Con Wars! It’s Jocks versus Nerds in the Battle for Downtown San Diego!
By Bruce Lidl The on-going saga of the city of San Diego’s attempts to keep Comic Con happy in its home town, despite the explosive growth of attendees, the lack of convention center space and the traditional bad relations between Con-goers and local hotels, seemed to have been settled amicably in 2010. San Diego pledged to expand its convention center and the Con organizers responded by committing to remain in San Diego for the time being, despite the active, almost desperate, wooing by both Anaheim and Los Angeles. Now, barely two months after a blissfully relocation anxiety free Comic Con 2011, the city’s financial plan necessary for the expansion to take place may be in seriousjeopardy. In a move reminiscent of all too many teen movies and afternoon specials, the local jocks, in this case the San Diego Charger professional football team are dead set on grabbing the lunch money away from the nerds of Comic Con. In a move that has surprised even the most jaded of localpoliticalobservers, the Chargers organization has declared their ambition to force the money allocated for Convention Center expansion to be used instead for a new football stadium. The current city plan calls for an increase in the hotel tax for visitors staying in downtown San Diego to be used for building out the Convention Center where it presently stands, but the Chargers, are proposing instead that a convention center/stadium be built on the far side of the Petco baseball stadium in the East Village area of San Diego.
Continue Reading52 issues, and a sellout ain’t the problem
While you can argue just what selling out means, it seems DC aced it this month -- all 52 of the new 52 sold out from Diamond, and all will have 2nd editions. Even Even LEGION LOST, HAWK AND DOVE, ACTION, and BATGIRL will have third printings, and JL #1 is already in its FOURTH printing. That leaves retailers scratching their heads over how to order #2s -- more? less? The same? What would YOU order?
Continue ReadingMore CBLDF Be Counted auctions and a volunteer fair tonight
Share this link on Facebook!TweetThe CBLDF’s Be Counted fundraising drive continues with a ton more auctions, and a Volunteer Recruitment Party tonight: Join the CBLDF at Jim Hanley’s Universe (4 West 33rd St.) this Tuesday evening from 6:30pm-8:00pm for an open call for volunteers. As New York Comic-Con approaches, the CBLDF needs the help of dedicated [...]
Continue ReadingSchmoozing in the White Space: an interview with Lance Fensterman and Peter Levin
[As if New York Comic-Con wasn't shaping up to be mad crazy already, recently a very special invitation only summit for Preview NIght day was announced. NYCC organizer ReedPOP, fellow Reed division ReedMIDEM, the international rights marketplace, and nerd culture media outposts GeekChicDaily and Nerdist Industries have joined together to bring 100 movers and shakers in comics, film games and so on together to talk about changing business models. WHITE SPACE is "designed to foster open, transparent discussion between industry leaders." While everyone waits anxiously by the Blackberry for their invite, we got a chance to talk to Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President of ReedPOP, and Peter Levin, GeekChicDaily founder and CEO to find out just what this geek G8 is all about.]
Continue Reading350 million copies later, Uderzo retires from drawing Asterix
He is perhaps the last great legacy cartoonist still working on his original creation. But at age 84, Alberto Uderzo, co-creator of ASTERIX, one of the world's most popular comics, is hanging up his drawing pen, citing fatigue.
Continue ReadingPeople are talking about Habibi
HABIBI is one of the most talked about graphic novels of the year -- here's a sampling of what people are saying.
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Kibbles ‘n’ Bits, 9/27/11: Analyzing the Liefeld pant
From the Liefeld pant to HOLY TERROR. Whoa.
Continue ReadingThe Shel Dorf Awards — all the winners
Here's the complete list of the winners, which were presented Saturday night at the Detroit Fanfare convention. The Shel Dorf Awards are presented to recognize "the comic industries best and brightest talents" and voted on by fans. The award recognize the contributions of Dorf, the co-founder of the San Diego Comic-Con and a Michigan native, in helping promote fandom and comics.
Continue ReadingDigital Overground: More comic-ready tablets coming soon
With all the recent moves in the digital direction from comics publishers, headlined of course by DC’s New 52 day and date initiative, but also involving Slave Labor Graphics shift, much of the focus has been on the supply side, or how the relationship between print and digital is evolving. However, there have been some new developments on the consumption side of the equation. While the dominance of the iPad as the de facto standard tablet, and hence comic reading device, shows no sign of slowing down, other players have not given up, and Amazon in particular is rumored to have big plans for the end of 2011 that could have a major impact on the comics world. And in fact, Amazon had just invited select tech journalists to an event on September 28 that is widely expected to launch a new tablet version of the Kindle.
Continue ReadingPeople won’t stop making funny cartoons about Starfire
Oh it just won't go away. And in a minute I'll explain why. First, here is perhaps the most worrying response to the Starfire-is-an-emotionless-sexual-predator outcry, from Shortpacked!
Continue ReadingRIP: Sergio Bonelli
Sergio Bonelli, an Italian comics writer turned publisher, has died at age 79. As a writer, Bonelli took over writing the popular strip Tex from his father, Gian Luigi Bonelli, and went on to create ZAGOR (with Gallieno Ferri) and MISTER NO. As publisher, Sergio Bonelli Editore was one of Italy's most influential comics publishers, with such titles as Dylan Dog leading a pack of the kind of swashbuckling adventurers who seemed a throwback to '40s comic strips and could only survive in Italy's very different comics scene. Bonelli was a huge figure in the European comics scene, and his passing will be much noted in the international comics press.
Continue ReadingAttention Batman and Catwoman: Don’t you even THINK about it.
Leaked photos from the LA set of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (oh dear) finally reveal Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) with her cat ears in place, and all is right with the world, even if the above photo of Hathaway with co-star Christian Bale as Batman now sets off all kinds of alarm bells.
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Webcomic alert: Zubkavich’s MAKESHIFT MIRACLE returns
Ten years ago seems like a century in webcomics terms. Jim Zubkavich's MAKESHIFT MIRACLE first ran from Sept 2001 - March 2003. At the time, Scott McCloud noted that it was one of the first graphic novels ever serialized online and completed. But now it's back, in a new version of the story, which Zubkavich describes as "a modern surreal coming of age story. Sandman by way of Stand By Me," with art by Shun Hong Chan. The strip updates Mondays and Fridays, and will eventually be collected in print by UDON -- because now the web-to-print method is industry standard. A lot changes in 10 years.
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