The Encoded: Splintered Souls

Josh Blaylock has been a nationally recognized comic book author and artist since his self-publishing debut in 1996. His fame rose in the early 2000s with the formation of Devil’s Due Comics, and the acquisition of the then-dormant G.I. Joe comic book license, which he re-launched in partnership with Image Comics to the top of the charts, and ignited an entire resurgence of 1980s cartoon properties in the comic book space. In addition to dozens of different comic books written in his career, his creator-owned series Mercy Sparx, published by Devil’s Due, was optioned for film by MGM Studios in 2020. Other notable work includes the political tribute (and satire) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force: New Party, Who Dis? (receiving over 1 billion media impressions around the globe),  the graphic novel  thriller Operation Nemesis, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and the non-fiction prose How to Self-Publish Comics: Not Just Create Them (made required reading at Savannah College of Art & Design). Outside of comics, Blaylock is a recognized expert in the cryptocurrency space, leading to the creation of The Bitcoin Comic Handbook, a guide to understanding the disruptive technology. Josh’s current active comic book projects continue to be Mercy Sparx and the sci-fi / fantasy series ArkWorld  and The Encoded. 

 

Mark Powers is the writer who created several of the graphic novels adapted The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher and co-writer of The Encoded from Devil's Due comics. He is a writer at Mega Powers Entertainment and a producer at Volta. At Mega Powers Entertainment he has written comic books and graphic adaptations for various companies including Drafted, Rest, GI Joe, and adaptations of The Dresden Files. He was also a Senior Editor at Marvel managing the X-Men line of titles.