"STAPLE! was phenomenal,
a first year show that acted like a precocious mutant baby genius."
Special GuestsJill Thompson
Follow Jill on Twitter: @thejillthompson Alex Robinson
You can find Alex on the web at: www.comicbookalex.com Jason Neulander
From 2006 to 2009, his radio play The Intergalactic Nemesis (www.theintergalacticnemesis.com) played more than 30 venues coast-to-coast, including sold out performances at the 1,100-seat Wortham Center in Houston and the 1,200-seat Paramount Theatre in Austin. In 2010, he authored and published a comic book of the Nemesis story, with artwork by Tim Doyle, and produced and directed a "Live-Action Graphic Novel" version featuring projections of art from the comic with live actors, music, and sound effects, that premiered in its entirety to an audience of 2,100 people at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. The show has since played FantasticFest, and is scheduled to tour the midwest in 2011-12. He is currently working on a children's book called The Clowns Come Home. See more of Jason Neulander's work at: www.theintergalacticnemesis.com Dax Norman
Visit Dax's web site: www.daxnorman.com Yehudi Mercado
See more of Yehudi's work at: www.turbopizza.com and www.supermercadofilms.com Scott Wegener
See more of Scott's work at: www.scottwegener.com and www.atomic-robo.com Brian Clevinger
You can read Brian's webcomics at: www.nuklearpower.com Todd Kent
The film is currently touring the country and screening at film festivals, comic book conventions and literary events (San Diego Comic-Con International, C2E2, Dallas Museum of Art, and the upcoming STAPLE! 2011). The goal of the film is to explore the potential of a very misunderstood medium and highlight the positive ways it can be used by teachers, librarians and all lovers of reading and art. More information on the film: www.ComicBookLiteracy.com — and check out Todd's other work at www.ToddKentWebsite.com James O'Barr
See the latest news from James O'Barr at: www.jamesobarr.net Mack White
Al Frank
Continue to check the news section for announcements about additional guests. |
Saturday, March 5th12:00pm - 12:30pm — Adam Blatner: Why My Mother Threw Out My Comic Books. 1:00pm - 2:00pm — Atomic Robo! Q&A with creators Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. 2:30pm - 3:30pm — Texas Rangers: Austin Underground Comix. Q&A with Mack White and Al Frank, moderated by Dylan Williams 4:00pm - 5:30pm — The Comic Book Literacy Documentary plus Q&A with Todd Kent and James O'Barr. Off-site: 8:00pm - 1:00am — Live Art Show featuring Table Manners Crew, benefit for KOOP Radio. Club Deville, 900 Red River. Sunday, March 6th12:30pm - 1:00pm — The Intergalactic Nemesis! Volume 2. 1:30pm - 2:30pm — Q&A with Jill Thompson. 3:00pm - 4:00pm — Q&A with Alex Robinson. 4:00pm - 5:30pm — Indie Animation Panel with Yehudi Mercado, Dax Norman, and Korey Coleman. Off-site: 8:00pm - 1:00am — Comedy Showcase hosted by The New Movement Theater. Club Deville, 900 Red River. Over 85 exhibitorsEach day we will have two exhibitor rooms packed with great local and national talent selling their comic books, art, and more. Registration is full and we have the exhibitor list online. Past ShowsIf you are curious about our featured guests at the last two STAPLE! shows, you can visit our 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 guest page archives. Read testimonials from past guests and exhibitors. |
Jill Thompson, creator, writer and illustrator of Magic Trixie and the award winning Scary Godmother, is one of the most well-known and admired female comic book artists in the industry today. Cartooning and illustrating since 1987, she has garnered critical acclaim and multiple Eisner Awards for her outstanding and distinctive art. In addition to her own creations she has illustrated a variety of titles including The Invisibles, Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman, Black Orchid, Sandman, and Books of Magic, has worked with every major comic book publisher, and her children's book series Scary Godmother has been successfully adapted for both the stage and screen. Jill regularly speaks about comics, literacy and art, and also enjoys knitting, design, crafts, cooking, gardening, wrestling, and improv on any given day depending on which creative mood she is in.
Yehudi is an award winning animator, writer and director. He began his career in the video game industry where he was recognized as one of the "Top 30 Multimedia Stars Under 30" by Texas Monthly Magazine. Building on his success he founded an animation studio, HorseBack Salad which was named "Best little toon house in Texas" by Animation Magazine. Their projects included nationally broadcast commercials, MTV music videos and a series for PBS. Yehudi is also an accomplished writer and director. Yehudi was a finalist in the prestigious Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting competition for Buffalo Speedway, a director fellow in the NALIP Producer's Academy for his film Mock Trial and has had his animated short, Porn Editor, play on HBO. "Monster Job Hunter", a Live Action/ CG short, played film festivals around the world, including Fantastic Fest, and has garnered multiple awards and honors and is currently being developed as a feature film. Volume 1 of the graphic novel Buffalo Speedway made its debut at 2010 STAPLE!.
Brian Clevinger spends most of his time thinking about histories,
robots, and space. One day he may find a constructive use for all
that, but for now he writes comics like ATOMIC ROBO. Marvel paid him
to write a few issues of AVENGERS AND THE INFINITY GAUNTLET and
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIGHTING AVENGER which just proves they'll let
anyone do this stuff.
Todd Kent is a writer, producer and director currently based in
Dallas, TX. For over a decade Kent has been making documentary films,
television and multimedia projects on a wide variety of subject matter
ranging from science to comic books to the Wienermobile. His latest
project is the documentary feature "Comic Book Literacy" which
showcases the utilization of the comic book medium to promote literacy
and education.
James O'Barr is the creator of The Crow. He wrote and drew the comic series on which four movies, several comics, a television show, and several novels were later based. James is currently working on a motion comic called Sundown with MotionWorks Entertainment. He will be participating in the Q&A panel for the screening of The Comic Book Literacy Documentary at STAPLE! 2011.
Mack White is an Austin-based writer and artist who has been publishing comics since the 1980s. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Heavy Metal, Zero Zero, Hotwire, Top Shelf, the Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction, and his own books The Mutant Book of the Dead, Villa of the Mysteries, and The Bush Junta, which he co-edited with Gary Groth. His latest comic, Texas Tales: The Revolution, produced in collaboration with novelist Mike Kearby, will be published by Texas Christian University Press in April 2011. White is also co-host (with SMiles Lewis) of PsiOp Radio and is currently acting in the film Bozoland now under production in Austin.
Al Frank was born to working class parents in the Chicago South-side neighborhood of the Jeffrey Manor. His home was located 11 blocks from the house where Richard Speck went on his nurse-killing rampage, and two miles from the city incinerator/dump. The cadmium and lead laced groundwater gave him the dual super-powers of drawing-ability and sickness. After leaving home at the age of 17 to attend Texas Tech University on a fine-arts scholarship, Al learned the meaning of this word you humans call "love". He had a short 90's career in underground comics but more recent art can be found at his online portfolio: