Do You Have What It Takes to Set A Record?

Check it, Guinness World Records is going to be at the con looking to set a record, in what pray tell? The Largest Gathering of Videogame Characters for it's Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2009 .

So here is the deal, visit the NYCC web site right here for all of the details, but plan on coming dressed up as your favorite video game character and you can make history!

-L

Terry Moore is a Guest of Honor at NYCC

How can we keep adding guests to an already chock full lineup? Because you can’t say no when a guy like Terry Moore is available! So welcome our next Guest of Honor, indy comics pioneer and amazing artist, Terry Moore!

With his wife Robyn, they self-published the award-winning Strangers in Paradise and 100-plus comic books, 18 graphic novels, and, finally, 4 omnibus compilation volumes. With his new series Echo, Terry carries the torch for self published, creator-owned comics into the 21st century.

Moore will be supporting the CBLDF at NYCC by leading a seminar on Saturday afternoon, and offering a limited edition print commemorating his appearance at the show. He’ll also be signing for most of the weekend in the Graphitti Designs booth. A big thanks to friend of the show and Graphitti head due, Bob Chapman for helping to make Terry’s appearance at the show possible. Tip o the hat to you Bob!

Also, you can check out Terry’s blog right here where he’s got some updates on his plans…..

-L

The Last NYCC Viral Vid

Here's is It's Just Some Random Guys final vid for this year. Be sure to catch his panel at the con!

-L

Tahmoh Penikett Joins Joss Whedon at NYCC! And An Important Autograph Ticketing Update!

New York Comic Con is proud to announce updates to the Dollhouse events going on at NYCC on February 8, 2009. We previously announced that Joss Whedon would be conducting a Dollhouse panel from 12:45 to 1:45 PM on Feb 8 in the IGN Theater as well as an autograph signing from 2 to 3 PM in the Autograph Area in the rear of the Exhibition Hall.

What was the reaction to this? A whole lot of OMGs as well as questions about if any cast would be joining Joss and if Joss's signing was ticketed. Let's start with ticketing. It wasn't. The original autograph plan was not to have tickets of any kind for Joss; however, we received quite a few e-mails from fans who were concerned. If they were in the Joss panel, how'd they get to the Joss autographing right after? It's an honest and good question. In all likelihood, if you're in the Dollhouse panel, if you head off toward the signing, there'll be 3,000 people there by the time you show up. As such, we went back to FOX, and after discussions, it was decided to turn the Dollhouse signing into a ticketed event.

Tickets to the signing will be distributed first come, first served, via a lottery, and at the VIP Lounge on Sunday, February 8. For more details, visit the Autograph page at nycomiccon.com. Please note (unlike other autographing tickets) these tickets won't be available online prior to the show. The only ways to get autograph tickets for Dollhouse are first come, first served, via a lottery, and at the VIP Lounge on Sunday, February 8.

We pushed for this change because of all the feedback we received on this blog and in our inboxes, and we hope this change alleviates a lot of questions and concerns.

But, wait, why'd I call the Joss signing the "Dollhouse signing"? Is someone joining him? Yes. New York Comic Con is pleased to announce that Dollhouse star Tahmoh Penikett will be appearing at New York Comic Con on Sunday, February 8! Tahmoh portrays FBI agent Paul Ballard on Dollhouse (and you may also know him as Helo on Battlestar Galacticia). Tahmoh will be speaking at the Dollhouse panel from 12:45 to 1:45 PM on Feb 8 in the IGN Theater as well as signing beside Joss at the autograph signing from 2 to 3 PM in the Autograph Area in the rear of the Exhibition Hall.

NYCC hopes this ticket addition satisfies fans, and we know Tahmoh's name is music to everyone's ears!

Want To Be On CBS's Early Show?

New York Comic Con opens its doors to fans at 1 PM on Friday, Feb 6. What are your plans for the morning? If you'd like, you can wait in line. Or, if you wanna be on TV, you can be a part of an episode of CBS's Early Show. Really. CBS will be inviting 1000 attendees into their audience.

If you want to be one of them, sign up now!

http://www.nycomiccon.com/app/homepage.cfm?appname=100453&moduleID=2577&LinkID=31633&submenuheader=15

Just a few Chip Kidd interviews

So, there's been a lot of movie and tv talk as of late. Why? A, it's awesome. B, we could only talk about it now. C, it's awesome. But don't forget we've got comics at NYCC, including the likes of Bendis, Jim Lee, and, Fraction. And, let's not forget Chip Kidd. Chip's speaking about his Bat-Manga, and we're excited to have him. And here are two recent inverviews with Chip on the subject...

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2009/01/experiencing-bat-manga-with-chip-kidd.html

http://somethingdeeperanimemangaandcomics.blogspot.com/2009/01/experiencing-bat-manga-with-chip-kidd_28.html


--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry

See The Mutant Chronicles On NYCC Eve!

Watchmen, Terminator Salvation, and Friday the 13th!

Hey, didn't I promise a movie update? How's this? Warner Bros. is coming to NYCC with three of their biggest flicks of 2009. First up, Watchmen. Based on one of the world’s most celebrated graphic novels, Watchmen is the film fans have been waiting for for decades, and you’ll be getting the latest scoop from Dave Gibbons, the original artist behind the Watchmen graphic novel. Second, Terminator Salvation. Director McG will be at NYCC discussing what it was like taking on the Terminator saga and where he plans to take the future. Third, Friday the 13th. Jared Padalecki, Amanda Righetti, and Derek Mears will all be at NYCC speaking about their roles in this update of an American classic.

It all goes down at 11 AM on Saturday in the IGN Theater.

Gears just got Gearier

I like Gears of War, and one of my favorite highlights from last year's show was our Gears of War panel -- where writer Joshua Ortega discussed the (then) upcoming Gears of War 2. This year, I'm very happy to have Joshua back for another Gears panel (Sat, 6:45, 1A24). This isn't news, though, as we announced the Gears panel a while back. What is news is that Joshua won't be alone.

Joshua Ortega, the writer of Gears of War 2 along with DC's Gears of War comic series, will be joined by Carlos Ferro, the voice of Dom Santiago, and Ben Abernathy, editor of the Gears comic.

Be sure to stop by NYCC's second annual Gears of War panel as Joshua, Carlos, and Ben talk shop about chainsaw rifles and death ray satellites.

Comments, Autographs, and My E-Mail Address

Hi, everybody, we've got some more kick-ass movie updates for you later today. Please note by "kick-ass" I mean awesome, none of our updates are actually about the movie Kick-Ass. That being said, I wanted to talk a bit about the blog right now.

This blog is manned by Lance Fensterman, Captain of the USS New York Comic Con, and myself, Peter Tatara, the programming guy. We post a lot of stuff, from con updates, to cat pictures, to pie petitions. We also comment back to comments we receive as much as we can.

That being said, we honestly don't follow every thread carefully. I'm sorry. If there's ever something you need an answer to and we aren't getting back to you from a comment on the blog, our e-mail addresses are right on nycomiccon.com. I can be reached at ptatara@reedexpo.com.

I bring all this up as we didn't post enough information about Joss Whedon's autograph session, nor did we post any updates in the comments. Again, I'm sorry.

The Joss Whedon signing will take place in the Autograph Area of the Exhibit Floor beginning at 2 PM on Sunday. It is NOT ticketed. (Similarly, the Bruce Timm and Torchwood signings -- also in the Autograph Area -- aren't ticketed as well.)

We know there will be a long line of fans, but the decision to ticket or not to ticket comes down to the folks bringing Dollhouse, Wonder Woman, and Torchwood to the con, and they want their signings to be first come, first served. It's not going to make everyone happy, but if they were ticketed, that wouldn't make everyone happy, either.

We're trying to bring some awesome stuff to NYCC, and if you need any answers or are unhappy, please, please e-mail me.

And also sign Olivia's pie petition.

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder World Premiere at NYCC

The latest Futurama film -- Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder -- will have its World Premiere at New York Comic Con. The screening kicks off at 5:30 PM on Friday, February 6 in the IGN Theater at NYCC.

What's it about? My space-age info-bots tell me...

All the other galaxies will be green with envy! In this all-new Futurama extravaganza, mankind stands on the brink of a wondrous new Green Age. But ancient forces of darkness, three years older than time itself, have returned to wreak destruction. Even more shocking: Bender's in love with a married fembot, and Leela's on the run from the law – Zapp Brannigan's law! Fry is the last hope of the universe... so if you're in the universe, you might want to think about going somewhere else. Could this be the end of the Planet Express crew forever? Say it ain't so, meatbag! Off we go, Into the Wild Green Yonder!

Insert somewhat witty comment here.

Olivia + Pie = Awesome

Hey, all, G4's going to be doing a wee bit of filming at New York Comic Con this year.  With luck, they'll be back in force in 2010 and bring Olivia Munn along.  For now, though, Olivia's staying put in LA.  While she's on the other side of the country, we still heart her, and on tonight's Attack of the Show, Olivia announced her desire to get 10,000 signatures on a petition to Congress to create National Pie Week.  And should she get 10,000 names by this Friday, she'll jump into a giant pool of pie on AOTS.

I believe it is your duty -- your sacred duty -- to sign Olivia's petition now...

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/pieweek/petition.html

Torchwood Comes to NYCC

Time Lords and Time Ladies, I'm very pleased to announce BBC America is coming to New York Comic Con with a sneak peek of the highly anticipated third season of Torchwood -- Torchwood: Children of Earth -- with a panel session featuring actress Eve Myles and director Euros Lyn.

On Saturday, February 7 at 4:15 PM in Room 1A08-12, Myles and Lyn make their first US panel appearance. Myles plays police officer turned alien fighter Gwen Cooper and Lyn is the director of the entire third season of Torchwood. He’s previously directed Doctor Who and will direct David Tennant’s final two episodes as the current Doctor.

Myles and Lyn will then conduct an autographing at 6 PM in the Autograph Area of our Exhibition Hall.

I'm a huge Who fan, and if you are, too, make sure you're at the Torchwood panel, as I'd love to bring more of the Whoniverse to the next NYCC.

JOSS WHEDON! DOLLHOUSE! NYCC!

Hi, everybody. You may have heard rumblings of this a few weeks back, but today New York Comic Con can officially reveal that pop culture icon Joss Whedon will attend its 2009 event as a Special Guest and premiere the first act of his upcoming television series Dollhouse to convention attendees. One of the most influential names in the pop culture landscape of the last decade, Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Serenity, and his latest project -- Dollhouse -- is set to premiere on February 13 on FOX. The Dollhouse event featuring Joss Whedon is presented in partnership with the New York Television Festival. (www.nytvf.com).

Dollhouse follows Echo (Eliza Dushku, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), an "Active," a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the "Dollhouse," Echo and the other Actives carry out engagements assigned by Adelle (Olivia Williams, X-Men: The Last Stand, Rushmore), one of the Dollhouse leaders. The engagements cater to the wealthy, powerful and connected, and require the Actives to immerse themselves in all manner of scenarios - romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical, and the occasional "pro bono" good deed. As the series progresses, FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett, Battlestar Galactica) pieces together clues that lead him closer to the Dollhouse, while Echo stops forgetting. Her memories begin to return, and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past.

Whedon will lead a screening of the first act of the first episode of Dollhouse followed by a discussion at 12:45 PM EST on Sunday, February 8 in the IGN Theater inside New York Comic Con. Whedon will then conduct an autograph session beginning at 2 PM.

Joss is coming to NYCC. Are you?

UPDATE: Joss's autograph session is not ticketed.

Ego Posts - Lance on Lance

How often do I get to give interviews? So is it that egomaniacal to post them? Even if you don't like reading them, my mom does read this blog (or so she says!).....

Here's a pod cast on the Comics News Insider with Joe Gonzalez, who helps us facilitate Podcast Alley at the con. You can catch the interview here.

Newsarama did nice interview last week that I forgot to link to, and me being the big brained guy that I am, gave the wrong date for ticket mailing cut off. Yup, I'm the fearless (and brainless) leader. Read it here, see if you can catch any other mistakes on my part!

Last but never least is the interview I did with Tom Spurgeon of the Comics Reporter. Tom is a great blogger and has always been firm, but fair with his observations of NYCC since it's inception. This was a fun interview to do as Tom gets after me a bit on our future plans. Read it here.

Thanks for reading Mom!

L

BookExpo's Man In Cairo

This year BookExpo is featuring the Arab World in it's Global Market Forum, which is a pretty exciting development all unto it's own (which I don't think we've actually announced anywhere to date). We've been deep in conversations with publishers from Egypt, Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia and many more. It's going to be be an impressive display of the literary world from the Middle East.

This week, our Director of International Affairs, Ruediger Wischenbart has been in Cairo at the Cairo Book Fair firming up some participants and fine tuning the cultural program that will happen along side BookExpo in conjunction with our fiends at the Literary Translation Center at Columbia and ArteEast.

This is an exciting program for BEA and we are please to have a man like Rudy as our voice in Cairo. He sent me this photo as they were received yesterday by Mr Omar Moussa himself who is the Secretary General of the Arab League (the Arab equivalent to the UN). Anna is with ArteEast and a colleague of Esther Allen of the center of Literary Translation at Columbia who is pictured on the far left, our boy Rudy is there in the glasses without a tie.

Stay tuned for more developments from our man in the Mid East (via his home in Vienna!)

-L

A picture for you

Let the wild speculation begin.

NYCC Tix Now Available at all NYC Borders Stores!

Good news fan boys and girls, now you can buy a weekend pass to New York Comic Con at any Manhattan Borders store! Pretty cool eh? Suddenly we are so popular, I love it!

And good news for all you exhibitors, hundred's of Borders booksellers will be prowling the aisles during professionals hours and the rest of the weekend looking for cool new titles they can talk about in there stores.....

Nice!!!!!

Here are all the NYC Borders store where you can grab a weekend pas to the con!

-L

Manhattan - Wall Street
212.964.1988
100 Broadway

Manhattan-32nd & 2nd
212.685.3938
560 2nd Ave.

Manhattan - Penn Plaza
212.244.1814
2 Penn Plaza

Manhattan - Park Ave
212.980.6785
461 Park

Manhattan - Columbus Circle
212.823.9775
10 Columbus Circle

When You Love Enough To Send - NYCC!

Want someone to go to the con with you? A friend, a relative, your parole office or maybe the special someone you see every Wednesday at the Comic Shop? Now you can ask them in a suave personalized way that is guaranteed to work (note: this guarantee is actually not a guarantee) with a personalized NYCC E-Vite!

How, you ask?

Follow this link to create your very own personalized NYCC E-Vite, send one to me, maybe I'll come to the con with you!

-L

Dead Like Me Comes to NYCC

Dead Like Me: Life After Death -- the followup film to the cult favorite Showtime series -- will be at NYCC! Cast members Ellen Muth, Callum Blue, Britt McKillip, Cynthia Stevenson, and Sarah Wynter, and director Steve Herek will all be at the show to talk about coming back to work on Dead Like Me and what to expect from the upcoming flick. The panel kicks off at 2:45 on Saturday in 1A14.

And the cast'll then be signing at the FOX Home Entertainment booth on the Show Floor!

Old School Dirty Fun During NYCC - It's Tasteful, Really!

Some friends of ours are having some adult fun during NYCC. And while we here at the con are all former Quakers and could never endorse such a behavior, what if I were to just leave the details laying around on my blog for all of you to see - by accident of course? There would be no harm in that, right?

Come take a break from the hustle and bustle of the NYCC with Costume Burlesque! These naughty guys and gals are ready to show you a side of your favorite characters that normally exists only in fan fiction! Come join us for Comedy, Striptease, Music and other vaudevillian treats at The Cave Lounge, 601 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 on Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM. It's $ 5 at the door, free to all attendees of the NYCC with badge. Please have ID handy; No admittance without ID or persons under 18.

-L

Some Details on Joe Simon's Appearances at NYCC

We here at NYCC are thrilled to have Joe Simon back this year as a Living Legend guest of the con and our friends over at Titan books are pretty psyched too! They sent me a note with some of the details of Joe’s plans for the con that I wanted to share with you, he’s going to be a busy guy during the con!

Simon will be the subject of a special Spotlight panel, ‘Secret Origins of the Comic Book World’ [Saturday 7th Feb, 4-5pm]..

‘Watchmen: Portrait of a Film’ [Sunday 8th Feb, 1:30-2:30] features stunning new imagery from the set of the Watchmen movie by photgrpaher Clay Enos. Enos will be joined by Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons, to discuss his take on the movie and reveal the history of the pivotal work. Presented by Entertainment Weekly star writer and comics guru Steve Daly, and Sarah Rozen

Clay Enos will also be appearing at Titan’s booth from 3-4pm on Sunday 8th Feb to sign copies of his stunning book, Watchmen: Portraits.

Following Enos, Dave Gibbons will be at Titan’s booth from 4-5pm on Sunday 8th Feb to sign copies of his stunning art book, Watching the Watchmen

Before and after the panel on Saturday 7th Feb, from 2.30-3.30pm and 5.30-6.30pm, Joe Simon will be appearing at Titan’s booth to sign exclusive printed lithographs for fans. Two designs will be available, one featuring the iconic Fighting American and the other starring the perennially seductive The Girl Who Tempted Me. With each one hand-numbered from 1 through 100 and signed by Joe Simon himself, these glorious limited edition lithographs will be on sale for $75 each and only available at NYCC.

Go see Joe at NYCC!

-L

The Official Con Bar - Join Me For A Drink?

We have teamed up with Dave & Busters Times Square to provide you with an awesome place to gather with your friends, fellow pop-culture nerds and even some NYCC staff for you to continue your con experience all weekend long...even after the show closes!

Introducing the Official NY Comic Con Bar, Dave & Buster's in Times Square! Be sure to stop by Dave & Busters throughout the weekend to play some awesome games with your $10 for $10 card found in your show bag, get a bite to eat, have some drinks and to continue the NYCC experience! Dave & Busters welcomes superheroes of all kind and is within close proximity of the Javits Center so getting there should be a breeze.

Want more? How about a Pre-Con Party on Thursday night with the Hero Initiative!

Creators, drinks and an awesome raffle all benefiting The Hero Initiative on Thursdar at Dave & Buster's, the Con Bar from 5:30-7:30.

Check out the guest list:

Mike Perkins, Mark Brooks, Joe Quesada, Jay Leisten, Joe Benitez, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Phillip Morris, Aaron Douglas, Dekker Dreyer, Brian Thompson, Yuri Lowenthal, J. LaRose.


And a $10 donation to the Hero Initiative gets you entered into a raffle for a bunch of cool prizes:

Official New York Comic Con VIP Ticket - Signed by Neal Adams. Official New York Comic Con 2009 Show Poster - Framed & Signed by Neal Adams. Back to the Future Flux Capacitor Unlimited Edition. Emissary Poster - Signed by the complete cast of Emissary. Marvel Then-and-Now DVD - Signed by Stan Lee & Joe Quesada. The Book: Marvel Visionaries: John Romita Jr. - Signed by John Romita Jr. 12-inch Indiana Jones. 12-inch RAH Red Clone Trooper. $25 Visa Gift Card. Two $25 Midtown Comics Gift Cards

RSVP HERE!


*Must be 21 or older to attend or accompanied by an adult 25 years or older.

More Merch & Marvel Merch!!!!

I was channeling my literary side when I typed the blog title and reached for a smattering of alliteration, but I know that display of cunning linguistics was not lost on you fair blog reader……

Check it, I’ve finally got cool exclusive Marvel merch on sale in the online show store. This year's batch of exclusive NYCC/Marvel merch includes a nice variant hardcover (a first for NYCC), a cool variant comic and a Marvel T, all pictured here. You could get your Dark Avengers NYCC variant signed by Bendis himself at the con. I’ll also be available for signings if you want, but I somehow think no one will take me up on the offer…..

Also added to the store are some cool toys from Diamond Select that we’ll be selling on site at the Con Store, you can catch a glimpse of the goods online.

I cannot forget about out NYCC merch as well. We added collectable pins from every year of the con, some new T’s and a sketch book where all of the proceeds go to support the CBLDF.

Please do me a favor, go hit the online show store now and check out the Marvel exclusives, the DST toys and the NYCC merch, I hope you like…..

-L

Where Were You in ’99?

Lucasfilm’s Steve Sansweet & special guests have a question for you...

Where Were You in ’99?

Ten years ago, Star Wars fans worldwide were reenergized with the launch of a new series of Star Wars movies, and in the process developed a community of life-long friends. In theater lines, toy stores, cons, and in the muddy byways of Denver’s Celebration I, Star Wars passion was rekindled. The last decade has been filled with a galactic expansion of the Star Wars saga, a new generation of fans and fan activity, and an even stronger integration of Star Wars into popular culture. Where were you 10 years ago? Join Steve Sansweet and some famous—maybe infamous—guests who will look back at the past decade of Star Wars, as well as the on-going Saga's future. Fans also will get a chance to influence an upcoming project. And don’t miss an exclusive sneak peek of something very special from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, now airing on Cartoon Network.

All this goes down in the IGN Theater on Saturday from 1-2 PM.

It's not a trap.

Chuck Comes to New York Comic Con!

Think your job sucks? Making $9.95 an hour ain't so bad compared to hand-to-hand combat with evil dictators. Chuck Executive Producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak will be coming to NYCC to speak about what's next for everyone's favorite geek secret agent Sunday at 11:15 AM in Room 1A08-12. Price check on aisle awesome!

More Fringe News

FOX's Fringe is coming to NYCC for a panel at 1:45 PM in Room 1A08-12 on February 8th in the Jacob Javits Center. Previously we revealed that John Noble (“Dr. Walter Bishop”) and Jasika Nicole (“Astrid Farnsworth”) would be speaking as part of the event. Well, I've got more news. We've got just about the entire cast. Joining John and Jasika are Anna Torv (“Olivia Dunham”), Lance Reddick (“Phillip Broyles”), Kirk Acevedo (“Charlie Francis”), Blair Brown and (“Nina Sharp”). The cast will be at the show and present an exclusive video created specifically for the NYCC audience. Fringe's appearance is in partnership with the New York Television Festival (http://www.nytvf.com/).

And want signatures? John Noble will be signing at the FanExpo Canada booth on Saturday.

FRIDAY SUPER MEGA NEWS!

Bummed about JMS not being able to come to the con? Well, we'll cheer you up. Get ready for some nice, big announcements coming in just a few.

JMS Won't Be At NYCC This Year

I've got some bittersweet news for everyone. Changeling has been nominated for several British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Screenplay. What's bittersweet about this? The BAFTA Ceremony takes place February 8 in London, and our friend J. Michael Straczynski -- the writer of Changeling -- needs to be in London through the entirety of NYCC for the BAFTA ceremony.

New York Comic Con and Mr. Straczynski learned of the conflict earlier in the week, and while we both originally hoped to be able to still bring JMS to the convention in some aspect, as more BAFTA details emerged, we both realized a cancellation was inevitable. I and everyone involved with New York Comic Con are saddened that Mr. Straczynski will be unable to attend NYCC 2009, but we universally wish him the best of luck and hope he brings home a BAFTA Award.

And, from the man himself, JMS has these words for his fans...

"I never in a million years imagined that I might be nominated for a British Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Changeling. It simply was never on my radar screen. I'm devastated at not being able to be at the con, and I send my deepest regrets and apologies to everybody who was looking forward to seeing me. With massive, massive amounts of apologies and bowing and scraping and forelock-tugging, I have no choice but to say that I can't be there for the convention."

I, personally, was very much looking forward to JMS being at the show as B5 shaped far too much of my youth, and we've already started talking to JMS about NYCC 2010. We're currently updating the NYCC website and will have a Press Release out shortly, but I wanted to make this post immedaitely to get this news to our attendees.

Another Viral Vid!!!!!

They just keep getting better.......

Calling All Kids, NYCC Kids Day Swag Alert!

Check it, last year we had like 6,000 kids come to Kid's Day on Sunday at the con. So this year, we brought in an expert to handle things (along with a bout a million other jobs!) so my personal hero, Kim Mueller has built an amazing lineup of cool stuff for the kiddies and you can see it all right here.

So besides kiddies getting in free on Sunday, Kim's awesome programming we also have some killer swag for the fan boys and fan girls in training including this little gem from our friends at Marvel.

See you at the con half pints!

-L

Marvel Super Hero Squad: Hero Up!

Introducing the Marvel Universe in a way you’ve NEVER experienced before! Welcome to SUPER HERO CITY, a crowded capital of classy crusaders and crafty criminals in a crammed collective, and home of the SUPER HERO SQUAD! Take a stroll down to the Xavier Institute, past the FF’s Baxter Building…but don’t stray too far, because dastardly DOCTOR DOOM’s domain is the next block over…! Collecting the super-popular comics seen EXCLUSIVELY on MARVELKIDS.COM, this issue also includes bios on all of your favorite Super Heroes and Super-Villains! ARE YOU READY TO HERO UP?!!!

21st Century Scalpers

A NYCC VIP ticket on EBay for 400 bucks! I saw two IGN VIP tickets selling for 950 bucks! Come on guys, that just seems wrong. Especially since you are not giving me a little kick back!

Really, that's just not cool, I can't stop you, but it does seem kinda unfair, doesn't it?

-L

I Need Your Brain!

I'm working on a fun little business project that I could really use your help on. I'm trying to pull together some people to meet with members of the NYCC team on Friday morning before the con opens. I promise this is not a scam to steal your identity or get you to sign up for a record club, I really just want to get your opinions and input on some ideas we've got for a web based project so we can better shape it.

Does that sound shady? Secretive? Mysterious?

Find out. If you can do a 45-60 minute meeting at the Javits on Friday the 6th at either 10:15 or 11:30, send me an email - lfensterman at reedexpo dot com and I'll make sure someone gets in touch with you on details.

You could help shape the next steps in NYCC's Intergalactic domination.

-Lance

Takashi Miike, Sho Sakurai, and Yatterman Come To NYCC!

YATTERMAN UPDATE (2/3/09): NYCC'S FULL AND REVISED YATTERMAN, MIIKE, AND SAKURAI SCHEDULE HAS BEEN POSTED AND YOU CAN FIND IT HERE. http://www.mediumatlarge.net/2009/02/updated-list-of-yatterman-miike-and.html

YATTERMAN UPDATE (1/22/09): As is the case with all of New York Comic Con's celebrity attendees, schedules are always in flux, and with Miike-san and Sakurai-san -- two of our biggest celebrities -- their schedules may shift as well. Yatterman is coming to New York Comic Con for its world premiere, and the information presented below is based on our original Press Release along with an update from early on January 22nd. We will post any further updates here in clearly marked updates. We don't want to provide any misinformation to all of Miike-san and Sakurai-san's fans, but we hope that they understand that while both Miike-san and Sakurai-san will be premiering Yatterman at New York Comic Con, the specifics of their appearances may change. Originally, both Miike-san and Sakurai-san were scheduled to participate in the panel and autograph session on Friday prior to the DGA Theater screening. Miike-san is still commited to both the panel and signing. Due to Sakurai-san's press schedule, we can no longer confirm he'll be participating in the panel and signing; however, he will be present and part of the world premiere at the DGA Theater on Friday night, and tickets to this screening will be distributed freely at Nikkatsu's booth at New York Comic Con as well as via a contest to members of the subwaycinema.com mailing list. We are presenting you with information as it is updated, and for the latest you need to only check this blog post, and we will continually update it. We welcome Miike-san and Sakurai-san to New York, and we hope to involve them in as many activities as we can.

EARLIER POST: NYCC is pleased to reveal that maverick Japanese director Takashi Miike will appear at our 2009 event as a Guest of Honor and superstar actor and pop star Sho Sakurai will attend as a Special Guest. Miike and Sakurai will be at NYCC to speak about their upcoming feature film Yatterman — and then present the world premiere of the highly-anticipated movie, produced by Nikkatsu Studios and scheduled for release in Japan in early March.

Fans have been waiting for Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer, Sukiyaki Western Django) to create a giant robot movie for years, and finally it's here. Starring Sho Sakurai, Yatterman is the story of two teenagers who run a high-tech toy shop which serves as a cover for their crime-busting exploits as a pair of masked super heroes. Miike's Yatterman is based on a classic anime series created by Tatsuo Yoshida (founder of anime studio Tatsunoko Productions, which produced Speed Racer, Battle of the Planets, Casshern and Macross). Yoshida's Yatterman originally premiered in 1977 and ran for 108 wildly popular episodes and was long considered by Miike as one of his dream projects. It was revived in 2008 as a crowd-pleasing television series, and now it hits the big screen as Nikkatsu's Spring tentpole action blockbuster. With a massive budget and character and mecha designs by Katsuya Terada of Blood: The Last Vampire and Cutie Honey, it's an over-the-top ride that, par for the course for director Miike, promises to turn the giant robot movie on its mechanical head.

Takashi Miike will be at NYCC to speak about Yatterman at 4 PM on Friday, February 6 in the IGN Theater, and will present an exclusive 7-minute clip from the film. Miike and Sakurai will then appear at the World Premiere of Yatterman at 8 PM the same day, at the New York Directors Guild Theater, at 110 West 57th Street. A limited number of free tickets for the screening will be made available at the Nikkatsu Booth (#1315) earlier on Friday.

Takashi Miike will also be signing autographs at the Nikkatsu Booth (#1315) – fans should check at the booth for the exact signing schedule. The world premiere of Yatterman would not be possible without the tremendous support of Nikkatsu, Subway Cinema and The Kitano Hotel, the official hotel sponsor for the event.

An encore presentation of the film will take place on Saturday, February 7, at 8:30 PM in the IGN Theater at the Jacob Javits Center. Admission to the Saturday screening is free and open to all New York Comic Con attendees.

Not A Good Day For Bookselling....

Harry W Schwartz Bookshops in Milwaukee will close it was announced today. This is terrible news for the community of bookselling, the communities in the Milwaukee area the stores served and for the community in general.

Others will discuss the impact this will have on the Independent Bookselling world in a way far more eloquent than me, but I'll leave you with a overly simplistic thought - I was at the mall with the Editor-in-Chief yesterday looking to spend a gift card and I tuned to her and asked her how many of these chains will be out of business or in Chapter 11 by the end of this year. To take that a step further, how many people will care when they do close? Was there an outpouring from communities across the country when Linen's N Things closed? What about Circuit City? Were little league teams wondering who will buy there jersey's this year or schools wondering who will support them with fundraising voucher sales?

Look, I am not about the entitlement of independents and that they deserve our patronage for anything other then offering service, product, value and selection, but there is something more and it is community.......

Value a local store? I've said it before and I'll keep saying it. FREAKIN SHOP THERE THEN!

Here's a quote far more elegant than anything I would concoct from the late David Schwartz (thanks to Village Books Blog for posting it):

"Bookselling was and is for me a cultural and political expression, an expression of progressive change, of challenge to oppressive authority, of a search for a community of values which can act as an underpinning of a better world. The true profit in bookselling is the social profit; the bottom line, the measure of the impact of the bookshop on the community."

-L

The NYCC Toon Tumbler

A NYCC tradition continues for the fourth consecutive year—PopFun has designed another gorgeous show exclusive Marvel ‘Toon Tumbler®. Just in time for the release of Marvel’s next blockbuster movie, this years ‘Toon Tumbler® features none other WolverineTM. A great souvenir to join the NYCC Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man ‘Toon Tumblers® from the first three shows.

More exclusives and NYCC Official merch as we get the images set, but for now, you can drink up these images of our 4th Toon Tumbler.

Doctor Who at NYCC!

So, I'm a Doctor Who fan, and as such, it's been a pet project of mine to bring some Doctor Who/Torchwood to NYCC. As such, I take great pleasure in revealing that the Sixth Doctor -- Colin Baker -- will be attending New York Comic Con! Colin will be at the Alien Entertainment booth all weekend.

And I'm not done yet. We've also got Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell (he'll be doing stuff with Marvel) and the artist behind one of IDW's new Doctor Who books, Ben Templesmith (who'll be chilling in Artist Alley).

Any other Doctor Who/Torchwood happenings I can talk about yet? No. Nothing I can talk about yet.

NYCC Volunteers

Here's a shot of half the 300 volunteers that make the con happen streaming into our morning meeting at Dave and Busters today. These guys are awesome and make the con happen - hence why we are calling them Heroes this year. I mean it, this crew is amazing, if you see a Hero at the con, thank them, they really are the heart of the show........and they came out this morning on the coldest day of the year to meet!

-L

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!

More DC creators we haven’t event mentioned yet!

Check out a new list hot off the press from our friends at DC of more DC talent that we've even mentioned yet!

Carlos D'Anda, Rafael Alburquerque, Brian Azzarello, Scott Beatty, Tony Bedard, Marc Bernadin, Scott O. Brown, John Buran, Mike Carey, Simon Coleby, Mike Costa, Jason Craig, Shane Davis, Nick Doan, Josh Dysart, Ian Edginton, Steve Ellis, Tom Fowler, Derek Fridolfs, David Gallaher, Sterling Gates, Joel Gomez, Neil Googe, Canaan Grall, Justin Gray, Amy Hadley, Dean Haspiel, Jeremy Haun, Drew Johnson, Jeff Katz, David Lloyd, Jeremy Love, Carlos Magno, Chris Metzen, Peter Milligan, Sean Murphy, Mickey Neilson, Dustin Nguyen, Jerry Ordway, Andy Owens, Jeff Parker, James Robinson, Daniele Serra, Alex Sinclair, Matthew Dow Smith, Fiona Staples, Philip Tan, Bobby Timony, Peter Timony, David Tischman, Peter Tomasi, Tony Trovarello, Billy Tucci, Sheldon Vella, G. Willow Wilson, Brian Wood, Johnny Zito.

From Wildstorm
Joel Gomez, Sandra Hope, Adam Archer, JJ Kirby, Michael Lopez, Oliver Nome, Eddie Nuñez, Livio Ramondelli, Alex Sinclair

Aaron Stone's at NYCC!

How about something for the kids? Disney XD will premiere the two-part first episode of Disney XD's first original series, Aaron Stone, at NYCC. What's it about? Sixteen-year old Charlie Landers is a legend in the online video game world. Via his avatar, Aaron Stone, Charlie is the best player in the world at the video game, Hero Rising. But, Hero Rising is more than just a game. His life is forever changed when an eccentric billionaire recruits him to become the “real life” Aaron Stone, fighting real crimes with real enemies. Now Charlie must juggle his normal life of school, sports, girls, and family while maintaining his secret life of being the free world's last hope. Aaron Stone premieres February 13, 7/6c, on Disney XD, but you'll be able to see it at NYCC at 3 PM on February 8 in Room 1A22.

Life on Mars at NYCC

Very pleased to reveal a new TV announcement today. Through our friends at ABC, we're proud to welcome Life on Mars to New York Comic Con! Producers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec will lead a panel of cast and crew at 3 PM in Room 1A08-12 on Sunday, February 8.

If you haven't been watching, Life on Mars follows Detective Sam Tyler after a present-day car accident sends him back to 1970s NYC. ABC's Life on Mars is based on a British original, and I've been enjoying the show since it premiered this past fall. It'll be returning with new episodes in the coming weeks in a new slot just after Lost.

And the cherry on top? Life on Mars is shot in NYC. I love it when we bring in artists, creators, and talented men and women who not only make pop culture -- but make it right here in New York City.

Ego Post and a New Announcement

I did a chat with Comic Book Resources this week that you can read right here. There are two notable items in the piece that make this post more than just a pure ego stroke.

1) The picture I sent them was a really bad choice.

2) I shared with them that members of the cast of Fringe will be at NYCC!!!!!

Fox's Fringe will come to its 2009 event, lead by cast members John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop) and Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth). Fringe, the highest-rated new series of the season among Adults 18–49, will make its New York Comic Con debut through a Q&A with fans and an exclusive video presentation created specifically for NYCC at 1:45 PM in Room 1A08-12. John Noble and Jasika Nicole will take part in the event along with select other members of the cast and crew. Fringe's appearance is in partnership with the New York Television Festival (www.nytvf.com).

NYCC Viral Vid #3 from It's Just Some Random Guy

Check it, the latest installment of NYCC vids from It's Just Some Random Guy. I think this is my favorite so far. I like it so much, Random Guy has edited it down to 30 seconds and we are using it for all our TV spots to promote the con.

Don't forget, Friday is the cut off to buy your tickets and have them mailed to you!

-L

Molto Milo!

The cavalcade of talent only continues with breaking con related news that Milo Ventimiglia, will be coming back to New York Comic Con!

Milo will be doing a panel with his DiVide Pictures partner, Russ Cundiff, writer Rick Loverd and artist Jeremy Haun on their upcoming Top Cow comic book, Berserker.

Cool news - everyone who goes to the panel will get a special pass that will entitle them to a limited signing at the Top Cow booth (#1407) with the panelists after the session.

Stay tuned, we are certain dear fans that this is only the beginning......

-L

Personal NYCC Planner - iCon

When we talked to fans this fall, one of the things they told is they wanted was a tool to plan out there time at New York Comic Con, well here it is: iCon. Check it out, you can search the floor plan, look through panels and add everything to a calendar to help you plan out your time.....

Pretty cool.

Let me know what you think of it.

-L

Saturday IS Caturday - Homegrown Edition

Fargo with my Y-Wing, she was devastated when she learned she wouldn't fit in the cockpit.

-L

NYCC Signing Schedule - Round 1

Greetings fan boys and fan girls, here is the first round of signings for NYCC. Take note that we will be adding many more signings in the next few weeks, so stay tuned to this blog, our newsletter and the web site (TV, Hollywood and a few other special guests are not yet announced thus not on this list).

We created a new system for getting tickets to the ticketed signings this year that hopefully gives you several shots at getting the ticket you really want.

1) At noon Eastern time on Monday January 12th limited numbers of tickets will go on sale on our web site for a small fee. This is about convenience for you not about making us big money as the tickets will be priced at around 20 bucks. At noon on Monday 1/12 go here to get you shot at buying an advance ticket. The ticket sale option on this page will go live at 12 noon. NOTE: We will add one more round of ticket sales online closer to the con when we have confirmed more guests.

2) For those who want to come early, we'll be handing tickets out in line in the queuing hall on Friday afternoon to those first in line and Saturday and Sunday at 7am in front of the Javits for those that are first in line and really want a ticket.

3) For anyone who did not get a ticket under option 1 or 2, we'll have lottery tickets available and will randomly select numbers to get a shot at the ticket you crave.

For a detailed list of how ticketing will work please read it on our web site right here.

So I caught some hell for this new system (read the comments under this post for the blow by blow of it!). But I want to stress that our goal was to try to give you fans the most options to get a ticket to the signing you want. We have tried very hard to be fair and balance what everyone wants to come up with the best system. It's not perfect, but we talked to a lot of fans and got a lot of opinion's, and came up with this program to try and please the greatest number of you. As always, I welcome the feedback on how to do it better!

-L

NYCC AUTOGRAPHING (Version January 9)
Bolded names are ticketed signings. Hollywood and TV names that are not yet public do not appear on this list.

Friday, February 6th

Signer Time Table
Graham Roumieu 1:00 – 2:00 3
Anthony Forrest 1:00 – 4:00 6
Lou Ferrigno 1:00 – 7:00 7
Fat Momma 1:00 – 7:00 8
Brian Francis Slattery 1:30 – 2:30 4
J. Michael Straczynski 2:00 – 4:00 1
Matt Fraction 2:00 – 3:00 2
Leopoldo Gout 2:00 – 4:00 3
F. Paul Wilson 2:00 – 3:00 5
Jeff Breslauer 2:30 – 4:00 4
Sarah Langan 3:00 – 5:00 2
Jim Lee 3:00 – 4:00 5
David Faust 4:00 – 5:00 1
Misako Rocks! 4:00 – 5:00 4
Anton Strout 4:00 – 5:00 5
Grant Morrison 4:00 – 5:00 6
Sherrilyn Kenyon 5:00 – 7:00 1
Marjorie M. Liu 5:00 – 6:00 2
Raven Gregory 5:00 – 6:30 3
G. Xavier Robillard 5:00 – 6:00 4
Anthony Forrest 5:30 – 7:00 6
Joel Eisner 6:00 – 7:00 5

Saturday, February 7th

Signer(s) Time Table
Kim Harrison 11:00 – 12:00 1
Melissa Anelli 11:00 – 12:00 2
Bruce Timm 11:00 – 12:30 3
Lou Ferrigno 11:00 – 7:00 7
Fat Momma 11:00 – 7:00 8
Joe Davidson, Raine Brown 12:00 – 1:00 1
Jeffrey Breslauer 12:00 – 2:00 4
Jonathan Maberry 12:00 – 1:00 5
Joel Eisner 12:30 – 1:30 2
Mark Tarrant 1:00 – 2:00 1
Graham Roumeiu 1:00 – 2:00 3
Claudio 1:00 – 2:00 5
Sherrilyn Kenyon 1:30 – 3:30 2
Pat Croce 2:00 – 3:00 1
Ralph Tedesco 2:00 – 3:00 3
Chip Kidd 2:00 – 3:00 4
Mike Carey 2:00 – 3:00 5
Brian Michael Bendis 2:00 – 3:00 6
Mike A. 3:00 – 4:00 1
Michael Uslan 3:00 – 4:00 3
Tamora Pierce 3:00 – 4:00 4
Carrie Vaughn 3:00 – 4:00 5
Jeff Somers 3:00 – 4:00 6
Scott 4:00 – 5:00 1
Tom Wayland 4:00 – 5:00 2
Rachael Lillis 4:00 – 5:00 3
Anthony Forrest 4:00 – 7:00 4
Grant Morrison 4:00 – 5:00 6
Matt Fraction 5:00 – 7:00 2
Raven Gregory 5:00 – 7:00 3
Charlie Huston 5:00 – 6:00 5

Sunday, February 8th

Signer Time Table
Vicki Pettersson 11:00 – 12:00 1
DJ MacHale 11:00 – 12:30 2
Jeffrey Breslauer 11:00 – 1:00 5
Lou Ferrigno 11:00 – 5:00 7
Fat Momma 11:00 – 5:00 8
Brandon Mull 11:30 – 1:00 3
Matt Fraction 11:30 – 12:30 4
Brian Michael Bendis 11:30 – 12:30 6
Mark Tarrant 12:00 – 1:00 1
Douglas Wolk 12:30 – 1:30 2
Gareth Hinds 12:30 – 1:30 4
Jim Lee 1:00 – 2:00 3
Geoff Johns 1:00 – 2:00 6
J. Michael Straczynski 1:30 – 3:30 1
Amber Benson 1:30 – 2:30 5
Frank Brunner 2:00 – 3:00 1
Misako Rocks! 2:00 – 3:00 3
Michael Spradlin 2:00 – 3:00 4
Tom Sniegoski 2:30 – 3:30 5
Mike A. 3:00 – 4:00 1
Tom Wilson 3:00 – 4:00 6
Jeaniene Frost 3:30 – 5:00 2
Margaret Ronald 3:30 – 5:00 3
Jocelynn Drake 3:30 – 5:00 4
Joel Eisner 3:30 – 5:00 5
Marjorie M. Liu 4:00 – 5:00 1
Anthony Forrest 4:00 – 5:00 6

Will Stan Lee Be Back At NYCC? With Your Help He Will Be!

Sign the petition and send it to as many friends as you can! Bring Stan Lee Back To NYCC Petition

With your help, Stan The Man, the living legend, the man the helped to shape modern comics will come back to his hometown con....

Sign it now!

-Lance

Panels are live!

Panels are now live at newyorkcomiccon.com!

Astro Boy At NYCC!

Another day, another Hollywood post. You excited yet?

Summit Entertainment Presents Knowing and The Hurt Locker
Summit Entertainment brings exclusive new footage and surprise guests from its exciting Knowing and The Hurt Locker. Knowing, from visionary director Alex Proyas (I, Robot and Dark City), is a gripping action-thriller of global proportions, following a professor (Nicolas Cage) who stumbles onto terrifying predictions about the future -- and sets out to prevent them from coming true. The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is an acclaimed, explosive thriller about an elite bomb squad engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse amidst the chaos of war.
Saturday - 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM - IGN Theater

Summit Entertainment Presents Astro Boy
A thrilling tale of a true hero, Astro Boy is an all-new, feature film full of action, adventure, humor, and heart. Based on the beloved manga, Astro Boy will be brought to life on the big screen in breathtaking CGI animation. See the world premiere of footage from the film in this exclusive presentation!
Sunday - 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM - IGN Theater

Disney at NYCC

I talked about Hollywood not long back and mentioned we'd have some announcements soon. Let's start with this...

IGN Theater
Saturday
2:30-3:30 PM
Walt Disney Studios

Join Walt Disney Studios as they present films from their 2009 slate,
including UP and SURROGATES!

UP (Disney*Pixar)
From Disney*Pixar comes UP, a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. From the Academy Award-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), Disney*Pixar's UP invites you on a hilarious journey into a lost world, with the least likely duo on Earth.

Join director Pete Docter as he presents a look at Disney*Pixar's new animated film, UP, which opens on May 29 and will be available in select theaters in Disney Digital 3-D.

SURROGATES (Touchstone Pictures)
Touchstone Pictures presents SURROGATES, an action-packed thriller based upon the acclaimed graphic novel. Starring Bruce Willis and directed by Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines), this unique vision of a not-too-distant utopia where humans live their lives remotely via robotic surrogates, free from the consequences of real life, comes to theatres in September 2009.

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Sent using BlackBerry

The Battlestar Would Win: JMS Sits Down With NYCC

Greetings fanboys and fangirls, this is Lance Fensterman, Show Manager of New York Comic Con. While New York Comic Con 2009 is only a scant few weeks away -- Feb 6-8, if you haven't already marked your calendars -- I've taken a break from our up-to-the-minute planning to chat with one of the biggest names at New York Comic Con, Guest of Honor J. Michael Stracyznski. I, my team, and all our attendees are honored that JMS could take a part of his day to talk to us. Going forward, anything said by yours truly will be preceded by "LANCE" and anything spoken by Mr. Straczynski will naturally begin with "JMS." His comments will also all be in bold type as he won the coin toss. Capitalization, punctuation, and italicization are as I deem fit and probably inconsistent. Here we go!

LANCE: Thank you very much, Mr. Straczynski, for spending some time with us today. While, for most people, you need no introduction, I want to briefly go through your bio to make sure everyone reading is aware of the depth of your career…

J. Michael Straczynski has written for every medium except poetry, at which he sucks. In comics, he's written for Marvel books including The Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, and Fantastic Four and his DC works include The Brave and The Bold and a project he can't talk about yet. A former journalist for the Los Angeles Times, TIME, and other publications, he has also worked in television, creating Babylon 5, Crusade, and Jeremiah and serving as a writer/producer on Murder, She Wrote, Twilight Zone, and others. He has recently begun working in film, writing Changeling for Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie, Lensman for Ron Howard, They Marched Into Sunlight for Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass, Ninja Assassin for the Wachowski Brothers and Joel Silver, Forbidden Planet for Warner and Joel Silver, and World War Z for Brad Pitt's company, Plan B. He also has a new paranormal TV series pilot in the works for TNT, entitled Last Words.

LANCE: Did I miss anything?

JMS: Did you notice you forgot to put on pants this morning?

LANCE: Thank you for alerting all our readers to the fact that I prefer to work in boxers and a pair of slippers. This isn't a video interview, so no one was supposed to know.


JMS: I just think it's really unprofessional to show up half naked like that. But quite becoming. You were saying?

LANCE: Look, it helps get the creative flow going. You being creative as well, I figured you'd understand. Guess not. Moving on, we asked our attendees and staff to come up with a list of questions they'd like us to ask you.


JMS: Poor bastards, that's a terrible thing to do to someone. 

LANCE: I've done worse. Anyway, after eliminating all the questions about whether you thought the White Star or Battlestar Galactica would win in a fight, we narrowed it down to our top ten.


JMS: The Battlestar Would Win.

LANCE: That wasn't the first…


JMS: Because it's bigger and has more resources on its side, and a White Star would never attack a Battlestar with civilians on board and…

LANCE: That wasn't one of the questions. I spent three hours weeding out all of the questions about Marcus Cole vs. Anakin Skywalker and the Vorlons vs. the Daleks. I can pull those out if you'd prefer.


JMS: No. Sorry. Go ahead.

LANCE: Question 1. As mentioned in your bio, you're currently working on a Forbidden Planet script for Warner and Joel Silver. There are a lot of remakes in the market right now, with The Day The Earth Stood Still the most recent classic film to get this treatment. Have you seen The Day The Earth Stood Still, and how are you approaching Forbidden Planet?


JMS: I'm desperate to see The Day The Earth Stood Still, but I haven't been able to climb out of deadline hell long enough to venture that far out of the house. It looks great from the trailers. As for Forbidden Planet, the real key to this is to find an area that is a logical extension of the first movie that we can explore without dumping all over the first one, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. What was coolest was the way in which the film presented a real look at an alien civilization a million years ahead of our own. To try and make that jump now, from where science stands now vs. in the '50s, I sat down with a group of the country's leading specialists in AI, planetary geology, linguistics, and related areas to try and create something as unique in 2008 as the original Forbidden Planet was in its time. The first draft is in, and the studio is very happy with it.

LANCE: Question 2. You've written both for characters and series of your own creation -- Babylon 5, Rising Stars, Midnight Nation -- as well as established icons -- Spider-Man, Thor, Fantastic Four. Do you approach these projects differently? In other words, does your mindset change whether you're working with your original characters or a pre-existing universe?


JMS: Only insofar as you can take more chances with your own creations, 'cause there's nobody perched on your shoulder saying "don't do that." Clearly, one could try to perch atop one's own shoulder in being protective of the long-term viability of one's own characters, but one could pull a hamstring in the attempt. I try to be respectful of the trust shown by a company in handing over a major character by not screwing around with it too much, except by editorial fiat or permission.

LANCE: Question 3. Thor 600 is coming out shortly. It's a massive book, over 100 pages I believe, and Marvel's actually creating a limited edition just for New York Comic Con, too. If I'm not mistaken, 600 wraps up your run on Thor, and I'm very curious about your thoughts about where Thor was when you started and where he'll be when you depart.


JMS: No, 600 is not my last issue. This was a misperception created by a posting from an Assistant Editor at Marvel, who has since been fed to the jackals. I plan to remain on the book until I begin to suck -- despite some who might say that started with issue one. Insofar as the transition is concerned, when I came aboard, Thor was in limbo literally and figuratively. His titles had never been in the top ten, or even twenty, so I had the freedom to do whatever I felt would get it back into the top numbers. That meant redefining the character's appearance and manner of speaking, and taking some real chances with things nobody would expect of the character, such as moving Asgard to Oklahoma. I wanted him to feel more like a god among mortals than just another strong man, and that required a certain nobility and distance and a sense of raw, naked power. 


As for 600, Loki has been laying the foundations for his big plan for 12 issues. Now, at last, all of those machinations come together in what may be one of the most jaw-dropping plans of his long life. What makes it worse is that he pulls it off. I've always felt that a villain loses his potency unless he can win from time to time in ways that are genuinely devastating for our hero. In 600, that happens. Having set the dominoes in place, it takes just the barest touch from Loki to make all the pieces fall, and when they finish falling, everything Thor has worked so hard to build is shattered. For that reason, it was a hideously difficult issue for me to write; it took forever, because I didn't want to write what had to happen next. But in the end, it got written, and it's pretty strong stuff. 

LANCE: Wow. Question 4. Looking at New York Comic Con's Guests of Honor this year, you're joined by names including Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, and Grant Morrison -- all also top writers.


JMS: Well, sure, if you're going to count Bendis. But if you're going to count Bendis, you might as well count my cat.

LANCE: Ahem. When we started exploring our all-star guests this year, we didn't set out for writers to take the lead, but they did, and I think that's important as it's the storytelling and the storytellers who define our favorite comics. I'm curious about your thoughts about the current state of storytelling and narrative in the comic industry. On the Marvel-side, the year-spanning Secret Invasion's coming to a close with Dark Reign and War of Kings taking over, and at DC there are major shakeups inside DC's most beloved books. Heck, we don't even know if Bruce Wayne is Batman anymore.


JMS: Bruce Wayne is Batman?

LANCE: I thought you knew.

JMS: You just blew his secret identity right here in front of God and the internet! What're you, nuts? You've just imperiled his whole family! Poor, helpless Dick Grayson! 

LANCE: Dick Grayson is Robin. Well, was. He…


JMS: Stop it! Stop it! For the love of God, stop it!

LANCE: I suppose I shouldn't even get into Batwoman.


JMS: No, you shouldn't. Now what were you asking? Oh, right. Writers. And Bendis. In the broadest of strokes, I think we're really in a terrific age of comics storytelling, despite my attempts to drag it right down again. Just across the board, we're seeing more power in the independent publishers and more depth of reach into film and TV based on the strength of their storytelling. There's just so much good stuff being done. It does seem that the wheel has turned to where fans follow writers more than individual titles or artists, whereas a few years it was reversed, especially in the early Image years. I expect that to balance out again soon because there are so many amazing artists working in the field right now finally getting the freedom to do more adventurous work than has been the case in the last few years. I think readers are more critical of what they want in comics storytelling these days, which is a good thing. It keeps us on our toes and -- relatively -- honest. But then, you'd have to expect a self-indulgent answer like that from a writer. As Twain pointed out, "It is widely known that Man is the noblest of all God's creatures. But you have to ask, who discovered that?" 

LANCE: Question 5. You've touched some of the biggest comic book titles in the business…


JMS: I also make it a point to touch all the chocolates in a box when one shows up, to make sure nobody else wants them. It's very much the same philosophy.

LANCE: Clearly, you're not going to be allowed alone in the Green Room come February. Getting back to my question, are there any books or characters you haven't written for that you want to? Anything you're a personal fan of that you'd love to explore?


JMS: On the Marvel side, I'd love to write Captain America. He's one of my favorites because of the rock solid foundations of his moral code. On the DC side, Superman would be my number one choice. My house is chockablock with Superman stuff: original Curt Swan pages framed on the walls, the Superman breakfast nook, artwork and collectibles, and on and on and on. The place looks like it was decorated by a 14-year-old with a Platinum American Express card, which, in fact, it was.

LANCE: I need to use "chockablock" more often. Or ever. Alright, time for a Babylon 5 question. Question 6. If Wikipedia's to be believed, B5 aired its finale on November 25, 1998, over 10 years ago. It's hard to believe. How do you see B5 now, after all this time's passed? You're actually going to spend an hour at New York Comic Con reminiscing abut B5, and we're all really excited about that, and I guess my question is where does the B5 story sit in your mind? Is it over? Or are there still tales to tell?


JMS: When I set out to write and create Babylon 5, it was with the intention of doing a five-year story and then you get out clean. We did that. Everything we set out to do, we did. My error was in falling so much in love with that universe, and the cast and crew, that I was tempted -- and succumbed to that temptation -- to keep it going. Some of the first TV movies were worth doing, such as In the Beginning. Others less so. Some of it added to the B5 legacy, some of did not, mainly because we were always fighting budgetary concerns that substantially limited where the story could go. But when you're in love, you don't see those things until later, in retrospect.
The first rule of subsequent storytelling is Do no harm to the original. So in terms of the future, the only thing that would compel me to return to the B5 universe would be if WB came around and said "Here's enough money to make a Really Big Movie, go and write whatever you want." I don't think the fans are owed more B5 sui generis, but I do think the fans might be owed more good B5. Ironically, WB never seemed interested in doing a big B5 movie just on its own terms, in recognition for what it is and was. But now that I'm suddenly doing all this movie work, they've started calling and saying, "So, how big a movie would it have to be for you to come back and make a B5 movie for us?" So we'll see.

LANCE: Question 7. Sticking with science fiction on television, what do you think about where it's at right now? When B5 came out, television sci-fi was pretty much the domain of syndicated weekend hour-longs. This format, now, is practically extinct, but we're seeing the networks experiment more with titles likes Dollhouse, Fringe, Lost, Chuck, and Heroes. Your thoughts?


JMS: Every six months, I get calls from magazines and newspapers saying, "So, how do you explain the explosion of SF TV? Is this the age of SF?" Then six months later, when a number of shows tank, they call again and ask, "Is SF on TV dead?" It's totally cyclical. Certainly the networks seem more apt to experiment now than before, and that's salutary. But there's still a bit of a bias toward SF and fantasy at the upper levels of the networks. They're marginal on anything that's not instantly familiar to a contemporary audience. So you're not seeing far future or far past shows or space shows. It's all that day-after-tomorrow stuff or contemporary SF/Fantasy. We still need a breakthrough SF show on a major network that's one of those things that manages to be a cross-demographic hit.

LANCE: Question 8. You've got a five hour flight ahead of you to get from LA to NYC. How do you typically pass your time while in the air? Is it the obvious answer? Do you write? Or do you do something else? Sleep? Watch a movie? Maybe a few martinis? Or a mean game of Castlevania on the Nintendo DS.


JMS: I don't drink, so martinis are right out. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't gamble, I don't do drugs. I'm probably the most boring guy on the planet. I write. It's what I do. When I'm on a plane, I write. When I'm in the hotel between panels, I write. When I get in after a long day and dinner, I write, usually until 2 or 3 AM when I'm on the road and 3 or 4 AM when I'm home. This is why I asked not to be on any early morning panels; it's just too frightening for the audience. Part of it is deadlines, but the rest of it is I just really enjoy what I do. It's a profession, but it's also an obsession, a compulsion. It's cost me a lot over the years: I've had exactly two vacations in 20 years -- not even a weekend off otherwise, I rarely have dinners with friends... don't really have many friends because I just don't leave the house. For anybody else that would be horrific, like solitary confinement in prison. But I enjoy being on my own, I enjoy sitting in my office and creating worlds behind a keyboard ten or more hours a day, every day, day in and day out. I'm blessed. I get to make a living doing what I enjoy; people actually pay me to do what I'd have to do otherwise for free. How many ever get that chance? So when it comes, you have to go at it in full flight.


Understand, I'm a New Jersey street rat. I came out of the mean streets of Paterson and Newark, and all I ever wanted was to become a writer someday. Everybody I knew said forget about it -- or fageddaboudit -- kids like me didn't become writers. You start out in the streets, you end up in the streets. Yet here I stand -- well, sit, actually -- improbability incarnate and proof positive to those out there with similar ambitions that you don't have to come from the best schools, or the best neighborhoods, or have friends in The Business to succeed. So, I'm not going to complain about the hours. I would've sold my soul to get to where I am right now, and all I can figure is that maybe I did, in my sleep. I wonder if that still counts.

LANCE: Our legal department says it does. Looks like you're stuck doing what you love. Moving to Question 9, I want to pick up on my Nintendo comment. You said, other than write, there's pretty much not a lot that you do, but I'm curious if you're a gamer at all. We've got some of the biggest gaming companies at NYCC this year and gaming guests including Penny Arcade's Gabe and Tycho, Gears of War 2 writer Joshua Ortega, MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo, and Newsweek's N'Gai Croal. What are you thoughts about the gaming business? Do you game at all? Do you have time for it? And, professionally, have you looked into collaborating on any video game projects?


JMS: I used to like gaming when I had time, but again, these days time is a hard commodity to come by. I like first person games like Quake and Doom and the like. I once got so locked up in Doom while I was working on B5 that I posted a note online saying "If you want to see the rest of season four, then I want the cheat codes for Doom and I want them RIGHT NOW!" I've actually come up with a way to merge a television show seamlessly with a gaming environment, which maybe I'll pursue at some point when I have time.

LANCE: Question 10. Lastly, your bio says you suck a poetry, and I've been told that sentence came straight from you. You think, though, you could bless us with maybe a haiku?


JMS: Let's try this…


Seeing the question
I stare at the screen
Still sucking

LANCE: Poignant. Powerful. Striking. Also, not a haiku, but I suspect you're aware of that, and that makes it genius. I'd love to ask you 10 more questions. Heck, I'd love to ask you 100 more, but you've got worlds to build, and I've got employees to torment. Thank you very much, Mr. Straczynski. It was truly an honor to spend this time with you, and for everyone wanting to spend more time with you, you'll be at New York Comic Con -- Feb 6-8 -- all three days. We can't wait!

Go Vikes!

Today marks the return of my beloved hometown Vikings to the playoffs for the first time in years. This confirms that all things are possible and it vindicates the hundreds of dollars I've been paying to DirecTV for 5 years for the privilege of watching the Vikings mediocrity every Sunday in the warmth of my living room. Ha, who's laughing now DirecTV!!!!

So in honor of this occasion and to cheer on my boys, here is a clip of the Vikes mascot Ragnar doing what else - snow tubing.

Go Vikes!!!!!!

-L