Tag: San Diego

Fans of the upcoming Pennyworth series will be transported to 1960s London this Comic-Con

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.

Since this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, there has been a big push in asking convention goers and fans of Comic-Con what the museum should feature, ranging from topics discussed to what “superhero-inspired drinks” should be served in the café. Keegan referred to this as “Fan Curation.”

Despite not even having an official opening date planned, the former Hall of Champions Sports Museum and the future home of the Comic-Con Museum opened its doors for the first time to the public for the Maker Faire weekend.

Unlike the first wave of the DC Artist Alley line which had the “cute and creepy” styling of artist Chris Uminga, the newest one has instilled Nooligan’s signature look, which takes heavily from cartoons, movies, golden age comics, and classic newspaper strips. The final product not only does justice to the iconic characters of Batman, The Joker, and Harley Quinn, but also showcases Nooligan’s unique interpretation.

Early in the morning of every first official day of San Diego Comic-Con, the Hasbro Toy Company delights the press with a promise of food and toys. This year, they delivered a veritable buffet of both; so much so that I didn’t know exactly where to start.

Even before the start of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con Preview Night, DC Collectibles released a startling amount of information regarding their upcoming statue and figure lines. So, when it came around to the next day’s DC Collectibles panel attended by moderator Paul Malmont, Art Director Travis Hastback, artist Joe Ledbetter, artist Chrissie Zullo, Executive Creative Director Jim Fletcher, Special Makeup Effects Artist Rick Baker, and sculptor Paul Harding, much of the information they discussed was more of a reiteration from the day prior.

“Seeing as we always run over every year, let’s get started,” said Rogers after his customary introduction and reminder of one topic of discussion per-person since there is always a large line. It was almost comical when the first person at the microphone responded to Rogers’ request of one item per-person, “That said, I have a list of ten questions.” A mixture of laughter and groans throughout the crowded responded.

Unable to wait for the start of San Diego Comic-Con, DC Collectibles has just announced new additions to their ever-growing library of figurines and statues. Headlining this news are three statues to be released based off the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures’ Aquaman film. Each one will be based off the actors’ portrayal of the comic book characters; Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Amber Heard’s Mera, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta. Each will be done in great detail and stand at 12” tall. They are expected to hit store shelves November 2018, a month before the movie’s December 21st release date.

The first wave in the line features the iconic trio in various different forms: Standard Edition (limited to 3,000 units); Black and White Variants (limited to 500 units); Zombie Variants (limited to 1,000 units and exclusive to Hot Topic); Villain Variants (limited to 1,000 units and exclusive to Gamestop); Glow in the Dark Variants (limited to 1,000 units and exclusive to Box Lunch); and the San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives that come in Classic Variant (limited to 1,500), Flashpoint Variant (limited to 750), and Black and Gold Variant (limited to 300), all of which are exclusive to the Entertainment Earth booth #2342. Each figure, save for the Comic-Con exclusives, will retail for $40. Entertain Earth’s Classic Variant will go for $60, their Flashpoint Variant for $75, and their Black and Gold Variant for $100. DC Collectibles was gracious enough to send us the Hot Topic exclusive Zombie Variants.

My packing list for San Diego Comic-Con hasn’t grown much since starting these gear lists. If anything, I’ve been removing more and more from the list to become more streamlined and effective, inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupery: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

InterGalactiCon is the brainchild of former Playstation and DEF CON EXEC Steve “Captain” Kirk, who The Beat interviewed last month. When asked the reason for creating InterGalactiCon, Steve had said, “We wanted to design this as an experience. Something broad like Comic-Con can be, but more accessible and more-easy to get into. More space and easier to interact with your friends.” InterGalactiCon has been Steve’s passion project for more than sixteen-months now, consuming his days and nights with planning.