Program Book - Kumoricon

14
Industry Guests
Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson is the author of the Eisner-nominated
encyclopedia Manga: The Complete Guide and author of
the graphic novel King of RPGs (kingofrpgs.com), coming
in January 2010. As a manga editor for VIZ and Del Rey, he
has worked on the English editions of titles such as Naruto,
Fullmetal Alchemist, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Z, Hana-Kimi,
One Piece, Shaman King, Uzumaki, The Drifting Classroom,
and Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei. His work has appeared in
Wired, The Comics Journal, and every issue of Otaku USA
magazine. He is the author/artist of several fantasy and
horror comics including H.P. Lovecraft’s The Strange High
House in the Mist, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath,
Hyperborea, and The Stiff, all on mockman.com. He is “khyungbird” on Twitter.
Boilerplate
Husband-and-wife team Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett have been
collaborating in print since 1989. Together they created the groundbreaking
science fiction graphic novel series Heartbreakers and the steampunk
sensation Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel. Boilerplate—hailed as “a
masterpiece” by The Telegraph and “brilliant” by everyone from Cherie Priest
to Mike Mignola—has attracted the attention of producer J.J. Abrams, who
plans to base a feature film on the book.
Paul is a multimedia artist and recovering Chicago television personality. He
combined his skills in illustration, photography, and model-making with his
love of history when he created Boilerplate, the Victorian-era robot. Paul also
co-created Chronos, a time travel series from DC Comics, and is internationally
renowned as an authority on nineteenth-century automatons. He has done
work as an animation background designer, a
storyboard artist, and an illustrator for all the
major comic book publishers.
Anina, first published at age 15, has penned five Heartbreakers graphic novels
and edited everything from Star Wars comic books to Supreme Court briefs.
She also teaches comics writing workshops for students of all ages. Her career
has taken her from Chicago, where she cut her teeth at First Comics; to Dark
Horse Comics in Oregon, where she worked with author Harlan Ellison; and
to Denmark, where she handled Mickey Mouse tales for multimedia giant
Egmont.
Paul and Anina were raised in Chicago and have known each other since
before the Internet existed. They now reside in Portland, Oregon, with their
weimaraner Bowie. Visit them online at www.BigRedHair.com and follow @
bigredhair on Twitter.