Road to Armageddon Auckland 2010: Comics Guests

Above: 'Deadpool', from the current series written by Daniel Way. Copyright Marvel Comics 2010.

Having recently reviewed Armageddon Wellington, it's time once again to look towards October, as the comics guest list for Armageddon Expo Auckland 2010 - October 23-25th at the ASB Showgrounds, has been announced!

Above: 'Transmetropolitan' as illustrated by Darick Robertson. Copyright DC Comics 2010.

First up, making a return appearance at Armageddon is artist Darick Robertson. Robertson is probably best known as the co-creator of 'Transmetropolitan' with Warren Ellis, and the controversial superhero satire series 'The Boys' with Garth Ennis. A self-taught artist, Robertson got his start in comics by creating his own series 'Space Beaver', which he wrote and illustrated before graduating to mainstream comics, working on titles like 'Justice League International' and 'The New Warriors'. Since then he's spent the past twenty years working on a variety of high profile comics projects including: 'Punisher: Born' and 'Fury' with Garth Ennis and 'Wolverine' with Greg Rucka. He recently wrote and illustrated a 'Conan' one-shot for Dark Horse Comics, 'Conan: The Weight of the Crown'. You can visit his official website HERE.

On his last visit to New Zealand, Robertson was so impressed with local creator Richard Fairgray's DIY attitude to creating comics that he offered to be involved in the forthcoming American Original reprint of Fairgray's comics series 'Blastosaurus'. Look for an announcement related to this series closer to the event...

Above: A cover from the comics series 'Wolverine: Origins', written by Daniel Way. Copyright Marvel Comics 2010.

Writer Daniel Way got his start in comics publishing the series 'Violent Lifestyle' with the aid of a Xeric Foundation Grant in 2000. His work on that series got him noticed by Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who hired him to script a 'Deathlok' MAX mini-series which never saw print and 'Gun Theory' from the revived (and quickly killed) Epic imprint, which was cancelled after two issues. After a rocky start, Way continued to write for Marvel Comics producing solid runs and fill-in assignments on such comics as 'Spider-man:Tangled Web', 'Ghost Rider', 'Venom', 'The Incredible Hulk', 'Bullseye: Greatest Hits' and 'Wolverine'.

His perseverance paid off in 2006 when he was tapped to launch a new Wolverine title, 'Wolverine: Origins', with artist Steve Dillon. An instant hit, 'Wolverine:Origins' explored previously unrevealed memories of Wolverine's past as he sets off on a mission of revenge in the present. As the series progressed, Way introduced the new character 'Daken', Wolverine's son, who proved popular enough to gain his own series, 'Dark Wolverine'. Way also struck gold with a new take on Marvel's mutant mercenary Deadpool. Making a guest appearance in 'Wolverine: Origins', Way's twisted portrayal of Deadpool led to a new ongoing series with artist Paco Medina, catapulting the schizophrenic assassin to A-list status. Way is currently wrapping up his five year story-line on 'Wolverine: Origins', and you can expect Marvel has big plans for him in the near future.

Above: 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer' by artist Georges Jeanty. Copyright Dark Horse Comics 2010.

Georges Jeanty began his comics career drawing books at Caliber Comics and London Night Studios. Later he landed work at DC Comics, drawing such titles as 'Green Lantern' and 'Superboy', before moving over to Marvel to work on 'Bishop: The Last X-man' and 'Deadpool'. He also collaborated with screenwriter John Ridley ('Three Kings') on the Wildstorm series 'The American Dream' in 2006.

Recently he was hand-picked by 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon to be the regular artist of the 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer' Season 8 comic series published by Dark Horse Comics. The comics series picks up where the TV show left off, and continues to be highly successful, often taking the top spot as the #1 independent comic published in the US.

Above: 'The Secret Six' as drawn by Nicola Scott. Copyright DC Comics 2010.

No stranger to Armageddon audiences, artist Nicola Scott will make a reappearance at this year's Auckland show. Based in Australia, Scott is best know for her collaborations with writer Gail Simone on 'Birds of Prey' and 'The Secret Six' for DC Comics. She recently collaborated with writer Greg Rucka on 'Blackest Night: Wonder Woman' and continues to draw 'The Secret Six' monthly.

Above: The cast of the web-comic 'Least I Could Do' by Lar DeSouza. Copyright Blind Ferret Entertainment 2010.

Branching out into webcomic guests this year, Armageddon see the arrival of Ryan Sohmer & Lar DeSouza, creators of the web-comics, 'Least I Could Do' and 'Looking For Group'. They were the recipients of the Shuster Award for 'Best Webcomics Creator/Creative Team' in 2008 and continue to crank out webcomics at a steady pace. 'Least I Could Do' is updated seven days a week and 'Looking For Group' is updated Mondays and Thursdays.

For further updates on Armageddon comics guests and other plans for the Auckland Expo keep an eye on the official site HERE. I'll also be announcing updates on local comics creators attending the event, so stay tuned for those announcements in the months ahead!

-AK!