Art by Gianluca Maconi
Another wave of guests has been revealed for the seventh Malta Comic Con with the announcement by organisers Wicked Comics that creators Pasquale Qualano (Soulfire), Andreas Michaelides (Botch!), Christos Stamboulis (The Lords of Crimson Valley), Gianluca Maconi (Elfes) Luciano Regazzoni (Nathan Never), Grafimated Cartoon represented by Salvatore Di Marco and Antonino Pirotta (I Vespri Siciliani) and the School of Bitches (Genesis) will be joining Simon Davis, Sabine Rich, John Freeman, Tim Perkins, Boo Cook, Mike Krome, Heba Rena Yassin, Guillermo Ortego, Sean Azzopardi, Pye Parr, Dani, Giulia Della Ciana, Michael Dialynas, Ilias Kyriazis, Cliodhna, Copper Mouflon, Goran Parlov, Mark Farmer, Nicolas Keramidas, Asia Alfasi, Chris J. Thompson, Nigel Dobbyn, Clint Langley, Gary Erskine, Jenika Ioffreda and Iella as guests.
Pasquale Qualano
Pasquale Qualano
Comic artist, sculptor, lecturer at “Scuola di Fumetto Salerno” class 1974, Pasquale Qualano has worked for different production houses both Italian and elsewhere, working on cover art, including She-Hulk for Marvel, The One for GG Studio and promotional campaign for Tim Sport. He’s also a cover and interior artist for Zenescope Entertainment, Moonstone, Lady Death Universe. For Aspen Comics he’s been cover artist for various titles and artist on Soulfire, Idolized, EA: Iris Volume 4, Dellec. He’ s also cover and interior artist for Amped at for Red Giant Entertainment and on Harley Quinn: Road Trip for DC Comics.
More Info: http://www.qualanoart.com and www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/pasquale-qualano
Andreas Michaelides
Andreas Michaelides
Born in Greece in 1982, Andreas has worked as a columnist, journalist and photographer. He has written detective stories and surreal tales which have been published in various Greek anthologies and newspapers.
For the past ten years, he has worked as a translator for Greek publishing houses, such as Alexandria, Polis and Metaichmio (having translated in Greek anything from popular science and history books, to Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes series, as well as George R.R. Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, among others). In 2010 he entered the world of oral storytelling, as well as writing fables for an adult audience.
His relationship with comic books has been as wacky as his personality: from 2003 to 2006 he put out a Greek fanzine called Mangaijin, in collaboration with artist John Dalkides. In 2005 he started writing articles about comics as a member of the Comicdom.gr team (the same team responsible for Comicdom Con Athens). In 2014 he started writing for comics per se: from 2014 to mid 2015 he co-created and wrote Botch! with artist Maria Kouloubaritsi – a gag comic and webcomic presenting the (mis)adventures of a group of gamers.
Also in 2014, he began collaborating with artist Valia Kapadai, on a series of projects based on mythology (Nekyia, Mythlegendry et al). In 2015 he began collaborating with artist Pavlos Pavlidis on a sci-fi comic called Last Flight of the Swordbreaker.
Andreas, Pavlos and Valia are also working on a project called One Last Dream, the first pages of which are, at the time of this writing, to be featured on the 14th Comic ‘n’ Play Exhibition, “Strange Days”.
He is also a founding member of the Greek Crime Fiction Writers’ Club, as well as The House of Oral Tradition, “Mythologion”.
At the end of the day, he is basically a storyteller, living inside a cave made entirely out of books.
More info: www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/andreas-michaelides
Christos Stamboulis
Christos Stamboulis was born in Edessa Greece in 1978 and studied architecture in Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. He has been making comics since 2003.
He has produced nine personal comic books, eight of them graphic novels, did the artwork for the webcomic Red Green Blue and You and has also collaborated with the Greek comic magazine 9 (Ennea) and a couple of newspapers. He has worked in animation, character design and storyboards in video games and in the advertising business.
Christos has also participated in numerous comics exhibitions in Greece, in the Biennale for new artists in Napoli in 2005 and has won the award of the “Best Greek Comic of the year” for his graphic novel The Lords of Crimson Valley in the Athens Comicdom Con 2011.
More info: www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/christos-stamboulis
Gianluca Maconi
Gianluca Maconi
Gianluca Maconi was born in Pordenone in 1977, graduated in 1996 at the Istituto Statale d’Arte in Cordenone and afterwards he studied at l’Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice from which he graduated in sculpting in 2003.
He dedicated himself in various activities from scenery to sculpting, from decoration to animation, from graphics to illustrations from which he integrates everything into comics.
His published includes I delitti di Alleghe, Il Delitto Pasolini (BeccoGiallo Editore), Aztlan #01 (Edizioni Safarà), Yggdrasil – L’Albero della Vita (Lavieri), Mediterranea (GG Studio) and Monkey Business (Lavieri).
He currently works with French publisher Soleil (on Elya and Elfes), Disney and Sergio Bonelli Editore.
More info: http://gianmac.deviantart.com and www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/gianluca-maconi
Luciano Regazzoni
Luciano Regazzoni
Luciano Regazzoni was born in 1959 and graduated at the School of Comics of Milan.
Since 1985 he has been teaching anatomy applied to comics and illustration technique at the same school and at The European Design Institute. In the 2005 he became part of the teaching staff of the School of Comics of Palermo/Grafimated Cartoon. Between 2007-2008 he worked as a Costume Designer for the movie Dark Resurrection.
In 2013 he started to work with Sergio Bonelli Editor, starting with Issue 29 of Alpha Agency, a spin-off of the regular series Nathan Never, titled “The Trial”.
He collaborates as a storyboard artist, illustrator and visualizer for several ad agencies and major Italian comic publishers.
More info: www.scuoladelfumetto.com/palermo.htm and www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/luciano-regazzoni
Salvatore Di Marco and Antonino Pirrotta of Grafimated Catoon
Grafimated Cartoon
Salvatore Di Marco and Antonino Pirrotta come to Malta on behalf of Palermo-based Grafimated Cartoon, a cooperative society that produces, promotes and diffuses animated films and comics.
Grafimated Cartoon was founded in January 2001 by professionals of the field. With over fifteen years experience, they have participated in several national and international animated film festivals with short author films, in particular the short film Saudates du sud with which it took part in the competition in Annecy 97 edition.
They have cooperated in the production of important animated series and feature films such as The Triplets, Cocco Bill, I Cuccioli, La Gabbianella e il Gatto, Aida degli alberi, etc.
Grafmated Cartoon also produced I Vespri Siciliani and are working on the upcoming feature animated movie Pinocchio by Enzo D’Alo.
At their Scuola del Fumetto, they teach the skills to create comics, from pencils to colouring and lettering. In 2011, the school also started publishing comics created by their students who have gone on to work publishers such as Panini Kids, Ape Entertainment, Disney, Marvel Comics, Marathon, Bluewaters, Cronaca di Topolinia, DC Comics and more.
Other activities organised in collaboration with several public schools in Sicily, are comics and animated cartoon workshops where students create short films in which some of them won prizes in their respective categories.
More info: www.grafimated.com and www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/grafimated-cartoon
Limited copies of School of Bitches sell out print from last year’s Malta Con will be available at this year’s event.
School of Bitches
School Of Bitches is a British ‘art-house’ originally based in Cardiff, Wales. Established by artist Alan Stealth, this collective of various writers, artists and other contributors were assembled to collaborate on Genesis, the company’s flagship publication.
Stealth, who has spent over half of his life conducting experiments in narrative and artistic sciences to create the world of Genesis, was first joined by writer and friend David Dhalia in the spring of 2012, and together, they unleashed a preview on an unsuspecting Maltese audience at the annual Comic Con. It was soon thereafter, they were joined by part-timer and self-proclaimed brain-thinker Adam “Judas” Rees and thus a formidable trio was born.
Their first issue launched at the 2013 Cardiff Comic Expo, and the team went on to enjoy success at a variety of UK conventions throughout the year, everywhere from Melksham to Northern Ireland. A triumphant return to Malta in December 2013, saw the launch of Issue 2, which went on to be shortlisted for ‘Favourite British Black & White Comic’ at the True Believer’s Awards (the former Eagle Awards) in 2014.
Last year also saw the launch of Issue 3, Issue 4 and a preview of From The Ashes, a proposed anthology that would continue to “explore the world” outlined in Genesis – specifically the fate of Malta.
With the art-house growing in size and branching out on to multiple projects, a ‘second base’ was established in Malta in April 2015.
Presently, the team is working hard on various projects, including, the concluding parts of Genesis: Virtue’s Chronicles and the first story of From The Ashes: Maria’s Song.
More info: www.schoolofbitches.co.uk and www.maltacomic-con.com/guests/school-of-bitches
• As customary Wicked Comics have designed a number of packages for fans wishing to travel to the Malta Comic Con from abroad, which include heavily discounted accommodation rates and local transport from hotel to convention centre. Similarly, Wicked Comics have a number of packages tailored for foreign creators who wish to exhibit at the Malta Comic Con including heavily discounted tables. Wicked Comics can be contacted on info@maltacomic-con.com
• Malta Comic Con website: www.maltacomic-con.com | All announcements can be followed on the Malta Comic Con Facebook page
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events
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