We are art fans. When we purchase a comic book, we are purchasing someone's art. These comic book artists have shaped the way we envision our favorite stories, characters and arcs that could last years. We honor our artists by bringing them to you to show off their work. Each year, we carefully curate a list of artists that all do amazing work on both local and national stages.
The Creators of Venom Lethal Protector gather at our 2024 show.
Al Milgrom
Alex Cormack
Bob Almond
Buzz The Artist
David LeBlanc
David Michelinie
Elias Chatzoudis
Ian Chase Nichols
Jay Kennedy
Joe St.Pierre
Keith Williams
Mary Dumas
Matt DiMasi
Mike Doherty
Mike Royer
Ryan Santos
SURPRISE GUEST #!
SURPRISE GUEST #2
The Inkwell Awards
His credits include Marvel Fanfare, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, West Coast Avengers, and X-Factor. His career started at Charlton Comics in 1972 and moved to the next level as a penciler on Captain Marvel from 1975-77. As an editor at DC from 1977-78, he co-created the original Firestorm with Gerry Conway. Back at Marvel in 1979, he edited Marvel FanFare for it's 10 year run. Pencil credits include Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Mephisto, Secret Wars II, Kitty Pride & Wolverine, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Incredible Hulk. He is also known for his ink work on Thor, Thunderstrike, Captain America, Uncanny X-Men, J-2, and Thanos.
David Michelinie has been a professional writer for over 50 years. He has written more than 600 comic book stories, in which he created several characters (Venom, Carnage,Taskmaster) which have been featured in major motion pictures.
His comics career has spanned genres from westerns to war to horror to super hero. In addition to his comics work, David has published two novels, has placed short stories in anthologies (WEREWOLVES: DEAD MOON RISING) and periodicals (Spider-Man Magazine), is a published poet (POETIC IMAGES: THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST) and has written scripts for the Nicktoons animated TV series, “Iron Man Armored Adventures.”
His comic book biography of Mother Teresa won the Catholic Book Award for Best Children’s Book, and his prose effort, “Lord Pemberton’s Adjustment Service”, won the 2017 Pulp Factory Award for Best Short Story.
Royer, best known for his work with pencilers Russ Manning and Jack Kirby, inked the covers of writer-penciler Jack Kirby's The Forever People #2 and #5 (May and Nov. 1971), and The New Gods #5 (Nov. 1971) in Kirby's "Fourth World" epic at DC Comics, which he began after leaving Marvel Comics. He became Kirby's primary inker at DC, working on those titles and another title connected to the Fourth World series Mister Miracle, as well as on the preexisting series, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen which was incorporated into the same narrative. He additionally inked Kirby's next two DC series, The Demon and Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth, and, among other Kirby projects, inked the extant war comics feature "The Losers" in several issues of Our Fighting Forces in 1975.
Royer also lettered and inked the last six months of Russ Manning's Tarzan Sunday-newspaper comic strip and, in the late 1970s, the first four months of Manning's daily and Sunday Star Wars comic strips. Beginning in 1979, Royer spent 14 years on staff with The Walt Disney Company, doing art and design for books, comic books and comic strips, and theme park and licensed merchandise for its Consumer Product/Licensing division.
Since 2000, Royer has produced freelance art and design, including work on Digimon products, screen icons for the Fox Family cable television channel environment and its Fox Kids programming bloc, "floor plans" for computer game animators, Reader Rabbit workbooks, and Rescue Heroes toy packaging
Keith Williams, comic book inker, enrolled in the School of Visual Arts in New York City from 1976 to 1980. Majored in Media Arts and studied under Will Eisner, the creator of the Spirit comic strip. He received a Bachelor of Fine Art.
With the help of Marvel comic book artist and mentor Don Perlin, Keith started working for Marvel Comics in 1982 as a background inker. He worked for inkers including Joe Sinnott and Mike Esposito. At Marvel, he became the first John Romita Raider, an art correction group. Keith later became an assistant editor under Jim Owlsley (Christopher Priest) on the Spider-Man group of books. The two became the first all black editorial team in Marvel's history. He later became John Byrne's background artist on Alpha Flight, The Hulk, Superman and Action Comics.
Keith began inking regularly with the Web of Spider-Man, which lasted for four years. In between that time and after he worked on many other books at Marvel including The Silver Surfer and She-Hulk with John Byrne, Warlock, Quasar with Greg Capullo, Star Trek and the X-men.
At Dark Horse Comics, The Mask and Walter with artist Doug Manke and Star Wars Droids. At DC Comics, Superman, and the Lobo/ Mask graphic novel with Doug Manke. For Valiant, he worked on Quantum and Woody and the covers of X-O Man. At Moonstone Comics, The Kolchak Night Stalker Chronicles, Buckaroo Banzai and Domino Lady. For ten years he had worked on The Phantom for King Features Syndicate. And at Avatar Press he inked Lady Death and Crossed covers. A Crossed webisode comic, "Wish You Were Here" and the cover and interiors of the comic book Uber. He has also inked Avatar Press' published graphic novel Max Brook's Harlem Hellfighters. And has recently inked over Ron Frenz pencils for Marvel's Thor the Worthy one shot book.
Two years after graduating with a BFA in Illustration at the UMass Dartmouth art college Bob broke in at Marvel Comics in 1992 as a professional inker on Warlock & the Infinity Watch series which led to numerous projects at Marvel for the next decade straight like Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek: DS9 and later Annihilation: Conquest-Quasar and Heroes for Hire. Most significant was his 3 years of work as inker/storyteller with Christopher Priest and Sal Velluto on Marvel's Black Panther from 1999-2002. This highly-acclaimed series won Bob two Squiddy Awards for "Best Inker" (2001-2002) along with one for "Best Creative Team" (2002). Together with Sal they were included in the Heroes 911 tribute book (Marvel), Bloodshot (Acclaim), JSA, Aquaman (DC), Captain Gravity and the Power of the Vril (Penny-Farthing Press), Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions (Valiant), The Phantom/Fantoman (Egmont), The Guardian Project with Stan Lee (Guardian Media), and the Kingstone Bible (Kingstone Media). More recently Bob has worked on The Liberty Brigade Kickstarter project w/ Mike Lilly and other artists including Michael Netzer, Allan Goldman, Ramona Fradon, Netho Diaz, Steve Sash Scott and many others (Thrilling Nostalgia Comics) and he's worked with Pat Broderick and Tom Morgan for "The Masters" (Power Comics) and inks over Joe Bennett for Kingstone. With other collaborators Bob has also inked assignments like Vampirella: Revelations (Harris), A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wildstorm), and Star Trek: The Last Generation (IDW). In 2018, Bob and his fellow Black Panther creative partners Priest & Velluto were invited by Marvel Studios to view the Hollywood LA world premiere of BLACK PANTHER where all three were credited with "Special Thanks" as Storytellers whose work influenced key elements in the film.
Bob has also acted as a columnist for his inker-centric "Inkblots" column for Sketch Magazine and First Comics News from 2007-2010. This led to his founding of the non-profit Inkwell Awards in 2008 where he acts as director and treasurer. He co-created the company spokesmodel Ms. Inkwell and she will be in attendance at this event for the 3rd time. As the only organization/advocacy of its kind on the planet it promotes and educates about the oft-misunderstood art form of inking and recognizes the best artists of inking in the field. In 2011 the Heroes Con became the host show for the annual awards ceremony, in 2019 The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! became another host show and this year marks their 3rd host show in June to be announced shortly. Almost 100% of funds raised go to the non-profit.
Joe St.Pierre began his comic book career at Valiant Comics, as penciler of RAI, and co-creator/writer/artist of SECRET WEAPONS.
Joe is the penciler of the most #1 issues featuring SPIDER-MAN and/or the Spider-Man family.
He has also worked as a writer and artist for Marvel (Gambit, Fantastic Four), DC (Aquaman, Green Lantern), Image (Megahurtz), IDW(Transformers), Boom (Power Rangers), MTV (Daria), Warner Bros. Animation (Batman Beyond), Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, PBS and others.
Joe is the co-creator and illustrator of the FABIEN COUSTEAU EXPEDITIONS, a graphic novel series published by Simon & Schuster. GREAT WHITE SHARK ADVENTURE, JOURNEY UNDER THE ARCTIC and DEEP INTO THE AMAZON JUNGLE are in book stores and comic shops now!
Joe’s publishing company Astronaut Ink highlights his own creator-owned properties BOLD BLOOD, MEGAHURTZ® and most recently NEW ZODIAX. The NEW ZODIAX Graphic Novel first printing has sold out and is now available in its second printing.
