SPACE Exhibitor Bios Part 5

Ryan Claytor:

Ryan Claytor is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University where he teaches Comics Studio courses and spearheaded the development of the Comics Art and Graphic Novel interdisciplinary minor between the Art and English departments. In 2007, he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from San Diego State University with an emphasis in multimedia, researching autobiography in comics. Claytor’s achievements have included four S.P.A.C.E. (Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo) Prizes for his work in comics, a Cartoonist in Residence position at the Cartoon Art Museum, visiting lecturerships at the Dallas Museum of Art , The Center for Cartoon Studies, and The Savannah College of Art and Design, an internship with Marvel Comics, and judging the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award.  In 2009, Claytor had a featured exhibition of his work in San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum and Claytor began teaching the first “Comics and Visual Narrative” course in Michigan State University‘s history.  He has also served as the Director of the Michigan State University Comics Forum, an event for scholars, creators and fans, since 2009, as well as Host and Producer of the MSU Comic Art and Graphic Novel Podcast since 2016.

As a creator, Claytor is most widely known for his self-published, autobiographical, comic book series And Then One Day. Although the series has undergone several format changes and incarnations since its inception in 2004, And Then One Day readers are consistently treated with Claytor’s thoughtful and entertaining approach to autobiographical comics immaculately packaged with a designer’s eye for production detail.

Brian Hagan:
Brian Hagan makes absurd, from-the-gut sucker-punch comics that he really believes in. 

Joey Haas:
Joey Haas is the writer and artist behind Beacon, Jolt, The ULTIMATE ALLIANCE, Rumpus the Duck and all of JH Comics other characters.Joey has been drawing comics for years and eventually this led to the release of his first self-published comic. With the release of Beacon #1 in 2014 the JH Comics universe has continued to expand and develop.

Headshrinker’s Press:

Based out of Cincinnati, OH Headshrinker’s Press is an independent label with a global footprint.

With a tribe of writers, artists and colorist from all over the United States and around the world they continue to strive to change the landscape of comics.

Luke Herr:

Luke works on a number of comic projects and podcasts as a writer and a producer. The number of comic projects is up in the air and the number of podcasts is 2.

Travis Horseman:

Travis was born in Springfield, Ohio, and discovered comic books at the age of six. Since then, the course of his life has been shaped by his love of comics, theater and classical history. In addition to being a writer, he has been an actor, a director, a produced playwright, and occasionally, all three at once. 

After writing the first draft of Amiculus: A Secret History as a ten-page play in college, he began adapting it as a comic in 2007, intending it to be a short 32-page project to test the waters for a longer series. Ten years and nearly 200 pages later, it has become an epic unto itself. 

Jessica Howard:
Jessica Howard (better known at "HVoice" online) is a freelance comic artist and writer. She is the creator of the webcomic and self published comic, "Love Metal" a heavy metal romance brought about through blackmail. Having grown up reading and being inspired by Japanese manga, her comic leans heavily toward that style, but her story is set in America.

Jessica has also been hired for work in novel to comic adaptations. She worked on "The World Next Door" written by Meagan Cook, and is now currently adapting "Curtain Call" a death metal novel by Nathan Squiers.

J.M. Hunter:

J.M. Hunter aka The Indy Hunter is one-half of Angry Artist's Studios is the publisher of BAM TOO! (Big Ass Mini-Comic) and brings along with him a background of fine art, comics publishing and currently design, J.M.'s work can best be described as energetic, visceral and risk taking. He currently resides with his family in Washington, IL by way of Southern California (SoCal), and has debuted the first primer for a larger format of comics and culture known as The Indy Gazelle featuring his creation, "Pirate Santa Claus: Agent of Constantinople" https://www.facebook.com/theartofhunter/ https://www.facebook.com/TheIndyHunter/ https://www.instagram.com/jm_indy_hunter/

Denel Jackson:

Denel is an aspiring fiction writer with a primary interest in fiction, representation and human relationships. Through their comics, Denel attempts to explore their narrative and artistic style.

Canada Keck:

Canada has been creating autobio comics since 2010, when she spent 24 hours at Packrat Comics as her daughter's chaperone and inadvertently wrote one. She has also edited several anthologies and curated comic art exhibits. She is a sociologist by training, a creative by nature, and a comic artist by accident.

Winifred Kehl:
I'm a science writer branching out into make sciencey comics.

Thunder Khan:
Thunder Khan's early influences include Calvin & Hobbes, which he grew up reading in the newspaper.  Other early influences include The Simpsons, Life in Hell, Mad Magazine, those cheesy how-to-draw books, books with creepy illustrations, and visits to the young adults section at the public library, where he found many graphic novels and comics. 

Thunder Khan also likes to share the titles of graphic novels that he has read and enjoyed, so that more people read them.  He is also very interested in graphic novels from all over the world, especially from the Middle East.

Jordan Kirian:
Hot Cakes Comics is a small press coming up on its third year. Titles include Short Stacks, Bearded Comic Book Enthusiast, Finding Jordan, and the web comic Egghead.