Castle star Nathan Fillion, fellow Serenity and Firefly headliner Summer Glau, Eisner Award Hall of Famer Stan Lee and WWE Superstars John Cena and Daniel Bryan are at the top of a standout roster of celebrity guests scheduled to appear at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, May 30 – June 2 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.  It is the third in the 2013 series produced by Wizard World, Inc. and will also feature a top-drawer collection of well-known artists and writers and a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions.

Fillion and Lee will appear on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2; Cena is scheduled for Thursday, May 30; and Bryan will be on site on Saturday, June 1 only.  Other standout celebrities attending include William Shatner, The Walking Dead duo of Michael Rooker and Norman Reedus, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Manu Bennett and many others.

Additionally, all full price attendees will receive a free copy of the Exclusive Variant Cover of The Walking Dead #1 comic, available only at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con.

Superstar comics creators scheduled to attend include Bryan Hitch, Salvador Larroca, Leinil Yu, Howard Chaykin and Barry Kitson.

Also featured in the autograph area are the Buffy The Vampire Slayer trio of James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter and Juliet Landau, the Charmed threesome of Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause, “The Fonz” Henry Winkler, “Brat Packer” Andrew McCarthy and NCIS star Lauren Holly, among dozens of popular celebrities.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.  Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con show hours are Thursday, May 30, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, May 31, noon – 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday, June 2, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Experience New York City, differently, as Wizard World brings together celebrities, creators, sports stars, music, exhibitors, parties and other attractions at the 2013 Wizard World New York City Experience, June 28-30.  Comics legend Stan Lee, Star Trek: The Next Generation icon Patrick Stewart and The Walking Dead trio of Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker and Jon Bernthal are the first stars scheduled to attend the extravaganza at Basketball City (Pier 36) in lower Manhattan, overlooking the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty and steps away from vibrant South Street Seaport.

Tickets go on sale for this exclusive event, with limited tickets available, on March 1 at www.wizardworld.com.  Additional guests, special receptions and events, start and end times and ticket prices will be announced shortly.

Wizard World NYC Experience will be the fourth of eight events on the 2013 calendar, which also currently includes shows in Portland, Ore. (Feb. 22-24), St. Louis (March 22-24), Philadelphia (May 30 – June 2), Chicago (Aug. 8-11), Columbus, Ohio (Sept. 20-22), Nashville, Tenn. (Oct. 18-20) and Austin, Texas (Nov. 22-24).  Wizard World has also scheduled its next New Orleans date (Feb. 7-9, 2014).

1821 Comics, comic legend Stan Lee and his company POW! Entertainment are teaming up for Stan Lee’s Kids Universe Day, an event in Los Angeles on February 2 for kids celebrating the first properties from 1821 Comics, Stan Lee and POW!’s new family-friendly publishing imprint Stan Lee’s Kids Universe which include Digital E-Books, books and games for multiple platforms. The children participating in Stan Lee’s Kids Universe Day will get an exclusive sneak preview of the new line of family friendly properties and will engage in a variety of fun activities.

Stan Lee’s Kids Universe Day will take place on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Giggles N’ Hugs in Century City, and will include invited children and their parents.

Stan Lee’s Kids Universe Day is scheduled to feature the following activities*:

• A book reading session for the kids with Stan Lee, where he will be giving out signed copies of books from the new imprint.
• Lunch and games with characters from the Stan Lee’s Kids Universe.
• Playtime with rescued animals.
• Arts and craft sessions for the kids.

* Activities at STAN LEE’S KIDS UNIVERSE DAY are subject to change.

(via The Mary Sue)

The Amazing Spider-Man has hit stores in time for the holiday season. You can buy it today! We’ve got prizes to give away to two lucky winners provided by SONY!

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

We’re giving you FOUR different ways to enter and if you do all three, that’s three entries.

How to enter:

• Facebook – just like and/or share the post promoting the contest, it’s that easy.
• Twitter – Tweet “Retweet and enter to win an Stan Lee autographed comic http://wp.me/pdMot-fCe via SONY & @graphicpolicy” You can tweet this now!
• Google+ – Give a plus to the article on our new Google+ community page!

Yes, it’s that simple, no tricks, no strings attached.

Details:

• The contest runs until December 15, 2012 at midnight Eastern time.
• The contest is open to those in the U.S.

Prizes:

• 1st Prize – Stan Lee autographed comic
• 2nd Prize – Tom Cohen autographed comic

With tickets going on sale December 1st, details are starting to emerge as to what folks can expect for the 2013 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. The convention returns April 26-28, 2013 at the BMO Centre.

Coming off a record-breaking attendance of over 60,000 in 2012, Calgary Expo is taking full-frontal nerdity to the next level in 2013. Featuring guests from comic creator legend Stan Lee to Chris Sarandon, best known for his evil-plotting in 80′s classic The Princess Bride. The Calgary Expo also presents an event for pop culture aficionados in 2013. “Weird Al” Yankovic ­ the biggest selling comedy recording artist of all time ­ is appearing at a comic-con for the first time ever. His Alpocalypse Tour concert Friday night of the show is a second dose of fandom for those who cannot get enough during regular expo hours.                        

Special Guests Include:

• Stan Lee
• “Weird Al” Yankovic
• Lexa Doig
• Bret “Hitman” Hart
• Neal Adams
• Michael Shanks
• John Carpenter
• Chris Sarandon

Tickets on Sale: Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 10am MST www.CalgaryExpo.com

Weird Al Concert Tickets on Sale at Ticketmaster and takes place  Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 12pm MST

The weekend is almost here. What’s everyone have on their schedule?

Around the Blogs

Comics Bulletin – We Hear You – So Shut Up Already! – Solid article on the Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown DC Comics issue.

Bleeding Cool – Hastings Puts Its Comics Online – Including The Variants – There goes that market.

Kotaku – Stan Lee’s Latest Superhero Creation Has the Power to Fall From the Sky. Hey, Me Too! – Okay then.

Around the Tubes Reviews

Talking Comics – Avengers Assemble #9

Talking Comics – Batgirl #14

Examiner – Fantastic Four #1

Talking Comics – Fantastic Four #1

CBR – Where is Jake Ellis? #1

Comics Alliance – ‘Scene of the Crime’ and ‘Rock Bottom’ Find New Homes At Image

Paste Magazine – Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-up 11/14/12

Stan Lee recently cancelled upcoming appearances at conventions which caused speculation about his health. The iconic creator has revealed he’s got a pacemaker, putting the rumor mill to rest.

Stan Lee sent out the following message to fans earlier today:

Attention, Troops!

This is a dispatch sent from your beloved Generalissimo, directly from the center of Hollywood’s combat zone!

Now hear this! Your leader hath not deserted thee! In an effort to be more like my fellow Avenger, Tony Stark, I have had an electronic pace-maker placed near my heart to insure that I’ll be able to lead thee for another 90 years.

But fear thee not, my valiant warriors. I am in constant touch with our commanders in the field and victory shall soon be ours. Now I must end this dispatch and join my troops, for an army without a leader is like a day without a cameo!

Lee turns 90 in December. We wish him a speedy recovery and all the best.

Through a press release from Wizard World, we’ve learned Stan Lee is cancelling numerous upcoming appearances and won’t have any more for the near future.  The press release…

Last night, we were informed by Stan Lee’s management that Stan would be unable to attend any upcoming appearances for the near future, including the Ohio Comic Con, as well as the “Authors Authors” Toledo-Lucas County Public Library appearance set for this Thursday, September 27th. We will let fans know more as we know more details. Refunds will be issued starting Monday for all VIP, Photo Ops and Autograph Tickets. We hope to have Stan back again soon at our New Orleans event.

There hasn’t been word of the reason, but the legendary comic creator turns 90 in December and was recently at Baltimore Comic Con which I attended. Whatever the reason, we hope everything is ok.