Event Guests

Danny Quick

My name is Danny J Quick and I'm the co-creator of Aceblade and King Supreme. I make content around my comics and other indie comics on social media as @the_ace_of_blades

Third Impact Anime

Third Impact Anime is a group of anime fans, panelists, & podcasters based in the Southeast United States. They strive to embrace and celebrate the rich history, community, artistry, and diversity of Japanese animation in all they do. The most forward-facing aspect of TIA is their bi-weekly podcast where they give thoughtful reviews of different anime series' and films and occasionally invite special guests from the industry or fan space to share their insight and perspectives. They also perform numerous panels at conventions across the South East (and beyond!). To learn more, visit their website at https://thirdimpactanime.com/

Jeremy Whitley

Jeremy Whitley is a comic book writer from Durham, North Carolina. He is the writer/creator of The Dog Knight, Princeless, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, The Cold Ever After, and Raven Pirate Princess. He is well known for his critically acclaimed run on Marvel's The Unstoppable Wasp and as being the most prolific writer of official My Little Pony comics working.

Mason Parker

Veteran multi hyphenate creative Mason parker (@iammasonparker704) is the founder of Sounds, Sneakers & Superheroes, Inc. and creator and author of the groundbreaking multimedia series @thepaperbackherosaga

Princess Ponks

Laurel, or PrincessPonks, is a cosplayer, craftmanship competitor, and performer who has been cosplaying since 2014. Laurel loves to make videos and is excited to help everyone learn more about cosplay at Stellarcon this year!

Blackout Action Film Project

We are the Blackout Film Crew, made up of local filmmakers, actors, and combat choreographers. This talented group of people pulled together to create a fun and very special short film that aims to tackle the indie film world with an unexpected action movie. The film is called BLACKOUT. One thing this production aimed to do was not just make a good film, but to run the production in a way that catered to the experience of both the cast & crew in a way that Hollywood seems to lack.

Samantha Bryant

Samantha Bryant writes superhero and horror stories, which one depends on whether she wants to save the world today, or burn it down. She is best known for her Menopausal Superhero series of novels through Falstaff Books, winner of a Jacquis Award for feminist writing. Well, that and her banana bread (the secret is sour cream). If you like speculative fiction featuring complicated women defying expectations, you'll enjoy her work. Check out her full catalog at https://bit.ly/SamanthaBryant or find her wasting time on Twitter and Instagram @samanthabwriter. If all else fails, check the woods. She likes to get lost there.

Ret-Con Team

An annual convention for all things literary, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and more. Our mission is to create a place for individuals and communities to gather to learn, explore new things, and most importantly, share the stories and fandoms that they love. We aim to provide this experience to both those new to literary conventions and the seasoned vets of the con scene like ourselves. We will be tabling at StellarCon to promote our 2025 Ret-Con event!

Jacques Nyemb

Jacques Nyemb loves creating inclusive stories. He enjoys stretching his imagination and exploring new territories. Throughout his life, books helped him understand himself and now he hopes to write the type of stories that will spark the same revelations in others. Jacques and his family reside in North Carolina, where they enjoy their local parks, and delight in gardening, cooking, and watching cartoons. USS Serenity.

Marshal lakes

Local Greensboro illustrator
Part of the Fungeon comic studios
Creator of the world of Horror Planet
Magic: Von the last wizard
Dr Zhong and Frank
Violet: Princess of the night-throne
Cover artist for keenspot comics
Hollowed #5
Kid Slap Shot vs major extremeCover artist for Aceblade #1 variant.
Concept artist for Ania comics group

Ian McDowell

Ian McDowell has an MFA in Creative Writing from UNCG, where he regularly attended StellarCon as a

guest when the convention was held on campus. He is author of the dark Arthurian fantasy novels Mordreds Curse and Merlins Gift. His fiction has appeared in Asimovs Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Cemetery, Dance and the anthologies October Dreams 2 and the Science Fiction Book Clubs Best Short Novels 2005. His story "Geraldine" caused Poppy Z. Brite's anthology Love in Vein: Nineteen Original Tales of Vampire Erotica, to be temporarily removed from Walmart shelves in 1998. He currently lives in Greensboro, where in the last few years he has become known for his reporting for YES! Weekly and the statewide publication TheAssemblyNC.com. In 2020, he won first prize in investigative journalism at the North Carolina Press Association Awards for his coverage of the case of Marcus Deon Smith, an African-American man fatally hogtied by eight Greensboro police during the 2018 NC Folk Festival. That same year, his Alphabestiary: 26 Poems and Drawings for Easily Alarmed Children and the Adults Who Like to Alarm Them, was published by AM INK press. In 2023, his nonfiction I Ain't Resisting: The City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith, was published by Scuppernong Editions.