Guests

Unicorn Table

The J-music pop-rock band that brought you the hit songs “Fly Away” From “Jinki:Extend” and “Amai Yume” from “School Rumble” is headed to Katsucon 16 with a new album and their biggest U.S. performance yet!

Read more about Unicorn Table as a Katsucon 16 Guest here!

Temp Sound Solutions

Temp Sound Solutions is an original 8bit/video game cover band that was formed in 1997. 2001 saw TSS’ first foray into video game cover music, and the beginning of the ‘Now Youre Playing With Powar’ series of game music albums. Continuing on their path of VGM domination, TSS performs at Katsucon for the first time ever bringing you new music from their newly released ‘Now Youre Playing With Powar 9: Welcome To The Next Leval’ album, classic videogame favorites, and maybe a surprise or two! Temp Sound Solutions is Shawn Phase on percussion, Spookmeister C on bass, Housethegrate on lead guitar 1, and Kirby Pufocia (also of Metroid Metal) on lead guitar 2.

Website: http://good-evil.net/TSS/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tempsoundsolutions
Youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jRCWdUiJQw

Yunmao Ayakawa

She is a Cospalyer, Idol, Artist, Actress, Race Queen, Reporter, Columnist, and an Official Nihon Maid Association Ambassador, instructor, and representative… by now you’re asking yourself: “What can’t this ball of fire do?” We have yet to discover it.

Read more about Yunmao Ayakawa as a Katsucon 16 Guest here!

Charlene Ingram AKA TRISTEN CITRINE

After first learning to operate a sewing machine when she was in the fourth grade, Charlene Ingram (or known in the cosplay circuit, Tristen Citrine) turned her artistic attention to cosplay in 1998. Soon, she found her place in this creative and groundbreaking hobby, going on to make well over a hundred costumes for herself and friends. She has won many major awards for her works including “Best in Show” at both San Diego Comic-Con International and World-Con.

Charlene has used her talents to work professionally as a seamstress in Las Vegas. Her works have been featured at such world famous resorts as the Aladdin, the Venetian and Tropicana as well as on the Travel Channel.  She is a co-owner and founder of CosWorx, North America’s number one cosplay wig store.

On top of being a cosplayer and business owner Charlene is currently a Brand Manager for FUNimation Entertainment in charge of such hot shows as Dragonaut, Eden of the East, FLCL, and Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~.  Charlene also is one of the newer members of the FUNimation blog, taking part in multiple convention videos and her new cosplay focused ‘ABC: Always Be Cosplaying’ post series.

Jo Chen

Eisner Award nominated, video game and comic book artist, Jo Chen, has been working professionally since high school.

Jo has produced comic book interiors and covers for most the Industry biggest publishers: Capcom, Marvel, D.C., Dark Horse, Top Cow and TokyoPop, and is best known for her beautifully painted covers for both Dark Horse’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Season 8″ series and Marvel’s “Runaways”.

She has also recently created the cover illustrations for Nick Simmons’ (son of Gene Simmons of KISS) “Incarnate” series and Dark Horse’s “Star Wars: Invasion” series.

Currently, she is working on concept art for XBOX’s “FABLE III” game.

Newton Ewell

I entered this world in October 1962, in St. Louis, MO. From that point, I was a creator in search of the right knowledge and technology to bring my dreams to life. I knew it could be done; the question was HOW to do it.

I’ve always wanted to be a starship engineer. From childhood, I have been obsessed with SF hardware. My love affair with mecha began at age 3, all thanks to a man named Gerry Anderson. His shows Fireball XL-5 and Stingray cemented my obsession with all things mechanical. As I grew older, that love was only deepened by Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space: 1999. Meanwhile, I was also getting a taste of the Japanese side of things with shows like Prince Planet, Astroboy, and Speed Racer. Additionally, I became a tokusatsu fan through the likes of Ultraman, Jonny Sokko and his Flying Robot (Giant Robo), and The Space Giants (Magma Taishi).

This exposure to visual hard science fiction had a profound and damaging effect – a burning desire to make this kind of stuff and get paid to do it. I was determined to learn how this stuff was done, and I would teach myself if necessary. Well, that’s just what I wound up doing. Oh, as a side effect I co-founded JASFA to satisfy my lust for mecha anime…^_^

The result has been a career as an illustrator, conceptual and production designer, and mechanical design contributor to a number of RPGs. Later, this experience helped me through the transition to videogames, on through to my return to RPG publications. I do both traditional and digital artwork, from pencils to 3D animation. Right now, I just finished my latest contribution to White Wolf’s Exalted game. I look forward to working with White Wolf on many future projects, in both the fantasy and SF genres.

In the meantime, I’m also doing numerous commissioned projects, and have returned to illustrating RPGs. I’ve watched my field go from a dream for the future to full, present-day reality. I’m excited to see where my work leads me, and what opportunities lay ahead. Now more than ever, it’s a time to create, to be seen and heard, to follow and build on your passions. We live in a time where whole worlds can be created in your home computer. Master this magic, and make your dreams come true!

Dave Lister

Some say that Dave Lister is made of Legos. This is false. Composed mostly of coffee, Dave has learned to work without unnecessary things like sleep. This made him a perfect fit for the world of freelance illustration and manga. Striving to create a traditional, yet unique style of manga, Dave has contributed to books, magazines, businesses, and even radio stations. A veteran of webcomics, Dave is currently producing Paradox Lost, an online manga filled with space pirates, ninja hordes, crazy alien girls, and more caffeine than the FDA recommends in a lifetime. You can find Dave’s comics and art at www.paradox-lost.com. Dave likes rice.

Super Art Fight

Like a giant cartoon dust cloud made up of wacky antics and marker strokes, Super Art Fight was birthed back at Katsucon 14 during the Iron Artist competition.  Primarily the brainchild of artists Nick “Ghostfreehood” Borkowicz and Jami “Angry Zen Master” Noguchi, Super Art Fight is equal parts Iron Chef style competition and pro-wrestling bravado mixed with quick, graffiti-esq art.  Having performed at live events up and down the East Coast over these past two years, the self-described “Greatest Live Art Competition In The Known Universe” intends to invade this years Iron Artist competition and rock faces clean off their audience’s heads.  You may want to have your health insurance up to date before checking them out. They’re that good.  For more info on these combative creators, visit www.SuperArtFight.com!

Christopher Ayres

Christopher Ayres has been working professionally in theatre, television and film since the age of 6. His work has been seen Regionally, Nationally and on Broadway.  He currently  works as a voice actor for ADV FILMS and FUNimation ENTERTAINMENT Chris is also an  A.D. R. Director for ADV FILMS and AMUSEMENT PARK MEDIA . His first project at studio was the hit anime musical comedy THE NERIMA DAIKON BROTHERS. In addition to that he is also the director for XENOSAGA: The Animation, and MAGIKANO. Most recently he served as director at Amusement Park Media for MERMAID MELODY PITCHI PITCHI PITCH, and as co-director with Matt Greefield on THE WALLFLOWER. Some of the roles  as a voice actor Chris is best known for are Kei Kourono in Gantz, Suitengu in Speed Grapher,  Von Kampher in Trinity Blood, Hayashimizu in Full Metal Panic? Fummofu, Nakamaru in Maburaho, Yaminami in Peacemaker,  DJ Plugman in Air Gear , Johnny in One Piece, Sid in Devil May Cry,  Yusuf Ali Mesa  in Yugo the Negotiator, Koji in Godanner, Murato in Hakugei – Legend of the Moby Dick, Sawadust in A Tree of Palme, Dr. Pluto in BASToF Syndrome, Akimoto in Sakura Diaries,, Kenji Kurata in Diamond Daydreams, Oshodani in Pappuwa, Jimpachi Arishiama in Nanka 6/17, and Woogy in Michel.  His voice can also be heard in Elfin Lied, Claymore, Tokyo Majin, Oran High School Host Club, Cannon, Gravion Zwie, Utwararerumono,   Coyote Ragtime Show and Desert Punk to name a few. Chris can also be heard a Wagram in the new Square Enix Game THE LAST REMNANT.    Chris is also one of the Anime industry voice actors who sings on Voices for Peace. He is very proud to be a part of the “Voices For…” oganization.   Chris also works as a professional fight director and has enjoyed bringing his workshop “Mock Combat for Cosplay” to many conventions.

You can learn more about Chris by visiting his website www.christopherayres-va.com.

Greg Ayres

Greg Ayres can be heard rockin’ his way through conventions and animated series alike. He can be heard as the loud-mouthed Hideki in Nerima Daikon Brothers, Koyuki, singing with the the band in Beck:Mongolian Chop Squad, or just Greg himself banging on the decks at a con dance near you. He is also thrilled to be able to add the role of Kaoru Hitachiin in Ouran High School Host club, and Abe in Big Windup to his list of new favorite roles. Other recent works include JR. in Xenosaga , Roan in Ragnorok The Animation, Yamazaki in Welcome to the NHK , Nowy, in Glass Fleet, and Yukinojoh Tohyama in The Wallflower.

The once “Fanboy” turned VA started working in anime a little over six years ago, and within the first two years managed to snag two of his favorite roles in all of anime. He was thrilled to voice the role of his favorite character Son Goku in Saiyuki. Then just one year later voiced Kaworu Nagisa in the Director’s Cut of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Other roles include Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Negi Springfield in Negima, Heihachi in Samurai 7, Jr. in Xenosaga:The Animation, Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel, Pope Alessandro XVIII in Trinity Blood, Tsuyoshi in Kodocha, Leo in Ghost Stories , Tsujido in Speed Grapher, and Gau Ban in Shadow Skill.He can also be heard in other anime titles such as Super Gals, Spiral, Macross, Mythical Detective Loki, Burst Angel , Gravion, Godanner, Pretear, Full Metal Panic, E’s Otherwise and a whole lot more.

When he’s not in a booth with headphones on, you can usually find him sporting headphones of another variety behind “the decks”. A veteran nightclub DJ of many years, Greg has really enjoyed the opportunity of doing something else that he truly loves. From packed rooms at anime conventions, to the legendary stage of *The Knitting Factory (NYC)*, Greg never misses an opportunity to share his love of music with anyone who will listen.

Darrel Guilbeau

Darrel Guilbeau is a Los Angeles based actor who began voice acting in 2004. He has voiced the lead roles of Gainer Sanga in Overman King Gainer and Ichitaka Seto in I”s and I”s Pure. Other popular roles include Souske Kawara in Samurai champloo, Osamu in Paranoia Agent, Satoshi Hojo in When they Cry, Hikari in The Melody of Oblivion, Kouji in Buso Renkin, Tandor in Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit, Shinya Yanagasawa in The Prince of Tennis, and as Sejuro in the upcoming release of Zoids Genesis. He has also lent his voice to such anime as Bleach, Boys Be…, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion & R2, Cyborg 009, DearS, Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd Gig, GunxSword, Kamichu!, Koi Kaze, Rumiko Takahasi Anthology, Space Pirate Captain Herlock, and Stellvia.

In the video game world, Darrel is best known as voicing Layle in the latest Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, The Crystal Bearers. He also has 3 upcoming titles in 2010(TBA!) He has also voiced Wylfred in Valkyrie Profile:Covenant of the Plume, the Main Ceptor in Culdcept Saga, Taishi Ci in Dynasty Warriors 6, Nagamasa Azai/Mitsuhide Akechi in Warriors Orochi 1 & 2, Lekius in Dawn of Mana, Werman/Duran in Avalon Code, as well as various voices in Radiata Stories, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, Legendary and Turning Point:Fall of Liberty.

He has also done voiceovers for live action films, including Red Water with Lou Diamond Phillips, Witless Protection with Larry the Cable Guy, Bam Bam & Celeste with Margaret Cho, and the Korean comedy Attack the Gas Station.

As an actor, he has had roles on stage, screen, TV, and in commercials. Most notably in Windtalkers directed by John Woo, Alias with Jennifer Garner, The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, You Snooze You Lose with Jamie Farr, Saved By the Bell, Lauderdale, Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2, and Murder in Law to name a few.

As a member of the Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles, he has performed in Hamlet, MacBeth, Richard II, King Henry IV Parts I & II and The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Other stage credits include Hedda Gabler, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Three Sisters and Water Water Everywhere, which earned him a Valley Theater League A.D.A. nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. Recently, Darrel joined the board of Playwrights 6, a Los Angeles based theatre company founded by playwrights.

Mike McFarland

Mike McFarland got his start in anime as one of the first voice actors in Texas to be hired by FUNimation Productions in 1997, and has since moved on to become a Director, Script Writer, and Line Producer for numerous anime series. Notable roles include Master Roshi, Yajirobe, Android #8 and Pui-Pui in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Baby and Baby-Vegeta in Dragon Ball GT, Goemon in Lupin The Third (Movie Specials), Ritsu Sohma in Fruits Basket, Lt. Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Cain in Trinity Blood, Buggy the Clown in One Piece, “Ranka” Fujioka in Ouran High School Host Club, Tybalt in Romeo x Juliet, Leo in Burst Angel, Bruce J. Speed in Galaxy Railways, as well as various roles in Yu Yu Hakusho, Nerima Daikon Brothers, Kodocha, Desert Punk, Black Cat, Kiddy Grade, and many others.

As an ADR/Voice Director, Mike has worked on such series and films as Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror Of Shamballa, Dragon Ball Z, Vexille, Yu Yu Hakusho, Mushi-Shi, Case Closed, Dragon Ball, Galaxy Railways, Trinity Blood, and Evangelion: You Are (Not) Alone. ADR Scriptwriting credits include Fullmetal Alchemist, Kodocha, Trinity Blood, Solty Rei, Mushi-Shi, and the uncut versions of Dragon Ball Z.

Mike is also an accomplished improv comedian, musician, and has appeared in numerous commercials and independent films, including The Rage Within, House Of The Generals, Placebo, and the award-winning Shtickmen. For more information, check out his web site at www.mikemcfarland.com.

Vic Mignogna

Vic has been acting for stage and screen since he was 8 years old. But he started his career in anime about ten years ago as Vega in Streetfighter II. Since then Vic has been in more than a hundred and fifty shows and video games, known for such roles as Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Tamaki Suou in Ouran High School Host Club, Fai in Tsubasa Chronicle, Dark in DN Angel, Kurz in Full Metal Panic, Broly in Dragonball Z, Kougaijji in Saiyuki, Ikkaku in Bleach, Yukito in Air, Takanaga in Wallflower, Tatsu in Peacemaker, Luciano in Code Geass, Virgil Walsh in Trinity Blood, Hikaru in Macross and many more. He is currently back in the role of Edward in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, playing Death Scythe in Soul Eater, as well as characters in Naruto and several others. Vic has also voiced roles in a large number of video games including Soul Calibur, Disgaea, Persona III, Project Sylpheed, DBZ, Bleach, FMA and more. But even longer than his voice acting, Vic has been a professional music composer / singer / producer who has written and produced hundreds of songs for TV, radio and CD. He sings the themes for shows like One Piece & DBGT, and has produced several CDs of his own original music. And finally, in addition to anime and music, Vic has a degree in film and works regularly writing, producing and directing video and film productions. Vic has voiced characters in more than 100 anime series and video games. Vic is also now realizing a childhood dream, acting and directing in an amazing web series called Star Trek Phase II. TOS forever!

Tony Oliver

Tony Oliver, began his career 25 years ago as an actor on stage and camera performing in several feature films and dozens of plays. He found success as a voice over artist, lending his voice to one of the first foreign made animated features to receive wide US release (“The Sea Prince and the Fire Child“). His first foray into television was as the lead voice in the groundbreaking animated series “Robotech“. Following that he turned his attention to writing but continued his voice acting career. In 1988 he joined Saban Entertainment as a story editor where he wrote and produced an award winning adaptation of “The Jungle Book” and story edited the long running Nickelodeon anime series “The Noozles“. In 1992, Tony was tapped to help create a new kind of children’s television show. The result was the mega hit, “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers“. Tony not only served as the development producer but also wrote the pilot, produced the network presentation, Co-Produced the series, directed the voice actors, and produced the Power Rangers live appearance at Universal Studios, which drew an estimated 50,000 people on a single day. In 1999 Tony left Saban Entertainment but has continued to develop, produce, voice and direct numerous projects for TV, Video Games, and New Media. More recent projects include “.hack//GU” a multi-player online video game; “Daigunder“, an animated series for ABC Family/Disney; and “Gurren Lagann” a breakthrough anime series airing on the Sci Fi Channel, “Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers” which premiered on screens nationwide earlier this fall and “Gormiti” a new original animated show currently airing on Cartoon Network. Tony’s many voice acting credits include, the title character of Lupin in “Lupin the 3rd“, Hibiki in “Vandread“, Gojyo in “Sayuki Reload“, Harry in “Gun Grave“, Ranmaru in “Tokko“, Shinbo in “Cho-bits“, Ulquiorra in “Bleach” and Saba in the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” as well as numerous voices in video games such as “Delta Force: Black Hawk Down“, “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring“, “Dynasty Warriors“, “World of Warcraft“, “Everquest“, “Neverwinter Knights“, “Xenosaga“, “Magna Carta II” and “BlazBlue“.

Maxey Whitehead

Maxey Whitehead was first cast by FUNimation Entertainment in 2008 to give life to the character of Antonio in Romeo X Juliet. Since then, Maxey has been fortunate to work on some amazing shows, such as Baccano! (Czeslaw Mayer), Soul Eater (Crona), and El Cazador de la Bruja (Ellis). In addition, Maxey is extremely honored to be the new voice of Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Outside of doing voice over, Maxey is also an accomplished stage actor and has appeared at theatres all over Dallas as well as the East Coast.

Robert V Aldrich

Robert V Aldrich is the thinking man’s geek. Raised on video games, anime, and comic books, RVA has spent his career pursuing a deeper understanding of these art forms once considered too nerdy to take seriously. A published author and recognized speaker on a variety of Geek Chic topics, RVA travels the country talking about everything from anime storytelling to gothic fashion and everything in between.

To date, RVA has published five books with several more currently in the works, as well as a wide array of articles, essays, short stories, and serials. He’s given talks on topics such as the History of Anime, Mecha Physices, Exploring the Interactivity in Video Games, the History of Video Games, Hentai vs. Porn, New Wave Publishing, and the History of Web Comics, not to mention presentations discussing specific fandoms such as Stargate and Transformers.
Part stand-up comic, part motivational speaker, and part educational lecturer (as well as a whole lot of nerd), RVA has returned to Katsucon to talk about all things anime. Check the schedule to see when his presentations will be, or swing by his table and ask.

DJ ASU

DJ, Illustrator, Promoter, Manager

DJ ASU has been spinning the many sounds of Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz, Reggae, House, and Old School for a grand portion of his life. In recent years he has been incorporating his love for Asian Pop Culture into his passion for DJing by spinning the sounds of Asian Pop Music- a brand of pop music from Japan, Korea, and China that is pushing its way to mainstream audiences all over the world.

As founder of the Asian entertainment production house, TenBu Productions, DJ Asu has been very influential within the Asian pop entertainment scene as a DJ, Illustrator, Anime Store Owner, Promoter, and Manager of the Japanese acts Unicorn Table and Yunmao Ayakawa. Along with performing on stage with some of top Japanese Acts, Asu has brought many Japanese entertainers to Anime conventions, fashion shows, concerts, and other events around the nation. In 2006 Asu created a show venue called “Akiba Fest” to introduce U.S. audiences to pop singers from Japan via live performances and present other related events. In 2007 he created one of the first Asian Pop Music radio mix shows and is now co-promoter of an Asian Pop Music night club event in Baltimore, MD called “Pop Show Japan” where he is also the main DJ.

Utilizing the traditional tools of vinyl records and two Turntables, DJ Asu will be doing a special live performance at Opening Ceremonies and will be spinning Asian Pop Music and Anime / Game soundtracks at Friday Night’s Formal Dance. Two events not to be missed.

Official Web Site: tenbuproductions.com/djasu
MySpace: myspace.com/djasu
Facebook: DJ Asu

Geek Comedy Tour

The Geek Comedy Tour is a collective of the funniest stand-up comedians from the Washington DC area. Each one is an experienced comic, having performed at bars, clubs, and colleges all over the East Coast. Telling their normal jokes to normal audiences but all of that was about to change.

There was something amiss. For you see, they were all gigantic dorks, and comedy club crowds don’t fully appreciate jokes about comic books, anime, and video games. So, they’ve decided to let their freak flag fly, form together, and bring their geek jokes to the horde that needs them most. Since their formation two years ago, The Geek Comedy Tour has performed at a variety of venues, from anime conventions, college shows, and even the grand opening of a comic shop!

Katsucon 16 will mark their third appearance at Katsucon, so come to either the Friday or the Saturday show and be sure to bring your friends, enemies and enemies’ pets out for awesome new comedy, geek items for sale and Evan Valentine’s horribly misinformed/homemade chapter of the “Twilight” saga…

Web Site: www.geekcomedytour.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=53638073183&ref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/geekcomedytour
MySpace: www.myspace.com/geekcomedytour

Applegeeks

Applegeeks is a webcomic that updates a couple of times a week. It’s about four college students, a Mac-obsessed robot, an imaginary squirrel, and the often crazy, always strange lives that they lead. The creative team is comprised of Ananth Panagariya (writer) and Mohammad “Hawk” Haque (artist). Applegeeks has been on the web since 2003, and they are proud to say that in 2009 Dark Horse Comics began publishing collections of their archives. All the comics are still available for free at http://www.applegeeks.com, though! That’s just how they roll.

Jennie Breeden

Jennie Breeden is the creator of the autobiographical webcomic The Devil’s Panties. Ms. Breeden has been posting her daily webcomic since 2001 and has published three graphic novels that are in comic shops and book stores around the world. She documents her adventures at conventions and in life. Really, who hasn’t gone clubbing with pirates in Canada, hunted dinosaurs in Virginia, and beaten up Zombies in an abandoned mall? She’s still keeping an eye out for those ninjas though. Jennie owns a house in Atlanta Georgia where she terrorizes her housemates cats and goes hiking with her boyfriend.

Darkstar Studios: Mike Hall & Ryan Thompson

Darkstar Studios was founded in 2007 by Mike Hall, which currently features three webcomics: “Across the Multiverse”, “[sic] Productions”, and the most recent addition “Fajita” which was created by Ryan Thompson who joined the Darkstar ranks in 2009. Between all three comics the site updates 4 days a week and could possibly add more comics by late 2010.

Mike Hall has been drawing since his hand could hold a pencil, but until 2004 it was always in a sketchpad and most of those sketchpads would end up in a box hidden deep within his closet. In 2004 an opportunity presented itself to allow Mike to bring his work to light in the form of a webcomic. His first attempts were, to his own admission, “very uninspired” and he quickly sought out the help of the international playboy, Brian Godwin to get the comic on track. Mike soon found himself with a writer and drawing full color comics on a weekly basis. After 4 years of drawing the [sic] Productions webcomic, it fell victim to life happenings and went on hiatus. Soon after, Mike decided to go out on his own and launched Darkstar Studios which housed his new comic “Across The Multiverse” and took over hosting of “[sic] Productions”.

Ryan Thompson is the latest addition to Darkstar Studios lineup. Born and raised in Germany for 10 years on a steady diet of Ninja Turtles and Pokémon, Ryan discovered webcomics at age 13. Inspired, he intensified his already passionate work in comics, hoping to someday run his own projects. He is now the artist and writer for his webcomic, Fajita. A lifelong fan of comics, and die-hard cartoon enthusiast, Ryan hopes to bring his personal eclecticism, beliefs, and experimental styling’s to the world through his work.

You can see all of Darkstar Studios’ comics at http://www.darkstar-studios.com

Garth Graham

“Hey you sass that hoopy Garth Graham? Now there’s a frood who really knows where his towel is,” would be the words on the lips of internet trawlers the world ’round if we didn’t happen to live in the unfashionable western spiral arm of the galaxy. Instead, Garth lurks in moderate obscurity churning out captivating comics since 2004 in an artistic style that mystically abducts the essences of both western comics and eastern manga; blending them together through patent pending methods into an addictive drug that tantalizes the optic nerves in ways science has yet to be able to explain.

His latest artistic creation is Finder’s Keepers, the dark urban fantasy of a young lady who accidentally claims the soul of a man who is not entirely human, thus entangling herself in a mystery that spans the breadth of human imagination. A mystery whose solution will most likely get her killed, but is the only thing that can return her to a normal life and break the bond between herself and her otherworldly companion.

Garth is also becoming well known for his steampunk art, though his heart will always belong to cyberpunk.

Kittyhawk

As an artist and writer, Kittyhawk has been pushing the limits of digital comics for over a decade. She is best known for creating Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki and for her work on the cult favorite the Jar. Kittyhawk’s current project Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki (SGVY as it is often, mercifully, abbreviated) tells the epic tale of a reluctant (and well-endowed) transgendered valkyrie’s struggles against the forces of Ragnarok. SGVY’s innovative humor and full-color large format art helped it win a Web Cartoonists’ Choice Award for Outstanding Superhero / Action comic in 2004. Kittyhawk is also known for pushing the limits of the medium itself, including forays into full stereographic 3D webcomics, automatic USB distribution, and interactive motion comics. When not spinning epic tales of breasts and flame, she collects classic videogame consoles and arcade machines. Her latest work can be found at sgvy.com.

Chris Malone

Chris “Kilika” Malone is a humble surfer from the east coast. He’s been cartooning ever since he was a wee little grommit, and started focusing on drawing surfing comics back in 2002, eventually starting Blue and Blond in 2003. Unlike the characters in his comic, Kilika grew up in northern Virginia, but he’s been surfing on the Jersey Shore long before he started cartooning. One of the few comics about surfing, Kilika wants to share the surfing lifestyle and experience with everyone, especially those who couldn’t tell a surfboard from a kickboard. He prefers long boards to short ones and hates jellyfish.

You can check out his comics and animations at www.blueandblond.com

Michael “Mookie” Terracciano

Michael “Mookie” Terracciano is the author and artist of the fantasy manga webcomic, “Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire.” Since its humble beginnings seven years ago it has received acclaim for its unique characters, addictive storylines, painful puns, awful alliteration and (gasp!) reliable update schedule. Want to know what’s so interesting about a grumpy seer, his deformed girlfriend, his angelic little brother, his talking cat, his archmage mother and rock-star father? See for yourself at www.dominic-deegan.com!

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson is the Webcomic artist responsible for the Supernatural-Adventure-Comedy, “Geist Panik!” which chronicles the adventures of a blonde waif named Riley Hood who has developed a second sight which allows her to see all the horrible things normal people cannot see including the dead, who are total jerks. She then begins a lucrative career in catching ghosts, and selling them on Craig’s list.

Brian Wilson’s other works include the recently completed Otaku comic Hookie Dookie Panic! Which was bad, and made Brian feel bad. According to the laws of crazy math, it can be said that: the more of an embarrassment Brian is to his family is directly proportional to how funny his comics are. Considering his parents currently won’t even look him in the eye anymore, the humor curve falls somewhere between “penguins on fire” and “Schrödinger’s cat…on fire” Brian is also a raging alcoholic who has been given special permission from Webster’s to make up words at will…Poobafluff.

Adam Sheehan

Adam Sheehan, Senior Events Manager for FUNimation Entertainment, has made the leap from anime fan to prominent position in the corporate side of the industry. Having been a part of over 400 events and conventions in his carrier he has often been the face of FUNimation at conventions and events across the country. He was also the Brand Manager for the launches of such notable properties as Shinobi, Tenchi Muyo!, Basilisk, and Beck.  He got his foot in the door as the Tour Manager for Score Entertainment and drove their custom-detailed Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game H1 Hummer around the nation.

GPX Gaming

This year, Game Katsucon will team up with GPX Gaming to create the best gaming experience Katsucon has ever had!.

GPX Gaming has become and Internationally recognized Gaming Company, from our LAN center Consulting, to our Competitive Tournament Administration. GPX has been known to get the job done, and done better than anyone else. Those other guys might have 6 titles on 360 and maybe 4-5 fighters on PS3 – our inventory of over 700+ titles is unheard of in the industry. Our goals have always bee to bring the community together, and provide the best place for competitors and casual gamers alike to play the games they love and learn from each other.

GPX’s video game tournament schedule for Katsucon 16 can be found here!

STEVE YUN – Robotech.com Webmaster

While still a young college student and part-time hacker in 1998, Steve got his first job at an anime company as a digital animator. It was a dream come true for any fan who grew up on Robotech and Macross to be working somewhere in the anime industry. After slaving away through 80 hour work weeks and one really bad 100 hour work week where he started hallucinating from being awake too long, Steve called it quits and went back to Riverside where he got his B.A. in Creative Writing. Stay in school, kids!

Since becoming part of Harmony Gold, Steve Yun has had fansites and fanclubs devoted to him, as well as internet stalkers, convention stalkers, petitions to get him fired and websites devoted to exposing the “real” Steve Yun. Steve has co-produced and associate-produced several other projects as well, including the Macross restoration, the Robotech:Battlecry video game, the Robotech: Invasion video game, Robotech Remastered and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. Steve has also been featured in an anime documentary called Geeks, which he has still not had a chance to see.

Since its launch, Robotech.com has constantly been one of the busiest anime-related destinations on the internet, being the subject of a Slashdot article, a Conan O’Brien feature and mentioned on countless anime websites. You can email Steve at info@robotech.com to send him Robotech-related fan mail, complaints, constructive criticism and suggestions.