2025 ARTISTS & GUESTS
Marc Sumerak
NEO ComicCon is pleased to announce the return of Marc Sumerak:
Marvel Rivals narrative writer, comic book editor and Ambassador to Comics in Cleveland, Marc Sumerak, comes back to join us after a few years off the ComicCon circuit. One of the best guys NEO ComicCon has been lucky have as a guest over the years.
Marc Sumerak is an Eisner and Harvey Award nominated writer who has spent the last 25+ years contributing to the storyscapes of some of your favorite fictional universes, from Marvel and Star Wars to Invincible and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Sumerak’s work has been seen in countless comics, books, cookbooks, and video games. He is currently a Narrative Writer on the massively successful MARVEL Rivals, now available on PS5, Xbox, and PC.
Marc will autograph books and talk about all things geek on August 3rd.
DON SIMPSON
Neo ComicCon is proud to welcome Special Guest of Honor, Don Simpson. Don has been supporting our event and visiting with our attendees since our very first show ten years ago.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, Don graciously offered to create an amazing new poster for us, featuring the first ever team-up between Neo and one of Don’s most important creations, Megaton Man. Even more impressive is the fact that this year is the 40th anniversary of the Mighty MM’s first appearance in 1984!
This year, we’ll be producing a special, limited-edition poster which will be available at both the ticket booth and at Don’s table. Don is an amazing artist and storyteller and always has time for our attendees.
Along with Megaton Man, Don created Border Worlds and has worked on Marvel’s CRAZY!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splitting Image, Savage Dragon vs. Megaton Man, King Kong, and the DC Anthology series, Wasteland. Don also co-created In Pictopia with Alan Moore, which was recently re-released in a stunning new edition.
Don is also available for commissions and can be contacted via his Facebook page.
TONY ISABELLA - COMIC LEGEND!
NEO ComicCon proudly welcomes back the Chairman of the Board for Comic Book Culture in Northeast Ohio, Tony Isabella. Tony is a comic book writer, editor, and critic, known as the creator of DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning, as well as other ground-breaking characters like Misty Knight and Tigra.
As a writer and editor for Marvel Comics, Tony worked on several major titles, including Ghost Rider, the Champions, Daredevil, Captain America, and Luke Cage, Hero for Hire. He also published regularly as a columnist for the well-reknowned Comics Buyer’s Guide.
Tony owned and operated one of the most iconic comic stores in Cleveland, Cosmic Comics, located in the Arcade in downtown Cleveland. That shop is where this writer’s father bought him issues 141 and 142 of The Uncanny X-men. I read them in the backseat of the car on the way home and became a lifelong fan.
Tony continues to be one of the bright spots of our convention, and we hope that his grace and generosity of spirit will continue to guide us for years to come.
BILL KRAUSE
NEO ComicCon is pleased to announce a new guest 2024! Bill Krause is a custom model builder for film, television, and commissioned projects, specializing in the Star Trek Universe.
Bill has most recently been involved with Star Trek: Picard, Season 2 and 3, designing and building props for the show. The Season 3 ship, the U.S.S. Titan, is a modified version of an original design by Krause.
Bill built the new U.S.S. Stargazer, including the new ship model, the Sagan-class, He also built the gold-plated models seen in the back of the Stargazer's lounge.
Bill's 30-plus year career in Ohio saw him working in video production, editing, graphic design, and animation, as well as running his own company. He retired a few years ago, and pursued ship-building in earnest, which led him to Star Trek.
Bill is happy to talk all things Trek with fans, autograph pieces, and pose for photo ops.
DAN BERGER
NEO ComicCon is proud to announce that TMNT fan-favorite Dan Berger will be a special guest at our convention on August 4th at the Soccer Sportsplex in North Olmsted, OH.
Dan Berger began working in the mail room for Mirage Studios in 1990, sending out postcard replies to letters mailed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. Not too long afterwards, Steve Murphy and Ryan Brown hired Dan to be the inker on that series, where he had the pleasure of working on the pencils of Ken Mitchroney.
In 1991, Dan began inking the Turtles daily comic strip and eventually became the solo writer/artist. He created the action figure Merdude and produced TMNT licensing art for Chef Boyardee, Dell Publishing, Disney Magazine, Playmates Toys, and others.
In the late ’90s, Berger became the web master and designer for Mirage’s ninjaturtles.com site. He also contributed many scripts and drew several issues of Mirage’s Tales of the TMNT Volume Two and served as the managing editor for Mirage Publishing.
Dan was also the managing editor and graphic designer for Heavy Metal magazine and earned a Ringo Awards nomination for “Best Presentation in Design” for issue #300. Berger’s talents struck a power chord as the designer for Megadeth’s “Death by Design” and The Who’s “Life House” graphic novels.
Currently the production editor for Kevin Eastman’s "Drawing Blood" series being published by Image Comics, the multi-talented dude has been called one of the most approachable and friendliest guys in comics.
