San Diego is not only the home for the annual popular Comic-Con International convention, but also for some of the comic book industry's most influential artists and writers.
Theron Jacobs, district manager for the local comic book chain Comics-N-Stuff, which includes stores throughout the county, including Chula Vista and El Cajon, said there are dozens of artists and writers who live in San Diego County or Tijuana.
“San Diego Comic-Con obviously started here. The very first large-scale comic convention in the country started here," said Jacobs, who has been with Comics-N-Stuff for 20 years. "At one point, we had more comic stores than any other city as well. So, it's a long-standing symbiotic relationship between the city and the comic book industry.”
Jacobs also said some books and other items from these artists and authors can be found throughout San Diego’s comic book stores.
He encourages everyone to visit local comic book stores.
“Everyone in a local comic book store is engaged deeply in the medium and is really excited to invite new people into it," Jacobs said. "It’s the thing that gives me the most job satisfaction — connecting a person with a piece of art that has an impact on them that they wouldn’t have found otherwise. That is meaningful. It’s a human moment in a commercial space, but an actual human connection and I think that’s valuable.”
Here are some comic-book writers and artists Jacobs mentioned with a local connection, plus a couple more we had to mention.
Ed Brubaker, comics, film and television writer
Bestselling author and Eisner and Harvey award winner Ed Brubaker is one of the comic creators Jacobs said lived in San Diego at one point. His work includes collaborations with Sean Phillips on several graphic novels, including “Criminal,” “Incognito,” “Fatale,” “the Fade Out,” and “Velvet," on which he collaborated with Steve Epting.
Kevin Eastman, artist, writer and producer
With Peter Laird, San Diego resident Kevin Eastman created some of the world's most popular turtles: the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Eastman is scheduled to appear at this year’s Comic-Con.
Mary Fleener, artist and writer
Fleener is a Comic-Con International Inkpot award recipient for her contributions to the world of comics. Many of her stories appeared in anthologies, including the longest-running all-woman comics anthology, "Wimmen’s Comix" — which started in 1972 and ran for two decades. The Encinitas resident is known for her distinct cubist style, which she called "cubismo."
Rebecca Hicks, artist and writer of 'Little Vampires'
"Little Vampires" is a webcomic that Hicks, based in San Diego, created more than 14 years ago.
"My elevator pitch for 'Little Vampires' is they're literally little vampires," she once told KPBS. "They try really hard to be big and fierce vampires and they fail spectacularly at it."
Hicks plans to attend Comic-Con this year.
Keithan Jones, writer, artist, founder of Kid Comics and Black Comix Day
Keithan Jones is the writer and artist of the comic book “The Power Knights” and founder of Kid Comics.
The San Diego-based writer is also known for “community building influences by Black owned creators.” About six years ago, Jones launched Black Comix Day to celebrate Black comic book artists and creators.
Jim Lee, president of DC Comics
Jim Lee — one of the biggest names in the comic book industry — is originally from Seoul, South Korea and has also called San Diego his hometown.
Lee has held several high-profile roles, from artist to writer to president, publisher and chief creative officer of DC Comics. His artistic credits include working as an illustrator on the “X-Men” series with Marvel during the '80s and early '90s.
Chris Mowry, creative manager at Toho International
Mowry oversees the creative brand product development for Godzilla "everywhere outside of Japan." He also worked as a graphic artist at IDW Publishing, a San Diego-based publisher. While working at IDW, he wrote a Godzilla comic book series.
Victor Olazaba, sketcher and inker
Well-known sketcher and inker Victor Olazaba grew up in Tijuana and now lives in Chula Vista. Olazaba has worked for some of the biggest comic book publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Image Comics. His artistic credits include collaborations on titles such as “X-Men First Class,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” among many others.
Dave Stevens, artist and illustrator
One of the masters behind the artistry of comic books is artist Dave Stevens, who is known for creating the comic book “The Rocketeer.” The book was later turned into a movie from Walt Disney Studios.
A one-time San Diego resident, Stevens attended San Diego City College. He died in 2008.
Joseph Michael Straczynski, screenwriter, producer, director, and comic book writer
Comic book writer and filmmaker Joseph Michael Straczynski has several ties to the San Diego community: He graduated from San Diego State University and attended Southwestern College.
Straczynski is the creator of the science fiction television series “Babylon 5” and its spinoff “Crusade.” He is also known for his writing contributions during 2001 to 2007 for Marvel Comics’ “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Thor,” “Fantastic Four,” as well as his own original comic book series. Straczynski also had a short stint with KPBS working on the television production project "Marty Sprinkle."
Straczynski will also be at this year’s Comic-Con.
Ben Templesmith, graphic novelist
Known for nominations for the International Horror Guild Awards, writer and artist Ben Templesmith calls San Diego "home."
Templesmith co-created “30 Days of Night,” a three-issue horror comic book set in Alaska where the sun sets every year for at least one month of complete darkness. The book was so popular it was turned into a movie.
He’s also known for working on properties such as “Star Wars,” “GI Joe,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Dave Wilkins, inker, artist
Artist Dave Wilkins, senior lead artist at Dungeons and Dragons Digital, once lived in the San Diego region. Marvel and DC Comics are some of the major publishing companies he's contributed artwork to. Fans are familiar with his artwork which includes luchador El Zombo to superheroes such as Batman, the Green Lantern, and Conan, amongst others.
