March 30, 2025
✎ 11am - 5pm
✄ Heinz History Center
✑ Get your FREE tickets now!
Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman St
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Parking at the Heinz
Free on-street parking surrounding the museum is available. Parking lots within walking distance to the History Center:
Please note: these lots are not owned by the Heinz History Center and the cost of parking varies based on demand & special events.
PIE 2025 poster by Angela Oddling
Special Guests
-
Bill Boichel is the owner and operator of the beloved Copacetic Comics. With over 48 years in comics retail Bill Boichel has witnessed the evolution of comics from disposable newsstand entertainment to a recognized art form featured in galleries, museums, and universities.
Bill has organized countless comics experiences, because just “convention” or “store” doesn’t capture the magnitude of his work in the community! As early as Cosmic Con (1979 -1981) to BEM from 1984 to 1995 (first as a monthly convention called Transfer) then a store (BEM: The Store) and a small publishing arm from 1985 to 2000 (Transformer, No Comics - which had Frank Santoro's first published comics,) followed by The Copacetic Comics Company (a legendary store that carries oh so much more than just comics, including hosting a year of Bill’s daily drawings called The Daily Davis) from 2000 to the present, and the Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo (PIX) from 2011 to 2017.
-
Beth Hetland is a cartoonist, educator, and champion of making weird shaped paper zines with your hands. She is a 2024 Bram Stoker Nominee and Harvey Award Nominee for Book of the Year.
Beth’s stories explore memory, family, and personal history, such as Fugue, a three-part comic about music and generational connection. Her most recent book, Tender, blends the body horror subgenre with a sharp, subversive twist, diving into the relentless societal expectations placed on women. It’s gross, deeply personal yet universally relatable.
Beth’s handmade books are a tactile wonderland and a pleasure to experience. We’re obsessed with the gorgeous silkscreen covers and unique flap folds of the Half Asleep series, the fabric books (Collapse, Dis(quiet), Impact,) the pizza pie shaped Team Work Makes The Dream Work, and so much more.
-
Steph Neary is a self-taught artist who creates one-of-a-kind pieces using vintage and salvaged materials. Her work is neon and soft, huge and intimate, and always deeply human.
Steph’s artistic practice spans strange dolls and fabulous witches, zines on paper and fabric, worlds of drawings, and storytelling through quilts. Her work embraces the raw charm of heirloom-inspired design, blurring the lines between art and craft, honoring traditions of both to create her own visual language. She has been a part of organizing the Pittsburgh Zine Fair, co-editor of Andromeda Quarterly (2010-2014), featured in nationwide anthologies and self publishing comix since 2008. Currently, she manages VaultArt Studio, a progressive art space in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood which supports and promotes the inclusion of artists with disabilities in contemporary art. She lives by the philosophy that "anything is comix" and creates artwork out of her home studio.
-
Item description
-
John Peña is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the natural world and his daily interactions through comics, sculpture, video, and public art. His work is vast, heartfelt, and deeply engaged with storytelling.
Some of John’s projects include sending a letter to the Pacific Ocean everyday for twelve years, a daily drawing about his life (Daily Geologies) and life-sized plaster word balloons precariously balanced on two-by-fours. He collaborated with senior citizens in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood (Larimer Stories) which led to the Mister Tony project where John documented his friendship with the vibrant Mister Tony. We had the privilege of meeting Anthony Mainiero himself (104 years old at the time!) at the Pittsburgh Zine Fair in 2024.
-
The Black Indie Comix Club (BICC) is a space for Black community, culture, and comfort in the world of indie comic making.
We offer support and connection for Black creators regardless of where they may be in their career and seek to grow Black inclusion and access to resources in independent comics. We focus on the individuals within our collective and their growth in the many talents we share. BICC is a hybrid group that meets virtually on Discord and has in-person chapters in Minneapolis, MN and Columbus, OH.
Panels in the 6th floor Library
12pm - 1pm
Comics Self-Publishing: Journey and Destination
With Bill Boichel, Jim Rugg, Audra Stang, Conor Stechschulte and Beth Hetland
While self-publishing is often / generally viewed as the first step on a journey to being professionally published by publishers of progressing stature, it is also an end in and of itself. There is an inherent satisfaction in self-publishing one's own work, in making and controlling all aspects of the comics' production – and for some creators it is possible to earn as much self-publishing as being professionally published. Our panelists have – to varying degrees – worked both sides of this divide and will discuss each side’s ins and outs, ups and downs, and pros and cons.
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Mister Tony: A Graphic Memoir of 104-year-old Anthony Mainiero
John Peña will be presenting comics, photographs and videos highlighting his eight-year friendship with Pittsburgh native Anthony Mainiero (1920-2025,) illustrated in the Mister Tony series of comics. He will share stories about Tony's life in Larimer, his love of Raisin Bran, and his reflections on life, death, and gardening.
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Cartooning While Black & Supporting DEI in 2025
Black Indie Comix Club
DEI is under attack and Black Artist communities are fighting back! Join us to learn how to support Black Artists and push back against resegregation and fascism in the arts
3:30pm - 4:15pm
Waxing on Webcomics
Kelci D Crawford, Lexi Ramos, meganebii, vin mugavero
Join a panel of experienced webcomic creators as they discuss the art, challenges, and opportunities of publishing comics online.
Hands-on Workshops
A Slice of Pittsburgh
This traveling exhibition of original art celebrates the amazing cartoonists and comics creators who call this city home! An iteration of the Mobile Cartoon Museum, co-presented by Incubator Productions and Comicsburgh.
12:00PM-1:30PM: You Can Toon! Family Fun Workshop - All Ages
Kids and adults alike will use cartooning skills to complete a collaborative cartooning challenge under the guidance of one of Incubator Productions’ cartoon educators. Perfect for families with little ones who are looking for a fun, hands-on activity.
With Carina Stopenski
2:15PM-3:45PM: Put Your Think into Ink! Materials and Techniques Workshop - Ages 13 and Up
Attendees of this workshop will get a basic introduction to a variety of comic making materials and art techniques, getting to explore the creative process through practical applications. We will experiment with different materials and students will come away with a greater knowledge on how they can apply these techniques in their own comic making.
With Geoff Munn
4:00PM-5:00PM: So You Want to be a Zinester?
Zine Making Workshop - Ages 13 and Up
Ever wanted to try to make your own comic but want to start on a much small scale? Enter zines! Attendees of this workshop will get a brief history of zines and their relationship to comics, learn how to fold and cut zines, and get to experiment with a host of materials to make their own final product.
With Carina Stopenski
Exhibitors!
-
Adam Bell Games
I make tabletop roleplaying and storytelling games that aim to let any group of people tell a great story they'll remember. My games include Grasping Nettles, a worldbuilding game; Legend Has It, an anthology creation game where you pull sentences from your favorite books and turn them into new stories; My Brain is a Stick of Butter, a single player ADHD simulator; and No Stone Unturned, a post-post-apocalyptic roleplaying game with a focus on environmentalism.
-
Aleph Null Publishing
Myself and various artists make art-centric zines with comics and RPG content.
-
Alyssa Van Hulle
I am an illustrator based in Enola, PA. I love creating stories with silly characters and bright colors and believe there’s nothing better than a stack of books and comics waiting to be read.
-
Amy Lovvik
Amy is a cartoonist living in Pittsburgh PA with their beautiful husband and snarky cats. They enjoy making comics about critters and mages while drinking an assortment of 4 beverages.
-
Andrew Mosher Art
I am Andrew Mosher, husband and father of two children, and I’ve been making comics for six years. I self publish zines and comics, and also make risograph prints and posters. Music is a huge inspiration for me and is often a central theme in my comics.
-
Audra Stang
Audra Stang is a cartoonist from Lebanon, PA, raised in Greensboro, NC. Her anthology, The Audra Show, features autobiographical comics set in the fictional Star Valley. She has also contributed to publications like Poison Pill, CRAM, and Megillah Sunday Funnies. Her book Tunnel Vision, a collection of a five-part serial from Rust Belt Review, was nominated for the 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Short-Form Comic.
-
Back Porch Comics / Bob Corby
Bob Corby is the guy who runs SPACE (Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo ) in Columbus. He is a retired structural engineer who has been a part-time cartoonist publishing his own work and the work of others since 1986. He publishes Oh, Comics!, an annual anthology series, since 1988. His other publications include Amazing Tales of Entropy, Leaves, Test!, Big Ears & Flat Feet and numerous Minicomics.
-
bedlam Arts & Goods
bedlam Arts & Goods is Eamon. Eamon is a human man living and working in Pittsburgh. He resides with his cat, Taco Cat, whom he did not name, but he does adore. As an artist, he has created a whole heap of work, largely about weird stuff and creatures of legend. He is best known for his series of oracle cards based on cryptids. His love of mythology and folklore go back to his early childhood.
-
BellRinger
BellRinger follows bell-headed wooden dolls enduring their quest to ring a church bell hoping to awaken their slumbering, corrupted, depressed world. Primarily told through the titular graphic novel series, BellRinger also expands into classic mini comics, experimental zines and sculpture.
-
BREADZONED
Carleigh Ross ("breadzoned") is an illustrator and designer fueled by caffeine and her love of creepy, funny comics. When she’s not creating, you can find her tending to her small army of plants or at carleighross.com! -
Brian Canini
Brian Canini is a cartoonist that lives with his significantly better half, Amy, and his three amazing kiddos in Sunbury, Ohio. Through his efforts in self-publishing, he has created the award-winning autobio graphic novels Fear of Flying and The Big Year, the critically acclaimed sci-fi comic Plastic People, the award-winning solo anthology Airbag, and is part of the team that produces the Eisner-nominated comics newspaper The Columbus Scribbler.
-
C.Tree Illustration
Rebecca "Cookie" Puno is an illustrator & cartoonist from the Philippines, currently based in St. Louis, MO. Her comics and stories celebrate folklore, mythology, and fan culture with a horror comedy twist. She is currently thinking about committing crimes...and how her characters can solve the case.
-
Caleb Thusat
Caleb Thusat, writer and creator of the acclaimed WWII ghost story Nook (Source Point Press), is a rising star in the indie comic community. His series Supercats (Scout Comics) is both an introduction to reading and comic book format for children ages 0-7 and is a wonderful way to get your little ones excited about reading! If you love science fiction, fantasy, horror, or silly cats, he might be your favorite new author! Caleb lives in Hudson, Ohio, with his lovely wife, two amazing kids, and two super cats!
-
Caleb_illustrations
I draw zines, I’m a forklift driver so I have an art collection on forklifts. My zines are also about nature and marine life. I also have a self portrait art book (and also beans)
-
Carl Lucas
I create zines, mini comics and long form graphic novels featuring my character Shogun Bear. I also teach at comics workshops at Columbus College Of Art & Design and Thurber House.
-
Charlotte Fleming
Charlotte Fleming makes art about the small, the quirky, and seemingly mundane. Both the silly and the serious are always welcome. Through sketches, books, and zines, she likes to illustrate moments where the manmade and natural world meet in absurdity or delight.
-
Chas Illustrations
Chas Chasler is an illustrator living in Pittsburgh, PA. He received a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Animation from Damean University in 2016. His work includes character designs, illustrations, branding for local businesses, animatics, and landscape art. Chas is currently writing his first book, Milo the Mime, a heartfelt tale of a non-speaking hero who uses his quiet quirks to thwart a bank heist and save the day.
-
Chris Mattei
Chris Mattei is a cartoonist from Michigan. His work is heavily influenced by the works of Jason and Chris Ware as well as his love for film. Chris’s stories are comprised of dead-pan characters with a dark sense of comedy rooted in mundane activities.
-
AdHouse Books (Chris Pitzer)
Ex-publisher, turned fanzine/mini-maker, Chris Pitzer brings a lifetime of comic fandom and collecting to his exhibitions.
-
Comix Clubhouse
We are an independent publisher of comic books for all-ages. Each of our stories features fun characters stuck in hilarious situations and going on exciting adventures. Whether they’re teaming up to save the multiverse or just looking for some salad, we hope our characters will capture the imaginations of readers young and old. So come on in and join the club.
-
Conor Stechschulte
Conor Stechschulte is an artist, cartoonist, and screenwriter whose work investigates the outlines of human identity, the malleability of memory, and the unstable nature of our perceptions. He is the author most recently of the graphic novel Ultrasound, published by Fantagraphics, along with dozens of self-published comics. He adapted Ultrasound into the screenplay for a feature film directed by Rob Schroeder and released by Magnolia Films in March of 2022. He has exhibited his work internationally and published with Breakdown Press in London, Colorama Press in Berlin, Cambourakis in Paris, and Coconino Press in Rome, among others.
-
Couples Therapy
Jeff and Brittan are Couples Therapy. Art is our therapy and we're a couple. We both work on art that is deeply rooted in real life. Real life is magical in a way so let's say there is a little magic in there too. Occasionally he'll make an appearance in her things and occasionally she'll make an appearance in his stuff. Our zines are about people living their every day lives. His zines are comics, drawn with pencils, brush pens, the iPad, and whatever we have laying around. Her zines are photos, screen prints, and collages. We're just having fun and love to be part of the community!
-
CRAM books
CRAM books is a risograph publisher ran by Andrew Alexander based in Brooklyn making fun, sad and honest art books. Since their beginning in late 2021, they have published half a dozen comics, zines and art objects ranging from a 120-page perfect bound book to a 10-foot accordion codex. All CRAM books are made by hand with the hope that they will decay from loving use. CRAM Comics #1: Relic Crafting for Future Trawlers was nominated for a 2023 Ignatz Award for Best Anthology and again in 2024 for Best Series.
-
CyPhono4
CyPhono4 is the illustration/music alter ego of Mike Madsen, an illustrator, DJ, and improv comedy performer who has lived in the greater Pittsburgh area for 10+ years. Mike's work usually centers on themes of queerness, liminality, dreams, mythology, and science fiction. Mike has been making zines and small print run comics since 2010.
-
Darya Farah Foroohar
Darya is a cartoonist and writer living in Chicago. Her first book, My Eyes, Your Gaze, was published by Chicago-based indie press Bridge Books. She has primarily self-published her other comics, which range from body horror to biography. She is particularly interested in incorporating political theory into her comics in order to make it more accessible to a wider audience. You can find her at @daryafarah on Instagram!
-
David G Caldwell
David is a cartoonist whose work spans several genres including horror, science fiction, and autobiography. Best known (so far) for his comics Yankee Doodle Strangler and Heat Death Love. He lives and works in the mountains of Tennessee.
-
Emi Gennis
Emi Gennis is a cartoonist from the Midwest. Her nonfiction comics often explore themes of loss, fringe thought, and foolhardy misadventure. She lives in Columbus, OH, where she is an Associate Professor of Comics & Narrative Practice at the Columbus College of Art & Design.
-
Forrest Storrs
Forrest Storrs is a queer, agendered writer living in Pittsburgh. When they're not writing stories or making comics with their friends, they're probably playing tabletop RPGs or saying hello to other people’s dogs.
-
Full Tilt Comics
katemyersart.wordpress.com/comics
Full Tilt Comics is a queer duo from Pittsburgh, founded by artist Kate Myers and author Maddie Smoyer. After high school, we started creating comics to address the lack of diverse queer narratives beyond romance and coming-out stories. We use dynamic art to showcase characters whose queer identities are just one aspect of who they are. Our projects, varying in length and tone, primarily explore supernatural and horror themes.
-
Hannibal Gerald
Hannibal Gerald is a cartoonist based in Pittsburgh making illustrations, comics, and animations.
You can find her work in several indie zines, and thematically on the razor’s edge of politics and straight up silliness. Her main shtick is her ongoing minicomic series CEO Joe! -
Hardscrabble Cafe (Alex Nall)
I write and draw a comic series called 'Town & County' which collects stories about people living in a rural village in Illinois. I've self-published for over ten years and have had work published with Kilgore Books, Bubbles Fanzine, and the Chicago Reader.
-
higu rose
higu rose is a cartoonist, illustrator, quilter, and educator living in Pittsburgh, PA. higu’s work is inspired by experiences of being a queer trans Black person, as well as iconography and the aesthetics of shoujo and Boys Love manga. higu self-published over 10 works of fiction and memoir, and has participated in a handful of anthologies! WHOA!!!
higu is currently working on YINZ CITY, a grant-funded slice of life comic about a small group of queer friends living their lives to varying degrees of success and failure. outside of comics and illustrations, higu makes quilts and soft sculptures of different original character designs. higu works in ink, paint, fiber, and spit. one time higu made Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel wait five minutes for an 8oz cup of coffee.
-
HJ Taylor
I am a storyteller at heart, and illustrate my ideas through zines, comics, collage, and writing. I am very inspired by vintage graphic design and music subcultures.
-
Hot Metal Games
@hotmetalgames
hotmetalgames.comHot Metal Games is a small indy board game publishing company. We focus on designer driving products that stand out from the normal. We make fun table tops, card, and board game .
-
Jackalyn Fleming
Jackalyn Fleming is a cartoonist and zinester from Columbus, Ohio. She creates minicomics that come in thematic shapes such as mushrooms and jack-o-lanterns, that tell stories about fairies, pumpkin-headed girls, and other fanciful characters. She also creates zines filled with colorful collages, existential musings, and vegetarian recipes. When not making comics, she likes to pet cats and collect found objects.
-
Jared Catherine
Jared Catherine is an amateur cartoonist who lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. When he’s not working his day job or at a Pirates game he’s drawing his self-published comic series; Incrediman Comix & Stories. Jared’s cartoons have appeared in various publications over the years. He did a series of editorial cartoons for Penn State’s Daily Collegian, and has contributed to numerous Pittsburgh anthologies including Memory, Love & Monsters and 7x7 webcomic series.
-
Jed Haas
Hello, my name is Jed Haas! I make comics primarily. Since 2020, I have made (and self-published) two graphic novels, one year-long webcomic, and am currently working on a series of zines. I also make animations here and there, but not as frequently. I also do illustrations, including fanart and original concepts.
-
Jet Black Press
Jet Black Press is a collaborative zine publisher and distributor founded by Lauren Lowery and Doug Eberhardt. Together, they have been creating handmade art books, zines, and prints for over a decade.
Jet Black Press will be debuting their newest comic, Hubba Hubba, a risograph-printed collaborative comic featuring the unique artwork stylings of Doug Eberhardt, Lauren Lowery, Benjamin Rettig, and Jordan White. Cover by Michael Burch. -
Jim & Ruth Keegan
Jim & Ruth Keegan are award-winning collaborative artists who have created fully illustrated books by Stephen King, Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, William F. Nolan, George Clayton Johnson, and many others. They’re the creators of the comic strip, “The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob”, published by Dark Horse comics for over a decade. Their current project is Supercharged! An 8-issue cross-country, science-based adventure published independently Earthshot Books.
-
Jim Rugg
Jim Rugg is an Eisner and Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist, designer, zinemaker, and illustrator. His works include Conspiracy Comics, True Crime Comics, Hulk Grand Design, and Street Angel. He co-created the Cartoonist Kayfabe channel on Youtube. His comics are in the Smithsonian and Heinz History Center. He has taught visual storytelling at the School of Visual Arts and the Animation Workshop in Denmark. Rugg enjoys comic books, zines, lettering, podcasts, running, pro-wrestling, pizza, and cats. He lives and draws in Pittsburgh.
-
Joe Walsh Studio
Joe Walsh makes comics, art books and prints/posters. He recently published his first full on comic "The Shifting Ground Vol. 1" which explores identity and consciousness. Joe is also one half of the collaborative poster studio Take a Moment Studio which produces one off posters which combine screen printing and drawing.
-
Jordan Jeffries
Jordan Jeffries is a cartoonist currently living in the Hudson Valley with his wife and their son. His books include the pop culture memoirs The Complete Matinee Junkie (Birdcage Bottom Books) and Love, or the Axe (Ley Lines) as well as self-published comics such as Goodnight Mush (w/ Alessa Kreger), Lullaby, and Complex Machines. He is a son of western PA and once played "Also sprach Zarathustra" on the trumpet for a bewildered Jerome Bettis.
-
JT Wilkins (TTRX)
JT Wilkins, also recognized by the moniker JTW, is a prominent figure in the realm of alternative cartooning. Renowned for his distinctive artistic style and innovative storytelling, JTW has carved a niche for himself in the world of indie comics. His creations resonate with fans who appreciate his unconventional approach, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and narrative exploration. With a captivating blend of surrealism and retro underground aesthetics, JTW's work stands as a testament to the boundless possibilities of artistic imagination.
-
Kat Tuesday
Kat makes comics that celebrate tenderheartedness and goofy antics in equal measure. Her minicomics sometimes include fold-outs, pop-ups, and poster-sized multipath shenanigans. Her current project is a graphic novel about using imagination to combat fear, featuring a wayward young boy and a good dog. The dog is stealing the show.
-
Kelci D Crawford
Kelci Crawford is a comic artist, illustrator, and concept artist based in Toledo, Ohio. They have been making comics since 2013, and running Fantasyville Productions, LLC since 2018. They have drawn a lot of webcomics over the years, including the LGBTQ+ fantasy adventure The Legend of Jamie Roberts. When not making comics, they play tabletop roleplaying games with friends and care for three goblins disguised as cats.
-
Korean American Cooking Comics
koreanamericancookingcomics.com
Hi! We are comic book creators living in PA. We make cooking comics based on our lives around the country with our two cats. Our books are about food, family, and pets. We are looking forward to showing our work in our home state!
-
Kyle Fewell
I am a illustrator, designer and comic artist working in Brooklyn, NY. I mostly work as an illustrator but really enjoy Risograph and making comics!
-
Lara Antal
Lara Antal (she/they) is an award-winning cartoonist who creates impactful stories using black humor and colorful lenses. They work to connect with others, amplify voices, and share ideas.
Their debut graphic novel, Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars, was the recipient of the 2023 Graphic Medicine Award and a finalist for both the Ringo Comic Awards and Pop Culture Classroom's Book of the Year. They’ve been awarded a We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) Illustrator, Author Grant and a Comics Advocacy Group (CAG) Creators Grant, and have been an artist-in-residence at The Peter Bullough Foundation, Ragdale Foundation, and Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Hailing from Wisconsin, they currently live in Brooklyn with their almost-toothless chihuahua, Chuck. -
Laughing Redhead Comics
As a writer and cartoonist, she has been nominated for a Reuben Award, and was a featured cartoonist in The Cartoon Crier, a juried national comics paper distributed by The Center for Cartoon Studies. She is also a regularly featured cartoonist in Magic Bullet, Washington, DC's internationally distributed full-size comics paper. Logan is a regular exhibitor and guest at CreativeCon Panama City, AwesomeCon DC, and New York ComicCon, and moderated the Women in Comics panel at AwesomeCon DC. Other comics fests Teresa has tabled at: SPX, TCAF, CXC, DINK DENVER, and COMIC ARTS RICHMOND.
-
Lee Strawberry
I'm a webcomic artist and illustrator that specializes in relatable diary comics!
-
Lexi Ramos
Lexi Ramos is a comic artist based in Columbus, Ohio. Her main project is her webcomic The City Under Saturn.
-
Lily (Basil) MacLachlan
maclachlanl.wixsite.com/visualart
Lily (Basil) MacLachlan is a multifaceted multimedia artist based in Chicago, IL. Their practice includes fibers, comics, collage, writing, and even making haunted dolls, and they like to combine these disciplines as often as possible.
-
M.S. Harkness
M.S. Harkness is an autobiographical cartoonist from the midwestern United States.
-
Makler Studios
My name is David Makler. I am a local Pittsburgh artist. My mini-comic series ‘Timeforce’ has been my main focus for the last few years. Heavily inspired by my hero Jack ‘The King’ Kirby, Timeforce follows an elite through time as they encounter Dinosaurs, Gladiators and Cowboys in an effort to preserve the Timeline from those who wish to change it for power or profit.
-
Matt Vituccio & A.K. Shaw
Matt Vituccio is a cartoonist who works in short and long-form stories, strips, and single panel gags.
A.K Shaw is an interdisciplinary artist who enjoys exploring writing, photography, fiber arts, ceramics, illustration and comics. -
meganebii
Oliver Fernandes is a storyteller at heart. His biggest passion is writing fiction for his webcomics—"Lucid Memories" and "Basket Rack." He also documents his life on his YouTube channel (@meganebii) with the comic series "My Big Fat Latino ID Crisis."
-
Mimi Chuang & Finnian Brooke
Finnian and Mimi are cartoonists and printmakers working in the Pittsburgh area. Finnian's ongoing comic series “Line Of Sight” includes collections of short stories ranging from abstract to autobiographical. Mimi's work is currently explores how perspective impacts our relationship to the natural world. She creates short comics that are sometimes serious but mostly funny exploring these topics.
-
Nate Taylor
Story-teller, Picture-maker from the Friendship neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
-
Neve M.A.
Mastodon @neevspoilsbees
Neve M.A. is a queer cartoonist living in Pittsburgh, PA. They make short queer comics, often risograph printed, which range from campy to philosophical.
-
Nicole Rodrigues
Nicole Rodrigues is an artist and educator based out of Philadelphia, PA. Their work includes making comics, prints, illustrations, screen printed shirts, and ceramics about the connections we have to nature and our journey to self-actualization.
-
Poety unlimited
My work is telling stories, often synthesizing fantasy and personal history. As a cartoonist and comics historian, I feel that comics can seamlessly combine the surreal and the mundane and mimic the way our minds travel through narrative. I use the language of cartooning in combination with diverse techniques and materials such as ceramics, painting, poetry, candle making, felting, airbrush, puppetry, and papier-mâché to construct vibrant and immersive installations, comedic performances and narrative books.
-
Possible Worlds Games
Possible Worlds Games is an award-winning, Pittsburgh-based publisher of indie tabletop roleplaying games! Known for short games with unique, engaging mechanics, releases include Beak, Feather, & Bone, The Details of Our Escape, Grandpa's Farm, and many more!
-
Radiator Comics
@radiator_comics radiatorcomics.bsky.social
http://radiatorcomics.com/Radiator Comics distributes small press and self-published comics by over 275 cartoonists and small press publishers. Radiator Comics also publishes one or two original comics a year. Most recently, we've published Fizzle No. 5 by Whit Taylor, and UM Volume One by buttercup. Radiator Comics is run by Neil Brideau, who self-publishes his own all-ages comics in Miami, FL.
-
Rob Jones | Perfect Storm Publishing
Rob Jones is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in comic books from Heroic Publishing, Students of the Unusual and MoonStone Books, and in projects for companies like FedEx and the United Way. He was also the last assistant to train under comic book industry legend Dick Giordano, with whom he worked on projects for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and numerous independent and foreign publishers.
Since Giordano’s passing in early 2010, Jones has worked mostly as an illustrator and designer for novels and children’s books, and with various publications and arts organizations, including the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida and the Library Foundation of Sarasota. In 2017 his work with the Library Foundation was awarded with a Florida Image Award for their “be a hero” ad campaign.
He has continued to develop his own comics and characters with the assistance of his editor/wife Megan and his studio assistants/dogs Rambo and Sophie. -
Rob Starr
My name is Rob Starr. I grew up skateboarding and drawing as a kid and still do both today. My comics reflect my time being spent while out skating with my friends and meeting new people and the interesting places it took us. Outside of my comics, the rest of my work still echoes those same three influences. People, places, and time (history) while paying close attention to detail, is what really motivates me. I also love animals as I am a pet owner myself. So naturally, I love drawing pet portraits and animals of all kind.
-
Robo Riso
@roboriso
Robo Riso is a small risograph press run by Maggie Michel in her bedroom in Harlem, NY. Its mission is to help fellow artists self publish their prints and zines with a DIY spirit.
-
Shannon Spence
Shannon Spence is a cartoonist, community leader, and medical technologist from Hampton, VA currently living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a champion of self-publishing comics and founded the Comix Accountability Club in 2022. She makes rainbowbrite and punky comics with a lot of critters. She's currently working on Punk Lab Girl! and CART Zine, a variety comics-on-comics subscription.
-
Shawn Atkins/ Coffeehouse Comix
I'm a dad, inspiring art teacher and cartoonist that draw my own comics. I love reading comics, anything from jack kirby, Rick remender or interesting voices i haven't heard of yet. Love playing retro games too.
-
Sienna Cittadino
http://siennacittadino.pb.gallery/home
I’m a queer comics maker, illustrator, comedian and photographer living in Pittsburgh, PA, by way of Carbondale, IL. During the day, I work in a public library (and draw pictures). I’m invested in themes of inhabitance, public space, and the shadows cast by rural and urban inequality. My familial elders, on all sides, are recent arrivals to the US. I carry their losses and ingenuity with me as I go. My comics have been published in Best American Comics, The Rust Belt Review, The Pittsburgh Current, and other spots.
-
Smogfrogg
Smogfrogg is an illustrator, printmaker, and zinester based in Silver Spring, MD. They love drawing cutesy forest friends and silly critters! They travel to conventions and comic/zine fests selling their artwork as stickers, buttons, comics & zines, prints, and original printmaking work.
-
Steve Steiner
Steve Steiner is a prolific creator of humorous comics and weird zines. Being plagued by a creative mind, he writes and illustrates - or paints, or glues, or sets ablaze - all of this art so he can get it out of his head.
Originally from Pennsylvania, he lives in Ohio with his wife, Jennifer and their semi-vagrant cat, Orange Cat. You may see him livin' the self-publishing dream at a handful of independent Comic/Zine shows, but mostly he doesn't leave the house. -
The 50 Flip Experiment
The fundamental problem Hill confronts in his xeroxed comic book The 50 Flip Experiment is the crisis of Enlightenment values that engulfed Europe during the early twentieth century. He endorses the Enlightenment project of emancipation, while at the same time examining its shortcomings with a questioning irony. Hill believes that the crisis requires a renewal in social and individual values that, accepting science and reason, could liberate humanity in beneficent ways.
-
Tom Williams
I self-publish as well as do work for other publishers (Dark Horse, Image Comics, Z2 Comics, IDW and Oni Press)
-
Tuyetnhi P.
Viet-American artist and zinester with a knack for fantastical mundanity and multicultural semblances.
-
Victoria Douglas
Victoria Douglas is a nonbinary cartoonist from the corn-pocked midwest. They are the creator of the award winning series CINNAMON (among others), the recipient of the 2022 Cartoon Crossroads Emerging Talent Award, and an instructor at the Columbus College of Art and Design. They are also the mad scientist responsible for HALFTONE HOSPITAL, a growing repository of free and open tools for cartoonists and illustrators.
-
vin mugavero
I make comics, zines, screenprints, and all sorts of art! I have a focus on queer experience and enjoy exploring different mediums and bright colors.
-
Yuki Clarke
bsky.app/profile/yukiclarke.com
Yuki Clarke is a cartoonist based out of Baltimore, Maryland creating original comics and series such as the sapphic sci-fi adventure "Rita & Josey", as well as teaches comics to different age groups at libraries and art studios.
-
zombietree
Zombietree is an east-coast artist that draws from personal stories to make comics and zines. Her zines reflect her various influences including manga, cartoons, her philosophy on life, and most of all her cat. She home-prints and hand-sews her zines and stickers, and also has a collection of hand-carved stamps. When not drawing, she can perhaps be found hiding under a leaf blanket or filling out the stamp card of her nearest boba shop.
-
Emily Zullo
@emilyzullo
emilyzullo.art
Emily is a comics artist who self publishes and distributes zines at comic shows along the east coast and beyond. She is currently self publishing her ongoing series titled “Cat Scratch fever.”
Thanks to our sponsors for helping make PIE happen!
