The Mars Challenge

Benjamin A. Wilgus is a Brooklyn-based bestselling writer, editor, and cartoonist who's been working in comics for over a decade. He is the author of the SF graphic novel duology Chronin (Tor Books), which NPR called “timeless in more ways than one,” and Book Riot called “magical,” and which has garnered a host of glowing reviews. His middle grade graphic novel Science Comics: Flying Machines (with artist Molly Brooks) was named one of the National Science Teachers Association’s Best STEM Books for 2018. He is also the writer of the YA graphic novel The Mars Challenge (with artist Wyeth Yates). Benjamin's New York Times bestselling work has been published by DC Comics, Dark Horse, Del Rey, and Scholastic, and he served as a script and story writer for Cartoon Network's "Codename: Kids Next Door." In his spare time, he co-hosts a podcast about comics publishing called "Graphic Novel TK" with Gina Gagliano.

Wyeth Yates is a comic book artist based in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently the artist on The Mars Challenge (First Second Books), and The Castoffs (Lion Forge). Self-Published titles include Hard Luck, Sundrenchers, and The Other Gang. He can often be spotted in the wild scribbling page layouts at Angelica’s Coffee Shop on Church Ave, or taking his cat for walks in the park. He has been making comics at the same desk for fourteen years, and hopes to be able to keep that up for at least fourteen more.