Thursday, September 30, 2010

Meet us at Dave & Buster's!

Can't wait until NYCC? Neither can we.  And we're at Dave and Buster's in Times Square right now, celebrating the final week to the show.  Come by, get some swag, and grab a beer and donut hole fondue.  We're here until 8 tonight.

Otakuden and NYAF Party at Kinokuniya on Saturday

Need something to do this weekend?  Need something geeky?  Head out to Kinokuniya on October 2nd for photographer John Arzayus's exhibition of his Japanese toy photographer -- titled Ciné Dramatíque.

The kick-off party for Ciné Dramatíque takes place Saturday, October 2nd. John’ll be speaking about his work, and friends of show Mario Bueno and GeekNights will be joining in as well. And, oh, they’ll be a raffle with some very interesting goodies up for grabs. Including Minori Chihara autograph tickets!

Here’s the game plan...

4:00pm Opening reception: Preshow Buffet
5:00pm Mario Bueno: Musical cosplay performance
5:30pm The American Otaku Interview: Q&A with John Arzayus
6:00pm NYAF Pre-Game Panel: With special hosts Rym and Scott of GeekNights
6:30pm NYAF Raffle

Kinokuniya’s located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas in NYC.

The Eighth Doctor Makes A House Call To NYCC!

We're very pleased to announce Paul McGann will be coming to the show on behalf of the Doctor Who Store. Paul has appeared in dozens of movies, TV movies and series during his career including Alien 3, Withnail & I, Horatio Hornblower, and the 1996 Doctor Who television movie – in which he portrayed the Eighth Doctor. Paul continues to keep busy doing what he loves, acting, and still plays the Eighth Doctor in the Big Finish audio dramas.

Paul will be signing autographs in the Doctor Who Store (Booth 2970) on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Times will be posted at the booth.

Focus's Hanna in The IGN Theater at NYCC!

We're thrilled to reveal that cast and crew of Focus Feature's adventure thriller Hanna will be appearing on Saturday, October 9 at 12:30 PM in New York Comic Con's IGN Theater. Stars Eric Bana (Star Trek, Hulk) and Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) and director Joe Wright (The Soloist, Atonement) will all be in attendance, and a first look at footage from the film will be presented.

Ronan stars as Hanna, a teenage girl with the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier, all coming from her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training are all geared to making her the perfect assassin. Hanna will be released nationwide on April 8th.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/112/1124422p1.html

Support Liberty!

Just a reminder the New York Comic Con variant cover of the CBLDF’s Liberty 2010 annual, featuring all new cover art by Charlie Adlard, the artist behind The Walking Dead, is available for order now at nycomiccon.com.  This variant is limited to 1,500 books, and when they're gone, they're gone.  Get yours at NYCC Show's Store while supplies remain -- or, better yet, reserve yours now right here...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Show-Store/Liberty-Comics/

The Liberty Comics Variant costs $10 and is available online until 11:59 PM EST on October 3rd.  Click the above for all the details.

Taliesin Jaffe Comes To NYAF!

We’re pleased to today reveal Taliesin Jaffe will be coming to the New York Anime Festival through our friends at FUNimation! Taliesin Jaffe started his career as a child actor appearing in films such as Mr. Mom and 2010 and television shows such as She's the Sheriff. He then went on to work as a voice director and script adaptor for animation and video games, and has been involved with the production of Shows such as Hellsing, ROD the TV, NieA_7, BECK, Hellgirl, Romeo X Juliet and Monster. He has also directed the English voice over for several games including the Street Fighter IV series, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Taliesin has also worked as a voice actor, and can be heard in shows such as 3X3 Eyes, Ikki Tousen, Speed Grapher, Dears, I My Me Strawberry Eggs, and games such as Valkyrie Profile Sylmeria and Final Fantasy IV.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Meet Up with Us at Dave and Buster's Tomorrow!

Can't wait until NYCC? Neither can we, and that's why we're grabbing a beer and some donut hole fondue at Dave and Buster's tomorrow (Sept 30). Come have a drink, grab some swag, and meet up with us, too, from 6-8 PM tomorrow at Dave and Buster's in Times Square!

Warner Bros. TV and Warner Bros. Animation at NYCC!

Ready to get excited? Stars and producers from Nikita, V, The Vampire Diaries, Young Justice, MAD and Green Lantern: The Animated Series will be appearing at NYCC! Yup. Stars and producers from these programs will be on-hand for panel sessions, media appearances, and autograph signings from Friday, October 8 to Sunday, October 10 at the Jacob Javits Center.

To the highlights...

- Three generations of V queens — series stars Morena Baccarin and Laura Vandervoort, and guest star Jane Badler (Diana on the original V) — discuss their epic power struggle over the future of humanity in the forthcoming season two.

- The Vampire Diaries executive producers Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec join series stars Steven R. McQueen, Sara Canning, Katerina Graham and Zach Roerig for their first New York Comic Con appearance (Note: Attendees are subject to change.)

- Nikita stars Maggie Q., Shane West and Lyndsy Fonseca team up with executive producer Craig Silverstein to give fans a peek a what’s ahead in season one.

- Warner Bros. Animation unveils exclusive new footage from the upcoming series Young Justice, and the creative team behind Green Lantern: The Animated Series talks about this new project

- The team behind DC's MAD Magazine and Warner Bros. Animation’s new MAD animated television series give fans a light-hearted look at the past, present and future of an American institution

Here is the complete WBTV and WBA New York Comic Con schedule:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8
3:15–4:15 p.m. Mad About MAD Presentation - Room 1A06-7
4:30–5:30 p.m. MAD Signing - DC Booth 2243

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
2:00–3:00 p.m. Young Justice Signing at the DC - Booth 2243
2:30–3:30 p.m. Green Lantern: The Animated Series Presentation - Room 1A14
3:45–4:45 p.m. Young Justice Presentation - Room 1A14
4:00–5:00 p.m. Green Lantern: The Animated Series Signing - DC Booth 2243
5:15–6:15 p.m. V Presentation and Cast/Producer Q&A - IGN Theater
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. V Signing - Room 1C05

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10
10:30–11:30 a.m. Nikita Presentation and Q&A - IGN Theater
1:00–1:45 p.m. Nikita Signing - Room 1C05
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. The Vampire Diaries Presentation - IGN Theater
2:00–3:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries Signing - Room 1C05

NYComicCon.com and NYAnimeFest.com - Server Strain

Hey, are you having problems loading NYComicCon.com or NYAnimeFest.com?  We are, too.  The sites are being strained at the moment, causing a slow-down for some visitors and the sites just not showing up for others.  We're on it, and we're aiming to have the problems resolved in the coming hours.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

AMV Contest Finalists!

We received over 100 AMVs this year and our team's been reviewing them non-stop since submissions closed. We today completed reviews and scoring, we thank everyone for the time, effort, and energy that went into their AMVs, and we're proud to say the following will screen at the final contest at NYAF.

A Little Late by Dragon/Roy
Awakening Curse by Hika Yagami (Yagami Central)
Black Star Rock Venus by Jennifer Lee
Don't Drop Your Arms Chrona by Fallingsun17
Evangelion.0: You (Mustn't) Run Away by k8fin
Giving In by Pochomaluv (Flowing Vision Studio)
HEART CORE by JT
Make a Wish by kireblue
Repair The Shattered Heart by xDreww (Dream On Studios)
Soul Eater Spotlight by Bebop0083
The Resurrection by Sanj008
This is War by Sloken18
To Everything by EdgeWinds (Trinity Studios)

The winners will be revealed here following the close of the New York Anime Festival.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Bandai Spills The Beans on NYAF Plans!

Our friends at Bandai just posted their full agenda at NYAF and NYCC.  Take a look, as there are some in-booth revelations...

Friday

2:15pm K-ON! MINI-CONCERT with CRISTINA VEE (Mio from the English dub) and AFTER SCHOOL TEA TIME perform live with surprise guest! (Variant Stage)

4:00pm GUNDAM UNICORN Autograph session with STEPHANIE SHEH (Audrey) and English Director MICHAEL SINTERKLAAS (Bandai Booth #1605)

6:00pm MINORI CHIHARA autograph session (This will be limited to 100 people. A ticket will be given out to the first 100 who purchase any Haruhi item from Bandai Booth beginning at 1pm. (Bandai Booth #1605) No pictures with guest will be allowed due to time constraints.

8:00pm THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA in 35mm with English subtitles. New York Premiere introduced by MINORI CHIHARA (Yuki), STEPHANIE SHEH (English ‘Mikuru’), and ASOS BRIGADE (Room 1E09)

Saturday

11:00am BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PANEL (Room 1E13)

12:30pm VOICE ACTING PANEL with MINORI CHIHARA, STEPHANIE SHEH, and CRISTINA VEE (1E09)

3:30pm MASAHIKO MINAMI (Bones Producer of Cowboy Bebop, Eureka Seven and many others) Autograph Session with Exclusive Poster giveaway (Bandai Booth #1605)

4:30pm K-ON! PERFORMANCE with CRISTINA VEE and AFTER SCHOOL TEA TIME (Bandai Booth #1605)

4:30pm GUNDAM UNICORN SCREENING and PANEL with STEPHANIE SHEH and MICHAEL SINTERNIKLAAS (1E09)

7:30pm MINORI CHIHARA LIVE IN CONCERT! (IGN Theater)

Sunday

10:00am HARUHI/ASOS BRIGADE PERFORMANCE! (Bandai Booth #1605)

10:30am HARUHI AUTOGRAPH session with STEPHANIE SHEH (Mikuru) and ASOS Brigade (Bandai Booth #1605)

12:00pm K-ON! COSPLAY GATHERING with AMERICAN COSPLAY PARADISE! All are welcome and will receive a free K-ON! Poster (Bandai Booth #1605)

12:30pm K-ON! PERFORMANCE with CRISTINA VEE and AFTER SCHOOL TEA TIME (Bandai Booth #1605)

1:00pm K-ON! AUTOGRAPH session with STEPHANIE SHEH (Yui), CRISTINA VEE (Mio), and Special Guest K-ON! Producer YOSHIHISA NAKAYAMA (Bandai Booth #1605)

2:00pm GUNDAM 00 MOVIE-NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE! Japanese audio/English subtitles (Room 1E09)

It's coming...

Packing for NYCC 2010 begins.

Christopher Bevins comes to NYAF!

NYAF and our friends at FUNimation are pleased to reveal Christopher Bevins will be coming to NYAF 2010!

Since 2001, Christopher Bevins has recorded, directed, produced, acted in and/or written script adaptations for over 70 anime series, movies and specials. His directing credits include BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (with Taliesin Jaffe), Witchblade, El Cazador de la Bruja, Samurai 7, Speed Grapher, Shigurui: Death Frenzy, Burst Angel, Spiral and Dragon Ball GT, as well as episodes of Gunslinger Girl, Case Closed, Jyu-Oh-Sei and Big Windup! He was excited to return to the Case Closed world last year, script-adapting and directing the feature-length movie The Last Wizard of the Century. Chris’ most recent work includes script adaptations and voice direction for the upcoming Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings.

Chris has numerous voice acting credits, including Japan in Hetalia: Axis Powers, Apollo in Aquarion, Mercutio in Romeo x Juliet, Tamotsu in Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~, Kenji in Initial D, Johnny Gil in D.Gray-man, Nicholas Wayne in Baccano!, Shishi Wakamaru in Yu Yu Hakusho, Lafitte and Shu Shu in One Piece, Bee the Puppy in Dragon Ball Z, and Beck the Dog in BECK. You also may have heard him in various roles in Dragon Ball, Sgt. Frog, Shin chan, Soul Eater, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist (both series), Ouran High School Host Club, Desert Punk, Kodocha, School Rumble, Case Closed and many more. Recently, Chris reprised his video game role as the English-language voice of Dhalsim in Super Street Fighter IV.

Outside of anime, Chris's interests include TV, movies, crosswords and comic books… But mostly the comic books. In fact, his comics collection is old enough that it should’ve gotten a job and moved out of the house by now.

PS: Best picture ever.

Frank Miller! Falling Skies! Morgan Spurlock and More! At Dark Horse!

Our friends at Dark Horse have a present for you. A lot of presents. For a lot of you. They’ve just revealed a few extra special signings that’ll be taking place at their booth during NYCC. We’ve previously spoken about Falling Skies, but – ladies and gentlemen – Frank Miller and friends are coming to NYCC...

Dark Horse Booth Signings
Frank Miller – Friday – 4 to 5 PM
Jon Schnepp – Friday – 5 to 6 PM
Jim Shooter and Nate Piekos – Saturday – 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Morgan Spurlock – Saturday – 3 to 4 PM
TNT’s Falling Skies (Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Mark Verheiden) – Saturday – 4 to 5 PM

CBLDF NYCC Welcome Party – October 7!

NYCC starts on October 8, but we want you to get in that New York Comic Con frame of mind a day early. Kick off the con on Thursday, October 7 with the CBLDF Welcome Party! Celebrating the premiere of the LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010, the CBLDF's NYCC Welcome Party brings together the best creators, fans and insiders for a star-spangled celebration of good comics and free speech! The party’s on Thursday, October 7, from 8 to 10pm at the Village Pourhouse on Restaurant Row. Come out to get your copy of the LIBERTY ANNUAL, free apps, and special giveaways. The party is open to all, but with a suggested donation of $10 or more you'll receive a special CBLDF gift bag. The CBLDF also offers two levels that include an OPEN BAR:

$30 -- Entry to the party, wristband for 2-hour open bar (Bud Light/Well/Red and White Wine), CBLDF's Liberty Annual 2010, and a gift bag from CBLDF & our corporate members

$50 -- Entry to party, wristband for 2-hour open bar (Bud Light/Well/Red and White Wine), NYCC Variant Cover of CBLDF's Liberty Annual 2010, and a gift bag from CBLDF & our corporate members

Come support Free Expression and meet the best and brightest in comics at the CBLDF's NYCC Welcome Party!

What: CBLDF's NYCC Welcome Party
When: Thursday, October 7 from 8 to 10pm
Where: Village Pourhouse - 366 W. 46th St.
Who: Anyone who is 21 and over - IDs will be checked!
Why: Support Free Speech, Mingle With Top Creators, and Enjoy free food and gifts!

Help Plan Puffy AmiYumi's Concert

Puffy AmiYumi are playing with Boom Boom Satellites, Zazen Boys, and Echostream at the Far East to East Showcase on Sunday, October 10.  Grab your tickets now at Superglorious.com.  Also, hit up Supergloious.com to help pick Puffy's playlist!

Puffy AmiYumi are giving fans the chance to help program their show, and it's simple.  Got a favorite Puffy song?  Darekaga?  Radio Tokyo?  Teen Titans Go?  Vote for your favorite now, and Puffy will be sure the songs with the most votes get into their NYC show.

Vote now here...

http://www.superglorious.com/f-e-t-e-s-2010-help-build-puffy-amiyumis-setlist

CBLDF Liberty Comics Variant! Grab It While You Can!

New York Comic Con is proud to present a special variant cover of the CBLDF’s Liberty 2010, featuring all new cover art by CHARLIE ADLARD, the artist behind THE WALKING DEAD, which will soon be a hit series on AMC.  Strictly limited to 1,500 pieces, this full color cover is only available at NYCC to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and you can reserve your copy now!

The best in the industry contributed to CBLDF’s LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010, which includes a new The Boys story by GARTH ENNIS and ROB STEEN, the first new Megaton Man adventure by DON SIMPSON in over a decade, an all-new Milk and Cheese story by EVAN DORKIN, a new Conan tale by DARICK ROBERTSON, Boilerplate by ANINA BENNETT and PAUL GUINAN, and “The First Amendment: It’s Why We Fight!” by LIBERTY COMICS editor LARRY MARDER.

CBLDF’s LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 will also feature all-new work from GEOFF JOHNS and SCOTT KOLINS, FRANK MILLER, GABRIEL BÁ and FÁBIO MOON, PAUL POPE, JEFF SMITH, TERRY MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS, GAIL SIMONE and AMANDA GOULD, SCOTT MORSE, BRIAN AZZARELLO and JILL THOMPSON, ROB LIEFELD, JG ROSHELL, COLLEEN DORAN, BEN McCOOL and BILLY TUCCI, and SKOTTIE YOUNG. Design for the entire package is contributed, as always, by Richard Starkings and John Roshell from Comicraft.

The CBLDF is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance and education in furtherance of these goals. For more information on the Fund, visit http://www.cbldf.org/.

The Liberty Comics Variant costs $10 and is available via http://www.nycomiccon.com/ now.  This sale ends at 11:59 PM EST on October 3rd. All pre-sold comics will be available, then, for pick up at New York Comic Con's Show Store. Any copies of Liberty Comics not pre-sold will also be available for purchase at NYCC's Show Store, but to guarantee yourself a copy of the CBLDF's LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 and support the cause, order your copy of LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 right now.

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Show-Store/Liberty-Comics/

Matt Fraction Cancellation

NYCC features over a hundred comics creators from the big publishers, to the indie press, to guys and girls who publish their own comics right on the web. And, as is unfortunately the case, guests sometimes have to cancel. Be it for health, family matters, or scheduling conflicts, it’s unforeseen as we start planning a con, but it becomes unavoidable as we get into the final weeks.

All this is our preamble before saying that we’ve learned guest Matt Fraction will no longer be coming to NYCC this year. He’s no longer able to make it out, we’re bummed, but Matt looks forward to attending next year.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Puffy AmiYumi Welcome Message!



Puffy AmiYumi headline October 10th's Far East to East Showcase.  Grab your tickets now at superglorious.com.  Actually, check out their above welcome message to NYC first.  Then, grab your tickets.  They'll be playing with Boom Boom Satellites, Zazen Boys, and Echostream at Irving Plaza to kick off the close to NYAF and NYCC!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Dave & Buster's Fan Meet Up!

Can't wait until NYCC?  Neither can we, and that's why we're grabbing a beer and some donut hole fondue at Dave and Buster's next week.  Come have a drink, grab some swag, and meet up with us, too! We'll be giving out goodies, selling physical tickets to the con, and downing a liberal number of spider-tinis. Join us, chat, and get in the zone for the final countdown to the con!

Dave and Buster's Times Square
Thursday, September 30
6pm - 8pm

Caturday!

Friday, September 24, 2010

AMC's Walking Dead at NYCC!

The good news? AMC will premiere the first full scenes from The Walking Dead at NYCC in the IGN Theater.  The gooder news?  Exec Producers Frank Darabont, Gale Anne Hurd, and Robert Kirkman and cast Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jon Bernthal, Laurie Holden, and Steven Yuen will be coming, too!

The event takes place at 2:15 PM on Sunday, October 10 in the IGN Theater.  The series premieres on Halloween, October 31 at 10 PM on AMC.

During the 90-minute event, moderator Eric Moro of IGN.com will lead panelists in a discussion about their experience shooting the The Walking Dead, and the process of bringing Kirkman's comic book to life on the small screen, among other topics. The panel will be followed by a Q&A session with attendees.

Unfamiliar with Walking Dead?  Based on a comic by writer Robert Kirkman and artists Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard published by Image Comics, it tells the story of the weeks and months that follow after a zombie apocalypse. County Sheriff Rick Grimes (Lincoln) travels with his family and a small group of survivors, constantly in search of a safe and secure home. But the constant pressure of fighting off death on a daily basis takes a heavy toll, sending many to the lowest depths of human cruelty. As Rick struggles to keep his family alive, he will discover that the overwhelming fear of the survivors can be far more dangerous than the mindless walkers roaming the earth.

Get more on Walking Dead here...

http://www.amctv.com/originals/The-Walking-Dead/

NYCC and NYAF Panels and Screenings are Live!


Kim Mueller. She likes cats. She sits across from Larry. She likes cats. She has a Cyanide & Happiness plushie on her desk.  She likes cats.  And she's spent the better part of the past year working on New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival's panels.

Dig through them now here.

It's a lot, but it's also 98.3% of the panels and screenings that'll be taking place at NYAF and NYCC this year. There are still some surprises -- mainly the IGN Theater programming -- and this list will be updated over the next week as we release the IGN information.  What's still to come?

Maybe Walking Dead.

Cultyard = Awesome


This and more at NYCC and at http://www.vinylpulse.com/!

Ciné Dramatíque Opening Reception and NYAF Pre-Party


If you look behind the lens at website Otakuden.com, you’ll find John Arzayus, a well-seasoned, self-professed otaku. A while back, John found a novel way to express his love of anime: photographing and archiving his extensive figure collection. This simple act led to a lot, and Otakuden.com’s been praised for its art direction and composition – and now John will be presenting an exhibition – a gallery titled “Ciné Dramatíque” on display at Kinokuniya Bookstore!

The kick-off party for Ciné Dramatíque takes place Saturday, October 2nd. John’ll be speaking about his work, and friends of show Mario Bueno and GeekNights will be joining in as well. And, oh, they’ll be a raffle with some very interesting goodies up for grabs. Including Minori Chihara autograph tickets!

Here’s the game plan...

4:00pm Opening reception: Preshow Buffet
5:00pm Mario Bueno: Musical cosplay performance
5:30pm The American Otaku Interview: Q&A with John Arzayus
6:00pm NYAF Pre-Game Panel: With special hosts Rym & Scott of GeekNights
6:30pm NYAF Raffle

Kinokuniya’s located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas in NYC.

Puffy AmiYumi Meet and Greet and Autographing Experience!

Our friends at Sony and Superglorious are presenting a special meet and greet and autographing experience with guests Puffy AmiYumi on Saturday at NYAF. You fancy yourself the ultimate Puffy fan? You'll want to pay attention.

Japanese guests Puffy AmiYumi are performing as part of Superglorious's Far East to East Showcase on Sunday, October 10. They'll be appearing at NYAF, too, on Saturday, October 9. For the diehards, Sony is proud to present a limited Puffy AmiYumi Autograph Experience ticket. It includes tickets to the New York Anime Festival, the Far East to East Showcase, and a meet and greet with Puffy at NYAF. Puffy will not be holding a public autographing signing at NYAF, so this is your sole chance to get up close and get their autograph.

Puffy's tickets are priced at $150 and limited to 50 tickets.

Get all the intel here...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Autographs/Ticketed-Autographs/

eSports at NYCC

Electronic Sports League (ESL) is presenting the Intel Extreme Masters V American Championship, the continental finals of the global league of the video game champions, at NYCC. The best professional gamers of the western hemisphere will fight for their share of over $60,000. In addition, top teams and players will receive the right to compete in the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship which will be held at CeBIT in Hanover, March 2011. The main games of the competition will be Counter-Strike 1.6, Quake Live and StarCraft II.

In addition to the Intel Extreme Masters tournament, NYCC will host the iRacing Intel GP Series North America Finals, the regional qualifications for the Grand Final held in 2011 in Germany.

Michal Blicharz, the Product Manager of Intel Extreme Masters at Turtle Entertainment, will explain the phenomenon of competitive gaming on Saturday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Panel Room 1 (1A24).

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bruce Campbell Autograph Info

We spoke about autographs in general earlier today. Let's now talk about Bruce Campbell specifically.

Bruce Campbell will be appearing at New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10 and will be signing throughout both days. Tickets are required to participate in his signings and are priced at $40 per item. You may buy your Bruce Campbell autograph tickets on-site at our Show Store or order them online now right now. If you want to see Bruce, we recommend you order your autograph tickets in advance to guarantee your Bruce Campbell autograph. His signing time is limited, and his autograph tickets are not infinite.

Get all the details and ticket here...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Autographs/Ticketed-Autographs/

Beyond his paid signing, Bruce will also be conducting a free panel open to all attendees.

The Sky is Falling! TNT's Falling Skies Comes to NYCC!

We're proud to today reveal Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, and Mark Verheiden -- stars of TNT’s Falling Skies -- will be coming to NYCC, signing autographs on Saturday from 4-5 PM at the Dark Horse Booth.

In the series, which premieres in 2011, Wyle plays Tom Mason, the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians that battle against an invading alien force. Wyle is best known for his award-winning work as Dr. John Carter on ER, which aired for 15 seasons on NBC. He received five Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations for his performance on the show.

In addition to her role as Anne Glass in TNT’s Falling Skies, Bloodgood can next be seen in the independent film Beautiful Boy, which is set to premiere at Toronto Film Festival, and alongside Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton in the George Tillman Jr. revenge thriller Faster.

Mark Verheiden served as a writer and co-executive producer for three seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series Battlestar Galactica, writing nine episodes. He was also consulting producer and writer for seasons three and four of Heroes and writer and co-executive producer for the first three seasons of Smallville. He's Co-Executive Producer / Writer on Falling Skies.

Learn more at http://www.tnt.tv/fallingskies/!

Autographs at NYCC and NYAF v1.0

NYCC and NYAF will feature hundreds of guests signings at booths, in Artist Alley, in Autograph Alley, and in private rooms. We've today uploaded v1.0 of our Autographing List. This list will get daily updates over the next week, but you can see the start of it right here and now...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Autographs/

The big things to note here are the four guests that require tickets -- Stan Lee, Minori Chihara, Bruce Campbell, and Puffy AmiYumi. These signings require tickets in advance. Stan and Chihara's tickets are free, and you can see exactly where to get them at the link.

Bruce and Puffy AmiYumi are paid tickets, and you can order them now online. Just click the Autograph link above.

The other signings listed -- from Jim Lee to the Venture Bros. -- do not require any special ticket in advance. Expect updates to this list and the 350 panels of NYCC and NYAF online shortly.

Gary Baseman x The Cultyard Poster for NYCC!

Pervasive art superstar Gary Baseman has created a very special limited edition print for The Cultyard at NYCC 2010! Limited to 100 prints, all are signed and numbered by the artist. They're sized at 13x15 inches and available now. 50 are available for $60 and will be mailed out after NYCC, while another 50 are available for $40 and can be picked up at New York Comic Con's show store. Order your copy now -- either shipped or for on-site pick up to guarantee yourself this limited print.

Get more info here...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Show-Store/Cultyard-Poster/

Far East To East Showcase Giveaway

Wanna win tickets to see Puffy AmiYumi, Boom Boom Satellites, Zazen Boys, and Echostream? Plus a MIMOBOT? Look no further than...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYAF/FETES-Contest/

Milo Ventimiglia Comes To NYCC!

We've been proud to feature Milo Ventimiglia for the past few years at NYCC, and 2010 is no different. Together with our friends at Top Cow, we'll be welcoming Milo to New York Comic Con! Milo will be signing autographs and speaking about his comics projects.

Not turned on a TV in the past five years? Here's Milo in a nutshell... Milo is the television and film actor best known for his role as Peter Petrelli on Heroes. Ventimiglia has also had memorable roles on the television series Gilmore Girls and American Dreams as well as feature film roles in Rocky Balboa, Armored, and Gamer. In 2008, Ventimiglia and producing partner Russ Cundiff teamed their production company DiVide Pictures with Top Cow Productions to produce the bone-crunching limited series Berserker. Now debuting at New York Comic-Con 2010, Divide and Top Cow release their latest collaboration the completed conspiracy series Rest by Mark Powers, Shawn McManus, and Marco Castiello.

I loved Gilmore Girls and have a crush on Lauren Graham to this day.

Michael Emerson and Mitch Hurwitz in NYC on Saturday

Our friends at the New York Television are presenting a hell of a lot of awesome stuff this week in NYC, and Saturday they're blowing out all the stops, with sessions with Michael Emerson and Mitch Hurwitz. And more.


About the Emerson panel...
The character of Ben Linus on "Lost" is one of the most memorable in the history of the medium. The actor who embodied him, Michael Emerson, was cast as a result of his Emmy winning turn as another indelible character: William Hinks on “The Practice." Join us for an actor¹s point of view on how to create memorable characters.

And Hurwitz...
Creator of one of the most critically lauded and beloved television comedies of all time, “Arrested Development,” Mitch Hurwitz will be discussing his current show on FOX, “Running Wilde,” as well as sharing insights and advice about creating top-notch television.

And, oh yeah, these events are free. Get more information at nytvf.com.

Adult Swim Signings at NYCC!

We talked about the [adult swim] panels yesterday. Today, ladies and gents, their signings...

Friday, October 8
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Robot Chicken Signing
Location: Room 1C02
Talent: Seth Green, Matt Senreich

Friday, October 8
5:45 – 6:45 p.m.
Childrens Hospital Signing
Location: Show Floor - Autograph Alley
Talent: Rob Corddry, Jon Stern, Rob Huebel and Erinn Hayes (additional guests TBA)

Saturday, October 9
11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Venture Bros Signing
Location: Room 1C01
Talent: Doc Hammer, Jackson Publick

Saturday, October 9
3:45 - 4:45 p.m.
Delocated! Signing
Location: Show Floor - Autograph Alley
Talent: Jon Glaser, Kevin Dorff, Jerry Minor, Steve Cirbus (additional guests TBA)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Debate at Lolita Bar: Is Macroeconomics a Fiction?

Ali T. Kokmen introduced me to the debates at Lolita Bar last month. Now, it's my turn to introduce the debates at Lolita Bar to all of you...


From Keynes to stimulus to trade deficits to the algebraic relationship between inflation and unemployment, we hear the fate of civilization decided by people assuming macroeconomic analysis makes sense. But this Thursday, Sept. 23 (8pm) on the basement level of Lolita Bar (266 Broome St. at Allen St., one block south of the Delancey St. F J M Z subway stop on Manhattan’s Lower East Side), Debates at Lolita Bar dares ask: “Is Macroeconomics a Fiction?” Yes: Saif Ammous, economics instructor at American University of Lebanon No: Thomas Powers, of a mighty Wall Street concern Moderator: Michel Evanchik Host: Todd Seavey For more, visit toddseavey.com. And, oh, it's free. And, Lolita Bar serves Brooklyner Weisse.

The Deep End! Adult Swim at NYCC!

As we're getting down to the wire with NYCC, we're getting the green light to talk about a lot of the cool things that have been baking all year long. Today, let's talk about [adult swim]. [adult swim] will be coming in big with panels and signings featuring Seth Green, Rob Corddry, Venture Bros. and more! Let's dive in!

Childrens Hospital
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. - Friday
Room 1A06
Featuring Rob Corddry, Jon Stern, Rob Huebel and Erinn Hayes. Check out the Childrens Hospital panel and hear from the show’s creative team led by Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and Jon Stern (producer of The Ten and Scotland, PA). They will be joined by members of their ensemble cast including Rob Huebel (I Love You Man, Human Giant) and Erinn Hayes (Parenthood, Worst Week). Childrens Hospital is a live-action comedy that explores the emotional struggles and sexual politics of a group of doctors charged with healthy libidos. Their dedication to their personal lives is relentless, interrupted only by the occasional need to treat sick children. Childrens Hospital airs Sundays at midnight (ET/PT) on [adult swim].

Robot Chicken
6:45 – 7:45 p.m. - Friday
IGN Theater
Featuring Seth Green and Matt Senreich! An [adult swim] panel featuring Robot Chicken show creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich. They will discuss their original series, answer questions and give a sneak peek from the next season of Robot Chicken and the upcoming one-hour special, Robot Chicken Star Wars: Episode III, which premieres December 19.

The Venture Bros.
8:00 – 9:00 p.m. - Friday
IGN Theater
Featuring Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer! Come see Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer talk about all things Venture, show some clips and take audience praise and questions. Season 4.5 of The Venture Bros. premiered Sunday, September 12 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on [adult swim].

Delocated!
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. - Saturday
Room 1A14
Featuring Jon Glaser, Kevin Dorff, Jerry Minor, Steve Cirbus, and John Lee! An [adult swim] panel featuring Delocated! show creator/executive producer and star Jon Glaser. After testifying against the Russian Mafia, “Jon” and his family are uprooted and start living undercover through the witness protection program. After existing quietly in an anonymous suburb, “Jon” accepts an offer for the family to participate in a reality show based on their lives. In order to protect their identity with television audiences—and more importantly, the Russian mob family the Mirminsky’s—they wear ski masks and have their voices disguised. As part of the deal, the family is relocated to a sweet loft in New York City, where the series is filmed.

Firebreather Exclusive Screening and Panel
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Sunday
1A08
Featuring Phil Hester (co-executive producer), Andy Kuhn (co-executive producer), Peter Chung (writer/director)! Fans will get the first look at Cartoon Network’s original CGI movie, Firebreather, with an exclusive screening! Be the first to see the film, then stay for an in-depth panel discussion featuring creator and co-executive producer Phil Hester (The Wretch), co-executive producer Andy Kuhn (Freedom Ring) and writer/director Peter Chung (Aeon Flux). Firebreather is based on the popular comic book series and will premiere on Cartoon Network in November.

Ben 10 10.10.10 Celebration
12:15 - 1:15 p.m. - Sunday
Room 1A06
Featuring Yuri Lowenthal, Greg Cipes, and Ashley Johnson! Come celebrate Ben 10 on 10.10.10 with the cast of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien! Fans will be treated to a never-before-seen episode of the series with voiceover dialogue performed LIVE by Yuri Lowenthal (Ben), Greg Cipes (Kevin) and Ashley Johnson (Gwen)! Other panel highlights include a sneak peak at the new season of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, cast Q&A, and a chance to win lots of Ben 10 Prizes!

Webcomics Bootcamp with Brad Guigar and Scott Kurtz!

Scott Kurtz is awesome. Brad Guigar is awesome, too. On Sunday at NYCC, both of em are teaming up to present a double awesome Webcomics Bootcamp.

More than ever, aspiring cartoonists are looking towards the web as a means of distribution and business. But does your comic strip really have what it takes to be successful online? Brad Guigar and Scott Kurtz, founders of Webcomics.com and two of four co-authors of the book How To Make Webcomics offer a one-on-one bootcamp for aspiring webcartoonists. Brad and Scott will present a lecture on the art and commerce of webcomics and then take their class through a collegiate-level critique of their work. This is a limited attendance seminar, and the cost of attendance is $50.

Students will be asked to provide a contact email address, bring examples of their work for critique, and be prepared to take and offer constructive criticism in the hopes of bettering each other's work. (There's a Special Discount for Webcomics.com members.)

Interested? Click here to learn more...

http://www.evil-comic.com/nycc_bootcamp.html

MTV Presents 'Unbreakable: Ten Years Later' With M. Night Shyamalan at NYCC!

NYCC is pleased to host a special panel on Sunday, October 10 with our friends at MTV and a little director by the name of M. Night Shyamalan. "Unbreakable: Ten Years Later" will be held Sunday, October 10, at 12:45 PM in the IGN Theater. Here's the official synopsis of the event:

M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense," "Signs," "The Village," "The Last Airbender"), one of the most successful filmmakers of our time, joins MTV News' Josh Horowitz for an anniversary retrospective of the groundbreaking comic book movie. Don't miss this exclusive one-time event as the director takes fans inside the fan-favorite film with never-before-heard stories and special surprises.

Get the full scoop at MTV Splash Page and get ready for more announcements from the realms of TV and films coming very soon.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Goodies!

Wuz this? But a table of goodies at the TimesTalk event, too. This table was evicerated within five minutes of the event ending.

I'll spare you the photo of dinner at Schnipper's. I know, though, what a cell phone snap of a veggie burger and sweet potato fries does to a subsection of our readers.

Actually, no I don't. I'm off to get Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Watching it turned del Toro into a vegetarian for four years. I'm going to try it out on the girlfriend.

Or I'm going to watch 20 minutes of Cover Affairs and then fall asleep.

Ooky Spooky Blurry

Blurry girlfriend meeting blurry Guillermo del Toro at the New York Times TimesTalk event at the Times Center.

You should check em out. Folks from Alton Brown to Tracy Morgan to Wes Craven will be speaking in the near future.

http://nytimes.whsites.net/timestalks/

Go. Click now. Hell, you weren't fast enough. Alton Brown's now sold out.

Portfolio Reviews at NYCC

Are you a comics fans? Odds are, then, you want to be a comics pro. And NYCC is thrilled to be able to offer fans a number of opportunities to meet with companies looking to review work and get a foot inside the comics world's door. Take a look at NYCC's growning Portfolio Review page for all the current details.

In brief, though, here's the 411 on Marvel's portfolio review process...

Marvel Entertainment will be reviewing portfolios of artists, inkers, and colorists for potential future work at the House of Ideas. All creators interested in having their portfolio reviewed should bring copies of their artwork (no originals) to the Marvel Booth (1843). After reviewing all samples, at the end of each day, Marvel will display a list of creators at the Marvel Booth on Saturday morning, October 9th and Sunday morning, October 10th that includes the names and corresponding times of those people it is interested in meeting with. No samples will be accepted after 7:00 PM on Saturday. Samples will not be returned.

Depending upon your area of expertise, you should be prepared to leave behind the following at the Marvel Booth for pre-screening review.

Pencilers: At least 5 pages of sequential art as well as examples of cover illustrations

Inkers: Samples of your work over at least three different pencilers

Colorists: Samples that effectively display your different techniques and coloring abilities on various types of pieces

Visit NYCC's Portfolio Review page here...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Events/Portfolio-Review/

VAMPS Tickets! Three Ways To Win!

Keep reading if you like “Win” “VAMPS” and “Concert tickets” in the same sentence. In case you haven’t heard, VAMPS will be stopping by NYAF on Friday, October 8 and performing live at the Roseland Ballroom on Saturday, October 9. You can order the concert tickets online here (http://www.livenation.com/), but it would be awesome to win a pair, right? Well, NYAF proposes THREE ways to win a pair of VAMPS tickets! Let’s kick things off with a local contest-of-sorts. Our retailer friends over at Kinokuniya are starting an in-store contest! The rules are simple: visit their store, fill out one of the contest ballots by the cashier, and place it in the well-marked VAMPS Contest box. You can enter up until Saturday, September 25, where we will pull 10 (yes, that’s 10, not 1) lucky winners’ name for the fantastic prize. Not a NYC local or out of town? No worries, we have another contest for you…Include the hashtag #VAMPSta in your conversations from now through September 25, and we’ll select another lucky winner to rock out at the show!

Oh, and to the Facebook die-hards…if we catch the hashtag lurking in your comments on our fan page, who knows what good will befall you… Good luck to all who participate!

Finally, our friends at Samurai Beat Radio will be giving away two additional tickets to the show! Here’s what you need to do. Go to our website at http://www.samuraibeatradio.com. All the information is right there. Enter Samurai Beat Radio's contest by September 29th!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Tricia Helfer Comes To New York Comic Con!

NYCC is proud to welcome Tricia Helfer and our friends at Official Pix to New York City this October! Official Pix ran autographing at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year, and also brought Carrie Fisher and Co. to C2E2. They'll be at NYCC in Booth 329, and Tricia will be with them, selling autographs to her fans.

Didn't watch Battlestar? For that .1 percent of you, here's Tricia's background...

Tricia Helfer is a Canadian actress and former model who has appeared in ad campaigns for high end designers such as Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Givenchy and Dolce Gabbana among others. She has also graced the covers of Flare, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Vogue to name a few. In 2002, Helfer retired from fashion modeling and moved to Los Angeles where she quickly landed a number of roles including guest starring in the second season finale of the hit series “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation.” In 2003, she landed the role of humanoid Cylon ‘Number Six’ in the critically acclaimed, award-winning Sci Fi series “Battlestar Galactica,” written and produced by Ronald D. Moore.

In 2008 Helfer joined the cast of the USA Network’s hit series “Burn Notice” for a multi-episode arc and in 2009 she filmed recurring guest spots on the CBS hit show “Two and a Half Men,” and Fox drama, “Human Target.” She also showcased her voiceover talents for mega-hit, video game franchises in Halo: ODST as Commander Veronica Dare, Mass Effect 2 as EDI, and lead character Sarah Kerrigan in the Bizzard’s Starcraft 2.

Helfer will next be seen as new series regular in Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Dark Blue” opposite Dylan McDermott. Helfer will also be seen in the upcoming horror thriller “Open House” co-starring Brian Geraghty and Stephen Moyer, and in “A Beginner’s Guide to Endings” with Harvey Keitel, Scott Caan and JK Simmons (both films releasing in 2010).

In her down time, Tricia is an avid motorbike rider, likes to hike and dedicates herself to animal causes.

Del Toro at the Times Center on Tuesday!

Guillermo del Toro, the author-director-writer-producer of Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and so much more will talk with New York Times theater critic Jason Zinoman about The Fall, the second book in his best-selling vampire trilogy, The Strain, at 7 PM on Tuesday. Buy your tickets now at http://nytimes.whsites.net/timestalks/

Check out the site, too, for the other upcoming New York Times events -- including sessions with personalities ranging from Alton Brown to Tracy Morgan.

And -- if you're quick -- you can get tickets to James Earl Jones at the Times Center tonight!

Brick Artist Nathan Sawaya Comes to New York Comic Con!

NYCC is a celebration of the full spectrum of pop culture, comics, movies, television, toys, anime, video games, and – generally – stuff that’s cool. Today, we’re proud to welcome a guest that lives in two of these realms – toys and stuff that’s cool. Brick artist Nathan Sawaya will be at NYCC, exhibiting on the show floor, displaying his work, speaking about his craft, and maybe building a thing or two. Nathan is a New York-based artist who focuses on large-scale sculptures using only toy building blocks: LEGO bricks to be exact. For years, Nathan’s touring exhibit – The Art of the Brick – has entertained and inspired art lovers and toy lovers around the globe. (It’s also the only exhibition focusing exclusively on LEGO as an art medium.)

Nathan has more than 1.5 million colored bricks in his New York art studio. His work is obsessively and painstakingly crafted and is both beautiful and playful. Sawaya’s ability to transform LEGO bricks into something new, his devotion to scale and color perfection, the way he conceptualizes the action of the subject matter, enables him to elevate an ordinary toy to the status of fine art. And, for locals, he also likes to do LEGO graffiti now and then.

According to journalist Scott Jones, “Sawaya is a surrealist mash-up of forms and artists. Imagine Frank Lloyd Wright crossed with Ray Harryhausen, or Auguste Rodin crossed with Shigeru Miyamoto, and you start to get a sense of where Sawaya is coming from.”

For more information about Nathan Sawaya, including a gallery of his artwork, visit www.brickartist.com.

Stay Geeky This Week!

What's up this week in NYC? Plenty! Some big names are visiting NYC and some major events are going on all week long. Get a glimpse as one of this week's goings on right here, and get times, locations, and more at nerdyorkcity.com.

MONDAY
James Earl Jones at The Times Center
The Breakfast Club: 25th Anniversary Screening
Whiplash at the UCB Theatre

TUESDAY
Guillermo del Toro at The Times Center
Toko Furuuchi Concert at Joe's Pub

WEDNESDAY
Guillermo del Toro The Fall Booksigning

THURSDAY
Museum of Chinese in America Target Free Thursday
Author Lisi Harrison - Monster High Booksigning
Samurai Sword Class NYC Meeting
William Gibson Book Signing

FRIDAY
New York Film Festival
Tokyo Twilight - Yasujiro Ozu at IFC Center
Showgirls - IFC Center Late-Night Favorites
MoMA Target Free Friday
Bryant Park Fencing
A Night at the Museum Sleepover
13 Colonies Wine Tasting Series
Dances of Vice September Songs: A Tribute to Kurt Weill

ALL WEEK
Samurai in New York at the Museum of The City of New York
Bela Lugosi’s Dead, Vampires Live Forever at BAMcinématek
Maekake: Traditional Japanese Apron Exhibit at Kinokuniya
Künstlerplakate: Posters from East Germany
Woodcuts in Modern China at The China Institute
Japan Fashion Now at FIT
New York Television Festival
Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool at Asia Society
Juggling in Bryant Park

Sunday, September 19, 2010

It's coming...

The New York Television Festival Kicks Off Tomorrow!

Like TV? Live in NYC? Hit up the New York Television Festival, kicking off in Manhattan tomorrow! The NYTVF was founded in 2005 as the industry's first recognized independent television festival, providing a platform to elevate the work of artists creating for the small screen. Held annually each fall in New York City, the birthplace of modern television, the Festival unites artists, executives, industry figures, and fans together in one forum to celebrate the medium and to help shape its future.

The NYTVF's Independent Pilot Competition has established a pipeline allowing producers, writers, and directors to showcase their original TV pilots directly to the decision-makers of the industry. In its first three years, the Festival has featured acclaimed independent pilots that were purchased by networks such as NBC Universal, A&E, and Versus, and that landed a number of TV producers and creators in meetings with major networks and production companies. The NYTVF offers the next generation of storytellers unprecedented access to development executives and producers looking for the next hit show. All you need is an idea and a video camera.

Along with the Independent Pilot Competition, the Festival presents parties, seminars, and other special events designed to honor television as an institution and as an art form. In 2006, the Festival launched its first “Premiere Week” screening series, which last year featured star-studded, red-carpet debuts of new fall shows from major networks such as NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, The CW, and HBO. In 2008, the NYTVF launched its first ever Industry Day, inviting some of the biggest names in the industry to discuss contemporary issues and future trends affecting both casual fans and TV insiders. The inaugural Digital Day was also presented with MSN, providing a forum for discussions and screenings highlighting the creative frontiers of digital serialized content.

With new platforms and technologies outpacing the current supply of programming, there has never been a better opportunity for aspiring television creators to have their voices heard. The NYTVF spotlights talented artists with the vision and creativity to invigorate the television landscape. Now, for the first time, the doors to television are open.

Find out more at www.nytvf.com.

Mr. Pugsly


Yesterday, NYCC had a volunteer meeting in NYC. Afterwards, there were pancakes. Then, there was buying cat food. We saw this at the LES pet store we went to. That is all. Or maybe not. Next week is another volunteer meet-up. After that, we're buying Halloween costumes. We've got a plan. A cunning plan. Or a stupid one. One or the other. Either way, enjoy Mr. Pugsly, as he makes all the world right.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Thank You, Japan.



This is Milky Holmes. They're a Japanese music group. Based on Sherlock Holmes.

Caturday!

Friday, September 17, 2010

J. Michael Tatum Comes to NYAF!

Want a nice anime nugget before the weekend? J. Michael Tatum will be coming to NYAF thanks to our friends at FUNimation! Nurtured on anime classics from the tender age of Star Blazers, et al, this reclusive fanboy-turned-voice actor/writer/ADR director/flake extraordinaire spent more years than he cares to remember in what might charitably be described as freefall before landing–mostly by accident—smack dab on the industry of his dreams. To this day, some believe the small crater made by the impact remains the source of his power.

Cast by sheer fluke as the warmhearted yet tormented Rikichi in 2005’s Samurai 7, Tatum’s inexplicable luck held long enough to see his flag hoisted on a slew of dream roles, most notably Kyoya Otori in the hit English language dub of Ouran High School Host Club. Other characters the man still can’t believe he’s had the crazy good fortune to play include: Doumeki in XXXHolic, Jiro Mochizuki in Black Blood Brothers, Isaac Dian in Baccano! God Eneru in One Piece, Komui Lee in D-Gray Man, Dororo in Sgt. Frog, the titular loveable savage of Heroic Age, Lawrence in Spice & Wolf, Scar in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, France in Hetalia: Axis Powers and most recently Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler.

As if being involved with so many awesome shows wasn’t enough, in late 2007 Tatum decided to tempt fate by officially branching out into voice directing and adaptive scriptwriting as well. His directing credits to date include Aquarion, Jyu-oh-Sei, Romeo X Juliet, Big Windup, Rin and Shikabane Hime, while his writing credits include substantial work on both Ouran High School Host Club, Heroic Age, Blassreiter and Dragon Ball Z Kai. He is currently burning the midnight oil on a number of exciting projects due for release later this year. And before you ask, the “J” stands for… Well, it stands for whatever you’d like it to.

Wanna Work With Us?

Are you Passionate? Hard-working? Motivated? A Team-Player? Professional? And Fluent in Klingon? If you can say "yes" to at least five out of six, we'd like to chat. Members of our HR team will be at New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival from 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 9 in Room 1C05.

New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival are created by ReedPOP. It's a tight knit, boutique group within Reed Exhibitions -- the world's largest organizer of exhibitions -- and as ReedPOP's grown by leaps and bounds -- now also behind the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, PAX, Star Wars Celebration, UFC Fan Expo, and the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention -- we're looking to meet with passionate, hardworking, motivated, professional team-players who'd be interested in joining us!

No formal reservations are needed. Simply stop by to meet the team, get information, share a resume, or drop off your business card.

Where's the catch? There isn't one. We've been expanding, and we'd love to invite all of you -- our audience, professionals, and fans -- to meet with the team to see about becoming part of the family. Just note, it's not all fun and games. Putting together New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival is a year-round process in a professional environment. We're looking for people -- either casual fans or hardcore ones -- who can and want to work in a professional workplace, and ideally people who can demonstrate they have worked in a fast-paced one. We've got to stress being part of ReedPOP doesn't mean bellini brunches with Stan Lee and afternoons on Xbox LIVE playing Halo: Reach with Kubo and Kishimoto before jetting off to a movie premiere. It's work. It's hard work. And there's a dress code. Also, the office is in Connecticut. So, there's a commute. I guess that's kind of a catch.

Want more information? Visit us here...
http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Events/Work-For-ReedPOP/

Dog lovers need not apply.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Speed Dating Lands at New York Comic Con and The New York Anime Festival!

We had the joy and privilege of working with Gi-Ganakin, DJ MadKidJedi, and TB-2709, otherwise known as the Scout Trooper of Love, at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year. They hosted jam-packed speed dating sessions down in Orlando, and we're excited, now, to have them at NYCC and NYAF -- hosting three speed dating sessions in NYC! Sessions are free, filled with good music, great company, and the thrilling potential to meet your own super hero or shinobi. Speed Dating's blind dates last three minutes, but if sparks fly, you're set for a lifetime of love.

Think this is funny? Clever? Geeky? Odd? Exciting? Cool? It's a mix of all the above, and it's also something new for NYAF and NYCC, and it's something we're excited to have.

You can sign up at the door for any of the three sessions or apply online right now, as we've currently taking a limited number of pre-registrations. Get more information about Speed Dating and sign up right here...

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Events/Speed-Dating/

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Dean Haspiel and Doctor Who in NYC Tonight!

It's hump day. It's hard. I know. But, I've got two geeky poisons that'll make it a bit better. Two nerdy events going on down tonight...

Dean Haspiel Signing at Midtown Comics
Meet Dean Haspiel (The Quitter, Act-I-Vate Primer, The Alcoholic), signing CUBA: My Revolution at Midtown Comics Grand Central. Starts at 6:30 PM. (459 Lexington Ave)

Doctor Who New York Meet Up at the Peculier Pub
Join NYC's Doctor Who fan group -- Doctor Who New York -- for their monthly pub drink ups. Eat, drink, and don't forget to bring your sonic screwdriver. Starts at 7 PM. (145 Bleecker St)



Events by way of nerdyorkcity.com.

What The Hell Is The Cultyard?

The Cultyard is an oasis of pop surrealist, street art and other subculture art movements smack dab in the middle of New York Comic Con. That's what. Trust me, this is not like anything you've seen at NYCC, we've gone downtown on you.....




The concept of the Cultyard is more than just a few aisle of toys and art. We are going for a community and interactive feel where attendees can stroll through mini-galleries, meet artists, experience live art and hang out and enjoy the atmosphere in the Cultyard lounge. We're even working on an interactive art display for attendees. It seems that we've struck a nerve in the toy, art, and lifestyle scene. We have a lot of big name artists attending from various corners of the spectrum (Simone Legno, Tara McPherson, Pushead, and the list goes on). We've attracted first timers like kidrobot and Tokidoki to participate as exhibitors.

Also worth noting is that we are sponsoring an event hosted by Yosi Sergeant called Reform school. Reform school is essentially an art installation supporting education reform and awareness. Yosi worked directly with Shepard Fairey to design and launch the Obama Hope campaign during his inauguration. Yosi is an icon in the art scene and his gallery event is taking place downtown over the dates of NYCC. His Friday night opening is a red carpet type of event with a-list talent. It's an awesome event for NYCC to be involved with as it provides exposure to a audience that is not all that familiar with our industry. My hope is to expose the comic scene to a new crowd.

Check out the robust Facebook page chock full of Cultyard goodness right here.

Here are a some of the companies you'll see in the Cultyard:

  • Badge Bomb
  • Chocolate Soop & Sketchbot
  • Effigy Skateboards
  • Elite Gudz
  • ESC-Toy
  • Executive Replicas
  • Go Hero
  • Jailbreak Collective
  • kidrobot
  • Lost Art Chains
  • Mimoco
  • Monster Worship
  • myplasticheart
  • Onell Design
  • Raje
  • Retro-A-Go-Go
  • RockLove Jewelry
  • StrangeCo
  • Tara McPherson
  • Tedde
  • Tenacious Toys
  • Tokidoki
  • Toy Tokyo
  • Toyqube
  • Zero Friends

Here are some of the artists you can meet in The Cultyard:

  • AW177
  • Adam Miller
  • Brent Nolasco
  • Chauskoskis
  • Cope 2
  • David Horvath
  • Jason Freeny
  • Mike A
  • Mr.Den
  • Narek Gevorgian
  • NEMO
  • OsirisOrion
  • Phetus
  • Pushead
  • Red Nose
  • Rich Woodall
  • Rolo Ledezma
  • Ron English
  • Simone Legno
  • Serban Ionescu
  • Sebs
  • Sket-One
  • Steve Talkowski
  • Such
  • Sucklord
  • Tara McPherson
  • Valerie Gudell
  • VISEone

-L

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Avatar Press Ultimate Experience Package!

Avatar Press is coming to New York Comic Con and bringing guests Max Brooks, Mike Wolfer, Jacen Burrows, and Brian Pulido. And they're offering a select number of packages offering special access to their guests and a lot more.

The Avatar Press Ultimate Experience Package includes tickets to the con, access to their guests, and a mountain of swag. Added up, it’s a $400 value – at a price of only $150. And Only 100 are available. In addition to a weekend pass to the show, express access to Max Brooks, Mike Wolfer, Jacen Burrows, and Brian Pulido (and no limits on the number of items signed), this package is filled with an instant Avatar Collection Library for both new and dedicated collectors and Avatar Con Survival Gear. To get full details about the comics, exclusives, and everything else included, please visit http://www.avatarpress.com/con-package/new-york-comic-con-avatar-vip.

We're excited to have an exhibitor offer their own Ultimate Experience package, but note, though, that this package is offered by and fulfilled by Avatar Press. While it includes a ticket to New York Comic Con, this package does not include the perks and privileges of the NYCC VIP Passes offered earlier in the year.

A Few CV Updates with Lance

It’s insane that Star Wars Celebration V was barely a month ago. I think that was one of my favorite events that we’ve run. Amazing fans, killer content, great merch to peruse. Really amazing. Plus I got to hang out with the man himself, George Lucas. He was really gracious in meeting a few people from my team and afterwards, one of them turned to me and said he could cross meeting George Lucas off his “things to do before he dies” list. That’s pretty cool.




A few quick hits…..

We announced the final numbers for CV on SW.com, you can read what Pablo wrote right here.

If you didn’t get a chance to buy merch from the show store or the art exhibit at the show, or you didn’t get to go at all, Star Wars Shop has a bunch of cool CV merch on the site now, click here.

Thanks to everyone that filled out our post show survey’s we sent out, we got some pretty amazing feedback. I know those things are a pain, but almost 7,000 people completed them which is an insane number and says a lot about how much you all care about Celebrations.

Also, those survey’s will help us decide when and where the next Celebration happens! Stay tuned on that. I’ll be sporting my CV Boba Fett hoodie on the cold nights out in San Francisco this week and talking things over with our pals at Lucas……

I think this picture sums how the entire ReedPOP team felt about CV. If you bribe me, I’ll give you the email addy for the ReedPOP staffer pictured here.

-L

Monday, September 13, 2010

Waiting To Get Your NYCC Tickets in the Mail? Read This!

I just put this info in another post, but I thought it'd be worth calling out again......

If you are waiting for your NYCC tickets to arrive at your house, we will start mailing them this week. So please, wait two weeks before sending me an email asking where your tickets are. We still have em, but you’ll have em soon.

I promise.

Still need your tickets, its quite easy, really. Just buy em online here or find em at a local NY retailer from the list here.

See you at the con,

L

NYCC Update With Lance

Greetings Internet. Brutal stretch of pop culture life for me right now. I’ve had 3 events in the last 5 weeks and now we are barreling head first into New York Comic Con. Forgive the total lack of blogging and thanks to Pete for carrying things here at MAL (MediummatLarge for the uninitiated.)

I’m sort of back in the saddle so expect some content rich posts and a few spoilers in the coming days and weeks. For now, I just happen to have a 6 hour flight, to San Francisco to meet with LucasFilm that is graciously equipped with WiFi. Instead of watching that episode of The Simpsons I’ve seen on Delta 6 times, I’m posting.

Friday night was the deadline to get your NYCC tickets if you want them mailed to your house, hut, cave or whatever dwelling you chose to haunt. Of course you can still buy tickets, you just have to order them online and and pick em up at the show (no big deal, but getting them in your sweaty little hands is a nice convenience). So with that first big milestone behind us, I thought I’d take a closer look at the ticket sales so far. I get a report every day and a detailed report once a week, but I wanted to go spelunking for a few more statistical nuggets and what I found frightened me in a good and powerful way……

So, NYCC tickets so far compared to combined ticket sales of both NYAF and NYCC tickets last year at the same time (4 weeks from the events) look something like this:

Weekend passes – Up 268%
Weekday passes – Up 271%
Professional badges - Up 22%

Yup. No lie. Wow. These are real numbers.

Jump online and order your tickets now or head to a retailer selling them (you can get the full retailer list right here)

Ticket Mailing

If you are waiting for your tickets to arrive at your house, we will start mailing them this week. So please, wait two weeks before sending me an email asking where your tickets are. We still have em, but you’ll have em soon.

Programming Details


We are thinking that we should be able to release most of the programming early next week. Don’t quote me on that, but we are pretty close on a majority of the content.

More in a bit, but in the mean time send me a note, tell me a story, entertain me, this is a long flight.

-L

Tartakovsky's Sym-Bionic Titan Premieres Friday!



Genndy Tartakovsky -- the man behind Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack -- is back, with his Sym-Bionic Titan premiering on Cartoon Network on Friday, September 17 at 8 PM. What's it about? From the Press Release, by way of io9.com...

Sym-Bionic Titan follows the lives of Ilana, Lance and Octus, three alien teens that crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape an evil General who has taken over their home planet, Galaluna. Ilana, princess of Galaluna, Lance, a rebellious but capable soldier, and Octus, a bio-cybernetic robot, must now blend into everyday life in Sherman, Illinois. Posing as high school students, Lance and Octus work to conceal Princess Ilana from General Modula and his hideous space mutants sent to harm the sole royal heir of Galaluna. This motley trio makes a real effort to navigate high school life, all while saving the planet and themselves from an onslaught of inter-galactic attacks. When called into battle, Octus activates the sym-bionic defense program and Ilana, Lance and Octus come together to form the spectacular cyber-giant Sym-Bionic Titan.

Gail Simone! Scott Westerfeld! And More!

NYCC's pleased to reveal Gail Simone is coming to New York City this October! Gail Simone is an award-winning, critically acclaimed writer of comic books and animation. She has had classic runs on titles including Action Comics, Deadpool, Agent X, The All-New Atom, The Simpsons, and The Secret Six, as well as her creator-owned works, Killer Princesses (with co-creator Lea Hernandez) and Welcome to Tranquility. In animation, she's written for Justice League Unlimited and The Brave and The Bold and was co-writer of The Wonder Woman animated film.

It gets better, too. Gail's just one of the 15 new guests now online at newyorkcomiccon.com! From a number of literary names... to Marvel vs. DC's Mike Agrusso... to The Dark Knight executive producer Michael Uslan... to a little comic creator named Ron Garney, we're proud to reveal NYCC's newest guests!

Chris Ramsay, Diana Gabaldon, Gail Simone, Joe Abercrombie, JW Rinzler, Mari Mancusi, Michael Uslan, Mike Agrusso, Naomi Novik, Peter Brett, Ron Garney, Ryan Bodenheim, Scott Westerfeld, Seanan McGuire, and Thomas E. Sniegoski!

Get bios and our full guest list at newyorkcomiccon.com now!

Go Team Venture!



So, so happy that Venture Bros. is back. I wonder if they're coming to New York Comic Con.

BOOM! Explodes at NYCC!

If you check NYCC's guest page, you'll note a few new names. Some of BOOM!'s biggest creators will be coming to New York Comic Con. Chief-Creative-Office Mark Waid -- and maestro behind Irredeemable -- leads off the list, but he's just the start. Who'll be joining him?

Amy Mebberson (Monsters Inc., Muppet Peter Pan), Travis Hill (Cars), Jesse Blaze Snider (Toy Story, Muppet Snow White), Michael Alan Nelson (28 Days Later, Fall of Cthulhu), Johanna Strokes (Death Valley, Galveston), Keith DeCandido (Farscape), David Alan Mack (Farscape: Scorpius), Ian Brill (Darkwing Duck, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers), and James Silvani (Darkwing Duck).

BOOM! will also be offering variants of Darkwing Duck, Mickey Mouse and Friends, Muppet Show, Toy Story, and Armory Wars -- all exclusive to NYCC. (You can see Darkwing to the right.)

Plus, panels. But, we'll be talking about those panels a little bit later. Right now, though, get excited as BOOM! will explode at NYCC!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

True Blood Finale! Venture Bros. Premiere!

True Blood wraps up its year at 9 tonight on HBO. Then, Venture Bros. starts up theirs at 11:30 on Adult Swim. How are you wasting your night?

The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers at Radio City on October 8 & 9

Last week was New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival's ticket mailing deadline. Don't fret, you can still get your tickets, but they just won't be mailed in advance. Assuming, though, with this deadline, you've now bought your ticket to the show, have you given any thought to what you'll be doing after the show floor closes? If you're an anime fan, you've got Puffy AmiYumi, Boom Boom Satellites, X Japan, and VAMPS to look forward to -- and you can grab these concert tickets now at nyanimefestival.com. But what if Comic Con is more your thang? Well, might we recommend The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers at Radio City.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will be presented live to film at Radio City Music Hall for two performances only, on Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th, 2010. Following the success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring's concert last October, the Academy Award-nominated film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, gets the same treatment at the world-famous Radio City Music Hall. Beneath an immense 60-foot screen, Howard Shore’s Grammy-winning complete original score will be performed live to Peter Jackson’s award-winning epic.

The music of Middle-earth will be brought to life by more than 300 musicians, Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki.

Tickets to The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers are available now at www.TheRadioCityLOTRconcert.com. Want a chance to win tickets? Head to www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYCC/Events/Two-Towers-Art-Contest!

What's Nerdy in NYC This Week?

What are you up to this week? Medium At Large and Nerd York City would love to offer up these suggestions...

Every Day
Samurai in New York at the Museum of The City of New York
Bela Lugosi’s Dead, Vampires Live Forever at BAMcinématek
Maekake: Traditional Japanese Apron Exhibit at Kinokuniya
Künstlerplakate: Posters from East Germany
Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool at Asia Society

Sunday, September 12
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice - Yasujiro Ozu at IFC Center
HOWL! Festival
Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tour
Brooklyn Book Festival
Comic Art Con
Brooklyn Roots Experiment Cooking Contest
PaleyFest Fall TV Preview Parties
Harvest Days at the Lefferts Historic House
True Blood Season 3 Finale

Monday, September 13
The Apprentice at The Paley Center
Frederic Tuten's Self Portraits: Fictions at the Strand
Whiplash at the UCB Theatre
Juggling in Bryant Park

Tuesday, September 14
Brooklyn's Maritime Past, Present & Future Cruise
Turn It Up To 11 - Free Korean Movie Night at Tribeca Cinemas
James Ellroy's The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women at the Strand
Red Hook Summer Movie Series
Juggling in Bryant Park

Wednesday, September 15
Dean Haspiel Signing at Midtown Comics
Doctor Who New York Meet Up at the Peculier Pub
Juggling in Bryant Park

Thursday, September 16
Woodcuts in Modern China at The China Institute Begins
Museum of Chinese in America Target Free Thursday
Samurai Sword Class NYC Meeting
The Colbert Report Writers: Seize The Mustard
Juggling in Bryant Park

Friday, September 17
Japan Fashion Now at FIT
Early Spring - Yasujiro Ozu at IFC Center
Eraserhead - IFC Center Late-Night Favorites
MoMA Target Free Friday
Juggling in Bryant Park
Bryant Park Fencing
Dances of Vice City Lights
Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical Encore Show

Get details and a monthly calendar at nerdyorkcity.com.

Brooklyn Book Festival! Today!

Brave the grey skies and showers for the Brooklyn Book Festival today! The Brooklyn Book Festival is a huge, free public event presenting an array of literary stars and emerging authors who represent the exciting world of literature today. One of America's premier literary and literacy events, this hip, smart, diverse gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages. The festival is organized around themed readings and devoted to timely and lively panel discussions with top national and international authors. If you recall, NYCC played a role last year. With this year's NYCC, though, less than a month away now, we're not set up at BBF 2010 with a booth. Still, a few of us will in the crowd, having fun at the Fest. Will we see you there?

Get info at http://brooklynbookfestival.org/