Tag: Conventions

A licensed massage therapist/cosplayer named Amber is concerned by some Wizard shows where something called cosplay massage has been exhibiting, something she feels is unsuitable for a family convention. and it's not just skimpy costumes. Its the element of fantasy entering into a therapeutic service.

Was the giant SCOTT PILGRIM banner on the Bayside Hilton the shark jumping moment we've all been suspecting for the love affair between Comic-Con and Hollywood movie studios? Brooks Barnes and Michael Cieplyreport that the bloom is finally off the Comic-Con rose for some movie studios:

In all the ruckus we have forgotten to talk about the show that is probably, if pressed, my very favorite show of the year, or at least ONE of my very most favorite: HeroesCon, in Charlotte. As always Shelton Drum and his crew -- now aided by the maestro, Rico Renzi -- throw the best damn comic party you can imagine, a three day fest of art, comics, dinner, panels, sketches, strolling, grits and everything else enjoyable you can imagine.

In spite of the dramatic international intrigue Sparkplug Comic Books and its affiliates faced at the Canadian border on the way to TCAF last weekend, we managed to simultaneously invade a whole other continent at Stockholm Sweden’s 11^th Annual SPX Festival. Sparkplug was honored to be invited to the festival for the 3^rd year in a row along with many other hella distinguished international guests.

Speaking of con wars, this rather odd story from UGO goes on and on about how great this weekend's Anaheim Comic-Con is going to be, without ever mentioning of the fact that it is part of the Wizard World Tour:

Con is EVERYWHERE. Some recent reports and notes:

Just in case you wanted MORE evidence of how horrible a comic-con without the comcis would be, here is a VIDEO of that disastrous Reality Rocks Expo we told you abut that featured scores of reality TV stars milling around a bleak, deserted LA Convention Center. Current TV's Ben Hoffman files a hilarious report that reveals just how much reality stars revel in their vapidity. All that is missing is a little cannibalism and you'd have an outtake from THE ROAD.

We had this bookmarked a while ago but it is finally final: The pedestrian bridge over Harbor Drive just outside the San Diego Convention Center has opened, just in time for Padres season -- and Comic-Con! Far from being a simple, utilitarian walkway to prevent pedestrians being hit by a car, trolley or train, the Harbor Drive Bridge is an ambitious structure that has already been nominated for design awards. At 550 feet, it's one of the longest self-anchored pedestrian suspension bridges in the world, and rising 25 feet in the air presents a soaring, nautical walkway that runs from Petco Park to the Bayfront Hilton, all suspended from a 130-ft high pylon.

So after months of hype and bluster, Kapow Comic Con 2011 came to London at the weekend. Promising San Diego in London (overpriced hotels, restaurants you can't get into and panels you can't get near;) at last there was the chance to see what all of the fuss was about.

It was another busy weekend for comics around the globe, as the MoCCA Fest in NYC saw indie crowds gathering to buy the latest literary comics. Meanwhile in London, it was the inaugural Kapow! festival, organized by Mark Millar and his friends. From all accounts, although the show sold and had a capped attendance of only around 5000 people, it did achieve some of that "Movie-con magic":

WonderCon? FUNdercon is more like it. Just this once, we decided to take time off at a show to chill and hang out with pals instead of running around like a maniac. Oh sure, we had our Henry Cavill sighting and late night Fix Comics talks. But the great thing about WonderCon is that you can walk the floor of the Moscone Center taking pictures of people in costumes, and buying sketchbooks from your favorite artists and watching exclusive trailer footage...and then run outside and eat or shop in a full-service, world class city, with ocean front views, tiki bar decadence and other exotic thrills a short ride ride away.

The main word yesterday here was BUSY. Everyone who thought this would be a more chill version of SDCC has found that yesterday, anyway, was more just a scaled down version of SDCC, with giant crowds and lines. But that's not a bad thing. Publishers and cartoonists were selling out of things left and right, and there was lots of buzz about comics. We'll have a fuller report later.