Featured Guests
Learn more from the creative minds that have brought you Superman, Spider-Man, Emmie, and more!
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is a Peabody, Eisner and Inkpot award winning comics creator, Amazon and New York Times bestseller most known for co-creating pop culture icons MILES MORALES, JESSICA JONES, RIRI WILLIAMS and dozens of other characters and stories that populate the Marvel, DC and all new original universes. The JINXWORLD line of creator owned comics can be found at the legendary Dark Horse comics. These titles include the eisner winning, long running POWERS. Brian received an honorary doctorate in the arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a certificate of excellence from the Central Intelligence Agency for his work on diversity issues.
PANELS
From Cleveland to Krypton: the Superman Panel! Superman vs. Spider-Man: Who's the Bigger Mensch? Cleveland: Home of Heroes!Peter Kuper
Peter Kuper’s illustrations and comics have appeared in publications around the world including The New Yorker, The Nation, Charlie Hebdo
and MAD magazine where he has written and illustrated SPY vs. SPY since 1997.
He is the co-founder of World War 3 Illustrated a political graphics magazine and has produced over two dozen books including The System, Ruins (winner of the 2016 Eisner Award) and adapted Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as well as many of Franz Kafka's works into comics including The Metamorphosis.
His latest books are INSECTOPOLIS: A Natural History and Wish We Weren’t Here.
He was the recipient of the 2020-21 Cullman Fellowship at The New York Public Library,
the 2024 RFK Journalism Award for cartooning ,the 2025 Herblock Finalist Prize, a 2026 Pulitzer Prize Finalist and is a 2026 Safina Center Fellow.
He teaches cartooning at Harvard University.
PANELS
American Splendor at 50! The Harvey Pekar Tribute Panel Will Eisner & Jules Feiffer: The Great Comics Pioneers Drawing the Line: Cartoonists Take on the World Cleveland: Home of Heroes!Terri Libenson
Terri Libenson is the New York Times bestselling author of the popular, award-winning middle-grade series, Emmie & Friends, which has been translated into twenty languages. She was previously the Reuben Award-winning cartoonist of the syndicated daily comic strip, The Pajama Diaries (2006-2020) as well as a humorous card writer/illustrator for American Greetings. Terri lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, Mike. She is the proud mom of two grown daughters and a spoiled poodle, Rosie.
PANELS
The Cleveland Scene: Comic Edition Ideas, Ink, and Impact: Women in the Comics Industry Today People of the Funnybook: Jewish Humor in Comics Cleveland: Home of Heroes!Marc Andreyko
NYT best-selling writer, Eisner and Ringo! winner, GLAAD nominee, OUT 100, 3x game show contestant, dog person, and movie lover.
Ben & Max Berkowitz
THE BERKOWITZ BROTHERS, founded by Ben and Max Berkowitz, is a production company that creates and develops original comic book IP as a direct pipeline for film and television. Their first comic book project, The Writer, co-created with Josh Gad, was published by Dark Horse Comics from 2024 to 2025. The series received critical acclaim and won JewCE Best Writer of the Year, Nerd Initiative Cheersie Awards Best Limited/Mini Series, and AIPT Best of the Best 2024: Best Writer, Best Mini Series, Best Issue #1, Best Single Issue. The collected edition was released in May 2025 and is currently in development as a live-action feature film.
Daniel Lobell
"Daniel Lobell is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and comic book creator known for his distinct storytelling style. A mainstay in the comedy world, Daniel has spent years performing on stages across the globe and currently co-hosts the weekly podcast We Think It's Funny alongside veteran comedian Mark Schiff. His storytelling has also been featured on Ira Glass's acclaimed public radio show This American Life.
He is the creator of the ongoing autobiographical comic book series Fair Enough, published by Stand Up! Comics, the comic book arm of Minneapolis-based Stand Up! Records. Deeply inspired by Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor, the series explores the highs, lows, and everyday absurdities of life through raw, honest sequential art. Mirroring Pekar's collaborative approach, Daniel works with a different artist on each issue, a creative choice that earned Fair Enough a nomination for Best Autobiographical/Biographical Content at the inaugural JewCE Awards in New York City. Daniel's extensive relationship with Stand Up! Records also includes two comedy albums and a film release. His comics, albums, and film are all available directly through the Stand Up! Records.
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Gary Dumm
Gary is a life-long Clevelander. Gary’s mom helped teach him to read using comic books as a kid, so they’re kind of in his blood! He attended Cuyahoga Community College in the sixties where he took classes in painting and printmaking. He married Laura in 1971, and they started a life of artistic collaboration as well as creating their own art. In 1974 Gary met author Harvey Pekar through a friend of Laura’s who worked with Harvey, and began a 30+ year association drawing comics art for his ground-breaking autobiographical comic book “American Splendor”, and Laura added color as needed. Many other comics projects and art show exhibitions have followed for this husband-and-wife team. Laura has had solo art shows, as well as exhibiting with Gary in numerous group shows. They have worked on many publications, independent comic books and graphic novels. They have even co-curated a couple of successful art shows in Cleveland that extolled the virtues and importance of their city's current and storied comics’ history.
Danny Fingeroth
DANNY FINGEROTH is a cultural historian, specializing in history at the intersection of Jewish and American cultures. His books include Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero. His 2019 biography of Stan Lee, A Marvelous Life (St. Martin's Press/Macmillan), looks at this legendary Jewish-American figure—the co-creator of Marvel Comics—in the context of the overall culture. Danny is one of the curators of the original JewCE exhibition, which forms the basis of Icons in Ink.
Fingeroth’s most recent book is 2023’s Jack Ruby: The Many Faces of Oswald’s Assassin (Chicago Review Press), which takes us through the proudly-Jewish Ruby’s bizarre life leading up to and beyond that fateful weekend in Dallas in November 1963 when Ruby killed accused JFK-assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. Fingeroth’s research included new information gleaned from notes taken by legendary rabbi Hillel Silverman on his many visits to the imprisoned Ruby.
Fingeroth has served as an executive editor and writer at Marvel and other media companies and has spoken and taught at venues including the Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University, the Maltz Museum, and the YIVO Institute, as well as on NBC’s Today Show and NPR’s All Things Considered. He’s also presented at Marxfest, the Marx Brothers Festival, in New York, and at the World of Bob Dylan Conference in Tulsa.
For more: www.dannyfingeroth.com
PANELS
American Splendor at 50! The Harvey Pekar Tribute Panel (Moderator) Superman vs. Spider-Man: Who's the Bigger Mensch? Will Eisner & Jules Feiffer: The Great Comics PioneersMatt Horak
Matt Horak is an artist and designer based in Akron, Ohio. Along with creating artwork for EarthQuaker Devices guitar pedals and merchandise, he has worked in the comics industry since 2014. He has provided interior art and covers for publishers including Image, Marvel, Dark Horse, Oni, and Mad Cave on titles such as Punisher, Spider-man/Deadpool, Magik, Star Wars, Black Panther, Flash Gordon, Rick and Morty and more. Co-creator of Dr. Crowe and Space Step Dad, and Octo Skull.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Phillip Kennedy Johnson broke into comics in 2015 with BOOM! Studios miniseries Last Sons of America and Warlords of Appalachia, soon leading him to Marvel and DC Comics. He is best known for his acclaimed work on Superman| Action Comics, Marvel's Alien, Green Lantern: War Journal, Hellhunters, and his current fan-favorites runs on Incredible Hulk, Infernal Hulk, and Batman & Robin.
Amy Kurzweil
Amy is a New Yorker cartoonist and the author of two graphic memoirs: Flying Couch and Artificial: A Love Story. She was a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow with the American Academy in Berlin and a 2019 Shearing Fellow with the Black Mountain Institute, and she has received fellowships from Yaddo, MacDowell, and elsewhere. She recently won the 2024 Overseas Press Club Cartoon Award for her essay with the Los Angeles Times, “A Palestinian, an Israeli, and a Path to Peace.” Her work has been nominated for a Reuben Award and an Ignatz Award for “Technofeelia,” her four-part series with The Believer Magazine. Her writing, comics, and cartoons have also been published in The Verge, The New York Times Book Review, Longreads, Literary Hub, WIRED, and many other places. She has taught writing and comics at Parsons The New School for Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Center for Talented Youth, Interlochen Center for the Arts, in New York City Public Schools, and in many other venues. She teaches a monthly cartooning class to a growing—and enthusiastic—community of virtual students around the world via her Patreon.
Joe Rubinstein
Joe Rubinstein is a comic book artist and inker, best known for his work onThe Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and the 1982 Wolverine limited series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Josef was born in Wrocław, Poland, on June 4, 1958. His family immigrated to the United States, and he became a naturalized citizen in 1972. He has considered America his home ever since. Joe started his career in comics as a teenager in the early 1970s. He got his foot in the door as an office assistant at Continuity Associates, working under the legendary Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. (pictured) That job was his first real education in inking—Joe is so grateful to Giordano for taking the time to show him the ropes.
Joshua Sky
Writer for Masters of the Universe and Heavy Metal. Netflixer. Marvel/Disney alumni. An optimist from Maui,Hawaii. Join the adventure!
and fan-favorites...
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Noor Albasi
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Dr. Samantha Baskind
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Danielle Batone
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Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik
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Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik
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Dr. Jennifer Caplan
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Bernard "Bernie" Chang
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N. C. Christopher Couch
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Shalom "Sholly" Fisch
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Sam Fisher
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Albert Fuzail
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Leigh Goldie
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Basya Goldstein
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Dan Gorman
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Lynnesha Hamilton
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Miguel Hernandez
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Tasmin Humphries
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Gary Kaplan
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Dr. Michael Kimmel
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Daniel Lobell
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Dr. Rafael Medoff
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Dr. Miriam Mora
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Moiz Muqri
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Leonardo "Leo" Muylaert
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Zach Nelson
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Len Peralta
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Chari Pere
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Shari Ross
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Dr. Louis Schubert
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Joe Sieracki
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Arnon Z. Shorr
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JT Waldman
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Joe Zabel
...and more!