Special Guests
Below is a list of special guests scheduled to appear at this year’s ComicFest.
JOIN ARLEN SCHUMER AS HE TALKS ABOUT “THE ORIGINS OF BLACK PANTHER”. Marvel Studios recently released their long-awaited and much-anticipated Black Panther film, a cinematic version of the Marvel Comics superhero that artist/storyteller Jack Kirby created back in 1965 as The Coal Tiger, a black superhero without a full-face mask—or mask of any sort—that The Black Panther would eventually wear when he debuted in print in ’66. The circumstances surrounding this drastic change, along with details and insight into the character’s fascinating origin and background that Kirby gave him, and how these are—and are not—reflected in the movie, will be discussed and shown.
Justin Fornal is an international explorer and cultural detective. Fornal specializes in investigating indigenous traditions and historical mysteries around the world. He is currently a writer and producer for National Geographic and VICE Studios. In 2016 he tracked down the lost skull of African American slave rebellion leader Nat Turner and repatriated it to the Turner descendants. The relic had been missing since 1831. Fornal is currently planning the first historic swim of the Niger River through Mali. The 230 mile route will go from Mopti to the ancient city of Timbuktu. The swim will be used to raise money to build an FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) treatment center in the capital city of Bamako.
riseabovesocialissues.com
Co-CEO of Archie Comics, Nancy Silberkleit harnesses the power of graphic literacy to advance causes she is passionate about such as literacy, anti-bullying and the environment. As a former school teacher, she is coined a personal motto that “Children + Comic Books = Reading, Knowledge and Confidence.”
Nancy is dedicated to helping those who don’t have a voice to help find it. Nancy encourages all “Never question if you can only question why would you ever think you can not!”
on two Super Bowl rings with the Giants. He was Special Teams player of the year in 1986. Lee’s Professional Football career was brought to an end as a result of an ankle injury. In his final year in the NFL, he was as a starting Full Back and Tight End with the Cleveland Browns under Coach Bill Belicheck. Lee was the 4th all-time leading rusher at Colorado from 1980 – 84. He was a key factor in turning the Colorado Buffaloes’ program around to become a National Champion.
The cast and crew will be on hand at the White Plains ComicFest! Experience a full night of LIVE frightening entertainment! Westchester County’s premier haunted attraction is celebrating its 9th season of terrifying scares this October in White Plains, New York!
Ray Felix, is a Bronx native born in 1973, he is a graduate of the School of Visual arts Class of 1999/ 2000. His comics include, “Bronx Heroes ®1.0: “Runaway Slave”, Bronx Heroes® 2.0 : The Greatest Hero Black Power®, Heavy Traffic™, Enter: The Roach™ and “A World Without Superheroes®”. Ray Felix is also the Founder of the community based organization, Bronx Heroes Comic Con®, and Co-Founder of Women in Comics Con™, which promotes literacy and education through the practice of reading and creating comics.
Felix has Freelanced with off Broadway productions such as “The Monkey King” from Great small Works (2006), Cathay: Tale of 3 cites in China(2007) with director Ping Chong and designer Stephen Kaplan.
Our mission is to share our love of Star Wars with people of all ages and to follow the Jedi path of spreading hope and good will wherever we go. We aim to bring a little bit of wonder and transport our audiences to a galaxy far, far away… Saber Guild is a non-profit, all-volunteer, international organization that specializes in lightsaber stage choreography, education, and community events. Saber Guild temples can be found in Europe, Asia, and across the US. Empire Temple is the New York chapter of Saber Guild.
I’m an Illustrator & Cartoon Graphic artist with a specialty in comic books. And I actually consider myself to be more of a story teller than anything else. Only my stories are VERY visual. I know the entire process for creating a comic book from start to print. And I’m working on becoming a one man publishing company.
Paris Cullins is an American comics artist best known for his work on DC Comics’ Blue Devil and Blue Beetle, and Marvel Comics’ Hyperkind. Cullins’ first known credited comics work was as penciler-inker of the six-page story “Mystic Murder”, by writer Steve Skeates, in the DC Comics supernatural anthology Secrets of Haunted House #42 (Nov. 1981). He drew four “I…Vampire” stories in the House of Mystery series and pencilled stories in such similar DC titles as Ghosts, The Unexpected, and Weird War Tales through the early 1980s, and made his superhero debut penciling an eight-page “Tales of the Green Lantern Corps” backup feature in Green Lantern #154 (July 1982). As well, artist Ernie Colón, whom Cullins met at DC and who drew Richie Rich and other children’s titles for Harvey Comics, “offered me a job doing some extra work for Harvey Comics. For several months I drew Richie Rich and Hot Stuff.
Arda Ocal is a broadcaster currently with MSG Networks. His past credits include stints as a sports reporter, talk show host, WWE host and national morning show weather reporter (“Weathertainment”!) But one of his biggest joys was doing a weekly retro video gaming stream, #TheRetroStream, because he is one of the world’s biggest retro gaming fans. He loves retro games, board games, and of course, comic books. He can’t wait to host White Plains Comic Con, interview our featured guests and say hello many of you attending.
For over 40 years, STARFLEET has provided Star Trek fans a way to meet each other, make friends, have fun, give back to their communities, and show that the dream of Gene Roddenberry can live long and prosper. On the local level, members can gather with other fans for a variety of enjoyable activities. On the international level, STARFLEET offers our members a wealth of resources that you won’t find in any other Star Trek fan clubs. In addition to a great set of membership materials and our regularly-published newsletter, STARFLEET offers members the chance to get involved with STARFLEET Academy, the STARFLEET Marine Corps, the Department of Technical Services, and much, much more. We even have a group of academic monetary scholarships that are awarded to deserving STARFLEET members each year.
