Thirty-Four Eisner Award Winners and Nominees To Attend Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, August 11-14, 2011

19 Winners Including Azzarello, Friedrich, Johnson, Moore, Risso, Sienkiewicz Plus 15 Nominees Among 400+ Top Creators At Chicago Comic Con

NEW YORK and ROSEMONT, Ill., July 18, 2011 – A total of 34 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards winners (19) and nominees (15) are among the more than 400 comic creators scheduled to attend Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, part of North America’s largest pop-culture tour, August 11-14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Headliners among the winners include Brian Azzarello (“Flashpoint,” “Batman – Knight of Vengeance”), Gary Friedrich (“Ghost Rider,” “Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos”), Dave Johnson (“Deadpool,” “Punisher MAX”), Stuart Moore (“Namor: The First Mutant,” “Wolverine Noir”), Eduardo Risso (“Flashpoint,” “100 Bullets”) and Bill Sienkiewicz (“Elektra: Assassin,” “Moon Knight”).

Other winners include Franco Aureliani ("Billy Batson And The Magic Of Shazam!," "Tiny Titans"), Art Baltazar (“Tiny Titans,” “Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!”), Gabriel “galvo” Bautista (“PopGun,” “Pulpo Anthology”), Ian Boothby (“Simpsons Comics,” “Futurama”), Geof Darrow (“Daredevil,” “Marvel Zombies 5”), Pia Guerra (“Y: The Last Man,” “Dr. Who: The Forgotten”) Paul Jenkins (“Spider-Man,” “Incredible Hulk”), Peter Maresca (“George Herriman’s Krazy Kat: A Celebration of Sundays,” “Little Nemo in Slumberland”), Nina Matsumoto (“Yokaiden,” “The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story”), Andrew Pepoy (“The Adventures of Simone & Ajax,” “Fables”), Nate Powell (“Swallow Me Whole,” “Sounds of Your Name), Ken Steacy (“Spawn,” “Star Wars”) and William Stout (Paleontological Artist).

Among the Eisner nominees scheduled to attend are Ivan Brunetti (“Schizo,” “Linework), Steve Bryant (“Athena Voltaire,” “The Canterville Ghost”), Lilli Carré (“Nine Ways to Disappear,” “The Fir Tree”), Paul Friedrich (“Onion Head Monster,” “Don’t Trust Evel Knievel”), Eliza Frye (“The Lady’s Murder,” “Lucky House”), David Mack (“Kabuki,” “Daredevil”), Laura Park (“Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream,” “Superior Showcase”), Ronda Pattison (“Star Wars: Clone Wars,” “Spike”), Humberto Ramos (“Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Spectacular Spider-Man”), Thomas Scioli (“Gødland,” “American Barbarian”), Gary Shipman (“DreamWorks,” “Pakkin’s Land”), Ben Templesmith (“Wasteland,” “Buffy”) Billy Tucci (“Sgt. Rock,” “Shi”), Ethan Van Sciver (“Green Lantern,” “Superman/Batman”), Matt Wagner (“Grendel,” “Batman”).

The creators will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and sketch. Many Greater Chicago-based artists will be in attendance as well.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comic book industry. Established in 1987, they are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of “The Spirit” and several award-winning graphic novels).

Other superstar creators scheduled to attend include Carlo Barberi (“Deadpool,” “Batman”), Jim Cheung ("Avengers," "Uncanny X-Men"), Mike Deodato Jr. ("Amazing Spider-Man," "Wonder Woman"), Patrick Gleason (“Batman & Robin,” “Brightest Day”), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Mike Grell ("Green Arrow," "Green Lantern"), Greg Horn ("Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark," "Hero For Hire"), Greg Hurwitz (“The Crime Writer,” “The Tower”), Ariel Olivetti (“Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight,” “Cable”), Damion Scott (“Deadpool,” “Batgirl”), Arthur Suydam ("Marvel Zombies," "Army of Darkness") and Mark Texeira (“Wolverine,” “Spider-Man”).

Chicago Comic Con is the seventh stop on Wizard World's 2011 North American tour. Hours are Thursday, August 11, 5 – 9 p.m.; Friday, August 12, noon - 8 p.m.; Saturday, August 13, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; and Sunday, August 14, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online at http://www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html at a savings over tickets purchased at the door. Advance adult single-day tickets are priced at $25 ($35 on site); four-day all-session tickets are $50 ($60 on site), and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available on a limited basis.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests. Wizard World also produces Wizard World Digital, an online publication covering new and upcoming products and talents in the pop culture world, and is distributed on a weekly basis to online and iPad users worldwide.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

***** SAVE THE 2011/12 DATES *****
August 11-14, 2011 – Chicago Comic Con
September 24-25, 2011 – Los Angeles Comic Con
October 22-23, 2011 – Mid-Ohio Comic Con
November 11-13, 2011 – Austin Comic Con
January 28-29, 2012 – New Orleans Comic Con
March 24-25, 2012 – Toronto Comic Con
April 28-29, 2012 – Anaheim Comic Con
May 19-20, 2012 – Big Apple Comic Con
June 1-3, 2012 – Philadelphia Comic Con
October 2012 – New England Comic Con
December 8-9, 2012 – Miami Comic Con