The Battlelines are Drawn: Wizard Vs. Reed in 2010
October 27, 2009 by Brian Pate
Filed under California, Comic Books, Convention News, Illinois, New York, Top Stories
The story that has been the buzz of the convention scene the past week and a half has the been the scheduling of next year’s Big Apple Comic Con from Wizard. Set for October 7-10, 2010, the 2nd show since the Gareb Shamus buyout will put it head-to-head with Reed Exhibitions’ popular New York Comic Con, scheduled for October 8-10. Eyebrows had already been raised when Wizard scheduled their 1st Anaheim Comic Con for April 16-18, 2010, the same dates for Reed’s first C2E2, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, but at least those were geographically some distance apart. Now, we have two major conventions set to go head to head in the same town in the same weekend, with perhaps only business philosophy keeping the two apart.
The Big Apple Comic Con will go head-to-head with the New York Comic Con in 2010.
While Wizard owner Gareb Shamus has yet to comment on the situation publicly, Reed’s Lance Fensterman has spoken to CBR and Newsarama about the situation as well as commented on his own MediumAtLarge.net blog:
There is a fundamental difference in philosophies between our organizations. We approach our shows by thinking about the fans, the industry and the exhibitors first and ourselves second. We believe that if we serve the fans, the industry, the guests and the exhibitors first we will be rewarded with a good show thus a good business proposition. How does putting an event on the exact same dates as NYCC (or even C2E2 for that matter) do anything to help the fans, exhibitors or guests?
More as it develops, but in the meantime, here is some recommended reading:
- The Beat: Con Wars heat up at Big Apple/ Big Apple Con Wars wrap-up/ The Week in Con Wars
- Robot 6 @ CBR: World War Con – Big Apple 2010 scheduled for same weekend as NYCC 2010
- Bleeding Cool: Con Wars – Wizard Vs Reed – Where Did It Begin?
Boston celebrates Comic-Con
October 27, 2009 by Colin Solan
Filed under Comic Books, Con Reports and Photos, Massachusetts
Annie Ropeik from The Daily Free Press covers the convention:
Artists, dealers, enthusiasts and superheroes of all ages and levels of experience gathered Saturday and Sunday for Boston Comic-Con at the Back Bay Events Center.
About 3,000 people attended the two-day convention, where New England merchants sold thousands of single-issue comics and other merchandise and guest artists drew commissioned sketches and signed autographs.
Co-promoter Nick Kanieff said near the end of the festival Sunday that it had gone “great.”
“It’s really busy,” he said. “All the fans are happy, the artists are happy, the vendors are happy, and if they’re happy, I’m happy.”
Though the convention is smaller than others nationwide such as San Diego Comic-Con or New York’s Big Apple Con, a subset of Wizard Con that took place last week, many participants said this helps the event be more personal.
“Boston Comic-Con has been the best to me of all the cons I’ve done,” guest artist Peter Vinton, who does freelance work, said.
He said he attended Big Apple Con, a three-day event, last week.
“A lot of celebrities were there, which kind of takes away from the artist,” Vinton said. “But we’ve all got to make a living.”
He said he had been drawing and selling character sketches all weekend.
“They’ve been the most popular for the little kids and the older little kids, meaning those who are 30 and older,” he said.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design sophomore Amanda Myers said she came at the suggestion of a friend. Her purchases included vintage issues of the comic versions of Ren & Stimpy and the Kool-Aid Man.
“I talked to some of the people at the venues and they were nice,” she said. “I don’t know a lot of comics, but they were nice enough to tell me what ones I might be interested in and I got to flip through a few.”
Ted VanLiew, owner of Superworld Comics in Holden, sold a few issues to investors and collectors for hundreds of dollars, though his most expensive issues were priced above $1000.
“By and large, it’s people with disposable income, professionals mostly, because what we have is the high-end stuff,” he said.
The majority of the attendees were men in their 30s and 40s, though some children attended with parents. VanLiew said though kids are not his target audience, he appreciates seeing them.
“I like talking to the kids and encouraging them,” he said. “If they’re with [their] Dad, I get excited to see the next generation.”
Though many said the intimate atmosphere has its perks, Kanieff said the convention is due to double in size at a new venue next year near the waterfront and will feature “huge superstars” such as Jim Lee, a co-creator of the 1991 “Uncanny X-Men” spinoff titled “X-Men,” the first issue of which is the best-selling comic of all time.
Bethany Fong, a University of Massachusetts-Amherst 2008 alumna, said she was looking forward to the expansion, though the headcount seemed to have increased this year.
“With enough coverage, that will attract more people and more costumes and more attendance and just participation in general,” she said.
Pics from Boston Comic Con
October 27, 2009 by Colin Solan
Filed under Comic Books, Con Reports and Photos, Massachusetts
Andy Ihnatko posts photos from Boston Comic Con on his Flickr page.
Pictured: Walter and Louise Simonson chatting with fans
MA – Duchess of Whimsy Signing
October 26, 2009 by Colin Solan
Filed under Animation, Comic Books, Massachusetts, Other, Signing and Appearance Profiles
Peter & Randall de Sève sign at the Rockwell Museum
Illustrator Talk and Book-signing
“The Duchess of Whimsy : An Absolutely Delicious Fairy Tale”
Saturday, November 28, 1 to 4 p.m.
Join illustrator Peter de Sève and his wife/author Randall de Sève, as they celebrate the release of their new children’s book The Duchess of Whimsy: An Absolutely Delicious Fairy Tale. The couple will talk about their collaboration, and sign copies of the book for visitors. A special installation of original artwork from the book will also be on view. Free for children. Adults free with Museum admission.
Peter said on his blog: Randall and I will be spending a couple of hours at the Rockwell on November 28th, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, to give a little talk on the process of working together to create our book, The Duchess of Whimsy. The event will be absolutely kid friendly and will include a reading of the book and I’ll be drawing some characters as well. I’m proud to say that there will be a little showing of my originals from The Duchess on exhibit, too. The idea for the talk and the exhibit arose pretty quickly, so the work will not be hanging in one of the formal galleries but in a more casual space near our presentation.
Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Route 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413-298-4100
AL – Back to the Future Reunion
October 26, 2009 by Colin Solan
Filed under Movies, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Signing and Appearance Profiles
Tickets are now on sale for the 25th anniversary Back to the Future reunion, a special event of the University of North Alabama’s 2010 George Lindsey UNA Film Festival. The reunion will be held at 7 p.m. March 5 at the historic Shoals Theater in downtown Florence. Back to the Future screenwriter Bob Gale and actors Lea Thompson, Marc McClure and James Tolkan are scheduled to appear at the reunion.
Tickets, which are $15 plus tax and processing fee, are available at www.lindseyfilmfest.com and at the UNA Bookstore. UNA student tickets are $5 plus tax and must be purchased at the UNA Bookstore, one ticket per student ID. Students will need to show their ticket and student ID at the event. All tickets are general admission.
The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival is one of the few film festivals hosted by a university. The event was founded in 1998 by UNA alumnus and celebrated actors and entertainer George Lindsey. Lindsey’s own film career has included several important roles, including the character Goober Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
For more information on the 2010 George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, visit www.lindseyfilmfest.com, or contact the film festival staff at lindseyfilmfest@una.edu or 256-765-4592.
NC – Fillbach Bros. Signing
October 26, 2009 by Colin Solan
Filed under Comic Books, North Carolina, Signing and Appearance Profiles
On November 7, from 1-3 pm, we’ll be hosting a special signing appearance by The Fillbach Brothers! These are the guys behind the insanely popular Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures digests’ art. They also created the Maxwell Strangewell graphic novel, Werewolves On The Moon (with Dave Land), and many more. They’ll be signing and sketching for just two hours–from all accounts they’re super friendly guys, and are big country music and Nascar fans, so they’ll probably have as many questions for us Southerners as we have for them!
We’ll be talking this up over the next couple of weeks, but don’t miss the chance to come out and meet these talented creators!
704-375-7462
http://heroesonline.com
Comic Book and Non-Sports Card Show (MD) (November 2009)
October 26, 2009 by Brian Pate
Filed under Anime, Comic Books, Convention Profiles, Gaming, Horror, Maryland
Event Details:
| Convention | Comic Book and non-sports card show |
| Convention Website | http://www.clandestinecomics.com |
| Start Date | 11/22/2009 |
| About This Convention: | The show runs from 11am-3:30pm and admission is $3.00, dealers will be selling Golden to Modern comics, non-sports cards, anime, original art, action figures and other related comic book items. Dealers will be coming in from all over the mid-atlantic region for this show so don’t miss it. |
| Venue Name | Holiday Inn |
| Venue Address | 15101 Swietzer Lane Laurel, MD United States |
| Number of Dealer/Exhibitor Tables | 24 |
| Projected Attendance | 125 |
| What category best describes your convention? | Comic Books |
| What other categories might be appropriate for your convention? | - Anime - Gaming - Horror |
JMV Comic Book Show – Fort Worth (November 2009)
October 26, 2009 by Brian Pate
Filed under Comic Books, Convention Profiles, Texas
Event Details:
JMV Comic Book Show – El Paso (November 2009)
October 26, 2009 by Brian Pate
Filed under Comic Books, Convention Profiles, Texas
Event Details:
Roanoke Valley Comicon Adds HeroClix Tournament
October 26, 2009 by Brian Pate
Filed under Comic Books, Convention News, Gaming, Virginia
Press Release:
The Roanoke Valley ComiconTM in Salem, Virginia is the largest one day comic book show in South-West Virginia. The Salem Civic Center with over 8000 square ft is the venue where dealers and creators come together. Comic books starting in the early 1900′s to present, toys, and related merchandise will be available to the public. Artist and writers will be on hand to meet fans. A Heroclix tournament will be held.
Our November 14th, 2009 will include a Heroclix Tournament with one of the prizes being a Thor Chariot. Please see our website for more details. Pre-registration is required.
Our dealers are from as far away as Orlando, FL. They will be bring comics, toys, Heroclix, statues, Anima, Manga, t-shirts and much more! Bring the whole family out for a day of fun!
Untamed WorldsTM is the show promoter. Untamed Worlds started in 1992 as an outlet for comic book fans and is proud to sponsor the Roanoke Valley Comicon. We invite all to come out and enjoy the fun. Check out the full information at our web site www.RoanokeValleyComicon.com.
Disclosure: The Roanoke Valley Comicon is an advertiser with Convention Scene.
