2024
Special Guests
ERNIE REYES JR.
Ernie Reyes Jr. is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as The Last Dragon, Red Sonja (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Surf Ninjas (1993) and The Rundown (2003). He has also done stunt work in films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as motion capture stunts in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. His TV work includes season 3 episode 4 of Highway to Heaven, dramas such as the short-lived Sidekicks (in which he co-starred with Gil Gerard), NCIS: Los Angeles, reality TV series such as Final Fu, and the Secret Bodyguard Serial on the Mickey Mouse Club on The Disney Channel (1991) where a wealthy father secretly hires a teenage martial arts expert to be his daughter’s bodyguard.
JIM RUGG
Jim Rugg is an Eisner and Ignatz Award winning cartoonist, designer, zinemaker, and YouTuber. His books include Hulk Grand Design, Street Angel, True Crime Funnies, 1986, BW, PLAIN Janes, Octobriana 1976, Afrodisiac, Supermag, Notebooks Drawings, and Rambo 3.5. He co-creates YouTube’s Cartoonist Kayfabe channel – a daily video series about comics, interviews with cartoonists, and art demos. He loves comic books, zines, lettering, podcasts, running, pro-wrestling, baking, and cats. Rugg lives and draws in Pittsburgh.
JIM LAWSON
My career in comics began in 1986, when I first joined Mirage Studios (owner and publisher of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). At the time I came on board, things were really beginning to take off for the TMNTs and their creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. In an effort to ease the growing workload, others jumped in and before long, we were a small but real publishing and licensing empire.
As for myself, I remained dedicated to the comics, which continued to be black and white. My first job was inking which then grew into penciling and then later the writing for the main title, from the years 1993-95. These books were officially known as volume 2. Besides volume 2, I wrote and illustrated many sub-titles (including Tales of the TMNT), various mini-series and one-shots. It was a crazy, busy time. There were 32 issues that comprised volume 4 (last of the Mirage TMNT books, 2001-2014) and on that run I was the exclusive penciller.
My days at Mirage Studios officially ended in 2014, years after the TMNTs were sold to Viacom/ Nickelodeon (2009). In total, I had been on the Turtles 28 years, making me one of the rare artists having the longest run with a single property.
Now, many years later, I remain a professional comic book writer and artist. I still self-publish, even to this day, and I am the only remaining Mirage artist to do so. Under my name, I release new comic book content every year. A list of my titles are as follows: Guzzi LeMans, A Walk Through Dinosaurland, Dragonfly, Hellride, Dinosaur Head Cat and The Box City Wallops.
Besides the books, I’m busy with commission work and the occasional cover.
You can check out my work at: jimlawsonart.com.
Mark Bode was born in 1963 in Utica, New York. He has been an artist all his life.
His first professional job as a cartoonist was when he was asked by HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE to color his late fathers’ black and white strip,
“Zooks, the First Lizard in Orbit.” Mark was fifteen.
Since then he has gone on to work as a comic book artist, tattooist, graphic designer and toy designer. He also designed clothing and sneakers for ECKO, PUMA and HUF and baseball trading cards for TOPPS.
It’s hard to open a biography about Mark without mentioning his brilliant cartoonist father Vaughn Bode. When Vaughn passed away in 1975, Mark took over the family franchise and expanded its vocabulary. Bode characters began appearing in the graffiti world on the sides of trains as early as 1975, and the writing community had a love affair with Vaughn’s work. Mark attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1982. He had the opportunity to meet some of the writers and to experiment with spray paint as a medium. Already a well-established artist, Bode started working with Kevin Eastman, the co-creator of the legendary Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The two worked together from 1988 to 1995, during which time they collaborated on several issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books for Mirage Studios. Over the decade Mark worked in the comic book field, watching as the subway movement came to an end. In 1990, with the end of subway graffiti, writers were executing large wall murals, and Mark became a regular fixture, painting characters around the world. The transition from comics to graffiti proved to be a natural one as Bode transported the style and characters of his illustrations onto walls. Mark’s love for graffiti emphasized over the years and it eventually started to take precedent ahead of comic books. In his career as a spray can artist, he has done mural work globally in Ireland, Paris, London, Sao Paulo, Barcelona, Melbourne, Hawaii and Art Basel Miami. He has collaborated with the renowned mural artists, Osgemeos on a mural for the back of the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. He was commissioned to create a mural for the opening of the worlds’ first urban art museum, Urban Nation in Berlin.
Mark was very happy when he was approached by HEAVY METAL MAGZINE to be included in issue 300 and more issues going forward. Mark’s latest publication is continuing his fathers’ SUNPOT MAGAZINE. There is also a documentary in the works THE BOOK OF VAUGHN by A. Nick Francis.
MARK BODE
STEVE LAVIGNE
Steve Lavigne was the very first artist employee hired by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1985 during the original TMNT/Mirage Studios comic run. He started out lettering the comics, then became colorist for graphic novels and Mirage issue covers. He also colored a majority of the TMNT Archie Adventure covers.
As the franchise grew into huge success, he became the Licensing Artist & Licensing Art Director. He was responsible for creating a majority of officially licensed TMNT artwork on packages and products see across basically very medium in the late 80s and early 90s. He created art for Konami, Pizza Hut, Burger King, to name a few. If you had TMNT products such as clothing, bedding, backpacks, lunchboxes, greeting cards, birthday party decorations, furniture, or video games, he likely created the art on those items.
Steve created the TMNT characters Sergeant Bananas, Cuddly Cowlick, Code Name Chameleon, Screwloose and others.
Fun Fact: Michelangelo’s character/personality is based on Steve.
Currently, Steve continues to create covers for IDW TMNT books. In recent years he’s also created art for Limited Run Shredder’s Revenge and the 2019 TMNT Topps Trading Cards. He currently appears at conventions and shop signings. He owns Shellback Artworks which is a Facebook page where fans can view current projects and his event schedule, order commissions and purchase a variety of vintage and new comics/art/memorabilia. You may find Shellback Artworks on Instagram as well.
CECIL CASTELLUCCI
Cecil Castellucci born in New York City is an American/Canadian award winning and New York Times Bestselling author of books and graphic novels for young adults including Shade, The Changing Girl, Boy Proof, The Plain Janes, Soupy Leaves Home, The Year of the Beasts, Female Furies, Batgirl and Odd Duck. Her newest graphic novel is Shifting Earth. Her short stories have been published in Strange Horizons, Tor.com, and other literary and comics anthologies. She has written three opera librettos incorporating comics Les Aventures de Madame Merveille (w/ Andre Ristic) Hockey Noir: The Opera (w/ Andre Ristic) and Metternich! (w/ Charlotte Marlowe). She is guest faculty at VIA University Graphic Story Telling Program at the Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark. She recently received a Fulbright award to investigate mixing comics, performance and new technologies.
JIM MAHFOOD
Jim Mahfood aka Food One has been working as a professional freelance artist for the last 27 years, amassing an impressive cult following across the globe. Mahfood has worked in the fields of comics books, illustration, advertising, animation, feature films, toy design, live art, and gallery exhibitions. Highlights of his career include art chores on Kevin Smith’s Clerks comic books, set design for the Sarah Silverman Program, designing and illustrating the entire ad campaign for Colt 45 malt liquor in 2007-08, his collaborative graphic novel Marijuana Man with musician Ziggy Marley, and character design work on the Oscar-winning Into The Spider-Verse animated feature film. Jim’s current projects include illustrating loading screens for the incredibly popular Fortnite video game, and his upcoming creator-owned Kickstarter comic book Defective Comics Presents: Savage Street Vigilante. His popular music podcast Skull Funk Radio is available for free on Spotify. Trash Movie Bonanza and Inkpulp Live are his two video podcasts available on YouTube.
Jimmahfood.com
@jimmahfood
Tula Lotay is the pen name of illustrator Lisa Wood. Born and raised in Yorkshire, England, Tula specializes in comics, film and editorial illustration, as well as being the founder and director of the world-renowned Thought Bubble Festival.
In 2019 Tula was awarded the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award by San Diego Comic Con Eisner committee for her charitable and fundraising work. In 2015 she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for The Wicked and The Divine #13.
TULA LOTAY
Ed Piskor was a cartoonist and comic book historian. His works included American Splendor, Wizzy Wig, X-Men Grand Design, Red Room, and others. The most decorated of Ed’s work was the Hip Hop Family Tree series which has won two Eisner awards, and was a New York Times best selling graphic novel. With his partner Jim Rugg, together they created Cartoonist Kayfabe, which was a highly successful YouTube show. Ed’s life was comics. He ate, slept, and breathed comics. His legacy will forever live on. Ed passed away at the age of 41 on April 1 2024. He will be dearly missed by everyone.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health. Do not be afraid to speak up. There is help everywhere. Just call or text 988.
ED PISKOR
Animation and live action director Ken Mitchroney started his career in independent comics in the early 1980s with his book “Space Ark.” While promoting his books at little conventions in the Southeast, he met up with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who also had started printing their own book, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” That started a friendship between these indie comics pioneers. When the TMNT books took off, Peter and Kevin asked Ken and his wife, Beth, who were just finishing up adapting “MythConceptions” for Apple Comics, if they would start adapting the TMNT animated series for Archie Comics. From there, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures books took off, expanding into the spinoff, “Mighty Mutanimals” comics. Ken also worked on all manner of projects at Eastman and Laird’s Mirage Studios. When he moved on to animation, Ken still had time to draw “Ren and Stimpy” comics for Marvel Comics in between projects.
When not doing the Archie books, Ken has worked on animated features and television from “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.” to “The Lego Movie” and much more. Ken is credited for designing Evil Emperor Zurg and provided his voice in the Astro Blasters ride at Disneyland. On the side, Ken also has drawn mascots for Major League and other baseball teams. When not at the drawing table, Ken is helping restore Ward Kimball’s steam locomotives at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, California.
KEN MITCHRONEY
BETH MITCHRONEY
Beth Mitchroney adapted a television script to comic book form for early editions of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures,” was a colorist for its special compilations and handled Mirage Studios’ fan mail. She has worked on other comic book titles, including “MythConceptions,” the adaptation of the Robert Asprin novel, and “Ren and Stimpy,” and was colorist on a special edition of “ElfQuest.” She also has worked in animation, including “The Lion King” spinoff, “Timon and Pumbaa,” and “Back to the Future.”
Born in Hawai’i, Beth has lived in Texas and Florida before moving with her husband, Ken Mitchroney, to California. She studied hula with the late kumu Kau’ihealani Mahikoa Brandt and has been a member of two ukulele bands. She’s heavily involved with the couple’s horse, Golden Charmer, and they live with six cats.
Writer, editor, colorist and publisher Renee Witterstaetter has acted as editor on such books as "Thanos Quest," "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Hercules," "Xena," "X-Files," "Conan," "She-Hulk," "The Marvel Holiday Special," "Impossible Man Summer Special," "Jurassic Park," and too many books to mention here. As a film professional, she has worked on such movies as "Red Dragon" and "Rush Hour 2," while also behind the scenes, racking up credits on dozens of music videos and commercials for artists as diverse as Madonna, Seal and Usher. Her books as a writer include: "Jackie Chan: Dying for Action," "Nick Cardy: The Artist at War," "Excess: The Art of Michael Golden," "Nick Cardy: Wit-Lash," "Art of the Barbarian," "Michael Golden: Excess," "The Art of Mark Texeira," and her children's book "Kerry and the Scary Things." In addition, combining her film work with comics, she is a producer of DVD's on various comic book creators and talents in other fields through her partnership with Amdale Media, and has spearheaded mounting art shows and retrospectives in the United States, Spain, China, Russia and other venues worldwide. She has lectured on the industry in China, Spain, Norway, and numerous other countries, not to mention the United States! She is also the owner of Eva Ink Artist Group, Pros & Cons Celebrity Booking and Happyspacepop.com
RENEE WITTERSTAETTER
ARTHUR SUYDAM
The Zombie King," as he is known, rose to stardom for his work on the smash hit series "Marvel Zombies," the lines at his booth at any given show are a testament to the enduring "zombie craze," with Suydam as a forerunner. He is also renowned as the Deadpool cover artist on "Merc with a Mouth." As well as "The Walking Dead." And he is credited as being one of the first artists to bring fine art painting techniques to the world of comics in such books as "Cholly and Flytrap" and "Mudwogs." Recent awards for Arthur include "The Spike TV Scream Award (Best Artist)," "Spectrum Gold Award for Institutional Art," "The San Sebastian Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award,"as well as the "University of Maryland Eastern Shore Lifetime Achievement Award," among others. His work can also be seen on works for "DCeased," "The Walking Dead," "Deadpool, "Batman," "Wolverine," "Fantastic Four," "X-Men," "Ghost Rider," "Army of Darkness" "Vampirella," and too many to name here. His "Cholly and Flytrap" series has recently been compiled into a collected volumne, marking that great achievement and it's place in comic history. Programing Notes: Arthur is also offering to do a special promo for shows that includes free sketches for kids on Sundays. Ask for details. (Note: Arthur has certain table and listing requirements.)
ERIC TALBOT
Is best known for his work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As a member of Mirage Studios, he’s worked on the Ninja Turtles comics since the 80’s.
He now shares his time between TMNT covers and working as a professional tattoo artist in Easthampton Massachusetts.