Josh Knaub is an illustrator/cartoonist from Pennsylvania. Josh has created his own cartoon style and has recreated over 70 pop culture characters to date. Available from the Art of Knob table will be prints, coloring books and original artwork.
Brian Ingermann is an illustrator and storyboard artist with quick pencils and bold inks from New Castle, Indiana. He is a past United States Air Force Cartoonist of the Year and has received formal art training from The Art Institutes of Indianapolis, The John Herron Institute of Art and Sinclair College.
He is the Creator, Illustrator and writer for five original stories for his Indiana Based Company Solar Eclipse Entertainment. These stories include: Night of the Zombie Invasion (about Voodoo Enslaved Zombies,) Madson Crow Vampire Killer, The Underworld of Carmine Giovanni, Good Evening Mr. Night and his superhero saga The Midnight Inferno.
Emily Lapisardi is an actress, director, and musician also known for her one-woman shows in which she portrays historical figures such as Rose Greenhow, Sarah Bernhardt, and Jenny Lind. After a brief ballet career in the US and Ukraine, she studied opera in college (where she was a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship) and at several international training programs, including the Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers of Opera. She is also an accomplished organist and pianist. Lapisardi grew up in the theatre; her father was a dramaturg for several seasons of the Yeats Festival at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland and her mother was an acting teacher.
Amilea Harder is a young artist from Wheeling, WV. She has been putting pen (and pencil and crayon and marker and colored pencil) to paper since she was three years old; the many stacks of sketchbooks in her room continue to proliferate. She specializes in character design, both original and “fan-made,” with the goal of making a career as a character artist in the future. She is excited about displaying her work at WVPopCon, and looks forward to seeing the styles, techniques, and creativity the many artists there have to offer!
Cody Knotts is a director, producer, writer, and actor. A native of Taylorstown, Pennsylvania, Knotts previously served as the editor of the "Weekly Recorder," a newspaper covering Pennsylvania and national politics which helped free two individuals who had been wrongly accused of murder. He was also a two-time candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. As a young man, Knotts was chosen by the Boy Scouts of America as the first recipient of the Handicapped Awareness Merit badge because of his devotion to disabled students and his Eagle Scout project helped inspire the national Scouting for Food program.
Andrew Carter is a local writer and creator, best known for his webcomic Habitat Against Humanity. HAH follows the adventures of a group of Morgantown residents trying to transition into real life while saving the world on a semi-regular basis. You can check it out at HAH.Stripgenerator.com, and while you’re it feel free to bug him on twitter (@terwallace).
Destroying comic books in the name of upcycled coasters, plaques, keychains and more! All items handmade using real comic book pages and covers. I'm helping make your collection more valuable and making your house look better!
Purveyor of geeky candles, lip balm, fragrances, and other necessities! Check out my Etsy shop at BubbleAndGeek.etsy.com!.
Candle, Roll-on Fragrance Oils, Lip Balms, Lip Tints, Foaming Hand Soap, Moisturizing Body Spray, Lip Scrubs, and Scented Wax Tart Melts
Melissa Francis is a self taught artist that specializes in chibi illustrations of both her original art and fan art. She is the owner and creator behind Mimosa Studio, and has been traveling to conventions throughout the states since 2011. She enjoys sharing her love of cute with her art style on a variety of items, from prints to stickers to bags. Find her on social media at www.facebook.com/mimosastudio and www.instagram.com/mimosastudio
West Virginia based, C.O. Creations is a small graphic design company that was started up by Corbin Owens. Since its startup C.O. Creations has branched out into many other forms of art thanks to the amazingly talented Andy "Sketch" Slack & Anthony "Nightclaw" Dickens..
Writer - Creator - Publisher - Producer
For decades Landon has been writing. With a background in entertainment he's written for bands, screenplays, short stories, stand-up and sketch comedy. His passion for comics and multimedia art is something that he's secretly worked on....till now. With studies in art and creative writing he hopes to leave his mark on this world. This along with his previous business experience he hopes to be a fixture in the world of comics.
From an early age Landon has been fascinated with old westerns. Watching cowboy movies and television shows with his dad only fueled the fire. Upon a visit to see family in Arizona and going to Old Tucson Studios, well that cemented his love for the west. Reading and researching the legends of a gone but not forgotten time has inspired him to take his creativity down the long dusty trail to restore the western genre to it's glory of days gone by.
With a background in animation and a love for comic books, Dan Mendoza set out to make his own Title using the elements that influenced him most. Grind house movies, Russ Meyer Films, Tokyo Shock cinema, horror, and anime. These 5 ingredients combined together made ZOMBIE TRAMP. With the 1st 7 books done completely on his own, and guidance from comic editor and friend Jason Martin, the book was eventually picked up by ACTION LAB comics for their Mature readers line DANGER ZONE. The company stayed alert to Dan's "cult" following and offered to put together a creative team to tackle making ZOMBIE TRAMP a regular ongoing series. Dan is now the writer and creative consultant to the series as well as Cover and interior artist from time to time and promises to keep the book going in the direction that his fans have come to love..
A place were you can find all the goods to fulfill your, geeky, pop culture and anime needs! From Alpacas to Zelda!
Eclipse Pop was officially founded Jan 1st 2016 by Nicole, Jeremiah and Dezi. This team, made up of by two admittedly odd individuals and a cat, loves all things pop culture, gaming, travel and rollercoasters!
https://www.eclipsepop.com/
Josh Floquet is tattoo artist, shop manager, and freelance artist from New Jersey currently living in Clarksburg, WV. Josh will be performing tattoos on site at WVPop as well as scheduling future sessions. Josh currently works at Pike Street Studios in Clarksburg, WV.
Medi's Magic Art features the digital artwork of 17 year old Sarah Welsh. Her artwork features samples of real textures and watercolors that are layered and added into her line drawings. Sarah has very eclectic tastes and interests in movies, games, etc., and they are reflected in her obscure choices of character fan art. She offers 11x17 and 4x6 prints of her work, along with on-site and private commission pieces.
Morgantown High School Art Department is ecstatic to partner with the 6th Annual West Virginia Popular Culture Convention & Comic Paradise Plus. Last year was the fifth year of the event that attracted over 2,500 popular culture enthusiasts over the weekend. The conference features many West Virginia and national artists, writers, producers, game designers, and film makers who have found their way into the comic book and entertainment industry. This event offers an outstanding opportunity for local young artists to explore possible future career opportunities.
J.R. Mounts is an indie comics creator/writer/artist in Atlanta, Georgia for Scairy Tales Noir (spell scary with an "i" for the “not-so-scary-fairy-tales” to make clear these are humorous comics, not horror).
J.R. self- publishes the veggie crime parody, Fried Pickle Noir graphic novel series (think Sin City meets Veggie Tales) starring fried pickle detective, Q Cumbersome. He also has the all-ages comic strip Scairy Tales: the not so scary fairy tales (think Calvin & Hobbes meets Nightmare Before Christmas) about misfit kids who discover a monster town.
We are Corey & Victoria Conrad, a husband & wife team that has been creating since 2009! Many projects since then including two printed comic series, an internet radio show, a clothing line, a video game, some music production and a bunch of art and handcrafted items! Read all about our adventures and projects at www.mytronstudios.com
Chad Cicconi is a comic book and sketch card artist living and working in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since his debut in 2008, he has worked as a penciler, inker, and sometimes colorist and letter for various independent comic projects, including “Baby Boomers” from Orang Utan Comics and AAM Markosia, “Mercury & the Murd” from PKD media, “FRACTURE,” “GlobWorld,” and most recently the "NFL Rush Zone" from Action Lab Entertainment.
David Newbold is a comic book inker. Newbold's first work was in 2004, where he inked an issue of Marvel Comics series Marvel Age Fantastic Four. Newbold later became publicly known for his brief tenure on the Marvel Comics' award-winning series, Runaways along with writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona. Newbold also inked the Weapon X series. Newbold was born in Leesburg, Virginia in 1976, and was raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, graduating from Morgantown High School in 1994. He attended West Virginia University, and then enrolled in Joe Kubert's Art School in Dover, New Jersey, graduating in 1999. He currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife Tugba (née Ergat), daughter Defne and son Daren.
Blake Renworth is an editor by day and a writer by night. After years in the publishing business, writing and editing for much bigger fish than herself, she decided it was time to focus on her own writing … and then she remembered she needed to pay her bills. So now she still writes and edits for others for a living, but she sneaks in a little writing for herself when she can.
Blake lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two dogs, who are named after Harry Potter characters (the dogs—not her husband and daughter). Her debut novel, The Exiled Seven, was published in May of 2016, and she is currently working on several projects, all related to the Exiled Series.
Bill McKay is a comic artist/writer best know for his work on Zombie Tramp, Vampblade, Zombies vs Cheerleaders and Night of the ’80s Undead. He currently lives in Maryland and is working on the upcoming Night of the 80s Undead: Hardcore, the sequel to 2013’s horror/romance/comedy smash hit.
Jason Lenox is an Illustrator who specializes in Penciling, India ink Rendering and Sequential Artwork.
His current project is the Sci-Fi Fantasy adventure graphic novel “Lords of the Cosmos”
Jason also creates prints, posters and does freelance artwork. He has contributed material to Dark Horse Comic’s King Conan as well as several independent comics: En Tenebres, FUBAR: By the Sword, and Wyrlwynd’s Kantara. Jason's artwork is also featured in the role playing game modules : Classic D&D: The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen, TPK Games: The Bleeding Hollow and Arion Games: Beyond the Pit 2.
Aaron "Doc" Springer graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2008, and after various jobs, Decided to pursue his passion of doing Art for a living. Mash-ups/Cross-overs, Wrestling, Video Games and Other Pop Culture characters are the subject matter of his prints and artwork.
Sheena is a college graduate with a degree in fashion design, and is also a cosplayer. Captain Fish is a hands-on fabricator that used to design armor and props for Dagorhir events. We create hand-made cosplay items as well as Halloween costumes.
Tortoise & Hare Creations features the artwork of Indi Martin and writing of Will Billman. Praised for her contributions to the independent roleplaying scene, Indi is also known for her photorealistic portraits and beautiful watercolors. William is the creative force behind GoCache, the Geocaching themed card game, and also the writer of Shroud of the Avatar: New Beginnings, the official comic of Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, illustrated by Indi herself.
Implexity Designs is a one-woman geek fabric/cosplay/clothing business powered by Debi Lewis, a creative conquer-from-home Appalachian ninja mom. See samples of available designs & place custom orders at the booth or online.
http://www.implexity.com/
Bret Dusic is Mr. Cat of the Cat In Black Art. This Cheshire Saucerian is inspired by Steampunk and fantasy. His masterful craftworks reflect the life of an Appalachian Neo-Victorian Man In Black. With over 30 years of experience, The Cat In Black Art offers a variety of unique creations, from Japanese-style cat prints, to his steampunk-style critter sculptures, one of a kind accessories, and the treasure seeker’s signature jewelry collection. Mr. Cat is also a proud sponsor of Vandalia-Con.
Angi D*signs is the (not so) super secret craft alias of WV native, Angela Henderson. All designs and crafts are made by her, by hand. These crafty wonders include jewelry and housewares made from upcycled and salvaged materials. See the pictures below for a few current products or visit her Facebook page for more information www.facebook.com/angidsigns
Bryan Seaton is the writer of new ongoing series Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir comic. Bryan is also the co-creator, co-writer, and editor of Dollface and Danger Doll Squad. He’s served as a Production Manager, Editor, Designer and Publisher for Action Lab Entertainment.
He currently works as the CEO and Publisher of Action Lab Entertainment making the best comics on the market.
My name is Amber Kantes, and I am the owner of the etsy shop Burrito Princess (burritoprincess.etsy.com). I specialize in pixel art created by Perler Beads, in which I can bring the graphics from your favorite retro video game come to life, or give your favorite modern characters a retro twist. I can make anything from keychains, earrings, and magnets to custom couples picture frames and wedding cake toppers.
Jeffrey Scott is Head Writer for Theblood-shed.com, and will be selling a number of items he has helped produce or write with the Website, including the record breaking comic We Kill the Dead, cult classic gore film The Carnage Collection, novel Horror is Art from the World famous Film Phreak, and the groundbreaking graphic novel Tales From the Whorehouse of Whore.
The Pink Turtle Lady is run by Megan Hatfield. She specializes in handmade perler bead sprites, magnets and buttons. The perler bead sprites are all handmade from plastic fuse beads that are arranged to make a cool pattern or design. The beads are then ironed so that they will melt together to hold the pattern in the 8-bit style design.
Shawn is a horror writer from the outskirts of Pittsburgh. With his wife & artist Stephanie, they have been self publishing comics under the banner of Angry Gnome Comics for just shy of 10 years, including the anthology "Short Stack" which has published art by more than 85 artists from around the world.
Shawn is also a founding member and editor in chief of Action Lab Entertainment, where he has written the superhero comic "Fracture", the horror one-shot "Snowed In", and is currently writing the Puppet Master comic, based on the cult horror film franchise.
http://angrygnomecomics.com & http://actionlabcomics.com
J.Travis Smith was born some where in VA. His early dreams,and aspirations were to become an astronaut/cowboy. He worked incredibly hard to achieve this goal…most of his early life…when alas…his young heart was crushed when he discovered the concepts of gravity and oxygen. Always a precocious youngster he quickly decided to pursue more illustrious goals such as zombie wrangling,and folk thrash metal,but again only to find his heart broken by hitting a brick wall.
But it was then that he picked up something odd he found at a supermarket called a “comic book”. This weird,strange thing intrigued him. He read,and read all he could find until one day he thought the only thing better than reading comics is drawing them.He picked up a pencil…put it to paper,and hasn’t stopped yet.
Kelsey Musgrave is the owner and operator of Multi-purpose Design. She graduated with a degree in Graphics Technology, but is also a classically trained artist. Kelsey has experience in the creation of various logo’s and web sites and have completed various commissions. Her preferred medium is pencil and ink and most of the items she offering include prints, bookmarks and buttons which feature this style as well as works of art in other mediums, crocheted hats and various crafts. Although formally trained, she has a passion for creating things from popular culture, animation, and other various mediums.
Scott Hedlund is an illustrator and comic book creator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Scott has contributed pencils, inks, colors, covers, and letters to comic book projects including: IN NO WAY MEMORABLE, WEIRDLINGS, FAIRHAVEN, CHAOS PUNKS, SUPER HATERS, WZWA, PACK OF LIES, WORLD OF ORENDA
Scott is also the co-host of the Comic Book Pitt Podcast, Pittsburgh’s premiere comic book review podcast. Stop by Scott’s artist alley table for original comics, commissions, prints, and comic talk! ( or visit about.me/scotthedlund )
West Liberty University is located 12 miles north of Wheeling, WV and offers four-year Bachelor's degrees in Digital Media Design, Graphic Design, and Graphic Narrative. Digital Media Design is a multi-disciplinary degree combining aspects of art, communications, business, digital audio, and digital media. The Graphic Design degree prepares students for employment in the rapidly changing design field by nourishing their abilities and creativity to become visual explorers.
Paul is currently working as a freelance traditional artist, mainly doing pencil portraits. His upcoming projects include two comic books "Spooky Abigal" and "The Rise of Redmoon". Paul's work has also been featured as an affiliated artist by Artisan Direct, LTD, in "The Artist Showcase" Magazine. You can see his work online at http://paulmichaels.deviantart.com or www.facebook.com/ArtOfPaulRMichaels
Pike Street Studios is the area's best tattoo and piercing shop. Stop by 616 W Pike St Clarksburg, West Virginia or call (304) 326-8282 to make an appointment.
After an unillustrious print journalism career in southwestern Pennsylvania, Rich moved to West Virginia at the age of 32 to pursue a career in technical writing. He spends his free time visiting and hiking at the many state parks in the Mountain State, which is also where he develops the concepts for his novels. Rich is the author of a trilogy of WV-themed “humorrorotica” whose novels include Lumberjacked, Hellhole West Virginia, and The Manacled.
Fairmont resident, Larry Morgan is the writer of Electro-Magnetic Press’ two flagship titles The OMENS and the BELIEVER. In addition to writing, Larry also provides the interior art and covers for the BELIEVER. With his partner in Electromagnetic Press, Shane Moore, he co-wrights and co-Illustrates the Fairmont 5, a comic book about West Virginia’s own team of hometown Super Heroes.
Diabolical Whimsy - Art by Kendra Matott, who is a mixed media artist who transplanted to Morgantown, WV from Northern New York. In her unique style, she combines photography with hand made paintings and drawings to create images of fantastical characters. Kendra is inspired by many creators in the fantasy genre, including J. Corsentino, Joss Whedon, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. In 2014, she self-published an art book entitled The Ringleader which features her Circus series. Kendra also offers customized fantasy portraits--visit her website for more information at www.diabolicalwhimsy.com
Brandon is a young artist from North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania and is currently earning his Bachelors degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Brandon works mostly in the traditional mediums of pencil, charcoal and ink. He creates images of characters from popular superhero films, horror films and comic books. With this being his second year hitting the Con circuit, Brandon has already done several cons this year. You can find his work at his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bmac78art and his Deviantart page http://bmac78.deviantart.com/
Abi Kroll is from Bethel Park, PA. Like most artists, Abi has been creating art since an early age. She was fortunate to be able to study under Dorian Ceavenger in his Fantasy Art class at Douglas Education Center. With Dorian’s encouragement, Abi created a graphic novel based on one of her paintings. With her mom as her business partner and story teller, Abi has created a unique series based upon 6 female angel skulls. Abi has also enjoys doing digital art and many of her drawings will be available at her booth.
Tape into you Muse.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Musetap.devianart.com - Twitter.com/Musetap - Facebook.com/MuseTapStudios - Musetap.etsy.com
Mommy, where does really awesome art come from?
Well you see honey, a few years ago, by that strange and completely unlikely twist of fate we will call "the internet", a directionless college student from San Diego and a handsome photographer from Metropolis got together and started drawing like mad. Thus, Musetap was born. They are made of the nerd Wil and his even nerdier girlfriend Tyrine pouring their obsession with art and pop culture onto paper every chance they get.
We at RetroGeek Boutique (www.retrogeekboutique.com) create custom clothing with the Chic Geek in mind. We specialize in Retro style clothing for families that incorporate a comic book or movie theme. Our other focuses are Steampunk/Victorian and other various cosplay. Our mission is to create the perfect clothing for each of our customers by fitting it to their specific measurements. Come look at our premade items, look at our portfolio, and/or order something completely custom.
Christopher Maverick is an artist, author and photographer living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the writer (and colorist) for Cosmic Hellcat Adventures as well as the writer and artist on the various spin-off projects, Rodentech, Starfox Fire, TEDD:IJAµ and Rodentech. His comics are an eclectic mixture of satire, manga, science-fiction and super heroics, combined in with anthropomorphic animals and glamour photography of cosplay models portraying the characters from the books (Mav is also the official Cosmic Hellcats photographer).
