Meanwhile, up in Seattle, it’s the Emerald City Comicon, marking the second big comics event in the Pacific Northwest in three weeks. The guest list is an eclectic brew, from Kurt Busiek and Tony Bedard to Bryan Lee O’Malley and Derek Kirk Kim. There are a few media guests,m but even these seem to be part of the gang, like Wil Wheaton and Fat Momma.

ECCC seems to be a thoroughly modern and grown up take on the regional con. It mixes in some of the hallmarks of the Wizard-Era, like variant covers (below) but they are covers for books by Mike Allred and Jay Faerber, so you don’t mind so much. Since it’s located in Indie Central, home to Fantagraphics and a bunch of alterna-toon legends. that side of comics is well represented. And everyone lives in peace and harmony, from what we’ve heard.

Anyway, read an interview with showrunner Jim Demonakos, or eyeball Fantagraphics new offerings at the show. Or attend the party above, tomorrow, or the one below, tonight. Have a good time for us.

England’s biggest comics bash takes place this weekend: the Bristol International Comic Expo, home of the Eagle Awards which will be presented at a star-studded gala, we’re certain, Saturday evening. Since it’s already after noon there, we imagine everyone is already sitting around The Reckless Engineer, where they will remain for the next 60 hours.

A highlight of the programming will be, as always, the Hypotheticals panel:

5.00 PM Hypotheticals: Helmed by Lee “Budgie” Barnett and Dave Gibbons, Hypotheticals returns for its NINTH year at Comic Expo. See Walt Simonson, Louise Simonson, Emma Vieceli and Karen Berger (Vertigo Executive Editor) transported to Earth-Dave and faced with hypothetical scenarios drawn from the comics industry headlines. Variously described as “must see…” and “riotously hilarious”, it’s best summed up by former panelist Mike Carlin’s comment of “More fun than you should be allowed to have at a convention!”

Perusing the guest list, it jumped out at us how many of the guests are now manga artists; not that that would shock anyone, but way up from six years ago the last time we attended.

Sounds like Stumptown was totally teh awesome, and we wish we could have been there. Tom Spurgeon:

Portland is also the home to dozens of cartoonists, a good sign for a city as comics folk can live practically anywhere and are drawn like flies when a comfortable and cosmopolitan city reaches that tipping point where it’s discussed on chatboards and in the blogs of early adopters. What’s interesting about Portland’s assumption of the Comics Town USA title is that it does so without offering a gigantic number of hometown opportunities the way New York, LA or even Kansas City might. There is a small set of newspaper illustration gigs and a few proud local comic book companies where one might assume proximity could be helpful in gaining their attention, but for the most part the comics outfits here in town think nationally/internationally and just live here like everyone else. Comics thrives in the Rose City because Portland fits comics people, and because the large number of working artists has given them a voice and provided their city with another identity in a time when those kinds of things are still important.

§ Rachel Edidin:

Phew–that was a lot of con. Today was more intense at the table, and I hardly had any time to wander. Now, I am entirely braindead, so again, just a handful of notes before I crash. Proper write-up and forum thread tomorrow.

§ Erik Henriksen of The Portland Mercury:

It’s been great watching the fest grow over the years, and I feel like this year, Stumptown has really hit its stride—just from the brief time I spent there today, the vibe was friendly, attendance was good, booths were plentiful, the comics were promising, and the two panels I jumped back and forth between—trying to listen to both at the same time, with, eh, mostly successful results—were a lot of fun.

§ Elijah J. Brubaker:

I got to Trade some books with folks and a little money changed hands. I got some of the new Papercutters from Greg and all the Ivy books that Sarah O has out so far but the really cool part of these kinds of shows is getting books from all the newer people. I mean, I’m still pretty new at this I suppose but I got a bunch of stuff from folks that have just put out books for the first time and that is so great it hurts. With books like Ivy or Papercutter I get to read great stuff from people with real chops but there’s something really enticing to me about seeing raw energy poured out onto the page by someone who doesn’t quite know what they’re doing yet. I’m not saying I enjoy reading a lot of stuff like that but there is a real palpable charm to people that are so excited about the possibilities of the form and the way they just let loose onto a page. I don’t know if I’m making any sense here but rest assured when I get a little sleep I’ll be writing reviews of some of this stuff.

Doubtless more reports will filter in over the next few days. In the meantime here are some Flickr sets. The above photo taken from greyaenigma.

This has been going around in email and blogs, and we’re not really going to get into it too much, but apparently this dude started something at a SF con where men who wanted to grab women’s boobs could do it if the women were wearing a button that said it was okay. If a woman had a button that said “No, it’s not okay” you’re not supposed to grab her boobs, which is gentlemanly. He ended his call for creating an “Open Source Boob Project” that would carry the practice far and wide with the words “Touch the magic, my friends. Touch the magic.”
Our first thought is that we wish boobs really were magic so we could magically change the kitty litter. Our second is that SF cons have this whole “sex positive” thing going on and a lot of people go to them to meet up with other people and some times get it on with other people who like to wear cat ears or whatever. But maybe that is not supposed to be carried over to other areas of life. Val, as usual, put it in some perspective:

I think if people want to have adult-themed comic book or sci-fi conventions where this sort of behavior is agreed-to upon before people even buy the ticket, that’s fine. If there is such a driving need among some people to have sexual situations at a con, to fully “liberate oneself,” great — create a separate con for that. Then “consenting adults” can purchase a few fanzines, cop a feel, and call it a day.

Val also links to theOpen Source Swift Kick to the Balls Project.

Related: We found this link in our trackbacks and we can’t read Italian but it seems to be on the same topic and we stole the above illo from it.

If we could muster up the energy we’d be at Stumptown for sure. The guest list is stellar from Nicholas Gurewitch to Brian Bendis (who lest we forget was once an indie cartoonist for Image), and stops inbetween for Derek Kirk Kim, Gene Yang, Larry Marder, Craig Thompson, Tara McPherson, and the peerless Jason Shiga.

And now Portland, OR is now officially COMICS TOWN. The Mercury reports:

There
has been a distinct cultural shift in the last decade, as graphic
novels have gained a wide readership, superhero comics have been mined
for both academic and “literary” material (see: Douglas Wolk, Jonathan
Lethem, Michael Chabon), and girls weaned on Japanese entertainments
like Pokémon have gravitated en masse to manga. Put another way: Even
my mom has read Persepolis. Anyone who still has hang-ups about buying
comics need only set foot in the casually welcoming Cosmic Monkey
Comics or North Portland’s sleek Bridge City Comics to dispel all
lingering stereotypes about the Comic Book Guy. So by now everyone in
Portland knows that, to quote one of the most clichéd newspaper
headlines ever, “comics aren’t just for kids anymore.” (Kapow!) You may
not know, however, that local publishers Top Shelf, Oni Press, and Dark
Horse have all had a hand in this shift. With April’s designation as
Comics Month, as Oni Publisher Joe Nozemack puts it, “Finally, the city
is paying attention.”

PLUS: Dylan Meconis and Bill Mudron (with help from Erika Moen) show why Stumptown is cool in COMICS:

Since we have to stay at home and recuperate, send us any and all links, okay?

Apparently, toys from the upcoming Watchmen movie will make their public debut at NYCC this weekend.

But, Entertainment Weekly has some shots of the toys up now.

Take a gander here

I’ve heard this song before. I’ll believe them when I see them on the shelves at TRU.

Posted by Mark Coale

Launched last year in a problematic December 7-9 time slot, the New York Anime Festival later announced a move to September 12–14, where it would have less competition from Christmas. However, it has just announced a presumably final move to September 26-28, due to scheduling concerns at the Javits Center. While this is further from Otakon (held August 8-10 in Baltimore) it is now smack dab against the Baltimore Comic-Con, also held in Baltimore. That show has little manga presence, however, so the crossover audience is limited. Several companies and artists exhibited at both shows last year, however, so a choice will be made. PR follows:

The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today announced new dates for its 2008 show — September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The New York Anime Festival, a Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of the New York Comic Con, held its first event on December 7-9, 2007. The 2007 New York Anime Festival featured guests including Kobun Shizuno (Co-Director of Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone), Peter Fernandez (The Voice of Speed Racer), and J-Pop band UNICORN TABLE and over 100 exhibitors including ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment, Del Rey Manga, FUNimation, and TOKYOPOP.

NYAF previously announced 2008 dates of September 12-14, but it has moved back to later in the month after further discussions with the Jacob Javits Center.

“The New York Anime Festival apologizes over any confusion with our 2008 dates,” Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “The Jacob Javits Center is always in demand, and getting any dates in the building is difficult. Our new dates are the result of further discussion with the convention center, and we’re staying put right here. We’ll see you all September 26th!”

The New York Anime Festival’s parent show, the New York Comic Con, will take place April 18-20 at the Jacob Javits Center. New York Comic Con will play host to Guest of Honor T.M.Revolution, anime guests Justin Cook, Rachael Lillis, Jamie McGonnigal, Sean Schemmel, Mike Sinterniklaas, Veronica Taylor, Tom Wayland, Sean Michael Wilson, Steve Yun, and Tommy Yune, and premieres including CODE GEASS, Emma, Amuri in Star Ocean, Lucky Star, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Tickets are available now at newyorkcomiccon.com.

Marko Djurdjevic, whose art is as distinctive as his name is hard to spell, is creating a special variant cover for Uncanny X-Men #497 only available at the Emerald City ComiCon.

The second annual Kids Comic Con is taking place this weekend at the Bronx Community College:

KIDS’ COMIC CON 2008 will feature:

1) professional artists and publishers from the field of kids comics!

2) a huge variety of kids’ comics’ exhibitions, workshops, panels, and signings, aimed at kids, parents, and educators.

All in one day, March 29, 2008, from 10 AM to 6 PM!

Artists on hand include Kyle Baker, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Kevin Pyle and many more. Check it out!

In January, Mid-Ohio Con owner Roger Price announced that he was selling the show. Now it appears a buyer has been found: GCX Holdings. A little Googling reveals little about this new company, except that it is located in Stamford. Managing Director James H. Henry is similarly Google-free, but for those who enjoyed this con over the years this can come as nothing but good news.

The convention has also been moved from its traditional post-Thanksgiving date to October 4-5, as the above graphic shows.

Back in the neolithic times when The Beat first started working at Publishers Weekly, there was usually one graphic novel panel at the yearly Book Expo America. This year, they are having a whole programming track devoted to the form. Truly, 2008 is THE YEAR OF THE SYMPOSIUM. PR:

BEA’s Graphic Novel Day on Saturday, May 31 kicks off with a star-studded breakfast presented by Diamond Book Distributors, which will then be followed by more than ten conference sessions featuring industry leaders talking about a range of subjects from design and marketing, to what’s hot and what’s next. The entire day of activity is sponsored by New York Comic Con (NYCC), which is also run by Reed Exhibitions, organizers of BookExpo America (BEA). BookExpo America will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, May 29 – June 1, 2008.

As noted, the day begins with a breakfast which will be hosted by Jeff Smith and will include speakers Jeph Loeb, Mike Mignola, and Art Spiegelman, a line-up of award-winning comics and graphic novel creators who have played major roles in the evolution of the graphic novel format in North America. They will discuss the latest trends in graphic novel publishing and offer some predictions on the format’s future growth. The breakfast, which is presented by Diamond Book Distributors, will take place in Room 403AB. The cost is $25.

“I am incredibly pleased that our graphic novel activity is so significant, and I’m very grateful to Diamond for helping to organize such a terrific breakfast,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President and Show Manager for BEA. “Since I run both BEA and New York Comic Con, this is sort of like a dream come true. I get to take one big show, in this case New York Comic Con, and give it a little home inside our other big show! Without a doubt, the strength of the content and personalities involved in our graphic novel programming this year give credence to the explosive impact graphic novels are having on the publishing and book retail industry.”

The conference panels which are scheduled on Saturday, May 31 include:

* Designing a Graphic Novel: From Concept to Comic
* Graphic Novel Distribution, Bookstores, and the Direct Market
* What’s Hot, What’s Good, What’s Next in Graphic Novels
* The New Comic Book to Film Machinery: What’s Next and Who is Buying What from Whom
* What Retailers & Librarians Should Know About Video Games and Gamers
* Manga’s New Generational Trade-Up: The Publishers’ Quest for New Readers
* Emerging Voices & Artists: The Graphic Novel Edition
* Building a Graphic Novel Section for Kids and Teens
* Sex in Graphic Novels
* Graphic Novel Buzz: Editors Share List Hightlights
* The New Literacy: How Graphic Novels, the Web, and Video Games are Changing the Way We Process Information

A VERY quick, doubtless incomplete round-up of stuff announced at this weekend’s Wizard World: If we missed something let us know.

• There will be a “Who Do You Trust” one-shot leading into the whole Skrull take over story line. (Art via Marvel.com)

• Joe Kelly is the writer leaving DC and going back to Marvel, as teased in LITG—he’ll be joining the Amazing Spider-Man team.

• Frank Miller’s RONIN is getting the Absolute treatment.

• All-Star Batgirl is on hold; Geoff Johns and JG Jones are no longer on the book because they have far bigger fish to fry (saving and Final crisising the DCU, respectively) and a new team is being sought.

• Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are reuniting for a six-issue miniseries Captain America: White. The duo are interviewed in the link.

• Matt Fraction joins Ed Brubaker on Uncanny X-Men as of issue #500, when artist Greg Land also climbs aboard the mutant express.

• In addition to writing SUPERMAN, James Robinson is launching a new JLA book called JUSTICE LEAGUE.

“Hal Jordan decides that he wants a pro-active team,” said Robinson. “They never go out and bring in people. This team will go after the equivalent of the FBI’s most wanted list, sometimes in different countries, sometimes through time. It’s a nice eclectic team of established teams and some oddball characters I’ve thrown in.” Along with Hal Jordan, Robinson named Green Arrow as a member. When writing the two characters, Robinson said “I just imagine me and Geoff Johns talking to each other.”

• Terry Dodson is now exclusive to Marvel, completing the move from DC. (One guesses his wife/inker Rachel Dodson is moving as well, although that wasn’t mentioned specifically.) He’ll be working on X-man…hm wasn’t Greg Land working on X-men…does any of this make sense? Oh they’re SHARING he art.

• Squadron Supreme gets a new series written by Howard Chaykin illustrated by Marco Turini, and edited by John Barber. It will NOT be a MAX series.

• Rich Corben at Marvel

With 2006’s “Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe,” legendary artist Richard Corben reimagined some of the visionary writer’s classic tales of terror. In June 2008, Corben will turn his eye to the stories of another renowned and highly influential horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft, with the release of the “Haunt of Horror: Lovecraft” mini-series from Marvel Comics MAX line. CBR News spoke with Editor Daniel Ketchum about the series.

• This whole “phone call to the panel” thing is now de riguer.

Reed then took a call - on McCann’s phone - from Secret Invasion crafter Brian Michael Bendis. “What do you want,” Reed joked, “You’re not good enough to come to the show but you’ll call in?” Now a Wizard World Los Angels panel staple, Bendis was put on speaker phone. He joked that his next project will be a “Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew vs. Rocket Raccoon” crossover.

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Dan Didio and Adam “Firefly” Baldwin are joining the Emerald City ComiCon guest list.

“Dan DiDio is making his first ever appearance at the Emerald City ComiCon, so we’re sure our fans will love the opportunity to ask questions and hear news about what’s happening with the DC Universe straight from the man in charge,” said Organizer Jim Demonakos.

Also appearing is Adam Baldwin, best known for his role as ‘Jayne’ on Joss Whedon’s ‘Firefly’ & ‘Serenity.’ He is currently starring as Agent John Casey on the hit NBC series ‘Chuck.’ “We’re all fans of Mr. Bladwin’s work on the aforementioned shows, as well as the numerous genre shows that he has appeared in,” continued Demonakos. “He makes a great addition to our already stellar line-up of guests.”

Other guests recently added include Kurt Busiek (Trinity), Pia Guerra (Y: The Last Man), Corey Lewis (Sharknife), Matt Haley (Superman Returns), Jason Howard (The Astounding Wolf-Man), Brian Reed (Captain Marvel), Matt Kindt (Super Spy), Jason Howard (Astounding Wolfman), Moose Baumann (Sinestro Corps War), Eric Canete (Iron Man), Josh Howard (Dead @ 17), Jim Valentino (Shadowhawk), Jeremy Haun (New Excalibur), Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content), Mark Sable (Grounded), Tim Vigil (Faust), Val Mayerik (Howard the Duck), Jennie Breeden (The Devil’s Panties), Brandon Graham (King City), Ian Boothby (Futurama) and many others.

The Emerald City ComiCon is not, strictly speaking, an indie comics show, but it takes place in Seattle, so it sorta is by default. Anyway, they have a new “Indy creator ad” by Jeffrey Brown, above.

But wait, there’s more! Austin, TX’s annual indie comics fest STAPLE! takes place at the Monarch Event Center this Saturday starting at 11. Guests include Eric Powell, Brian Wood, Danielle Corsetto, David Malki, Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub.

Of course there will be both pre and post parties:

As has become tradition the STAPLE! Pre-party will be held Friday night at Austin Books and Comics at 5002 North Lamar Boulevard. Festivities begin at 8pm and run till 11, but feel free to come in early and browse!

This year’s after-party will be held at Red’s Scoot Inn at 1308 E. 4th Street (4th and Navasota), just a few blocks east of I-35. Once again there will be a Live Art Show, another staple of STAPLE!, and the whole thing is a benefit for KOOP Radio!

Sounds like fun — take pictures and send ‘em to us!

The long running annual indie comics fest SPACE takes place this weekend in Columbus, OH. The entire guest list is up at the link but it includes special guest Dave Sim, along with Matt Dembicki, Matt Feazell, Jim Rugg, Carol Tyler, Steve Hamaker, Nate Powell, Frank Santoro and many many more.

The show kicks off with a big whoop-tee-do tonight. Details in the link.

Various personal reports we ran across:
Cecil Castellucci
Ben Templesmith
Rantz Hoseley
Mark Evanier

Some news items:
Death ison the march at DC

Asked to “cut back on killing and maiming young heroes” in their comics, VP of Sales responded that “Sidekicks die!” should be the ad copy for upcoming comics. DiDio admitted that it was a concern, and said that they’d try to cease with the teenage torture. On a related topic, the panel all agreed that they didn’t want to pull back on teenage suffering of the emotional type, with writer Judd Winick pointing out that “they can’t all be happy, who the hell’s gonna buy that?”

Wood and Cloonan revive DEMO for Vertigo

Image was a no show due to “circumstances beyond our control,” according to those in charge. EDIT: but apparently they did show up eventually?

Dark Horse is going bigtime into webcomics collections:

Dark Horse Comics first delved into the world of webcomics with their “Megatokyo” collections several years ago, then last year they added “Penny Arcade” and “The Perry Bible Fellowship” to their publishing lineup. At Wondercon in San Francisco this weekend, Dark Horse revealed several more webcomics that will join their lineup - “The K Chronicles,” “Wondermark” and “Achewood” all have collections in the works with the publisher.

io9 has a lot of coverage. This fellow has uploaded tons of videos of panel presentations. Why even leave your living room! He virtual con is just a click away. Based on pictures WonderCon definitely seems to be getting some of the SDCC vibe, with Fat Mama, Stormtrooper Elvis, Anne Hathaway, Steve Carrell, James McAvoy, etc etc. Maybe next year we’ll get to go!

Laughing Squid’s photos.

Oh yeah, The X-Files is hot just in time for 90s Nostalgia! We have always loved Gillian Anderson.

[Above photo taken from atp_tyreseus’ photostream and © atp_tyreseus.]

We have really fallen asleep on the job with our WonderCon coverage. It kicks off today and we haven’t even mentioned the lively party scene! A few links of note:
• SF Examiner spotlight on Debbie “Bumperboy” Huey

• Wired Preview with comic shop action

• Prism Comics programming

• The Cartoon Art Museum programming and activities.

• Related: Eight comic books to read before you die

• Brian Wood is selling limited edition postcards, above

As usual, there will be an explosion of signings, parties and other fun activities. All Party Poop in the jump.

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Based on focus groups and surveys, The second New York Anime Festival will be held this year September 12-14th, significantly earlier than last year’s Dec. 7-9 time frame. According to the calendar at Comic Book Conventions.com there are no real scheduling conflicts with other shows, although it is coming pretty soon after Otakon which is being held August 8-10 in Baltimore. According to the PR, below, NYAF is now the fourth biggest anime show. Anime Expo and Otakon would be bigger, but what’s #3?

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WonderCon kicks off in San Francisco tomorrow, and a few companies have released signing schedule. Here’s Image Comics signing list:

This upcoming weekend, Image Comics kicks off convention season with its hometown show, WonderCon!

“Image is always especially excited to start off the year in our own hometown and always strive to do something special,” said Image Comics Executive Director Eric Stephenson. “We have a great lineup this year, especially with Top Cow and Electronic Arts working with us.”

In addition to signings with such creators as SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN’s Rob Schrab, DEAD SPACE & FELL’s Ben Templesmith, THE LAST CHRISTMAS’ Brian Posehn, THE INFINITE HORIZON’s Phil Noto, WITCHBLADE’s Michael Choi and Image Comics Publisher & SAVAGE DRAGON creator Erik Larsen, fans can visit the Image booth to purchase variant covers of SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN #21, DEAD SPACE #1 and THE DARKNESS #2. Also available are free, convention exclusive posters for such titles as DARK IVORY, PERHAPANAUTS and the very first look at CIVIL WAR and ULTIMATES’ Mark Millar’s new superhero title with EX MACHINA’s Tony Harris, WAR HEROES.

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We’re way behind in our Wondercon news, but we had to post some updates to the plans for The Hero Initiative. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have been addedto the list of those signing at the booth. SAT., 23 FEB from 1 PM-230 PM. The rest of their schedule can be seen:
here.

In other exciting Hero Initiative news, they are bringing back the dunk tank for MegaCon! With Joe Q in the seat of danger. “Brand New Day” lovers, line up now!

Finally, and even more importantly, over on the late Steve Gerber’s blog, (which is being maintained by Mark Evanier), Paul Levitz suggested the best way to remember Gerber would be to make a donation to The Hero Initiative, which was founded to help comics creators — who typically are often without health insurance or retirement plans — in Gerber’s name. It’s a fantastic idea and you can do so here.

§ This week’s big event is WONDERCON, and you can read about badge pick-up here.

§ Grant Morrison to attend New York Comic-Con

§ Baltimore Comic-Con anounces guests: Mack, Oeming, Bendis

Okay just one more posting for San Diego Hotel week. And then we’re done. But it had to be said: the idea of moving the con to Las Vegas is right up there in the Hall of Fame for Lame, Hare-Brained Ideas. Anyone who for one moment seriously espouses it is a dingbat.

We say THIS every year, too: the charm and magic of San Diego — and much of its appeal for the movie studios and production companies who have made it their PR launch pad — is the location. San Diego has the most temperate year-round weather in the contiguous United States. Yeah, it got a little hot and stinky a few times, but at night it always cools down to a perfect temperature: those who want to wear shorts and a t-shirt will be fine; those who want to wear a fancy little wrap they picked
up at FCUK will also be fine.

Name us one other American city with perfect weather, a giant convention center right on the oceanside, 7000 hotel rooms within actual walking distance of the convention center, and 150 cute, trendy and tasty restaurants from every world cuisine within walking distance. And a mall. And a Ralphs.

Go ahead. Name it.

Why is Sundance in Sundance? The incredible natural beauty. Why is Cannes in Cannes? The ocean and wonderful weather. You can hold comic book conventions anywhere else in the world you want to — and they do — but none of them will ever have all the factors that combine to make San Diego the most desirable location for the kind of show it has become.

And as far as the staying in a far away hotel thing goes — San Diego has us spoiled. Take New York City, f’rinstance. The convention center is a pain in the ass to get to, and while there are a zillion hotels in NYC, they are expensive and there are NO hotels adjacent to the Javits itself. We went down to the BEA in Washington, DC, last year and ALL the hotels were a $10 cab ride away. LA? Same deal. That’s just how life goes. If anything, having so many nice hotels close by makes San Diego MORE unique.

Now Vegas, as everyone has pointed out, Vegas is stronger than dirt and bigger than anything, bigger than anything you can imagine. The convention would be swallowed up whole instead of taking over the town.

PLUS, Hollywood execs wouldn’t be able to just “buzz down” to the con. Granted, Vegas is only a four hour drive from LA, but it’s still considered a longer trip than San Diego is.

DOUBLE PLUS: Hollywood already holds a convention to trot out their new movies and stars in Las Vegas every year — it’s called ShoWest. They don’t need another one.

TRIPLE PLUS: As everyone has pointed out, Las Vegas in July is a LITERAL HELL. We went there for a few days after San Diego a couple of years ago. It was 108 degrees during the day. For fun we decided to walk down to the 7/11 to get some soda pop. We had to stop twice to get water on the way to get a slushee! IT IS HELL. YOU WILL DIE. Plus, it ain’t really that cheap, traffic on the Strip is terrible and at 3:30 in the morning the town can be as depressing as hell.

And finally, this whole hotel room thing is just on beyond lame-oh, and it is not the Con’s fault that the demand for hotel rooms is high. We have no idea who this guy is, and he may be perfectly fine, but his LJ posting on the con/hotel snafu summarizes all the uninformed opinions that people throw around:

But yanno, they’ve spent an awful lotta years pumping attendance at the sacrifice of available hotel rooms. And now it’s bit them in the kharmic ass.

Gimme a break. People want to go to Comic-Con because it’s fucking cool! Whose “fault” is that?

Did you get a room?

UPDATE 12:50 E.S.T.: The Travel Planners site has crashed and you can’t get through to the San Diego Hotel Con Room Blog either. We’re hearing nothing but anxious, frustrated messages from people who seemed to get through but then never got a confirmation.

UPDATE 1:03 E.S.T.: The site is working and I’m looking at an availability chart for all the hotels. Rooms are available for different nights at different places. Try to get this chart and get a few nights at your preferred hotel. You can get on a waiting list for the nights you need later.

Rooms for all nights still available further out.

UPDATE 1:48 E.S.T.: Looks like many people finally got through, but the Travel Planners website seems to have been a royal pain in the butt. From the SD Hotel blog:

We’ve been in touch with our travel agency, Travel Planners, numerous times today about the ongoing problems with their website. They’re trying to fix the problems you’ve all been having, but they’re also in the midst of processing phone reservations. We urge you to try again online, or call Travel Planners directly at 1-877-55-COMIC (1-877-552-6642) or 212-532-1660 if you cannot get through online.

Our Board of Directors expects an answer from them as to what went wrong, but that answer may not come today. And we can assure you: we’re NOT moving to Vegas.

Many, many comments from would-be hotel reservers in the post before this.

Looks like it all over but the crying.

Technorati Tags: Hell

That nice little update you get every once in a while from the San Diego con is now its own magazine, called Comic-Con Magazine. With a distribution of a quarter million copies, that’s not a bad idea.

Comic-Con, the largest comic book and popular arts convention in the United States announced today that they have implemented a major redesign of their Update Magazine.

“With all three of our shows, Comic-Con, WonderCon and APE, the Alternative Press Expo, continuing to grow both in terms of size and scope, it made sense to increase the amount of space in our magazine to highlight all the cool things happening at each of our shows,” commented David Glanzer, spokesperson for the non profit event.

The Update Magazine, which was printed three times a year and distributed via direct mail to 150,000 recipients as well as 100,000 to select comic book shops and specialty stores, will now be called Comic-Con Magazine. The print run and distribution will remain the same.

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