Special Guests 2016

Guest Announcements
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Hynden Walch loves her job. She is the voice of Starfire on TEEN TITANS and the new TEEN TITANS GO!, Princess Bubblegum on Cartoon Network’s smash hit ADVENTURE TIME, and Harley Quinn on THE BATMAN series, as well as in the DCU animated feature BATMAN: ASSAULT ON ARKHAM, for which she received a BTVA People’s Choice Award. Hynden can also be heard as Summer in Disney Junior’s HENRY HUGGLEMONSTER, Viridi in KID ICARUS (BTVA Award,) Blackfire and many others on TEEN TITANS GO!, DOC MCSTUFFINS (Bubble Monkey and Picky Nikki), Princess Python and Supergiant in MARVEL’S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, Pixies Lockette and Amore on Nickelodeon’s W.I.N.X. CLUB, Ace on JUSTICE LEAGUE, Platinum and Tin on THE METAL MEN, Elsie the cat in Playhouse Disney’s STANLEY, and Penny Sanchez in the Frederator classic, CHALKZONE. She’s proud to have been twice nominated for BTVA’s Voice Actress of the Year.

Hynden has done voice work for Disney and is the official voice of Alice in Wonderland and Wendy Darling in PETER PAN for Disney Character Voices, and anime as well including Me no Warawa in Studio Ghibli’s Oscar nominated film THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA. She studied voice at the North Carolina School of the Arts, received a B.A. in American Literature summa cum laude from UCLA.

D.C. Douglas will forever be known as either the sinister voice of Albert Wesker (Resident Evil), screaming “Chriiiisssss” as he melts in a lava lake, or as the soulful voice of Legion in the Mass Effect series, pulling on the heartstrings of fans around the world. A far cry from his other roles, such as the persnickety alien Zepht in Star Trek: Enterprise or the logical autobot Chase on Transformers: Rescue Bots. And we can’t forget him as Bud in Sharknado 2.

You may also know D.C. from: One Piece as X Drake, Naruto: Shippuden as Gari, Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road as Makunouchi Ippo, Regular Show as Col. Rawls and many more.

Other video game credits include Zero Escape 3 as Zero, Xenoblade Chronicles X as H.B., The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I and II as Rufus and Valimar, Fire Emblem Fates as Gunter, Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps / Revelations 2 / The Mercenaries 3D / The Darkside Chronicles / Resident Evil 5 / The Umbrella Chronicles as Albert Wesker, Marvel vs. Capcom 3—all as Albert Wesker, BlazBlue: Chronophantasma as Azrael, Tales of Vesperia as Alexei Dinoia, and Eternal Sonata as Jazz.

Lisle Wilkerson grew up in Tokyo, Japan. She speaks fluent Japanese, and does voice work is done in both English & Japanese.
She is the powerhouse behind some of the gaming industry’s most popular female fighting characters, such as Nina Williams and Christie Monteiro, Sarah Bryant from Virtua Fighter, as well as Shenmue II.
Most recently Lisle did dubbing for an upcoming ULTRAMAN film, as well as an animated film, “Eden.” Lisle acted alongside Bill Murray in the Academy Award winning Sofia Coppola film “Lost In Translation,” and had a lead role in the award winning indie film “Kamataki.” She not only does video game voices, she also does the voice of Batz Maru (of Hello Kitty) Lisle has interpreted for everyone from Keanu Reeves to best-selling author Marie Kondo to various J-pop stars and Japanese and US celebrities. She is also a local media correspondent for Japan, covering high-profile events like The Grammys, Academy Awards, Emmys and Golden Globes. Lisle is very excited about the 2020 Olympics being hosted in her home city, Tokyo, and has recently started doing some work related to that. And when Lisle isn’t busy working or running around the country doing cons, you might find her in her pink boxing gloves trying to save the world Nina Williams-style or spending her time at home with her adorable jet-setting “bilingual” cat, Princess Genki.

Chanda Hahn is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of Reign An Unfortunate Fairy Tale. She also writes the Iron Butterfly series. She uses her experience as a children’s pastor, children’s librarian and bookseller to write compelling and popular fiction for teens. She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their twin children.

Ethen Beavers has worked as a penciler, inker, and colorist on a slew of comics and children’s books for the last 12 years or so. He has illustrated comics at DC, Dark Horse and IDW on titles like Samurai Jack, Batman the Brave and the Bold, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Clone Wars Adventures and Indiana Jones Adventures. In Children’s Publishing he was responsible for (among other things) the art on several DC Superhero Little Golden Books and was the regular artist on the NY Times bestselling series NERDS.

Kyle Stevens AKA Kirby Krackle is known the would over as one of the pioneers of the new “nerd-rock” movement; songs about comic books, games, and the best in pop-cutlure. Having released five full-length albums since 2009 Kirby Krackle has toured the world becoming synonymous as the soundtrack to the ever-growing geek culture movement, performing as a guest at all major comic cons, and serving as the only artist to ever open for Weird Al Yankovic. In 2016, Kirby Krackle was featured on the soundtrack for the Marvel / Disney XD GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY cartoon in the from of new original 70’s-styled songs written for the show.

Josh Trujillo is a writer, editor, and comic book creator based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently writing the ADVENTURE TIME graphic novel series for Cartoon Network and Boom! Studios, as well as the technological romance series LOVE MACHINES. In addition, Trujillo is editor of the gaming anthology DEATH SAVES: FALLEN HEROES OF THE KITCHEN TABLE.

Beginning in 2014, LOVE MACHINES is an ongoing series dealing with how romance and relationships are affected by technology. This year marks the release of LOVE MACHINES Volume 1, collecting the first six issues in a color hardcover format. In 2015, Josh Trujillo created, edited and published DEATH SAVES: FALLEN HEROES OF THE KITCHEN TABLE, which features the work of over 40 international creators. Successfully funded through Kickstarter, it is currently available in comic book shops everywhere.

You can remain updated on his work by following Josh on Twitter @LostHisKeysMan or visiting him at JoshTrujillo.com.

Eben started writing career with short fiction and sketch comedy for over a decade before embarking into comics in 2007 with his first webcomic series Eben07: Covert Custodian and again with B-Squad: Soldiers of Misfortune in 2012. Eben can frequently be found mentoring writers of all ages to become better storytellers and how to write for comic books. His work has been featured in the Sacramento Bee, Comic Book Resources, Capital Public Radio, the Sacramento News & Review, and many blogs and podcasts.

He is based in Sacramento with his 2 cats, 2 dachshunds, and one very special lady friend.

Sean Sutter is six feet two inches tall and often wears a mustache. He is the creator of Relicblade and the lead artist on the comic book B-Squad. He is a talented artist and sculptor. He is a beer drinker and loves tabletop war games. He applies his skill as a freelancer: creating marvelous worlds with ancient technique and futuristic technology.

Relicblade is a tabletop miniatures game. Players choose to command villainous tyrants with their monstrous minions, or a party of heroic champions who seek to bring low these evil lords. Relicblade combines the action of tabletop wargaming with the dynamism of tabletop role-playing. Learn more at www.relicblade.com, and watch Kickstarter for the latest expansion Relicblade: Bone and Darkness.

Mr. Sutter lives in Davis California with his beautiful wife and daughter.
He believes in peace.

TAPIGAMI

The art of applying imagination to tape!

TAPIGAMI is an art form that can effortlessly jump from fine art installation to hands-on creative workshops for adults and children. At its core, TAPIGAMI is the art of applying imagination to rolls of tape. Social interaction and creativity fuels TAPIGAMI and the medium of tape allows the artist to create sculptures anywhere they go. Armed with a pair of scissors, tape, and imagination a TAPIGAMI enthusiast can quickly turn a stranger into a friend, create gifts for loved ones and express themselves through a tape creation. Danny Scheible, the creator of TAPIGAMI, believes art is better shared and touched than just seen, which is why TAPIGAMI’s motto is “Touch the Art!”

Loki Hates You is back at Zappcon for his second appearance! If you were in attendance at Zappcon 2015, you may remember seeing him in cosplay around the vendor hall or at the “Awkward Family Panel”, where he and ThorTV turned the panel format around and interviewed the audience. Come by his booth again this year for Marvel trivia and check out the panel programming for your opportunity to partake in the interview process, which we promise will get weird. Oh, and did we mention he’s running for president?

The Mighty ThorTV will be trekking south from his home in the Northlands of California to bring you good tidings and regale you with stories of his adventures in the perilous realm of cosplay. Known throughout all the nine realms and especially throughout the internet for his Youtube videos and his dubsmash video shorts, ThorTV is coming to Fresno’s ZappCon to lay the hammer down. Get a picture with him at his booth or while he walks the hallowed halls of the Fresno convention center but watch out, mere mortals. Thor makes fast friends at conventions but you may not be ready for a high five or a firm handshake from the God of Thunder, so brace yourself. You’ll most likely see him with his mischievous brother, Loki Hates You as they test the strength of their already shaky alliance. Say hello and ask for costuming tips. Grab a picture or a selfie with these Asgardian brothers who look as if they’ve come straight out of a screening of Marvel’s Avengers films. ThorTV is here as your champion at this year’s ZappCon. Bring the whole family by and meet one of Earth’s mightiest heroes in real life!

Holly Brooke is a cosplay artist based in Northern California. She has always had a love of costuming, but began attending conventions in 2009. She is a girl that loves playing dress up, expressing herself creatively, and showing admiration to her favorite characters. Holly Brooke has been known to “nerd-out” over anything DC comics and Capcom related, but aside from all things geek, her other passion is animals. She is studying to become a veterinarian, has worked in wildlife rehabilitation, as a keeper for exotic cat species, and along side elephants in Thailand.
Photo by Lucky Monkey Photography
Grapple gun by Keroga Forge
Cowl by Reeve fx

Sheik , also known as Sheik Chan Cosplay, has been part of the cosplay community since 2007 and resides in Central California. Cosplay to Sheik is a hobby that allows her to express her creativity and imagination. It brings her favorite characters to life whether it be a comic book character, a cutesy anime school girl or a barbaric elf from a videogame. Along side of cosplay, Sheik enjoys playing videogames, making youtube videos and spending time with family. She is currently is teaching at a private preschool and aspires to work in Hollywood as a costume designer. She hopes to continue growing in her talent and be a positive influence to those in the cosplay community. Photo by DTJAAAM

The 501st Legion is an international STAR WARS™ costuming organization dedicated to celebrating the STAR WARS universe through the creation, display, and wearing of quality character costumes that represent the villainous characters from the STAR WARS sagas.

The Legion promotes interest in STAR WARS and facilitates the use of these costumes for STAR WARS-related events as well as contributes to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work. Since 1997, the Legion has spread the magic of the Star Wars genre worldwide and has become the leading force in fan-based charity events. The 501st, also known as “Vader’s Fist,” is truly dedicated to brightening the lives of those less-fortunate.

If you’re looking for the ultimate Batman party…this is it!
Bat Party 4 Kids consist of cosplayers with professional costumes and state-of-the-art 2/3 scale vehicles to entertain for birthdays, appearances and special events.

Casey is a life long comics fan turned family man, who morphed his passion and love for superheros into a hit podcast (GWW Capes Crew), a gig as Editor in Chief at TheGWW.com., and writer/photographer for Cosplay Culture Magazine. Now he just wants to share that love for all things super with the world and hopes to make you laugh a little along the way. You can hear his antics and strong opinions weekly along with his partner Will Elizondo on the GWW Capes Crew podcast, read his reviews of the latest comics on TheGWW.com, or hit the news stands to find his work in the Cosplay Culture Magazine highlighting the best in cosplay, conventions and more. Geeks Assemble!

Returning for his 3rd year as the Host of the Zappcon Cosplay contest, Will Elizondo a.k.a DarthSparrow is looking forward to bringing his crazy, fun loving, and over the top spirit to what he says is one of his favorite cons of the year. An avid costumer/and cosplayer since age 5, Will can often be seen playing his favorite characters like Tony Stark or Jack Sparrow. When he is not costuming he can be heard on his successful podcast The GWW Capes Crew, with his co-host and partner in crime, Casey Walsh. Will is a Fresno native and loves Zappcon because it’s the hometown con and has a special place in his heart.

This year Will promises to bring some new costumes to the show that will encompass his love of Halloween and horror… But you will have to come to the con to see them…

Terras Wars and ZAPPCON unite! Terras Wars is a LARP (Live Action Role Play) group dedicated to bringing a unique experience to its players. Set in an immersive world full of its own lore, the players shape how events unfold through quests and interaction with each other. Combat is acted out in a safe environment, with properly tested weapons to ensure the health of everyone involved.
ZappCon and Terras Wars have united to give Zappers the opportunity to attend a LARPing panel, and learn the art of combat (ages 15-17 with parental consent and 18+, free of charge) at the Fresno Convention Center, Valdez Hall, October 15th and 16th. If you just can’t wait, there are training days where you can get instructions on roleplaying and combat visit Terras Wars on Facebook.

There is much much more on VISIT http://zappcon2016.sched.org/