Tag: Comic Fest

I don’t think there’s a person alive who would debate the fact that Sergio Aragonés is the world’s greatest living cartoonist. So many industry giants look up to this man for his cartooning talent. The fact that he’s going to celebrate his 60th year at MAD Magazine with us, I could not be more thrilled to have him. Everyone loves his work. He’s so highly entertaining and funny. It just floored me when he actually said yes to being the guest of honor, because at the heart of it I’m still a fanboy and I do not know anyone on this planet that is not a fan of his work. To be able to highlight Sergio’s career and all that he’s done is immense and I cannot stop being excited about it.

Headed by Mike Towry and Chairman Matt Dunford, this convention pays homage to the early days of Comic-Con. Organizers of Comic Fest pride themselves in its intimate setting. In many ways, I find it to be quite charming, lacking the Hollywood of Comic-Con and instead allowing attendees and invited guests to mingle together. A lot of love goes into this convention.

“Five years ago, Marvel was in charge, and they ruled everything I did as a retailer. It was ‘Marvel first.’ Now, they are the bastard children of the industry. I’ve lost probably 25% of my comic readership because 25% of my Marvel fans got tired of my higher cover prices, the non-sequitur storylines, the almost incomprehensible X-Men this and that… Marvel has done nothing to drive the industry towards us.”

Looking back, Berger could see how the idea was very much in Shelley Bond’s and Vertigo’s interests. “The thing about Grimm Fairytales, the real fairytales, are that they are frick’n scary and bloody,” she said. “There is something domesticated about them nowadays… And I think most people today have their ideas of fairytales because of Disney.”

“You can count the comic book editors on one hand who are so influential to the medium and whose vision for their material is so strong that they really define a brand that gives the audience that kind of confidence. And one of them is here to my left, Karen Berger.”

“If we have it that one culture can’t tell the stories of another culture, we restrict ourselves.”

Sometime after this, Pixar contacted Alcaraz. “They invited me for a ‘little-chat,’” he said. When they asked for his help to work on the movie, Alcaraz was stunned. “I was thinking, ‘wow universe, you have a sick sense of humor.” But, Alcaraz saw this as a great opportunity and accepted it. “I wanted to make sure this wasn’t going to be the Aladdin for Mexicans.”

"What I love most about San Diego Comic Fest is that it dedicates itself to the small, intimate atmosphere. All the while, it still manages to be entertaining."

“[I believe] we have a better guest lineup than many other big conventions. Because of our intimate setting, you aren’t just sitting in front of these comic book legends; you’re hanging out with them.”

With two months left until this year’s San Diego Comic Fest, there is still a world of work ahead for the convention’s organizers. Despite...

Said to be “The Friendly, Intimate Comic Con Experience,” San Diego Comic Fest held a volunteer meeting on Sunday afternoon at the Pacific Beach...

  As a cartoon loving kid of the 90’s, chances are the Batman: The Animated Series was on your “must-watch list.” It’s hard to believe...