Art is a super-cartoonist machine from the heart of Chicago! Artie is a creative force behind The Eisner Award winning ITTY BITTY HELLBOY and The NYT Best Selling, Eisner Award, Harvey Award Winning DC Comics' TINY TITANS, and Artist of The DC SUPER-PETS children’s book series! Artie also Co-Wrote DC’s Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM, Young Justice, Green Lantern Animated (comic) and is the Artist/Co-Writer for the epics SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES and the new SUPER POWERS! Series from DC comics. Recently, he became co-Founder of the AW YEAH COMICS comic shop and co-Creator of the AW YEAH COMICS comic book series starring ACTION CAT and ADVENTURE BUG!

Franco is the co-creator of AW YEAH COMICS! Publishing and retail stores. Franco created the DINO-MIKE book series and has worked for various Comic properties including the critically acclaimed SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES, YOUNG JUSTICE, BILLY BATSON and the MAGIC of SHAZAM, and the New York Times bestseller, multi-Eisner award and Harvey award winning series TINY TITANS! (DC Comics) GRIMISS ISLAND and Eisner Award winning ITTY BITTY HELLBOY (Dark Horse Comics), Little ARCHIE (Archie Comics) and FLASH GORDON ADVENTURES (Papercutz), the original graphic novels THE GHOST, THE OWL (Ringo Award Nominated) and FAE AND THE MOON (Little Bee) Franco was also a High School Art teacher for 24 years and has shown work in galleries. Twitter/Instagram/Blusky: @awyeahfranco blindwolfstudios.com

Adam Wallenta is a veteran author, illustrator, editor, publisher and educator with over 30 years of experience in comics, having worked with major publishers like Marvel, DC, and Skyhorse, as well as founding his own company, American Mule Entertainment. He co-created the official Public Enemy comic series with Chuck D and, alongside his wife Dr. Kanani K. M. Lee, developed the Adventures of Geo series to promote Earth sciences in schools worldwide. Adam is currently a senior editor at Papercutz/Mad Cave Studios and oversees a variety of graphic novels, including The Smurfs, Flash Gordon Adventures, Herobear and the Kid, Three Thieves and the Secret S.T.E.A.M. Society, among many others. His award-winning Punk Taco graphic novel series, created with his young son, Makana, has earned multiple honors, including the 2019 Ringo Award for Best Kids Comic. When he isn’t making comics or mentoring young artists, Adam can be found spending time with his family, building Lego, watching old movies, or doing his best to play sports with his kids, who are way more coordinated and athletic than he is.

Bill Walko is a comic book artist and illustrator based in Portland, Maine. His work has been published by DC Comics, Archie Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamite Comics (“Vampiverse”), Image Comics (“Stray Dogs”), The New York Times (“My Moments with Stan”, “How a Comics Reporter Uncovers Marvels”), and a number of independent publishers. His critically-acclaimed web comic series, The Hero Business, was published by New Friday Comics, the creator-owned division of Lev Gleason Publishing. Bill recently collaborated as artist with legendary storyteller Brian Michael Bendis on “Fortune & Glory: The Musical,” a new autobiographical graphic novel tackling Bendis’ time writing the ill-fated Broadway show, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” The graphic novel was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2025. And he’s already planning his next artistic adventure!

Born in Caen, France, in 1972, Frédéric Thébault (Tebo) was discovered in 1997, thanks to the only comics competition he ever took part in. Jean-Claude Camano, former editorial director at Glénat, was seeking young talents to start a new magazine called TCHÔ!, and Tebo was just what he was looking for. Tebo began with Samson et Néon (Glénat, 1999), followed by Captain Biceps, along with author Zep. In 2011, Lewis Trondheim and his group from L’Atelier Mastodonte (Alfred, Bianco, Julien Neel, Pedrosa, and Yoann) invited Tebo to join them and they published their first volume in 2013 (Dupuis). His most recent work is the rollicking adventure series Raowl (Dupuis; Europe Comics in English), which turns classic fairy tales on their head.

Mike Kunkel wanted to be a cartoonist ever since he was a little kid. And with over 30-years experience, he has continued to do what he dreamed of . . . create and tell cartoon stories for audiences. As a four-time Eisner and Ignatz Award nominee, Mike is best known for his two-time Eisner-winning series Herobear and the Kid. He also helped relaunch DC’s SHAZAM as an all-ages comic series. As a Story Artist, Character Designer, Animator and Director, Mike has contributed to animated TV shows, films, games, and branding, winning the ANNIE AWARD for Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production. His work spans major studios such as Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Sony, DreamWorks, Sesame Workshop, and Disney. Mike lives in Southern California, where he enjoys learning magic tricks, creating cartoons, and playing games with his family. He’s never been early for a deadline.

Scott Chantler is the creator of the critically-acclaimed graphic novels Squire & Knight, Bix, and Two Generals, which was nominated for two Eisner Awards, selected for Best American Comics 2012, and voted by CBC's Canada Reads as one of the 40 best Canadian non-fiction books of all time. His other work includes Northwest Passage (nominated for Eisner and Harvey Awards) and the Three Thieves series (winner of the Joe Shuster Award for Best Comic for Kids and listed by YALSA as a Great Graphic Novel for Teens). In 2015, he served as Cartoonist-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, the first cartoonist to be appointed so by a Canadian university. He lives and works in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.