PITTSBURGH, August 28, 2015 — Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics, today announced that 2015 Eisner Award winner Jim Rugg has drawn the 16th in a yearlong series of Limited Edition Exclusive Variant Covers of The Walking Dead #1 comic, to be provided free to all full-price attendees at Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh, September 11-13. Skybound’s The Walking Dead created by Kirkman, the groundbreaking, Eisner Award winning comic book series, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
The exclusive The Walking Dead #1 edition will be produced in extremely limited quantities and is available at registration to fans at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center only while supplies last. VIP attendees will receive an additional black & white sketch version of the comic.
Rugg makes comics, books, drawings, illustrations, and designs. His books and comics include Street Angel, Afrodisiac, the PLAIN Janes, Rambo 3.5, Notebook Drawings, and Supermag. He has exhibited drawings at iam8bit, Gallery1988, Mondo, and the Society of Illustrators. Honors include an Ignatz Award, The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Investing in Professional Artists grant, and AIGA’s 50 Books/50 Covers selection for best-designed books. He teaches classes in the MFA Visual Narrative program at the School of Visual Arts.
The artists for future books will be announced as they are selected. A similar series in 2013 featuring exclusives of The Walking Dead #1 proved to be wildly popular with fans. The full schedule of 2015-16 Wizard World shows is available at http://www.wizardworld.com/
The Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh celebrity roster includes “The Walking Dead” stars Michael Cudlitz and Josh McDermitt as well as David Duchovny (“X-Files,” “Twin Peaks”), William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”), Jewel Staite (“Firefly,” “Stargate: Atlantis”), Ian Somerhalder (“The Vampire Diaries”), WWE® Superstar Dean Ambrose™ and Diva Paige™, Ernie Hudson ( Ghostbusters, “Oz”), Adam Baldwin (Full Metal Jacket,Serenity), Dean Cain (God’s Not Dead , “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) and Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk,” “The King of Queens”) and many others.
In addition to Rugg, Artist Alley in Pittsburgh will feature Neal Adams (“Batman,” “Green Lantern”), Billy Martin (“TMNT New Animated Adventures,” also lead guitarist/keyboardist, Good Charlotte), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine artist), Ron Frenz (“Action Comics,” “Captain America”), Tom DeFalco (former editor-in-chief, MARVEL Comics), Jeff Shultz (“Betty & Veronica,” “Archie”), Thom Pratt (“Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck,” “Shadowbringers”), D.J. Coffman (“Hero by Night”) and more.
Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The 17th of 24 events currently scheduled on the 2015 Wizard World calendar, Pittsburgh show hours are Friday, September 11, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, September 13, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
