Ict Comic Con & Science Fiction Expo Year 9.0 Special Guests

From ICT Comic Con Facebook page:

THIS WEEKEND WICHITA! You're all invited, hope to see you all there!

It all goes down August 30th and 31st, 2025 at Century II in Wichita, Kansas! ICT Comic Con and Science Fiction Expo is going up, up and away for our super action packed Year 9.0 event!

Comic book LEGEND Mike Grell will be joining us as our Artist Guest of Honor. Artist, writer, creator for DC's The Warlord, Green Arrow, Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, and independent titles Jon Sable Freelance, Starslayer, Shaman's Tears and so many others, this is an opportunity not to be missed!

Straight from the Phantom Zone and the Fortress of Solitude we have actors Jack O'Halloran who played Supervillain Non and actor Jeff East who played the young Clark Kent/Superman in Superman the Movie, the first superhero movie of it's kind!

Heather Thomas who is making a RARE appearance on her way from Hollywood to the mighty ICT! She played stuntwoman and bounty hunter Jody Banks on TV's "The Fall Guy" and she is also well known for her role as Jane Mitchell in the feature film "Zapped" Ms. Thomas is also known for her appearance on several best selling pin-up posters in the 80's.

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" That's right true believers, the Chairman of the Board is making his way to the mighty ICT! WWE Legend Hacksaw Jim Duggan is in the house! In his own words: "Hacksaw's gonna do what Hacksaw came to do! Beat people up! What you gonna do about it, tough guy?"

Actress Olivia D'Abo is coming to the ICT! She made her debut in the 1984 feature film "Conan the Destroyer" She is also well known for her portrayal of Karen Arnold, the rebellious teenage "hippie" sister of Kevin Arnold on the hit series "The Wonder Years". she was the voice for Jane Porter in Disney's 2001 feature film "Tarzan and Jane" and voiced Jane Porter again in the 2001-2003 TV series "The Legend of Tarzan". She is also known for her voice acting roles in "Ultimate Avengers" and "Ultimate Avengers 2" as well as the voice for Star Sapphire in "Green Lantern: First Flight" and "Justice League: DOOM". She also has Star Wars cred as the voice of Luminara Unduli in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" from 2007 - 2009.

Tickets on sale now at: https://selectaseat.com/comic.

KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE! Weekend Pass $30. Adult Advance Online Day Pass $16.50. Adult Day Pass at the door $22. Youth (ages 13 -17) Day Pass $13. VIP Pass $50 (early entry, weekend pass, event T-shirt).

Tickets on sale now at: https://selectaseat.com/comic.

ICT Comic Con and Science Fiction Expo Year 9.0!

Saturday 10am - 6pm and Sunday 10am - 5pm

August 30th and 31st, 2025

Century II Exhibition Hall, 225 W Douglas, Wichita, KS 67202

Ict Comic Con & Science Fiction Expo Year 9.0 Special Guests

Freaky Friday: Flash #17 Cover

What makes the cover of Flash #17 so freaky? Because Travis Morgan the Warlord sporting an eyepatch is on it.

Cover of Flash #17 from DC Comics

Convergence #5

The cover of Convergence #5 (July 2015) features Travis Morgan aka the Warlord battling Deimos:

The story picks up from last issue in the dungeon of Castle Deimos in Skartaris. Deimos tells Telos that he is nothing but a man that Brainiac forced into eternal servitude to save his family and people. Dick Grayson of Earth 2 is the only one who can see that the alien can help them.

On the way to the castle, the Warlord and his wife, Tara, battle lizard men. One impales the Queen of Shamballah with his sword:

Unfortunately, Tara's death is just one of three in this issue. Deimos rips Machiste's heart out a few pages later.

The Superman of Earth 2 grapples with Deimos while the others try to talk Telos into helping them.

The Warlord kills the attacking lizard men and kisses the dying Tara. He tells her that he will return with help or join her soon.

Deimos has the defeated Superman of Earth 2 in his hand while the other superheroes stand around not sure of what to do. He banishes Brainiac moments before the Warlord breaks through the wall riding a triceratops. Unfortunately, Deimos is so full of power that he easily defeats him and turns him to dust.

The castle starts collapsing and all the superheroes except Yolanda make it out. Deimos offers her his hand and a chance to save herself. She accepts and the pair disappear together.

Dick Grayson of Earth 2 finds a batarang in the rubble and then makes the symbol of the bat on his chest. This moment was coming for some time but it was still great to see it.

Deimos and Yolanda appear in Brainiac's former occupation chamber. He tells her that she will be handy to him since she was there during the first Crisis when she was the Earth 2 Wildcat. He tells the trapped cities on the planet that he banished the being that brought them there and he will protect them for a price.

I love and hate this issue for several reasons. I love the cover and interior artwork. I hate the deaths of Tara and Travis Morgan (I can excuse the death of Machiste to some extent). I love the fact that Dick Grayson of Earth 2 is taking up the mantle of the bat. I hate that most the superheroes just stood around while Deimos did his thing.

Convergence #4

The cover of Convergence #4 (June 2015) features the nu52 Justice Society of Earth 2 facing Deimos and Telos. They realize that they trusted the wrong person a little too late while the latter gets very interested in Dick Grayson at the start.

The best part of the issue for me is the return of Travis Morgan aka the Warlord. He is fighting lizard men with his wife, Tara:

Convergence #3

There is a lot going on in Convergence #3 (June 2015). The cover features Earth 2's Thomas Wayne aka Batman being fighting the villains from Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin series. The only one I recognize is the Riddler.

The issue starts with the surviving superheroes of Earth 2 (Flash, Superman, Green Lantern and Red Avatar) helping Deimos.

Deimos eventually takes them to the inner world of Skartaris

Other events include Telos going to Kandor, where the Kyptonians are protesting. Nightwing and Flamebird arrive only to have the former destroyed. Shakira throws Monarch and Degaton into a statis bubble with other masters of time. From what little she says, it seems that Deimos wants them for himself and she is putting them away so he can't find them. I'm waiting for Travis Morgan aka the Warlord to show up soon.

Thomas Wayne and Dick Grayson fight the mob of villains that ends with the former setting off an explosion which kills him. I kind of had the feeling that he was going to die after reading the last issue. The Joker shows up and shoots Dick Grayson but then Telos snaps the clown's neck. The alien asks Grayson where his friends are. You think the all powerful super being would be able to tell that they are inside the planet since he is supposed to be the planet.

The Warlord #15 Preview

Newsarama has a four page preview of The Warlord #15 (August 2010) that will hit the newsstands on June 9. The cover, which shows Joshua wearing the famed helmet, is by Mike Grell, who also does the interior art.

Goodnight Travis Morgan

Word is out that Travis Morgan dies in The Warlord #12. You can read the summery here. Oh My God! You Killed Morgan is an interesting article with an interview by the character's creator, Mike Grell. To be honest, I have not bought any issues of the new series mostly because there is no local comic book store. Word is also out that the series is set to be canceled after #16.

Here is the cover artwork for The Warlord #12 by Mike Grell:

Website Alert: The Warlord

The Warlord is a website devoted to my favorite fantasy character from DC Comics. You will find articles, cover galleries, issue summaries and toys (I never knew about the Galaxy Racer and water guns). If you are a fan of Travis Morgan, then you might want to check the site out.

The Warlord Annual #2

Dick Giordano and Dan Jurgens did the cover for The Warlord Annual #2 (1983) with the latter also doing the interior pencils. The story, titled "The Prophecy", was written by Cary Burkett, inked by Mike DeCarlo and colored by Carl Gafford. Travis Morgan aka the Warlord meets Krystovar, a seeker of knowledge and a gatherer of ancient lore. He tells of Lord Norrad the colony of New Atlantis. After jumping off a ship, the Warlord finds an underwater cavern that leads to a secret stockpile of futuristic weapons that includes what appears to be saucer-shaped UFOs. He hops on an Atlantean sled to save Krystovar from the clutches of Ar-Pharazael, the ruler of New Atlantis. The mad king tells the seeker of knowledge that the brother that he has been looking for is still alive but transformed into one of the brood-brothers. I read this issue when it originally came out and recently picked up another copy without knowing if I had it or not but it was still a great read.

The Warlord #9 Preview

Wow, Newsarama has an exclusive five page preview of The Warlord #9 that will be on sale December 3, 2009. Here's the beautiful cover by Mike Grell:

The Warlord Van

Now this van featuring the Warlord would have been a cool to have in the 1970s:

Other cool vans featuring superheroes can be found here.

The Warlord #8 Preview

Halloween may be over but the treats are still coming in. Newsarma has an exclusive five page preview of The Warlord #8 from DC Comics here. The cover and interior art is by Mike Grell, who also wrote the story.

The Warlord #1 Cover

This Mike Grell cover so much needs to be a poster (click for larger image):

You can read a five page preview at Newsarma's DC Comics First Looks for April 8.

Blog Alert: Diversions of the Groovy Kind

I just discovered Diversions of the Groovy Kind earlier today and the blog covers a wide range of comics and magazines from the 1970s from horror to television shows. A recent post features First Issue Special #8 (August, 1975) which is the Warlord's first appearance.

The Warlord Returns

According to SDCC '08 - Mike Grell: The Return of Warlord, an ongoing series from DC Comics will start in 2009. Next year marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the fantasy character. I enjoyed the original series but did not care much for the revival by Bart Sears and Bruce Jones in 2006. The new series will be done by the Warlord's creator, Mike Grell.

Goodbye, Warlord

I liked the original series but I have only seen previews of the new series.

THE WARLORD #10
Written by Bruce Jones
Art and cover by Phil Winslade
The Warlord encounters a diabolical temptress who is not at all what she seems! Don’t miss this tale of sword-and-sorcery mysticism!

On sale November 29 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • Final Issue