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A Few Firsts of Announcements and Guests to Come for the Cincinnati Comic Expo!
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| Early Bird VIP tickets are almost gone! These passes at this pricing are about to expire and go to full price!
The VIP Package offers:
-Admission to all 3 days of the Cincinnati Comic Expo
-Early admission all 3 days
-Your choice of a Cincinnati Comic Expo T-Shirt
-Priority seating to most panel events in the Queen City Panel Room
Sale ends at 11:59pm on Monday, April 10th! |
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The 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo will be a rare convention signing event for Disney artist and animator Floyd Norman.
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| Disney Legend Floyd Norman is an American animator, storyman, and beloved “troublemaker” whose 65+ year career represents creative perseverance. Born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1935, Norman began his career in high school as an assistant to Bill Woggon on Archie Comic’s Katy Keene. After honing his artistic skills at ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, Norman was hired by the Walt Disney Company in 1956. He would become the first African American artist to work at Disney long-term. At 20 years old, he received daily masterclasses from Walt’s leading animators — the Nine Old Men. After completing his work as an assistant inbetweener on Sleeping Beauty (1959), Norman was drafted into the military to serve in the Korean War. After his tour of duty, Norman would return to Disney unscathed and very happy to work on 101 Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), and Mary Poppins (1964). While he was working on these movies, Norman was placing his pointed gag drawings around the Disney campus that satirized and poked fun at the company’s executives. Walt Disney saw them and recognized Norman’s brilliance for visual storytelling, leading him to place Norman in The Jungle Book (1967) Story Department. Norman would play a vital role in the design and creation of the “Trust in Me” sequence, among others.
In 1966, upon Walt Disney’s death, Norman would take a leap of faith and leave Disney to start Vignette Films, Inc., a first-of-its-kind production company creating stories about African American history-makers for U.S. schools. Norman and Vignette Films also created animation for Sesame Street (1969,1970), Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert (1969), and the main titles for Soul Train (1971), among other one-of-a-kind projects. Even with those successes, Vignette Films was viewed by the industry as a “Black company” which unfairly limited their client roster and led to their closing in the early 1970s. At which time, Norman returned to Disney to work on Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Robin Hood (1973). Around the same time, Saturday morning cartoons were becoming a cultural phenomenon and Norman found creative opportunity at Hanna-Barbera. He took on various roles in animation, but most notably he wrote for classic H-B cartoons including Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussy Cats, and Captain Caveman, among others.
In the 1980s, Norman would join Disney Publishing where he wrote and illustrated a number of Disney children’s books, as well as the daily Mickey Strip.
In the mid 1990s, Norman returned to Disney Animation to work in the Story Departments of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and Mulan (1998). But an invite to the Bay area in the late 1990s would become a career highlight. Norman was now working with John Lasseter and Steve Jobs at Pixar on Toy Story 2 (1999) and Monsters Inc. (2001). In 2007, the Disney company recognized Norman’s contributions to the organization by honoring him as a Disney Legend.
Today, at 87, Norman continues to work out of Disney Publishing as a freelancer and consultant, taking on diverse creative roles in and outside of Disney. In 2020, he notably returned to Sesame Street to create new animation for the 50th season. In 2022, he shared his talents as Storyboard Artist on an upcoming Disney animated series with a beloved history. Floyd Norman continues to do what he loves with the passion of a man in his 20s, proof that age is just a number.
Floyd Norman is the subject of the acclaimed feature documentary “Floyd Norman: An Animated Life” currently streaming on The Criterion Channel and available to own on Bluray at www.FloydNormanMovie.com.
Meet Floyd Norman by getting your admission tickets on Sunday ONLY to the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo: https://tinyurl.com/2fwp25vm |
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“Oh my God! I’ve killed Harry Potter!”
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| Matthew Lewis will be joining us on Saturday and Sunday at the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo!
Matthew is most recognized by his portrayal as Neville Longbottom in all of the Harry Potter films, video games, rides, and specials. Before being cast in the Potter franchise, Lewis was a child actor in various projects such as Dalziel and Pascoe, Where the Heart Is, and Heartbeat. Since then, his resume has added numerous credits like The Syndicate, Wasteland, Bluestone 42, Happy Valley, Ripper Street, Drunk History: UK, Girlfriends, Terminal, All Creatures Great and Small, and much more.
Get your admission tickets to the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo for an opportunity to get an autograph and photo op with Matthew Lewis! |
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“If I am getting into trouble for this, you’re gonna take some of the blame.”
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| Matt Lanter is returning to join us for the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo!
He had so much fun with us all at the 2021 event, he is coming back to the Queen City.
Matt is highlighted with his portrayal as Anakin Skywalker in several Star Wars projects from The Clone Wars to Battlefront II, Disney Infinite 3.0, Rebels, the Lego Holiday Special, Tales of the Jedi, and others. His voice work has also continued in Call of Duty: WW II, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Death of Superman, Avengers Assemble, and others. On screen and film, Matt is known for his roles in Heroes, Disaster Movie, 90210, Pitch Perfect 3, Timeless, Jupiter’s Legacy and dozens of other credits. He has appeared in cameo as a New Republic Soldier in The Mandalorian.
Get your admission tickets to the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo on Saturday and Sunday for an opportunity to get an autograph and photo op with Matt Lanter! |
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| Charles Martinet will be in town for the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo!
Charles is most known for being the voices of Mario, Luigi, and Wario in numerous Nintendo productions since the 1990’s. His video game credentials go from Super Punch Out!! to educational games such as Dr. Seuss, Carmen Sandiego, Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance, and dozens of others. On screen, Charles has appeared in The Dead Pool, Matlock, Nash Bridges, The Californians, and others.
Get your admission tickets to the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo for an opportunity to get an autograph with Charles Martinet! |
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Cincinnati Comic Expo Online Store is Now Open!
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| The Cincinnati Comic Expo Store is now open!
Artwork, photos, autographs, banners, props, and more from previous Cincinnati Comic Expo events and guests are now available to purchase.
Items that you can buy as gifts, keepsakes, or to add to your own personal collection are now online for you to order and have shipped to you!
Collectibles and memorabilia will continually be added along with more signed photos as the store shelves get stocked and more events take place.
With the opening of the store, take advantage of the promo launch code for a discount on your order. |
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Exhibitor booths are still available for the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo!
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