Meet the Creators Behind Your Favorite Comics!
The Daytona Beach Comic Convention is renowned for bringing top-tier talent to our fans, and 2025 will be no exception! In past years, we’ve hosted some of the biggest names in the comic book industry, and we’re working hard to bring you another stellar lineup this September.
Get ready to meet the creative minds behind your favorite comic books, graphic novels, and more. This is your chance to dive deeper into the worlds you love and interact with the artists and writers who bring them to life.
More Than Just a Meet and Greet:
- Original Art: Discover one-of-a-kind original artwork, sketches, and prints directly from the artists themselves. Whether you are looking for a small sketch or a fully-realized piece of art, you are sure to find a special piece for your collection.
- Commissioned Sketches: Many of our guests will happily produce on-the-spot sketches, giving you the chance to take home a truly unique and personalized piece of art.
- Autographs: Have your treasured comic books, graphic novels, and other collectibles signed by the creators who made them! This is a fantastic opportunity to personalize your collection and create lasting memories.
More 2025 Guest Announcements Coming Soon!
We’ll be announcing our 2025 guest lineup in the coming months. Stay tuned to this page, follow us on social media, and sign up for our email newsletter to be the first to know who will be joining us at the Daytona Beach Comic Convention!
Steve Conley
Steve Conley is the creator of the “laugh-out-loud funny” fantasy webcomic The Middle Age which has received nine nominations in the Ringo Awards, Eisner Awards, and National Cartoonist Society Awards!
More about Steve –
The Middle Age has been collected in three, deluxe print volumes and can be read for free online at MiddleAgeComic.com as well as on Webtoon, Tapas, and GoComics. Steve is the co-host – alongside Mike Manley and Jamar Nicholas – of Pencil to Pencil which streams Wednesdays live on Youtube. Steve also creates roleplaying game books and figures set in the world of The Middle Age. The first four RPG books – Intoximancy, Death Dealing, The Prayer’s Handbook, and Nibblemancy – are available now! middleagecomic.com
Thomas Florimonte
Thomas Florimonte broke into the comic biz way back in the early 90’s. In that 25+ years, he’s racked long list of comic creator credits and has worked for just about every major publisher out there: Marvel, Malibu, Chaos!, Acclaim, Gallant Comics (to name a few)…
More about Thomas –
His latest projects include new issues of Mystery Girlz, Zomboy: Kid Hero (INFERNO Studios) & Minture Man series (Gallant Comics / Inks).
Thomas is also co-owner with his long time friend Barry Gregory, of the very popular comic printing company: Ka-Blam Digital Printing- The one stop print house for all comic creators. And also IndyPlanet- A online print-on-demand comics shop that works directly with Ka-Blam. Although never developing a southern accent, Thomas claims he grew up in south Mississippi, he now lives in the central Florida area with his wife Rene’.
Roland Mann
Roland Mann is a writer, professor, and former Marvel Comics editor. As writer, he is best known for co-creating and writing the comic series Cat & Mouse.
More about Roland –
Roland is also the writer of several other series, including Trumps, Krey, Demon’s Tails, Switchblade and Tiny. As editor, Roland is best known for his work at Malibu/Marvel Comics where he edited a host of titles only comic geeks know. Roland teaches writing for comics at Full Sail University. He occasionally blogs at www.rolandmann.me. He is also Editor and Publisher of Silverline, a line of independent comics began in the late 90s now in resurgence: www.silverlinecomics.com
Bill Black
Bill Black began his comics career in 1969 illustrating horror stories for CREEPY and EERIE at Warren Publications. Also that year he started his own publishing company, Paragon Publications, and created CAPTAIN PARAGON, SYNN, SCARLET SCORPION, TARA and many other characters that still exist in 2025.
More about Bill –
Today these Paragon issues are hot collectibles. Bill also worked as a freelance artist for Marvel, Charlton, Dark Horse (STAR WARS) and many Indie publishers. In 1982 Black launched AC Comics, one of the first 5 Indy comics publishers and the only one still around. During the next 4 decades as Editor and Publisher, AC released over 130 comic book titles. 2025 marks AC Comics 42th anniversary. AC Comics has published monthly for 42 years. Bill Black is an artist and writer whose most notable creation, FEMFORCE (historically the first all-female super team) reached the 200th issue milestone and is currently at No. 206. Black retired from AC in 2014 to pursue film making and released such videos as AMAZING COLOSSAL WOMAN, MONSTER GORILLA, NYOKA AND THE LOST AMULET OF VULTURA and THE SCARLET SCORPION. Starting with FEMFORCE No. 188, Black was pressed back into service at AC helming that title as writer, inker (with artist Eric Coile), colorist and letterer to date through FEMFORCE No. 207. He is currently working on films and new Paragon books. Black is the subject of the documentary film STRANGE LUCK- THE TALE OF BILL BLACK by Drew Mack as seen on Prime, youtube and other streaming outlets.
John Crowther
John Crowther is an award-winning, Florida-based freelance writer and professional wrestling historian. John’s comic book credits include work for Heavy Metal Magazine, Antarctic Press, Silverline Comics, AC Comics, Squared Circle Comics, and Caliber Comics.
More about John –
John has also authored numerous autobiographies for such notable professional wrestlers as The Bushwhackers, Terry Funk, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Nikolai Volkoff, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Bruno Sammartino, The Killer Bees and Lanny Poffo, and is planning a 2026 release for his current autobiography, Glacier: Breaking the Ice.
Jeff Whiting
Jeff Whiting is a veteran comic book artist and musician with a career spanning several decades. A lifelong creative, he began his journey in the comic book industry inking for independent publishers in the mid-1980s, including a notable run inking The Tick for NEC Comics. His inking work continued with many issues for Malibu Comics on their popular Ultraverse line.
More about Jeff –
In addition to his work for established publishers, Jeff has self-published his own comic books, including the series Shanghai and Extraterrestrial. He is currently developing his newest series, Clockwork Diva.
Away from the drawing board, Jeff is an accomplished bass guitarist and a member of the recently formed cover band, “Officer Down.”
A native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Jeff is excited to be a guest at the Daytona Beach Comic Convention and looks forward to meeting fans, sharing his work, and celebrating his passion for comics with the local community.mation about the guest