NYAF - A Blast From The Past

So, it's all New York Comic Con, New York Comic Con, New York Comic Con here at the office - and for good reason. Yet, plans are already afoot for that other show we do - the New York Anime Festival. Had some very good emails today and some big black projects that get my anime-loving heart all athumpin'. Anyway, while NYAF 09 is still far, far away, I wanted to post up some post-show interviews a number of folks did that blogger Linda Thai recently sent my way...

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2008/12/post-nyaf-2008-with-peter-tatara.html

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2008/11/post-nyaf-2008-with-adam-sheedan.html

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2008/11/post-nyaf-2008-with-ali-t-kokmen.html

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2008/11/post-nyaf-2008-with-joseph-luster.html

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2008/11/post-nyaf-2008-with-benjamin-boyles.html

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2008/11/post-nyaf-2008-with-michael-gombos.html

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Panels, TV, and Movies!

So, 2008 is coming to a close. In just a day or so, it'll be a brand new year, and just a hop, skip, and jump later, it'll be time for New York Comic Con. With the holidays all around us, NYCC may still seem pretty far off, but I and the entire NYCC team know that it is absolutely not. We've been working hard, and we've got a lot to talk about once 2009 begins.

First up, expect to see panels live in the next few days. I want to say January 5th, but it'll probably be closer to the 8th or 9th -- as we'll need some time to make sure everything's uploaded correctly.

I want to say right now, though, that while the bulk of our panel information will be live in early January, you'll notice a lot of television and movie panels are missing. We've got some AMAZING TV and movie content coming into NYCC, but we can't say anything -- no mention of talent, titles, or even diabolical clues -- until we get a formal green light. With a lot of TV and movie stars, they won't be able to commit until a week or so before the show, so when we're making last minute announcements, it's not because we're holding them back. Instead, we're simply not allowed to talk about them yet.

All I can say is that some of the titles and guests who we haven't mentioned yet are names we've been gunning for four years now, and it's finally happening. You'll have to wait to learn a number of these names, but -- trust me -- the wait will be worth it.

PS: The image up top has nothing to do with this post. I wanted to include a picture and this was the best I could come up with. Look, it's December 30th, what do you expect out of me. Lance isn't even updating. I think he's eating cake.

Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Friends Join the Party at NYCC!

Dear internet friends,

How was your holiday? Oh, it’s still going on? Not going back to work until after the New Year? Still drunk? Still dealing with relatives? I feel ya. We’re back at NYCC HQ, though. The con’s coming up. Like in only a month or so. Expect to see panels, autographing, and other goodies live between the 5th and the 12th. Excited? You should be. But you don’t have to wait until 2009 for presents from NYCC. Nope, Santa left something for you under the tree. A Chicken. A Robot Chicken.

NYCC is very pleased to welcome Seth Green and Matthew Senreich to our ’09 event! Seth and Matt will be hosting an hour on all things Robot Chicken. And, this year, they’ll be joined by Breckin Meyer and Kevin Shinick. Oh, Geoff Johns will be dropping by the Robot Chicken panel, too. The Robot Chicken Panel kicks off Saturday afternoon – with a signing to follow.

We’ll get you all the facts and figures on where and when for this and the 200 other panels in a week or so.

Start the hype now.

Caturday!

Love New York Comic Con? Tell A Friend!

Check it out, we've made e-vites that you can send to any losers you know that don't know about New York Comic Con or that know about it but aren't planning to come.

You can go here to build your own invitation to send it to a long lost relative or the evil twin you lost at birth. Or you can just send it to a friend.

Maybe somebody will send me one....

-L

Creators are Created Equally at New York Comic Con

I read Heidi McDonald’s post at The Beat on the standing of female creators in our industry and took it as a wakeup call of sorts. In the post (read it here) Heidi uses the guest list from New York Comic Con as an example of how little play female creators in the comic industry get. I took her use of the NYCC guest list as an example and not so much a criticism, but the reality is either way she’d be correct – we have very few female creators on our guest list.

Obviously this is not deliberate, but it was also not deliberately avoided by actively seeking out worthy female creators. So what’s a con to do? Same as we always do, we ask the fans and pros (our customers) for advice. We ask you for your ideas and recommendations, that’s what. As a matter of course we have always sought the suggestions, opinions and recommendations for guests (along with lots of other subjects) form our fans and industry insiders (including Heidi herself who has always been generous with her time in suggesting guests and panels) so this is not a new move, but perhaps a more focused one.

If you have suggestions for great female creators that we should consider inviting to New York Comic Con, post a comment here or send me an email (lfensterman at reeedexpo dot com).

I’m proud of the fact that we really do try to build an event that all fans will love and we work extremely hard to ask for and act on the ideas and requests of our fans and industry pro’s. So let’s get to work on this assignment as I need your help…..

-L

A Holiday Present From NYCC To You

Grant Morrison - Guest of Honor - New York Comic Con 2009

Caturday!

PS: Come by on Monday for a new Guest of Honor!

NYCC Viral Vid #1 From It's Just Some Random Guy

Oh yeah, the game is truly on now - here is the first Viral Vid for NYCC 2009 from our pal It's Just Some Random Guy. An hour the vid was posted we had 3,000 views and 100 comments. Not too bad. Help us get a jillion views by passing this along to your pals out there. What happens if we get a jillion views? Then The Academy will surely be forced to finely recognize the genius of It's Just Some Random Guy by giving him a lifetime achievement award at The Oscar's.....

BTW, Random Guy will once again have a panel at NYCC this year and it sounds like he'll be revealing something big from his ongoing Season 2....

-Lance

Vlog #5 - Gaming at NYCC with Kyle

Why am I always out of the office when they pull out the video games, turn on the LCD projector and have some fun? And since when does everyone get away with calling me Captain Latte? I thought I was feared around the office! I mean look at me, I'm 78 inches of lanky, nicotine fueled nerd fury. I'm like a nerd hurricane...

Oh wait, what was my point? Oh yeah, Kyle's kick ass vlog about gaming at New York Comic Con - take a look!

-Lance

Ask Your Questions To JMS

Hey, fanboys and fangirls, we're going to be sitting down with Guest of Honor J. Michael Straczynski soon. We'll be chatting with him about NYC, NYCC, comics, movies, the holidays, and -- ummm -- stuff. Actually, with the holidays coming up so fast, we haven't had much time to compose questions ourselves. So, if you'd like to pose any questions to JMS, simply send them to us as Comments at the bottom of this post. Send us your questions by 12 Noon EST tomorrow.

Breaking News - Bendis, Fraction & Dell'Otto Are NYCC's Latest Guests of Honor

Sorry for the delayed announcement toady, but we are adding yet again to our already bulging list of guests at New York Comic Con. Join me in welcoming Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction and Gabriele Dell'Otto as the latest Guests of Honor. And you believe that they are our first Marvel guests? My god, what else must we have up our sleeves if this is just the beginning for Marvel!

Seriously, our guest list for the con is huge. Check out the full list here.

-L

Caturday!

Monday! Monday! Monday! Part 2!

Oh, you may want to head on over the this little old blog Monday morning for some exciting news, too!

Monday! Monday! Monday!

So, we've already received several thousand volunteer applications for NYCC 2009, so many that we're going to have to close the application form shortly. If you'd like to volunteer at New York Comic Con, you've got until 10 AM EST on Monday morning to get us your application. After that, it's game over.

To sign up to volunteer at the show, simply head over to newyorkcomiccon.com.

A Voice Of My Generation Silenced……For Now

I warn you up front that this post has little to do with comics, publishing or pop culture (well, kinda pop culture). This post is about a friend and one of the more creative voices I have ever heard.

I learned last Friday that a friend of mine lost his job. I first met Tommy Mischke almost 15 years ago sitting in my living room and listening to him on late night Twin Cities AM radio. It would be impossible to attempt to describe Tommy, but James Fallows did a pretty good job in an Atlantic Monthly profile a few years back that you can read here. Fallows also gives a nice blog reaction to Mischke’s firing here.

Through the years I got to know Tommy personally and we’ve spent a number of evenings together doing what else but talking (and yes, some drinking too) and somewhere in that time he started calling me Bookmen (I was running the big indy bookshop in the Twin Cities at the time) which I always liked as a nickname, but maybe you’d have to hear it in T.D.’s thick Minnesota accent to really appreciate it. Tommy got the ax from the biggest radio station in the Twin Cities on Friday and there is no apparent explanation to date.

T.D. Mischke is, to me, one of the most original and creative performers I had ever heard – but he wasn’t really a performer but rather a commentator. He was dark, sarcastic, poignant, mischievous and above all else he was curious. Curious about people that called him at 11:30pm on a Tuesday night, curious about the wrongs in the world, curious about why guy in Hastings, MN would collect a barn full of junk and then gave it all his own spin. And his spin was unlike anything you’ve never heard.

Tommy was the anti Garrison Keillor – not out of spite but out of what he was. Keillor is contrived and crafted, Tommy is genuine and spontaneous.

I beg you, just give a listen. Please. You won’t be disappointed. But don’t listen for “a bit” or “a gag” just listen to the way he conducts a show. It’s like Bogosian said in Talk Radio, “This is the last neighborhood in town” and that’s how Mischke treated it.

You can catch a few short links here but without catching his whole show over a cold Summit beer it’s hard to wrap your head around it. Try the Mischke tribute poem, you can hear here.

If for no other reason, I love this man because he summed up the Twin Cities at the end of every broadcast in the most succinct and accurate way I have ever heard,

“So long from good ole St. Paul and big time Minneapolis.”

I’ll hear you again Tommy, just not broadcasting from the last barren patch of University Ave.

- Bookmen

Crack Your Knuckles – Gabe and Tycho Are Guests of Honor!

I think this is my favorite guest announcement so far - Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins will both appear at the 2009 New York Comic Con as Guests of Honor.

Why is it my favorite? Because I love that New York Comic Con is about everything cool and pop culture related and Gabe and Tycho are our first purely non comic major guests to announce. I love that this show has something for everyone!

I also love this announcement because Penny Arcade knows how to treat its fans. The show they created in Penny Arcade Expo is a show by and for gamers and that is awesome. When I was out at PAX this past August and I saw Gabe and Tycho take the stage to the sounds of a full orchestra and a cheering crowd it sealed the deal in my mind that these guys had to be a part of New York Comic Con.

Many of you know that we are now working with PAX to launch an East Coast show in Boston in 2010, but really this announcement has nothing to do with that. It has to do with bringing in guests that we think our existing fans and new fans will love. G & T fit that bill….

So if you don’t know them, Gabe and Tycho are the creators of the popular video game-themed webcomic Penny Arcade. The webcomic, updated thrice weekly, currently runs over 1,500 strips and is read by over 3.5 million fans every month. And beyond the comic, the Penny Arcade brand plays host to a children's charity -- Child's Play -- and a gaming festival -- Penny Arcade Expo -- held in Seattle each year.

But this announcement is even bigger. Yeah, we’ve got Gabe and Tycho coming, but they will be a part of the biggest selection of gaming companies found anywhere besides maybe PAX or E3. Check this list out:

2K Games
Activision
EA
Mythic Entertainment
SouthPeak Games
Ubisoft
Rockstar Games
SEGA
Atari
Codemasters
Hudson Entertainment
Aksys Games
Namco Bandai
Hash
ECD
Konami
Penny Arcade Expo
Rockstar Games

And this is not the end folks, we’ve got even more kick ass gaming companies, contests and free play to announce……

-L

Ego Post.......

Maybe I've been in L.A. too long, but I just have to share this link with you about me!

No really, here is a sorta interesting interview I did with our friends at Newsarama that you can read here.

Also, we are about to run a cool contest for anyone that buys tickets for the con this weekend. You could win some fun swag. So if you have not bought your tickets yet, do it now to win a prize with all the details in the weekly newsletter you'll be getting in your in box tomorrow.

For those of you that have bought tickets. I promise to run a contest this weekend.

Lastly, a living legend committed to being at NYCC today. I sat with this legend in his office and he is ready to come! More on that another time though.....

-L

Live From The Sunset Strip

This billboard is outside my hotel room in L.A. Its holiday greetings from Adult Swim and its pretty funny......

So what am I doing in LA on official NY Comic Con duties? Can't say as its a surprise for all of you, but tomorrow I'll be hanging out with a living legend........

More teases to come from the Sunset Strip......

Lance

Lance Fensterman
Vice President
BookExpo America
New York ComicCon
New York Anime Fest
Blog: www.mediumatlarge.net
203.840.5507 (o) 203.417.3607 (m)
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld - Please excuse any typos!

Get A Stan Lee Signed Move Poster!

I kid you not, you can get an X Men, Hulk or Silver Surfer movie poster signed by our friend and yours, Stan Lee, so how do you do it? By supporting a great cause, that’s how. My friend Junko, who works in Stan’s POW offices in L.A. is running in an AIDS Marathon later this month and with every $100 donation to support Junko, Stan Lee Will sign a movie poster for you!

Pretty cool eh?

Junko is just shy of reaching her fundraising goals and I'm trying to help her get the word out. If you or anyone you know would like to have a signed Stan Lee poster---they would make great xmas gifts!---and donate to a great cause at the same time please sponsor her and forward this post to anyone who might be interested.

Ready to donate to a great cause and get your own Stan Lee signed poster?

Click Here

-Lance

Bruce Timm and Wonder Woman at NYCC!

New York Comic Con 2009 is thrilled to welcome Bruce Timm as a Guest of Honor -- and to premiere his latest work, the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman animated film! Presented by Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Animation, and DC Comics, Timm's all-new Wonder Woman animated movie features the voices of Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Alfred Molina, Virginia Madsen, Rosario Dawson, Oliver Platt, and David McCallum. NYCC will premiere Wonder Woman at 8:30 PM on February 6, 2009 in the IGN Theater. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Timm and members of the film's cast and crew.

Bruce Timm is the THE man behind the Animated DC Universe since the original Batman: The Animated Series (something we grew up watching), and it's a dream come true for all of us at NYCC to welcome Timm and his latest work to New York Comic Con 2009! You going?

BEA At A Crossroads – Part 2

A few weeks back I wrote an update on the state of BookExpo (click here to read the post) and identified some key strategic areas we’ve been working on based on feedback form our customers. I’m going to attempt to make this a semi regular posting subject from me as I think my frank thoughts on BookExpo are relevant right now, so I’ll keep blogging the business updates as they come along……

In my last post I discussed the numerous frank conversations we have been having with our customers about how the show is or is not working for them. And as you can readily imagine, they have not all been the most pleasant of conversations (one pub executive told me that I must have nerves of steel based on the tenor of the conversation I’d just had with his boss). However, these are conversations we have every year with our customers. This is not a reflection of the L.A. experience or of the economy but rather part of our normal business practice of listening to our customers and adjusting our business to best match their needs. What has changed are the answers we are getting to those questions and the urgency of need.

Mayor Bloomberg said recently that it is easier to lead in hard times than easy times and I have an appreciation for what meant, but stakes go up considerably if you fail in hard times. In years past, conversations about BEA and its evolution often ended with polite indifference from our customers a “Yeah, things are fine” kind of demeanor. Now, that evolution of BEA is being demanded. That’s what our challenge is in this economy and environment.

I feel the change we are in the midst of creating for BEA is significant, however after a recent conversation with the CEO of a major publisher I was reminded that significant is relative and for BEA to remain vital, we need fundamental change, not just significant change. Fundamental change is hard and tends to alienate some and create discord for some, but I see no other choice if we wish to continue to serve our industry and our customers in a relevant and business changing way.

Nissan has pulled out of the Detroit auto show citing industry conditions. Nearly every major event Reed runs has seen a dip in exhibitor participation (but nary a dip in attendance interestingly), our book fair compatriots around the globe are feeling similar pressure from customers. Fundamental change is needed not just for BEA but for large scale events in general. If we do not re-think the idea of a trade gathering we’ll cease to gather.

As many of you know, I am not a trade show person. I am a bookseller that got a chance to run BEA, I knew little about trade shows and was frankly quite skeptical about them – I loved BEA, that was my interest with Reed. However, in spending time in this space, I’ve come to believe in face to face as a vital means for commerce. I think the value of face to face continues to be relevant as a currency even in this digital age and perhaps even more so. You simply don’t know who you don’t know. Why is most business in publishing still done over a lunch? You get the idea. However, for face to face to continue to have value we’ve got to continue to have these frank conversations with our customers and create fundamental change tin the way we deliver face to face value that reflect that fundamental change our customers, industry an, economy and society are going through.

Books must be launched. Ideas must be generated. Change must be achieved. Education must be attained. Connections must be made. Deals must be brokered. Media must be buzzing. Books must be made. The mantra is simple, the execution is complicated, but thank God leading is easier in difficult times (sarcasm added!)

-Lance

Next Post I’ll begin to handicap the major changes that are underway at BEA

Rags Comes to NYCC!

While Saturday is typically a day for posting fuzzy cat pictures, you're getting two guest announcements today! You just saw Dan below, and I'm thrilled to now say Mr. Rags Morales will be at NYCC as a Featured Guest!

Born in Manhattan and out of the suburbs of New Jersey, Joe Kubert School student Rags Morales began his art career in February of 1989 pencilling Forgotten Realms for the DC/TSR line of licensed products. Afterward he worked on the reimagination of Black Condor. In 1992, he signed a contract to work for Valiant Comics for such titles as Archer and Armstrong, Shadowman, Geomancer, Dakkon Blackblade, Sliders, and Eternal Warriors. His most noted work there was Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. 1998 saw the return of Rags to the DC Comics universe for Hourman, Hawkman, and JSA. His coup de grace came with the mega hit Identity Crisis. Since then, he's worked on Wonder Woman, Batman Confidential, and Nightwing. Recently, he has been one of the artists of the popular Batman RIP storyline. As of this writing, he is wrapping up an arc of Superman / Batman with future projects to be announced. Rags resides in Pennsylvania.

And remember to come by on Monday morning for a story I'm hyping waaaaaaay too much.

Caturday

Hey, kids, today's Caturday is actually kinda apropos. Instead of a random cat picture, we present a picture of a New York Comic Con guest with a cat!

This is Daniel Leister. He's a comic book illustrator. He's worked on books including The Darkness, Celestial Alliance, The Sire, Grimm Fairy Tales, Return To Wonderland, and Beyond Wonderland. He'll be at NYCC at the Zenescope booth.

We're hoping to continue this tradition next week with Bendis with a Scottish Fold atop his melon. Realistically, the random Japanese YouTube kittens will return in our next edition of Caturday.

Oh, and be sure to stop by Monday morning for a big announcement!

March of the NYCC Vlogs! This Week - Where To Get A Ticket In Your Town

I humbly present you with Vlog #4 in our ongoing series - Get To Know New York Comic Con with a Video Blog!

This week your emcee is Jared from our crack in house marketing team. Like the newsletter you get every week? Well Jared designs it and sends it direct to your in box. He also works with our retail partners which now span 5 states!

You can see a complete list of where you can buy your ticket at a kick as comic retailer near you be clicking here.

Enjoy Jared's Vlog

Monday! Monday! Monday!

Dear internets,

Have fun this weekend! Check out the tree in Rock Center, Maybe see Twilight again, and remember to stay warm. Just make a note not to stay out too late on Sunday night as we've got some big news for you come Monday morning. Be sure to visit bright and early on December 8!

NYCC Cyber Monday VIP Upgrade Winners!

On Monday we ran a contest that anyone buying a ticket would be entered to win one of 5 VIP upgrades. Here are your winners ladies and gentlemen!

Augustus Milligan
Dan Stirling
Sean Wasielewski
William Mahoney
Donald Leo

What, no ladies in the winners circle? That seems wrong, but one can't argue with random selection.

Remember, you may not have won a VIP upgrade in our Cyber Monday promotion, but if you buy a ticket to New York Comic Con, you already are a winner.....

Or you can buy your very own VIP pass right here!

-L