Tag Archives: midtown comics

NYCC 2024: Ghost Machine returns to celebrate its 1 Year Anniversary

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Ghost Machine

One year after announcing the launch of the first-of-its-kind creator-owned company at New York Comic Con, Ghost Machine returns to the premier East Coast comic book and pop culture convention (October 17-20), debuting a huge new booth and partnership with Midtown Comics.

Ghost Machine and Midtown Comics combine forces on the show’s main floor at booth #3043 where the two companies will host superstar signings with Ghost Machine’s Brad Anderson, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Geoff Johns, Rob Leigh, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Ivan Reis, Peter Snejbjerg, Peter J. Tomasi and Maytal Zchut.  

The new 20 x 30 booth will not only host signings, but also feature a full retail store, including a limited edition of Hyde Street #1, prints featuring Ghost Machine’s breakout characters and a full complement of previous work from each creator’s long history of best-selling titles from across the industry.

In addition to its new booth, Ghost Machine also hosts a Saturday panel (room #1C03, Oct. 19) with its creators celebrating its first year of publishing. At the panel, Ghost Machine will make some exciting announcements about upcoming projects as well as a look back at the company’s ground breaking first year. The panel will also feature the recipient of the Ghost Machine Scholarship and debut their variant cover for January’s Geiger #10. With an eye towards fostering superstar creators of tomorrow, the Ghost Machine Scholarship was established this June with the famous Joe Kubert School.

The first 100 attendees of the panel will also receive a limited-edition Family Odysseys ashcan edition featuring black and white previews of Novembers’ The Rocketfellers and Hornsby and Halo.

NYCC 2022: Image and Midtown Comics partner for signings

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New York Comic Con 2022

Image Comics is partnering with Midtown Comics this year at New York Comic Con on Thursday, October 6 through Saturday, October 8 for a lineup of highly collectible items and exciting creator signings hosted at the Midtown booth #3137.

IMAGE COMICS HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE ITEMS AT MIDTOWN BOOTH (#3137)—

  • Ice Cream Man Sundae Edition hardcover Vol. 1 Cover C
  • Blackwing Paper Girls pencil sets

IMAGE COMICS SIGNINGS AT MIDTOWN BOOTH (#3137)—

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6:

  • 5 PM – Marjorie Liu (Monstress)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7:

  • 3 PM – Charles Soule & Ryan Browne (Eight Billion Genies) 
  • 5 PM – W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran (Ice Cream Man, Art Brut)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8:

  • 12 PM – Christian Ward (Blood Stained Teeth)
  • 1:30 PM – Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls) 

IMAGE COMICS PANELS—

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7:
Spotlight on Todd McFarlane! Breaking Spawn Movie News, Upcoming Batman/Spawn Comic and more
4:30 – 5:30 PM 
Location 406.2
Megastar artist, McFarlane Toys CEO, and Image Comics President Todd McFarlane (Spawn, Venom) talks about comics and Spawn movie news being released the week of NYCC!

Also, Greg Capullo and Jim Lee join McFarlane to discuss the upcoming Spawn/Batman comic and reveal never-before-seen art from the book.

IMAGE COMICS CREATORS IN ARTIST ALLEY:

Andolfo, Mirka – H-35
Azzarello, Brian – J-21
Browne, Ryan – J-31
Camuncoli, Giuseppe – C-32
Capullo, Greg – H-48
Cates, Donny – J-37
Coipel, Olivier – L-02
Craig, Wes – D-35
Daniel, Tony S. – H-44
Del Col, Anthony – F-13
Dodson, Terry – K-11
Duggan, Gerry – I-44
Fernandez, Leandro – C-14
Fox, Nathan – D-42
Garbett, Lee – L-04
Hans, Stephanie – C-31
Haun, Jeremy – L-19
Hawkins, Matt – K-10

Hickman, Jonathan – I-48 
Higgins, Kyle – H-39
Holt, Jeremy – H-27
Huddleston, Mike – I-47
Hutchinson-Cates, Megan – J-33
Kaplan, Zack – D-40
King, Tom – I-30
Kubert, Emma – J-19
Leheup, Jody – D-41
Lotay, Tula – D-31
MacLean, Andrew – D-22
Mahfood, Jim – C-06
McClaren, Meredith – G-12
Messina, David – E-33
Opeña, Jerome – L-03
Orlando, Steve – H-32
Ottley, Ryan – J-36 
Panosian, Dan – D-17

Parrott, Ryan – H-40
Reis, Rod – E-11
Risso, Eduardo – K-01
Scalera, Matteo – D-14
Schultz, Erica – H-14
Shalvey, Declan – E-29
Silvestri, Marc – I-43
Simmonds, Martin – C-23 
Sliney, Will – K-29
Staggs, Cat – I-02
Stegman, Ryan – J-38
Soule, Charles – J-30
Tynion IV, James – C-21
V, Ram – C-30
Williamson, Joshua – I-33
Yarsky, Caitlin – D-33
Zub, Jim – J-28



Meet Your New Comic 800 lb. Gorillas, DCBS and Midtown Comics. The Same as the Old

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DC Comics logo

It’s been a crazy day with for comic news. Things first began with Diamond Comic Distributors announcing they were expecting to return to normal distribution in mid to late May. Then DC announced they would return to normal next week courtesy of two new distributors, Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors.

DC’s plan looks like it has come together in the last week or so as both domains were only recently purchased.

UCS Comic Distributors was registered on April 8 while Lunar Distribution was on April 13.

But who are these mysterious entities?

Newsarama has confirmed that they are sister companies of two mail-order juggernauts Discount Comic Book Service (DCBS) and Midtown Comics respectively. They are two of the largest direct market retailers and Midtown has handled subscription sales for years.

Lunar is handling distribution to comic retailers based in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. They are also handling distribution to the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

USC is taking on distribution to stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, West Virgina, and the District of Columbia. The Canadian provinces they’re taking point on are New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.

For retailers outside those areas, they’re encouraged to reach out to UCS, Lunar, or Diamond.

Why new companies and the secrecy?

The first is the optics. DCBS and Midtown are competitors to stores. This is money in the pockets of competitors. Though who was behind things would eventually be found out, so this is unlikely the reason.

The most likely reason is the risk involved and protection.

As can be seen, by Diamond’s issues paying publishers, stores have had issues paying Diamond. It’s possible the new entities were spun up to limit the chance of stores folding taking down Midtown and DCBS.

The plan is risky.

The economic outlook isn’t good with over 22 million people unemployed. Stores are struggling with many having limited hours or ability to sell items and many being closed for some time. The reality is, stores will close and leave debt behind them impacting Diamond (and possibly these two new entities) and that will ripple upwards to publishers and creators.

It’s unknown what stores will even be able to sell in the new landscape.

The reaction from stores has been mixed and what this means for the industry going forward is unknown.

Right now, stores need to scramble to get their accounts open and orders in for next week.

DC Comics Return to Comic Stores and Digital April 28

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DC Comics logo

Not too long after it was announced that Diamond was looking to return to normal distribution some time in May, DC drops a bombshell that its comics would return April 28.

The publisher will be pursuing alternative distribution means to get product to the stores that are able to accept it. They will be using Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distribution and retailers will pick which based on their region.

This is a big move as Diamond has had a lock on the direct market distribution for decades and for this to happen it would mean DC’s exclusivity deal is over.

There’s numerous questions remaining such as what will happen to the comics that were to be released these last few weeks and if this will remain the status-quo once Diamond is back and running.

Expect escalation from other publishers!

Below is DC’s full announcement along with what will be on shelves:

DC ANNOUNCES ITS RETURN TO COMIC BOOK STORES ON TUESDAY, APRIL 28

New DC Comic Books to be Available at Open and Operating Comic Book Retailers

DC comic books are returning to comic shops beginning Tuesday, April 28. After a four-week break, fans can celebrate that new superhero stories will be arriving at operating retail stores.

After surveying more than 2,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, it became clear that many comic book store owners are finding new and creative ways to get books to the fans who want them. To find stores that may have the new titles, visit the comic shop locator webpage:

www.dccomics.com/comicshoptracker

Check the page often, as it will be updated with new retailers.

The new slate of titles includes (also available for digital purchase at participating digital retailers):

Tuesday, April 28:

  • New Comic Books:
    • Batman #89 (3rd Printing)
      • Featuring the first appearance of Punchline!
    • Daphne Byrne #4
      • Daphne gains a new ally as she continues to wrestle with the malevolent forces within her.
    • The Dreaming #20
      • The unbelievable finale to Si Spurrier and Bilquis Evely’s epic tale from the Sandman Universe!
    • Nightwing #70 (2nd Printing)
      • The Clown Prince of Crime comes to Ric Grayson and Bludhaven in this prelude to The Joker War!
    • Batman GIANT #4
      • Classic stories from the world of The Dark Knight, plus an all-new chapter of the original story “Concrete Jungle,” by Mark Russell (Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles) and Ryan Benjamin!

Tuesday, May 5:

Tuesday, May 12:

Around the Tubes

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2020 Rescue #1

The weekend is almost here! What geeky things will you all be doing? Sound off in the comments below. While you wait for the weekday to end and weekend begins, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.

How To Love Comics – Blackest Night Reading Order Checklist – This was a fun one worth checking out.

ICv2 – Midtown Comics Opening Outlet Store in Astoria, Queens – Nice!

The Beat – ReedPOP is now offering Emerald City Comic Con Artists Alley exhibitors refunds – As they should. Hopefully, they won’t be hit by travel and hotel costs. You can help by supporting these creators online!

Reviews

CBR – 2020 Rescue #1
Newsarama – Batman #90
But Why Tho Podcast – Batman: Overdrive
CBR – Billionaire Island #1
Talking Comics – Middlewest #15
CBR – Outer Darkness/Chew #1
CBR – Rogue Planet #1

Five Points Festival Covering Toys and Comics Launches this May

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The Five Points Festival, a designer toy and comic convention, lands on Pier 36 in Manhattan’s Lower East Side this May 20th and 21st, featuring a dynamic lineup of counterculture artists and artisans from around the world. The inaugural event is a celebration of comic artists and writers, toy designers and customizers (with an extensive Neo-Kaiju and Sofubi section), original street art, and gourmet food trucks and craft beer presented by Clutter Magazine and Midtown Comics and sponsored by Playcrafting.  

Enthusiasts familiar with art toys will have the chance to meet some of the world’s most iconic artists and brands like Huck Gee, Kidrobot, James Groman, Jason Freeny, Ron English of Popaganda, Simone Legno of Tokidoki, Super7, Tara McPherson, and Mighty Jaxx on the show floor, where they will be featured alongside artists from the U.S., Japan, Germany, Korea, the U.K. and elsewhere, some showcasing in NYC for the first time, and all with unique, original pieces for sale. The festival’s ‘Artist Alley’ will be an intimate, curated showcase of some of the most notable comic and toy art from mainstream and independent creators across the world’s emerging pop art scene – with participants including Annie Wu, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Cliff Chiang, Khary Randolph, Magdalene Visaggio, and Sean Gordon Murphy. Anyone who has attended mainstream art shows or comic cons will find something completely unique at Five Points – a gathering of visual innovators, rebels, creators and the misfits who are driving the future of commercial, counterculture art.

Tickets to Five Points also include access to a gathering of some of NYC’s most outstanding craft breweries and food trucks serving during all regular Festival hours. VIP Ticket holders will also have early access privileges each day of Five Points, as well as entry to the 7th Annual Designer Toy Awards presented by Lagunitas on Friday night, the world’s premier accolade for toy artists, and an all-around excellent party.

You can get tickets now. Advance Saturday tickets are going for $30, Sunday for $25, weekend pass for $40, and a VIP pass for $125.

Clutter Magazine & LeftField Media Launch New Take On Comic Con

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Clutter Magazine and LeftField Media have announced details around the inaugural Five Points Festival, a designer toy and comic art convention debuting May 20-21 in Lower Manhattan. A showcase for artists, designers, and brands focused on independent art, entertainment, and lifestyle, Five Points is presented by Midtown Comics, sponsored by Playcrafting, and built with major support from brands including Cotton Candy Machine, Kidrobot, the LISA Project, Popaganda, Super7, and Toy Tokyo. The Five Points Festival will play host to guests including Bryan Lee O’Malley, Elsa Charretier, Greg Capullo, Huck Gee, Ron English, Scott Wilkowski, Sean Gordon Murphy, and Tara McPherson.

Boutique event organizer LeftField Media is no stranger to Comic Cons – it was founded by Greg Topalian, the creator of New York Comic Con, and is home to a veteran team with experience building over 50 pop culture conventions around the planet – but Five Points isn’t like any of the wave of Comic Cons which have sprouted up recently. Replacing a model centered on celebrity appearances and autographs, the Five Points Festival puts its focus absolutely on artists and is a celebration of comic creators, designer toy makers, and the culture they create.

LeftField’s partner in Five Points is Clutter, a cornerstone of the US designer toy scene, responsible for the only English-language art toy magazine, gallery, and awards ceremony. Coming to Five Points with a wealth of relationships and an outsider’s eye, Clutter’s challenged much of the common expectations of a Comic Con and brought forward a roster of dynamic guests and very different experiences…

  • Five Points will take place in Pier 36 in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Pier 36 is a modern, robust venue filled with natural light in one of NYC’s most artistic neighborhoods against the backdrop of the East River.
  • The Five Points Artist Alley will bring together over 100 comic creators crossing the indie, alternative, and mainstream worlds. A gathering point for unique writers and artists, Five Points’ Artist Alley guest list already counts Amy Reeder, Annie Wu, Ben Templesmith, Brandon Montclare, Christopher Hastings, Cliff Chiang, David Gallaher, Elsa Charretier, James Tynion IV, Ivan Brandon, Joe Harris, Khary Randolph, Leslie Hung, Magdalene Visaggio, Patrick Thomas Parnell, Sean Galloway, Sean Gordon Murphy, and Tini Howard, and the Midtown Comics booth will play host to additional high profile signings with megastar names including Bryan Lee O’Malley and Greg Capullo.
  • A home to the best of the designer toy world, Five Points will pull together more art toy makers and brands than any other event on the East Coast with names including Amanda Spayd, Boundless Brooklyn, Chris Ryniak, Expanded Universe with James Groman, Gary Ham, Huck Gee, Instinct Toy, Jason Freeny, Jeff Lamm, LuluBell, Martian Toys, Mighty Jaxx, Mishka, myplasticheart, The Outer Space Men, Ron English, Scott Wilkowski, Skull Toys with Punk Drunkers & Goccodo, Tara McPherson, Tenacious Toys, Tim Clarke, Rampage Toys, and Rotofugi.
  • Shining a spotlight on artists working with pixels and bits, Playcrafting will present a hands-on showcase where fans can play a survey of the independent video games sculpted right in NYC.
  • Creation of a permanent mural in Lower Manhattan, a larger-than-life installation in partnership with the LISA Project.
  • Five Points will host a large Craft Beer Garden headlined by a selection of NYC beers. In line with its focus on artistry, the Five Points Beer Garden will offer tastes of artistic beers brewed in and around New York City, and side-by-side with craft beer, Five Points will present a Food Truck Food Court featuring a curated selection of NYC’s most acclaimed artisan food trucks.
  • And Five Points will kick off with the 2017 edition of the Designer Toy Awards. The DTAs are the largest award ceremony in the art toy world and open to designers, comic creators, and fans.

Day and weekend tickets are available now on fivepointsfest.com and will be available at all Midtown Comics locations in late February. Additionally, a VIP ticket which includes extended weekend admission hours, entry to the Designer Toy Awards, and an exclusive limited edition Dunny made only for Five Points is available for a limited time on the Five Points website.

Further designer toy artists, comic creators, brands, and features will be announced over the coming weeks and months, as will details on show exclusives, parties, and special events.

five-points-festival

J. Scott Campbell Gives Us a New Take on Riri Williams

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riri-williamsOctober saw a dust-up over an exclusive Midtown Comics cover for Marvel‘s Invincible Iron Man #1 by artist J. Scott Campbell. The criticism of the cover was due its sexualization of the 15-year-old hero Riri Williams which you can view to the left (seriously, what’s up with the head connection to the neck!?). The character is a tech wizard, though in this cover it’s her body, not her smarts that are emphasized. The cover was shelved and a new cover is being worked on.

Usually, it feels like these types of stories has the artist lashing out at critics and often doubling down on the problematic art.

But, it looks like J. Scott Campbell is an artist of a different sort and has shown a lot of maturity.

Titled “Riri Rethink,” Campbell posted the below image. Is it the new cover? Nope, Campbell just “did it to do it.”

Unlike the original cover, this new piece shows a teenager who looks more like a teen and focusing on something other than her body. In other words, it would seem Campbell has listened, taken feedback, and learned a bit in the process.

So many are quick to criticize, but you rarely see praise when lessons are learned. I applaud Campbell for this and actually want this image as a cover or a poster, it’s fantastic and far superior to the original.

When asked if there’s a chance of that, Campbell replied on his Facebook page “If the people’s demands made the other one go away, I suppose they could also demand this one into existence.”

So, can we make demand something positive as a community and make this a cover?

riri-williams-j-scott-campbell-take-2

Image Comics & Midtown Comics Team up to Benefit the CBLDF at NYCC

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Image Comics, Midtown Comics and Sonicboombox are re-teaming for a special NYCC After Party to be held at Bowlmor Times Square (222 W. 44th Street). A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Must be 21+ to attend. The fun begins at 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. in the Art Deco room (4th floor) 12 lanes of free bowling (first come, first served) Admission: $15 in advance, get tickets here.

Come join Charles Soule, Greg Rucka, Jason Latour, Wes Craig, Alex de Campi, Declan Shalvey, Amy Reeder, Tim Seeley, and more of your favorite Image creators for specialty drinks, complimentary bowling all night long, photobooth shenanigans, mingling, and enjoy a live music performance, Q&A, giveaway, and raffle from Charles Soule and his Wizard Band in celebration of the forthcoming launch of Curse Words.

image-midtown-nycc-2016

4 Kids Walk Into a Bank and a Signing at Midtown Comics

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20160428_192310.jpgYet another awesome signing at Midtown Comic’s NYC downtown location at Fulton Street.  This past Thursday, Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss were onsite for the launch of their new book: 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank.  Also, I met some cool fans while waiting on line, including Brian, Francis, and P.J.–a probie firefighter, and a true hero, from Brooklyn’s FDNY Engine 224.

The response to this book has been incredible.  Even here at our site the staff has, in a rare show of unison, demonstrated their love of the comic. No mean feat, given what a harmonious lot–yes that’s sarcasm–us comic book fans can be. You can read positive reviews about this fun and charming book here and here and here. Rarely do you see a comic book strike such a common chord across a wide fan base. This one is definitely something special. It has a certain je ne sais quoi that can’t be codified or quantified in any meaningful way–in short … it’s a hit.

Pick it up.  Plenty of copies floating around (at least on the East Coast), so it shouldn’t be too hard to find; or follow Matthew Rosenberg @ashcanpress on Twitter. He and Tyler are dropping signed copies all over the place, and tweeting about it.  Worst case scenario, I already hear from the rumor mill that a second printing is slated for May 25th.

Again, a special thanks to Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss for signing all my books, and I am looking forward to that podcast. Really, I am!

4kidssignedgp

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