Phoenix Comicon: Top 10 Badge Art Contest Winners

There's nothing comical about the badge art created for the upcoming Phoenix Comicon - it's some seriously cool stuff. From a cartoonish portrait of Cyclops from X-Men to dark, fantastical renderings of Spider-Man villain Venom, every badge art drawing reflects a local artist's unique style and passion for a particular...

By Niki D'Andrea

May 11, 2010

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There's nothing comical about the badge art created for the upcoming Phoenix Comicon - it's some seriously cool stuff.

From a cartoonish portrait of Cyclops from X-Men to dark, fantastical renderings of Spider-Man villain Venom, every badge art drawing reflects a local artist's unique style and passion for a particular character. And ten artists will get to wear their passions on their sleeves - literally - when their work is featured on various passes for Phoenix Comicon, taking place May 27-30 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The badge art images are each winners of the Phoenix Comicon Badge Art Contest, which received 166 original entries. Of those, event directors selected 26 to put on the Phoenix Comicon website this past January. The public chose the final ten, casting votes until the March 27 deadline.

The first place badge, "Wonder Woman," was drawn by K. Hiapo, a frequent face at Valley anime conventions like Saboten-Con and AniZona, and Con-Nichiwa in Tucson. Hiapo often sells custom sketches at the conventions, but also sells art on deviantart.com.

"Spiderman vs. The Lizard," the second place entry, was created by Rudy Vasquez, who draws for indie comics One-Eyed Jack (Indyplanet.com) and Jazen Wild's Carnival of Souls (Carnival).

The third place badge, created by Tucson resident Ernesto Romero, shows an upside-down Spider-Man crawling across the Phoenix Comicon logo (created by Daniel M. Davis). Romero has a degree in Advertising Art, self-publishes a comic titled Breed, and also sells his art on T-shirts and baseball caps at CafePress.

All ten contest winners receive three badges that feature their art and full-event access to Phoenix Comicon. Be sure to check out our slideshow of Phoenix Comicon badge art images .

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Niki D'Andrea has covered subjects including drug culture, women's basketball, pirate radio stations, Scottsdale staycations, and fine wine. She has worked at both New Times and Phoenix Magazine, and is now a freelancer.

Contact: Niki D'Andrea