Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 27, 2014 19:05:41 GMT -6
Hey, did you know those movie superheroes started out in comic books? That’s the angle reporter Jonathan Van Dyke takes in his article on Long Beach Comic Con, and given the much larger audience for movies, it may be an effective one. He also gives a pretty good rundown of what to expect at the con, for those planning to go.
www.gazettes.com/lifestyle/artists-get-due-during-long-beach-comic-con/article_cd93089a-44f9-11e4-a936-4fefe7a041a8.html
Most comic book movies have to start at the beginning — the origin story. But what about the origin of those characters before they hit the silver screen? That’s what the Long Beach Comic Con specializes in.
“I think our’s is true to what the original intent of a comic convention was,” said Martha Donato, convention executive director. “We don’t have a lot of celebrity guests unless they make perfect sense. We’re going to stay the course with that and it differentiates.”
What the Long Beach Comic Convention does have is an Artists Alley with more than 200 creators and more than 200 booths of collectors and comic publishers showing all sorts of ink on the page.
“I think there is a lot of attention being paid to nerd and geek culture right now and those are the people who are passionate about the work,” Donato said, noting it is possible someday that Hollywood will lose its current comic fervor. “They know every detail about the comic and the source material. The actual creators and publishers, that’s not going away and that is a tried and true industry. The comic book piece of all of this is not going to go away.”
To that effect, this year’s convention will have a massive list of Guests of Honor: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Afterlife With Archie”), Michael Allred (“Silver Surfer”), Laura Allred (“Silver Surfer”), Sandy King Carpenter (“Asylum”), Joe Casey (“Man of Action”), Amanda Conner (“Harley Quinn”), Chris Dingess (“Manifest Destiny”), David Gallaher (“The Only Living Boy”), JT Krul (“Jirni”), Mike Mignola (“Hellboy”), James O’Barr (“The Crow”), Jimmy Palmiotti (“Sex & Violence”), Jamie S. Rich (“Archer Coe and the Thousand Natural Shocks”), Duncan Rouleau (“Man of Action”), Steve Seagle (“Man of Action”), Marc Silvestri (“Top Cow”), Richard Starking (“Elephantmen”) and Babs Tarr (“Batgirl”).
There will be panels galore. Some will be devoted to characters like Batman, Hellboy and the Crow. Others will be publisher spotlights led by groups like IGN and The Nerdist. Hero Complex panels will tackle “Robot Chicken,” “Young Justice” and the plight of women in the comics industry.
“The #MakeComics panels are a whole track of programming geared toward the art of drawing comics, the art of inking and the wonderful world of color,” Donato said. “It’s just the whole behind-the-scenes look with creators.”
Nerds Like Us will be presenting a large Cosplay Contest, where people can dress up as their favorite characters and win awards in categories like Best in Show, Best Hero and Best Villain.
“There’s been a movement over the last few years with cosplayers becoming almost like professionals,” Donato said. “They’ll be there and interacting with fans and taking photos.”
There will be panels for children and booths where you can create your own superhero or where artists can sketch your favorite existing one. And there will be comics — with the simple interaction of fan and creator.
“People love everything about this,” Donato said. “When you can go to a convention and ask a creator why they took a character in this direction or why did you draw it this way, it just gives a close feeling with the whole comic community.”
The Long Beach Comic Con will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27-28 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The weekend pass will cost $45, Saturday will cost $30 and Sunday will cost $20.
For more information, visit www.longbeachcomiccon.com.
www.gazettes.com/lifestyle/artists-get-due-during-long-beach-comic-con/article_cd93089a-44f9-11e4-a936-4fefe7a041a8.html
Most comic book movies have to start at the beginning — the origin story. But what about the origin of those characters before they hit the silver screen? That’s what the Long Beach Comic Con specializes in.
“I think our’s is true to what the original intent of a comic convention was,” said Martha Donato, convention executive director. “We don’t have a lot of celebrity guests unless they make perfect sense. We’re going to stay the course with that and it differentiates.”
What the Long Beach Comic Convention does have is an Artists Alley with more than 200 creators and more than 200 booths of collectors and comic publishers showing all sorts of ink on the page.
“I think there is a lot of attention being paid to nerd and geek culture right now and those are the people who are passionate about the work,” Donato said, noting it is possible someday that Hollywood will lose its current comic fervor. “They know every detail about the comic and the source material. The actual creators and publishers, that’s not going away and that is a tried and true industry. The comic book piece of all of this is not going to go away.”
To that effect, this year’s convention will have a massive list of Guests of Honor: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Afterlife With Archie”), Michael Allred (“Silver Surfer”), Laura Allred (“Silver Surfer”), Sandy King Carpenter (“Asylum”), Joe Casey (“Man of Action”), Amanda Conner (“Harley Quinn”), Chris Dingess (“Manifest Destiny”), David Gallaher (“The Only Living Boy”), JT Krul (“Jirni”), Mike Mignola (“Hellboy”), James O’Barr (“The Crow”), Jimmy Palmiotti (“Sex & Violence”), Jamie S. Rich (“Archer Coe and the Thousand Natural Shocks”), Duncan Rouleau (“Man of Action”), Steve Seagle (“Man of Action”), Marc Silvestri (“Top Cow”), Richard Starking (“Elephantmen”) and Babs Tarr (“Batgirl”).
There will be panels galore. Some will be devoted to characters like Batman, Hellboy and the Crow. Others will be publisher spotlights led by groups like IGN and The Nerdist. Hero Complex panels will tackle “Robot Chicken,” “Young Justice” and the plight of women in the comics industry.
“The #MakeComics panels are a whole track of programming geared toward the art of drawing comics, the art of inking and the wonderful world of color,” Donato said. “It’s just the whole behind-the-scenes look with creators.”
Nerds Like Us will be presenting a large Cosplay Contest, where people can dress up as their favorite characters and win awards in categories like Best in Show, Best Hero and Best Villain.
“There’s been a movement over the last few years with cosplayers becoming almost like professionals,” Donato said. “They’ll be there and interacting with fans and taking photos.”
There will be panels for children and booths where you can create your own superhero or where artists can sketch your favorite existing one. And there will be comics — with the simple interaction of fan and creator.
“People love everything about this,” Donato said. “When you can go to a convention and ask a creator why they took a character in this direction or why did you draw it this way, it just gives a close feeling with the whole comic community.”
The Long Beach Comic Con will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27-28 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The weekend pass will cost $45, Saturday will cost $30 and Sunday will cost $20.
For more information, visit www.longbeachcomiccon.com.