Wheatley, Hempel, G. D. Falksen Together in Baltimore

Baltimore Comic-Con Brings Veteran Creators, New Projects

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - August 9, 2017 - Making it 18 appearances out of 18 editions of the Baltimore Comic- Con, Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, the masterminds behind Blood of the Innocent, Mars, and numerous other creations, will lead their loose-knit, hard-hitting band of creators under the Insight Studios banner into the Baltimore Convention Center for this year's Baltimore Comic-Con, Friday-Sunday, September 22-24. At the show, they'll be joined by acclaimed ComicMix, DC, and First Comics editor Mike Gold, as well as studio mates, G. D. Falksen, Mark Redfield, and Evelyn Kriete. Purchase your tickets in advance to avoid waiting in extra lines at the show.

While frequently noted for their award-winning solo careers, both Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel are frequently reminded by fans of their success as collaborators. Tarzan, Jonny Quest, Titanic Tales, and Doctor Cyborg are just a few of their other projects together. Most recently, over the past two years, they have fully restored their acclaimed Vertigo graphic novel Breathtaker for Titan Comics. Additionally, they've developed a companion touring show of the original art for the project organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum. Long out of print, it was originally serialized and then collected into a best-selling trade paperback by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint 20 years ago, where it was a best-seller. Their work, both together and separately was extensively profiled in IS Art: The Art of Insight Studios.

"We tell anyone who asks that the Baltimore Comic-Con remains one of the most staunchly comic-centric conventions on the circuit. Yes, we're biased toward our hometown show, but that doesn't explain the staying power, the guest-to-fan ratio, and the amazing atmosphere of this convention. The guest list just can't be beat by any other show of this size or even many that are quite a bit bigger," said Mark Wheatley. "We're extremely happy our big, annual gathering of the tribe happens right here in Baltimore, and we're looking forward to making some great announcements."

Inducted in July into The Overstreet Hall of Fame, Mark Wheatley most recently has continued his string of popular Doctor Who covers for Titan, completed a set of Stargate Atlantis cover for American Mythology, and provided the cover and interior illustrations for the new novel Man Of War by Heidi Ruby Miller from Meteor House, which continues the Two Hawks series from Philip Jose Farmer. Prior to that, his work for CBS Television was featured on The Millers, 2 Broke Girls, and Super Clyde, and the Square Roots pilot for ABC. In print, he was featured in the acclaimed Jungle Tales Of Tarzan from Dark Horse Comics, on the cover of the Meteor House release of Exiles of Kho by Christopher Paul Carey, and his own well-received art book, Stars, which presents elaborate line art portraits of actors, musicians, and authors. With a track record that includes Frankenstein Mobster, Radical Dreamer, Return of the Human, Hammer of the Gods, EZ Street, Skultar, and Lone Justice, Wheatley is an Inkpot, Mucker, Gem, Speakeasy, and Eisner award-winning creator. He has lectured at the Library of Congress, exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum, created set pieces for The Black Eyed Peas, designed for Lady Gaga, and contributed designs to ABC's Beauty and the Beast. He will be displaying art from Doctor Cthulittle, his innovative new project in collaboration with studio members G. D. Falksen and Evelyn Kriete. See more of Mark's work at markwheatleygallery.com.

Marc Hempel grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and now resides in Baltimore, Maryland, where he plies his craft on such diverse projects ranging from his own Gregory, Tug & Buster, and Naked Brain to Disney Adventures, and from Clive Barker's Hellraiser to "The Kindly Ones" in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Hempel's art has also appeared in MAD, Marvel Fanfare, Epic Illustrated, Heavy Metal, Flinch, My Faith in Frankie, The Dreaming, Lucifer, Munden's Bar, Nickelodeon Magazine, and a 21-page Escapist story for Dark Horse Comics. His series The Love Brothers has appeared in Aces Weekly.

ComicMix.com editor-in-chief Mike Gold is a 40-year veteran of the comic book field, having co-founded the Chicago Comicon as well as First Comics with Rick Obadiah, later serving as group editor/director of editorial development of DC Comics, and as a packager of comics with arrogantMGMS. Among the many projects he edited and helped develop are American Flagg!, Jon Sable Freelance, GrimJack, The Flash, Green Arrow, The Question, Legends, Breathtaker, and Mars. Gold is also a long-time political activist and broadcaster, presently doing the show Weird Sounds Inside the Gold Mind on getthepointradio.com. He was the recipient of the Hero Initiative Humanitarian of the Year Award, given at the Baltimore Comic-Con in 2011.

Mark Redfield is an American actor, author, artist, and filmmaker whose films include Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002) and The Death of Poe (2006) and whose award-winning audio dramas includes Sinbad and the Pirate Princess also starring Caroline Munro and Martine Beswicke (www.RedfieldArtsAudio.com). Voice work includes audio books A Christmas Carol that features cover art by Mark Wheatley and Hunted by Mark Hewitt, an in-depth look at the unsolved Zodiac Killer case. His art and cartoons are collected all over the world (www.MarkRedfieldArt.com) and his vampire novel Cult of the Nosferatu (www.VampireHuntersInc.com) is available from Amazon. His novella The Chaney Murder Case with another cover by Mark Wheatley is now available. A Poe Scholar, his 20-hour audio dramatization of Edgar Allan Poe's life will debut in 2018 (www.PoeForevermore.com).

G. D. Falksen is an author, lecturer, public speaker, and actor. He also studies history and has consulted for Disney. He is the author of The Ouroboros Cycle series, The Transatlantic Conspiracy, and several other works of fiction. He is a voice actor for and co-writer of the animated film Hullabaloo and an accompanying educational series titled Ask The Professor.

Evelyn Kriete is an editor, producer, artist, stylist, marketing adviser, social media strategist, and new media coordinator. She is also a crowdfunding consultant for Indiegogo and ComicMix. Through crowdfunding she has raised over $1 million for various projects, including the animated film Hullabaloo, which she is producing alongside film creator James Lopez. She has previously worked on the staff of literary publications such as Weird Tales and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine.

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.