DCC ’18 Showcase (Round Two)
In round 2 of the DCC Spotlight, I’ve picked another ten comics related guests at Denver Comic Con 2018. For each guest, I’ve provided a little bit of information about them as well as essential reading to prepare to see them on the panels. Without further ado, here they are!
Nidhi Chanani is a freelance illustrator, cartoonist and writer whose debut graphic novel, Pashmina, received star reviews from many of the major reviewers including the New York Times. Born in Kolkatta, India and raised in southern California, Chanani has made herself known as a champion of change. She owns her own art company, Everyday Love and has worked with a number of companies as well as creating her own products. While Chanani is relatively new to the world of comics, she’s certainly making a name for herself very quickly.
What to read: Definitely check out Chanani’s debut graphic novel, Pashmina. It follows a young Indian American girl named Priyanka Das who discovers a magical pashmina (similar to a scarf) and is compelled to find out about the Indian heritage that her mother is reluctant to talk about. It’s an excellent exploration of what it means to be an immigrant in America and heartwarming to boot.
Ben Bishop is more of a comic creator rather than artist or writer since he’s learned to do it all! His love of comics has been lifelong, having had the ambition to work at Marvel since he was 11(!) and even writing to them to see about working there. While he was a bit young at the time, he’s spent a lot of time and work improving on his skills and making his own stories.
What to read: While Bishop has created covers for well known series like TMNT, Batman and Transformers, he’s also been involved in some incredible creator-driven properties as well. More than anything else, I’d highly recommend checking out the choose your own adventure style comic The Aggregate. Funded by Kickstarter, this unique creation allows the reader to choose the path in a post apocalyptic adventure involving robots, human survivors and a loyal dog. Comics are a great medium for exploring what’s possible and The Aggregate has a lot of fun with the flexibility of the medium.
Charles Soule is a man of many talents and has made a name for himself as an attorney, musician, comics writer and most recently, novelist. Based out of Brooklyn, NY, Soule has worked for Oni Press, Image Comics and DC, but he is most well known for his work with the other big comics publisher, Marvel. Soule has worked on various story arcs with the characters Daredevil and Wolverine, as well as Lando and Poe Dameron from Star Wars. He’s currently working on the creator-owned series, Curse Words, with Ryan Browne for Image Comics.
What to read: While Charles Soule made a name for himself at Marvel, I’d highly recommend picking up Curse Words to get a good sense of Soule’s humor and willingness to push boundaries. And if you enjoy stories outside of comics, you might check out his new novel, The Oracle Year.
Greg Capullo is another name at DCC this year that many comics fans, particularly if they like Batman, will recognize. Capullo made a name for himself as an artist with Marvel in the ‘90’s with titles like Spawn and X-Force before making his own series, Creech, with Image Comics. But he is most well known for his work on Batman, particularly the New 52 series. He has also recently worked with Mark Millar on the Reborn series. In addition to his work on comics, Capullo has also illustrated covers for several hard rock and metal bands including Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed and Korn. Known for his dark, graphically violent style, it will be interesting to see his artistic perspective as compared to one of his favorite artists, Frank Miller.
What to read: While Capullo’s work with Mark Millar on the Reborn series is good, nothing is quite as good as the pairing of Greg Capullo and Scott Snyder and the New 52 Batman series. If you love Batman anywhere near as much as I do, that’s a must-read series. Capullo’s darker style is a perfect match for Snyder’s dark, twisted writing in that series.
Pamela Ribon is a well known force in the screenwriting world who has recently made a foray into the world of comics with the roller derby series SLAM! and the very strange My Boyfriend is a Bear. Known as a funny and unapologetically feminist voice, Ribon will likely be a very entertaining voice for the comics panels.
What to read: If you enjoy kickass female characters, check out SLAM! It’s a story of friendship, love and roller derby that’s both funny and compelling. And if you’re okay with something a little off the wall and more than a little strange, check out My Boyfriend is a Bear. This is not a were-animal love story. It’s literally about a woman who is dating an actual bear. Amusing but certainly not what you might expect.
The ten artists, writers and all around comics creators that I’ve highlighted in both rounds of the DCC Spotlight this year are just a small portion of the many comics related guests who will be apeparing at Denver Comic Con in 2018. And that’s not even counting the guests who are well known TV and movie stars and celebrated authors. Make sure you don’t miss the awesome panels planned for this year and stayed tuned for more coverage of DCC 2018!
– Cait