If you want to attend the massively popular Comic-Con International: San Diego next year, it’s time to start making plans.
The convention will put its four-day and one-day passes on sale to the general public Monday, Nov. 1, at 9 a.m. PT through its website, comic-con.org. Demand for passes last year was high, leading to four-day passes selling out in December and one-day passes gone by April for the July show.
The convention also announced the first 20 special guests for next year’s show, which are:
• Jordi Bernet, a Spanish comics artist known in the U.S. for the hardboiled Torpedo series and for DC’s Jonah Hex.
• Patricia Briggs, author of Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series.
• Jo Chen, award-winning cover artist for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Runaways.
• Alan Davis, British comic book writer and artist on such titles as Captain Britain, Excalibur and JLA: The Nail. He is currently drawing Marvel’s Avengers Prime.
• David Finch, comics artist known for Cyberforce, Avengers, New Avengers, and Brightest Day covers. He is writing and drawing a new series called Batman: The Dark Knight for DC Comics.
• Dave Gibbons, the British artist on the all-time classic Watchmen; artist on the Give Me Liberty/Martha Washington series with writer Frank Miller; and writer-artist of the graphic novel The Originals,
• Kim Harrison, author of the Rachel Morgan and Madison Avery series.
• Jonathan Hickman, writer of the Fantastic Four, Secret Warriors and S.H.I.E.L.D. comic-book series for Marvel.
• John Higgins, a long-time British comics artist on 2000 AD titles and colorist on Watchmen.
• Charlie Huston, crime/horror novelist, writer of the Hank Thompson series, the Joe Pitt Casebooks; and the comics Wolverine: The Best There Is and Moon Knight.
• Jamal Igle, comics artist whose work has been published by Marvel, Image, Devils Due and Disney. His most recent work includes Supergirl.
• Richard Kyle, writer for Graphic Story Magazine, a highly influential fanzine of the 1960s. He coined the term “graphic novel” in 1964.
• Rebecca Moesta, co-author with Kevin J. Anderson of the Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights series, writer of the Crystal Doors series and Buffy novels.
• Christopher Moore, author of humorous vampire novels, including Bite Me: A Love Story, You Suck: A Love Story and Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story.
• Bill Schelly, historian of comics fandom whose books include The Golden Age of Comics Fandom and biographies of Joe Kubert and Otto Binder.
• Frank Stack, a pioneering underground cartoonist (as “Foolbert Sturgeon”), and artist on many of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor stories as well as the graphic novel Our Cancer Year.
• Mark Tatulli, cartoonist with two ongoing syndicated strips: Lio and Heart of the City.
• Roy Thomas, one of the first fans to become a pro comics creator. He published the early 1960s fanzine Alter Ego and went on to be editor-in-chief at Marvel and write titles such as Conan. He currently edits a revived Alter Ego magazine.
• Maggie Thompson, editor of the Comics Buyers Guide and co-creator in 1961 of Comic Art, one of the earliest comics fanzines.
• Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies and Midnighters series.
Comic-Con 2011 will be held July 21-24 at the San Diego Convention Center.
