Category Archives: Random

BOOM! Studios Comes Out in Full Force for Mike Carey’s Only U.S. Convention: Baltimore Comic-Con

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Garfield_17_CVR_BaltimoreBOOM! Studios continues its 2013 convention tour with a return to Baltimore Comic-Con from Saturday, September 7th through Sunday, Sunday 8th. The publisher will be bringing along a pair of exclusive variant covers along with fan-favorite talent.

BOOM! Studios is honored to host luminary author Mike Carey at its booth, #1303, for signings throughout the show for his only United States comic book convention appearance in 2013.

In addition, KaBOOM! Studios is equally excited to welcome Natasha Allegri, Mike Holmes, Noelle Stevenson, Ian McGinty, Travis Hill, and Allison Strejlau signing and sketching at the KaBOOM! Studios booth all weekend long. The publisher will also be hosting Paul Jenkins, Brian Stelfreeze, Matt Gagnon, Mike Kunkel, and Eric Esquivel throughout the weekend along with signings by Archaia creators, including David Petersen and Charles Soule.

Newly acquired imprint Archaia Entertainment will be on hand at the BOOM! Studios booth with a section devoted entirely to their titles.

Robocop_01_CVR_Baltimore

BOOM! Studios will debut two exclusive variant covers, one from each of their two primary imprints, at Baltimore Comic-Con. From the KaBOOM! imprint, copies of Garfield #17 with an all-new cover by Natasha Allegri will be available for purchase. Meanwhile, from the BOOM! Studios imprint, copies of Robocop: Last Stand #1 with an exclusive 8-bit cover by Matthew Waite will be available for purchase. As an added bonus for convention-goers, an exclusive Adventure Time: Candy Capers #3 by Fellipe Martins will be available at the convention exclusives booth and VIP ticket holders will receive an exclusive Sons of Anarchy #1 “Road to Baltimore” exclusive variant cover.

BOOM! will host three panels in Baltimore:

SPOTLIGHT ON GEORGE PÉREZ – Saturday, 1:00pm-2:00pm
Artist and writer George Pérez has a career that spans four decades and has the rare distinction of being one of the top creators in the comic book business consistently for the mass majority of his career. His credits are too numerous to list and his contributions to the mythology of Marvel and DC comics are profound and enduring. After over a decade working exclusively with DC Comics, Pérez is embarking on a new chapter in his career at BOOM! Studios. Join BOOM! Founder and CEO Ross Richie in a reflection of Mr. Pérez’s first four decades of work and a discussion of what the future holds for this comic book luminary. Plus, be the first to find out what Mr. Pérez’s new project at BOOM! will be!

WE ARE BOOM! – Saturday, 3:00pm-4:00pm
You will not want to miss this jam-packed, inspiring hour as BOOM! Founder & CEO Ross Richie and Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon along with special guest creators reintroduce BOOM! Studios to the world of comics. This won’t be your average publisher panel droning on and on through a series of press releases and stale cover images. Find out what makes BOOM! Studios different than every other comic publisher in the market and why 2013 has been a transformative year for us. We are BOOM! Come Innovate With Us.

SPOTLIGHT ON MIKE CAREY – Sunday, 1:00pm-2:00pm
Eisner Award-winning writer Mike Carey’s work spans comics, novels, film, and television. Carey made his initial impact in the U.S. comic market with the longest running and most successful SANDMAN-related spinoff series from Vertigo: LUCIFER. Since then, he’s solidified himself as a nuanced, character-driven creator on other critically acclaimed Vertigo series such as CROSSING MIDNIGHT and THE UNWRITTEN; while becoming a mainstream fan favorite on series like X-MEN and ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR. This year, Carey launched his first ongoing, original series from an independent publisher: SUICIDE RISK from BOOM! Studios. Join BOOM! Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon as he moderates a lively discussion with Carey about his career, his process, and his inspirations.

Additionally, BOOM! guests Mike Carey and Paul Jenkins will take part in the British Invasion panel on Saturday at 11:00am-12:00pm.

BOOM! Studios and its imprints are nominated for nine Harvey Awards, which will be held as part of Baltimore Comic-Con on Saturday, September 7 at 8:45 p.m. ET at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Hotel.

The previously announced guests include: Josh Adams (Doctor Who); Neal Adams (First X-Men); Mark Bagley (Fantastic Four); Art Baltazar (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); Brian Bolland (Dial H); Harold Buchholz (Archie Comics); Mark Buckingham (Fables); Sal Buscema (Amazing Spider-Man); Frank Cammuso (Knights of the Lunch Table, Otto’s Orange Day); Jimmy Cheung (Avengers vs. X-Men); Frank Cho (Savage Wolverine); Steve Conley (Bloop); Amanda Conner (Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre); Jamie and Tyler Cosley (Cody the Cavalier, Ninja Squirrel); J.M. DeMatteis (Phantom Stranger); David Finch (Justice League of America); Franco (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); John Gallagher (Buzzboy, Roboy Red); Zack Giallongo (Broxo); Chris Giarrusso (G-Man); Keith Giffen (Masters of the Universe); Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!, The Dumbest Idea Ever!); Joe Hill (Locke and Key); Jason Horn (Ninjasaur); Adam Hughes (Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan); Denis Kitchen (The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen); Barry Kitson (Empire); Roger Langridge (Popeye); Jim Lee (Superman Unchained); Paul Levitz (World’s Finest); Kevin Maguire (World’s Finest); Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space); Mark Mariano (Happyloo); Billy Martin (Vitriol, the Hunter); Dave McDonald (Hamster Sam); Mark McKenna (Star Wars, Banana Tail); Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie); Mike Mignola (Hellboy In Hell); Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground); Chris O>Matic (The Chris O>Matic Show!); Jimmy Palmiotti (Batwing); Dan Parent (Archie, Veronica, Kevin Keller); George Perez (World’s Finest); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Joe Prado (Earth 2); Ivan Reis (Aquaman); Dave Roman – Saturday only (Astronaut Academy, Teen Boat); Chris Samnee (Daredevil); Jeff Schultz (Archie, Jughead); Louise Simonson (X-Factor); Walt Simonson (The Mighty Thor); Kevin Smith (Batman: The Widening Gyre); Allison Sohn (sketch card artist); Frank Stack (My Cancer Year); Bobby Timony (Night Owls, Detectobot); Mark Waid (Indestructible Hulk), Bill Willingham (Fables); and Thom Zahler (My Little Pony).

Gen Con 2013: The Convention Where I Entered My First Tournie

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PIC_4247I’ve been going to conventions for quite some time now and after a few years at Gen Con, I finally had the urge to enter a tournament at one. The prospect was interesting, but to make it really fun, I felt like I should live Tweet it as well. I reached out to a few game publishers and the folks at Wizkids loved the idea. After a bit of brainstorming we decided I might do my best playing in a Heroclix Battle Royale, where four players hop on a mat and beat the crap out of each other for an hour and some change.

For those who don’t know Heroclix, it’s a miniature game where you build a team based on points and roll dice to determine the dice of actions. Those figures tend to be based on comic properties, though there’s some variations. Think chess where dice are involved and instead of a bishop, I get Bishop from the X-Men.

I knew a little about the game, having played a few demos at conventions, and that’s about it. I have a box of figures I’ve picked up over the years, but other than that, I couldn’t tell you any of the intricacies of the game. This was a good thing, because the more I know about a game, the more I tend to manipulate things and get really good really quick. So, the less I knew, the more fun I’d have in general instead of actually focusing on winning. Actually, let’s be honest, I’d be focused on crushing my opponents.

I waited in line waiting for my turn to be matched up and luck would have it, they needed a person to play in a Marvel game. There’s two major lines of miniatures based on Marvel and DC Comic characters, and the figures can be played against each other. I’m more of a Marvel person, so I was hoping I’d be able to get in on a game of that, mostly since I know the characters a lot better.

I was matched up with three other players, two have been playing over 10 years and one since the game launched. That’s some experienced players who began chatting about strategies and figures and combinations. I told them I’ve played a few games and had little experience, cut I was doing this “for science.” They were cool with it and would walk me through as much as they could. I knew how to move and punch, and that’s what I felt I needed to know. The basics.

The theme that was being played was a recently released set based on Spider-Man and horror characters from Marvel. Spidey isn’t my strongest suit, so I wasn’t as familiar as I hoped.

This was a draft where we each chose figures and passed them around to draft one at a time. Instead of focusing on combinations or powers, I decided to have some fun and try to draft as many versions of Spider-Man as possible. I was able to pull off three versions in the end, if you count Spider Girl, and two Marvel monsters. Find some weak opposition and punch him or her a lot.

The game began and the figures started to move. I zeroed in on my target, Miles Morales (sorry Miles). I figured a bunch of figures should easily beat up a kid. Oh how wrong I was. Surrounding him with everything I have, I punched, a lot, and punched some more, a lot.

I was doing some damage, but clearly not enough. The dice were rolling, the conversations were having and I found myself having a really good time. While it was clear my opponents where a bit more focused on winning, I was there to see how the game was played and have a good time. Rounds passed, punches were thrown and Miles still stood. Though I drew first blood out of everyone, it didn’t seem like I was going to finish Miles off. The little dude just wouldn’t go down.

After a few rounds, I really have no idea how many, the judge came around to have us wrap the game up. I clearly did not win this little tournament. I think I came in dead last if anything. But I came away seeing exactly why people enjoy this game and tournaments in general. They give you the opportunity to go up against some of the best players out there, and do so under pressure. Heroclix gives you the opportunity to live out battles with some of the most iconic characters out there, and do so in a game where anything can happen.

Coming out the game, we all got to choose what figures we wanted to keep. The three players had them all except a couple, which they grabbed, leaving me with almost everything. They wanted to give me a chance to start off right and put a best foot forward when it comes to my new Heroclix addiction.

Did I do well? No, I kept up my craptacular Gen Con 2013 streak of losing in every game I played. But, I had a lot of fun and walked away wanting to check out what I missed. I think Gen Con 2014 I’ll be back, this time with a clue and god help whoever I get paired with.

SPX 2013: Jon McNaught, Ulli Lust and Other International Guests at SPX 2013

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Small Press Expo has announced Jon McNaught and Ulli Lust as featured guests to SPX 2013, to be held September 14 and 15. Small Press Expo is honored to have the first appearance of both of these guests at this years show, as well as a number of other international guests. Jon and Ulli join previously announced international guests Seth from Canada, Liniers from  Argentina and Rutu Modan from Israel.

This year SPX has the most international creators from the most countries that have ever attended the festival.

Here is the list of international creators, as well as more information on both Jon McNaught and Ulli Lust:

  • Argentina – Liniers
  • Australia – Caitlin Major,  Jason Franks, Matt Emery, Matt Hoddy
  • Canada – Seth, Michael DeForge, Adriana Blake, Elaine Will, Gibson Twist, Matt Cummings, Ryan Smith
  • Germany – Ulli Lust
  • Great Britain – Jon McNaught, Roger Langridge, Nick Abadzis, Joe Decie, Joe List, John Allison, Lizz Lunney, Philippa Rice, Sean Azzopardi, Simon Moreton. Timothy Winchester
  • Israel – Rutu Modan
  • Italy – Delebile
  • Mexico – Mario Gonzales
  • Netherlands – Margaret de Heer

Jon McNaught is a printmaker, illustrator, and comics creator, who has won rapid critical acclaim from such comics luminaries as Seth and Chris Ware. Jon has illustrated various articles for such periodicals as the New York Times and the London Review of Books.

His self published comic, Birchfield Close, was discovered by the groundbreaking British publishing house NoBrow, who will be bringing Jon to this years show and published his critically acclaimed Dockwood. Jon has drawn the cover to the SPX 2013 Program Guide, which will be available for free at the SPX registration tables.

Born in Vienna in 1967, Ulli Lust is an internationally renowned cartoonist, illustrator, and publisher making her first appearance at SPX 2013.  This year Fantagraphics Books published her 464-page memoir, Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, which details the summer of 1984 when she hitchhiked across Italy as a broke punk rocker.

Ms. Lust has been nominated in the Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Graphic Novel categories of the Ignatz Awards this year for Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life. She currently works in Berlin.

A complete list of all 657 exhibitors is available at http://www.spxpo.com/exhibitors.

Small Press Expo

Hero Initiative hits Baltimore Comic-Con with EXCLUSIVE Appearances by Comic Legends!

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 hero_artists_samneeThe Hero Initiative will hit the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 7-8 in a MASSIVE way with exclusive appearances by several comic book legends.

Hero Board member George Pérez of Avengers and Teen Titans fame will be at the Hero Initiative booth, #1501-#1502 all weekend. This will be the ONLY place you’ll be able to get autographs and sketches from George! He’ll be joined all weekend by artist Ron Frenz exclusively at the Hero booth!

Saturday only, writer Tom DeFalco and artist Brett Breeding will also be on hand at the Hero booth to help raise money for comic creators in medical and financial need.

And perhaps most importantly, Incredible Hulk and Avengers artistic legend Sal Buscema will be at the Hero Initiative booth on Saturday only from 1-4 p.m. Sal is 77 years old, and does very few public appearances. Sal will be signing autographs for $5 each or 3 for $10. This may be your last chance to get Sal to sign your books, so bring ’em on!

In addition, creators across the con floor will be taking donations for signatures at their own booths! Stop and contribute to the cause! These creators include:

Sal Buscema cover

Mark Buckingham, Jim Calafiore, Cliff Chiang, Amanda Conner, Chris Giarrusso, Joe Hill, Roger Landridge, Joe Linsner, Laura Martin, Ron Marz, Jimmy Palmiotti. Andrew Pepoy, Brian Pulido, Tom Raney, Craig Rousseau, Chris Samnee, Alex Saviuk, Joe Staton, Bill Willingham, and Chrissie Zullo.

And of course, the highlight of Saturday evening is the Harvey Awards, featuring the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award. Stop by to see who wins the hardware this year!

Baltimore Comic-Con will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center, located at 1 W. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21201. On Saturday, the show hours are from 10am – 7pm and on Sunday the show runs from 10am – 5pm. If you would like more information about the show, visit the official website at baltimorecomiccon.com.

The previously announced guests include: Josh Adams (Doctor Who); Neal Adams (First X-Men); Mark Bagley (Fantastic Four); Art Baltazar (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); Brian Bolland (Dial H); Harold Buchholz (Archie Comics); Mark Buckingham (Fables); Sal Buscema (Amazing Spider-Man); Frank Cammuso (Knights of the Lunch Table, Otto’s Orange Day); Mike Carey (Suicide Risk, The Unwritten); Jimmy Cheung (Avengers vs. X-Men); Frank Cho (Savage Wolverine); Steve Conley (Bloop); Amanda Conner (Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre); Jamie and Tyler Cosley (Cody the Cavalier, Ninja Squirrel); J.M. DeMatteis (Phantom Stranger); David Finch (Justice League of America); Franco (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); John Gallagher (Buzzboy, Roboy Red); Zack Giallongo (Broxo); Chris Giarrusso (G-Man); Keith Giffen (Masters of the Universe); Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!, The Dumbest Idea Ever!); Joe Hill (Locke and Key); Jason Horn (Ninjasaur); Adam Hughes (Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan); Denis Kitchen (The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen); Barry Kitson (Empire); Roger Langridge (Popeye); Paul Levitz (World’s Finest); Kevin Maguire (World’s Finest); Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space); Mark Mariano (Happyloo); Billy Martin (Vitriol, the Hunter); Dave McDonald (Hamster Sam); Mark McKenna (Star Wars, Banana Tail); Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie); Mike Mignola (Hellboy In Hell); Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground); Chris O>Matic (The Chris O>Matic Show!); Jimmy Palmiotti (Batwing); Dan Parent (Archie, Veronica, Kevin Keller); George Perez (World’s Finest); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Joe Prado (Earth 2); Ivan Reis (Aquaman); Dave Roman – Saturday only (Astronaut Academy, Teen Boat); Chris Samnee (Daredevil); Jeff Schultz (Archie, Jughead); Louise Simonson (X-Factor); Walt Simonson (The Mighty Thor); Kevin Smith (Batman: The Widening Gyre); Allison Sohn (sketch card artist); Frank Stack (My Cancer Year); Bobby Timony (Night Owls, Detectobot); Mark Waid (Indestructible Hulk), Bill Willingham (Fables); and Thom Zahler (My Little Pony).

You can still buy your tickets at www.baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets/ for the weekend! See you there!

Five Ghosts Becomes an Ongoing Series

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The Five Ghosts team returns to Image Comics for another arc, following the unmissable September release of the first trade paperback collecting the original Five Ghosts five-issue miniseries. The fan-revered debut by burgeoning creators Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham has readers primed for even more eye-popping adventure as the book is made into an ongoing series, starting in October.

Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray follows the story of infamous treasure hunter Fabian Gray, who, after being bewitched by the mysterious power of “The Dreamstone,” must battle the unwieldy power of five archetypal ghosts that both possess and guide him. Lost in forgotten cities, Fabian faces enemy shadows in a mesmerizing series riddled with literary allusions.

The sixth issue of the self-declared “literary pulp adventure” series will borrow the talents of guest artist Garry Brown to reveal the next chapter of Fabian’s story.

Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray #6 will be in stores on October 30, and is currently available for pre-order from the August issue of Previews (Diamond code AUG130582).

The first volume of the series, Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray , Vol. 1 TP will be published on September 18 and is available for order (Diamond code JUL130450).

five-ghosts06

Baltimore Comic-Con Adds Brian Wood Courtesy of CBLDF

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Star Wars by Brian Wood The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced the addition of writer Brian Wood, courtesy of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). Wood joins a growing list of creators that will be in attendance at this year’s show, taking place September 7-8, 2013 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Brian Wood’s first professional work in comics was a 5-issue miniseries, titled Channel Zero, published by Image Comics in 1997. It was created as part of his final project for graduation from Parsons School of Design. In 2000, he was offered a co-writing job by Warren Ellis to join him on Marvel Comics’ Generation X.

After a 12-issue run on the title, he returned to the world of creator-owned comics where, between 2001 and 2005, he would create such titles as Couscous Express, The Couriers, Jennie One (AiT/Planet Lar), Pounded (Oni Press), and Fight for Tomorrow (Vertigo), as well as the critically-acclaimed 12-issue series, Demo.

After the success of Demo, Wood continued to create independent comics for Oni Press, Image Comics and IDW Publishing before signing a 2-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During his tenure with DC, he wrote DMZ, another critically-acclaimed series from Vertigo for which he has become best-known. In addition, he launched Northlanders, a historical-fiction series set during the Viking Age; The New York Four, a young adult graphic novel; and a new Demo mini-series.

In 2012, Wood began writing Marvel’s Ultimate Comics: X-Men beginning with issue #10, as well as Conan the Barbarian from Dark Horse Comics. In addition to those titles, he is currently writing the ongoing series, The Massive and Star Wars for Dark Horse.

Wood will be appearing and signing at the CBLDF booth (#1601) from 12:00 – 3:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as being featured in a creator spotlight panel on Sunday in panel rooms 302-303:

3:00-4:00 – CBLDF Presents: Spotlight On Brian Wood

Wood joins the previously announced guests, including: Josh Adams (Doctor Who); Neal Adams (First X-Men); Mark Bagley (Fantastic Four); Art Baltazar (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); Brian Bolland (Dial H); Harold Buchholz (Archie Comics); Mark Buckingham (Fables); Sal Buscema (Amazing Spider-Man); Frank Cammuso (Knights of the Lunch Table, Otto’s Orange Day); Jimmy Cheung (Avengers vs. X-Men); Frank Cho (Savage Wolverine); Steve Conley (Bloop); Amanda Conner (Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre); Jamie and Tyler Cosley (Cody the Cavalier, Ninja Squirrel); J.M. DeMatteis (Phantom Stranger); David Finch (Justice League of America); Franco (Aw Yeah Comics!, Tiny Titans); John Gallagher (Buzzboy, Roboy Red); Zack Giallongo (Broxo); Chris Giarrusso (G-Man); Keith Giffen (Masters of the Universe); Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!, The Dumbest Idea Ever!); Joe Hill (Locke and Key); Jason Horn (Ninjasaur); Adam Hughes (Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan); Denis Kitchen (The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen); Barry Kitson (Empire); Roger Langridge (Popeye); Jim Lee (Superman Unchained); Paul Levitz (World’s Finest); Kevin Maguire (World’s Finest); Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space); Mark Mariano (Happyloo); Billy Martin (Vitriol, the Hunter); Dave McDonald (Hamster Sam); Mark McKenna (Star Wars, Banana Tail); Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie); Mike Mignola (Hellboy In Hell); Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground); Chris O>Matic (The Chris O>Matic Show!); Jimmy Palmiotti (Batwing); Dan Parent (Archie, Veronica, Kevin Keller); George Perez (World’s Finest); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Joe Prado (Earth 2); Ivan Reis (Aquaman); Dave Roman – Saturday only (Astronaut Academy, Teen Boat); Chris Samnee (Daredevil); Jeff Schultz (Archie, Jughead); Louise Simonson (X-Factor); Walt Simonson (The Mighty Thor); Kevin Smith (Batman: The Widening Gyre); Allison Sohn (sketch card artist); Frank Stack (My Cancer Year); Bobby Timony (Night Owls, Detectobot); Mark Waid (Indestructible Hulk), Bill Willingham (Fables); and Thom Zahler (My Little Pony).

SPX 2013: Programming Announced

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The Small Press Expo over the weekend announced the SPX 2013 Programming Schedule.  SPX is proud to continue its established tradition of rich, thought-provoking programming featuring leading comics artists and critics in conversation. As in previous years, the Programming Schedule will feature two simultaneous tracks on both Saturday and Sunday, September 14th and 15th.

SPX 2013 programming highlights include special Q&A sessions with headline guests Seth, Jeff Smith, Gary Panter, Rutu Modan, The New Yorker’s Liza Donnelly and Argentinian cartoonist Liniers, many of whom will also join in several other panel discussions.

Highlights of this year’s panel discussions will include:

  • Living civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis, along with co-author Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell will discuss the first volume of Rep. Lewis trilogy, March!, about the civil rights movement of the 1960’s.
  • Conversations between Dash Shaw and Frank Santoro, Raina Telgemeier and Gene Yang, as well as Sam Henderson and Michael Kupperman.
  • What Makes Drawings Funny? with Peter Bagge, Lisa Hanawalt and Jay Lynch, moderated by Dustin Harbin.
  • In Kids/Not For Kids, Jeff Smith, Roger Langridge, Rutu Modan and Liniers will discuss how creators deal with producing works for the very different adult and children’s audiences.
  • A discussion about funding comics projects.
  • Our annual hands-on comics workshop will led this year by Alec Longstreth from the Center for Cartoon Studies and Josh Bayer from the Sequential Artists Workshop.

Head to the SPX website for the complete SPX 2013 Programming Schedule with full descriptions.

This year is the eighth year that SPX programming has been organized by Programming Coordinator Bill Kartalopoulos. Bill is a comics educator, critic and curator who has taught classes about comics at Parsons The New School for Design. Bill will be the editor for the 2014 installment of the critically acclaimed series, Best American Comics. He is the publisher and editor of Rebus Books, as well as being a Contributing Editor for Print Magazine.

Programming on Saturday will run from 11:30AM  until 7PM and Sunday programming will run from 12:30PM until 6PM.

Small Press Expo

Aspen Heads to Dragon Con 2013 With an Aquarium Beach Party

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In celebration of their tenth anniversary and Fathom’s 15th Anniversary, Aspen Comics in association with Dragon Con 2013 will be hosting an Aspen Comics Beach Party at the landmark Georgia Aquarium on Saturday, August 31st. Featuring DJ Spider, an Aspen-themed costume contest, and a special live dive with the whale sharks by the creators behind Fathom, Soulfire and other notable Aspen hits, this is a one-of-a-kind night to commemorate ten years of Aspen Comics at Dragon Con.

Aspen creators Frank Mastromauro, Peter Steigerwald, Siya Oum, Alex Konat and Jordan Gunderson will be appearing at the Aspen Comics Booth in Artist’s Alley as well as the Aspen Comics Beach Party, and offering new Dragon Con 2013 exclusives as well as free sketches and live cosplay photo ops throughout the weekend.

In addition to the special Beach Party event and booth appearances, the publisher will be offering three new exclusive books for the show, beginning with the world premiere of their seventh “10 for 10” title, Overtaken, with a special issue one Dragon Con 2013 cover by Siya Oum, limited to 200 copies. Also, Aspen will be offering an All New Fathom #2 Dragon Con 2013 exclusive cover by Alex Konat and Peter Steigerwald, limited to 200 copies.

Aspen will also be offering the latest Aspen Tour Print 2013 Anniversary Edition by Michael Turner and Peter Steigerwald, limited to 75 editions, as well as a new lineup of their industry-leading art prints.

The Aspen Comics Booth in Artist’s Alley will also be featuring free live cosplay photo ops with cosplayers Jenifer Ann and Heather 1337 throughout the weekend as they will be appearing as Aspen’s popular heroines, Soulfire’s Grace and Fathom’s Kiani

Aspen Beach Party Costume Contest Contestants will be judged and awarded Aspen Comics prize packages including items such as original art, statues, signed comics and rare exclusives in the following contests:

Categories specific to Aspen Comics:

–Judge’s Special Grand Prize

–Best Aspen Comics Character themed costume/s.

–Best Fathom themed costume/s.

–Best Michael Turner Cover Recreation costume/s.

Categories not specific to Aspen Comics:

–Best Male Costume.

–Best Female Costume.

–Best Kids Costume.

–Best Boys 13+ costume.

–Best Girls 13+ costume.

AllNew_FATHOM-02d-Konat-DragonCon_1 Grace-Cosplay OVERTAKEN-01f_Oum-DragonCon_1

Stan Lee, Norman Reedus, William Shatner, Summer Glau At Wizard World Ohio Comic Con

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Eisner Award Hall of Famer Stan Lee, Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead, pop culture icon William Shatner, Summer Glau and WWE Superstar Sheamus are among the top celebrities scheduled to attend Wizard World Ohio Comic Con, September 20-22 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.  The standout roster will also include Michael Rooker, Laurie Holden and Chandler Riggs of The Walking Dead and Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters.  It is the sixth 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.

Lee, Rooker and Hudson will be in attendance all three days; Reedus, Riggs and Glau will appear on Saturday and Sunday; Shatner will be on site on Friday evening and Saturday; and Sheamus will appear on Saturday only.

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 Ohio Comic Con.

Superstar comics creators scheduled to attend include Mike Zeck, CAFU, Eisner Award Hall of Famer Neal Adams and Eisner Award Nominees Darick Robertson, David Marquez and Ethan Van Sciver.

Other celebrities on the Ohio Comic Con roster are Emmy Award nominee Ron Glass, Ray Park, Lou Ferrigno, Jason David Frank and Sara Underwood.

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 Ohio Comic Con show hours are Friday, Sept. 20, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place all three days at the event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contest, movie screenings, evening parties and more.  Sunday, Sept. 22, is also Kids Day, with an array of activities and programming specially designed for the younger Wizard World fans.

Ohio Comic Con is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event.  Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed –  will roam the convention floor, often stopping by the Cosplay Stage, the ideal place to see and be seen.

Kick-Ass 2 Continues to Do Anything But

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Kick_Ass_2_Poster_7_12_13With summer blockbuster season winding down, we’ve seen the last of the comic book movies hit the screen until later this fall and it was a mixed bag for the final few releases. Kick-Ass 2, which debuted last week dropped in it’s second week, shedding 68%. The movie dropped to 10th place to earn $4.27 million bringing its two week total to $22.4 million. The first movie had earned $32 million at this point. The good news is Kick-Ass 2 had a budget of $28 million and has earned $38.5 million globally. There’s a chance the movie will turn a slight profit when all things are said and done.

2 Guns slipped to #11 in its fourth week in theaters from the 10 spot the previous week..  That’s a drop of 41.7% from the previous week and it brought in an additional $3.4 million. The movie has brought in $65.4 million and had a budget of $61 million. The movie hasn’t opened internationally, so any profit will rely in how it does there, but looks like the movie will make it in the black, not bad for BOOM! Studios first comic to movie adaptation.

The Wolverine was in the 15 spot, earning $2.5 million with a domestic total after five weeks of a little more than $125 million. That’s well behind the total for 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which earned around $180 million domestically. Overseas the movie is doing better, where it’s earned $22 million more than the first movie for $225 million overseas and a grand total of $350.7 million. That puts the movie as the top grossing “X” film overseas, but still in the middle of the pack when it comes to grand total globally. The movie had a budget of $120 million.

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