New guests are still being added — check back often!
Media
Cecil Baldwin
Cecil Baldwin is the narrator of the hit podcast Welcome To Night Vale. He is an alumnus of the New York Neo-Futurists, performing in their late-night show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, as well as Drama Desk-nominated The Complete and Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O’Neill Vol. 2. Cecil has performed at The Shakespeare Theatre DC, Studio Theatre (including the world premier production of Neil Labute’s Autobahn), The Kennedy Center, The National Players, LaMaMa E.T.C., Emerging Artists Theatre, and at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Film/TV credits include Braden in The Outs (Vimeo), the voice of Tad Strange in Gravity Falls (Disney XD), The Fool in Lear (with Paul Sorvino), and indie film Billie Joe Bob. Cecil has been featured on podcasts such as Ask Me Another (NPR), Selected Shorts (PRI), Shipwreck, Big Data and Our Fair City.
Cecil was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee and currently resides in New York.
Daniel Knauf
Mr. Knauf created and served as Executive Producer of his Emmy Award-winning series, “CARNIVÁLE” (HBO). Mr. Knauf has since written episodes of “SUPERNATURAL” (The CW) and “FEAR ITSELF” (NBC). He served as a Consulting Producer on “STAND OFF” (FOX) , “MY OWN WORST ENEMY” (NBC) and the hit cult series, “SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND” (Starz) and as Executive Producer-Showrunner of the short-lived but innovative, critically acclaimed network series, DRACULA (NBC).
Additionally, he and his son, Charles Knauf, have collaborated on comic books, “THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN,” “CAPTAIN AMERICA, THEATER OF WAR” and “THE ETERNALS” for Marvel, and the SyFy pilot/mini, “THE PHANTOM.” Mr. Knauf has recently turned to screenwriting, developing a feature trilogy for Will Smith and Overbrook Productions, “THE LEGEND OF CAIN,” as well as “HONEY VICARRO” for Flame Productions. He has also been active with creating internet content since 1999, developing several award-winning trans-media websites. Currently, he is an Executive Producer and Writer on the hit network series, “THE BLACKLIST” (NBC).
Joshua Lou Friedman
Joshua Lou Friedman has worked in film and television production since 1991, and today commonly serves as Assistant Director on a wide range of independent features. His television credits range from children’s animation (Inspector Gadget, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures, Sonic the Hedgehog), to award-winning favorites such as Heroes, CSI: New York, Monk, Alias, and Californication. His feature film credits include Transformers, 9, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, Midnight Meat Train, Bitch Slap, Detention, The Dark Knight Rises, the recent hit Big Ass Spider!, 2015’s internet sensation Power/Rangers, as well as last year’s wildly popular horror anthology, Tales of Halloween. Joshua also made his acting debut in the UK feature, Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (2011) where he co-starred alongside Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) and is currently gearing up to direct his first feature, The Nightmare Game.
Authors
Guest of Honor — Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction novelist, blogger and technology activist. He is the co-editor of the popular weblog Boing Boing (boingboing.net), and a contributor to many magazines, websites and newspapers. He is a special consultant to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties.
He holds an honorary doctorate in computer science from the Open University (UK), where he is a Visiting Professor; he is also the MIT Media Lab’s Activist in Residence. In 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.
David Gerrold
David Gerrold has been sitting alone in a room and talking to himself for more than fifty years. If he hears anything good, he types it up. When he has enough words, he sends it to an editor. Occasionally some editor somewhere is so desperate for something to publish, he sends David Gerrold a check. This proves that David is not crazy for sitting alone in a room and talking to himself.
This poor man could have had a real career as a used car salesman, but instead, all that typing has resulted in a forest-killing avalanche of short stories, novelettes, novels, articles, columns, non-fiction books, television scripts, film scripts, stage plays, comic books, and mangas, several of which have been nominated for awards and a couple of which have actually won trophies.
His TV work, if you must know, includes episodes of Star Trek, Land of the Lost, Twilight Zone, Babylon 5, and Sliders. (He created tribbles for Star Trek and Sleestaks for Land of the Lost.)
Some of his novels have sold well enough to be considered best-sellers. These include The Man Who Folded Himself, a sexually explicit time travel story, and When HARLIE Was One, a thoughtful exploration of artificial intelligence. His novels on ecological invasion, A Matter For Men, A Day For Damnation, A Rage For Revenge, and A Season For Slaughter, have developed a fanatic cult following some of whom have threatened mayhem while waiting for the fifth book.
In 1994, Gerrold shared the adventure of how he adopted his son in The Martian Child, a semi-autobiographical tale of a science fiction writer who discovers his adopted child might be a Martian. The Martian Child won the science fiction triple crown: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Locus Poll. It was the basis for the 2007 film “Martian Child” starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. (The book is better.)
Various editors have said that Gerrold‘s writing strengths are his readable prose, his easy wit, his facility with description, the accuracy of his science, and the passion of his characters. As long as the check clears the bank, Gerrold refrains from questioning their judgment.
Peter DavidPeter David is a prolific author whose career, and continued popularity, spans nearly two decades. He has worked in every conceivable media: Television, film, books (fiction, non-fiction and audio), short stories, and comic books, and acquired followings in all of them.
In the literary field, Peter has had over eighty novels published, including numerous appearances on the New York Times Bestsellers List. His novels include Tigerheart, Darkness of the Light, Sir Apropos of Nothing and the sequel The Woad to Wuin, Knight Life, Howling Mad, and the Psi-Man adventure series. He is the co-creator and author of the bestselling Star Trek: New Frontier series for Pocket Books, and has also written such Trek novels as Q-Squared, The Siege, Q-in-Law, Vendetta, I, Q (with John deLancie), A Rock and a Hard Place and Imzadi. He produced the three Babylon 5 Centauri Prime novels, and has also had his short fiction published in such collections as Shock Rock, Shock Rock II, and Otherwere, as well as Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Peter’s comic book resume includes an award-winning twelve-year run on The Incredible Hulk, and he has also worked on such varied and popular titles as Supergirl, Young Justice, Soulsearchers and Company, Aquaman, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, X-Factor, Star Trek, Wolverine, The Phantom, Sachs & Violens, The Dark Tower, and many others. He has also written comic book related novels, such as The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast, and co-edited The Ultimate Hulk short story collection. Furthermore, his opinion column, “But I Digress…,” had been running in the industry trade newspaper The Comic Buyers’s Guide for nearly a decade, and in that time has been the paper’s consistently most popular feature and was also collected into two trade paperback editions.
Peter is also the writer for several popular video games: Shadow Complex, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, and Marvel Future Fight.
Peter is the co-creator, with popular science fiction icon Bill Mumy (of Lost in Space and Babylon 5 fame) of the Cable Ace Award-nominated science fiction series Space Cases, which ran for two seasons on Nickelodeon. He has written several scripts for the Hugo Award winning TV series Babylon 5, and the sequel series, Crusade. He has also written several films for Full Moon Entertainment and co-produced two of them, including two installments in the popular Trancers series, as well as the science fiction western spoof Oblivion, which won the Gold Award at the 1994 Houston International Film Festival for best Theatrical Feature Film, Fantasy/Horror category.
Peter’s awards and citations include: the Haxtur Award 1996 (Spain), Best Comic script; OZCon 1995 award (Australia), Favorite International Writer; Comic Buyers Guide 1995 Fan Awards, Favorite writer; Wizard Fan Award Winner 1993; Golden Duck Award for Young Adult Series (Starfleet Academy), 1994; UK Comic Art Award, 1993; Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, 1993; Julie Award 2007. He lives in New York with his wife, Kathleen, and his four children, Shana, Gwen, Ariel, and Caroline.
Keith R.A. DeCandidoKeith R.A. DeCandido attended his first I-Con as a college student in 1988, where he got to meet Harlan Ellison for the first time. Over the years, he has attended the show as a fan, as press, as security, as a musical guest, and most commonly as an author guest. Keith’s recent and upcoming work includes the Marvel’s “Tales of Asgard” trilogy of prose novels, including Thor: Dueling with Giants, Sif: Even Dragons Have Their Endings, and Warriors Three: Godhood’s End; the Stargate SG-1 novel Kali’s Wrath; the Heroes Reborn novella Save the Cheerleader, Destroy the World; Mermaid Precinct, the latest in his fantasy/police procedural series; A Furnace Sealed, the first in his new urban fantasy series about a nice Jewish boy from the Bronx who hunts monsters; three novellas in the Super City Cops series, Avenging Amethyst, Undercover Blues, and Secret Identities; the short-story collection Without a License: The Fantastic Worlds of Keith R.A. DeCandido; and short stories in the anthologies Aliens: Bug Hunt, Altered States of the Union, Baker Street Irregulars Volumes 1 & 2, A Baker’s Dozen of Magic, Humans Wanted, Joe Ledger: Unstoppable, Limbus Inc. Book 3, Nights of the Living Dead, The Side of Good/The Side of Evil, TV Gods: Summer Programming, V-Wars: Night Terrors, and The X-Files: Trust No One. In 2009, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, which means he never needs to achieve anything ever again. His rewatches of classic TV shows (various series in the Star Trek and Stargate franchises, as well as the 1966 Batman) have been appearing twice weekly on Tor.com since 2011. He’s also a professional musician (currently the percussionist for the parody band Boogie Knights), an editor of more than 25 years’ standing (working for clients both corporate and private), a second-degree black belt in karate (which he teaches to both children and adults), and probably some other stuff that he can’t remember due to the lack of sleep. Find out less at DeCandido.net.
Drew Henriksen
Drew holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Medical Technology/Biomedical research from the State University of New York at Fredonia, a Master of Science degree in Immunology / Medical Biology from the C. W. Post campus of Long Island University, and a Post Masters Certification in Science Education from Dowling College.
After years of being a laboratory supervisor for North Shore University Hospital, he began teaching science at Amityville Memorial High School in New York, right down the street from the famous Amityville Horror house. Studying the martial arts under Renshi George Santiago, he is now a Sensei at Master Santiago’s Bushido Karate dojo in Islip, New York. He has been a stuntman in the Long Island Produced “A Merry Little Christmas.” He was in a fight scene playing a squid with an axe in “Cold Feet, Wet Dreams, and the Kitchen Sink.”
Writing and BSing have always been a hobby for Drew. He likes to take the world of science and throw a monkey wrench into its thought process. He feels that nobody knows it “all”, and loves to prove it. Teaching high school biology and forensic science for Syracuse University has proven more rewarding than lab work. Everyday you learn something new.
Roy Mauritsen
In a career spanning over two decades as a professional graphic designer, Roy Mauritsen is also an award-winning digital fantasy artist of the Chess Pieces series and author of the Shards of the Glass Slipper series. Presently, Mr. Mauritsen is an art director overseeing both Perseid Press and Padwolf Publishing, and has designed nearly a hundred published book covers so far. Roy Mauritsen has added “audiobook producer” to his growing list of endeavors. In March 2015, Mr. Mauritsen released his first audiobook for Book One: Queen Cinder in his Shards of the Glass Slipper series, collaborating with professional narrator Christopher Crosby Morris. Mr. Mauritsen spent nearly two months editing over 16 hours of recordings to professionally mix in sound effects and music scores to create a more enhanced listening experience ( much like a radio drama). A similar audiobook is planned for Book II: Queen Alice.
Follow @roymauritsen on twitter.
Anime
Guest of Honor – Rikki Simons
Rikki Simons–Voice Actor, writer, and artist, is now available for booking via Eva Ink Artist Group/ Pros & Cons Celebrity Bookings.
You know Rikki as the voice of the robot in a dog suit, GIR from Invader ZIM! And the pop culture scene does too, as fans embrace the chance to meet Rikki in person at his appearances worldwide.
As a writer he is known for the science fiction and fantasy novel Hitherto a Lion.
Original illustrated books and comics that he created with Tavisha-Wolfgarth-Simons include Super Information Hijinks: Reality Check!, Ranklechick and His Three Legged Cat,ShutterBox, and now The Trinkkits.
He is also a background painter in animation, most noted for his color design on Invader ZIM.
Tiffany Grant
is excited to return to I-Con! Best known as Asuka in NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, Tiffany was the first anime voice actor hired in the US state of Texas [Feb. 1994].
She’s voiced characters in 1700+ TV episodes, OVAs & movies including AZUMANGA DAIOH (Kaorin), CHRONO CRUSADE (Satella), BLUE SEED (Kome), INFINITE STRATOS (Laura), FMP? FUMOFFU (Bonta-kun), GODANNAR (Shizuru), FULL METAL ALCHEMIST (Marta), MARIA HOLIC (Yonakuni), ONE PIECE (Nojiko), THE WALLFLOWER (Auntie), AKAME GA KILL (Koro) and GIRLS UND PANZER (Sodoko). Video game credits: UNLIMITED SAGA, DEUS EX II: INVISIBLE WAR. Recent projects include GATCHAMAN CROWDS INSIGHT, DEN-NOH COIL and AMAGI BRILLIANT PARK.
Ms. Grant has adapted English dubbing scripts for TV series such as HELLO KITTY’S ANIMATION THEATER, AH! MY GODDESS 2, THE WALLFLOWER, INFINITE STRATOS, TEARS TO TIARA, PARASYTE-THE-MAXIM and DEN-NOH COIL, as well as scripts for several subtitled projects including MIYUKI CHAN IN WONDERLAND and the live-action TOKYO – THE LAST MEGALOPOLIS.
Additionally, Tiffany contributed to the albums “Voices for Peace” and “Voices for Tolerance” www.voicesfor.org. Profits benefit charities like Doctors Without Borders. CDs and downloads: www.cdbaby.com & iTunes.
Non-anime work includes ARLINGTON ROAD (w/Jeff Bridges) and indie films LAUGHING BOY, DEAD OF KNIGHT & LARS THE EMO KID. Tiffany has years of experience in theatre and commercials and an incurable Hello Kitty addiction! For more, visit TiffanyGrant.net
Kristen Nelson
Kristen Nelson is a Singer and Voice Actress living on Long Island New York. She is available for singing and acting work. She is a classically trained vocalist with a huge range capable of executing everything from Ave Maria to Led Zeppelin’s Rock N’ Roll, and all the pop and dance you might say is in-between. Her most recent projects include fronting a classic rock band and a Heart tribute band. Kristen is also an accomplished actress and performer. Her professional experience includes voice-over looping work for Japanese Animation (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1242964/) . Kristen has also been active in local theater where she directed her local Rocky Horror Picture Show and participated in the local Shadowcast of REPO the Genetic Opera. She has also provided the voices of the characters Give and Give in the online cartoon about everybody’s favorite vampire superhero, Dr. Shroud (check it out at http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/569533) Kristen is a recurring guest year after year at various anime conventions and tracks, most notably ICON (www.iconsf.org) and Philcon (www.philcon.org) Whatever Kristen is doing, she is never afraid of speaking her mind and will reach out in support of anyone who wants to get into singing or acting by honestly and earnestly sharing her experiences and her advice with them. On stage she is known for delivering performances that are technically challenging and energetic.
Jon Tanton
JON TANTON is new to the voice acting scene but has had trained in stage acting and other performance trades for years. His VO credits include the English Dubs for both “Charger Girl Juden-Chan” and “Rio: Rainbow Gate” as well as the popular animated web series, “Super Hero Clock”. He is also a Carnegie Mellon University alumni with a degree in Creative Writing. He would like to thank I-CON for putting on such a great convention and for inviting him to be a part of it.
 
Bill Rogers
Since his debut in 2001, Bill has been providing voices to some of your favorite characters in some of your favorite shows. He is best known for his roles in “Pokemon” (Brock + over 50 creatures), “HunterXHunter” (Majitani), “Gravitation” (Touma Seguchi), “Genshiken” (Tanaka Souichiro) and “Boogiepop Phantom” (Yamamoto). Other anime Bill has voiced include “One Punch Man”, “Mob Psycho 100”, “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans”, “Gundam: The Origin”, “Ikki Tousen”, “The Third”, “Shingu”, “His and Her Circumstances”, “KO Beast”, “Assemble Insert”, “Magical Witch Punie-Chan”, “Mai Mai Miracle”, “Patema Inverted”, “Joe vs. Joe”, “Queen’s Blade”, “Madara”, “To Heart”, “Kujibiki Unbalance”, “Gokudo”, and “Comic Party”.
Video gamers will recognize Bill as the voice of Urien in “Street Fighter 5” as well as Lucario in the smash hit “Super Smash Bros. Brawl”. He’s voiced cartoon legend Heathcliff in “Heathcliff: Fast and the Furriest” as well as Red, Yellow and other fun characters in “m&m Adventure” and “m&m Kart Racing”. On mobile devices he can be heard in “Monster Strike”, “Order and Chaos”, “Gangstar: Vegas”, “Dungeon Hunter 4” and “Dungeon Hunter 5”. He has also supplied voices for “Knee Deep” (Mac/PC), “Demon Gaze” (PS Vita), “Bullet Witch” (X-Box) and various Pokémon in the game “Poképark” and it’s sequel “Poképark: Wonders Beyond” (Wii).
He has also been involved with directing work on anime and video game projects such as “God Wars”, “Queen’s Blade”, “Magic Adventures”, “Mai Mai Miracle” and “Trillion”.
Outside the field of anime & video games, Bill has worked with English dubbing groups for live action and animated programs from China, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Korea and Turkey. Notable titles include “Pororo”, “Robot Trains”, “DragonPhoenix Chronicles”, “Veteran” and “Eggy”.
You can follow Bill’s adventures on Facebook (facebook.com/billsvoice) and @billsvoice on Twitter
Brimstone
Brimstone has had a successful and rewarding career spanning well over three decades; participating in numerous entertainment fields boasting a list of titles including professional wrestler, radio host, actor, voice actor, author, musician, philanthropist, food critic, horror model, and comic book/animated/children’s book/video game hero. He’s been called a Renaissance man by many, but more accurately described as an entertainment entrepreneur.
Lost Silver Productions
Lost Silver Productions is the fresh face of fast-paced fun, games, and information in the world of game shows and anime.
We are the home of:
GAME SHOW MEGAMIX: The amazing rotation of the world’s most iconic game shows presented on the anime convention scene and beyond.
GAME SHOW TALK & FUN: Our hard-hitting podcast series about the best and worst of the world’s most exciting genre of television: Game shows.
CONVENTION ATTENTION: The podcast series that keeps up with the non-stop world of anime, video games, and the worldwide convention scene.So come for the games and stay for the news you need to know, all with a wit that won’t quit.
This is Lost Silver Productions.
Right Stuf!
Right Stuf, Inc. is an independent video publisher that specializes in packaging and distributing pre-recorded programming to English-language audiences – from Japanese animation (anime) to foreign live-action content.
In addition to selling its own publishing division’s products, Right Stuf, Inc. also resells and distributes anime-related and Asian live-action merchandise – including DVDs, Blu-ray discs, books, apparel, artwork, audio CDs and more – on behalf of other North American suppliers.
Right Stuf’s unique position as a publisher, distributor and retailer gives it a distinct advantage in the anime marketplace, as it operates in both the business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors. Right Stuf is the largest of North America’s anime-specific retail and distribution companies, selling products both direct to fans and to other retailers, via its web site, phone and mail-order. It also provides business services for firms throughout the North American anime industry, from phone banks and data entry to demographic research, the creation of online storefronts, and more.
Comics
Christopher Golden
Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling author of SNOWBLIND, ARARAT, TIN MEN, and many other novels. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of two cult favorite comics series, BALTIMORE and JOE GOLEM: OCCULT DETECTIVE. As an editor, his anthologies include SEIZE THE NIGHT, THE NEW DEAD, and DARK CITIES. He is one-third of the popular podcast Three Guys with Beards. Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family and far too many books.
James A. Moore
JAMES A. MOORE is the author of over forty novels, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, Blood Harvest, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) Cherry Hill, Alien: Sea of Sorrows and the Seven Forges series of novels. 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.
Never one to stay in one genre for too long, James has recently written epic fantasy novels in the series SEVEN FORGES (Seven Forges, the Blasted Lands, City of Wonders and The Silent Army). He is working on a new series called The Tides Of War. The first book in the series The Last Sacrifice, came out last January and the sequel, Fallen Gods, is due out early in 2018. Pending novels also include A Hell Within (a Griffin & Price Novel) co-written with Charles R. Rutledge and an apocalyptic Sci-Fi novel tentatively called Spores.
Ric Meyers
Although Ric Meyers may be best known as one of the leading experts on martial art movies and kung-fu films in America, he is also considered one of the most experienced, versatile, and eclectic writers in media, having written science-fiction, horror, fantasy, action-adventure, espionage, superhero, and mystery novels; as well as award-winning non-fiction books about TV and movies under his own name — not to mention dozens of Dirty Harry, Ninja Master, WWII sagas, and international thrillers under a variety of house names and pseudonyms. In addition, he has written for dozens of comic books and magazines while consulting for movie studios and TV networks. In fact, he has contributed to every medium except videogames … and he’s working on that. His most recent work includes the documentary Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie, William Shatner’s new science fiction epic Zero G, the very special stocking stuffer titled Santa Confidential, and his new podcast Prof. Ric’s Action Film Autopsy. For more information (and maybe a kung fu lesson), corner him here, or check out ricmeyers.com and actionfilmautopsy.com.
Steve Price
Long Island artist and designer Steve Price has been kicking around the comic book business as a fan, retailer, and published pro his entire life. Recent comics credits include the logo and book design for NIGHTWORLD: MIDNIGHT SONATA (Image Comics) and an illustration in JUNGLE TALES of TARZAN (Dark Horse Comics). Older works include short comics in anthologies by Radio Comix, House of Twelve, and Manual Comics and a cartoon featured on one of the final tour shirts for the seminal punk band, the Ramones.
With artwork featured in group shows at the prestigious Merry Karnowski (LA) and Last Rites (NYC) galleries, Steve Price has also had cartoons published by Newsday, the Village VOICE, and WCBS New York. He is currently at work on a new chapter of the self-published KARMIKAZE; Princess of Payback and a couple of other projects.
John Broglia
John Broglia is a New York based cartoonist who’s love for comics dates back to his early childhood. He attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan where he studied animation. Early on in his career he worked on several creator owned projects such as Billy Tucci’s Zombie Sama and Image Comics’ God Complex with Michael Avon Oeming. He has also supplied art for anthology series such as Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures and the FUBAR books. John has been a part of several successful Kickstart campaigns, his most prominent one with writer Michael Sarrao on Unmasked volume 1 which will be seeing a volume 2 in 2017. John is currently working on a handful of new projects including a reboot of Zombie Sama , Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer and other creator owned projects.
Joe Corallo
Joe Corallo is a queer cisgender white guy who tries to keep his privilege in check while residing in Queens, NY. He’s self published multiple issues of a cyberpunk comic titledElectronic with Danny Luckert, and has work published in Geeks OUT Presents: Power anthology with Sam Johns, Margins Publishing’s Our Hearts Still Beat zine, and Grayhaven’s The Gathering: Music anthology both with Randy Haldeman. He’s currently back at self publishing with a new series, Saturn’s Call, alongside co-creator and illustrator Robby Barrett. Joe is also a reporter and columnist at ComicMix as well as a contributor at Geeks OUT, [insertgeekhere], and Geek.com.
Pat Shand
PAT SHAND writes comics (Destiny NY, Vampire Emmy, Robyn Hood), novels (Avengers, Iron Man, Charmed), and more. He lives in New York with his fiancée Amy and their zoo of cats. You can follow him online @PatShand on all platforms.
Molly Jackson
Molly Jackson is a many-fandomed geek living in NYC. Basically, name the fandom and she has an opinion. When she isn’t working her day job, you can usually find her waiting on line for a comic signing. You can also read up on her exploits as Wilderowens at [insertgeekhere].
Adam McGovern
Adam McGovern co-created the Ignatz-nominated DR. ID, PSYCHOLOGIST OF THE SUPERNATURAL with artist Paolo Leandri, and the team have collaborated on the grindhouse demon-drama NIGHTWORLD, the modern-day mutant mermaid AQUARIA, and the vintage character ALIAS THE SPIDER, all for Image Comics. The team’s tales of ghost towns & cities, time-travelling philosophers, high-tech cowboys and literally messianic rockstars have appeared in the indie-comics tabloids POOD and MAGIC BULLET, and their dystopian fantasia THE URBAN LEGEND OF IDORU JONES has two eps up on HiLobrow.com. McGovern co-created THE SUIT with artist Reid Psaltis on TripCity.com, as has worked with artists Diana Leto, Ellen Stedfeld, Coin-Op Studio, Frank Reynoso, Charles Fetherolf, Giuseppe Palumbo and Stefano Pavan on comic-strips, web-comics, special editions and stage productions. He worked with Andrea Plazzi adapting some 50 issues of nine adventure, satire and fairytale series from Italy’s GG Studio, released in the U.S. from 2010-12. McGovern and Leandri’s debut for Dark Horse Comics, the meta-mythology story “Footsteps,” will appear in the much-awaited TWICE UPON A TIME MACHINE anthology in 2017. McGovern writes on pulp culture for numerous publishers and speaks at educational and arts presentations from Los Angeles to Italy. You can contact him face-to-book here.
Glenn Hauman
Glenn Hauman has over 25 years of experience in publishing and was a pioneer in ebooks. Mr. Hauman has worked as an author, graphic designer, editor, photo retoucher, CD-ROM producer, story consultant for films, and radio show host. His Star Trek book, “Creative Couplings”, got worldwide press coverage for its portrayal of the first Klingon-Jewish wedding. In addition to Star Trek, he’s written other licensed tie-in works for X-Men and Farscape, and urban fantasy for Baen Books, and he was the colorist for Mike Grell’s Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes Of Eden graphic novel as part of his work for ComicMix (http://www.comicmix.com). His most fun work is with ComicMix Pro Services, where he says “anything that a comic creator doesn’t want to deal with, or know how to do… we do. We provide everything you need to make your comics great.”
John Stanisci (Friday Only)
John Stanisci is a professional illustrator for DC, Marvel and IDW Comics having drawn such characters as Spider-Man, Batman, Constantine, Justice League Dark, Judge Dredd, X Files and many more. In 2011, John’s book for DC Comics, Batman Beyond: Hush Beyond, premiered at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels. Currently, John is penciling a two issue arc on Batman: Eternal for DC as well as writing and drawing his creator owned series. Lifedeath as well as an upcoming ROM cover for IDW.
Alitha E. Martinez
My name is Alitha Evelyn Martinez. My professional career began in 1999 penciling Iron Man for Marvel Entertainment. Since then, it’s been a great ride getting to work on titles like X-Men; Black Sun; Marvel Age Fantastic Four; Black Panther and Black Panther: World of Wakanda; Voltron; NBC’s Heroes; New 52 Bat Girl; Archie Comic’s New Crusaders and Riverdale; and WWE Superstar, WWE Slam City, and Barbie for Paper Cutz. I’ve done larger projects that required more than just penciling and inking in graphic novels like Vampire: My Boyfriend Bites; Kung Fu Masters; Quest for Dragon Mountain for Lerner Publications; also, Political cartooning for the New York Post. In my spare time I work on my creator-owned titles Yume and Ever, and Foreign, which I publish through my company, Ariotstorm Productions, LLC. And I teach at SVA here in New York City.
Science & Technology
Guest of Honor — Pamela Gay
Pamela Gay ia an astronomer, writer, and podcaster focused on using new media to engage people in science and technology. Through CosmoQuest.org, she works to engage people in both learning and doing science. Join her as we map our Solar System in unprecedented detail through our citizen science projects, and learn astronomy through media productions like Astronomy Cast. Through this weekly podcast, Fraser Cain and Pamela take you on a facts-based journey through our Cosmos, exploring not only what we know, but how we know it.
John Grant / Paul Barnett
John Grant has written over 70 books. His fiction has included novels like The World (1992), The Far-Enough Window (2002), The Dragons of Manhattan (2008) and Leaving Fortusa (2008), as well as numerous short stories, some of which have been collected as Take No Prisoners (2004) and Tell No Lies(2014). With artist Bob Eggleton he created the two “illustrated fictions” Dragonhenge (2002) and The Stardragons (2005); the former brought him a Hugo nomination.
For a number of years he ran the Paper Tiger imprint of fantasy art books. This work brought him a Chesley Award and a World Fantasy Award nomination. His nonfiction has included The Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated Characters (three editions: 1987, 1993, 1998), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997, with John Clute), The Chesley Awards (2003, with Elizabeth Humphrey and Pamela D. Scoville) and a series of books on the misuse and misunderstanding of science: Discarded Science (2006), Corrupted Science (2007), Bogus Science (2009) and Denying Science (2011). Related to this series have been his YA nonfictions Debunk It! (2014) and Eureka! (2016).His A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir (2013) is the largest film noir encyclopedia in the English language. For his nonfiction he has won two Hugo awards, a World Fantasy Award and others.
Dr. Jason Schneiderman
Dr. Jason Schneiderman is a neuroscientist working for KBRwyle at NASA Johnson Space Center. Within NASA’s Human Research Program, he is the Discipline Scientist for the Risk of Adverse Cognitive or Behavioral Conditions and Psychiatric Disorders and a Research Scientist within the Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory (see https://www.nasa.gov/hrp and https:// humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov ). Dr. Schneiderman’s work focuses on the effect of spaceflight stressors including microgravity, isolation and confinement on the brain and behavior. He is involved in research in multiple environments including the International Space Station; the Orion Program; simulated spaceflight analogs, including NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA); and the Antarctic.
Dr. Schneiderman received his B.S. in Psychology from Stony Brook University, and his PhD in Neuroscience from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He then moved on to continue training and working at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania before taking his current position in Houston. In addition, Dr. Schneiderman has had a long-standing affiliation with I-CON, with former positions including Information Desk Staff, Track Leader of Science and Technology Programing, the Assistant Director of Programing, and a member of the Board of Directors.
Dr. Gary Halada
Gary P. Halada is an Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Stony Brook University in New York. There he directs an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program in Engineering Science as well as a unique undergraduate program in Nanotechnology Studies developed with NSF support (www.stonybrook.edu/nanotech). His research interests for the past twenty five years include nanostructures for engineering applications, including renewable energy, and the nature of environment-material interactions, including corrosion, remediation of soil and groundwater, and the fate and transport of nuclear contamination. This work has led to more than 100 publications in journals, peer-reviewed proceedings and book chapters, as well as pending patents in new environmentally-benign and inexpensive methods for formation of catalytic nanoparticles and functionalized biomaterials. He is also leading a committee on digital and additive manufacturing for the SUNY Network of Excellence in Materials and Advanced Manufacturing, and represents SUNY on a committee on additive manufacturing for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Halada also helps coordinate efforts of the Long Island Alternative Energy Consortium, a collaborative effort among seven campuses (Stony Brook University, New York Institute of Technology, Farmingdale State College, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Maritime, and Suffolk County and Nassau Community Colleges) as well as government and private entities, to develop multi-disciplinary, multi-institution undergraduate and experiential education programs for the emerging and rapidly evolving industries of renewable and alternative energies. He is a recipient of the 2012 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Gary Halada also has a long-term association with science fiction fandom, as he was one of the founders of I-CON, was a coordinator or guest at more than 25 I-CONs over the years, had been president and head librarian of the Science Fiction Forum for three years during his undergraduate years at Stony Brook, and was one of the founders of “Destinies, the Voice of Science Fiction” on WUSB. He continues to explore the uses of reading and writing science fiction as a method for teaching students about the potential risks and ethical concerns of emerging technologies.
Performances
Aurelio Voltaire
Aurelio Voltaire is often described as a modern day renaissance man. He is a singer/ performer, creator of comic books, animation and toys. As a musician, he is a songwriter whose music can best 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 convention audience rolling in the aisles. Many know him for his songs “Brains!” and “Land of the Dead” from the Cartoon Network show “The Grim Adventures of Billy And Mandy”.
Aurelio Voltaire’s live shows, whether solo or with his skeletal orchestra, are full of stories and games. Many describe his shows as sitting around a fire while an old friend regales you with tales, presuming that old friend drinks a liter of rum a night, dates zombie prostitutes and wrestles Krakens.
Voltaire has been recording and touring for 20 years. He’s released 11 full length albums. The first five were released by Projekt Records. These days, Voltaire self-releases most of his CDs.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast featuring Project the Night
What better way to complete your I-Con experience than seeing Rocky Horror. Join Project the Night for a complete audience participation performance of the favorite cult classic! Prop Bags will be Availiable!
NY Repo
NY Repo! is a group of veteran shadowcasters who have been in numerous performances of both Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It has been a long time since there has been a screening of Repo! on long island and specifically at I-Con so we are proud to bring this shadow cast production of Repo! The Genetic Opera back to I-Con. Come on down and get your Zydrate fix with us at the Genetic Opera!
Gaming
Christopher Helton
Christopher Helton is a game designer and co-publisher of the ENnies Award winning tabletop role-playing company Battlefield Press. For over thirteen years he has written about gaming, comics, music and more at the Dorkland! blog. He has written for the Bleeding Cool, EN World and Outland Entertainment websites, combining cultural criticism with the historical background of gaming and comics. He has podcasted and recorded actual play videos for his YouTube channel. He is a near life long fan of the pulps, horror and dark fantasy fiction, and wishes that he had much more time for reading. He resides in St. Petersburg, Fl and has speaking in the third person is a hobby.
Mike Tresca
Michael “Talien” Tresca is a game designer, author, communicator, and artist. He was the National RPG and Sci-Fi Movie Examiner for six years and published three books, the non-fiction history of gaming, The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games from McFarland Publishing, his fantasy fiction debut, The Well of Stars, from Three Ravens Books, and the young adult fantasy Awfully Familiar from Dark Quest Books. Michael has authored numerous supplements and adventures for publishers of Open Game License and D20-compatible games, including AEG, MonkeyGod Enterprises, Goodman Games, Otherworld Creations, Privateer Press, RPGObjects and Ronin Arts. A top reviewer for Amazon, his articles and reviews have appeared in Allgame.com, D20 Filtered, Dragon Magazine, Gamers.com, Pyramid, RPG.net, and Sharktopus. He was the National RPG and Sci-Fi Movie Examiner for six years and is currently a columnist for ENWorld. He has participated in panels about electronic and tabletop role-playing games at ConnectiCon, Dragon*Con, and I-Con. When he’s not writing, Michael can be found as his alter ego, Talien, on RetroMUD as an administrator. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.
Matthew McFarland
Matthew McFarland, also known as BlackHat Matt, has been writing and developing roleplaying games professionally since 1998. Most of the work he has done has been for White Wolf Game Studio, where he contributed to almost all of their game lines (including both incarnations of the World of Darkness). In 2012, he and his spouse Michelle Lyons-McFarland started Growling Door Games, Inc., which now publishes several roleplaying games, including a new edition of the classic horror RPG, Chill®. In his day job, Matt is a speech-language pathologist for the Cleveland school district.
Beth Rimmels
Beth Rimmels has been a contributing writer and/or editor for RPG projects ranging from Flying Buffalo’s “CityBook VII: King’s River Bridge” to 5th Epoch’s latest release, “The Vampire Codex.” Raised a geek long before it was popular, she’s been an entertainment journalist as well as a movie critic/entertainment editor for the Long Island version of The Village Voice. Her comic book column, “Stripped,” led to her being a judge for The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Currently she’s a social media marketing manager for game industry businesses and tech companies, and is developing the multi-setting role-playing game, Awesome 8’s.
Vito Pandolfo
Nearly retired from practice, Vito is founding Principal of a NYC-based consulting firm which over 24 years developed an expertise in culture change management. During his tenure he has worked in over 50 industries and accumulated a vast multi-disciplinary approach to business. He is the author of the business publication, “Why Is My Coworker So Crazy?” (Spring 2011). In addition, he has toured a number of times as a professional musician, and his interests include several Eastern martial arts, firearms, medieval reenactment, fitness and hiking. He has brought his array of interests and hobbies into game design. As Managing Principal of 5th Epoch Publishing, LLC, he has been co-author of the Metal, Magic and Lore (2007) RPG, a newly released work based on J.A.Dohms’s creation, The Vampire’s Codex RPG (2016), and the collectible series Box Battles: Cold War Evolution (2017). Vito is spearheading three new game product series to be releases in 2017/2018, as well as additional products for all existing product lines. 5th Epoch has also released a first novel series and is preparing for a second, each based on its game properties. As an entrepreneur, he has been at the helm to see the company through the turbulent and changing industrial landscape of independent game publishers. He has been a student of the languages of Italian, Korean, and Japanese. Vito was formerly Deputy Executive Director of the Games Publishers Association.
Pathfinder Society of Long Island
Pathfinder Society Organized Play is a worldwide fantasy roleplaying campaign that puts YOU in the role of an agent of the Pathfinder Society, a legendary league of explorers, archaeologists, and adventurers dedicated to discovering and chronicling the greatest mysteries and wonders of an ancient world beset by magic and evil. The campaign’s home base is sprawling Absalom, the so-called City at the Center of the World, that stands astride the great Inner Sea on the mountain-capped Isle of Kortos. A Pathfinder’s adventures explore the dark alleys and political intrigue of Absalom between far-flung travels to the most interesting and exotic locales in the world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Fandom & Groups
USS Britannic
U.S.S. Britannic is a chapter in STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. and has been serving the Long Island area since 2006. Members meet monthly for chapter meetings and participate in such events as film festivals, BBQs, movies, parties, trips to NYC, gaming and, of course, gathering in Star Trek costumes for local as well as out-of-state conventions.
The Dragon Demands
A dragon does not ask, it demands.
Co-Head Administrator for Game of Thrones Wiki, the largest online encyclopedia for the Game of Thrones TV series, with an average 1 million daily site hits. There are three top-level Admins for GoTWiki: the other two live in Peru and Louisiana, but the Dragon already lives in the New York City area near I-CON. If you’ve ever read the wiki’s obsessive episode notes sections, that’s the Dragon.
Offline, the Dragon also holds a Master’s Degree in medieval history, with a focus on medieval women and political power – and enjoys applying medieval scholarship to the world of Westeros.
Artists
David O. Miller
You can view more of David’s work at his website: www.davidomiller.com
Travis Louie’s paintings come from the tiny little drawings and many writings in his journals. He’s created his own imaginary world that is grounded in Victorian and Edwardian times. It is inhabited by human oddities, mythical beings, and otherworldly characters who appear to have had their formal portraits taken to mark their existence and place in society. The underlining thread that connects all these characters is the unusual circumstances that shape who they were and how they lived. Some of their origins are a complete mystery while others are hinted at. A man is cursed by a goat, a strange furry being is discovered sleeping in a hedge, an engine driver can’t seem to stop vibrating in his sleep, a man overcomes his phobia of spiders, etc, . . .Using inventive techniques of painting with acrylic washes and simple textures on smooth boards, he’s created portraits from an alternate universe that seemingly may or may not have existed.
Scott Grimando
Award winning illustrator Scott Grimando will be showcasing many of his iconic book covers as well as his personal, Art of the Myth, series.
For the past 18 years he’s been a trendsetter in the publishing field working with most of the major Science Fiction and Fantasy publishers while creating a balance between his classical training and digital techniques.
His first book, The Art of the Mythical Woman, Lucid Dreams, from SQP has become an art students standard for insights into the modern creative process as well as being a richly illustrated retrospective on the artists career.
Sci-Fi readers may know him as the cover artist for the long running Kris Longknife series.
He is perhaps best known for his fairy art having been featured in The World of Faery and Faerie Magazine, as well as numerous collections of the best in contemporary fantasy art including Spectrum, Infected By Art, Expose and Illuxcon.
Rodney Ramos
His works include masterful craftsmanship for clients ranging from Valiant, Malibu, Acclaim, Marvel UK, and Neal Adams Continuity Studios, in addition to Marvel and DC. He reached cult status with his work on DC’s “Transmetropolitan,” a huge fan favorite, and most recently over Simon Bisley’s pencils at Legendary.
Erica Berkowitz has her Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Stony Brook University and her Master’s Degree in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. She has worked locally on Long Island at the Nassau County Museum of Art and the Islip Art Museum. In 2015, she left her position as Director of Last Rites Gallery in NYC for nearly three years to open up her own gallery space. Prior to Directing at Last Rites, she was the Director of Press and Publications at Forum Gallery. She has been working in the art world for over eight years and is also a self published author. Along with her husband, she has been collecting art for nearly a decade.
