More Comic-Con 2023 Guests Revealed!
Barbara Friedlander
Barbara Friedlander was the first woman to create a character for DC, in the comic book Swing with Scooter. Scooter, a former British musician and rock star, became a staple of the DC Universe for many years. Barbara was introduced into the world of DC Romance by Jack E. Miller, writer and editor at DC. “He taught me the ropes of editing and writing and because of his mentorship I was able to develop many new characters and new features that also remained part of DC’s Romance line up until its demise over ten years later.” She worked with such editors and creators as Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Carmine Infantino, Julie Schwartz, Bob Haney, and Tony Abruzo—some of most of the memorable names from the Silver Age of comics. Lately she has been writing romance again: “I am trying to help to bring it back into the universe in a viable ‘new’ genre.”
Keith Knight
For three decades, Keith Knight has brought the funny back to the funny pages with a uniquely personal style that’s a cross between Calvin & Hobbes, MAD, and underground comix. The multi-award-winning cartoonist is part of a generation of African American artists who were raised on hip-hop, infusing their work with urgency, edge, humor, satire, politics, and race. His cartoons have appeared in various publications worldwide, including the Washington Post, the New Yorker, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Nib, Ebony, and The Funny Times. Knight’s work is the inspiration for the live-action streaming television series Woke, on Hulu. Knight served as a co-creator, writer, and executive producer, and he appears as Kubby the Koala in Season 1, episode 7.
Photo by Nick Morgulis/Den of Geek
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is the Emmy- and Grammy-winning director/producer and creator of one of the world’s bestselling comics, Spawn. Known for his work on Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man, where he co-created Venom, McFarlane is co-founder and president of Image Comics, and CEO of McFarlane Toys, Todd McFarlane Productions, and McFarlane Films. Spawn has been adapted into an award-winning animated series and live-action film. The comic earned a Guinness World Record for "longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book series." His recent projects include the launch of Scorched, King Spawn, Gunslinger, and Spawn's Universe.
Stephen Notley
Like all good things, Stephen Notley originated in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He soon grasped that cartooning was the Art of all Arts and, groping blindly for that glorious golden ring, he started drawing. Fifty-odd years later he's still at it, and while he eventually bounced from his home and native land to seek his fortune in sunny Seattle writing and designing goofy nonsense for PopCap Games, he's still inflicting Bob the Angry Flower cartoons on the world at the rate of one per week and intends to do so as long as the flesh cooperates.
Beau Smith
Beau Smith was a prolific letter column correspondent before becoming the vice president of marketing for Eclipse Comics. He went on to head the marketing departments for Todd McFarlane Productions, IDW Publishing, and the Library of American Comics. His first success as a writer came with The Black Terror. He then had a long run on DC’s Guy Gardner Warrior and also worked on stories featuring Aliens, Star Wars, Wolverine, Spawn, Wildcat, and others. His original creations include Primate, Parts Unknown, Cobb, and Wynonna Earp. Wynonna Earp was developed as a TV show for Syfy where it ran for four seasons. Beau’s next work is Stop Watch, co-written by Melanie Scrofano (who played Wynonna Earp) and drawn by Randy Green.
Photo by Joseph Fanvu Photography
Raina Telgemeier
Raina Telgemeier is the author and illustrator of the graphic novels Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts, and Guts, all #1 New York Times bestsellers. She also adapted and illustrated four graphic novel versions of Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club series and has contributed short stories to many anthologies. Raina’s accolades include five Eisner Awards, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and many Best-of and Notables lists.