Comikaze 2012 Con Report!
September 25, 2012 by Richard Oh
Filed under California, Comic Books, Con Reports and Photos, L.A. Sequential, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Top Stories, Video Games
On September 15-16, 2012, Los Angeles was home to Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, the joint venture between the successful Comikaze Expo from the previous year, and the legendary Marvel creator. Following an unexpected but successful show in 2011, I had a feeling that Stan’s involvement would only heighten publicity and draw more fans, and I was happy to see the massive crowds that surrounded the Convention Center on that Saturday morning.
I’m not sure how to attribute Comikaze’s success in a LA market that has seen repeated attempts at a comic convention in downtown met with constant failure, but co-founder Regina Carpinelli utilized social media to its fullest in spreading the word about the show. From Livingsocial deals to advertisements in the paper, to spreading the words in schools to attract kids and twitter, Carpinelli’s efforts were met with a record number crowds in their sophomore show.
The show itself was a lot bigger than its inaugural year. Moving from the underground parking lot to the main floor, the show was definitely more spacious. With artist alley scattered throughout the floor, plenty of space for vendors, along with a huge stage for Q and A’s from special guests and even a huge space towards the back for a zombie obstacle course, Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo had something for everyone. With the amazing progress from year 1 to year 2, I can only see a bright future ahead for Comikaze. In time, I can see it perhaps becoming one of the premiere comic cons in the US. And now, here are some pics from this year’s show!
Welcome to Comikaze 2012!
The line for tickets went out the door!
More fans waiting to get in!
Welcome to Stan Lee’s Comikaze! Excelsior!
Gaming demonstrations set up for interested guests.
People playing quidditch (yeah, it’s a thing).
Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus greets a fan!
Todd McFarlane and Stan “The Man” Lee share a moment at Comikaze!
Wall-E hanging out with R2-D2s.
Fans waiting to run in the Zombie Obstacle Course.
Walking Dead and Venom artist Tony Moore hitting the drawing board at Comikaze.
Stan Lee’s personal memorabilia collection on display!
One of the biggest Magic Card tournaments I’ve ever seen.
JT Krul and Peter Steigerwald chatting at the Aspen booth.
And what good is a comic convention without some great cosplay? Here’s some of my favorites from the show.
Runaway bride.
The Bat family posing at Comikaze.
Batgirl feeling left out.
An adorable Supergirl having a super time at Comikaze.
A lovely and lethal Red Sonja.
Team Cobra wants you!
Nothing brings the family together like cosplay.
Thor Girl in a silly mood.
Harley and Robin also feeling playful.
Hawkgirl wants in on the fun.
Spidey shooting up some webs for guests.
One of the creepiest costumes seen at any comic convention I’ve ever seen.
Best costume of the show. Great Scott!
See you next year in November!
Scene on the Web: Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo 2012
September 17, 2012 by Brian Pate
Filed under California, Comic Books, Con Reports and Photos, Top Stories
Bringing you the best of Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo 2012. Keep checking back for more updates!
Archaia and Meteor Entertainment Join Forces to Promote Hawken and More at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo 2012
September 14, 2012 by Brian Pate
Filed under California, Comic Books, Convention News, Gaming
Press Release:
ARCHAIA AND METEOR ENTERTAINMENT JOIN FORCES FOR AN EXCITING EXHIBIT AT STAN LEE’S COMIKAZE EXPO
Companies will co-exhibit at massive SoCal pop culture convention fronted by the first name in comics, Stan Lee!
Los Angeles, CA (September 14, 2012) – Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo will be the place to be as Archaia Entertainment and Meteor Entertainment announced their plans to exhibit there during the weekend of Sept. 15-16, 2012 at the LA Convention Center in Los Angeles! The companies will have plenty of free goodies to give away; Archaia graphic novels available for sale; a multi-player, playable demo of Meteor’s upcoming HAWKEN FPS mech game; and autograph signings with some very cool talent!
Booth #1529 should prove to be a popular meeting place! The Archaia half of the booth will feature many of the company’s popular hardcover graphic novels for sale, including Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1, Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse, Return of the Dapper Men Special Edition, and more! Several Archaia creators will be on hand to autograph books and postcards, including Heather Nuhfer (writer, Fraggle Rock), Joe LeFavi (writer, Fraggle Rock), Matt Marblo (artist, Spera Vol. 1), Mike Kennedy (writer, Bleedout), Moro Rogers (writer/artist, the upcoming City in the Desert), Paul Morrissey (writer, Fraggle Rock), R. J. Ryan (writer, Syndrome, the upcoming The Joyners in 3D), Tim Beedle (writer, Fraggle Rock), Tom Pinchuk (writer, Hybrid Bastards!), Trevor Roth (creator, Days Missing), and Yehudi Mercado (writer/artist, the upcoming Pantalones, TX). There will also be a lot of cool giveaways, including an exclusive Hawken mini-poster, badge ribbons, and a very limited supply of Archaia’s recent Free Comic Book Day hardcover!
On the Meteor Entertainment side of the booth, get your hands on Adhesive Games’ first title HAWKEN. This first-person mech shooter has created quite a buzz as one of the most anticipated free-to-play titles coming to PC this December 12th 2012. This is also the last place to register to play the game before Alpha 2 testing begins. Adhesive Co-founder and Creative Director, Khang Le, and Lead Concept Artist, John Park, will be on hand to sign the 3rd in a 4-poster series at the booth as well. Be sure to stop by and pilot a mech this weekend!
“We are happy to return for Comikaze’s second year and look forward to engaging with Archaia fans and introducing ourselves to new ones!” said Mel Caylo, Archaia Marketing Manager. “Plus, we are partnering with our friends at Meteor, who are sure to awe conventiongoers with a playable demo of their upcoming, highly anticipated video game, HAWKEN. Archaia is producing a companion graphic novel to the game, which makes this team-up serendipitous!”
“Meteor is very excited to get HAWKEN before the fans at Comikaze. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with a broad audience,” said Shannon Gerritzen, PR Manager at Meteor Entertainment, publisher of HAWKEN. Gerritzen went on to say, “We are honored to be partnered with Archaia not only for Comikaze but also for the release of the HAWKEN original graphic novel, coming in 2013.”
For more information about Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, including information on how to buy tickets, visit comikazeexpo.com.
About Archaia Entertainment, LLC
Archaia is a multi-award-winning graphic novel publisher with more than 75 renowned publishing brands, including such domestic and international hits as Mouse Guard, Return of the Dapper Men, Bolivar, Rust, Gunnerkrigg Court, Old City Blues, Awakening, The Killer, Tumor, Syndrome, Artesia, and an entire line of The Jim Henson Company graphic novels. Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation for producing meaningful content that perpetually transforms minds, building one of the industry’s most visually stunning and eclectic slates of graphic novels. Archaia was named Graphic Novel Publisher of the Year by Ain’t it Cool News, Comic Related, and Graphic Policy, which honored the publisher two years in a row. Archaia was honored with nine 2011 Eisner Awards nominations and two Awards for Best Graphic Album and Best Anthology. So far in 2012, Archaia has been further honored with six Harvey Award nominations, two Harvey Awards, six Eisner nominations and three Eisner Awards, and both Gold and Silver awards from ForeWord Reviews. In addition to publications, Archaia has successfully emerged as a prolific storyteller in all facets of the entertainment industry, extending their popular brands into film, television, gaming, and branded digital media. For more information, visit the Archaia website at www.archaia.com.
About Adhesive Games
Adhesive Games is an independent game studio located in Los Angeles, CA founded by Creative Director Khang Le, formerly of Project Offset. HAWKEN, the studio’s premiere title, is a free-to-play mech shooter scheduled for open beta 12.12.12 (December 12, 2012). For more information about Adhesive visit www.adhesivegames.com.
About Meteor Entertainment
Based in Seattle, WA, Meteor Entertainment is a newly formed videogame publisher focused on successfully publishing F2P games globally, with an emphasis on compelling content and setting the standard for customer service and community engagement. Meteor’s 12/12/12 launch of HAWKEN, created by Adhesive Games, will be its first tent pole title. To learn more about Meteor Entertainment visit www.meteor-ent.com and be sure to check out www.playhawken.com.
