Jason Yungbluth - Comic Creator

Marooned at a young age on the desert world of Rochester, New York, cartoonist Jason Yungbluth has been waiting for his destiny to find him in the form of a lovable robot or something. Meanwhile, he bides his time drawing comic books that shock the senses and make you wonder which side of the Force he’s really on.

Jason is the creator and publisher of Deep Fried, Weapon Brown and PEEK! He is also the fiendish mind behind Clarissa, the Internet’s most uncomfortable meme.

When not pondering his relationship to Luke Skywalker, Jason also draws cartoons for MAD magazine and teaches at the Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Fred Van Lente - Comic Writer

We are pleased to welcome the very talented and all around nice guy Fred Van Lente back to Free Comic Book Day!

Fred Van Lente is the #1 New York Timesbestselling, award-winning writer of comics like Archer & Armstrong (Harvey Award nominee, Best Series), Action Philosophers! (American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Teens), and Cowboys & Aliens (with Andrew Foley), the basis for the feature film.

His many other titles include Resurrectionists, The Comic Book History of Comics, The Incredible Hercules (with Greg Pak), Taskmaster, Marvel Zombies and The Amazing Spider-Man.

Fred’s work can even been seen in one of this year’s free comics, Assassin’s Creed Templars, a title he is currently working on alongside his long time collaborator and fellow Free Comic Book Day special guests, Dennis Calero.

Links:

http://www.fredvanlente.com

https://twitter.com/fredvanlente

Peter David - Comic Writer

Peter David

We are incredibly excited to announce award winning comic writer Peter David for Free Comic Book Day 2016!

Peter David is best known for his work on X-Factor, Incredible Hulk, Aquaman, Young Justice, Spider-Man 2099, Action Comics, Wolverine, and Supergirl. But that barely even begins to scratch the surface of his impressive bibliography, which includes nearly 40 Star Trek novels, movie adaptations, multiple video games, TV shows (Young Justice, Bablyon 5), and way more stuff than we have time to list. Seriously. Check out his official web page. If you’ve read comics in the last 20 years there’s a really good chance that Peter David wrote one of them. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_David

http://www.peterdavid.net

Kevin D Cosplay - Cosplay Guest

Kevin is a veteran cosplayer and a fixture of our events in years past. He even appeared as Captain America in our latest commercial! You may have seen him as Batman, Captain America, Wolverine, James Bond, The Comedian, and many more, both at our events and at just about every major convention on the east coast. This year he joins us as a featured cosplayer! His award winning costumes have been featured by multiple online publications including Pop Culture Uncovered, Fan Boy Nation, as well as many others. When not appearing at conventions in his impressive cosplay, Kevin attends charity events as some of his most famous characters.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/kevindcosplay/

https://twitter.com/kevindcosplay

R2-D2 - Astromech Droid

This little droid has seen a lot of action! An integral member of the Rebel Alliance, this R2 unit was recently captured by the 501st during an infiltration mission to recover the plans for the Empire’s next superweapon. If you look closely, you may be able to see traces of his time spent with the Rebellion.

This fully functional R2 has been featured on Good Morning America last November alongside the stars of the original Star Wars trilogy and will be available for pictures alongside the 501st at Free Comic Book Day 2016.

Robert Bruce - Popculturist

There are people that know toys. And then there's Robert Bruce.

A self described “popculturist”, Robert Bruce's knowledge of toys and pop culture is virtually unrivaled. Rob is the co-founder of the Asbury Park Comic Con and New York Comic Fest, but he is best known for his frequent appearances on Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men on AMC. 

Links:

http://www.popculturizm.com/

https://twitter.com/popculturizm

The 501st Legion - Cosplay Guests

"Bad guys doing good" has been the ethos of the 501st Legion since its inception and the North East Remnant exemplifies this ideal. Sporting screen accurate film quality costumes, the 501st is the official cosplay group of the Star Wars fandom. They use their impressive costumes to help raise awareness for causes and charities all over the region.

http://www.501stner.com/

Larry Hama - Comic Creator

Larry Hama

What can we say about the legendary Larry Hama that hasn’t already been said? Actor, writer, artist, musician, editor, Mr. Hama has done it all throughout his impressive career. Perhaps best known as the writer of the original Marvel G.I. Joe series, Mr. Hama was responsible for defining many of the most iconic Joe characters through the comic and file cards on the original toy packages. Mr. Hama continues to define the Joe universe with his work on the current comic series published by IDW. His other writing credits include Wolverine, X-Men, Punisher, Batman and more. He is also the creator of Bucky O’Hare, a series that went on to become a cartoon, video game, and line of toys.

Mark A. Robinson - Comic Artist

Mark A. Robinson

Philly native Mark A. Robinson has worked as a penciler and cover artist for nearly every comic publisher out there. His work includes notable titles like Green Lantern, Dragon Age, Spider-Man, G.I. Joe: Storm Shadow, Hulk, Ghost Rider, and more. He is best known for his kinetic work on the Image Comics title I Love Trouble, which is now available as a trade paperback.

Links:

http://marsisalientechnology.blogspot.com/

http://alientechnology2mars.deviantart.com/

Mark Poulton - Comic Writer

Mark is freelance comic book creator and children’s book author who most recently worked on Savage Hawkman for DC Comics and Avengelyne for Image Comics. His children’s book, A Cat Named Haiku, was nominated for Best Single Issue Story in the 2011 Eagle Awards, and was selected to be part of the TogetheRead Program by teachersandfamilies.com.

Mark is best known for his Arcana Studio’s series Koni Waves and its all ages spin-off Koni Konfidential, which center around Koni Kanawai, who investigates the supernatural legends of Hawaii’s rich mythology. The series has been featured on the popular USA Network series, Psych, and has been favorably reviewed by the Hawaii Star Tribune.

You can follow Mark on Twitter @koniwaves.

Links:

https://twitter.com/KoniWaves

http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Poulton/e/B0036CKG3K