This year’s special artist guests range from the most talented names in comics, writing and illustration.
2013 GUEST ARTISTS OF HONOUR
Ethan Van Sciver
Ethan Daniel Van Sciver is an American comic book artist, best known for illustrating a number of titles including Green Lantern, Superman/Batman, New X-Men, and The Flash: Rebirth.
Mark Sparacio
Successful illustrator Mark Sparacio studied sequential art for three years under the legendary Will Eisner —recognized as the creator of the graphic novel— at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. While still in school, Sparacio received his first contract job to do a painting for the movie poster for the United Artist film, The Draughtsman’s Contract. This opportunity resulted in a long run as a freelance illustrator for the advertising industry.
When the market for illustration collapsed, the door opened for Sparacio to return to the medium that is his first love—comic books. In addition to painting covers for Billy Tucci’s Shi, D.C. Comic’s Green Lantern, Comics Buyer’s Guide and Alter Ego, Sparacio has also worked for Marvel Comics, painting covers for Heroes for Hire as well as covers for the Comics Values Annual from 2007 and 2008, and The Overstreet Price Guide for the same two years.
Sparacio recently completed the interior sequential pencils for issue #34 of Jonah Hex, along with painted covers for a new six issue Sgt. Rock mini-series being released by DC Comics. He has also done paintings for card sets for UpperDeck /DC Comics and for Topps’ Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids.
In addition to handling the illustrations for No Quarter, Sparacio is currently penciling and doing painted covers for the new, on-going series Captain Action from Moonstone Comics, based on the classic Ideal Toys action figure (written by former X-Men writer Fabian Nicieza).
2013 GUEST ARTISTS
Tommy Castillo
Tommy Castillo is a master artist of the twisted and the macabre. Whether creating a slimy corpse reaching for you or the gentle glance of a mighty dragon, Tommy will capture you with the dynamics of his penciling and the intensity of his palette. With a career spanning eighteen years, Tommy is famed and sought after for his dark humor, brilliant attention to detail, and his love of the darker side of art. Tommy has put paint and pencil to such titles as Batman Detective; Legends of the Dark Knight; Toetags, with Horror legend George Romero; Evil Ernie; Tales From the Crypt; Alice in Wonderland; King Kong; Dragons, Myths, and Mayhem; various storyboards and designs for films; and many more of the macabre based literature. Tommy has been sought out by the fields largest companies: DC comics, Paramount Pictures, Warhammer, Wizards of the Coast, and Image and as offbeat as Rolling Stone magazine. His diverse styling and insane line work have defined him as one of today’s greatest in the field of comics and fine art…and y’know, he renders some of the scariest books of today, and the guy will get as giddy as a schoolboy on Sunday at the sight of a muppet. You gotta love that.
Mitch Gerads
Mitch Gerads is an illustrator and colorist from Minneapolis, MN. He is best known for his work on Image Comics’ The Activity.
Greg Horn
Greg Horn is an American comic book artist best known for his work as a cover artist for Marvel Comics and various other publications. Working primarily as a digital painter, he is well known for his pinup paintings of female characters. In addition to comic book covers, his art has been featured in posters for Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics, video game magazines such as Official Xbox Magazine and InQuest Gamer, and several covers and illustrations for the comic book news magazine Wizard. His latest projects include covers for the on-going Ms Marvel series from Marvel Comics, Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter from Virgin Comics, as well as a series of pieces promoting Marvel’s 2008 “event” Secret Invasion.
Gordon Purcell
Gordon Purcell is an American comic book artist, perhaps best known for his Star Trek work,[1] in particular his photorealistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly licensed books, such as X-Files, Xena, Lost in Space, Godzilla, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Barb Wire, and The Terminator.
Nigel Sade
His art in form is Symbolism represented in either a realism fashion or Symbolic Abstracts, and in function it questions basic ideas we hold dear as a people. It is mostly driven by philosophical motifs and just plain old strangeness. Nigel’s belief is that art should spur conversation, not just match ones curtains. Now you may ask, “What does all this have to do with piracy?” Well, he was always a grungy, bandana wearin freak. His family was and is highly Piratical What with their last name Rogers all the family businesses are Jolly Roger this and Jolly Roger that … Not to mention their propensity for Rum. So with his families’ nautical background and the new Pirate craze, the public proclaimed him a pirate, and a pirate he was. Yet, having always loved pirates, one can say Nigel got peanut butter in his chocolate!
Brent Schoonover
Brent is a Minnesota based illustrator who splits his time doing commercial projects like illustrating Boo Berry and Count Chocula cereal boxes, and doing comic books like Toy Story for Boom! He also illustrated the critically acclaimed graphic novel Mr. Murder is Dead from Archaia, and The Activity: Sigint Files for Image Comics. His current project is Integer City, currently running in Dark Horse Presents.
Sara Wilkinson
Sarah has been professionally working in the trading card/comic book industry for over 9 years. Her first job was for Topps and Lucasfilm, designing sketch cards for the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith movie trading card set. She was one of the youngest artists to be an officially approved Lucasfilm artist.
Since then, she has worked on many properties in the trading card world, including Indiana Jones, Star Trek, My Little Pony, Dr. Who, Bettie Page, Marvel and DC Comics properties including Iron Man,Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman and MANY more. Her art has been used on comic book covers, as comic book pinups, story illustrations, independent movie posters, children’s Halloween masks, children’s books, even remote control cars and toys for Disney.
Currently, Sarah has been reinvigorated in her pursuits as an artist.She switched from acrylics to oils and is currently developing her fine art body of work, while also still working with properties. Sarah can also be called a crazy cat lady and a foodie!
Marc Wolfe
Marc Wolfe is most know for his comic book & sci-fi fantasy illustrated covers and poster work. His work on Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Red Sonja, as well as his realistic renditions of today’s greatest superheroes has gained him popularity among the comic book fans.