Tom DeFalco’s earliest comic-book scripts were for Archie and DC; he soon moved to Marvel, where he wrote Avengers, Machine Man and other titles, also launching Dazzler, a hit series of the early ’80s. In addition to writing long and well-received runs on Amazing Spider-Man and Thor, DeFalco edited many titles, eventually becoming editor in chief. During the 1980s, he headed the creative team that provided fictional biographies for G.I. Joe members, originally included with Hasbro’s toys and later used as the basis for multiple storylines on the animated series. Perhaps his best-known work is multi-title character Spider-Girl, whom he introduced in 1998. DeFalco has authored multiple books, including Ultimate Guides for Avengers, Fantastic Four, Hulk and Spider-Man.

A native New Yorker, writer J.M. DeMatteis has been one of comics’ most respected writers for nearly three decades. Ranging from the introspective psychological drama of Moonshadow to the offbeat comedy of Justice League to the autobiographical Brooklyn Dreams, he’s written from nearly every perspective in graphic storytelling. His long list of credits includes Captain America, Defenders, Justice League International, Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt, Silver Surfer, Spectre and more. His recent work includes the acclaimed children's novel Imaginalis and the popular comics-prose hybrid Abadazad books.

Writer and editor Louise Simonson launched Power Pack and Web of Spider-Man and wrote memorable runs on New Mutants and X-Factor — helping map out the “Mutant Massacre,” “Inferno” and “X-Tinction Agenda” crossovers. Her major editorial credits include Star Wars and Uncanny X-Men. At DC, she wrote multiple Superman titles and became one of the main creative forces behind the “Death of Superman” saga; her scripts also appeared in Detective Comics, New Titans and more. She returned to Marvel to write the Galactus the Devourer limited series and 1999-2000’s Warlock, starring characters from New Mutants.

Argentine artist Ariel Olivetti debuted on American shores with the dystopian Last Avengers Story, and went on to pencil a wide variety of projects including a well-received Daredevil run. However, it was his work on DC’s revamped Space Ghost that established him as a true star, treating the campy character with surprising sophistication. Olivetti teamed with writer Matt Fraction to revive Punisher War Journal, earning rave reviews, and repeated his success soon after with the relaunched Cable.

Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan’s comic-book career began on backup features: White Tiger in Spectacular Spider-Man and Firestorm in DC’s Flash. At Marvel, he moved on to pencil Power Man and Iron Fist, a Black Panther miniseries and Moon Knight: Divided We Fall, among other projects. Back at DC, he specialized in such urban heroes as Green Arrow, Question and Steel; he also penciled multiple miniseries, including Batman: The Ultimate Evil, Fight for Tomorrow and Total Justice. In the TV field, he produced episodes of Milestone spinoff Static Shock and comic strip tie-in The Boondocks, subsequently becoming senior vice president of animation for Black Entertainment Television.

John Buscema (1927-2002) literally wrote the book on being a Marvel artist — namely, How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way — and few were better qualified. His career dated back to the Timely/Atlas era of the late ’40s and early ’50s. Soon after beginning the Marvel Age of Comics, Stan Lee recruited Buscema from the advertising field to the Marvel Bullpen. Buscema followed a long run on Avengers with the long-anticipated first Silver Surfer series. He subsequently succeeded Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four, Thor and other titles. By the time of his retirement in 1996, Buscema had penciled nearly every Marvel title — including his personal favorite, Conan the Barbarian.

Sal Velluto penciled several issues of Marc Spector: Moon Knight and most of Christopher Priest’s Black Panther run, the latter with his friend and frequent collaborator Bob Almond on inks; later, he contributed to the limited series Doctor Voodoo. At DC, he drew Firebrand and Justice League Task Force. His additional work includes Acclaim's Bloodshot, Continuity's Armor, Now's Green Hornet and Penny-Farthing's Captain Gravity.