Planet Comicon 2015 Adds Guardians Cast Members

Planet Comicon has announced their latest additions to the guest roster for 2015:

Karen Gillan – from Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy
Michael Rooker – from The Walking Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy
Scott Wilson – Herschel from The Walking Dead
J. August Richards – Deathlok from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Sean Gunn – from Guardians of the Galaxy and Gilmore Girls
Raphael Sbarge – Archie Hopper from Once Upon a Time
Steve Cardenas – from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Laura Vandervoort – from Smallville and Bitten
Grant Bowler – Joshua Nolan from Defiance
Kent McCord - from Adam-12, seaQuest DSV, Galactica 1980
And from the cast of Lost Girl: Kris Holden-Ried, Rachel Skarsten, and Emmanuelle Vaugier

Planet Comicon will be better and bigger than ever this year. We have expanded the exhibit hall for even more dealers, artists, celebrities, cosplay, and special attractions.

We’ve announced great guests with many more announcements to come. You’ll meet Hollywood stars including Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Stephen Amell (Arrow), John Barrowman (Arrow, Torchwood, Doctor Who), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville), Sam Witwer (Being Human), Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash), and many others.

We also have a great array of top comics creators on the slate. We’ve recently announced Howard Chaykin and have nearly a dozen additional comics guests to announce in the next week. So far, we’ve confirmed Tim Bradstreet (Punisher), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), Katie Cook (My Little Pony), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), and local favorites including Jason Aaron (Thor, Star Wars).

Check out our new website for more information our guests and attractions.

CA – Star Wars #1 Signing

Comics legend Stan Sakai, creator of Usagi Yojimbo, appears at Beach Ball Comics on Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 2:00 PM! Stan drew the Beach Ball Comics EXCLUSIVE variant cover the first issue of Marvel’s new Star Wars series.

RSVP on Facebook!

Beach Ball Comics
3024 W Ball Rd Ste G, Anaheim, CA 92804
(714) 826-6127

Planet Comicon 2015 Opens Registration

Press Release:

Planet Comicon will be better and bigger than ever this year. We have expanded the exhibit hall for even more dealers, artists, celebrities, cosplay, and special attractions. Planet Comicon will be held March 13-15, 2015 at Kansas City’s Bartle Hall. Admission packages are now available for purchase at the link…

We’ve announced great guests with many more announcements to come. You’ll meet Hollywood stars including Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Stephen Amell (Arrow), John Barrowman ( Arrow, Torchwood, Doctor Who), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville), Sam Witwer (Being Human), Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash), Eve Myles (Doctor Who, Torchwood) and many others.

We also have a great array of top comics creators on the slate. So far, we’ve confirmed Tim Bradstreet (Punisher), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), Katie Cook (My Little Pony), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Dan Parent (Archie) and local favorites including Jason Aaron (Thor), Phil Hester (Green Arrow), Rick Burchett (Lady Sabre).

Check out our new website for more information our guests and attractions: www.planetcomicon.com

CA – The Sakai Project Signing

 Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragonès, Mark Evanier, William Stout, Tone Rodriguez, Bill Morrison, and many more appear at Meltdown Comics on  Saturday, August 16, 2014 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM to sign THE SAKAI PROJECT!

Press Release:

On Saturday, August 16, twenty-two members of the cartooning community will descend upon Meltdown Comics on Sunset Boulevard to sign copies of Dark Horse Comics’ recently released book “The Sakai Project” to help raise money for the medical bills of fellow cartoonist Stan Sakai, creator of Dark Horse’s “Usagi Yojimbo” comic book, now in its thirtieth year.

Fundraising efforts were initially spearheaded by the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS), an organization of professional comic book artists and writers of which Stan Sakai is a member. Organized by artist Tone Rodriguez, CAPS began collecting original art last December for an online auction to lend a helping hand to Sakai, whose wife Sharon has been suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. As art poured in from the cartooning community, many pieces were custom drawings of Stan’s samurai rabbit creation Usagi Yojimbo.

Bill Morrison, a member of CAPS and an art director at Bongo Comics (publisher of “The Simpsons”), approached Sakai’s publisher, Dark Horse, about collecting these wonderful images into a book to also benefit the Sakais. Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson was enthusiastic about the idea, and offered to pay for the book’s publication so that all sales could go to the Sakais. Bill Morrison proceeded to volunteer his time to edit the book in tandem with Dark Horse editor Randy Stradley which was designed voluntarily by noted book designer Serban Cristescu. The result is a beautiful 160-paged hardcover art book featuring interpretations of Usagi Yojimbo by some of the top cartoonists in comics today.

Between the online auction and the book, the cartooning community came together in a unique way to help one of their own. Now twenty-one artists local to Los Angeles will gather one more time to help their friend with a fundraising book signing event.

Attending the signing event will be “The Sakai Project” contributors Sergio Aragonès (“Groo the Wanderer”, “MAD Magazine”), Mark Evanier (“Groo” writer), Tom Luth (“Groo” and “Usagi” colorist), William Stout (noted illustrator), Ricardo Delgado (“Age of Reptiles”), Jeff Keane (“Family Circus”), Rubèn Procopio (“Batman 66”), Dean Yeagle (“Playboy”), Bill Morrison (editor of “The Sakai Project”), Tone Rodriguez (“The Simpsons” comics), Steven E. Gordon, Anson Jew, Benton Jew, Aidan Casserly, Chad Frye, Brad Rader, Patrick Scullin, Robert Stanley, Mark Dos Santos and Mike Kazaleh all joining with Stan Sakai (“Usagi Yojimbo”) himself.

Books will be sold for $45 each, or if fans already have the book, they will be charged a nominal $15 to have their books signed by the artists in attendance.

In addition to “The Sakai Project” book, there will be limited edition prints available exclusively at the event of four images from the book by artists attending the signing: Sergio Aragonès, Stan Sakai, William Stout, and Bill Morrison.

The event will take place on August 16 from 4-6pm at Meltdown Comics & Collectibles, 7522 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046. Thanks to Meltdown, all proceeds go to Sharon & Stan Sakai to help with their medical bills.

Meltdown Comics
7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 851-7223

Dark Horse Comics Schedule for SDCC 2014

Dark Horse Announces Exclusive WonderCon 2014 Variants

Press Release:

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE WONDERCON 2014 VARIANTS!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MILWAUKIE, OR —As the pop culture world gears up for this year’s WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, Dark Horse announces two special variant covers for this year’s show!

First up, Dark Horse brings an all-new variant cover for a critical hit and fan favorite, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with an exclusive Season Ten first-issue cover by Tomb Raider art director Brian Horton! Limited to 1,000 copies, these are sure to be scarce!

Second is a variant for Angel & Faith Season Ten #1, by Buffy cover artist Steve Morris! Again, with only 1,000 copies produced, these will go fast!

These two special WonderCon exclusives will retail for $5 and are limited to five per person.

Dark Horse also has three other convention exclusives, produced in limited editions and available while supplies last!

Legendary artist Stan Sakai has done a special cover for the upcoming The Witcher, a canonical tie-in series in the world of the Witcher video games, which have collectively won over 250 awards and sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide! All proceeds from the sale of this limited-edition variant will benefit Stan and Sharon Sakai.

Art Baltazar and Franco bring you the characters that sprung from Mike Mignola’s imagination, with an AW YEAH twist, in Itty Bitty Hellboy! A limited-edition hardcover is available at WonderCon for $20, while supplies last!

The Last of Us: American Dreams, from Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl) and Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, collects the comics that are the official lead-in to the game. This limited-edition hardcover will first be available at PAX East this weekend, and then in very limited quantities at WonderCon for $24.99.

About Dark Horse

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

Boston Comic Con 2014 Welcomes Ivy Doomkitty

Press Release:

Boston Comic Con welcomes IVY DOOMKITTY to our 2014 convention! A champion of cosplay, Ivy will be this year’s guest judge of the annual costume contest, currently scheduled to be held on Sunday August 10, 2014. Additionally, she will host a Cosplay 101 panel to answer questions for anyone interested in getting into the hobby and doesn’t know where to start. Ivy will also be on hand all weekend to sign autographs and take photos with her legions of fans. Plus some surprises to be announced in the coming months! Tell your friends!

Previously announced guests include James Marsters, Jason Momoa, Eve Myles, Jewel Staite, Sam Witwer, Simon Bisley, Greg Capullo, Amanda Conner, Danielle Corsetto, Adam Kubert, Carlos Pacheco, Jimmy Palmiotti, Eric Powell, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, Jeff Smith, Scott Snyder, and many more! For the full guest list plus artist alley, exhibitor, and film fest registration please check out the Boston Comic Con website!

Online ticket purchases are available at the link!

RSVP on Facebook!

About Ivy Doomkitty:
Ivy Doomkitty is an International Costume Designer/Cosplayer, Host, Artist, Gamer, and Figure Model for comic book artist/writer, Frank Cho, based in Los Angeles. Ivy has been attending conventions for many years, before deciding to take the plunge by showing her fandom through cosplay.

She now uses this new found passion to create her own costumes and use them to bring to life her favorite characters from gaming and comics as well as creating a positive impact in the cosplay community. She strives to show others in the community that you can do something you love, regardless of gender, skin color, sexual orientation, body shape/size, etc.

Ivy was recently the Featured Cosplayer on the Premier Episode of the webseries, “Cospladies”, a short documentary on the trials, tribulations, and love of cosplay. Ivy is also a member of the West Coast Avengers/Avengers Initiative, taking part in charity events in Southern California.

Ivy heavily promotes the art of Cosplay at every convention that she is a guest at, including participating in panels, judging the costume contest, and meeting many fans that are interested in starting in the craft. In the past, she has interviewed some incredible talent, including Stan Lee, Lou Ferrigno, Arthur Suydam, Michael Golden, and more. She has also written comic book reviews, in addition to presenting and hosting costume contests. Find more of her work at www.facebook.com/ivydoomkittyivy

About Boston Comic Con:
The Boston Comic Con is a 100% independently run comic book show committed to bringing the biggest and best comic creators to New England. Run by fans for fans, Boston Comic Con is not affiliated with any other convention tour or corporate interests. Hosting over 120,000 square feet of vendors selling comic books, toys, posters, trading cards, and other pop culture memorabilia, this is a destination event for geeks of any stripe. This year’s convention will be held Friday August 8th, Saturday August 9th and Sunday August 10th at the Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA 02210. For more information please go to our website at www.bostoncomiccon.com and follow us on Twitter (@BostonComicCon) and Facebook!

Dark Horse Comics Schedule for Emerald City Comicon 2014

Press Release:

Dark Horse Comics is headed to the Pacific Northwest’s foremost, fastest growing and sold out pop culture convention – Emerald City Comicon.

Comics featuring ECCC exclusive variant covers are $5.00 each and available in limited quantities. Ten per person each day. All proceeds from the ECCC variant of The Witcher will benefit Sharon and Stan Sakai.

Friday, March 28

11:00—AM MIND MGMT, STAR WARS: REBEL HEIST Matt Kindt

12:00—PM SERENITY: LEAVES ON THE WIND #1 EMERALD CITY COMICON VARIANT Jenny Frison

1:00—PM COLDER Paul Tobin

2:00—PM DREAM THIEF Jai Nitz, NEVER ENDING Adam Knave and D. J. Kirkbride

3:30—PM PROJECT BLACK SKY Joshua Williamson (Captain Midnight), Christopher Sebela (Ghost), Joshua Hale Fialkov (Skyman), Frank Barbiere (Blackout), and Fred Van Lente (Brain Boy)

4:30—PM THE WHITE SUITS Frank Barbiere, BATTLEPUG Mike Norton

5:30—PM MASS EFFECT: FOUNDATION Tony Parker, DRAGON AGE Chad Hardin

10:00 AM—BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 10, ANGEL & FAITH SEASON 9, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 10 #1 EMERALD CITY COMICON VARIANT Rebekah Isaacs

11:00 AM—USAGI YOJIMBO, THE WITCHER #1 EMERALD CITY COMICON VARIANT Stan Sakai, THE WITCHER Paul Tobin

12:00 PM—STAR WARS: DARK TIMES Randy Stradley and Doug Wheatley

1:00 PM—TOMB RAIDER Gail Simone

2:00 PM—VEIL, VEIL #1 EMERALD CITY COMICON VARIANT Greg Rucka

3:00 PM—EMPOWERED Adam Warren

3:00 PM—MIND MGMT, STAR WARS: REBEL HEIST Matt Kindt

4:00 PM—CITY OF ROSES Patric Reynolds, BAD HOUSES Sara Ryan, THE FIFTH BEATLE Andrew C. Robinson

5:00 PM—BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 10, ANGEL & FAITH SEASON 9, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 10 #1 EMERALD CITY COMICON  VARIANT Rebekah Isaacs

6:00 PM—BANDETTE Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover, SABERTOOTH SWORDSMAN Damon Gentry

Sunday, March 30

11:00—AM PROJECT BLACK SKY Joshua Williamson (Captain Midnight), Christopher Sebela (Ghost), Joshua Hale Fialkov (Skyman), Frank Barbiere (Blackout), Fred Van Lente (Brain Boy), and Tim Seeley and Mike Norton (The Occultist)

12:00—PM FURIOUS Bryan J. L. Glass, THE VICTORIES Michael Avon Oeming

1:00—PM ELFQUEST Richard and Wendy Pini

2:00—PM STAR WARS: LEGACY Corinna Bechko, Gabriel Hardman, Dave Wilkins, and Brian Thies

3:00—PM PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES Paul Tobin and Ron Chan

2:00 PM Dark Horse Builds Characters: Project Black Sky, Room TCC 301

Join Matthew Meylikhov of Multiversity Comics (MultiversityComics.com) to discuss Dark Horse superheroes with some of the industry’s top talent, including Fred Van Lente (Brain Boy), Josh Williamson (Captain Midnight), Christopher Sebela (Ghost), Tim Seeley and Mike Norton (The Occultist), Frank Barbiere (Blackout), and Joshua Hale Fialkov (Skyman).

4:00 PM Exploring the Mythos of Prometheus/Aliens/Predator/AVP, Room TCC 301

Join Dark Horse editor in chief Scott Allie and writers Josh Williamson, Chris Roberson, Paul Tobin, and Christopher Sebela as they delve into the interconnections of the upcoming Prometheus, Aliens, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator comics.

Hero Initiative Parties with Multiversity Comics and Dark Horse at Seattle Emerald City Comic Con 2014

Press Release:

Hero Initiative Parties with Multiversity Comics and Dark Horse At Seattle Emerald City Comic Con

Hero is celebrating 30 years of Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 14, 2014) Hero Initiative, the non-profit organization that helps comic book creators in medical and financial need, hits the Emerald City Comic con in Seattle, Wa. March 28-30 at the Washington State Convention center.

And we’re bringing our party hats! Hero is celebrating 30 years of Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo at a party sponsored by Multiversity Comics and Dark Horse Comics! The party takes place at Rock Bottom Brewery, 1333 5th Avenue in Seattle, just four blocks from the convention center! Be there Friday March 28 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $10 at the door for this 21-and-over event. You can take party pics there at Seattle’s Facebooth (a photobooth worthy of your face!) and enter a raffle with great prizes to benefit Stan and Sharon Sakai!

Make sure you hit the Hero booth at the con, #t’k, and visit these Hero Ambassadors on the con floor who will be collecting donations throughout the weekend for our cause at their own tables: Arthur Adams, Chris Burnham, Kurt Busiek, Jonathan Case, Amanda Conner, Ryan Dunlavey, Chris Giarrusso, Brian Haberlin, Karl Kesel, Jai Nitz, Michael Oeming, Jimmy Palmiotti, Brandon Peterson, Darick Robertson, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Ben Templesmith, and Fred van Lente.

See you there!

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 $500,000 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.

Dark Horse Announces Exclusive Emerald City Comicon 2014 Variants

Press Release:

Dark Horse Announces Exclusive Emerald City Comicon Variants!

MILWAUKIE, OR, MARCH 13—As the pop culture world gears up for Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon, Dark Horse announces not one, not two, not even three, but four variant covers for this year’s show!

The first few months of 2014 will see some of Dark Horse’s biggest launches of the year, and we have chosen to celebrate with Emerald City variants for Serenity #1, Buffy #1, Veil #1, and a very special variant of Witcher #1.

First up is Veil, the much-talked-about new, original series by Greg Rucka and Toni Fejzula. For this year’s show, Dark Horse has tapped J. H. Williams III to create the variant cover. Limited to 500 copies, Veil #1 is sure to go quickly, especially with writer Greg Rucka in attendance!

Next, we have the hotly anticipated Season 10 premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with a variant cover by Season 9 cover artist Phil Noto, limited to 1,000 copies. Look for interior artist Rebekah Isaacs at this year’s show!

Another one for Joss Whedon fans: Dark Horse brings Jenny Frison on for a special cover of Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1, featuring none other than the lovely Inara! A few lucky fans may even get actress Morena Baccarin herself to sign their copies!

Last, and certainly not least, legendary artist Stan Sakai has done a special cover of the upcoming tie-in series The Witcher, a canonical entry in the world of the Witcher video games, which have collectively won over 250 awards and sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide! All proceeds from the sale of this limited edition variant will benefit Stan and Sharon Sakai. Stan will be attending the show, in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of his landmark series, Usagi Yojimbo!

Each variant-cover issue will cost five dollars and will be limited to ten copies per person, per day! A set quantity will be available at the show opening each day.

Hope to see you at this year’s Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, WA, on March 28–30!

About Emerald City Comicon
With a record-breaking attendance of over 64,000 attendees in 2013, Emerald City Comicon has established itself as one of North America’s largest and most respected conventions of its kind anywhere in the world and has become the premier comic event in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 2003, ECCC is highly regarded in both national and international circles as one of the most fan- and family-friendly shows in existence. More information about ECCC is available at: www.emeraldcitycomicon.com

About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Geof Darrow, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Halo, Serenity, The Legend of Zelda, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

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