has drawn your favorite comic character or super-team in a book or on the cover, inlcuding: Excalibur, X-Caliber Age of Apocalypse, Black Panther, X-men, Flash, JLA, Superman, Superman Doomed, Spawn, Spider-Man, Venom, Moonknight, and Wolverine VS Predator.
Larry Hama has written some of the most wild and memorable stories in comics. He had an ongoing run on Marvel’s Wolverine during some of the peak Wolverine popularity in the 80s and 90s, as well as writing/drawing/editing Avengers, Conan, Batman, Wonder Woman, X-Men, Spider-Man, etc., but Hama is perhaps best known for his work writing G.I. Joe—creating the whole world and characters and story based on the Hasbro toys.
Another artist who has definitely drawn your favorite comic character. Will Conrad’s work as a Marvel exclusive artist includes X-Men, New Avengers, Black Panther, Elektra, Captain America, and he’s worked on the comics of Star Wars, Serenity, Conan, Batman, Action Comics, Green Lantern, Flash, Judge Dredd and Justice League.
Camron Johnson is an illustrator and cover artist for comics publishers like Image/Skybound, IDW and Dynamite. He is the Creator of the best-selling independent comic book series’ BONECHECK, MEDUSON, FREEZER BURN, and is co-creator of ALL THE OLD GODS.
Tim Bradstreet (POSTPONED APPEARANCE)
Tim Bradstreet is an Eisner Award nominated artist and illustrator. Bradstreet has since drawn for hundreds of comic and game-related projects including Activision’s Vampire: Bloodlines video game, Dark Horse’s Hard Looks, Another Chance to Get It Right with writer Andrew Vachss, and Star Wars, Clive Barker’s Age of Desire, Marvel’s The Punisher and Blade, and Vertigo’s Gangland, Unknown Soldier, Human Target, and Hellblazer, as well as covers for BAD PLANET with co-creators Steve Niles, Thomas Jane and Lewis Larosa.
Local Comic Creators at FanX
Doug Wagner
Doug Wagner is an Utah-based comics writer, known for his popular, mature “materials” books with Image Comics, including Plush, Vinyl and Plastic. He is also the author of Klik Klik Boom, Beware the Eye of Odin—a take on classic Nordic folklore, Legends of the Dark Knight, World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn, and many more. Look for Wagner at FanX at the booth for Utah creators setup by local comic shop The Nerd Store.
Chris Hoffman, Andrew Malin, Nataly Soto of Velleity Studios
Chris Hoffman and Andrew Malin are local comic creators and the co-founders of indie comics studio, Velleity Studios. They will be signing their latest comics with creator Nataly Soto at The Nerd Store’s Utah Creator’s Booth on Friday at FanX
Salt City Comic
Salt City Comic and creator of the satirical cartoon The Mighty Utahn can be found at booth E24 at FanX. If you can laugh at some good-natured jokes at Utah’s expense, definitely take a look at The Mighty Utahn.
Adrian Ropp
Adrian Ropp is an illustrator from Idaho (but he feels like a local institution at FanX) that will be at FanX this year in both the GAMING ROOM and Artist Alley at booth A1309. He’s an artist for Disney Villains comics, Jughead and Little Archie books, Pink Panther and Underdog.
“Printed Garden” All-Ages Graphic Novel and Comics Authors at FanX
Jess Smart Smiley
Jess Smart Smiley is an Utah-based cartoonist and friend of the magazine. Smiley is the author of Let’s Make Comics! An Activity Book to Create, Write, and Draw Your Own Cartoons, which regularly tops best-seller lists on Amazon.
John Patrick Green
John Green is the writer and artist of New York Times-bestselling InvestiGATORS, a middle-grade graphic novel series.
Johanna Taylor
Johanna Taylor is the creator of the YA graphic novel THE GHOSTKEEPER and has worked on comics for independent publishers such as Limit Break Comics, EEP, and 2CGaming, and publishing houses such as Oni Lion Forge, Penguin Random House and MIT Press.
Kimberli Johnson
Kimberli Johnson is a comic book creator who writes young reader comics and “draws cute critters and magical folk,” including Emilie: Knight in Training for Oni Press.
BEFORE YOU GO TO FANX…
A couple of tips for both new comic convention attendees and returning champions:
- Check the schedule in advance to get a plan out your day at the convention. The programming schedule is now live online.
- Download the FanX mobile app to put the latest convention schedule in the palm of your hands and know when things change with notifications.
- Read the rules! Whether for wearing cosplay and costumes to the convention or updated ADA protocols, it can save you the headache and heartache later.
- Ride TRAX. With a stop just a few blocks from the Salt Palace Convention Center, spare yourself the pain of finding parking downtown while fighting 10,000 other people for a stall.
- Book your tickets, photo-ops and autographs in advance online. That means fewer lines on the day.
- Consent is key. You will want to take photos of activations, art, booths, celebrities, cosplayers and robots…but ask first if the subject is OK having their photo taken!
For details and tickets for 2024 FanX Salt Lake Comic & Pop Culture Convention, visit fanxsaltlake.com.
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