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December 12, 2023

Dr. Randy Duncan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Henderson State University and former Director of the Center for Comics Studies. He is co-author of the widely used textbook The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture (Bloomsbury 2015) and Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir and Nonfiction (Routledge 2015). He is co-editor of Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (Routledge 2011), The Secret Origins of Comics Studies (Routledge 2017), and More Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (Routledge 2019). Dr. Duncan is co-founder of the Comics Arts Conference, held each summer in San Diego. In 2012, Duncan received the Inkpot Award for Achievement in Comics Arts. He co- curated the Marvel: Universe of Super-Heroes exhibition that has been touring the...

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November 28, 2023

Ray Hurd has worked for nearly two decades in the voiceover industry, voicing some of the world’s most famous characters and for the world’s most trusted brands. Brands like Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Chevrolet, The Home Depot, CHAMPION Sports, Cartoon Network, Funimation, Drive Time, The United States Coastguard, and many more. Ray also lends his voice to popular characters on hit weekly TV shows, like My Hero Academia, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Super....

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November 28, 2023

Maisha Tahsin Orthy is a full-time Cognitive Psychology Graduate student by profession, and an avid reader and anime watcher by passion. She calls herself a self-proclaimed pop-culture nerd. She is - who likes to indulge herself into ANYTHING that has a good story, enigmatic characters and inherent philosophical meaning. Her love for anime and comic books extends beyond the screen; She relishes engaging in discussions about plot intricacies, feminist viewpoints character developments, and the profound impact of pop culture globally....

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November 28, 2023

Shawna Kidman is an Associate Professor of Communication at UC San Diego. Her research on the media industries has been published in The Journal of Film & Video, Velvet Light Trap, and the International Journal of Learning and Media. She is the author of Comic Books Incorporated (UC Press, 2019) a history of the U.S. comic book industry and its convergence with the film and television business. Her current research examines film exhibition and franchise Hollywood....

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November 28, 2023

Taylor Hardwick is a PhD candidate at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Her doctoral research focuses on safety, inclusivity and accessibility at digital games-focused events during COVID-19. Her other research interests include games industries, online games and fan communities, and representations of gender and sexuality in popular culture....

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November 13, 2023

Jenna Gibson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, specializing in International Relations. Her dissertation examines the production and dissemination of diplomatic rhetoric, and how the words that diplomats choose can send signals between states. In 2022-23, Gibson was awarded a Fulbright grant to South Korea to conduct fieldwork for her dissertation. Gibson's research interests include diplomatic rhetoric, public and cultural diplomacy, soft power, South Korean politics and social issues, and U.S.-Korea relations....

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November 13, 2023

Kristin Farrell has spent most 0f her life on stage as a musical theatre actress. Her passion for the stage began at just 2 years old, and she landed her first commercial gig at the ripe age of 4. She has a BA in Theatre and Speech from Wagner College and is a proud member of both SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity. By day, she's a Chicago-based realtor, helping people find their dream homes. And when she's not lighting up the stage or closing real estate deals, she's an early morning Pure Barre instructor, sculpting bodies one tuck at a time. Kristin's life goal? To eat her way around the world with her fiancé, Rio . With a career that's taken her from the...

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November 13, 2023

Matthew J. Smith is Dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Communication at Radford University in Virginia. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication (1998) from Ohio University, and he has published twelve different books, including The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels: Culture, Form and Context 3rd Edition (Bloomsbury, 2024) with Randy Duncan and Paul Levitz, and the Eisner-nominated Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (Routledge, 2012) also with Randy Duncan. He is co-editor of the Routledge Advances in Comics Series along with Christy Knopf, a Past President of the Comics Studies Society, and co-curator of Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, a traveling museum exhibit that has hosted more than 1 million visitors in...

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November 5, 2023

Rio is a self-proclaimed Geek Personality, trivia game host, and actor who has worked in voice, screen, stage, and as a coach over what he considers a good amount of years. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This summer has been spent touring as a panelist at conventions including San Diego Comic-Con and Chicago Fan Expo. By day he pretends to sell insurance, and by night, pretends to be a dungeon master. Rio is a lifelong devotee of manga and anime, reads a great deal of fantasy, and can often be seen as a guest on Darkloops Productions but seldom ‘irl’....

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November 3, 2023

Andrew Pappas is a games marketing strategist, consultant, and founder of Rengen Marketing. Passionate about empowering and educating the indie game community, he encourages developers to look at marketing through different lenses and understand the importance of having an empathetic approach. One way he accomplishes this mission is through his podcast "Indie Game Movement." where he interviews esteemed industry pioneers and leaders, delving into their distinct outlooks on the business and marketing of indie games....

Casa Con is a 3-day digital event held on Discord For information contact info@nardio.net