New York Comic Con Announces First Round of Guests for 2010

Press Release:

NEW YORK COMIC CON ANNOUNCES FIRST ROUND OF GUESTS!

Comics Are “Heart and Soul” of Convention!

Norwalk, CT, July 9, 2010: New York Comic Con (NYCC) has today announced its first major round of comic guest appearances at this year’s show which will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, October 8 – 10, 2010. Convention officials note that while the final NYCC guest list will span the pop culture universe, including authors, writers, film actors and directors, by far the largest contingent of guest appearances will be from the world of comics. A few of the many guests who have been revealed in today’s announcement include: Adam Hughes, Steve McNiven, Steve Epting, Bob Layton and Greg Pak. Organizers note that Adam Hughes was also a guest at NYCC in 2008. Hughes has drawn for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and many other companies, and he has also done work for Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. He is currently working on many projects, including a hardcover collection of his work for DC Comics.

In separate announcements, NYCC organizers have revealed that Stan Lee will be this year’s “Spotlight” Guest of Honor at New York Comic Con and John Romita and John Romita, Jr. will be appearing together as Keystone Guests of Honor at the show.

“While New York Comic Con has certainly grown and evolved in new directions over the past five years, we remain a show which is dedicated to providing a home for the absolute best and most respected comic book talent,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for NYCC. “Comics are the heart and soul of NYCC and we are enormously grateful to all the leading comic book celebrities who make themselves available to the thousands of fans who attend our show.”

To date, the comic creators who will be participating in NYCC include: Amanda Conner * Ryan Dunlavey * Steve Epting * Michael Golden * Adam Hughes * Bob Layton * Steve McNiven * Greg Pak * Jimmy Palmiotti * Khoi Pham * Whilce Portacio * Ivan Reis * Allison Sohn * Ben Templesmith * Mark Texeira * Peter Tomasi * Jim Valentino * Fred Van Lente * Renee Witterstaetter *

For more information about each of the guests including bios and photos please go to: www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Guests/. As previously announced, the 2010 New York Comic Con will now be co-located with the New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and will occupy the entire Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Tickets for NYCC and NYAF may be purchased at www.nycomiccon.com. Other information about the shows, as well as news about ReedPOP, which also organizes Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), is available at Lance Fensterman’s blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.

ABOUT REEDPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration V, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

Hero Initiative Offering Limited Edition Overstreet Price Guide at SDCC 2010

Press Release:

Hero Initiative to Offer Exclusive Limited Edition Overstreet #40

John Romita, Jr. recreates Conan The Barbarian#1 for 40th Anniversary Exclusive

Los Angeles CA, April 26, 2010-Artist John Romita, Jr., inker Klaus Janson, and colorist Dean White have recreated 1970′s Conan The Barbarian #1 for the cover of a limited hardcover Hero Initiative variant edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #40. This is the first time an exclusive edition of the long-running industry institution has ever been issued.

Limited to 500 hardcover copies, the Hero Initiative edition of the 40th anniversary Guide will go on sale on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at Comic-Con International: San Diego, the same day the regular editions of the Guide go on sale nationwide.

“For some time now, both Steve Geppi and Bob Overstreet have been looking for a way to get the Guide actively involved with the Hero Initiative, which isn’t too surprising since both of those gentlemen and the Guide itself reflect a deep love of the medium and its heritage,” said The Hero Initiative’s Jim McLauchlin. “This year, as the Guide celebrates its 40th anniversary, we brought up the idea of doing a limited edition exclusive cover as a fundraiser. It came together very quickly.”

“We’re very happy to be able to promote such a great cause,” said Steve Geppi. “It’s impossible to really love comics without acknowledging the creators who set the stage for where we are today. Without them, what would we have? The Hero Initiative’s role in helping creators who have had some difficulties is essential if we’re truly interested in honoring our past and present as we move toward tomorrow.”

At the show, individual copies of the book will be on sale for $35, and it will also be available as part of premium packages offered by Hero. Through the efforts of all involved, the Hero Initiative will be able to receive the full cover price for each sale.

“This was truly a collaborative effort,” said J.C. Vaughn, Associate Publisher of Gemstone Publishing. “Mark Huesman, the Guide’s Creative Director, suggested the idea of a recreation of Conan The Barbarian #1 for the cover, since that landmark issue is also celebrating its 40th anniversary. Jim McLauchlin and the Hero Initiative secured the services of John Romita, Jr., Klaus Janson, and Dean White to provide the fantastic art. Since John is exclusive with Marvel, Jim also got Marvel’s permission for him to do the project. Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson arranged the permission to do the cover with the folks at Conan Properties International, LLC. Angelo Messina at WorldColor arranged for his company to donate the plate change and the limited edition portion of our print run. If any one of these things hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have been able to do this project in this way.”

The Conan edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #40 features Romita, Jr., Janson, and White’s recreation of the cover for Conan The Barbarian #1 by Barry Windsor-Smith, originally published by Marvel Comics in 1970, the same year the first edition of the Guide debuted. Conan is now published by Dark Horse Comics. Author and publisher Robert M. Overstreet, who will be one of Comic-Con’s special guests this year, will appear at the Hero booth during the show (schedule to be announced).

About The Hero Initiative

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterday’s creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today. For more information, visit www.heroinitiative.org or call 626-676-6354.

About Gemstone Publishing

Best known as the home of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Gemstone Publishing was formed by Diamond Comic Distributors President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen A. Geppi as a conduit for his efforts in preserving and promoting the history of the comics medium. The standard editions of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #40 are offered in both hardcover and soft cover, featuring a choice of Batman by Mark Chiarello and Captain America by Darwyn Cooke. In addition to the Guide, Gemstone also publishes Scoop, a free weekly e-newsletter which looks inside the world of pop culture with a focus on auctions, toys, comics, posters, art and anything and everything pop culture.

CA – Kick Ass Signing

John Romita Jr signs at Golden Apple Comics on April 13th from 1-2pm.

Golden Apple, 7018 Melrose Avenue , Los Angeles, CA 90038

UK – Kick Ass Across the Pond

MARK MILLAR & JOHN ROMITA Jr. at FORBIDDEN PLANET

Sunday 21st March 2 – 3pm

Forbidden Planet is pleased to announce a signing by MARK MILLAR and JOHN ROMITA Jr. They will be signing the graphic novel KICK ASS and the movie companion book KICK ASS: CREATING THE COMIC, MAKING THE MOVIE at Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2h 8JR on Sunday March 21st 2 – 3pm.

As if meeting two legendary comic creators were not enough, the first seventy five people who attend our Kick Ass signing this Sunday will receive a pair of tickets to the star studded movie premiere.
 
The KICK-ASS phenomenon unites acclaimed writer Mark Millar and award-winning artist John Romita Jr. for one of the 21st century’s most outrageous and acclaimed series. What would happen if you tried to be a superhero – if an ordinary kid in spandex came face-to-face with the criminal underworld?
 
In the graphic novel, Dave Lizewski is just a regular American teenager with a MySpace page, a comic book collection, and no girlfriend. As self-styled vigilante Kick-Ass, however, he’s about to find out exactly how a superhero would fare in the real world… and it’s going to get really, really violent!

To accompany the film release, Mark Millar has also written the full and official page-to-screen story of KICK-ASS, collecting the input of the cast and crew as well as artist John Romita Jr. With eye-popping art from the original comics, script extracts and hundreds of movie photos, this is the indispensable guide to every aspect of ass-kicking.

PLEASE NOTE: WE CANNOT OFFER THESE ITEMS AS SIGNED PRE-ORDERS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A SIGNED COPY, YOU WILL NEED TO BE AT THE EVENT.
 
Forbidden Planet is the largest store of its kind in the world. Some of the biggest names in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comics and Cult Entertainment have come to our London Megastore for signing events, including: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Terry Gilliam, Simon Pegg, William Gibson, Mark Millar, Guillermo Del Toro, Brian Froud and Stephen King.
 
For more news about our signings please go to the website

TX – Kick Ass Signing

Writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr. join us for a signing on Saturday, March 13th from 5 to 6 pm.  We’re thrilled to have them here for what will surely be a BIG weekend for KICK-ASS.  To make sure as many people get to meet them as possible, we have a few rules in place for this signing.

Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. are scheduled to be here from 5 to 6 pm.  Be sure to get here early for your best chance to get a signature!

You’re welcome to bring a camera to the event and take pictures, but we’ve been asked that there be no individualized photos.  They slow the line down a lot, and our guests have limited time with us as it is.

Each person in line is allowed to have one item signed.  This is a promotion for the new KICK-ASS movie, so the only book being signed is the KICK-ASS hardcover.  If you’ve already bought the hardcover FROM US and made contact with us before this notice, you may bring that in.  We will have copies of the hardcover available for sale that day.  If you’d rather not buy a hardcover, there will be free KICK-ASS miniposters to be signed.  No other outside material will be allowed into the store.

There will be no holding places in line.  Anyone new to the line goes to the end of it.  This will be enforced!

We know this all sounds a little hardcore, but we want to make sure as many people as possible get their books signed in the limited time we have.  By following these rules, you may be insuring that you get your chance to meet them.

Austin Books & Comics, 5002 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78751

www.austinbooks.com

NYCC 2010 Announces the Romitas as 1st Guests of Honor

JOHN ROMITA AND JOHN ROMITA JR. TO APPEAR AT NEW YORK COMIC CON IN 2010

First Guests of Honor are Revealed at Party Celebrating New Dates and Expanded Venue

Registration and Ticket Sales for NYCC Now “Live” on Web Site!

Norwalk, CT, October 8, 2009: Organizers of New York Comic Con (NYCC) have revealed that celebrated father/son artists and creators John Romita and John Romita, Jr. will both be Keystone Guests of Honor at the next NYCC. The Romitas are the first guests to be announced for the 2010 convention which will now be co-located with the New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and will occupy the entire Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. The two shows, both of which are organized by the Reed Exhibitions Pop Culture Group, will take place October 8 – 10, 2010. The announcement about the Romitas was made public at a special “One Year Out” bowling party at Bowlmor Lanes in New York City in honor of the fans, exhibitors, press, artists, creators and other loyal participants of NYCC who have helped make the convention a success since its debut in 2006. The announcement of their role as Keystone Guests of Honor comes exactly one year to the day before NYCC is set to open its doors on the occasion of its 5th Anniversary in 2010.

“I am incredibly pleased to be able to announce that the Romitas will be our first Guests of Honor,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President and Show Manager for NYCC. “This early commitment, a full year before the next New York Comic Con, is a nice vote of confidence and it says a lot about the quality of our guests and what we can expect in terms of future guest announcements. The Romitas are wildly popular and respected creators and we are honored that they have agreed to appear together at our show. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture event in America and our guest appearances will certainly reflect the stature and prominence of our show.”

Convention officials also note that registration and ticket sales for New York Comic Con have just gone live on the web site. Tickets for the event may be purchased at www.nycomiccon.com. Other information about the show, as well as news about the Reed Pop Culture Group, which also organizes Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), is available at Fensterman’s blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.

JOHN ROMITA SR.

John Romita is a celebrated artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics’ The Amazing Spider-Man. His first jobs were for Stan Lee’s Atlas group in 1949, where he drew mostly horror and romance stories, but also several war, western and crime features for Western Publishing. Romita re-joined Stan Lee several years later at Marvel where his first notable efforts included inking Avengers and penciling Daredevil comics.

Romita’s most notable work began in 1966 with his efforts on The Amazing Spider-Man comic. Under Romita’s and Lee’s guidance, Spider-Man became the quintessential antihero of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He left the Spider-Man comic in the early 1970s to become Art Director at Marvel. In 1977, he briefly did the artwork of the syndicated Spider-Man newspaper comic. Following his retirement from day-to-day comics work, Romita has returned to drawing, including work on his signature character Spider-Man on latter-day occasions. Romita was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002.
JOHN ROMITA JR.

John Salvatore Romita, Jr. was born in New York City in 1956 and wanted to be an artist just like his father. He is best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2000s. He began his career at Marvel UK doing sketches for covers of reprints. Romita Jr’s first published comic was a six-page backup, which appeared in a late 1970s Spider-Man Annual #4. He became a Marvel mainstay and had his professional breakthrough with a three-and-a-half year run on Iron Man, starting in 1976. He is one of the most prominent artists of the Amazing Spider-Man title since the 1980s. His first run on the title lasted three years, and after that, he took over The Uncanny X-Men. He then worked on Star Brand under the New Universe imprint, before he began a longtime run on the Daredevil comic. He later came back to Iron Man, and contributed to several other titles, including Punisher War Zone, the Cable mini-series, the Punisher/Batman crossover and the Spider-Man: The Lost Years limited series.

After working on the regular Spider-Man title as well as Peter Parker: Spider-Man in the 1990s, Romita Jr. returned to Amazing Spider-Man in 2000. Together with famous TV writer J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, etc.), he restyled the comic for the new millennium by introducing mystical elements, new characters and major plot developments. At the same time, he has worked on The Incredible Hulk with writer Bruce Jones and on Wolverine with Mark Millar. In 2006 Romita collaborated with writer Neil Gaiman on the reinterpretation of Jack Kirby’s The Eternals in the form of a seven issue miniseries. He has also collaborated once more with Mark Millar for a creator-owned series, Kick-Ass, published by Marvel’s Icon imprint.

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 UFC Fan Expo in partnership with the UFC – the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization – and it formed 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.

Marvel Announces SDCC Signing Schedule

Marvel has announced their booth signings schedule for Comic-Con and have included a nice, printable version as well which you can find below:

Find out when your favorite creators are signing at San Diego Comic-Con (Booth #2429).

For all the latest news, announcements and interviews, plus live panel blogging, video features and much more, visit Marvel.com’s San Diego Comic-Con 2009 Hub Page!

WEDNESDAY

7:00 – 8:00 PM	7:30 – 8:30 PM
MATT FRACTION “IRON MAN 2″ VIDEO GAME SIGNING	C.B. CEBULSKI CHRISTINA STRAIN MARK BROOKS SPECIAL PREVIEW NIGHT SIGNING

THURSDAY

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	1:00 – 2:00 PM
JIM MCCANN KIERON GILLEN PATRICK SCHERBERGER REILLY BROWN	JOE QUESADA	BRIAN REBER DANIEL WAY JEROMY COX MARJORIE LIU PETER DAVID
2:00 – 3:00 PM	3:00 – 4:00 PM	4:00 – 5:00 PM
DENNIS CALERO LAURA MARTIN LEINIL FRANCIS YU MARK TEXEIRA	CHRIS GAGE EDGAR DELGADO MATT FRACTION PHIL JIMENEZ	FRANK TIERI HOWARD CHAYKIN HUMBERTO RAMOS MIKE BENSON
5:00 – 6:00 PM	5:00 – 6:00 PM	6:00 – 7:00 PM
C.B. CEBULSKI J. SCOTT CAMPBELL OLIVIER COIPEL SANA KEDA	ART ADAMS JEPH LOEB	JEPH LOEB

FRIDAY

9:00 – 10:00 AM	10:00 – 11:00 AM	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
PATRICK SCHERBERGER REILLY BROWN TODD NAUCK VICTOR OLAZABA	ADAM GLASS DANIEL WAY MIKE BENSON VICTOR GISCHLER SPECIAL DEADPOOL SIGNING	JOE QUESADA
12:00 – 1:00 PM	1:00 – 2:00 PM	1:30 – 2:00 PM
CHRIS BACHALO MARK BROOKS PAUL JENKINS TIM TOWNSEND	JASON AARON JOE CASEY MARIO ALBERTI NATHAN FOX	*STAN LEE*
2:00 – 3:00 PM	3:00 – 4:00 PM	4:00 – 5:00 PM
BOB LAYTON GREGG HUWIT Z MATT BANING SEAN MCKEEVER	CHRIS YOST CRAIG KYLE GREG JOHNSON JAMIE SIMONE STEVE BLUM STEVE GORDON FRED TATASCIORE NOLAN NORTH SPECIAL MARVEL ANIMATION/ NICKTOONS SIGNING	DENYS COWAN JOHN ROMITA JR. KEN LASHLEY REGGIE HUDLIN
5:00 – 6:00 PM	6:00 – 7:00 PM	6:00 – 7:00 PM
JEPH LOEB MATT FRACTION SIMONE BIANCHI TERRY DODSON	JEPH LOEB	MASAO MARUYAMA WARREN ELLIS

SATURDAY

9:00 – 10:00 AM	10:00 – 11:00 AM	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
CHRISTINA STRAIN EMILY WARREN RON LIM TODD NAUCK	JOE KELLY MARC GUGGENHEIM PHIL JIMENEZ STEPHANIE BUSCEMA	*SPECIAL IRON MAN 2 SIGNING*
12:00 – 1:00 PM	1:00 – 2:00 PM	1:00 – 2:00 PM
AUDREY LOEB DEXTER VINES JEPH LOEB	JOE QUESADA JEROME OPEÑA RICK REMENDER	JEPH LOEB
1:30 – 2:30 PM	2:30 – 3:30 PM	4:00 – 5:00 PM
MATT FRACTION “IRON MAN 2″ VIDEO GAME SIGNING	TOM KENNY DAVE BOAT TRAVIS WILLINGHAM MIKEY KELLEY CHARLIE ADLER STEVE BLUM TED BIASELLI ALIMI BALLARD SPECIAL SUPER HERO SQUAD SIGNING	FRANK TIERI LEINIL FRANCIS YU PETER DAVID SEAN CHEN
5:00 – 6:00 PM	6:00 – 7:00 PM
ED BRUBAKER JOHN ROMITA JR. PAUL JENKINS STEVE EPTING	CHRIS YOST CRAIG KYLE MIKE CHOI SONIA OBACK

SUNDAY

10:00 – 11:00 AM	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	12:00 – 1:00 PM
ALEXANDER IRVINE DENNIS CALERO JOHN ROMITA JR. MIKE MCKONE	OLIVIER COIPEL PAUL TOBIN RAYMOND FEIST RON LIM	DAVID YARDIN STEVE EPTING STUART MOORE TRAVIS CHAREST
1:00 – 2:00 PM	2:00 – 3:00 PM	3:00 – 4:00 PM
CHRISTINA STRAIN COLLEEN COOVER LAURA MARTIN MARJORIE LIU	BILL REINHOLD JASON AARON JIM MCCAN MATT FRACTION	C.B. CEBULSKI DAVID FINCH GURIHIRU

*Ticketed Event

John Romita Jr. Ready to Kick-Ass at Comic-Con International

According to /Film:

Comic book artist and one of the film’s producers John Romita Jr has been officially announced as one of the panelists joining director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake) on Thursday, July 23 during the Kick-Ass panel (which is toward the end of the day).

Some cast members are expected to be on the panel as well, but we are still waiting on that announcement.

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