Scene on Video: “Superheroes Invade New Orleans Comic Con”

A reporter from WGNO talks to Lou Ferrigno and more at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con.

 

2011 CTN Animation Expo Con Report!

On November 18-21, 2011, Creative Talent had it’s third annual CTN Animation Expo. Every year, this con seems to grow more and more. With big companies, artists, and big names in the animation industry, this is THE show to go to if you are involved with the animation industry and want to break in. From portfolio reviews, to insightful panels, and even just soaking in the ambience and drawing with other artists in the lobby, CTN is full of creative talent that is waiting to be the next big name in animation. I highly recommend anyone interested going into the field to come out and experience this awesome show. And one big tip I heard throughout the weekend: No one will hire you if you don’t show your stuff. Post it on blogs, get your portfolio out there, make yourself seen. All it takes is one chance. And now, onto some pictures from this weekend:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long Beach Comic Con 2011 Con Report!

On Halloween weekend, 2011, Long Beach Comic Con held it’s 3rd annual show. With the first year being a rousing success, and the 2nd year drawing in weaker crowds, I didn’t know what to expect. Would the drop in attendance continue, or would the show find its niche and thrive once more?

When I first arrived to the show, I noticed the sparse crowds and feared the worst. Luckily, my fears were assuaged, as the once small line suddenly grew massive closer to the opening of the show. Saturday was packed, with the show floor showcasing lots of merchandise, great artists ready to draw for fans at Artist Alley, and some celebrities scattered throughout the show floor.

With the show embracing the Halloween spirit, LBCC encouraged fans to dress up as their favorite comic heroes, and I saw a lot of people in costume. It was great to see young children coming with their parents and picking up some books.  Sunday wasn’t as bad of a decrease as I expected either, and my hopes for the show grew exponentially especially given the lack of people from last year’s show.

LBCC has found a niche targeting fans and families and encouraging some great cosplay during the Halloween weekend.
Martha, Phil, and Mike have put together a great show, and I look forward to seeing this show grow even more in the following years to come. And now, onto the photos!

 

 

 

 

Baltimore Comic Con 2011 Report

This year’s Baltimore Comic Con was an unparalleled success with a huge upswing in attendance. This may have been partly due to the appearance of comic book superstar Stan Lee, who looked spry and excited to be meeting the long lines of fans who came out for photos and autographs, but every table from artist alley to dealers had fans looking for art and comics. Baltimore continues to be one of the best conventions in the country dedicated to comic books.

Artists like David Finch, Amanda Conner, Cliff Chiang, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and more had full sketch lists within the first hour of the show on Saturday and popular writers including Mark Waid, Scott Snyder, and Jason Aaron faced throngs of fans looking for signatures every time they sat down. Indie comic stars Jeff Smith and Stan Sakai held a fun panel about their long history in comics working on their titles Bone and Usagi Yojimbo and the trial and tribulations of adapting their story to the big screen. The Harvey Awards were held on Saturday night with the comic eite rubbed elbows (check out The Beat for more coverage).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scene on Video: The Avengers Assemble at the D23 Expo 2011

Marvel brought out most of the Avengers cast to appear at parent company Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California.

Gen Con Indy 2011 Shatters Previous Attendance Records

Press Release:

Gen Con Indy 2011 Shatters All Previous Attendance Records

INDIANAPOLIS (August 11, 2011) – Gen Con Indy, the nation’s largest annual consumer fantasy, sci-fi and adventure gaming convention experienced stunning growth this year. Turnstile attendance was over 119,707 with 36,733 unique attendees present for 96 hours of gaming, cosplay, music, shopping and more. This positive spike in turnout represents a greater than 20% increase in a single year. Game event participation grew even more steeply, with over 250,000 event tickets yielding an over 26% expansion throughout the Best Four Days In Gaming!

“Gen Con Indy 2011 was simply the best Gen Con ever for us,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO of Gen Con LLC. “We had such incredible support from our exhibitors, sponsors, event organizers and volunteers, and of course, the amazing businesses and people of Indianapolis. We are so thankful to have their partnership in crafting the world’s finest experience in gaming. Next year, Gen Con has its 45th anniversary. We are too excited for words at the amount of fun we are already planning for next August.”

Family Fun & Sunday Attendance
The Family Fun Pavilion continues to be popular with the next generation of game players and their parents. Companies with all-ages entertainment products were swarmed with children, grandparents, educators and librarians looking for games for upcoming birthdays, holidays and back-to-school. Between family fun and regular Sunday badges, nearly 3,000 additional people joined Gen Con Sunday – adding considerable traffic to the show and helping exhibitors reach new fans.

Charity
Over the years, Gen Con has maintained its efforts in helping children and benefiting educational programs through its charity events. This year to keep up the tradition, Gen Con chose School on Wheels, which enhances and enriches educational opportunities for school-aged homeless children as the recipient of the charity fundraising. 100% of the proceeds from the following charity events were donated to the cause: Ace of Aces VIII– Charity Speed Paint and Auction, Cardhalla, and Charity Auction, Fandom United Jail-n-Bail. In total over $18,000 was raised from all the different charity events at Gen Con.

Future Gen Con Indy Show Dates
Gen Con has been in Indianapolis since 2003 and has signed a five-year extension with the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association (ICVA) for 2011-2015. Below are the upcoming show dates.
August 16-19, 2012
August 15-18, 2013
August 14-17, 2014
July 30 – August 2, 2015

About Gen Con

Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. It was acquired in 2002 by former CEO and founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison, who owns the company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. For more information visit the website at www.gencon.com. For up-to-the minute details, find us at www.facebook.com/genconindy and at www.twitter.com/gen_con

San Diego Comic Con 2011 Report

During the 2 weeks after Comic Con to recover from the worst con flu I’ve ever experienced, I got to reflect back on this year’s San Diego Comic Con. This year’s con was unlike any I’ve experienced in the past 7 years of going to Comic Con. Not only does the show keep growing every year, with more shows, vendors, and movies coming every year, this was the first year where there was a lot of off site events going on as well. You didn’t even need a ticket to Comic Con to enjoy geek culture. From the Conan O’Brien exhibit at a local art gallery, to Tr!ckster, to the massively successful NerdHQ, fans got to experience a variety of awesome events to enjoy. It was almost overwhelming the amount of things going on, that I think a move from SD to a bigger space such as Las Vegas is almost a sure inevitability. But for 2011, I believe that SDCC was a rousing success, and I can’t wait for the bigger and better plans they will have for 2012!

Here’s a glimpse of some of the things I got to see at Comic Con:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scene and Heard: Eve Myles from Torchwood at SDCC 2011

Eve Myles from Torchwood: Miracle Day spoke to the press at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and Convention Scene’s own Richard Oh was there. Listen to the audio below.

Scene on Video: Jessica Nigri Goes in Search of Hot Cosplay at SDCC 2011

Jessica Nigri returns once more, this time in search for the “hottest cosplayers” at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

 

Conan Posters Signed at SDCC 2011 Being Auctioned Off for Pediatric AIDS

LIONSGATE is auctioning off five character poster packages from CONAN THE BARBARIAN signed by Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan and Stephen Lang from the 2011 San Diego Comic Con benefiting The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. 



The winning bidders will receive the studio certified posters with a signed letter verifying their authenticity. Auctions will end August 4, 2011. Interested fans and collectors should be aware there are only a limited amount of posters available.

Please click on the following links to view the auctions: 
 http://cgi.ebay.com/CONAN-BARBARIAN-COMIC-CON-SIGNED-POSTER-JASON-MOMOA-/180702534758?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a12b5dc66

http://cgi.ebay.com/CONAN-BARBARIAN-COMIC-CON-SIGNED-POSTER-JASON-MOMOA-/180702534924?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a12b5dd0c

http://cgi.ebay.com/CONAN-BARBARIAN-COMIC-CON-SIGNED-POSTER-JASON-MOMOA-/180702535016?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a12b5dd68

http://cgi.ebay.com/CONAN-BARBARIAN-COMIC-CON-SIGNED-POSTER-JASON-MOMOA-/180702535092?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a12b5ddb4

http://cgi.ebay.com/CONAN-BARBARIAN-COMIC-CON-SIGNED-POSTER-JASON-MOMOA-/180702535212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a12b5de2c

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