Barends, Crain, Gordon Murphy, Golden Featured in FAN EXPO New Orleans Comics Creator Lineup

FAN EXPO is proud to produce the best artist alley collections in the pop culture convention space, and to kick off 2026, a who’s who of comics creators are set to attend FAN EXPO New Orleans, Friday through Sunday, January 9-11, 2026 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The event will also feature the New Orleans debut of Comics Xplosion, an epic live art showdown featuring iconic comic artists.

Among the deep and talented set of featured artists and writers are:
• Bjorn Barends (X-Men, Ghost Rider)
• Chris Condon (Green Arrow, Ultimate Wolverine)
• Clayton Crain (X-Force, Spider-Man)
• Werther Dell'Edera (Something is Killing the Children, House of Slaughter)
• Michael Golden (Micronauts, Daredevil)
• Sean Gordon Murphy (Batman: White Knight, Zorro: Man of the Dead)
• Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Incredible Hulk, Batman and Robin)
• Stephen Platt (Moon Knight, Wolverine)
• Martin Simmonds (Department of Truth, Dracula)
• Federico Vicentini (Marvel’s Imperial, Spider-Man)
• Peter Bagge (Hate)

Comics Xplostion will take place on Friday, January 9, at Junebug (744 Camp St.). With each round, six illustrators go head-to-head, painting fan-fave characters. The best part? When the dust settles, you can take home a piece of the action as these one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase.

Every imaginable comics franchise is represented in Artist Alley, with dozens of superstar artist displaying their past work, conducting Q&A’s, interactive demonstration sessions, autographs, commission opportunities, and more. FAN EXPO New Orleans Artist Alley is a true paradise for comics lovers of all genres.

Fans can view the entire FAN EXPO New Orleans field of creators at https://fanexpohq.com/fanexponeworleans/comic-creators/.

Other standouts populating Artist Alley include:
• Brett Breeding (Superman, Avengers)
• Katana Collins (Batman: White Knight Presents, Cherish)
• Ace Continuado (Heat Seeker, Shattered: Secret Identities)
• Chris Ehnot (Lady Death Universe, Zenoscope)
• Guy Gilchrist (The Muppets, Nancy)
• Morgan Hampton (Green Lantern Corps)
• Corin Howell (Lilith, Transformers: Windblade)
• Jamie Jameson (Dreadstar, American Gods)
• Terry Kavanagh (Avengers, Hulk)
• Tony Kordos (G.I. Joe, Forgotten Runes: Wizard’s Cult)
• Jim Krueger (Marvels X, Earth X)
• Jose Marzan Jr. (Action Comics, Final Night)
• Tony Moy (X-Files, Dungeons and Dragons)
• Aaron Reynolds (Effin’ Birds)
• Asia Simone (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Boom! Adventure Time: Best of Budd)
• Arthur Suydam (Marvel Zombies, The Walking Dead)
• Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Wormwood)
• Jamie Tyndall (White Widow, Tombstone)
• and many more

FAN EXPO New Orleans features the biggest and best in pop culture: movies, TV, music, artists, writers, exhibitors, cosplay, with three full days of themed programming to satisfy every fandom.

The creators lineup supplements a celebrity roster headlined by The Lord of the Rings stars Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood; John Cena (WWE Superstar), Helen Hunt (Twister, Mad About You), Hayden Christensen (Star Wars), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: TNG), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), My Name is Earl co-starring tandem of Jaime Pressley and Ethan Suplee, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Men in Black³), Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone) and many others.

Adult, Youth and Child Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Family passes, and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO New Orleans are available now at www.fanexponeworleans.com. Advance pricing is available until December 26.

New Orleans is the first event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events.