Four More Manga, Manhwa Artists to Appear at Comic-Con '09

San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner and the guest list just keeps getting bigger and better, as more manga artists are announced as guests at this yearly comics/pop-culture/sci-fi fan festival.

As recently as this week, we learned that Japanese manga artists Yoshinori Natsume and Yasuhiro Nightow, Korean manhwa creator NaRae Lee and Canadian manga artist Nina Matsumoto will all be making appearances at San Diego Comic-Con 2009. Here's more details about when and where to meet them:

Yoshinori Natsume at CMX Manga / DC Comics Booth 1915

• Thursday, July 23: 11:00 am -Noon
• Friday, July 24: 2:00 -3:00 pm
• Saturday, July 25: 3:00 - 4:00 pm
• Sunday, July 26: 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Natsume-sensei is the creator of Togari and Batman: Death Mask, a project he worked closely with CMX Manga and DC Comics editors to create. In Batman: Death Mask, a serial killer is loose in Gotham City who may have ties to Bruce Wayne's younger days when he did his martial arts training in Japan.

Yasuhiro Nightow at Dark Horse Booth 2615

• Friday, July 24: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

It looks like Nightow-sensei decided to stick around Southern California after his appearances at Anime Expo 2009 earlier this month to make an encore visit to San Diego Comic-Con. And why not? Trigun is very popular with U.S. fans, and he just got off a fan love-fest at Anime Expo when he premiered a sneak peek of the upcoming Trigun animated movie.

If you're keen on meeting Nightow-sensei and getting your manga signed, take note. This is a ticketed event, which means (if Dark Horse is handling things the same way as last year) you'll need to go to the Dark Horse booth prior to the signing, pick up a numbered ticket, then return later to see if your number was pulled and posted. Only these lucky pre-designated winners will be able to stand in line to meet Nightow-sensei. Make sense? Of course, you should check with the Dark Horse staff members on site to confirm all this once you're at the Con.

NaRae Lee at Yen Press Booth 1116-1120

• Friday, July 24: 1:00 - 2:00 pm
• Saturday, July 25: 3:00 - 4:00 pm

In addition to these two Japanese manga-ka, Korean talent NaRae Lee (artist for manhwa adaptation of James Patterson's Maximum Ride) will be making the trip 'cross the ocean for two autograph sessions at the Yen Press booth.

If you've been following Maximum Ride in Yen Plus magazine, you'd know that Lee has been wanting to meet her U.S. fans for a while. Be sure to give her a warm Comic-Con welcome at both of her autograph sessions and at the Yen Press panel on Friday at 5:30 - 6:30 pm.

Nina Matsumoto at Del Rey Manga Booth 1128

• Saturday, July 25: 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Vancouver-based comics creator Nina Matsumoto hasn't made many comic convention appearances -- but hey, when you get nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Short Story (for Murder He Wrote by Matsumoto, Ian Boothby and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror #14 from Bongo Comics), it's probably a good idea to be around for the awards ceremony on Friday juuuust in case you win.

Drop by Del Rey Manga to offer your congratulations on her nomination (and possible win), and get your copy of Yokaiden signed too while you're at it. It's a fantastically funny book that you won't regret picking up if you haven't already.

UPDATE: Matsumoto mentions on her LiveJournal that Del Rey will be giving all FREE copies of Yokaiden Volume 1 to all who come to the Saturday signing event (while supplies last, of course). And as an added bonus, you can check out a 3-d sculpt of Hamachi, the hero of Yokaiden, by Emily Coleman.

And of course, you can't miss your chance to meet Hiroyuki Takei and Stan Lee on Friday, July 24, courtesy of VIZ Media.

These four (six if you count Lee and Takei-sensei) aren't the only artists worth seeing at Comic-Con. Here's my decidedly opinionated list of not-necessarily manga comics creators worth checking out. Refer to the handy-dandy exhibit hall map to plan your visit, take a break from the maddening crowds at the movie studio and game company booths, and say hi to these talented folks:

• Sergio Aragones (Groo the Wanderer, Mad Magazine) - Table I07
• Ryan Claytor - Elephant Eater Comics (And Then One Day) - K07 (Small Press)
• Colleen Coover (Banana Sunday, Small Favors) FF-15 (Artists Alley)
• Michael Daley - Table G03
• Louie Del Carmen (Pixar) - Table G04
• Camilla D'Errico (Tanpopo, Make 3 Wishes) - Table N11 (Small Press)
• Paul Horn - Cool Jerk Int'l (Cool Jerk) - Table K10 (Small Press)
• Debbie Huey (Bumperboy) - Table O16 (Small Press)
• Martin Hsu (Ruby Gloom, Ni Hao Kai-Lan - Table G02
• Sherrilyn Kenyon (Author, Dark Hunters) - Booth 1220
• Keith Knight (Knight Life, K Chronicles) - Table K15 (Small Press)
• Lunasea Studios (Little Vampire) - Booth 4920
• Aimee Major-Steinberger (Japan Ai) - Table G09
• Tara McPherson - Booth 4922
• Sho Murase (Me2, Nancy Drew) - GG-01 (Artists Alley)
• Penny Arcade - Booth 1237
• Lark Pien - Little Bird Books (Long-Tailed Kitty) - Table P01 (Small Press)
• P.M.B.Q. Studios (Tea Club, Unemployed Pandas ) - Booth 4519
• Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo) - Booth 4906
• Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, Kiskaloo) - Booth 4921
• Jeff Smith (Bone, RASL) - Booth 2109
• Steam Crow (Monster Commute) - Booth 4207
• Gene Yang (American-Born Chinese, The Eternal Smile) Table AA-04 (Artists Alley)

I'll be at Comic-Con, from the Preview night until the doors close on Sunday afternoon, taking photos, interviewing artists and taking in all the sights, sounds and over-stimulation of this annual pop-culture fun fest. Want to get up-to-the-minute updates (and occasional TMI moments)? Follow me on Twitter!

© TM & © DC Comics, © Yasuhiro Nightow, © NaRae Lee, James Patterson, © Nina Matsumoto