A vast universe: Denver Comic Con to feature diverse cast of local creators

The call for more women, LGBTQ and people of color in pop culture — on the screen, in pages and as creators — has become louder and louder in recent years.—And with the coming Denver Comic Con, which is a massive collision of said pop culture, that conversation is naturally starting up again.

Denver’s Con makes a concerted effort to be inclusive and diverse, DCC director of programming Bruce MacIntosh said. That doesn’t mean it’s not immune to slip-ups, like back in 2015, when a—national controversy erupted—around a “Women in Comics” panel that was all male.

But MacIntosh said DCC tries to make sure the guests reflect the broader diversity of the city it’s based in by bringing in creatives and hosting panels that many groups will find interesting.

And it seems to be working. Last year, slightly more women than men attended, he said, and the diversity of guests is evident just walking around.

While the Con will play host to plenty of women, minority and LGBTQ creators from the national stage — Alitha Martinez who did art for “Black Panther,” Larry Hama who wrote “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero,” and Amy Chu who wrote “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death”– several of the diverse writers and comics showing work are from the local scene.

The metro Denver area comic scene is “winning” when it comes to diversity, said local comic writer and “Motherf*cker in a Cape” podcast host R. Alan Brooks. And he would know. Brooks has often spoken on panels or his podcast about diversity in comics. His own work tends to explore those themes as well.

(If you want to check out Brooks, he’ll be on several panels throughout Denver—Comic Con and will soon be premiering “Burning Metronome,” a 164-page hardcover graphic novel that he described as the “Twilight Zone” meets “Usual Suspects.”)

Many of Denver’s diverse creatives will be showing their work at this year’s Comic Con.—But when walking through booth, after booth, after booth, it’s easy to get lost in the fray. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but if you wanted a more guided path,

Brooks laid out the local women, people of color and LGBTQ artists and writers to check out. Although he named many more, this list was narrowed to 11 (taking it to 10 was too tough.)

1. Lonnie MF Allen

   Lonnie Allen is one of the biggest players in the local comic scene. For the past eight years, he’s organized Denver Drink and Draw, a weekly gathering of comic artists, and Doodle Fights!, a local comics showcase and competition. He has been published in Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics and was nominated for the Eisner Award. His book “Delineate,” which he’ll be showing at Comic Con, won the 2017 DINKy for Outstanding Work by a Colorado Creator. The book features one or two frames per page that peek into a particular moment or observations with topics ranging from humorous takes on fedoras to loneliness and depression.

2. Oi Bob Parks

   Bob Parks, whose nickname is Oi Bob, was part of a small group that began the local comic faction Red Team Go. He focuses on traditional illustration and watercolor but said lately he’s been doing more community oriented work. For example, Parks and others at the Red Team Go tables will be sketching free pieces for kids and teaching them how to draw. Parks will also be doing free zombie makeup at the RTG tables in the Imagination Lab.

3. Dailen—Ogden

   Dailen Ogden is sixth generation Boulder County person. “My roots have roots have roots out here,” she joked. Ogden tends to focus on urban and historical fantasy stories, drawing in an art nouveau style that favors scrolling design, patterns and flowers. She’s currently working on a web comic called “The Liminal.” In 1994, people crack open a mountain and find magic. Jump to 2012 and both the internet and the magic are rearing their ugly heads. Oh, and there’s murder. During Comic Con, she’ll be selling broken-glass-prism prints that sparkle like a rainbow, and pins and sketchbooks. —

4. Alex Graham

   Alex Graham draws pen-and-ink comics that are reality-based with alien narratives. She started as a painter about 14 years ago but adapted to comics roughly two years ago. She recently finished a graphic novel “Angloid” that was released in parts in the last couple years but she’ll soon be gathering into a book. She also does a series called “Cosmic Being,” a series of short stories with aliens and cosmic overtones. Graham will only be showing the first day of Comic Con so make sure to check her out Friday, June 30.

5. Gerhard Kaaihue

   Gerhard Kaaihue has been showing at Denver Comic Con since it started. Born in Maui, much of Kaaihue’s work has Hawaiian influences. He studied in Japan and many say there are anime influences as well. Kaaihue said he usually focuses on emotional pieces, typically pulling from his own struggles. This is evident in his illustration series “Red,” that includes a piece depicting his wife’s miscarriages and another of a girl drawing herself into existence. Kaaihue self-published—”Stella Noir,” a series on a secret agent who has to protect her ex-boyfriend, and is working on the final pages of a book with Brooks called “Falling Deep.”

6. Cori Redford

   Cori Redford has been an artist for a long time but, initially, all of her work was reserved for herself. Within the last year, though, she’s been publishing her comics and zines for the public. She has several artistic styles but the main thread through all of her pieces is humor, which is obvious in the “Journal of Scientific Inquiry,” which is not at all scientific, and “Denver Deviations,” which is a guided city tour you would not want to be stuck on. Redford will be at the Doodle Fights! party at Mutiny Information Cafe Friday, June 30, for the launch of the Denver Public Library comics newspaper starting at 7 p.m. She’ll also be hanging out at the Comic Con booth for the comic “Specialists.”

7. Dylan Edwards

   Dylan Edwards’ comics focus on queer and trans people and spread through a variety of genres, including autobiography, science fiction and horror. A Colorado native, he moved to Denver in 2013. He currently has an on-going webcomic and a couple of stories in anthologies coming out later this year. He’ll be at the Denver Comic Con Founder’s Booth on Friday, June 30, in the morning. But Edwards said it’d be easiest to find him after a panel.

8. Stan Yan

   Stan Yan is likely best known as the zombie caricature guy — although, he can draw you as My Little Pony too. Most of Yan’s early work focused on a sick and twisted slice of life, which he pulled from his time as a stockbroker for 13 years. He was laid off, though, and turned to his art full time. Yan had been focusing on caricature work for a while but has recently returned to other projects, such as a memoir comic on his best friend’s battle with cancer called “Regret” and a children’s book “There’s a Zombie in the Basement.” He’ll be selling a DVD of his son narrating the children’s book. His son, who is 7, will also be at the booth selling his own work.

9. Brandon Anubis

   Brandon Anubis, whose given name is Brandon Cole, creates SciFi drama, action and fantasy with Pan-African and martial arts influences. Anubis will be releasing “Acid of the Godz,” which is illustrated by Ryan Best, on July 8 with a launch party at Vinue Food and Wine Bar at 7 p.m. In the book, a horde of genetically engineered creatures terrorize people as weather anomalies begin to surface and cause substantial damage. A young prince and three unlikely heroes must find an ancient artifact to bring balance to the world. Anubis created the original manuscript in 2005. He experienced a brain tumor that put him out of commission for a while, but during the time off, he got the idea for several manuscripts.—Anubis and Best will have a 4-foot sword held by Chuma, one of the characters in the book, at their booth.

10. Thea Hunt

    Thea Hunt has been in the Denver scene for nine years. She does a lot of fantasy and dystopian-future work in a traditional pen-and-ink style that mostly focuses on young black kids. “That’s my thing,” she said. “I write stories about kids that look like my siblings.” Hunt’s recent work is called “Amelia.” It’s a story about a little girl raised by gods who were terrible at raising humans. The story operates between the world of the gods and the world of humanoids, so one isn’t sure if what’s happening is really in this world or all in her head.

11. Jaromir Stoll

    Jaromir Stoll says he focuses on the “ineffable in life,” the things that pass quickly but feel big. It’s the little moments in the flow of everyday life. Honestly, it’s moody. Stoll describes his style as “scritchy scratchy,” which is another way to say he uses crosshatching. Stoll recently finished his first autobiographical comic called “Myself” that is short, only about 12 pages, and explores the weirdness of moving around for jobs as well as the time when his dad was given four months to live but then didn’t die. Stoll was teaching at Metropolitan State University of Denver, but recently accepted a teaching position in Columbus, Ohio, so catch him while you can. He’ll spend the first morning of Comic Con at the DCC Founder’s Booth. After that, you can find him at some of the panels, including one in which he’ll present his paper on queer comics in India.