Jim Steranko Headlines 2-Day Tampa Bay Comic Con in March 2012

Press Release:

Tampa Bay Comic Con Gets Better Than Ever

January 25th, 2012 – The Tampa Bay Comic Con will return in March with greater grandeur than ever before with its brand new two-day format convention. On March 3-4, 2012, convention attendees will be able to experience a Tampa Bay Comic Con that offers more activities and special events than ever before, such as artist panels and after-hours events with convention guest creators and celebrities.

At the forefront of the convention additions will be an all-new, full-scale, video game tournament held by SuperCon 2k Series! For the first time, attendees will be able to go head-to-head with other attendees in games such as “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”, “Halo Reach”, “Soul Calibur 5” and “Super Smash Bros. Brawl”.

The buzz and palpable excitement surrounding the Tampa Bay Comic Con’s success and expansion is perhaps only matched with their announced “guest of honor”: Jim Steranko. As an artist for many Stan Lee written comic book stories during the “Silver Age” of comic books (primarily Captain America, Nick Fury and X-Men), Steranko played an integral role in “modernizing” the genre to meet the changing and maturing tastes of readers during the turbulent late 1960s. Steranko single-handedly revolutionized the comic book industry when he employed artistic techniques never seen before in comics such as “op-art” (optical effects), “pop art” and surrealism.

As another event open to attendees, the Tampa Bay Comic Con will make available a small amount of tickets to an exclusive dinner party with Jim Steranko and J. David Spurlock at the posh and quintessential Italian steakhouse, “The Palm”. The purchase of a reservation will include a full-course, world-class meal at The Palm, five autographs from Jim Steranko and of course the priceless experience of such an occasion. Dinner reservations can be made through Tampa Bay Comic Con (“Show Schedule” section) or through its eBay partner, “AstonishingComicsFL” ( http://stores.ebay.com/Astonishing-Comics-of-Florida). This event is by early reservation or invitation only.

Other Tampa Bay Comic Con guests will include: Mike Grell who is a legendary artist widely known for his work on “Green Lantern”, “Warlord” and “Green Arrow”. Mark Ryan, an actor and writer known for his work in the film series “Transformers” and writer of “The Pilgrim”. Mike Mayhew, a highly acclaimed artist known for his extremely precise and photo-realistic art style. Pablo Marcos, a Peruvian-born comic book artist admired for his widespread work for Marvel Comics, perhaps best known for his work in titles such as “Conan the Barbarian” and “Vampirella”. Mike Perkins, who’s more recent work, includes “Captain America” and Stephen Kings, “The Stand”. J. David Spurlock, artist, author and founder of Vanguard Productions.

Tampa Bay Comic Con will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, 2012 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa, FL from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday and 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday. Convention admission is $10.00 for adults and free for children (12 and under). Reserve hotel rooms at the Doubletree Hotel through the Tampa Bay Comic Con for special discounted hotel room rates. The address is:

4500 West Cypress Street
Tampa, FL 33607

Please e-mail: inquiries@tampabaycomiccon.com
http://www.TampaBayComicCon.com

CA – Free Comic Book Day 2011

Gail Simone, Mike Mayhew,  Mark Andreyko, Adam Beechen & more sign at 4 Color Fantasies on May 7, 2011 for Free Comic Book Day!

Gail Simone - DC exclusive writer. Works include Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Wonder Woman and Welcome to Tranquility. Gail will be on hand to sign for fans.

JT Krul - DC writer currently working on Green Arrow, Teen Titans and, for Aspen Studios, Fathom and Soulfire. JT will be on hand to sign for fans.

Mike Mayhew - Artist who works with both DC and Marvel. Works include Spawn, X-Men Origins: Jean Grey (first fully painted issue) and Fear Itself Homefront. Mike will be on hand to sign for fans.

Adam Beechen - Writer on DC and other animated shows, including The Batman, X-Men: Evolutions, and Static Shock. His comic credits include Batman Beyond, Batgirl and Teen Titans Go! Adam will be on hand to sign for fans.

Mark Andreyko - Writer on Let Me In and Manhunter Co-Features and will soon be working on an upcoming Birds of Prey and the new Captain and Bucky series. Mark will be on hand to sign for fans.

Norm Rapmund - DC exclusive inker best know for his work on Supergirl. Currently working on Booster Gold and Justice League of America. Norm will be on hand to sign for fans.

Danny Miki - Inker whose current works include Incredible Hulk, Hulk, Silver Surfer (covers) and Fear Itself (covers). The exclusive inker for all of Joe Quesada’s art work and the creator of Eduskaters. Danny will be on hand to sign for fans.

Allen Martinez - Artist/inker whose works include Secret Invasion: Requiem, Uncanny X-Men and most recently New Mutants and Iron Man Legacy. Allen will be on hand to sign for fans.

Amy Wolfram - TV and comic writer whose works include 15 episodes of Teen Titans, and some episodes of Legion of Superheros and Ben 10. Her comics foray includes Teen Titans: Year One and several issues of Cartoon Network’s Ben 10. Amy will be on hand to sign for fans.

John C. Narkomey, Jr. - Head of Draw Hard Studios. Currently providing art for Semantink Publishing’s summer release of Dust, a 6-part mini-series written and created by James Ninness.  He is also working on creator owned projects Die Demon Die and Cholo Libre: Rise of the Luchador. John will be on hand to sign for fans.

AJ Herrera - Founder of Forbidden Panel website. Creator of ZKS (Zombie Kill Squad) published under Forbidden Panel. AJ will be on hand to sign for fans.

Justin White - Artist on ZKS (Zombie Kill Squad). Co-creator and artist on an upcoming comic called The Graves. Justin will be on hand to sign for fans.

Dani Dixon - Comic book creator/writer and publisher Dani Dixon speaks at events throughout the year on a number of topics related to writing, publishing and art. Her newest book 13 has been published by Tumblecreek Press. Dani will be on hand to sign for fans.

Julian Aguilera - Julian has worked on Zenoscope’s Grimm Fairy Tales and, with Joe Quesada and Danny Miki, on Wolverine and with Jim Lee for DC Comics. Julian will be on hand to sign for fans.

And more to be announced!

4 Color Fantasies
7172 Archibald Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701

Wizard World Anaheim 2010!

On April 16-18, 2010, while C2E2 was going on in Chicago, Gareb Shamus brought his Wizard World show to Anaheim. While I was a bit skeptical at the number of people who would attend this event due to the overwhelming talent going to C2E2, I was genuinely surprised at how well run the show was. There was something for everyone at this show, from shopping, to seeing the myriad of celebrities attending the event, to Artist Alley, where art collectors were able to snag some great art at very affordable prices. Everyone was very approachable, and even the celebrities had a good time, most taking in and enjoying their first comic convention. With the success of this show, I can only hope that Wizard World Anaheim can come by next year to hopefully bring more talent to this great show! Here’s a look at some of the highlights from this show:

And of course, what show would not be complete without booth babes and cosplay characters? Here are some of the best ones I saw:

Hero Initiative at Super-Con in San Jose

Press Release:

Hero Initiative at Super-Con in San Jose California

Saturday, May 16th, 10:00am- 6:00pm
Sunday, May 17th 10:00am-5:00pm

Los Angeles, CA (May 11, 2009): Hero Initiative will be travelling to the Super-Con in San Jose California in the south hall of the San Jose Convention Center. The con is proud to announce the biggest line up ever!! Check out the website at http://www.super-con.com. Stop by the Hero Initiative booth for signings or art from Eduardo Risso, Mike Mayhew, Bill Morrison and Dan Brereton. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, May 16
10:30-12:00 – Mike Mayhew
3:30-5:00 – Edwardo Risso

Sunday, May 17
11:30-12:30 – Bill Morrison
1:30-2:30 – Dan Brereton

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.