Dungeons & Dragons & Drawing: The Battle of Bands & Bards

In the foggy streets of San Cypriano–a magical city state ruled by 22 gods represented by the Major Arcana–oppression and inequality run rampant, unchecked. As gentrification and the condo-pocalypse threatens an old, struggling music venue, the beleaguered young owner has no choice but to invoke the ancient rite of SKALDMOOT…

That’s right… tune your lutes and grab your cowbells, ’cause we’re getting the band back together!

Tyrannical forces gather in the streets outside but, to save their beloved dive bar, bards, musicians and punks from all walks of life gather together for the most epic battle of the bands the Multiverse has ever seen!

Join TCAF and a cadre of comic nerds supreme as they fight the power through the power of art in this modern urban fantasy actual play Dungeons & Dragons game-meets-art jam. Bring your sketchbooks and tablets, doodle, draw, get in on the action by sharing your best Dungeons & Dragons-inspired art and participate with the #BandsnBards hashtag… and perhaps your art will be raised up to the hallowed halls of Jamhalla and displayed live on screen for all to “ooh” and “aww” at!

Come out for a rip-roaring, dice-rolling, fascist-smashing good time, with all proceeds going to your favourite comics festival!

Meet The Band:

Henry Barajas is a Latinx author from Tucson, AZ. He is best known for his graphic memoir La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo, TMNT: Splintered Fate, Helm Greycastle, Batman: Urban Legends, Green Hornet & Miss Fury, and Historias de Resistencia: Dolores Huerta and the Plight of the Farm Workers for the New York City Department of Education’s Civics for All Comics Group. Barajas writes Gil Thorp with Rachel Merrill for the funny papers in Los Angeles, CA.

MJ Lyons (Dungeon Master) is a writer, game maker and arts organizer. His debut novel, Murder at the World's Fair, was published by Renaissance Press, and his collection of queer erotica short stories, QUEER WEREWOLVES DESTROY CAPITALISM, was published by Microcosm Publishing in spring 2021, the first entry in their “Queering Consent” series, and was also nominated for a Lambda Literary award. He occasionally publishes zines and chapbooks by emerging LGBTQ artists under the name Goblin Cat. You can follow him on Instagram or Bluesky at mjlyonswrites.

Jordan Morris is a comedy writer with experience working in TV, features, comics, podcasts, digital comedy and video games! Jordan has written for shows on Max, Disney Plus, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and YouTube Originals. created and co-wrote the 2x Eisner nominated graphic novel Bubble, based on the hit Maximum Fun podcast of the same name (also created by him). His second graphic novel, the 2x national bestseller Youth Group, a YA horror-comedy with artist Bowen McCurdy is available NOW from First Second Books! He’s also written stories for Marvel, IDW’s Godzilla and Archie: Chilling Adventures. He co-hosts Jordan, Jesse, Go!, a totally nonsensical chat podcast with Jesse Thorn (NPR) and Free With Ads, a movie recap show with comedians Emily Fleming & Matt Leib. You can also see him pop up semi-regularly on the hit YouTube show Good Mythical Morning as a variety of unpleasant characters.

Gigi Murakami is an NYC native, Ignatz-nominated manga artist, illustrator, writer, content creator, and small creative business owner at the intersection of horror media, alternative nerd culture, and (schlocky) film. Her work blends Japanese manga art, vintage grindhouse poster art, and pulp comic aesthetics. She specializes in traditional ink and color illustrations and manga art, focusing on dark, dramatic, and fantastical yet introspective themes.

Betty Robertson is an award winning writer, narrative designer, and editor. A jack-of-all-trades in storytelling, she’s a member of BAFTA, a consultant for numerous Game Writing courses, and a seasoned Dungeon Master. Currently, she works for Netflix as a consultant and editor on their interactive content. Betty's written for franchises such as Aliens, Too Hot to Handle, and Assassin's Creed. Her screenplays: Last Meal, and The Washer Lady made it to the Semi-Finals and Quarter-Finals of NYISA. When she's not working on one of her many, many, many writing projects, she's playing soccer or walking her dog, Banana, around the “mean streets” or Toronto.

Andrew Wheeler is a Shuster and Eisner-winning writer and editor whose works include the Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer's Guides, which help kids get into D&D, and Puncheons & Flagons, the official Dungeons & Dragons cocktail guide. His fantastical comics works include the graphic novel Hey, Mary, about growing up queer and Catholic; the steamy occult noir series Sins of the Black Flamingo; and the crime heist caper Cat Fight. Andrew is also co-host of the movie podcast Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the writing podcast Storybeater!