IMAGE EXPO ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUESTS

Bay Area Comic Book Convention Features Today's Best Creators

Berkeley, CA – 15 December 2011 -- IMAGE EXPO, the one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics and celebrating creator-owned comics, is announcing many new guests! Joining the Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino and Image founders Rob Liefeld and Whilce Portacio, are the following stars of creator-owned comics.

Blair Butler, the host of G4's Fresh Ink and 2011's break out writer of HEART, the comic that shows the human side of MMA, will be joining the line up, along with her co-creator Kevin Mellon (LOVESTRUCK). Writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory, co-creators of CHEW, everyone's favorite Eisner Award winning gross-out detective comic will also be there. Add to that rising star Nick Spencer, the writer behind such hits as MORNING GLORIES, FORGETLESS, Ultimate Comics: X-Men, and soon Robert Kirkman's THIEF OF THIEVES, and IMAGE EXPO already has a solid line up!

But that's not all! Some of the other guests at IMAGE EXPO include:

Keu Cha (MAGDALENA)

Joshua Fialkov (ECHOES, THE LAST OF THE GREATS, I, Vampire)

Edwin Huang (SKULLKICKERS)

Joe Keatinge (POPGUN, GLORY, HELL YEAH)

Larry Marder (BEANWORLD)

Jim McCann (Return of the Dapper Men, MIND THE GAP)

Marat Mychaels (BLINDSIDE)

Jimmie Robinson (BOMBQUEEN)

Eric Shanower (AGE OF BRONZE)

Kurtis Wiebe (INTREPIDS, GREEN WAKE, PETER PANZERFAUST)

Jim Zubkavich (SKULLKICKERS)

Some of the other previously announced guests include:

Joe Casey (Ben 10, BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER, HAUNT)

Jay Faerber (Ringer, DYNAMO 5, NEAR DEATH)

Jonathan Hickman (THE NIGHTLY NEWS, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS)

Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE)

Fiona Staples (SAGA)

Richard Starkings (Comicraft, ELEPHANTMEN)

Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways, SAGA)

IMAGE EXPO is a three-day celebration of creator-owned comics happening at the Oakland Convention Center, and Northern California's premier comic con experience in 2012. The Berkeley-based publisher will be filling the demand for a 2012 Bay Area comic book convention that was left unfulfilled when WonderCon announced their temporary relocation to Anaheim, California. The three-day event takes place at the Oakland Convention Center in the heart of the bustling nightlife and restaurant center of downtown Oakland, CA on February 24-25-26.

Experience the creativity of the men and women making the best creator owned comics in America at this one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics! 

There are still some opportunities to be part of IMAGE EXPO available, but space is going fast, so sign up for your exhibitor or artist alley space today! Contact info@ImageComicExpo.com for more information about how to exhibit or sign up for press passes. For more information about the show, visit www.imagecomicexpo.com.

ABOUT AMAZING COMIC CONVENTIONS

Amazing Comic Conventions is a leading promotional company operated by Jimmy S. Jay and Jay Company Comics. The Amazing Arizona Comic Con is their signature event, kicking off the Comic Con Season each January. The Amazing Arizona Comic Con is the premier destination for graphic novel pop culture in the Southwest. The 2012 Amazing Arizona Comic Con takes place January 6-7-8 at the Mesa Convention Center, in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Guests for the upcoming event include Walking Dead creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman, legendary creator Rob Liefeld, Batman artist Greg Capullo, and many more. For more information, visit www.AmazingArizonaComicCon.com.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS 

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.