C2E2 Announces Initial Programming Schedule
March 17, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Anime, Collectibles, Comic Books, Convention News, Illinois, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Top Stories
Via C2E2:
Events – Panels & Screenings
170. What’s that? That’s the number of panels, screenings, and special events taking place at C2E2. We’ve got close to a dozen theaters, conference spaces, stages, and workshop rooms running all three days with some amazing content. Want to hear the latest from Marvel and DC? Check? Want to meet some of Chicago’s comic book hometown heroes? Check. Want to learn, change, and grow with talks from Reading With Pictures, Diamond, the Comics Studies Conference, and ICv2? Check. Want to see some weird, wonderful, and eclectic performances? Check. Want premiere screenings? Check. C2E2’s got them all, and you can delve into all three days of programming right here.
Note, though, that most of the schedule is now online, but much of our Hollywood and TV programming will be coming out later, and there are a few other events, too, that will be added to this list in the coming weeks.
MA – Vericon Signing
March 17, 2010 by Colin
Filed under Comic Books, Massachusetts, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Signing and Appearance Profiles
Timothy Zahn, John Crowley, Paul Tremblay and more sign at Harvard Book Store! Harvard Book Store is pleased to announce that Vericon X science fiction authors will be signing books in our store on the afternoon of March 20th.
Schedule of Author Signings:
1:30 – 2:15: Paul Tremblay and Greer Gilman
3:15 – 4:00: Katherine Howe and Resa Nelson
4:15 – 5:00: Timothy Zahn and John Crowley
Vericon is a science-fiction, fantasy, gaming, and anime convention featuring many events and distinguished guest speakers. It has been held annually at Harvard University since 2001. The tenth Vericon will take place on Friday-Sunday, March 19-21, 2010. The convention is sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association (HRSFA), an undergraduate student group.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
MegaCon 2010 Photo Sharing
March 17, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Anime, Comic Books, Con Reports and Photos, Florida, Gaming, Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy
Welcome to our MegaCon 2010 public photo album. While we have already shared some of our favorite photos from the Orlando-based convention below, you can contribute, too! Logged in users can upload their own photos to this gallery (they will go into moderation until being approved by our staff).
Please note: While the initial batch of photos is credited to yours truly, they were in fact taken by residential Convention Scene photographer Dwayne Gill.
Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention Unveils New Promo Cards
March 17, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Collectibles, Convention News, Maryland
This Weekend: Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention
Trading card manufacturers release images of exclusive promo cards for March 21 non-sports card show
HERSHEY, Pa – The Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention, Charm City, Maryland’s premier pop-culture and non-sports card event, will be held this Sunday, March 21, with some exciting and new revelations.
James Bond: Heroes and Villains
Trading card manufacturers Rittenhouse Archives and Breygent Marketing recently revealed convention promo cards, designed exclusively for the show.
Rittenhouse, who will be exhibiting at the event, will be providing a CP1 card for their upcoming James Bond: Heroes and Villains set, while Breygent Marketing will be supplying a groovy convention promo card based on their upcoming Woodstock Generation Rock Poster Card series. Both cards are in limited supply and will be handed-out with each paid admission, while supplies last.
Other recently revealed convention promo cards include the art of Sir Shadow, Joey Havlock, and Rhonda Havlock. All of the cards are limited and produced by The Trading Card Museum, in association with TradingCardFactory.com and Versicolor Productions.
Spectators who plan on attending the show can expect to see a wide array of exhibitors from the non-sports hobby, including artists, authors, manufacturers, publishers, and dealers.
Dealers will be coming from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, including local dealers from the Maryland state area such as Chick’s Collectibles and Classic Plastic Toys.
Woodstock Generation Rock Poster Cards
Other highlights of the convention will include a recently added exhibit by publisher Autograph Magazine, in addition to a unique exhibition by Maryland’s pop culture institution, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum.
If you are unable to attend: Anyone who is unable to attend the event, no worries, as you can tune into Radio Once More.com to listen to “live” coverage of the event, and even interact with guests and convention goers by calling the radio station’s listener line at (410) 360-6070.
If you go: The convention will be held on March 21 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Towson Place Hotel & Suites (Formerly the Holiday Inn Baltimore-Towson), 1100 Cromwell Bridge Road, Towson, Maryland. Admission into the event is $5 for adults and free for children under 12.
For more information, visit their website, http://www.usatheatres.com/conventions.html
Sir Shadow
Joey Havlock
Rhonda Havlock
Chicagoland Expo and The Action Figure Show Spring Fling (March 2010)
March 17, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Collectibles, Comic Books, Convention Profiles, Illinois, Science Fiction and Fantasy
| Event Details:
| Convention | Chicagoland Expo & The Action Figure Show Spring Fling |
| Convention Website | http://www.chicagolandexpo.com |
| Start Date | 03/20/2010 |
| About This Convention: | The CECE & Toy Con Toy shows present the Spring Fling! Combining forces to bring you a fantastic one day event! |
| Convention Guests | Artists Mark McHaley, Corbett Vanoni, Darla Ecklund, Chris Eliopoulos & Gabriel Bautista. |
| Venue Name | Holiday Inn |
| Venue Address | 150 S Gary Ave 4 miles west of I 355 expressway Carol Stream, IL 60188 United States |
| Number of Dealer/Exhibitor Tables | 48 |
| Projected Attendance | 500 |
| What category best describes your convention? | Collectibles |
| What other categories might be appropriate for your convention? | - Comic Books - Science Fiction and Fantasy - Other |
Atomicon XIX Comics Expo (April 2010)
March 16, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Comic Books, Convention Profiles, Pennsylvania
| Event Details:
Atomicon XIX Comics Expo will be held Sunday, April 18, 2010, at the Comfort Inn in Huntingdon, PA. (junction of US Rt. 22 and Fourth St.) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
DOOR PRIZES: Bat-Bux $howca$h Drawing, Free Movie Tickets Drawing (save ‘em for Iron Man 2!), Mystery Box ‘O’ Stuff (over $100 value), Classic 60s Monster Magazine Drawing are ALL for PAYING Attendees.
GUEST ARTISTS will be in attendance, to be confirmed in the week preceding the show.
ADMISSION is STILL only $2 for Adults and Teens; Fans 12-and-Under are admitted FREE. There’s always FREE Parking available at the con hotel (or visit us via Amtrak; station only 3 blocks from con hotel). There’ll be FREE COMICS for the first 100 people through the door!
THOUSANDS of COMICS (Golden Age, Silver Age, Current Age), DVDs, Action Figures, Toys, and other Comic Collectibles available!
For Dealer Table Info, send an e-mail to beezee622@netzero.net
This Spring Show’s theme: A Salute to STEVE DITKO (originally from Johnstown, PA.; famous artist/creator of Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Capt. Atom, and many other famous comic characters).
In the immortal words of Marvel/DC inker Jack Abel: “Be there…or Be SQUARE!”
Avatar Press Plans Major Presence at C2E2 2010
March 16, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Comic Books, Convention News, Horror, Illinois, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Top Stories
Press Release:
AVATAR PRESS TO HAVE MAJOR PRESENCE AT C2E2
Garth Ennis, George R.R. Martin, and Max Brooks are Among Many Guests of Publisher!
“Avatar Friday Night” event to feature special presentations and mingling opportunity
Norwalk, CT, March 10, 2010: Officials at C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) have announced that Avatar Press will play a huge role at the new pop culture convention where the renowned independent publisher will not only have a significant presence on the show floor but will be bringing many notable writers and creators including Garth Ennis, George R.R. Martin and Max Brooks. Other leading Avatar guests who will be on hand at the convention will include: Jacen Burrows, William Christensen, Christos Gage, Matt Martin, Gianluca Pagliarani, Brian Pulido, and Mike Wolfer. All of these personalities will be at the Avatar Press booth, and will be participating in a variety of activities ranging from panel discussions to autographings.
Notably, Avatar Press will play host to the “Avatar Friday Night”, a special event from 8pm – 10pm, Friday April 16 which will feature Max Brooks and George R.R. Martin in their first ever joint appearance. Brooks, whose Zombie Survival lectures are a world-wide hit, will provide his own unique form of humor and entertainment while George R.R. Martin, one of the most acclaimed wordsmiths of the day, will provide a reading from one of his favorite works. Other Avatar Press guests and creators will be on hand to meet and greet fans.
“I am blown away by everything that Avatar Press is doing at our show,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for the Reed Pop Culture Group and Show Manager for C2E2. “The quality of these guests is absolutely incredible and I am hugely grateful and pleased to see that Avatar finds such value in our event. Our show is going to be massive AND fun and it is in no small measure because of exhibitors like Avatar Press who build excitement and anticipation on our show floor and throughout the convention by making talented personalities and creators available to meet and greet the thousands of fans who will be on hand at C2E2. I am sure the ‘Avatar Friday Night’ event will be packed and I encourage people to buy their tickets fast!”
Other Avatar Press events that will take place during C2E2 are three panels, including a Max Brooks Q & A, as well as numerous autographings with all the Avatar guests at the Avatar Press booth. For ticket purchases and more information about the “Avatar Friday Night” event, fans should go to http://www.avatarpress.com/conventions/c2e2.
Organizers for C2E2 also note that tickets for the convention itself are selling fast and so all fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance. For more information on guests, tickets, or C2E2 in general, visit http://www.C2E2.com or check out the show’s official blog, MediumAtLarge at http://www.mediumatlarge.net, or follow C2E2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/c2e2.
AVATAR GUESTS:
MAX BROOKS: New York Times bestselling author Max Brooks has become one of the world’s leading authorities on zombies with his Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z titles. He has also written the graphic novel Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks which was produced in cooperation with Avatar Press. Brooks was a member of the Saturday Night Live writing team from 2001 to 2003, for which he won an Emmy. He also has a number of acting credits, including appearances on Roseanne and 7th Heaven, and voice work for Batman Beyond and Justice League. Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights for World War Z.
JACEN BURROWS: A 1996 graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1996, Burrows has worked with several comic companies over the years including Caliber Press and London Night Studios, and is currently working under an exclusive contract with Avatar Press. Outside of comics, his work as included contributions to Rockstar Games’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons.
At Avatar, Burrows has worked with the best writers in the industry, praised for his detail and free-flowing story-telling, he has just finished CROSSED with writer Garth Ennis and is currently working on NEONOMICON with Alan Moore. Previously he has illustrated graphic novels by Warren Ellis (SCARS, BAD WORLD, DARK BLUE), Alan Moore (COURTYARD, YUGGOTH CULTURES) and Garth Ennis (303, CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD).
WILLIAM CHRISTENSEN: Avatar Press editor-in-chief William Christensen’s 20-year career in the comics has included contributions in publishing, writing, and comic industry journalism. Christensen was a prolific freelancer for Wizard during the magazine’s formative years in the early 90’s, and went on to work with 90’s indy powerhouse Chaos! Comics in various capacities. His first comic book writing credit was in the 1995 series Chaos! Quarterly. After founding Avatar in 1996, Christensen became the architect of much of the early company line, including Pandora and The Ravening. As Editor-in-Chief of Avatar, he has become known for establishing Avatar’s famous policy of creative freedom as well as his knack for working with the industry’s best writers, including Warren Ellis, Alan Moore, and Garth Ennis.
GARTH ENNIS: Comic Book writer Garth Ennis is the creator of Crossed, Preacher, and the Boys. Among his numerous writing credits, he is also known for his work on Marvel’s Punisher and DC’s Hellblazer. Ennis has won Eisner and Eagle awards for his work on Preacher. After getting his start in comics in legendary UK anthology 2000AD in 1988, Ennis took on long-running DC/Vertigo title Hellblazer in 1991 and under his tenure the comic stood alongside Gaiman’s Sandman as DC/Vertigo’s best series. But his 1996 launch Preacher was to prove an even better showcase for Ennis’ unique talent. A compelling cast of characters in an eyes-wide-open drama unafraid to explore any subject quickly made Preacher one of the most important and controversial titles of the 1990’s. Ennis’ work on The Punisher subsequently became a cornerstone of Marvel’s direction in the Quesada era. At Avatar, Ennis has written 303, Dicks, Chronicles of Wormwood, and Crossed.
CHRISTOS GAGE: Christos Gage has written numerous screeplays and was a writer for the TV show Law & Order: SVU before he added comics to his impressive resume. He’s done several top -selling series like World War Hulk: X-Men, Thunderbolts, Iron Man, Avengers: The Initiative for Marvel and co-wrote GI Joe: Cobra for IDW. He created a whole new universe for his acclaimed series Absolution at Avatar and he is current working on the sequel to that series.
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN: Award-winning author George R.R. Martin is the creator of the epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice and A Game of Thrones. Martin has written a number of other books and short stories in genres as diverse as horror, science fiction, and military fiction. As an editor, he was the creator and primary architect of the Wild Cards shared super-hero universe. Martin was active in early comics fandom and credits the attention he received from a letter to the editor in Fantastic Four #20 (1963) and fanzine activities with his interest in writing. His television writing credits include The New Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast. His lengthy list of awards includes Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is now in production at HBO. His Fevre Dream is about to begin at Avatar Press and The Skin Trade is also in production at Avatar.
MATT MARTIN: Writer/Artist Matt Martin is best known for his creator-owned title Snowman, a supernatural tale of revenge in the form of a creature of ice and snow. Martin has also written and drawn The Coven: Dark Sister for Avatar and drew a story for the Yuggoth Creatures collection of Lovecraft-inspired tales. Martin is a prolific cover artist at Avatar, with work on titles such as Lady Death, Alan Moore’s Glory, Warren Ellis’ Anna Mercury, and much more. He is currently working on an upcoming title written by Garth Ennis.
GIANLUCA PAGLIARANI: An artist on several Warren Ellis titles, Gianluca Pagliarani’s precise, detailed linework and retro sci-fi/fantasy influences have won him acclaim on Avatar books such as Ignition City, Aetheric Mechanics, and Wolfskin: Hundredth Dream.
BRIAN PULIDO: Brian Pulido has created and written hundreds of comic books including Lady Death and Evil Ernie, and licensed comic such as A Nightmare on Elm St. and Friday the 13th. As the founder and president of Chaos! Comics, Pulido was the leading independent comic publisher of the 1990’s
He is on The Hero Initiative’s fundraising board, has received the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s Defender of Liberty Award and is the Chief Creative Officer for Mischief Maker Studios. Pulido also wrote and directed the feature film “The Graves”, starring Tony Todd (Candy Man) and Bill Mosley (The Devil’s Rejects). He is the co-writer, with Mike Wolfer, of the upcoming Lady Death monthly series, slated to debut in fall 2010.
MIKE WOLFER: With the self-publication of DAIKAZU #1 in 1987, Mike Wolfer began a comic book career which has spanned over 20 years. After creating and publishing 14 issues of WIDOW for his own Ground Zero Comics, Wolfer moved on to work on various series such as Dark Horse Comics’ GODZILLA, Chaos! Comics LADY DEATH, and many others. Wolfer’s largest body of published work has been for Avatar Press, where his unique brand of graphically illustrated horror and violence has been on display in Warren Ellis’ STRANGE KISS/STRANGE KILLINGS, Alan Moore’s YUGGOTH CREATURES and Garth Ennis’ STREETS OF GLORY. In addition, Wolfer has contributed to several licensed comic series, serving as both writer and illustrator on such well-known properties as George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, New Line Cinema’s FRIDAY THE 13TH and John Russo’s ESCAPE OF THE LIVING DEAD. Wolfer is currently serving as co-writer with Warren Ellis on Avatar’s GRAVEL and WOLFSKIN, and with Brian Pulido on the new LADY DEATH series.
ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS POP CULTURE GROUP:
The Pop Culture Group at Reed Exhibitions owns and operates the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), and the New York Anime Festival (NYAF). New York Comic Con was launched in 2006 and quickly became a dominant presence in the pop culture world of public events. In 2009, 452 companies exhibited at NYCC for a total of 84,000 square feet of paid exhibit space, and it has been ranked by Crain’s New York Business as the second-largest annual event in NYC. C2E2, which will debut April 16 – 18 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, is modeled after NYCC and will provide fans the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite writers, creators, and artists, as well as to see, hear and learn about the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. The Pop Culture Group also operates the recently-launched Star Wars Celebration in partnership with the Lucasfilm Ltd. and UFC Fan Expo. Additionally, it holds a strategic partnership with Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in 2008 and will work closely with PAX on the launch of PAX East in Boston in 2010.
AZ – Exodus Signing
March 16, 2010 by Colin
Filed under Arizona, Comic Books, Other, Signing and Appearance Profiles
Exodus signs at Atomic Comics on March 30, 2010 from noon to 3pm.
Atomic Comics, 1120 South Country Club #105, Mesa, AZ 85210
Comic-Con International 2010 Hotel Reservations Open March 18th
March 15, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under California, Comic Books, Comic-Con International, Convention News, Top Stories
Via Comic-Con:
Given the number of hotel rooms available for the number of participants attending, we know how challenging booking a room for Comic-Con can be. For this reason, we have implemented a new process that we hope will streamline the reservations process.
Comic-Con 2010 Hotel Reservations
- A User’s Guide
Our goals for this year’s Comic-Con hotel reservations system are to ensure simultaneous accessibility for all, while maintaining genuine first-come, first-served service — down to the millisecond. In the past 12 months we’ve worked hard to develop a system to achieve these goals. Thus, we’ve made changes to the process for this year and we wanted to give all of you an advanced heads up on how to have the best possible reservations experience.
The hotel reservations service will open on March 18th, at exactly 9:00am Pacific Time. Look for the hotel link to be posted on the Comic-Con website at that time. When you click through, you’ll be taken to a reservation preference information page. You’ll need to enter 12 hotel choices, in order of preference, so please preview the list of hotels and have your choices picked out in advance. Other information needed includes occupant names, arrival & departure dates, and your contact information, including email. When you hit submit, your information will be time stamped and logged into our database.
Within 3-5 hours from the time you hit submit, an email will arrive from “res@tphousing.com” confirming which hotel was available and reserved for you. The email will include instructions on how to provide your credit card deposit to confirm the reservation. For reservations of 10 or more rooms, please allow 3 business days for the email to arrive.
Additional Considerations:
* You’ll need to provide a deposit equal to one night’s room charge plus tax within 5 business days of receiving your confirmation.
* Reservations without deposit payment information on file after this time will automatically be cancelled.
* This deposit is fully refundable if your reservation is canceled by May 14, 2010.
* Reservations canceled May 15th through June 17th will incur a $75 cancel fee.
* The entire deposit becomes non-refundable if reservations are canceled on or after June 18, 2010.
Thank you
- Travel Planners
Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention Adds Radio Station and Publisher
March 15, 2010 by Brian Pate
Filed under Collectibles, Convention News, Maryland
Press Release:
RADIO STATION AND PUBLISHER ADDED TO BALTIMORE NON-SPORTS CARD CONVENTION
New Show Exclusive Promos On Tap Provided By Trading Card Manufacturers
Hershey, Pa – Lights, camera, action! With only a few days remaining until the debut of the Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention, USA Theatres, organizers of the event, have recently announced some exciting new additions to the show.
Autograph Collector Magazine (a monthly publication in the autograph hobby since 1986 that covers autographs and memorabilia, from Hollywood to history, music to sports, signed books and more) and Radio Once More (a radio station that broadcasts old time radio and great nostalgia programming 24 hours a day, hosted by Neal Ellis and Ken Stockinger) have recently been added to the line-up of guests appearing at the show.
Both Neal and Ken will be on location at the convention and will be providing a “live” remote broadcast to their listeners, featuring “exclusive talk” and coverage of the Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention.
Other additions to the event will include “show exclusive promo cards” provided by trading card manufacturers Rittenhouse Archives and Breygent Marketing (images to be released shortly).
The cards will be issued with each paid admission, while supplies last.
“It’s very exciting to announce these additions,” said Ronald M. Vastola, Outreach Coordinator of USA Theatres.
The convention will feature numerous exhibitors from the non-sports hobby, including artists, authors, manufacturers, publishers, and dealers.
The conventions is slated for March 21 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Towson Place Hotel & Suites (Formerly the Holiday Inn Baltimore-Towson), 1100 Cromwell Bridge Road, Towson, Maryland. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12.
For more information, visit their website, http://www.usatheatres.com/conventions.html
