Indie Comics Creator Con Announces Panel Line-Up
The scheduled panel discussions for the inaugural Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3) have taken shape. All panels will take place in the theater on the Plaza Floor of the Adanti Student Center.
Saturday, March 9th
The Nineties Influence: How Comics’ Most Tumultuous Decade Resonates
11:00AM – 11:45PM EST | Theater
The peaks and valleys of nineties comics still resonate with the generation that was cutting its teeth at the time. For Mahdi Khene (Steel Streets, Bootleg Spider-man), Wesley Griffith (The Jump), and Tony McMillen (Attaboy) the can-do DIY spirit continues. These creators will be joined by Ryan Balkam and fellow Comic Lounge contributor Manny Gomez to explore how the last decade of the 20th century continues to pack an impact in The Nineties Influence: How Comics’ Most Tumultuous Decade Resonates.
The Cartooning Process: Contrast and Compare
12:00PM – 12:45PM EST | Theater
There are many approaches to creating comics. Jamie Jones (The Baboon), Jason Quinones (Beer & Cookies), and Kevin Delgado (Tuff Stuff) will compare notes on their own unique ways of creating masterful stories and images in The Cartooning Process: Contrast and Compare, hosted by Manny Gomez and Ryan Balkam.
Four Decades of Turtle Power
1:00PM – 1:45PM EST | Theater
Eric Talbot was hired by Kevin Eastman himself to take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Mirage Studios, he brings a smooth energy to every piece of work that he creates. He was also a part of The Melting Pot with Simon Bisley and Eastman, which became the basis of Heavy Metal 2000. Jim Lawson’s TMNT run was from 1987 to 2009, making his one of the longest runs of work on any single property. His self-published comics include Paleo: Tales of the Late Cretaceous, Dragonfly, A Walk Through Dinosaurland, Hellride, Dinosaur Head Cat, and The Box City Wallops.
Marking the 40th anniversary of the single most successful indie comic of all time, Cosmic Lion Productions head Eli Schwab and Ryan Balkam, creator and host of the indie comics-centric podcast Comic Lounge and Direct Market Sales Representative at IDW Publishing, host Four Decades of Turtle Power.
Graphic Pioneering: Creating Comics Your Own Way
2:00PM – 2:45PM EST | Theater
We are also joined by Jesse Lonergan. With an instantly recognizable style, Jesse's ability to tell a story on a page is as unique as it is innovative. With a sense of fluid motion through smart layouts, Lonergan makes comics that feel cinematic even as they take full advantage of the sense of narrative only this medium can provide. Ornate and attractive, every page and every spread fires on every cylinder to present not just a clear throughline of plot, but also functions as a complete work of art so engaging that each one feels framable. No line is wasted. It feels like every choice is made with the precision of an architect, and that without each well-considered stroke being in the place that it is, the whole thing might collapse. He's a modern master, a genius ascending, and any new project from his brain and right hand is an event.
Making comics that press against the boundaries of expectation while maintaining smart, sharp design are also the trademarks of Chris Anderson and James Coates. Chris’ work has been a driving force behind Cosmic Lion Production's GHOST Agents books, but is likely better known for his serialized stories in Heavy Metal called Something Seems Off and the acclaimed Chaotic Neutral. James created Galaxy Gods, one of 2023’s most energetic comics, a love letter to the energy of 70s Kirby. The three men will examine the paths that brought them to 2024 and the road ahead. Rocko Jerome shall host this panel with these three outstanding talents, entitled Graphic Pioneering: Creating Comics Your Own Way.
The Original Outlaw: Ken Landgraf
3:00PM – 4:00PM EST | Theater
Our guest of honor, The Original Outlaw Ken Landgraf, will be interviewed by GHOST Agents Writer/Producer and IC3 Director of Programming Rocko Jerome. In all of comics, there is only one whose work crackles with the dangerous energy of Landgraf. The man who coined the phrase and defined the very concept of “Outlaw Comics” has built a career on creating images that stop you in your tracks and blow your hair back. Respected by Clowes, collaborated with Perez, made books that hit so hard they feel like contraband, Landgraf has made a mark in indie comics a mile wide and 200,000 feet deep. His work says a million words, but the man himself has been elusive. Until now.
The Cosmic Lion Productions Party
5:00PM – 6:00PM EST | Theater
To end the day, everyone present and willing who has work published by Cosmic Lion Productions gets together for The Cosmic Lion Productions Party. CLP-associated talent in attendance includes Eli and Rocko, along with GHOST Agents alums Chris Anderson, Adam Lemnah (Relic Hunter), David Grom (Brickman), John Burkett (Feral Star), Rick Lopez (The Power), Sean Luke (Zombie Raygun), and Sam J. Royale (Dishoom), as well as Morgan B Herron (Frankie Boy Monster), along with Tate Griffin and Gary Cramer (Parafrenetic). The big idea is that this will turn into a big hangout to end the show. All creators and patrons are invited to come up after they close their tables down, and we'll all figure out what we do with the rest of the night.
All the details:
Indie Comics Creator Con
Saturday - March 9, 2024
10 am - 6 pm
Southern Connecticut State University
345 Fitch St, New Haven, CT 06515
Get your tickets now, via Eventbrite.