‘Simpsons’ artist joins Spa-Con V

Four famed artists, including character designer for “The Simpsons,” Phil Oritz, have signed on to attend Spa-Con V, which is still scheduled for Sept. 18-20.

“Comic book artists, illustrators and inkers are the foundation of all comic conventions worldwide,” Visit Hot Springs Marketing Manager Bill Solleder said. “Spa-Con is thrilled to have four of the best. I encourage all Spa-Con guests to take some time to visit with all of our comic artists and get to know them, and watch them draw.”

“Come to Spa-Con at the Hot Springs Convention Center and be ‘sketchanized’ by Phil Ortiz and see what you would look like if you were to appear as a character on ‘The Simpsons,’” Solleder said in a news release. “When Phil creates a sketch of you, you’ll have a work of art that

you will cherish for the rest of your life.”

According to the release, Ortiz has more than 30 years of experience as a professional artist, working on everything from daily newspaper comic strips like Bugs Bunny to layouts and character design for animated cartoons like “The Simpsons.”

Joining Oritz will be Rags Morales, Georges Jeanty and Rodney Ramos.

“All four artists will spend time on the convention floor where guests can visit with each and watch as they draw,” the release said. “Morales will lead a ‘Dynamic Figure Drawing’ class and Jeanty will lead a discussion on ‘Bringing Intellectual Properties to Life in Comics.’”

Morales is the artist behind DC Comics titles like “Identity Crisis,” and Jeanty is an Eisner Award-winning, New York Times bestselling comic book illustrator whose first major work was Marvel Comics’ “Bishop: The Last X-Man,” the release said.

Ramos has been a professional penciler/inker in the comic book industry for over

15 years, penciling on titles like “Thundercats,” “Marvel Presents,” “What If,” “Conan” and “Toxic Avenger.”

Previously announced celebrities for Spa-Con V include the following:

• Rodger Bumpass, the Emmy-nominated voice of Squidward on “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

• Puddles Pity Party, known as “The Clown With the Golden Voice,” will open Spa-Con V with a concert at 7 p.m. Sept.

18 for $30 per person. Tickets are not included in passes and may be purchased separately at spa-con.org.

• Lori Petty, known for her portrayal of Tank Girl in the movie of the same name and for her starring role more recently in “Orange Is The New Black.”

“Our celebration of pop culture and comics brings together a diverse audience that loves everything from Batman to ‘Stranger Things,’ Pac-Man to Mario Smash Bros, Dungeons and Dragons to Pokemon and everything in between,” Solleder said in the release, adding it provides “possibly the best people-watching fun in the state. It has hosted celebrities from ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Twin Peaks,’ ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘Stranger Things,’ not to mention NASA scientists and 12-foot-tall robots.”

Tickets to Spa-Con V are available at http://www.spacon.org. Weekend passes good for the entire convention are $25; day passes are $20, and VIP passes are $100. The ticket prices will increase on Sept. 1.