Guests

The OlderNDumber podcast is the story of three dumb friends just trying to make it on this planet we call Earth! We're a comedy, just chatting podcast that dip our toes in a variety of pop culture topics on every episode. From video games to Dungeons & Dragons, movies, music, and TV, we probably chat about it and how it moves us. Made up of artist Joey Schichtel, voice actor Hunter Taylor, streamer, photographer, and editor May Piazza, and local business owner Carter Ruttle, this group of friends each bring a unique perspective to the things that make geek culture great. You can tune in for new episodes every Friday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Represented this year by Publisher Hart Seely, Chief Creative Officer Frank Cammuso, and Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer.

Attending Saturday only

Bill has inked hundreds of comics for Image, Mirage, Comico, DC, and Marvel Comics, including the Silver Surfer, Wolverine, Venom, and the X-Men. The first issue of his latest project, Crimson Storm, has been published, and the second issue is due out at any time.

Caytlyn's YA novel Dark Flowers is available from BHC Press. She has been writing stories since she was young, imagining beautiful fairy tales and grand adventures. Yet as she grew up, she turned typical innocent creatures into lethal beings, shedding light on their darker tendencies. A graduate of U. Albany, she holds a degree in Psychology and studied how fear affects the mind and body. Living in Elmira, NY with her husband, two children, and an overweight tabby cat, she currently runs a daycare by day and writes dark fantasy/horror stories by night. She promises there are no kids buried in the backyard.

Frank Cammuso is the author/illustrator of the several graphic novel series. They include Edison Beaker Creature Seeker for Viking/Penguin, The Misadventures of Salem Hyde from Abrams/Amulet Books and Knights of the Lunch Table from Scholastic/Graphix. Cammuso is a professor of Comics & Sequential Illustration at Syracuse University.

Attending Saturday only.

Pete Carlsson wears many hats: art director, graphic designer, production manager, letterer, editor, and colorist. He got his start in comics almost 30 years ago working with Joe Kubert at the Kubert School. Today, he freelances with multiple publishers and creators on numerous comics and graphic novels. Pete designed a book called Young Men In Love, published by A Wave Blue World, which won Outstanding Original Graphic Novel Anthology at the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards! He is excited for new projects and opportunities, both big and small.

Co-Publisher: A Wave Blue World

From his early careers in teaching and humanitarian aid work, Tyler Chin-Tanner took the leap into his lifelong passion for comics, attending The Kubert School from 2003 to 2006 and co-founding AWBW with his wife Wendy in 2005. Publishing through AWBW, Tyler writes graphic novels including the New York Times featured American Terrorist and edits anthologies such as the New York Times featured All We Ever Wanted, art books like Punkrock* Jazz, and creator-owned projects including Jack The Radio: Creatures.

Speculative fiction author Thomas R Clark is a two-time Splatterpunk Award Nominee (Best Novella, 2021 for BELLA’S BOYS and Best Short Story, 2022 for FIREFLIES & APPLE PIES). His most recent release is IMMORAL DILEMMAS, a collection of Extreme horror. His journalism and entertainment critiques have appeared in Rue Morgue, Stranger With Friction, House of Stitched Magazine, This Is Infamous, and miscellaneous internet outlets. Tom lives in Central New York with his wife and their canine companions.

Maegan Cook is a southern transplant in the New York finger lakes. She's an artist and author with many projects in the works. You can find her published books on Amazon; she also enjoys collaborating in zines and is working on a webcomic. When she isn't glued to a computer screen, she spends time working in the garden, catering to her dog's every whim, or taking long drives in the countryside with her family.

Dave Dellecese is a writer and author of children’s books, graphic novels, comics, and more.​ ​He is the co-creator and writer of the all-ages graphic novel series Lacey & Lily from Darby Pop Publishing, co-creator and writer of the adult comedy series Holidaze, has written prose for AHOY Comics, is the author of the children’s picture books The Little Lamp and Lucy and the Ghost take the Stage, as well as the WWII Christmas tale, Frank the Barber.​ ​A former journalist and news anchor, he has lent his voice to The Brass Lantern old time radio adventure podcast playing former reporter-turned private investigator, Wam Dixon, and has voiced characters in the video game Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries.  

Andy has a public access show that features a puppet that draws pictures. The puppet's name is E. L. Fink and he'll be there to draw pictures.

Stephen Saperstein Frug came to Ithaca for a Ph.D. and just stayed. He is the author and illustrator of Happenstance, a photo-based graphic novel of which SF writer Samuel R. Delany said "It’s among the best graphic novels around; and certainly the best photocomic I’ve ever read” and cartoonist Barry Deutsch said “As a rule, I don’t like photo comics. Stephen Frug’s Happenstance is the wonderful exception… a unique graphic novel that everyone who likes smart comics should read.” So you should read it! Frug is also the author of a number of things which, sadly, are just text and have no pictures at all, and thus won’t get a shout-out here, but feel free to come by his table in the dealer’s hall and ask. He lives in Ithaca where he is writing more words, and all-too-rarely making pictures.

SHP was founded by Shawn Hainsworth in 2021. He wanted to bring his thought-provoking screenwriting into the world of comics and enlisted the help of some world class talents. SHP already has 3 acclaimed series coming to comic shops in the fall with a brand new adventure slated for 2025.

Bob Harrison is a lifelong fan of Comic Books, fantasy, and sci-fi storytelling. He is a comics journalist, interviewer, and historian. He is the Editor at PopCultureSquad.com and is the co-host of the Pop Culture SquadCast.. He strives to craft interviews with a conversational style to elicit interesting stories from guests about their history and creative process. He is also an accomplished comic convention programming coordinator and panel host.

Keith Haugen, a former student of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art, is an artist from the Albany, NY area. His published credits include: Shriek #1 & #2 by FantaCo Enterprises, Ghost Investigator #1 by Spirited Comics, Hudson Valley Zombie Apocalypse, GN by Eagle Press, Argo5 38 by Argo Comics, Quandary Magazine #1. Keith also has a self-publishing project: WTF (What The Freak) Comix Anthology. Along with his published credits, Keith has also produced numerous commissions, prints, and other assorted art.

Best known for his portrayal of the Klingon officer General Martok from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Hertzler has appeared as several different characters in various Star Trek series and provided voices for multiple Star Trek computer games. He has also co-written two Star Trek novels, The Left Hand of Destiny: Book 1 and Book 2. In addition to his Star Trek-related work, he appeared in 38 episodes of the 1991 Zorro TV series as Alcalde Ignacio de Soto, and in many other TV series.

Kevin Lucia's short fiction has been published in many venues, most notably with Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, David Morell, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, and Robert McCammon. His first novel, The Horror at Pleasant Brook, was published by Crystal Lake Publishing, October 2023.

Joe Orsak was inspired to become a comic book artist at the age of eleven by the artwork of JOE SINNOTT in TREASURE CHEST and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY.  In 1982 Orsak launched a comic strip in the newspapers of Syracuse, NY, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN 'CUSE.  The strip ran weekly for eight years.  Joe turned to sports comics in the 1990s, working on bios of MICKEY MANTLE, BROOKS ROBINSON and DUKE SNIDER for MAGNUM COMICS.  These books gave Joe the chance to work with his inspiration… Orsak's pencils were inked by Joe Sinnott!

In 2001 Orsak was picked by his friend ROGER STERN to pencil and ink a two-page tale for the 9-11 tribute book 9-11ARTISTS RESPOND for DARKHORSE.

In 2008 he returned to comic strips with SALT CITY, another strip about his hometown, this time with a female superheroine, written by Douglas Brode. The comic strip drew the attention of people at MCFARLAND and Co., who asked Joe and Doug to launch their line of graphic novels. Joe and Doug created YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS the Myth of Emily Morgan and VIRGIN VAMPIRES for MCFARLAND Inc.

Joe is now working with AHOY Comics doing illustrations in the third series of MY BAD and is also involved with new comic book projects for STELLAR COMICS

Best known for his revamp of the DC Comics' character Hourman, Peyer is currently writing The Wrong Earth and High Heaven for AHOY Comics.

Attending Saturday only

Rob Piecuch began drawing at a very young age, with subjects covering many of his interests, first with trains, to Star Wars to comic books and more.

Over the years he has worked on various commissions including charicatures, logo design, shirt designs, and more. In 2015 Rob completed a film screenplay called “Mystery Girl” and also worked on several full length locally produced films and documentaries.

In 2021 Rob Painted a large mural in Elmira paying homage to the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroads famous passenger train, the Phoebe Snow. Also in 2021 Rob started Creative Thoughts and Visions as place to develop several creative projects.

Appearing Sunday only

Executive Editor at Dynamite Entertainment

Meg Stivison and Harold Sipe met working in video games. They founded Small Monsters Games to turn their stories, interests, and experiences into fun, casual tabletop games to share with friends and family.

Emily Swan is a graphic designer, illustrator, digital content creator, and instructor. She began teaching in 2009, primarily focusing on Cartooning, Digital Art, and Social Dance. Currently, Swan is the creator and showrunner of the Doodle Crew art stream, co-host of Sketching Shakespeare art and discussion stream, and a member of the In Addition, and Surprise Attack Book Club podcasts. When she’s not teaching, Swan can be found working on illustrations and traveling to sell her art at Comic Cons. More of Swan's art can be found across the internet at: 'aSwanNamedEmily'.

Bob Tkacik is a Maine based artist, writer and destroyer of snacks. His newest book: Good Boy Paws is a story of a recently abandoned dog learning about who he is and what he was actually meant for. His cover art has been used for the new TMNT series as well as The last Ronin and The Armageddon Game among other titles. 

Ken is a seasoned comic book artist with extensive experience across various publishers including Bongo, IDW, Archie, DC, Image, Moonstone, and Airwave. Notable credits include inking stories for "Futurama," "Bart Simpson Comics," and "Simpsons Winter Wing Ding." He has also contributed to titles like "Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol," "I Dream of Jeannie," and "The Phantom." Ken's freelance work extends to national projects for clients such as Toyota, McDonald’s, and Wegmans, showcasing his versatility in illustration and design. He has served as an editor for "Munster Memories: A Coffin Table Book" and contributed to IDW's "Back To The Future" comic series. Currently, Ken is dedicated to "Dreamer," a comic series raising awareness about health conditions like TBI and Autism. His recent projects include exclusive covers for Archie Comics and a story for the revival of the classic character Jetta. Ken is also developing "Timeless Love Comics," a modern romance anthology series. Passionate about nurturing young talent, he hosts popular comic book production workshops and collaborates with The Strong National Museum of Play as a teaching artist. Follow Ken's work on Instagram @artistkenwheaton.

Whipple, seen under the monicker of Illustronics, is a traditional and digital illustrator. Developing a unique style through decades of freelance illustration and comic art creation, Brandon brings numerous characters from various geekdoms to life with his own twist. Never content to rest on his laurels, Brandon is constantly developing and growing his art style through exploration of new tools and techniques. In addition to his story and art contributions, Brandon also acted as assistant editor and contributing cover artist for the anthologies of Robots and Monster Carnival.

Glenn Whitmore is an American comic book artist who has worked for DC, Dark Horse, TwoMorrows, Archie, Sitcomics, and many other publishers. Using Adobe Photoshop and IIllustrator and Clip Studio Paint, he is a full service visual/narrative artist, writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering comic book stories. A Morris County, NJ native, Glenn commuted to the Joe Kubert School and graduated in 1987. His first professional work came from coloring the daily comic strips at a local newspaper. Glenn’s first coloring credit appeared on DC Comics’ Hawk & Dove 1988 miniseries, pencilled by an up-and-comer named Rob Liefeld. In the decade to follow, Glenn colored the Superman titles, The Flash, and the Justice Society series. In the 2000’s, he colored some of Steve Rude’s projects; including The Moth and Nexus. Since 2008, Glenn has served as a go-to colorist for both Archie Comics and TwoMorrows Publications. In 2019, he successfully crowdfunded his own project, Captain Clockwork, a retro sci-fi superhero.