Tag Archives: k-pop

Stardust, Stardom, and the Cost of Going Viral. Solar Sisters arrives from Amit Tishler, Elliot Sperl, Virginia Salucci, Giulia Zucca, and Taylor Esposito

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Papercutz and Mad Cave Studios invite readers to blast off into a vibrant sci-fi comedy with Solar Sisters, an all-ages original graphic novel from writers Amit Tishler and Elliot Sperl, illustrated by Virginia Salucci, colored by Giulia Zucca, and lettered by the award-winning Taylor Esposito.

Phoebe Dust’s days as a child star are over. Born and raised on the moon, she’s shocked to discover her mom’s tourist trap, the Lunar Link, is deep in debt and circling the drain. Determined to save it, Phoebe hatches a plan that accidentally rockets her alien sister, Luna, into interstellar superstardom. Overnight, the Lunar Link is swarmed with tourists, the perils of fame close in, and Nova Starr, the galaxy’s most ruthless influencer, is plotting to claw the spotlight back by any means necessary. With the forces of fame, fortune, and cutthroat rivals pulling from every direction, Phoebe must keep her family’s future from being blown into stardust.

Blending colorful worldbuilding with sharp commentary on celebrity culture, Solar Sisters explores the complicated balance between ambition, identity, and the pursuit of happiness while delivering a story packed with humor, heart, and high-stakes cosmic chaos.

Beyond the graphic novel, Solar Sisters is expanding to include an original K-Pop EP, Nova Starr: Solar Cyclone, produced by Amit Tishler and music composer Alon Kaplan, and the tabletop game Stardom: The Solar Sisters Game from Lichenwood Games and 10 Forward Productions, launching soon on Kickstarter.

Solar Sisters goes on sale October 13, 2026, in paperback (ISBN: 9781545827772 | $12.99) and hardcover (ISBN: 9781545827789 | $17.99) formats and is now available for preorder wherever books and comics are sold, including papercutz.com. Direct Market FOC is October 14.

Solar Sisters

Big Ocean to Perform at Otakon 2025

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Big Ocean

K-POP three-member group Big Ocean will be performing at Otakon 2025.

Big Ocean is a groundbreaking K-pop group that is redefining the global music scene with their powerful performances, emotional depth, and bold artistry. Debuting in 2024 under Parastar Entertainment, the trio made headlines as the first K-pop group composed entirely of hearing-impaired members, breaking barriers and reshaping perceptions of what it means to be an idol.

Otakon 2025 will be held from August 8-10, 2025 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

K-POP group Billlie will Perform at Otakon 2025

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Billlie

K-POP seven-member girl group Billlie will be performing at Otakon 2025.

Debuting in November 2021, Billlie has established an unparalleled narrative in the K-POP scene. With songs such as “RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world)”, “GingaMingaYo (the strange world)”, “BYOB (bring your own best friend)” and “remembrance candy”, they have achieved great success in the global music industry.

Billlie has received accolades in US Billboard’s “The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2022” and “The 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2023”. Their fifth mini album, “Of All We Have Lost”, released in October 2024, ranked on the global chart and entered the TOP 10 on the iTunes K-POP album chart in nine countries, including the US, UK, and Japan. Additionally, the title track ‘remembrance candy’ and ‘trampoline’ ranked in the TOP 10 of the iTunes K-POP song chart in nine countries. Notably, ‘trampoline’ topped various Jazz charts in Korea and globally, showcasing Billlie’s diverse musical spectrum.

Billlie successfully held their first world tour, “Billlie World Tour ‘Our FLOWERLD (Belllie’ve You)'”, across Europe, Grand America, and Asia and Oceania, including Seoul, covering a total of 31 cities from July 2024 to March 2025. Billlie proved their explosive global popularity by rapidly expanding their world tour, eliciting excited cheers and singalongs from audiences with powerful performances throughout the tour.

Otakon 2025 will be held from August 8-10, 2025 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

JUST B to Perform at Otakon 2023

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Just B

K-Pop group JUST B will perform at Otakon 2023.

JUST B is an immensely talented K-Pop group known for its unique blend of hip-hop, R&B, and electronic dance music. Their music is characterized by powerful vocals, intricate choreography, and dynamic performances that have captivated fans worldwide.

Making their debut in June of 2021 with their first mini-album “JUST BURN,” which contained the hit title track “DAMAGE,” JUST B has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most exciting new acts in the K-Pop scene. Recently, they won the Blooming Star Award at the 30th HANTEO MUSIC AWARDS 2022 and collaborated with former Otakon guest AleXa in the hit song “MBTI.”

In addition to the concert, JUST B will also offer VIP experiences and other opportunities to see them around Otakon.

Otakon 2023 will be held from July 28 to July 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Junhong Kim is coming to Otakon 2022

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Junhong Kim

Junhong Kim of ZB Label will be a guest at Otakon 2022, according to Otakorp Inc. ZB Label is the label that produces AleXa’s music.

In 2001, Won-Ki Hong and Kim co-founded Zanybros, a music video production company, and has now become the largest production company in Korea, having executed more than 1,000 successful video productions. ZANYBROS has expanded its business field to Entertainment Contents Media Group by creating ZANYTV, its own content creation channel producing new media contents.

Kim is one of ZANYBROS’s Music Video directors responsible for most of the awe-inspiring visuals in K-pop artists’ music videos. He’s worked with the likes of K-pop originator Seo Taiji, current industry leaders BTS, icons like PSY, Epik High, SHINee, HyunA, Mamamoo, EXO, KARD, Super Junior, Wanna One and Girls Generation.

Kim will participate in an Otakon panel about the K-pop industry.

Otakon will be held from July 29-31 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Jenny Zha is a guest for Otakon 2022

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Jenny Zha

Jenny Zha will be a guest at Otakon 2022, according to Otakorp Inc. Zha is an award-winning integrated marketer and the CEO of Infinitize.

Formerly leading short-form content and engagement at global streaming service Viki and Korean entertainment community Soompi, Jenny is the producer and showrunner of 500 pieces of original content, including “When You Call My Name,” a Viki Original mini-documentary exploring the crossing of musical cultures through lens of Grammy-nominated R&B singer Gallant and MONSTA X.

A fan of fans, she is the original creator of “Rising Legends,” a Shorty Awards-nominated global fan-voted talent competition held in partnership with Cube Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, where AleXa was discovered. Jenny also led Soompi’s annual event, Soompi Awards, which set a new Guinness World Records title for “Most Used Hashtag on Twitter in 24 Hours” in 2019, thanks to the dedication of over 150 fandoms around the world.

In 2019, Jenny founded Infinitize, a marketing consultancy. Featured in various media and publications including Billboard and Forbes, Infinitize works with global artists and entertainment tech companies on scaling fandom engagement, and is the marketing powerhouse behind trending campaigns for K-pop artists like Woosung, AleXa, and more.

Zha will participate in an Otakon panel about the K-pop industry.

Otakon will be held from July 29-31 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Angelina Foss has been added to the Otakon 2022 Guest Roster

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Angelina Foss

Angelina Foss of ZB Label will be a guest at Otakon 2022, according to Otakorp Inc. ZB Label is the label that produces AleXa’s music.

Swedish-Chilean with a background in international graduate school for international relations and communication at HUFS, Foss is the creative director and head of ZB Label.

Having begun her initial career in Korea at a Korean entertainment conglomerate, this is Foss’s 8th year working at ZANYBROS, where she helms production, marketing and MV directing roles. Since 2014, she has been the creator of global K-pop content channel ZANYTV, taking charge of global business and projects for ZANYBROS, including production projects such as YOUTUBE SPACE SEOUL, Soompi Rising Legends, Zanybros global film projects and more.

Currently, Foss serves as the creative director for AleXa, overseeing her journey from training period to debut to the American Song Contest project and all aspects of A&R, visual directing, and management. In 2020, she won “Best Zanybros of the Year” at the yearly Zanybros awards.

Foss will participate in an Otakon panel about the K-pop industry.

Otakon will be held from July 29-31 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

K-rock band Rolling Quartz make their international performance debut at Otakon 2022

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Rolling Quartz

K-rock girl band Rolling Quartz will perform at Otakon 2022, Otakorp Inc has announced. The band will make their international performance debut at Otakon’s Friday Night K-Pop concert on July 29.

Rolling Quartz shook up the Internet world of K-pop fans in 2020 by bringing exciting videos with fiery covers of rock artists from around the world. Their first single, “Blaze,” dropped in December 2020, attracting fans and supporters from dozens of countries.

They will perform their first international show at Otakon 2022, bringing original songs fresh from their first EP, “Fighting,” which was released in February, as well as some fan-favorite covers.

Otakon will be held from July 29-31 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Around the Tubes

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

It’s a new week and we’ve got interviews and more coming at you! While you start the week off, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.

Healio – Educational comic books may be ‘powerful tool’ for improving HPV vaccination – Graphic medicine is a growing segment and well worth keeping an eye on.

Engadget – TikTok users and K-pop fans say they wrecked Trump’s Tulsa rally – A lot will be written about this. It will also shift how campaigns approach digital.

Review

Comic Attack – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

Around the Tubes

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K-Pop approve

It was new comic book day yesterday! What’d you all get? What’d you all enjoy? What’d you dislike? Sound off in the comments below! While you think about that, here’s some news from around the web.

Kotaku – In A Unionization Breakthrough, Paradox Interactive Signs Labor Agreement With Trade Unions – Will this start to happen in the comic industry?

CBLDF – Anti-Racism Graphic Novels Reading & Resources List – A good list of comics and materials.

The Mary Sue – K-Pop Fans Have Been Vanquishing Racist Hashtags and Police Apps – This has been amazing to watch.