MARK
PATE

HE/HIM

Mark Pate is an award-winning illustrator living and working in Queens, NY with his wife, Elizabeth. He grew up in Mesa, Arizona and received a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) from Arizona State University.

Mark has worked as a freelance illustrator for over 10 years. His work includes book cover art and design, storyboard art for film and television, character/environment concept art, illustration for publication and animation, and sequential art for comic books.

In addition to his illustration work, Mark is the Associate Director of the Transform artist residency organization which hosts art residencies across the country.

ALAIRE
RACICOT

SHE/HER

An American hailing from tumbleweedy Tri-Cities, Washington, a fan of Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider emerges... just to sit on her butt and draw everyday.

With a bachelor's degree from BYU-I in illustration, Alaire draws comics and chases her son Cyrus around the house - whether to stop him from eating something or to ferociously tickle him. She aspires to be a cleric or paladin, but in fact, she is a very lousy bard.

Currently she’s the line artist on Crown & Anchor, Brigantia Vol 2, and Sidequest.

MIKE
MORROCCO

HE/HIM

Mike Morrocco was raised in Baltimore, where he grew up reading comics, watching age-inappropriate action and horror films, and frequenting his local arcade.

After receiving his bachelors in visual communications with a concentration in graphic design and working for years in marketing as a designer, Mike attended the Kubert school where he learned cartooning and illustration. He continues to draw things to this day, using his traditional pencil and ink skills as well as his digital and graphics know-how to deliver the fine products his many clients clamor for.

Upcoming Works: Off into the Sunset Anthology and Project: Big Hype Vol. 2.

BEN
HUMENIUK

HE/HIM

I’m Ben, and I live in Texas with my wife and our three young kids. I’m a cartoonist and educator in the Houston area, and my big desire in life is to creatively encourage understanding.

I believe that we create because we’re made in the image of a boundless God - using our gifts to reinterpret and ‘retrace’ the wonder and the grit of being fully, humbly human. The trick is how to do that well. That’s what we’ll be exploring here, with art, some thoughtful riffing, and analysis of what’s good in the wider world of storytelling.

BRENT
FISHER

THEY/THEM/THEIRS

Brent is a comic writer that shares their central Ohio home with their wife Magan and two old miniature Dachshund siblings, Hansel and Gretel.

They were recently published in the Big Hype comic anthology, and will soon be published in the Off Into the Sunset, Producing the End of the World, and 21st Century Weird World anthologies coming in late 2021.

In addition to creative pursuits that also include other forms of short fiction including poetry, Brent sits on the board of an LGBTQIA+ youth advocacy organization and collects Captain Marvel memorabilia with unrepentant zeal.

FELL
HOUND

SHE/HER

Fell Hound is an illustrator and writer from Toronto. She began her work in various fan zines and anthologies before launching her debut comic zine 'Do You Believe in an Afterlife?' in 2019. Her subsequent comic, the sci-fi action epic Commander Rao, was self published to critical acclaim.

She can also throw playing cards like a ninja.

HONOURS:
• 2020 Sequential Magazine Awards Winner, Best Comic (Commander Rao)
• 2020 Sequential Magazine Awards Runner Up, Favourite Cartoonist
• APHYC Favourite Indie Comics of 2020 (Commander Rao)
• Driving Creators Network Favourites of 2020 (Commander Rao)

JAY
FABARES

SHE/THEY

Bringing humor to her art and storytelling, Jay has a fresh, expressive art style that shines in her personal work.

She has worked professionally as a flash artist for various social gaming studios, as well as a development artist for companies such as Disney and Warner Bros. Her love for comics has also led to her working on various projects with Valiant Comics. Most recently, Jay has been working for James Patterson’s book line for kids (Jimmy), on the "Max Einstein" series.

When she’s not freelancing, she’s almost always working on her own comic, The Pale. The Pale is a supernatural crime drama that readers often describe as Twin Peaks meets Arizona. It can be read as webcomic and has been posting since 2015.

LESLY
JULIEN

HE/HIM

Lesly Julien is a comic writer. A husband. A stay-at-home dad. A collection of positive nouns and adjectives, carbon, and so much pizza.

Most recently he has contributed stories to Project Big Hype and the soon to be released Off Into the Sunset anthologies. He's written short comics that run the genre gamut such as Ghost Gauntlet, Little Dragon Rider, Sixth Borough. His full length debut Savage Wizard is scheduled to arrive to Kickstarter this fall.

Lesly is a proud Marylander who moved across the country to San Diego, California for a short time, but now lives in Omaha, Nebraska because kids are expensive.

Lesly writes because he wants to see different stories being told. He is driven to create and share his own in an era where representation is improving, but still lacking.

ROSIE
PACKWOOD

SHE/HER

Rosie (The Incredible Bun, Blinker) can be found in the wilds of Suffolk, England. When not making comics, she is usually seen dangling upside-down from bouldering walls. If you can't make it to Suffolk to see a wild Rosie for yourself, you can follow her on Twitter or Instagram!

PHILLIP
MAIRA

HE/HIM

Phillip Maira is a comic book writer from Chicago best known for his annual self published anthology series, Crackle. In between creating stories for the next volume of Crackle, he is writing his first graphic novel.

AJ
O. MASON

HE/HIM

AJ O. Mason is a comics writer and letterer from Tel-Aviv.

AJ has worked with numerous independent publishers such as Red Stylo Media, Oneshi Press, Altruist Comics, and Otherworlds Inc. on comics and short stories, and recently became a finalist in a crime comic competition called Crime Pays.

KACEY
FLYNN

SHE/THEY

Kacey Flynn is a passionate storyteller whose foot has always been half in reality and half in whatever fantasy world she's currently creating. As a trans woman her stories are told through a queer lens, with fantasy being her favourite genre to dabble in. She is currently working on finding homes for several comic projects in between DMing a weekly D&D stream called Everyone Dice.

GRANT
STOYE

HE/HIM

Grant has been a sports reporter and been a radio producer, but he’s always wanted to write comics.

His past works include the holiday horror anthology YULE and the fantasy series SIDEQUEST.

MATT
WILDING

HE/HIM

Matthew Wilding is a writer from Boston, MA. His comics work includes Nightmare Man (co-created with Matt Rowe) and upcoming stories in Producing the End of the World and Dark Matter Magazine. He also writes short comics on his website.

MINERVA
FOX

SHE/HER

I am an RPG illustrator and comic artist hailing from Chicago. A lot of my inspiration comes from both manga and western comics. I absolutely love to collaborate and help bring ideas to life with both physical and digital media.

FRANKEE
WHITE

THEY/THEM - HE/HIM

Frankee White has been writing comics for nearly a decade. Their works include 20 Fists, Starless Daydream, and Broken Bear. They live in Chicago, Illinois with their wife and three pets.

MATT
BATTAGLIA

HE/HIM

Matt Battaglia is a designer, editor, and illustrator with experience in advertising, media, and comics. He has had comics work published by Action Lab Entertainment (artist on Leap M), Z2 Comics (artist on Indoctrination), Image Comics (colorist on Roche Limit), and BOOM! Studios (colorist on Dead Letters and cover artist and colorist on Hellraiser: Bestiary). His short story “Ghosts of the Carousel” was shown in 2020 at a comics exhibit at the Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Science.

STONIE
WILLIAMS

HE/HIM

Raised in the back of a comic book store and weaned on sci-fi conventions, Stonie Williams, The BaldBeardedBard, is a 36 yr old married father of 5. He tells stories through script and prose. His debut comic book ‘Villainous’, published by Mad Cave Studios, is the publisher’s first foray into the superhero genre. Stonie has also dipped his toes into the realm of coloring, working on various indie projects including the Cthulhu Invades Oz anthology.

TRAVIS
HILL

HE/HIM

Travis is the author of several independent comic books including MUSTARD SEED, THORN, and BLACK GUN, as well as a number of short stories appearing in various anthologies. He is also a PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Dallas. His essay "Let Him Be to You as a Goblin: Forgiveness as the Defeat of Evil in Spider-Man Comics" will appear in the Theology and Spider-Man volume from Lexington Books, due out in November 2021. His comic book series TechnoKnights is due out with Dauntless Stories in spring 2022. Travis lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife Bridget and their three dogs, Albus, Remus, and Severus.

TOBEN
RACICOT

HE/HIM

Toben is a writer and letterer. He’s worked on a variety of indie comics like Beastlands, Sidequest, Gimmick, and the Bite of Brenna Barlow. He's created Crown & Anchor, Emulator, and Pilgrim's Dirge. He studies Role-Playing Games and Collaborative Worldbuilding at the University of Waterloo. He spends too much time thinking about Dungeons & Dragons but never playing. His favourite comics are Seven to Eternity, East of West, Birthright, and Outer Darkness. And he will never say no to a good cheeseburger.