October 2010 Archives

Last year, a small army of the undead marched down 4th Street to a midnight screening of "Night of the Living Dead."

OK, they were a bunch living, breathing human beings dressed as zombies -- but a good time appeared to be had by all.

This year, the blocks between Junipero and Cherry Ave. will be closed Saturday night (tomorrow -- Oct. 30) to allow for zombie turnout. The event is 7:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

The march down 4th Street begins at 8:30 p.m near Portfolio Coffeehouse and concludes at The Art Theatre where the walking dead can attend a 9:30 p.m. screening of "Shaun of the Dead."

For a preview, check out the video from 2009 above and click here to read the entire press release.

The annual comics and pop culture event starts today and 1st District City Councilman Robert Garcia will be side by side with Superman, The Hulk and a regiment of Stormtroopers giving fans the command to "engage!"

And Comic Con organizers are hoping plenty of fans do just that. More than 10,000 are expected at this year's event.

Garcia will also be on hand with artist Tim Bradstreet and actor-director Thomas Jane from "Dark Country" and the HBO series "Hung" for an official shoe opening ceremony at 12:45 at the Long Beach Convention Center. 

Convention hours on Friday are 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Hundreds of creators from comics, television, animation and film are expected over the three days.  Catch a quick list in the posts below this one.

Maybe we'll see you there.


ABOVE: Harley Quinn (Jacqueline Crinnion) and Poison Ivy (Samantha Scharlach) during the opening of Comic Con at the Long Beach (Calif.) Convention Center on October 2, 2009. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/Long Beach Press-Telegram. 
 

If storm troopers or Princess Leia slave girls aren't reason enough to go to the Long Beach Comic Con this Halloween weekend, then how about Mark Waid from BOOM! Studios? The comic book writer promises to answer 50 questions in 50 minutes during an afternoon session on Saturday. (Stephen Carr, Staff Photographer)

When it comes to comic book trivia, writer and BOOM! Studios chief creative officer Mark Waid is tough to stump.

Who wins, Superman or the Hulk? Advantage: Superman.

Or where were the minorities on Krypton? Easy: Vathlo Island.

And you better know the year on the giant penny in the Batcave.

"1947! Come on, what do they teach you, nothing?" Waid said jokingly during a recent interview at his Los Angeles home. "And you call yourself a journalist?"

Fans will get their chance to quiz the BOOM! Studios' "Irredeemable" writer during the "50 Questions in 50 Minutes with Mark Waid" panel at the second annual Long Beach Comic Con Friday through Sunday at the Convention Center.

Waid, who has written numerous titles over his 25-year career featuring popular characters such as Superman, Spider-Man and the Flash, will appear this weekend along with more than 200 guests, exhibitors and artists, including comics legend Stan Lee, "Tron: Legacy" actor Bruce Boxleitner and "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola.

Show organizers plan to kick off the event's first day Friday with artist Tim Bradstreet and actor-director Thomas Jane from "Dark Country" and the HBO series "Hung."

On Saturday, Bradstreet and Jane will present a live commentary during a 3-D screening of "Dark Country."

Last year, more than 6,300 attended the inaugural event. Event planner Martha Donato said this weekend's convention will be in an even larger exhibit space and that she's looking forward to a bigger turnout.

A potential scheduling conflict with some exhibitors also attending the New York Comic Con opened up the idea of setting this year's show Halloween weekend.

Donato polled exhibitors and the response to having the Long Beach Comic Con during Halloween weekend was positive. Many saw it as an opportunity.

"People come in costume anyway. Now's the time to have the excuse to wear it the whole weekend," she said.

There will be a costume ball to benefit the Hero Initiative - a nonprofit that provides financial aid to comic creators - will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Rock Bottom Brewery on Pine Avenue. There's a $10 admission charge.

On Halloween, artists and exhibitors will pass out candy to kids in costume at the convention. Admission is free for children ages 10 and younger.

Friends of Lulu, an organization that recognizes work by and about women in comics and cartooning will present their 2010 awards 7 p.m. on Friday.

Long Beach Comic Con's appeal to many fans and guests is the emphasis on comics and creators.

This year's guest list includes "Ultimates 3" writer Jeph Loeb, "Batgirl" artist Dustin Nguyen, "Jonah Hex" writer Jimmy Palmiotti, "Power Girl" artist Amanda Conner and pros from Aspen Comics and IDW Publishing.

Raw Studios co-founder and "Punisher" cover artist Bradstreet, who was also a guest at last year's event, said planners sought to emulate a more "traditional" comics show like Heroes Con in Charlotte, N.C., or Seattle's Emerald City Comicon.

"The atmosphere of a show is one of the most important things," he said. "They wanted to kind of pattern their show after those successful shows that stayed with their roots in the comics industry."

Donato said the event's popular Artist Alley will be center stage, once again placing the creative talent in the center of an even larger exhibit hall. Last year, more than 200 artists were there sketching and meeting fans.

For aspiring artists, veteran comics editor Barbara Kesel will conduct portfolio reviews at her booth.

For collectors, guests who buy advance weekend passes will have a chance to score one of a 1,000 variant covers of No. 78 of "The Walking Dead."

Waid, who's also writing "The Traveler" with Stan Lee, said a show the size of Long Beach Comic Con enables creators to interact with as many fans as possible.

"As professionals, you know, we're there to pimp our wares, it's true. But more than that, we're there to talk to the fans, that's the fun part," Waid said. "It's fun to sit there and talk to people whose lives have been affected by your work or who are really interested in what you have to say and what you do."

robert.meeks@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1368

Long Beach Comic Con

When: 1-8 p.m. Friday; 10a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., 562-436-3661
Admission: $25 for single-day pass; $30 for single-day pass on Saturday at the door; $45 for three-day pass; children ages 10 and younger are free. Tickets available at the Comic Con website or participating comic book stores.

The Long Beach Comic Con returns Oct. 29-31 at the LB Convention Center.

The programming schedule for this year's show went online Wednesday and LB Con organizers and exhibitors have lined up more than a hundred guests including writer Mark Waid ("Irredeemable"), Mike Mignola ("Hellboy"), Steve Niles ("30 Days of Night"), Tim Bradstreet and Thomas Jane of Raw Studios ("Bad Planet"), Raina Telgemeier ("Smile: A Dental Drama") and artist Dustin Nguyen ("Batman: Streets of Gotham," "Batgirl') among the bunch.

In the larger Convention Center Hall A, show guests can expect an even bigger Artist Alley than the inaugural show in 2009.  

Also, attendees can expect a number of exhibitors from across the pop culture spectrum. There will be a premiere for the animated Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam and a 3-D screening of Dark Country with live director's commentary by Thomas Jane. 

Director Louis Leterrier ("Clash of the Titans," "The Transporter") and visual effects artist Pitof ("Alien Resurrection") will participate in a Q&A about filmmaking.

On Friday evening Oct. 29 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Long Beach Comic Con and Halloween Long Beach are presenting, what they say, is the biggest costume party ever in town with music, games and more.

For more information on tickets and events visit: www.longbeachcomiccon.com

MTV posted the music video for "Na Na Na" by My Chemical Romance in its entirety.

It features what appears to be a bad guy Grant Morrison (writer "Seven Soldiers of Victory," "Batman & Robin") in a quasi-apocalyptic, Road Warrior world complete with laser guns from vending machines and dudes with names like Jet Star.

Morrison, no doubt, has his cameo by way of his friendship with lead vocalist Gerard Way. Way has proven himself to be an ace comics talent with his and artist Gabriel Ba's Umbrella Academy (one of my favorite books).

 

No, this teaser trailer for "Nemesis" isn't based on Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's comic book about the psycho "Batman" dude, it's a short film by writer-director Will Higo.

It's about a reporter who gets waist-deep in a battle between some street toughs and a mysterious vigilante.

The filmmakers say the project will make the rounds at a number of festivals in coming months.

When I first spied a post about this on Bleeding Cool a couple weeks back, I thought about the Millar project too and was pleasantly surprised that it was something else.  Truth is I was relieved even though I hear Tony Scott is developing a feature based on Millar's "Nemesis." Bottom line is, I'm not too hyped about the comic so the notion of a movie doesn't wow me.

But Higo's project looks like some gritty, vigilante goodness all done on a budget. 

I know... we've heard about last weekend's "Megamind" superhero Guinness throw down, but G4 TV's Sara Underwood and Attack of the Show have nice video showing the scope of the turnout.

And it has Will Ferrell too.


Related:
Will Ferrell wants superheroes to join him for Guinness Record attempt in L.A. 

By now, this story is everywhere so one more place isn't gonna hurt.

Geoff Boucher over at Hero Complex reports that it's official: Zack Snyder ("300," "Watchmen") will be the director for the upcoming "Superman: Man of Steel" film to be produced by Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight") and written by David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan  ("The Dark Knight").

To some film and comic book fans I speak to, this sounds like a dream team, to others, it's scary.

Snyder is known for giving his films a kinetic, post-"Matrix" imagery. A style that's woven into his projects no matter the era or genre. It's a method of filmmaking that thrills most viewers but leaves some cold.

OK, lets see what you Modern Mythology readers think about the news.

I was torn between hustling over to downtown L.A. this weekend to see a Guinness Record superhero gathering and dropping by the local comic shop to distract the 24 Hour Comics participants.

My previous post should give you a clue about where I went this weekend.

Nevertheless, everything downtown at L.A. Live was in good hands.  Reportedly, DreamWorks and actor Will Ferrell gathered enough superheroes (more than 1,579) to simultaneously promote their film "Megamind" and break the record.

So, it was the right choice to leave my cape at home. 

Check out the video clip by Connie Llanos and T. Christian Gapen of the Los Angeles Daily News featuring an interview with Ferrell and some record-breaking highlights.


Related:

Will Ferrell wants superheroes to join him for Guinness Record attempt in L.A.
 

Chris Waterman, left, and Carly "Mizzou" Wagner try to finish writing, drawing and completing a 24-page comic book in 24 hours. The pair and three others were on the job at Long Beach s Pulp Fiction from noon Saturday to noon Sunday. (Brittany Murray / Staff Photographer)

Comic book writer-artist James Riot survived 24 hours among sword-wielding warriors, drunk bunnies and a giant, angry foot while under constant web cam scrutiny. 

So what's next?  Is he going to Disneyland?

Nope, he's going home and doing more work.

The Long Beach resident took a break from his hectic online publication schedule to join a handful of other local creators at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach to burn the midnight ink and generate an entire comic book for 24 Hour Comics Day.

The annual event challenges artists worldwide to create a 24-page comic in 24 consecutive hours.  Not an easy task when a typical comic book of similar size can take more than a month to complete.

Despite that obstacle, Riot and fellow professional comic creator, Carly Mizzou, made it across the 24-hour finish line with all their pages done before noon Sunday deadline with a couple hours to spare.  Three other intrepid artists also made it through the gauntlet but will have some work to go before completing their illustrated stories. 

Part of the challenge is to come up with a story concept when beginning the daylong comic project. For the Pulp Fiction group, those plot lines ran the gamut.

Riot's tale involved swords and supernatural akin to his ongoing King Arthur versus Cthulhu tale "The Path," while Mizzou's story was both fantastical and surreal:  It depicts a hard luck, drug-using rabbit that's taken in by a young girl and her family.

Not the kind of comic one would easily forget.

Artist Chris Waterman said he used 24 Hour Comics Day as an opportunity to try his hand at creating comics like the ones that inspired him in his youth. 

"I want to do this to push myself to do something with my comic stuff," he said.

Waterman didn't complete his book "Metal Head" but he was several pages into a story where a group of super humans are engaged in combat with a gargantuan, malevolent foot.  Yeah... a FOOT.

It's a lot of time working without sleep so things can get hairy before the event comes to an end. 

Despite consuming the equivalent of a case of soda pop, Mizzou said she just about reached her limit the night before, but eventually made it back to the drawing table to finish.

"You didn't see it before, but I was curled up on the floor in a fetal position," she said. "I couldn't draw."

According to the 24 Hour Comics Day website, only four Southern California comic stores were listed as participating sites this year.  The other three were Galaxy of Comics in Van Nuys, 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga and The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach.

As a past site for 24 Hour Comics Day for more than five years, The Comic Bug draws a consistent crowd of creators to test their drawing ability and endurance. However, store reps say attendance was down a bit from last year.    

Daniel Nagami, an assistant manager with the South Bay comic shop, estimated about 40 participants in the event with about half that number toughing it out and turning in the 24 pages.

For those interested in seeing the results of 24 Hour Comic Day challengers, Riot said he and publisher Wowio are inviting participants to submit work that will be collected in a publication that will be made available for digital download at 99 cents per copy.

"We're going to put it up on Wowio and sell it and any proceeds that come from it are going to be donated to the Hero Initiative" he said. "They basically provide retirement funding for comic book professionals we all grew up reading."

Read more coverage at Press-Telegram.com and see James Riot's work at www.wevolt.com/The_Path and Carly Mizzou's work at Creepycarly.com.

Pages from James Riot's 24 Hour Comics Day efforts.  Riot got off to a quick start and managed to finish his 24 pages within the 24 hours, meeting the challenge set in motion by comic creator Scott McCloud in 1990 and taken on by hundreds every year. (Robert Meeks / Press-Telegram) 

By The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO - San Diego will remain home to Comic-Con for the next five years.
 
San Diego city officials and the company that puts on the huge pop-culture event announced a five-year contract Friday morning.
 
The San Diego Union Tribune reports the contracts that Comic-Con negotiated for discounted hotel rates through 2015 were key to the decision.Other cities that tried to woo the company with cheap hotel rooms and convention space included Anaheim and Los Angeles.
 
"It's never been a secret we'd hoped to stay here, but the real challenge was that those who want to attend the event can afford to attend, in terms of size and space and cost," said Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer.
 
Comic-Con started in San Diego in 1970. The event showcasing upcoming movies, TV shows and video games - along with toys, collectibles, costumes and comic books - now draws about 130,000 fans and delivers an estimated $163 million to the city each year.
 
 

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Stephen J. Cannell, the prolific writer-producer of dozens of TV series that included "The Rockford Files" and "The A-Team," has died at age 69.

Cannell passed away at his home in Pasadena, on Thursday night from complications associated with melanoma, his publicist said on Friday.

After three decades as an independent producer of TV shows, Cannell in recent years had focused his attention to writing books, and had published 16.

As an actor, he had a recurring role on ABC-TV's series, "Castle."

ABOVE: Stephen J. Cannell talks about the concentration of media ownership in the hands of a few large corporations at a hearing held by the Federal Communications Commission in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, file)

Film fans who aren't thirsty for the remake of the Swedish vampire hit "Let The Right One In" can watch the original midnight tonight at the Art Theatre in Long Beach.

Not to take anything away from the well-reviewed American version, "Let Me In" directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) and starring Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl in "Kick-Ass") but there's no argument about "Let The Right One In" being greatness personified.

I'm just glad vampires are scary again.

Mondo Midnite at the Art will present the film at 11:55 p.m.  The Art Theatre is located at 2025 East 4th Street Long Beach, CA. 90804 (562) 438-5435.

This weekend, hundreds of artists will make a daring attempt to do in one day what many comic book pros do in a month.

Several creators are expected to meet at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach or The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach to take part in 24 Hour Comics Day Saturday Oct. 2.

The annual event challenges artists worldwide to create a 24-page comic in 24 consecutive hours.

Pulp Fiction and The Comic Bug will officially start their sequential art marathons 12 p.m. Saturday and continue until noon the following day.

To some it sounds easy. I once did a comic in a single day when I was about 15 years old and the task was complicated and exhausting.  

The pencil art alone for a 22-page comic book can take up to a month to finish.  Throw in all the other components; story, inking, lettering, colors and a single project can take months. 

Organizers consider the definitive 24 Hour Comic to consist of ONE creator doing a 24-page book with completed story, art, lettering, proofreading, paste-up and colors (if you're using them). According to the sponsors site, your pages can be just about any size you want as long as there's 24 of them.

However, the organizers are quick to point out that making the effort and sharing the challenge with fellow creators are the true prizes. And if spending 24 hours working with a partner to create a comic is the goal, then that's fine.

Mike Wellman, co-proprietor of The Comic Bug, said he's hosted 24 Hour Comics Day for six years and the number of artists who eventually cross the finish line is astonishing.

"I would say more than half of the people usually finish," he said. "When there's more people in the room it kind of affects the energy."

Wellman expects more than 60 participants and store guests at this year's event.  Among that number are some established comics professionals including Brad Rader (Fogtown) and Nat Gertler.

Meanwhile, at Pulp Fiction, 24 Hour Comics Day will be covered around-the-clock by digital content publisher WOWIO in a live video stream at www.ustream.com/wowio.  

Space to push pencils, stack pages and snore is limited at these locations.  Call or e-mail stores for more information.

Pulp Fiction is located at 1742 Clark Avenue Long Beach, CA. 90815 (562) 986-4154

The Comic Bug is located at 1807 1/2 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA. 90266 (310) 372-6704

Making a comic book in 24 hours first gained notoriety by way of writer-artist Scott McCloud, who is also widely known as a leader in comics theory (Understanding Comics).  In 1990, McCloud challenged another graphic arts notable, Steve Bissette (an artist on DC Comics' Swamp Thing) to create a comic book in a day. McCloud and Bissette pushed each other to finish within the allotted time and the results of the challenge helped inspire the annual 24 Hour Comics event kicked off by writer-publisher Nat Gertler in 2004. 

Also, there's no stopping some of you creative types from picking up paper, pencils and pens and working along with hundreds of others from the comfort of your home.

Nevertheless, here's a list of other participating sites around California down page or after the jump.