Creators

J.C. Vaughn

As a comic book writer, J.C. Vaughn has created or co-created Zombie-Proof (with Vincent Spencer), Antiques: The Comic Strip, The Flight, and Vampire, PA (with Brendon & Brian Fraim), Return of the Human (with Mark Wheatley), Bedtime Stories for Impressionable Children, McCandless & Company, and other properties.

He also has written or co-written Shi (with Billy Tucci), Mighty Samson (with Jim Shooter), Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales of the Here & Now, Blue Beetle in the DC Universe Holiday Special 2008, and Battlestar Galactica. In the process he has worked with 20th Century Fox, Crusade Fine Arts, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Disney, EC Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Universal Studios, among others.

He currently co-writes Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe for American Mythology Productions, for whom he has also written The Three Stooges. With fellow Stargate scribe Mark L. Haynes, he wrote three original graphic novels and a mini-based based on the Fox TV series 24, and they are presently developing another property with Roddenberry Entertainment.

Vaughn is best known as the Vice-President of Publishing for Gemstone Publishing, the home of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. In his 21 years with the company, his work has included Hake’s Price Guide To Character Toys, The Overstreet Guide To Grading Comics, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comics, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Movie Posters, The Overstreet Guide To Cosplay, Comic Book Marketplace, and other titles. He helped establish Geppi’s Entertainment Museum and has curated or co-curated a number of exhibits there

Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter did his first professional comics work at the age of thirteen, selling a Legion of Super-Heroes story to DC Comics and going on to write Superboy, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman and other titles. In 1978, he accepted the position of Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics under the condition that he would be allowed to improve things for Marvel’s creators. He introduced royalties and a spectrum of other incentives, rights and benefits, attracting a Who’s Who of talent. Later, he founded VALIANT, DEFIANT and Broadway Comics and was the principal creator of their characters and universes. Today, he’s the Editor-in-Chief of Illustrated Media, a custom comics company.

Mark Wheatley

Writer, artist, editor and publisher Mark Wheatley’s creations include Mars, Breathtaker, Black Hood, Prince Nightmare, Hammer of the Gods, Blood of the Innocent, Radical Dreamer, Frankenstein Mobster, Miles the Monster, The Mighty Motor-Sapiens, EZ Street, Lone Justice Titanic Tales, and Return of the Human. Among the characters he’s worked on are Tarzan the Warrior, The Black Hood, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Jonny Quest, Dr. Strange, The Flash, Argus and The Spider. He has won the Inkpot, Mucker, Gem, Speakeasy and Eisner awards and his projects have been nominated for the Harvey and Ignatz awards. His work has been repeatedly included in the annual Spectrum selection of fantastic art and has appeared in private gallery shows as well as the Library of Congress where several of his originals are in the LoC permanent collection. The founder of Insight Studios Group, his work has also been displayed at the Normal Rockwell Museum, The Toledo Museum of Art, and The Huntington Museum Of Art in Huntington, WV.

Joe James

Joe James has 20+ years’ experience in the entertainment industry creating concepts and storyboards for some of the world’s top directors. He loves helping ideas grow tall and strong. A comic book veteran of DC Comics, Milestone, DEFIANT, and Broadway Comics before his concept development work, Joe is a  lifelong bass player, guitar player and singer. He performed with the New York City youth chorus from the age of 9 to the age of 21 (and he attended Saturday-rehearsals for all those years). Whether it’s illustration, music or family—Joe puts his love, dedication and unwavering commitment into whatever he touches.

Marshall Dillon

A comic book industry veteran, letterer Marshall Dillon got his start in 1994, in the middle of the the indy boom. Over the years he's been everything from an independent self-published writer to an associate publisher working on properties like G.I. Joe, Voltron, and Street Fighter. He’s done just about everything except draw a comic book, and worked for just about publisher except the "big two." Primarily a father and letterer these days, he also dabbles in old-school paper & dice RPG game design.

James Nelms

James Nelms was born at Fort Bliss Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas and grew up in the small town of Grapevine in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. An artist since childhood, he worked as an illustrator on both his college newspapers and received a BFA in art from the University of Texas in Arlington. Upon graduation he began working for the Dallas Morning News. After a move to Los Angeles, he worked as a freelance artist and designer on toy packaging for Mattel, various Nintendo and PC video games, movie and TV promotion, and storyboards for commercials. Now back in the Lone Star state, he continues to work as a freelance artist and also serves as an adjunct graphic design instructor at Richland College. James also spends time as a motorman for the vintage McKinney Avenue streetcar line in Dallas and is an award-winning photographer, capturing the unique sights of North Texas and the great Southwest. Bedtime Stories For Impressionable Children is his first stint as writer-artist in comics.