Exhibitor biographies part 4

Renee Kurilla is a children's book illustrator and animator in Boston, MA.While she is very much a "newbie" at *creating* comics, she grew up loving them, admiring them, and carting them around under her arm. Her first published work as an illustrator is the graphic novel, *Zebrafish* (May 4,2010 - Simon & Schuster), in which she worked closely with the creative talents at FableVision (writer/creative, Sharon Emerson &author/illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds).
She was born in Scranton, PA and migrated to Boston where she earned herBFA in illustration from The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. She found a niche as an artist and game designer at FableVision... and also finds time to run a small freelance operation under the code name "Kurillastration." By power of the internet, she was commissioned by Tim Jones to design the look of a new pre-school book series called *I See I Learn*, written by Stuart J. Murphy. (Fall 2010 - Charlesbridge)
She is currently tackling a graphic novel of her own...and is accepting all forms of encouragement upon this scary, scary task.
Blog: http://www.kurillastration.blogspot.com
Learn more about *Zebrafish*: http://www.zebrafish.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reneekurilla

Zack Giallongo website: http://www.zackgiallongo.com/
Zack Giallongo is a cartoonist living in the smallest state in the U.S. He is one of the creators of the *Novasett Island* series of mini comics, aswell as the creator of *Grune* a story of lost travelers and a strange monster. He is also a co-founder of Life Meter - a video game tribute site. Along with comics and cartoons, Zack loves food, animals and banjo. He is currently drawing a book titled *Broxo* about a boy barbarian for FirstSecond books.

Stephanie Yue
website: http://www.jellycity.com/
Stephanie is currently illustrating a graphic novel series for Lerner,*Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye*, written by Colleen AF Venable. She is aco-creator of the *Novasett Island* series with Zack Giallongo, and self publishes a series of autobiographical comics, *Quezzie vs. Grapefruit,* *Irrefusable Dinner Engagement,* and *Brace for Impact*. Recently, her colors can be seen in Raina Telgemeier's new book, *Smile*. She likes to play guitar, build stuff, climb things, and practice kung-fu, the last of which feeds into a growing number of illustrations of mice doing martial arts. She also likes green tea, mmm.

John Platt, "America's Least-Famous Cartoonist," is a writer and cartoonist living in central Maine. His mini-comics include "My Exploding Head" and "My Beard in Alternate Dimensions." His short story collection, "Die Laughing" was published in 2002, and his fiction and poetry have appeared in more than 100 anthologies and magazines on four continents. John's also draws the irregularly updated webcomic, "Plattitudes." For more information, visit http://www.johnrplatt.com

Cara Bean secretly makes comics when she is not being a high school art teacher. She likes to draw things that are half cute and half creepy. Check out her sketchbook blog here: beandoodling.blogspot.com and her website: badgigi.com for more. She will present mini-comics, paintings, prints, and magnets for sale.

Sarah Winifred Searle is the creator of "Under the Apple Tree", a historical look at life in Maine during WWII with some paranormal parallels to the same area during the Civil War.
http://www.swinsea.com/comic

Christopher Mills is a freelance writer, editor and graphic artist with decades of experience in the publishing industry, working primarily for newspapers and comic book publishers. A professional writer for twenty years, he has scripted numerous independent comic books in a variety of genres, including Leonard Nimoy's Primortals, Shadow House, Kolchak Tales, The Night Driver, Captain Midnight, the Spinetingler Award-winning Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries and the critically-acclaimed crime thriller, Gravedigger: The Scavengers. He has also authored a handful of published short stories, including contributions to Moonstone Books' The Spider Chronicles, Captain Midnight Chronicles and Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising.

He lives in an old farmhouse in Central Maine with his wife, dog, cat, and thousands of books and videos. His website is http://www.atomicpulp.com.

Kenan Rubenstein's comics include Tick, a classic tale of boy-meets-robot-boy, The Oubliette, a series of unfolding autobiographical vignettes, and Last Train to Old Town, an ongoing adolescent adventure. He lives in Brooklyn, where he subsidizes his art habit making wonderful web sites for other artists and creative professionals. His scribbles and scrawls appear somewhat regularly at UnderTheHaystack.net.

Exhibitor biographies part 3

Here are some more creator bios.

Mr.Oblivious and Strongarm Labs:

Mark Gonyea- I’ve always been a fan of silent storytelling. My intent is always to make a comic story that also works as a piece of art. I love trying to combine the flow of a story with the aesthetics of color, balance, shape and form. Some end up more art than story and others more story than art but that’s what makes each piece a unique experience. See more of my art at MrOblivious.com.

Sam Girdich- Sam Girdich and Mark Gonyea created Strongarm Labs in the summer of 2003. Together, Sam as writer and Mark as illustrator, they have created 7 books. The idea behind Strongarm Labs is always to tell good stories from a unique perspective. See more info on our books at strongarmlabs.com.

Everett Soares, the creator of Sky Pirates of Valendor, had been working on this concept for over 2 years, it truly did not come to life until he met Brian Brinlee, current penciler for the project. In December of 2006, the 2 were introduced. They started working on concept sketches and before they knew it, Everett's words came to life on Brian’s 11 x 17 art boards. In the process, Everett has also become versant on all things pirate and steampunk.
Four months and 8 pages later, they stumbled upon the chance of a lifetime, Small Press Idol. SPI is an American Idol-like competition for aspiring artists and creators. Everett entered the competition with work that he and Brian had done so far. What occurred over the following year was beyond any of their expectations!
Sky Pirates of Valendor finished the competition in 2nd Place. Shortly after the end of the competition, Free Lunch Comics extended an offer to publish Sky Pirates of Valendor, in a five-issue miniseries followed by a trade paperback that debuted in January 2010. Now fans have the opportunity to share in the joy and excitement of Sky Pirates of Valendor. Everett travels throughout the country promoting Sky Pirates. The entire team is very proud of their accomplishments and look forward to the future of Sky Pirates and their careers in the comic book industry.
Besides his work on Sky Pirates, Everett is stretching his writing skills through a variety of pending projects, working with a collection of very talented artists. Everett is an active member of the Comicbook Artists Guild and lives in Rhode Island with his wife and dog.
http://skypiratesofvalendor.ecrater.com

Cathy Leamy is a Boston-based cartoonist and the creator of the autobio/humor minicomic *Geraniums and Bacon*. Her anthology work includes pieces in *I Saw You?* and *The Girls' Guide to Guys' Stuff*. She is a member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in their anthology *Inbound*. Read more at her website: www.metrokitty.com

Charles Schneeflock Snow is the creator of the webcomic *Sordid City Blues* (www.sordidcityblues.com). He is a member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in the anthologies *Inbound* and *Secrets and Lies*. He lives in Somerville, MA.

Registration updates for exhibitors

Registrations for exhibitor tables are arriving daily (we received three just today). Last year on this date we closed registrations due to a sell-out. This year we opened registrations a week later than last year plus we have added more tables. That being said, do not be surprised to see an announcement soon that registrations are being put on hold and a waiting list is starting.

We know that we will be adding more tables this year but will not know exactly how many until sometime in March (due to the floor plan of the additional space). Rather than over-sell the room we will stop selling tables once we hit a set number. At that point we will start the waiting list. Once we get a final count we will offer whatever remaining tables there may be to the waiting list.

Please e-mail us if you have any questions. Thanks!

Exhibitor biographies part 2

More bios:

Jon Chad attended college at the Savannah College of Art and Design and graduated from the Sequential Art program in May 2008. He has been producing handmade mini comics and zines since 2006. He has illustrated children's books published by Mascot Books. His comics Leo Geo Acquires Ancient Knowledge and Shortstack were both nominated for the Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration in 2008. He now lives in White River Junction where he works at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Jon teaches screen printing and book making and offers weekly production lab intensives. http://www.jonchad.com

Colleen Frakes is a graduate of inaugural class of the The Center for Cartoon Studies. She has created comics for Mirage Studios (creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Myspace Dark Horse Presents, and Indie Spinner Rack's Awesome 2: Awesomer anthology. In 2007 she was awarded a Xeric Grant for her graphic novel, Tragic Relief. Her second book, Woman King, won an Ignatz award for Promising New Talent in 2009, and her next book, Basket Ogress, should be out in April 2010. http://www.tragicrelief.blogspot.com

Katherine Roy has lived in many states and been to many countries, but currently lives in White River Junction, Vermont, where she makes lots of drawings for comics. She loves stories that explore the beautiful, the magical, and the relationship between characters big and small. http://caterpillarpublishing.com/

Laura Terry Despite the circulating rumors Laura Terry was not raised by wolves or gypsies. She was raised by cowboys. In 2004 Laura graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in painting. She currently lives amid skunks, maple trees, and cartoonists in Vermont while she earns her MFA at the Center for Cartoon Studies. In addition to producing the comic book One Thousand Lies she also works as an illustrator. www.bravesailor.com

Exhibitor biographies part 1

We are starting receive some of the exhibitor bios. We will be posting them as we get them. Once we have enough we will post them in order.

Raina Telgemeier’s graphic memoir, SMILE (Scholastic/Graphix), tells the tale of how she lost her two front permanent teeth in a trip-and-fall accident in middle school, and the subsequent years she spent getting her smile back. She is the adaptor and illustrator of the Baby-sitters Club graphic novel series (Scholastic/Graphix), which were selected by YALSA for their Great Graphic Novels for Teens list in 2007, as well as ALA’s Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth list. She is the co-author of X-Men: Misfits (Del Rey Manga), which debuted at #6 on the New York Times’ Graphic Books Bestseller list. Raina’s comics have been nominated for the Ignatz, Cybil, and Eisner Awards, and have appeared in publications by Random House, DC Comics, OWL Magazine, and Nickelodeon Magazine. A graduate of Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts, Raina currently resides in Astoria, NY.

Visit her online at www.goRaina.com.

Dave Roman draws the webcomic Astronaut Elementary (soon to be published by First Second books) and has written several graphic novels including Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery and Jax Epoch. He recently collaborated with his wife, Raina Telgemeier, on X-Men: Misfits, and co-wrote The Last Airbender manga prequel. Dave is a co-founder of Life Meter Comics and was an editor for Nickelodeon Magazine for 11 years. His website is www.yaytime.com

Shelli Paroline was born at a very young age with all of her fingers and toes. From this ordinary beginning, she has made it her mission to make art seem like practical heroics. Balancing creativity and efficiency among multiple artistic disciplines, Shelli focuses on design and narrative illustration, publishing her work both on the web and in print. She has been an integral member of the Boston Comics Roundtable, helping to design and edit their Inbound anthologies. Recently, she provided the art for the first issue of Boom! Kids' ongoing Muppet Show #0.

Braden D. Lamb quit a cushy job in IT to pursue a career in art. He created and illustrated the webcomic Kitty Hawk for over a year, and has contributed to the first four anthologies of the Boston Comics Roundtable, Inbound, including the Boston History issue. He has also appeared in fan comic anthologies Life Meter and Harvest is When I Need You the Most. He grew up in Seattle, graduated from Bard College in upstate New York, and now resides in Boston, where he studies illustration at the Art Institute of Boston. Also available in suede.

Jessica Shea lives in Massachusetts where she owns and operates "Jay Shay Art Studio & Gallery", which features her work and the work of other local artists. A graduate of Maine College of Art, she specializes in comics & illustration. Shea runs two webcomics, "2:15" and "Apt. C3", as well as multiple other comic projects, including "Ravenstar", her fantasy epic in progress. Other than comics, Shea also enjoys being able to pay her rent, collecting belt buckles, & slow motion. She draws goggles on everything.

Corbett Features is a cartoon and illustration syndicate supplying content for print and multi-media. Co-owners Barry Corbett and Brian Codagnone update the website daily, offering six different comic strips and a humor column.

Link:

http://www.corbettfeatures.com/

Barry is a freelance magazine cartoonist and self-published author of two trade paperbacks and 3 webcomics. His panel cartoons have appeared in national publications including Barron's, American Legion Magazine, Lacrosse Magazine, Discoveries, True West Magazine, Kid Zones, Medical Economics, Skipping Stones, The Valley News, The Chicago Loop News, Christianity Today, The Artist's Magazine & FiftySomething Magazine.

Barry released his first book in 2006. "Embrace the Pun!" is a collection of pun-based panel cartoons.

"Kitty Nirvana: The First Ginger & Shadow Collection" was released in 2008 and won a Silver Medal at the IPPY Awards, presented by Independent Publisher Magazine.

A graduate of the Vesper George School of Art in Boston, Barry teaches Cartooning at local colleges and Adobe InDesign at The New England Institute of Art and North Shore Community College.

Brian Codagnone is the author of the comic strips "Misfits", "S1019" and "In The Zone" and the humor column "Emotional Chaos", all of which can be seen at www.corbettfeatures.com. He is also the author of the books "The Hartford Whalers", "Hey, America! It's Misfits Time!" and co-author of "The Boston Garden" and "The Bruins in Black and White" volumes 1 and 2, all of which make great gifts for any occasion.

A well known bon vivant and man about town, he's a cartoonist, writer, sports historian, military historian, reenactor, washed up hockey player and all around swell guy. In addition to enjoying long walks on the beach and skinning hoboes, he is involved in Civil War reenacting as a member of the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.

Living by the motto "Works cheap and looks good in a suit", he strives to sell his cartoons to anyone, including member countries of the Axis of Evil, if the price is right.

He lives in Massachusetts with a large collection of rare albino peacocks and is rumored to be involved with Jennifer Aniston. Okay, I lied about the peacocks...

Bob Flynn (representing Heeby Jeeby Comix and ARGH!)

Bob Flynn was born in Buxton, Maine and raised on a steady diet of cartoons. He currently resides in Boston where he works as an animator and game designer for the children's media company, FableVision. Teaming up with cartoonists Chris Houghton, David Degrand, and Dan Moynihan, he recently launched Heeby Jeeby Comix—home to weird, bizarre, and nonsensical comics for all ages. His comics are also featured in ARGH! , an offbeat comic zine from Spain. Bob's illustrations have appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine, in addition to several SpongeBob comics.

Website: http://www.jinxthemonkey.com

Heeby Jeeby Comix: http://heebyjeebycomix.blogspot.com

Guest Announcement- BRIAN WOOD!

We are pleased to announce that Brian Wood will be a guest at MeCAF. Brian is the writer of the DC/ Vertigo series DMZ, Northlanders and the new Demo. Demo volume 2 arrived today (with art by last year's guest Becky Cloonan).

http://www.brianwood.com/