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The Midwest Comicon

V.I.G.s (Very Important Guest) list:

Artist and vendor info will be posted on an individual basis. Once our V.I.G.s are locked in and their spot is secure, we will update our list.

 Artist & Vendor rates:
2 day Vendor Booth- $175     2 day Artist Table- $40
Available space- 30+Vendor Booths, 60+Artist Tables
Contracts available upon request. Please submit your request using our "Contact" form for all inquiries.
A short bio, mug shot and images will be added on our list and promoted on our Facebook once you are locked in.

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V.I.G's will use the loading docks on the West side beginning Friday. See you soon!

2016 V.I.G. & Vendor list

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Joey Vazquez is a freelance comic book artist who is currently working on a web comic for a video game company called "Qonqr".  
Joey has been working as a professional comic artist for 5 years now.  His past works include "The Lost Kids" and "The Masked Hero"
Along side his regular work he has been developing his creator owned project called "Terra" 

Ben Vazquez is a freelance comic artist and digital painter.  His past works include "The Lost Kids" and "The Masked Hero"
Ben has also working in comics for 5 years.  
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Kellina Kilts is a Mason City author, who graduated from Buena Vista University with a Bachelor's Degree focused in business.  Her passion for writing did not arise until a good friend convinced her to write the story she had conveyed to the friend at age 27.  The series Angel of Hell, suddenly took a life of its own, causing her to rework the first novel multiple times.  The novel was finally published in March of 2014 (17 years later!)
Kellina attribute Star Wars: Return of the Jedi for inspiring her novel with the belief than even the most evil of all the villains, Darth Vader, had the potential to be turned to the "light".  She enjoys writing about inspirational topics, as well as, fantasy and romance.


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Trey Baldwin
Trey Baldwin is a free lance artist and illustrator. Besides his webcomic Collapsar Comics, he has done book illustrations, posters, and t-shirt designs. His work can be found at www.collapsarcomics.com (His webcomic), http://tcbaldwin.deviantart.com (His deviant art account), and www.turbolard.wordpress.com (His blog).


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Everett Paul Burris resides in Saint Cloud, Minnesota where he works as a comic book illustrator. “When I was a kid I really wanted to be a superhero. As life goes on you learn things. I came to accept that I was not going to have super powers, but drawing super heroes would be pretty cool too.”

Paul has a degree in art from Bethel University. His past work includes 2 self published adventures: "Lordamus" and "If You Can Read This You’re Dead.” Currently he is illustrating a comic book called “Spiritman”. In addition to illustrating comic books, Paul is a program director for an artist mentoring project called Portable Vision. In this program young artists are matched up with experienced mentors. Through this process life experiences are shared, art is made, and a gallery show is created.

Scott Allen Snyder is an author who lives and works in Des Moines, Iowa. He does a variety of work that includes plays, short stories and comic books. Currently he is writing the “Spiritman" comic.

While at comic book  conventions people often ask Scott to sign their Batman comic books but he has to turn them down. The popular Scott Snyder who writes for DC Comics is not the same person as our Scott A Snyder. However, our Scott A Snyder loves Batman too. Learn more about Paul and Scott by visiting www.spiritmancomics.com.

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Thom Hotka of 515Comics grew up and lives in Des Moines. He has been making comics since gradeschool. With his co-writer Trey Petersen, he has written and drawn the webcomic Nextuus: The Search for the Ocean Shard since 2006. It's a science fiction adventure comic with 3 printed volumes.

Thom also sells tshirts he designs and screen prints himself!

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The Fierce Are Fading is a science-fiction/thriller novel  as well as a graphic novel written by Joshua D. Howell. It follows the troubled and tired FBI Agent Riley Harper, who is a floater agent on assignment in Seattle to assist the local Police Department hunt down a serial killer. When her partner, Officer Peter Drake, goes missing, Riley believes the case is much bigger than a simple killing spree. After officials declare her partner to be dead, Agent Harper embarks on a mission to find Officer Drake, despite being ordered to stand down. When she stumbles upon clues that hint at a massive shadow organization working behind the scenes, Riley teams up with a deadly female assassin and a complicated mental patient to further her own investigation. Scorned by the Bureau, Agent Harper goes rogue to find out more about this secret group known only to a few as THE M.O.R.S. INITIATIVE.

About the Author:
Joshua Howell is an Omaha, NE native. He wrote his first book while serving in the Air Force, stationed at Osan, Korea. He came back to Omaha after serving for 4 years, and has been there ever since. The Fierce Are Fading made it's grand debut at New York Comic Con in 2016 and is his second book.

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Brianna is an aspiring comic and Video Game artist, head artist at Bri Pi Art, one third of the Youtube channel ‘Those Girls Over There', and creator of The Flower Girl, Until Then, and Oddity.

Her grandfather is a watercolor artist and he taught her the ways of traditional watercolor when she was very young.

And she hated it.

About 6 years ago though, she started working with them again and fell in love. She took her traditional knowledge and mixed it with pop art added in a love of Fashion drawings and Japanese Paintings and created her own style!

In 2013 her mom got to meet Jen Yates from Epbot and Cake Wrecks. Being my mom, She showed off some of Bri’s art, and Jen said “You should try selling at conventions!”

So the next year, she got a table at her local con, Planet Comicon, and fell in love yet with the nerdy, geeky, welcoming world of Comic and Anime Conventions. This will be my third year of touring conventions.

My dream is to make something beautiful and wonderful. I hope I can change someone’s world the way so many creators have changed mine. I hope you enjoy all my Various projects<http://ear-a-corn.tumblr.com/Projects> and make sure to check out all my other Social Media!<http://ear-a-corn.tumblr.com/Linksnstuff>
Have a Fantastic Day!
Bri π


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I've worked in games and apps as a 2d artist for the last five years. I have always had a love for comics and cartoons and recently started attending conventions! I'm an Iowa native and you'll find a bit of everything with me from comics to music, I love creating.

--
Andrew Southern

andrew@studiosouthern.com<mailto:andrew@studiosouthern.com>
www.studiosouthern.com<http://www.studiosouthern.com/>
@andrewsouthern<
http://www.twitter.com/andrewsouthern>
Linked In<
https://www.linkedin.com/in/acesouthern>
641.691.0869

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Eric Gapstur-

Eric has called DC Comics home for several years, where he has collaborated with Phil Hester on titles such as Legends of The Dark Knight, Adventures of Superman, Batman Beyond, and The Flash: Season Zero.  Other credits include Green Hornet, Immortals: Gods and Heroes, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Beyond Belief.

He lives in Eastern Iowa with his wife, Michelle, and son, Liam.

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TYLER WALPOLE ILLUSTRATION-

Tyler has been a valued illustrator in the entertainment industry since the year 2000. His clients include Marvel Entertainment, Warner Bros Animation, Marvel/Lionsgate, DC Comics, Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast, Paizo's Pathfinder, IDW, and Dynamite Entertainment, among many others. 

His most widely seen work can be found almost anywhere in the form of licensed character images created directly for Marvel Studios. He has illustrated iconic images for every Marvel Studios movie since 2013, including: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man.


"Tyler Walpole will have his officially licensed, limited edition Dresden Files print, signed by himself and Jim Butcher available at his table. Be sure to grab one while they're still available!"

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Mark Vasquez and his Mystical Warriors of the Ring (www.mystwarriors.com<http://www.mystwarriors.com/>) toyline celebrates its 4th year in 2016. This Midwestern based independent toy line launched in 2013 and produces a full line of animal wrestling figures and comics that are enjoyed by fans around the world.

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Mark Mangum is a comic artist from central Iowa. His hand-drawn sketch cards can be found in the upcoming Star Wars Rogue One - Series 1 trading card set from Topps, and he will also be creating original cards for the Marvel Premier 2017 trading card set from Upper Deck. Mark also offers custom fan-art commissions via his Instagram account @drawn_by_mark.

This is Mark's 3rd comic convention and his 2nd time at Midwest Comicon, where he will be offering great deals on prints, originals, and custom commissions!

Check out his work on Instagram @drawn_by_mark or www.instagram.com/drawn_by_mark<http://www.instagram.com/drawn_by_mark>

Or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/drawnbymark<http://www.facebook.com/drawnbymark>

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In the year 2011, Aja went to her first CONvergence, a Science Fiction and Fantasy convention in Bloomington Minnesota. Aja, always an individual who enjoys making crafts and art, was inspired by the costumes and fans. She started making hair accessories, mainly fabric cat ear themed hair clips. The following CONvergence people would find Aja in the Artist Alley adding custom ribbons, pom-poms, and bells to her 'Katears' for anime fans and fellow con-goers.

Event coordinators from Winnipeg Manitoba's Central Canada Comic Con, C4, were excited to meet Aja and her crafty wares at CONvergence and invited her to take part as one of their guest artists. Since then, Aja's Katears has been at many anime festivals and comic conventions. 

Aja enjoys sharing geeky interests and stories with her customers and fellow fans. Always getting ideas and inspriations with her crafts, Aja went on to add Pony-themed ears to her colorful collection. Seeing other fans struggle with the con-badges she started making Lanyards and Coin-pouches.

She is excited to be attending the Midwest Comic Con and sharing her crafty art and fandom with all of you.

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My name is Ducky, I draw geeky things and sell them online via facebook and at conventions here in Iowa. I also quack at random.

~Ducky

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As the founder of Gray Hat Media and Technologies, my name is Bob Hickey, I have been drawing since I can remember, throughout my schooling on the sides of notebooks and in my spare time growing and evolving into one of my greatest passions, I got introduced to the japanese comic Naruto when I was in junior high school, and fell in love with the anime/manga styling ever since, it has a large influence on my overall artistic style. I have a degree in cyber security, but am completely self taught when it comes to art, I started my own company to provide top notch freelance graphic design and IT consulting services to both consumers and small businesses in the area. So if you're a fan of anime in general stop by my booth and check out my assortment of fanart prints!

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"Mark Mangum is a comic artist from central Iowa. His hand-drawn sketch cards can be found in the upcoming Star Wars Rogue One - Series 1 trading card set from Topps, and he will also be creating original cards for the Marvel Premier 2017 trading card set from Upper Deck. Mark also offers custom fan-art commissions via his Instagram account @drawn_by_mark.

This is Mark's 3rd comic convention and his 2nd time at Midwest Comicon, where he will be offering great deals on prints, originals, and custom commissions!

Check out his work on Instagram @drawn_by_mark or www.instagram.com/drawn_by_mark<http://www.instagram.com/drawn_by_mark>

Or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/drawnbymark<http://www.facebook.com/drawnbymark>
"

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Terrance Bates is a artist from Omaha/Council Bluffs area working on his
first comic project and doing original character art. Will be doing commissions
on the spot and selling prints.

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S. Clarke Hawbaker-

Clarke has worked in the comic book industry for the past 30 years.  He has worked for Marvel, DC, Image, Continuity, Lone Star, Malibu and several other independent companies.  He is most known for penciling the 90’s Nomad for Marvel, Continuity’s Samuree and Ms Mystic and Lone Star Ace of Diamonds #0.  His work includes interiors, covers, trading cards, Marvel promotional materials including the 1993 cover for Marvel’s Annual Report.


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My name is Sami and I started up Luma July 2015 after I graduated from college. The name Luma actually came from both of my cats names combined. "Lu" is from Luna my youngest cat and then "Ma" came from my oldest cat Marbles! I am a self taught artist and I like drawing as a hobby.

Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LumaIllustrations?ref=search_shop_redirect

Tumblr:
http://luma-illustrations.tumblr.com/

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Bictori is a two 2016 team made up of Taylor Carlson and Fujiyosky. Their first comic book, Knocking on the Sky, debuted August 2014 at select comic book shops in Iowa. The second issue is set to release in early 2017. In addition to self-publishing comics, Bictori also travels to conventions across the Midwest selling original and fan works. More of Bictori's art can be found at knockingontheskycomic.tumblr.com<http://knockingontheskycomic.tumblr.com>, and fan merch is sold through the Bictori Etsy shop.

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My name is Gary Nap, a.k.a 8 Bit Nerd Art. I'm an artist who creates pixelated versions of my favorite characters and paints them onto hand-cut wood. Influenced by Nintendo and arcade games of the 80's, I create my own 8 bit versions of characters from comics, movies, television and video games.  I've been creating my art for about four years and (after a strong urging from my girlfriend) doing shows for the last two. You can check out some of my pieces or contact me at facebook.com/8bitnerdart<http://facebook.com/8bitnerdart>.

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Originally from Puerto Rico, NAAN has been living in Iowa for the past ten years. She's currently working on her magical girl webcomic "Legendary Beings Ara & Celi", which has also been published in print. Manga/anime-influenced, she's also seen her work published in the anthologies "Womanthology" and "Ghost Book," and her art used for an original novel's cover. A graduate of Iowa State University in Linguistics, German and Russian, she has currently returned to her alma mater for graduate studies in Graphic Design.

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Gregg Paulsen-

Gregg is an Artist from Davenport Iowa, who has been tolling around the Indy comics scene for over 15 years, his first published work was a Pin up in the indy comic “Talismen” from Blink comics ( good luck finding it ).
He has since worked for publishers Kenzer and Co. and Bluewater Comics drawing various books and covers for them.

He is currently working on a creator owned project called Ironclad, a project 18 years in the making co-created with Phillip Hester that will be released as a 100 plus page Graphic Novel from Committed Comics.


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Jeremiah Lambert, mechanical engineer by day, art freelancer by

whenever else... Doing gigs for Hasbro for both Transformers (Rescue Bots and the

current Robots in Disguise) and Tonka Truck (Tonka Chuck) promotional art. Hell

House, Orpheus, and Nightmares in Oz for Viper Comics. Femforce for AC Comics and

lots of various other independent comic companies and comic writers. Jeremiah also has

enjoyed internet viral exposure with his parody art. Pre-convention commission orders

please contact him at his facebook page. - www.facebook.com/ jeremiahlambertart

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 Illustrator by day, superhero at night, Alejandro Juvera's lifelong

passion for art has stemmed from influential artists such as Shotaru Ishinomori (Cyborg

009) all the way to Bruce Timm (Batman the Animated Series). He is currently working

on two creator owned comic projects "Xeno Guardian: Red Visor GO"

and "Lost Heaven" to be released in 2017. Pre-convention commission orders please

contact him at his facebook page. - www.facebook.com/afjuveraart

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Mitchell Blumenshine is a Peoria, IL artist who primarily uses colored pencils as the medium accented with pen to create a blend of realism with psychedelic elements. 

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Ryan Schrodt is a Harvey Award-nominated comic book creator from the Kingdom of Iowa. He is best known for his surreal comedic webcomic Dear Dinosaur and for scripting a single issue of Youngblood from Image Comics. He has written comics for Titan Publishing, Red Stylo Media, and Grayhaven Comics, as well as stories published under his own Dirty Third Comics label. He scripted the newest volume of The Amazing Joy Buzzards, due out later this year.  He enjoys burritos and making silly drawings that are sold at very reasonable prices. If you are interested in commissioning some of his work, please email him at rlschrodt@gmail.com<mailto:rlschrodt@gmail.com>.

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I am a 20 year old artist from Waterloo Iowa who enjoys Comic books, anime, and pop culture. I have been drawing since I was in 3rd grade - although I currently have no published works, I do hope to one day excel in my work and perhaps publish work in the future. I have a range of artwork from DC, Marvel to anime and manga characters.

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Hello!  My name is Duane Murray.  As a former elementary art teacher, one of my artistic pursuits over the years has been drawing caricatures at special school events (such as after-prom parties), birthday parties, wedding receptions, and community art festivals. Also, I have had the good fortune over the past few years to visit over 60 public libraries around the state, typically in conjunction with their summer reading programs.  Without a doubt, one of the highlights of drawing caricatures for me, a lifelong comic fan, has been doing so at the Iowa comic conventions (mini- and giant-sized) the past three years.  This year, I look forward to seeing old friends, familiar faces, making new acquaintances and spending time with other comic fans of all ages!


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 "Matt Hebert is the self published author of the Surface Series, a near future dystopian thriller that takes place in the next 75 years. Book 2: Breaking the Surface, was just released in July. Read more at facebook.com/surfaceseries<http://facebook.com/surfaceseries>. Reviews of the Surface Series can be found at Amazon here: https://amzn.com/1489545638."

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The Whimsy Cellar-

Created by the imagination and creativity of Mike and Marj Chaffin. 
We repurpose lots of miscellaneous items and turn them into pieces of art. We are also avid supporters of the fantasy and super hero world so we create magical and mystical items along with comic/movie story boards and tiles. We are consistently experimenting with new ideas and techniques to meet our goals as a creative whole. Imagine. Inspire. Create. It's what we do.
 

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Jonathan Sims is an artist, designer, comic creator, and illustrator living in Iowa City. Sims, a graduate of Coe College, has used his art and design skills in the professional world for over eleven years. He has exhibited his work at many comic book conventions and has been a guest speaker at The National Czech and Slovak Museum, The Iowa City Public Library, The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and One Book Two Book, Iowa City’s children’s literature festival.

skelenaut.com<http://skelenaut.com>
instagram: @fbhcomic



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My goal in life is to entertain and inspire people through my writing. I write interactive fiction.  Inspired by the "which way" books I read as a kid, the Fallen book series is that plus more.  Written from the first person point of view, you are the main character. You get two major choices through the series to really make it your own.  I love telling stories and I write with passion, writing what I would ultimately love to read.

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Ant Lucia-

Very few alternate visions of established characters have captured the imaginations of fandom like the DC Bombshells. in 2014, Ant Lucia unveiled his designs for the Wonder Woman, Batwoman, Harley Quinn, and the rest in a series of variant covers. The popularity of Ant Lucia’s take on well established icons inspired a line of statues, lithographs, and other licensed products from Warner Bros. At every comic con style event, scores of cosplayers emulate these Bombshell designs. And this month, DC Comics has returned to Ant Lucia’s world with the launch of new DC Bombshell variants and a new monthly comic series.


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Ari E and Sator are two young artists (16 and 15) from Ames, IA. Occasionally the pARTners will work together on collaborations when writing short comic series and creating larger pieces of art. When working alone, Ari adds bold twists to her illistrations of well known characters by drawing them in outfits from different genres and time periods. Her main mediums are acrylic paint and copic sketch markers. Sator does digital drawings along with traditional art. She is known for her unique commissions of fans as their favorite villains and heros.  When they aren't drawing, they also enjoy writing and Theatre. You can find their past works and progress on Instagram @acrylic.genius and @sator_the_art_creator

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Lady Laindora dwells in the imagination of author  Sue Raymond. There many tales are spun of adventure with dragons, wizards, knights, and  spells. Lady Laindora’s first  novel  is Healer of Surflex. Sue writes crime  murder mystery DeBois series and a drama novel Resin La Rock. Five children books loom in the future.



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Crossing many genres, Jordyn Meryl spins chronicles of romance ,  paranormal  and  fantasy,

for they are stories worth telling, even at the risk of  revealing true feelings.

Jordyn has published eight novels and is working on three children's books and another novel.

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Steve Baier (Steve Baier Pin-Up Art) 
Steve Baier creates original pin-up and pop-culture paintings in mixed paint media. Steve's creations are commonly influenced by comics, cartoons, vintage Hollywood, music, and more. He is a regular guest at Des Moines area comic cons and other local art events as well as a four-time Blue Ribbon recipient at the Iowa State Fair.
A selection of Steve's work is featured in the hardcover book The Contemporary Illustrated Pin-Up, and licensed through Creative Design Outlet. Original works and custom commissioned paintings are owned by collectors throughout the United States and abroad.
On Steve's most recent birthday, Lynda Carter posted one of his original Wonder Woman paintings on her official Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, catch Steve there on his official page:
www.facebook.com/stevebaierart.   You can also follow Steve on Twitter: @SteveBaierArt

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Matthew Davenport lives in Des Moines, Iowa with his beautiful wife, Ren. He spends his time writing, reading, and working to promote and support writing communities in Iowa through his company Davenport Writes, LLC.
You can keep track of Matthew through his twitter account @spazenport.
You can follow his blog at http://davenportwrites.com

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Our flagship show, Indie Comic Ninja, is a podcast focused on indie
comic creators hosted by Dexter Jacobs. It began earlier this year and
is an interview based podcast with new episodes every first Tuesday of
the month. We have interviewed a few creators who have been at the
Midwest Comicon in the past, including Thom Hotka, Austin Hamblin, and
Jonathan Sims.
We will also be featuring our new series (beginning in Sept.) "Recorded
Now," which is a conversation based show centered around pop culture and
current events in the comic/entertainment scene, co-hosted by Dexter
Jacobs and Matty Martin.


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Echo Jewelry + Gifts offers handmade, geek- and fandom-inspired, customizable glass dome pendants, hand-stamped metal jewelry, key chains, glitter bottle treasures and hand-crafted gifts for all occasions. Owner and artist Caroline Francis founded Echo in 2014, and loves celebrating her fandoms (especially all things Whedon-verse) through crafting and creating. Connect at www.facebook.com/echogifts<https://www.facebook.com/echogifts?fref=ts>.


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CARTER ALLEN, WILL GRANT, and JOHN IRA THOMAS have been making graphic novels together for more than twenty years under the banner of CANDLE LIGHT PRESS. The trio have collectively won two Indiefab Book Awards in the last three years alone. John and Will took the 2013 Silver Award in Horror for LOST IN THE WASH, and John and Carter took the 2015 Silver Award in Graphic Novels for MAN IS VOX: BARRACUDAE (Expanded Edition). Between them, they have over thirty graphic novels in print.

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Central Iowa native Dean Sturtevant is a self taught artist who has been drawing as long as he can remember. He always seeks to encourage and inspire others with his art, his own inspiration stemming from his love of comic books, movies and super-heroes. He does all his work with Sharpie markers, using a displacement style to fill in the colors.

Dean loves to delight others and make people laugh with his whimsical, fun drawings, often gifting custom work to people who need a pick-me-up or encouragement. He has been featured in many local art shows and cons over the last several years, including the Toon'ed In series, many of the themed shows at The Fremont and Palek Studio & Gallery,Midwest Con, Cedar Rapids Con, Mini-con, RODCON and the increasingly popular local "Art Marts."

You can see more of his awesome at
facebook.com/greenunicornart
facebook.com/selfieswithdean<https://www.facebook.com/selfieswithdean/>
You can contact him for commissions at
greenunicornart@yahoo.com or message him on Facebook

<
https://www.facebook.com/GreenUnicornArt/about/?tab=page_info&edited=personal_interests>
[
https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/23/logos/facebook.png]
Green Unicorn Art - About | Facebook
Green Unicorn Art, Beaverdale, Iowa. 1,338 likes · 52 talking about this. A showcase for Dean Sturtevant's a...

<
http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgreenunicornart.deviantart.com%2F&h=NAQFK2u70&s=1>


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Nathan Lueth

Nathan Lueth began his professional career after graduating from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, as a caricaturist in the Mall of America. Soon he was freelance illustrating for the likes of Target, General Mills, and Roundtable Comics.

 Nadja Baer has been a word-nerd all her life, speaks several languages, and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and a minor in U.S. History. Together, they have collaborated on several titles, including but not limited to The U.S. Constitution: A Round Table Comic, Melting Down: A Comic for Kids with Asperger's, Influence, Science and Practice - The Comic, and they're acclaimed steam-fantasy webcomic, Impure Blood.

They're favorite collaboration to date is they're wonderful daughter, Katja


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JORDYN MERYL
Once living under the guise of a passive, quiet, school librarian, books and kids were the passions which kept her mind fresh.  One day she decided to spread her wings and live the dream of her heart. As she sits in front of her computer, her fingers bring to life the voices in her head. But it is when the night muses visit Jordyn, her spirit rises up to wrap around the stories that float in her dreams.  Land locked in the mid-west she envisions days on a white sandy beach with a laptop to write all her tales.  Crossing many genres she spins chronicles of love in Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Futuristic, Historical and Fantasy, for they are stories worth telling, even at the risk of revealing true feelings.


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Nan McAdam spent her childhood living a whimsical life full of fantasy and imaginary friends. When she became an adult, reality set in and bills and a mortgage were a fact of life. As Nan pursued the brass ring of business, her imaginary friends stood on the shelf and grew very dusty and lonely.
Nan has always enjoyed writing and entered the field of nonfiction to enhance her business and caregiving life. She developed a blog, www.selfimprovementinformation.com, and an elder care blog, www.caring4youragingseniorcitizen.com. Nan’s first published nonfiction novel, Surviving the STRESS of Your Parents’ Old Age, is a book about her journey through elder care. It was published in 2013.
As luck would have it, her imaginary friends became restless and demanded her attention. They stomped their feet and said, “If you can write about your life as a caregiver, you can give us equal time!” Nan’s first fantasy novel, geared for the tween and young adult, became a reality. Saving Mim, the first book in the Charlie Kadabra, Last of the Magicians series was published in February 2015. A delightful and exciting tale about a young tween boy on a quest to save the Land of Magic, called Mim, has tweens and adults clamoring for more. The second book in the series is, The Secret Key of Mim. The third book in the series, Invasion of the Soul-eater in Mim, will be published at the end of 2016.
Imaginary friends are a jealous and troublesome lot.  When Nan isn’t fulfilling their nagging needs perched over the keyboard, she spends time with her husband, 3 adult children, 2 adorable grandchildren, and two fur-babies who answer her back with barks, and lots of doggy kisses.


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"Steve, the Chainmail Guy of Wandering Mail, has a problem.  Twelve years of his life have been consumed by joining little pieces of metal together, one at a time, eventually making dragons, dice bags, jewelry, hacky sacks, Poke-balls.    He used to read, spend time with his family, play computer games.  Now the major part of his social life involves a table full of shiny things and people walking past who hopefully stop to pick something up and run it through their fingers.  After twelve years he still plays with whatever he just made, marveling at how fun the textures are, before starting on something else.  Wandering_Mail.storenvy.com or Wandering Mail in Facebook-land

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 Lena DeGregory appeared on the art scene in 2014. She specializes in graphite and colored pencil with emphasis on portraits, fantasy works and popular fandoms. Her work has appeared at local shows and cons around the Des Moines area including Wizard World 2016.
Lena ia also a staff artist for D3 Adventures’ Campaign Toybox, an RPG publication that supplements the Pathfinder gaming platform.
To contact Lena or to see more of her work visit her Facebook page “Lena D. Artistry” at facebook.com/lenadegregoryart or on display at Five Monkeys Gallery in Des Moines.

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OMUG Comics, was founded in 2010 by, Creator/Writer Luca O'Keefe, Writer/Editor Ben Craine, and Artist Gerald Ngau. In 2014, Inker/Artist Al Garrison, Artist Chris Searls, and Flat Colorist/Letterer Kevin Forsberg, joined OMUG.
Currently OMUG has published five issues of their pre-apocalyptic, sci-fi saga, “The Culling” and one issue of Lenny Vernon: Badass Trucker.
The OMUG team is committed to producing a homegrown, professional grade comic books. It is their hope that you enjoy reading their books as much as they enjoyed creating them


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Nate Kruger:

I am a central Iowa native. My father was an artist so I've been doing art since I was probably 3 or 4 – about 30 years.

All throughout high school I took a wide array of art medium courses. In high school is when I really got into painting and working with canvas.

My median of choice is acrylic paints and stretched canvas/canvas paper. 

I've been featured in many local art shows over the last year, including the Toon'ed In series, many of the themed shows at The Fremont and Palek Studio & Gallery. My subject of choice for art is anything comic book/cartoon related.

I'm in the process of adding a lot of artwork to my facebook page. For now you can find a small sample of my work online at
facebook.com/cryptoniancanvas.


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Justin "Spanky" Cermak, Minneapolis Comic Book / Multi-media Artist.

Thank you Iowa! While you're at Midwest Comicon stop by and check out my newest graphic novel, comic book "RoboCatz vs. Thunder Dogs"! It's dogs and cats in giant MECH robots. All Ages. If you're kids love cats and dogs and robots and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you'll love this book!

I'll also have my other comic books available and don't forget to check out my free iPhone game Super WordUp on the iTunes store or through my website, www.spacesheriff.com

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JetFalco: Artist, Writer, Singer/Songwriter, YouTuber, and Creator of DreamersEcho, a fresh series that fuses fantasy, sci-fi, and steampunk genres into a mind-bending thriller, drawn in an style that has been called "a fantastic, inspired blend of anime and western art."

Set in a desolate world where people have been robbed of their ability to dream, a young man awakens from a vision of a devastating future. His newfound dreams give him incredible skills and a new understanding of the universe. As the impossibilities of his dreams start to echo into real life, the shadows of the world surround him and demand answers.

Check out DreamersEcho.com to read it free today and stop by Jet's table for more!

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Mike Evans lives in Iowa with his wife and children. He writes for character depth because he wishes for you to love the character, regardless if they are the villain or the hero. He likes to write from a unique perspective, doing things with books that no one has done before. He keeps his characters realistic, there are no superhero like events that will happen. There are no perfect characters in his books, everyone has their flaws much like that of life.

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Alex Campbell:
(Illustrator/Comic Artist)


Alex Campbell is a freelance illustrator and comic artist residing in Hiawatha, Ia.  When not working as a   digital painter, Alex is creating high impact images featuring popular characters from comics and fighting games.  His work ranges from digital sci-fi and fantasy paintings to traditional comic book illustrations.   His online portfolio and process work can be viewed at (alexfactory.blogspot.com).


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Ben Merical grew up in Lucas, Iowa a small town, just 15 minutes outside of Chariton. His favorite subjects to study in school where english, creative writing, Free hand art, and fictional reading. Watching Anime and reading comics are some of his favorite pastime activities, along with video game playing.

Most of the time Ben finds himself either studying the Bible, or studying anime, which help give him ideas for his comic books. As a kid growing up Ben always like hearing stories and especially enjoyed the entertainment of witnessing a story-teller act out their stories. Going into college  he took up drama, and join the drama club. Playing different rolls on stage helped him escape reality. Ben’s top favorite authors are Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe

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 Jordan Pinckney has always been a dreamer and storyteller involving the fictional world. Sitting still is nearly impossible unless he is getting lost in a creative world inside his head. Jordan hates long walks on the beach or sitting in front of a fireplace. He likes being outside smoking cigars and working on his lawn, or starting a fire in his fire pit. He lives in Cedar Rapids with his wife, Aubree, and son, Caber.When he isn't writing, he's pumping iron like a beast at the Anvil Gym,reading and sorting his Alien/Predator comic books, and geeking out with his friends. Talking to his baby in a baby voice also occurs quite often. Will Lenzen Jr has been a designer, illustrator, and writer for nearly20 years. An award-winning branding consultant, he enjoys creating a story people will love. Will lives in the Midwest with a very spoiled corgi. When not writing in the Destined universe, he can be found at the dog park or his favorite cafe. Pinckney and Lenzen have several releases planned in the Destined universe. Learn more at DestinedBook.com<https://link.nylas.com/link/a18a1ygo9q5sqb3bhut8s4a5p/local-d6eef101-be76/0?redirect=DestinedBook.com&r=aWE1MTVjcmVhdG9yc0BvdXRsb29rLmNvbQ==>.

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Jim Mehsling:

Director/Animator- Star Wars Bounty Hunter animated shorts. Illustrator – Lego Ninjago and Rittenhouse Archives

Jim Mehsling is a professional illustrator and animator. Jim won the Best Animated Feature award in 2011 from Lucasfilm for Bounty Hunter II: Pit of Carkoon. Other credits include, Star Wars Bounty Hunter: The Interview and Bounty Hunter 1.5 Trash Day. Jim is the creator of Into The Void, a comic book series following the misadventures of a mismatched space crew. He has also done illustration work for clients such as Rittenhouse Archives and Lego.
 

More of Jim’s work can be seen at cartooncaveman.com cartooncaveman.blogspot.com and cartooncaveman.deviantart.com.



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I am the author of “Prime Infinity” and “Ripples” published by Sarah Book Publishing. I am originally from Puerto Rico but have spent half of my life in Iowa.  My true passions are writing and cooking.  My favorite authors include Edgar Allan Poe and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  From an early age I started writing poetry and short stories.  My books are born out of the nightmares of my mind then melded with my life experiences.  I would describe my books as reality sprinkled with a good magical dose of faerie dust.  I hope my books can be entertaining but also thought provoking.


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Unnecessary Apostrophe Studios is helmed by R.J. Boehmer.

R.J. has worked in comics and games for nearly two decades beginning with comics work for Cathartic Comics' "The Resistance" and "Cathartic Jam." In the early 2000's, he entered the games industry with work on Score Entertainment's collectible card games, including Dragon Ball Z, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Yu Yu Hakusho, and InuYasha. His current work focuses on stand alone card games, like the family friendly Robot Dash, the classic Fandong, the mystery deck builder Small Town Secrets, and the raucous Cults Attempt Hokypoky..

facebook.com/UnApStudios<http://facebook.com/UnApStudios>

Artwork by Callie Paar of Phoenix Dawn Creations


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James Powell is an Englishman living in Minnesota and still spell the word "COLOUR" with a "U".
His designs and paintings are influenced by childhood cartoons, movies and toys from childhood.....and now.
Current work includes the continuing Muppet Who series (Muppet and Star Wars mash ups)
Also Britain's first freelance Godzilla for hire.

James Powell Art

www.artbyjamespowell.com<http://www.artbyjamespowell.com>
or on Facebook <
https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Powell-Art/254833211225029> and Tumblr<http://jamespowellart.tumblr.com/>

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My name is Corey "Gingy" Kruger and I am a 32 yr old tattoo artist at Ink Addiction in Des Moines, IA.  As a child I was always into art and I was in the Des Moines Art Show in 4th and 5th grade. Throughout middle school and high school I was in the art shows at the schools every year.  As an adult, I went away from art for a while, and came back to it when I got into tattooing.  I've been tattooing for over 2.5 years now and absolutely love it.  I've always loved marvel/dc, tmnt etc and that's what I love to paint.  I recently got into acrylic paints and love it.  My favorite thing to do is mashups because you get two things in one. I'm always up for a challenge and finding a way to put things together.

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SEAN SPINKS - Having recently escaped the encroaching zombie horde, Sean (on social media under the guise of Horrorizons) has been hard at work giving life to movie and comic book inspired art.

With art featured in Invest Comics Deadly Tales: One and Done, the Terror of Dracula web comic and the cover of Death Awaits: a horror anthology by Harren Press, Sean has been splattered around in many forms. His writing and art are also featured in the flash fiction horror anthology series, Bad Taste.

Sean has a lovely bride and four little monsters at home in Minnesota.

Find him on social media under Horrorizons.

2015 V.I.G. list

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Good Morning!!!!!
My name is Casper "Wesley" Hildebrant, I am a Lowbrow/New School style artist originally hailing from the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area and currently residing in Ankeny with my beautiful wife Carlye and my son Landon Augustus.  Aside from creative expression, I also work at John Deere as a manual welder. This is my first time here at ComiCon and it has been an amazing honor. It is also my first time having a booth with the opportunity to show and sell all my art to my fans. I was asked by area Greats; Shawn & Missy Paleck, Ryan Gillispie and Lena DeGregory to take part in this event. Please feel free to look at my art page on FB: "The Art of Casper".


Thanks again for hosting such an amazing  event



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Brad Perri-

Brad is the creator of the comic strip, "Pirate Mike: Maladjusted Suburbanite." He hails from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Brad will be sharing a table with Phil Juliano so be sure to check them out. Arrrrrr!




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Heidi Blair-

D*H
is better known in her day job as Heidi Blair, and may be part of a collective of midwest Sasquatches who haunt local bookstores and craft stores in the area. She has worked on Illustrations for both private and commercial contracts, including Marvel via Rittenhouse LTD. She works in a combination of traditional and digital media, and is known to play nice with others (when she's not running around with scissors, that is). She is working toward her goal of full-time illustrator for the entertainment & comic-book industry. You can find more of her work at
redmoonstudios.com

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Charles Siefken (1992-present) He is currently enrolled in our local college for automotive technician as well as working part time at a local garage as a mechanic. Christopher Paolini was his inspiration to become a writer.
Wendy Siefken (1966-Present) currently is a stay at home mom who works on writing stories, marketing and promoting the published books. Wendy lives on a farm with her family and enjoys reading, gardening and other activities with her family and friends. This all started as a school project for her youngest son and business partner, Charles Siefken, which has grown into a desire to be published.

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Brock Beauchamp-

Brock is an illustrator/writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can find his comic book work under the publishing label Schlock Works, where he also co-hosts the Counter Culture Comic Podcast (CCCP), a podcast focused on creator-owned properties. He has recently completed a short story, Duplicity, an experimental sci-fi comic about two men sharing their final hours on earth.


 You can find Brock's comics and podcasts at the Schlock Works website:http://schlockworks.com/


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Andrew Peek-

I am local artist from Des Moines, Graduated with a Studio Arts degree from Grand View University in 2013. I have participated in Artfest Midwest in 2013, I-con in 2014, and Spring-Con in Minnesota in 2015, along with various smaller shows like ArtMart, hosted locally. 
I am mainly a portrait style artist working in blends of 2 character faces of pop culture imagery. I work in graphite and/or colored pencil, but I have worked in other media as well, like acrylic paint, photography, and artist marker.

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Mark Stegbauer-

Mark is a 20+ year veteran of the comic book industry. He has inked books for Marvel, DC, and Image working on such titles as Avengers, Nova, Spider-Man, Flash, JLA, and Steel.
He is the writer and artist of the all ages webcomic, Dr Goyle.He is the illustrator of the DIY Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse.He is the inker of the soon to be released graphic novel, Ironclad, from Committed Comics.
His work can be found at his website, www.steg-art.com

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Phil Juliano-

Phil is a professional Cartoonist and Humorous Illustrator living the dream in Minneapolis, MN. His comic strip, 'Best In Show', appears online and in print around the country. Furthermore, he is a successful freelance artist with an enormous and versatile portfolio that features everything from beer labels to management training materials for IBM. To see more of Phil's work go to
www.philjuliano.carbonmade.com."

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Steve Todd-

"Eleven years ago Steve began the downward spiral into addiction...he made some rings and picked up two sets of pliers.  Six days later, the Author Guest of Honor at the science fiction convention ICON called him 'Chainmail Guy', because he never put the pliers down.  That has been his badge name ever since.  He started selling at a small Ren Faire draped in copper and steel chains, a wandering vendor because that was much cheaper than investing in a tent, wearing a hand-painted sign labeling him 'Wandering Mail', so that became the business name.  Now he wanders from conventions to faires to craft shows, anywhere he can dump mountains of shiny things on tables and sit down to make more.  Chainmail is sturdy and tactile stuff, so he encourages people to wander up and 'play with the shiny stuff', because he believes that people need more fun in their lives!"


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Keegan & Erin-

Keegan and Erin Cahanes are a husband and wife creative team who absolutely love creating comic book stories and characters! They both have Bachelor's Degrees in Media Arts and Animation, and are currently working on a horror/western/comedy comic book, Poncho.

facebook.com/yoheystudios

twitter.com/yoheystudios

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Kaitlin Flury-

A contemporary painter and illustrator who focuses on the fantastical side of the natural world. Walking the line between her passion for art and science, she graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Studio Art. Before leaving the cradle of the Chesapeake Bay for the plains of the Midwest, Kaitlin exhibited her work in galleries in Lancaster and York, PA, as well as in Baltimore and Towson, MD, where one of her sculptures remains on permanent display. In late 2012 she moved to central Iowa and re­opened Darkling Studio. Currently she is pursuing her career as a tattoo artist and is apprenticing at Bodhi Body Modification in Des Moines.

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Timothy Quam:
 
My name is Timothy Quam, many people call me Bode. I have been illustrating my whole life.  I was raised in Iowa, USA and despite my best attempts I live there now. I love to absorb information and experience wherever and whenever I can. I then ring out the sponge that is my mind into my art, weather I mean to or not. Art is my center, my calm. As long as i have the opportunity to keep creating I am happy.  I have published the first and second chapter of my first graphic novel and would like everyone who loves fantasy and adventure to enjoy it.
About his book:
This story is about Seone, a lord in the Bear clan of my fictional world. All is well for him until chance takes everything from him and he must find a way to try and get it back. The story will include elements from mythology and classical culture of many historical people, the most abundant being Viking and Chinese.
  



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Trevor Talbott

-Writer of Eclipse and Child Number Four

Scott Meier

-Writer of Eclipse

 Eclipse #1 and #2 is the Iowa's largest funded Kickstarter comic to date and currently have a second funded Kickstarter that's LIVE until May 5, 2015! We both live in Des Moines, Iowa. (Talbott) brought his personal experiences working with children diagnosed with behavioral and mental disorders to the realm of comics!


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Carter Allen



Carter Allen is a comic's creator located in the Des Moines metro area. He is the writer and artist on several independent titles, including " The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch", "252-Z" and "Dub Trub" for Warning Comics, as well as "Man Is Vox", "Major Danjer and his Platoon of Doom" and "Monsters Beware!" for Candle Light Press. His work has also been featured in IDW's "Godzilla: Rulers of Earth" series. He is currently working on "Nikki Harris" issue #7 and the deluxe edition of "Man is Vox: Barracudae". www.warningcomics.com


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