Beth Accomando, a.k.a. The Zombie
Film critic and author of the blog Cinema Junkie
Beth has been attending Comic-Con for three decades (yes she's THAT old). Her best Comic-Con buy was a three-foot Godzilla; she still has buyer's remorse about not picking up the Frank Frazetta Fearless Vampire Killers poster when she was 16; and she thinks Bruce Campbell's panel was the funniest she's ever seen at the Con. Hail to the king, baby!
Special powers: Doesn't need sleep, just human flesh
Angela Carone
Arts producer and author of the blog Culture Lust
She covers music, books, film, theater, visual arts, and random arts topics. Angela also has a 10-year-old chocolate lab named Chewbacca who, despite lots of instruction and incentives like Snausages, has yet to master the Chewy howl. Angela dressed as Boba Fett one Halloween and won $50. At the Con, she'll be doing interviews, taking photographs, eavesdropping, and observing extreme Comic-Con behavior in its natural habitat.
Aaron McFarland
Freelance multimedia, CG and video producer
Aaron McFarland is a San Diego native, a husband, and a father of two. He spent eight years working for Sony PlayStation and seven years working for The Old Globe Theatre. He has attended Comic-Con almost every year since 1985... this is the second year he has brought his daughter Audrey, who wishes it would last all year.
Andy Trimlett
Andy Trimlett will be covering video games at Comic Con because he likes the feeling of living in someone else's skin, especially someone with mad ninja skills, giant machine guns, or hordes of minions. But really, he'll live in anybody's skin. It's just so warm and soft.
Mark Ramsey
Roger Ebert called MovieJuice "cheerfully smartass," and Roger is never wrong, just ask him. And Steven Spielberg reads MovieJuice, although he says he has somebody print it out for him, which is odd, if you ask me. Kevin Smith said MovieJuice has a "cool tone," although he may have been referring to Mark's abs at the time. Note to self: No belly-shirts during celebrity interviews. Unless you're trying to one-up the Suicide Girls.
James Sime
Former cocktail mixologist and proprietor of Isotope
Alongside industry publications and podcasts from around the world, his distinctive approach to comics retail has been featured in Time Magazine, SF Chronicle, USAToday's Pop Candy, Fast Company, and most recently in San Francisco Magazine. Slightly eccentric, James is best known for his very vertical hair, an affection for his ever-present funky-colored Italian suits, and for the often extravagant comic launch events for both comics he loves and for new talents working in often underpromoted areas of the comics industry.
Aaron Soto
Filmmaker from Tijuana, México
Escandalos Productions is a Tijuana-based film production founded by Aaron Soto in the late '90s. With a relative small crew, the self-taught Soto started shooting ambitious films with a regular digital camera. Submerged on the surreal cinema of Buñuel, Lynch, Cronenberg, Tsukamoto, Jodorowsky and by the horror filmmakers of the '70s and early '80s. The provocative visions in his $200 sci-fi debut Omega Shell (2001) have won praise from Mark Romanek (Johnny Cash's Hurt), Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), and Rodrigo Gudiño (Rue Morgue). In 2004, Soto won the Special Jury Prize at The Morelia International Film Festival with his surreal romantic comedy 33 ½, a delirious mix of experimental, fantasy and vinyl records.
Cathy Alberich
Visual artist from Tijuana, México
Cathy's work has been selected by Fantasia Film Festival, San Diego Film Critics Society, Comic-Con International Film Festival, Imperial Beach Film Festival, Chicago Horror Film Festival, Video Fest 05, San Diego Women Film Festival, The Morelia International Film Festival and the altpictureshow curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego California.
Tony Weidinger
Sophomore at Mount Miguel High School
Tony enjoys watching anime and listening to Japanese music even though he doesn't know any Japanese. He forgot to save money for the Comic-Con this year so his mom is paying him to work at the Con taking pictures and blogging. This way he can buy another light saber or samurai sword. He's hoping to become a photographer.
Chinese zodiac sign: water rooster
Fun fact: when he plays video games he doesn't need to sleep, eat or go to the bathroom (for hours and hours).
Thomas J. McLean
Freelance writer, editor and blogger on movies, TV, comics
Thomas has written the Bags and Boards blog about comics and the entertainment industry for Variety.com since 2003 and has judged both the Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards and the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival. He's always wanted the power of telepathy, if for no other reason than it would save time.
Eva Volin
Supervising children's librarian for Alameda Free Library in Alameda, CA
In addition to being a member of the American Library Association / Young Adult Library Services Association's Great Graphic Novels for Teens committee, she has helped create or develop graphic novel collections for several libraries. Eva also writes manga reviews for ICv2 Guide to Manga, GoodComicsForKids.com, and Robin Brenner's NoFlyingNoTights.com, and she reviews light novels for Mangacast.net.
Danica Novgorodoff
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Danica studied painting and photography at Yale University. She has worked as a horse trainer in Virginia, an English teacher in Ecuador, an assistant to photographer Sally Mann, and an artist review writer for galleries in Chelsea and SoHo, New York. In 2006 she won the Isotope Award for her mini-comic A Late Freeze, and in 2007 was nominated for an Eisner Award. She currently lives in New York City, where she works as book designer. Her graphic novel, Slow Storm, will be published by First Second Books in September, 2008.
David Serchay
David S. Serchay is a youth services librarian for the Broward County (FL) Library System where, among other things he is on the graphic novel selection committee. He has been reading comic books all of his life and has a personal collection of over 25,000 comics and graphic novels. He is the author of The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens (Neal-Schuman 2008) and the upcoming companion volume The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels for Adults. He has previously written about the subject for Library Journal, Serials Review, Florida Living, Animato!, and Comics Source, as well as a chapter on graphic novels for Thinking Outside the Book and has also lectured on the subject. He can be reached at davidserchay@yahoo.com.
Nathan Gibbs
Multimedia producer
While at the Con, Nathan will be shooting photos, time-lapse videos, and producing a documentary short about costuming at the Masquerade.
Fun Fact: His early childhood traumas involved a wolf turning itself inside out (The Thing, 1982), a blue cartoon tree with breasts (The Last Unicorn, 1982), and a kid getting electrocuted by his braces (Poltergeist II, 1986).
Joe Spurr
Writer and web developer
Joe will likely be doing impromptu Xacti interviews at the Con, wrangling together the team's content, and making sure the blog is working. This is his first Comic-Con visit!
Geek credentials: The chewy, nougatey center of Joe's adolescence consisted of a heartfelt appreciation for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Magic: The Gathering, Dale Brown novels, folk dance camp, and classic PC RTS games (Command and Conquer), flight simulators (Red Baron, Strike Commander, Descent), and RPGs (Police Quest, Quest for Glory, Diablo).
Leng Caloh
Convergence Editor
You could say Leng got her geek cred through marriage: she is [finally legally] married to a bona-fide gamer and sci-fi/fantasy geek who dreams of dressing up their toddler daughter in Ren Faire outfits. As for Leng, she's looking forward to dressing as a hobbit for her sister-in-law's wedding (furry toes! furry toes!). And she hopes that some day she'll finally be able to have her very own Bionic Woman lunch box and action doll.
Kim Nyhous
Wanna-be producer at KPBS
Superpowers: Kim is psychic, and she knows that you're pregnant.
While at the Con, Kim will be providing witticisms and quick retorts. This is an important and difficult job. Stop competing with her. Kim is, how shall I say, Comic-Con virgin?
Fun:Early movie traumas include the Manitou, about a 400-year-old demonic Indian spirit growing in a lump on a woman's back, and any movie that featured vomiting. Early joys include the Star Wars movies, Blue Thunder, and the TV show Manimal.
Kelli Enger
Intern
She lived with her crazy aunt, uncle, and cousin for a while until she found out she was a wizard. That's when things started to change for her...
Lia Bruce
Junior at High Tech High, Media Arts
Lia has been passionate about film since making her first movie about global warming and the promise of tidal energy during her freshman year. The film went on to be nominated for an Innovative Video In Education (IVIE) award from the San Diego County Office of Education. Lia has made several movies since, one with San Diego Women in Film, another with the San Diego Museum of Photographic Art and others on her own. In addition to her love of filmmaking, Lia expresses her creativity through fine arts. Her paintings and drawings have earned first place awards at the San Diego County Fair, and she's a talented pianist. Lia hopes to major in film at NYU or UCLA.
Francis Weidinger
Filmmaker
Francis Weidinger is a local filmmaker and winemaker. He runs Fat Wolf Films and bottles a couple cases of Chez Corta every year. He's done weddings, sporting events, documentaries, small films, and funerals. Motto: "Keep the digital tape rolling, it's cheaper than film."
Brian Regalot
Brian's been in San Diego a few months via a lot of places. A notable nomad, he willingly wanders through riddles and discoveries. Brian did live in LA for a decade making things like footprints, tattoos, satire and scars for himself. Has a Maromot, but it's mad at him right now. Also travels with lady luck. He will be shooting video for the KPBS Comic-Con blog.
Michael Boyce
Michael Boyce describes himself as "a long-term comic lover and reader. I moved out to the West Coast in 2001 and I have been here ever since. I came out with a job as a caricature artist and then met Marilyn at On Comic Ground and have been helping her ever since. I am apprenticing for tattooing 'cuz I'd be the cutest tatt artist, with my Mohawk and all my super hero gals!"
Keith McNeil
Media Producer
Keith will be covering many different events and creators at San Diego. Armed with trusty Macbook and camera, his goal is to hook as many new readers as possible to the industry...and if a little world domination happens as a result, he's okay with that too. With a Ph.D in GeekFu he loves chatting up comics, anime, and playing a little soccer on the side.
Patrick Broemeling
Patrick Broemeling has learned the following things from comic books: how to read, the difference between right and wrong, and the importance of a well-stocked utility belt. Each Wednesday he learns something new. He lives in Seattle, works for the city, and loves his wife Lisa.
He wishes that he could go back in time and meet the 9-year-old version of himself as he was watching Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He would tell the boy that one day, he too would be surrounded by strange creatures and reporting on their activities.
Neil Kendricks
Neil Kendricks is a San Diego-based filmmaker, artist, photographer,
writer, the Film Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
(MCASD), and a long-time Comic-Con devotee since the early 1980s. He is an award-winning filmmaker, and a photographer, artist, writer, and lecturer/professor. He is also the founder and ongoing participant of MCASD's popular, annual film event, alt.pictureshows, screening on August 28.
