Misappropriated Year-End Musings

In the waning episodes of Babylon 5, disgraced Minbari attaché Lennier and an a innocent Centauri ambassador now with blood on his hands named Vir Cotto stare across from each other, alien liquor in hand.  They say, and I paraphrase... "It's been a hell of a day."  "It's been a hell of a month."  "It's been a hell of a year."  Now while these two extraterrestrial diplomats were talking about discovering an ancient evil, a subsequent galaxy-wide war, and the even greater horrors which stalked their halls of government after said evil was vanquished, I want to misappropriate these words and put a positive spin on them.

It's been a hell of a year.  A hell of an awesome year.  The transformation of C2E2.  Jenny and MK joining the team. The launch of PAX Dev and White Space.  Negin and Travis kinda joining the team. The creation of the Secret Snack Stash.  Mike and I coming back from Singapore without new wives and kids in tow.  New York Comic Con crossing the 100,000 attendee landmark  Lance and Larry coming back from the Holiday Party without new wives and kids in tow.

BRAVO!

Each year, we ratchet our sights up higher, and each year -- hand in hand -- we pull each other into and out of some amazing, astonishing, unbelievable things.  I look at all ReedPOP did in 2011, and I then look ahead at the things ReedPOP will do in the next twelve months.  I look at C2E2 and NYC 2011 as the ground floor.  That's where we're starting.  Scared?  Not in the slightest.  Excited?  Absolutely.  We're going to do even greater, even grander things come 2012, and I can tell you why with three simple facts...

We've never had a better sales team.  We've never had a better marketing team.  We've never had a better conference team.

It's been a hell of a year, and I can't wait for ReedPOP to together build 2012. Above, you'll see a photo of the ReedPOP team -- sales, marketing, and conference -- together stuffing bags for New York Comic Con in the middle of a warehouse in New Jersey. It didn't matter if we were Coordinators, Managers, Directors, or VPs. We were there in the thick of it together. Now, while I think we've revised our approach to bag stuffing come 2012, I've never worked with a finer team of people, and I look forward to the excitement, achievements, and challenges ahead!

PS: If you go to Z'Ha'Dum, you will die.

Happy Wholidays

Alright, let's get this out of the way first. The Doctor Who Christmas Special airs tonight at 9 PM on BBC America. I'll be watching it and tweeting about it either at @petertatara or -- more likely -- @nerdyorkcity. While Lance puts up with a lot of my Doctor Who loving antics on the blog, an hour-long liveblog about The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe may be a touch too much.

Moving on, feast your eyes on one of Greg's holiday cookies. He's making some delightful Star Wars cookies whose awesomeness better not be lost on his kids. Greg's making a few dozen but not enough for all our readers and attendees, which is a shame, as we had a fantastic year -- and it's all because of you. Thank
You.

We've all retreated to spend the close of the year with our families, and we hope you're able to do the same, and once Baby New Year arrives on our doorstep, swaddled in an ill-fitting T-Shirt adorned with Doctor Doom Riding a Unicorn, we can't wait to together build an unstoppable, unmissable, unbeatable 2012!

PS: There's an all-day Doctor Who marathon going on right now.

Caturday

NYCC 4-Day Tickets Go On Sale Jan 3

Attention! Attention! 4-Day Tickets to the 2012 New York Comic Con go on sale at 12 Noon NYC Time on January 3rd.  We've had sell out crowds at NYCC for the past few years, and we've been releasing our tickets earlier and earlier to meet the demand.  This time, though, we're trying something different.  To better control ticket counts and spread out the availability of tickets, we'll be taking a staggered approach in 2012, releasing different ticket types at different times in the lead-up to the event.

Our first ticket -- the 4-Day -- will go live at noon on January 3.

This ticket will get you in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as on our Preview Day on Thursday.  We won't be selling Thursday day passes.  If you want to be the first in the show, 4-Day is the way to go.  After the success, too, of our Thursday Preview Hours this year, we'll be expanding our offering.  Details will be coming as we put the tickets out, but we'll be expanding our show floor hours and programming on Thursday, building it into a bigger, better kick-off.

So, take the next two weeks and celebrate with family and friends, but make a note before you've had too much eggnog click over to newyorkcomiccon.com at noon on January 3 to be one of the first to score your ticket to NYCC!

Meet Steve

Meet Steve.  Steve's an artist.  He's coming to C2E2.  He doesn't draw Batman or Wolverine, though.  Nope.  He draws cats.  You can see one of Steve's pieces to the right.  For just $9.95, Steve will draw a cat for you.  You tell him what you want and how your want it, and he'll create a masterpiece smelling faintly like Sharpie.  Steve runs the aptly named iwanttodrawacatforyou.com, where you can see an archive of Steve's work as well as an order form for your own, personalized picture.

Kim spent her last paycheck covering her walls, ceiling, and floor with kitties.

Some Cliff Chiang Batman Sexiness

This isn't necessarily new news, but it is awesome news.  Check out these images for an uttlerly gorgeous Batman: Black & White statue designed by Cliff Chiang and sculpted by Paul Harding.  Based on a much older, vintage depiction of Batman -- hense the pair of pistols -- it's a glorious rendition of a young, green Bruce Wayne in a costume that's both homemade and sexy and sleek.  The statue debuted just prior to NYCC which is why I missed it until now.

I used to be a big statue collector. My adolescent room is fat with statues of Misa Hayase, Cloud Strife, and the like, but it's an expensive hobby and one that requires a lot of space -- not something one's really able to dabble in living in a tiny (yet pricey) NYC apartment.

Still, this statue is sweet, and I'm sure I could find a space for Bruce on my desk.

Are These Your Shoes?

See these shoes? Are they yours? After all the men at the ReedPOP Holiday Party (except Larry) went to push cars out of the mud, I returned dripping from head to toe. I ended up being given these shoes. I presumed Lance tossed them my way, but he says they aren’t his. Are they yours? They’re big, clean, black and white Converse All-Stars, and they’re in Lance’s office now.

Claim them before Heise bedazzles em.

Joe Kubert / George Lucas Fever Dream

When George Lucas wanted to create a promotional poster for his upcoming WWII fighter pilot film Red Tails, he went the route of making a faux comics cover.  And not just doing something in the vein of old WWII comics books, George went and got the king of war stories to draw it.  Comics legend and C2E2 Spotlight Guest Joe Kubert.  Joe spent a good portion of his career drawing WWII comics.  Pulpy yarns like Sgt. Rock, GI Combat, Tales of the Green Beret, and Ghost Tank were Joe's meat and potatoes, and books like these are some of the things he's still best known for.

If you swung by the Red Tails flight simulator at NYCC, odds are you walked away with one of these beauties.

If not, check out this Joe Kubert / George Lucas fever dream right here.

Geek Love Premieres Tonight

Geek Love -- shot at NYCC -- premieres tonight at 9 PM on TLC!

A Week of Loss and Rejoicing

It's been a tremdous week in the comics world. I'm not talking about AVX (which is what the cool kids are calling "Avengers vs. X-Men"), Marvel's return to the Age of Apocalypse, or any other announcements.  No, I'm talking about the passings of Jerry Robinson and Joe Simon.  While all the major blogs have been quick to post up memorials and photos, it's taken NYCC and C2E2 some time.  We've had both Jerry and Joe at our shows, and when a guest passes, we feel it personally.  Last year, when Speed Racer's Peter Fernandez passed, a man I spent a lot of time with, it was like losing a part of the family.  We the same way now with Jerry and Joe.

Both men invented legends.  Both men were legends.  Both men helped to create the comics industry.  They were among the greats who made the bricks and built the walls of the businesses that are today Marvel and DC.  And, to see them, to meet them, to watch them as -- decades later -- they still have fans young and old clamoring to meet them?  It's a brilliant, powerful thing.  It's a great gift to give to fans today, and it's an important duty to give back to these makers of legends.

We don't bring out enough talent like Jerry and Joe.  There aren't that many left, not all the old legends want to be (or can be) around crowds, and -- frankly -- it costs a lot to properly take care of a 70, 80, or 90-year-old Guest of Honor.

It's poignant that C2E2 Friday announced our first guest.  Joe Kubert. 85-years-young, Joe Kubert is a titan in the industry.  He's left his mark of numerous books -- a plethora of war comics and DC characters including Hawkman and Sgt. Rock. He's the father of Adam and Andy Kubert.  He's the founder of the Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art.  We're honored, he'll be speaking and signing at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.

We welcome Joe to C2E2, and we hope you do, too.  We hope, too, you support the Hero Initiative and similar causes, taking care of the constellation of Golden and Silver Age stars fading away.

Caturday

Geek Loves Premieres Sunday On TLC!

Ryan Glitch wants to make people happy.  Coming out to Star Wars Celebration, New York Comic Con, and C2E2, he runs Sci-Fi Speed Dating, and spends his weekends at our shows trying to make love connections between attendees who may be shy, awkward, or otherwise needing a little push to get them out of their shells.  We've had at least one couple get married after meeting at one of Ryan's sessions, and we're excited to be working with him more next year.

Before then, though, he's getting his big break on television on Sunday night.

Ryan and his Sci-Fi Speed Dating will be at the center of Geek Love, a two hour special premiering at 9 PM on December 18th.  Check it out.  This is Ryan, larger than life, filling homes across America. We do a lot of marketing for our shows, typically to the kinds of people who are predisposed to comics, toys, anime, and games.  Geek Love, though, will put Sci-Fi Speed Dating and New York Comic Con in front of the eyes of women and men who've never heard been to either event before -- and very likely -- have never even heard of em.

It'll change lives.  I mean that.  Growing up in a small town in Upstate New York, I couldn't fathom the kinds of things I work on now on a daily basis.  I remember, still, the first time I visited Kinokuniya Bookstore in NYC.  Here I was, a kid from a quiet little town who didn't know anyone else who liked anime or manga, and I stepped into a wonderland devoted to Japanese books and animation.  It changed the world for me.

Geek Love is going to do the same.  It's going to make a lot of people realize they're not alone.  It's going to give a lot of people a glimpse at something they've never seen before.  It's going to open a lot of people to something wholly new, wonderful, and different.  We're proud of Ryan, and we hope you tune in.

Turn on TLC on Sunday night to see some of your fellow fans broadcast coast-to-coast.

Fantasy Football for Nerds

Negin, MK, Kim, and I are locked in a room, fueled by coffee, tea, and Coke, pouring over spreadsheets. We've got stacks of paper, pencil shavings, overheating laptops, and highlighter fumes wafting about the air.

Today's the day we finalize Artist Alley for C2E2. We're sowing up the rankings from a team. We're getting paper cuts. We're telling stories that cannot be shared. We're getting into fights.

Today's a day of important decisions and free pizza. Today's also the day of the ReedPOP Holiday Party. I pray we finish the Artist Alley business before the booze breaks out.

Ghibli Film Series Kicks Off Tomorrow In NYC

NYC's IFC Center and GKIDS (the fantastic people responsible for the New York International Children's Film Festival) tomorrow kick of an unheard of film series -- a magnificent, multi-week retrospective on the work of Studio Ghibli. It runs from December 16th through to January 12th, featuring Castle in The Sky, The Cat Returns, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor The Yamadas, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind, Ocean Waves, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, Ponyo, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Whisper of The Heart all on new 35mm prints.

There are two really awesome things of note -- beyond the general awesomeness of this entire festival.  First up, most festivals will only show a film once or twice, but not this series.  Nope, pretty much everything on the list is being screening at least a half dozen times.  It's the most accessible film series I've ever seen, and it removes any issues or excuses around your schedule.  Can't make it to Mononoke (my personal favorite) tomorrow?  No worries, it's being shown almost every single day until January 10th.

Next up is the the sheer fact that this series is happening.  It's all the work of GKIDS, an organization you may not have heard about, but who is doing very signifiant, brilliant things.  Beyond just running a children's film festival every spring, they're a distributor.  They're the women and men getting The Scret of Kells, Summer Wars, Azur & Asmar, Sita Sings The Blues, and more into theaters.  If there's an important, underground, award-winning children's film, they're likely behind it.

They're awesome.

Huh, I've used "awesome" a lot in this post.  But it is awesome.  All of it.  Join me these last weeks of the year in camping out at IFC Center to take in the past 25 Years of Studio Ghibli!

A Max Android Custom

Check this out. An adorable Andrew Bell Android figure. And one that's a one-of-a-kind custom by Max -- one of Fitchie's kids. Max is just eight-years-old (maybe?), and this is clearly the start of a promising artistic career.

He'll be in Artist Alley at C2E2 customizing Beyblades and Happy Meal Toys and selling contraband Pixy Stix.

Muppetational Christmas: GeekChic Pick of The Week

Each week, we're proud to showcase one NYC happening-- as selected by our friends at GeekChicNYC. This week? The most sensational, inspirational, celebrational Muppetational Christmas ever...

It's time to sleigh and amuse Nick... It's time to light the string of red and green lights... It's time to meet the Muppets at Union Hall alright... That's because toughpigs.com is bringing The Muppet Vault: Christmas there on Sunday. No scrooges like Statler and Waldorf allowed! Not really, they'll definitely be there. The afternoon kicks off with an exclusive screening of A Muppet Family Christmas from 1987. In it, Fozzie (our favorite Muppet) brings the crew to his mom's farm where they hang with the gang from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. It's like Madea's Family Reunion if you replaced Madea with Ma Bear and the movie with something we'd want to watch. You'll also get to see other obscure Henson-made Christmas clips and sing some merry Muppety melodies. Last time they hosted a Muppet Vault, puppeteers Erick Jacobson (Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal) and Matt Vogel (Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Camilla, Sweetums) showed up for a surprise Q&A. The eight dollar cover is less than buying a ticket to see the new movie again and that wouldn't even come with Muppet-themed drink specials and the chance to win prizes. Things get started on the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational Muppetational Muppet show at 2PM. Get your tickets now because it's sure to sell out.

Want to get more news about nerdy events in NYC? Sign up to get them delivered daily into your inbox by GeekChicNYC.

Indy Restoration in NYC

New York City isn't lacking for awesome movies.  We get preview screenings, limited engagements, and repertory showings of classics all the time. (El Topo, Jurassic Park, Midnight in Paris, Blues Brothers, Nightmare Before Christmas, Princess Mononoke, and Totoro are all showing before December is through.)  Of course, there's still the creme de la creme, and that's what IFC Center's just announced.

In honor of Raiders of the Lost Ark's 30th Anniversary, they'll be presenting a special 4K restoration of the film on December 16, 17, 30, 31, and January 1.  Oh so sexy, I know.  For all the details and to snag tickets, hit up IFCCenter.com.

Caturday

What Are You Doing This Holiday Season?

We got an email from one of our partners this week, alerting us of their holiday travel.  As you can plainly see, they're the coolest person in the world...

Wanted to remind the REDACTED team that I will be working from Hong Kong starting this Friday, though December 18th. I will be working and available, but on the other side of the date line. For once I will be ahead! Please allow enough time for any turnarounds and approvals. From December 21st through January 8th I will be in the jungle in Guatemala, with a 4x4 and hopefully some monkeys and jaguars for company. I do not anticipate any reception on any devices, even a GPS. No REDACTED approvals will be going forward during this time, so please plan accordingly.

I'm going to Albany.

NEW-GEN NYCC Trailer

Actually, I don't know if "trailer" is the right word.  It's more a video recap.  Either way, it's from our friends at NEW-GEN, and it highlights their events at New York Comic Con with year.  We worked closely with  NEW-GEN to bring Mark Hamill to the show, and they rounded out the convention with a phalanx of cosplayers and a perpetual mob of hungry fans.  Take a look...

The Question Isn't "Where" C2E2's Artist Alley Is... But "When"...

The deadline for C2E2's Artist Alley application's is tomorrow! 

Want a table beside industry greats and up-and-comers?  It all starts by signing up online.  If you'd like a table amid fellow artists and writers, send us your stuff before December 8 is through.
View the application and get all the information at...

http://c2e2.com/Exhibitor-Info/Artist-Alley-Table-Request/

Kim Likes Wine

We're all different kinds of nerds. I like Doctor Who. Lance likes Legos. Mike likes angry music. Kim, though... Kim likes wine. As such, when she and I made a bet over who'd land a C2E2 Spotlight Guest first, if she won, I owed her a bottle of wine.

This bottle of wine.

This is a 2008 bottle of Trapiche Broquel Malbec. Google tells me it's jammy. Congrats, Kim. Just don't drink it all in one place. Seriously, don't. We worry about you.

Tick Tock! Time's Running Out To Register For C2E2's Artist Alley!

I was going to post a Harry Potter Puppet Pals / Ke$ha Tik Tok mash up because it's vaguely time related.  I've decided against that.  You're welcome.  Instead, just remember to register for Artist Alley at C2E2 by December 8th. 

It's easy.  It's simply.  It's at C2E2.com.

Tea Is For Losers (Like Me)

I collect mugs. Odd, eccentric, bizarre, (nerdy) mugs. It's not something I've ever thought of until right now, but I've got a lot of em. See, I drink a rather large volume of tea and tend to be less then regimented when it comes to doing dishes, so a plethora of mugs is a necessity.

The fact that my mugs are branded with Merlotte's Bar and Grill, the Pawnee Harvest Festival, and Troy and Abed in The Morning, though, is all about making me smile.

I just picked up a fantastic teacup from NYC alternative dish and glassware shop Fishs Eddy adorned with a charming Victorian couple above "Tea Is For Losers" written in elaborate script. What? Yeah, NYC has an indie kitchenware store. New York's awesome.

Anywho, all this is an excuse to post the attached grainy picture, taken while I was in Chicago a few weeks back. It's a mug with the Intelligentsia Coffee name and logo plastered on the side. Intelligentsia's a Chicagoland coffee purveyor from what I gather.

I wanted to steal this mug.

For the record, I didn't.

STGCC Gloomy Bear In NYC!?

This is awesome. It's a Devil Robots Tofu x Gloomy Bear collaboration. It was originally produced for the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Con. And it's here in NYC. Forbidden Planet in Union Square has a few of these little darlings up on the wall.

They've also got the complete Eleven Doctor Micro-Figure set. They don't, though, have the TARDIS kinda-sorta-almost Lego set. Come on, Forbidden Planet, where are my Doctor Who micro-figures supposed to live?

Xenoblade Comes To America April 2012!

So, I'm up early this Saturday morning to get some work done. Naturally, though, I start the morning with a shot of Kotaku to see what's up. Skyrim... Mario Kart... Xenoblade.  Wait.  What?  Xenoblade?  Xenoblade's getting a US release?  The following hour was spent reading up on this and watching trailers and gameplay video.

If all this sounds like a bunch of gobbledegook, Xenoblade is an RPG for the Wii from Monolithsoft and Tetsuya Takahashi, the gentleman behind Xenogears and Xenosaga.  I spent a good portion of my high school career in front of Xenogears, and if you ask my what my favorite game is, my response -- to this day -- will instantly be "Xenogears".  All of Takahashi's Xeno games are distinct but all pull from similar threads ranging from giant robots to religious allegory.  The synopsis for Xenogears is, pretty much, Giant Robots Fighting God.  And, hey, look at that, giantrobotsfightinggod.com is my personal blog.  Total fanboy.

While Xenoblade was released more than a year ago in Japan and has been praised as one of the best RPGs of this generation, Nintendo's been silent on any US release until now.  Just announced, it's hitting the States in 2012.  I couldn't be happier.  Wait.  What?  Xenoblade is coming out domestically in April 2012?  Hey, PAX and C2E2 are in April 2012.

I'd love to show some Xenoblade love at ReedPOP's events next April.

Reggie, call me.

Caturday: ReedPOP's New Marketing Agency

C2E2 Artist Alley Deadline Is December 8!

Just a friendly reminder that the Artist Alley Deadline for the 2012 C2E2 is December 8th.  Submit your info at C2E2.com by then to be in the running for a table in McCormick next April.  Wait untl December 9th?  Well, then, you'll need to email Kim or me, and we'll have to write you a note about being so, so sorry but the deadline's passed.  Let's skip all this and have you apply now...

http://c2e2.com/Exhibitor-Info/Artist-Alley-Table-Request/

PS: I feel Ke$ha's an appropriate, illustrative graphic for pretty much any topic.

Who Wants Weird Japanese Cookies?

Cuz I got em at my desk!

Yesterday, MK said she didn't like green tea much. I asked her what she typically drinks. She confessed she's only tried the little plastic cups by the instant coffee machine.

No.

So, I picked her up some real, authentic stuff from Sunrise Mart by Bryant Park last night. And, since I was there, I also picked up some $3 giant cans of Asahi and red bean and green tea dorayaki. The Super Dry's at home, but I've got the red bean cakes in my office.

Pop in if you'd like one. No one? Really?