From Henry Chamberlain’s “Ballard Comics”
I am heading out to Comic-Con International in San Diego this year and this is the year that we take things to a new level. With your support, we can do some exciting new things here at Comics Grinder and beyond. You can check out the new campaign, “Support A Comics Reviewer and Creator,” over at GoFundMe right here.
Filed under Comic-Con, Comic-Con International, Comic-Con International: San Diego, Comics, Comics Grinder, Comics Journalism, Crowdfunding, Geek Culture, Geeks, George Clayton Johnson, GoFundMe, Henry Chamberlain, Interviews, Jim Woodring, Mark Z. Danielewski, Media, Nerd Culture, Nerds, San Diego Comic-Con
Conan “The Flaming C” O’Brien
Yes, you read that right, Conan O’Brien will be broadcasting from Comic-Con in 2015. True Comic-Con fans are quite familiar with announcements made way in advance. I’m sure Conan will get a lot of love and support from his fans at Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Details follow from Deadline Hollywood:
Phase 4 and the Kevin Smith Movie Club are proud to present THE DIRTIES. Winner of the 2013 Slamdance Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Film.
Kevin Smith premiered a trailer for the film this weekend at Comic-Con in Hall H.
Synopsis: When two best friends team up to film a comedy about getting revenge on bullies, the exercise takes a devastating turn when one of them begins to think of it as more than a joke.
Director: Matt Johnson
Starring: Matt Johnson, Owen Williams
Screenplay: Matt Johnson, Evan Morgan
Available In Theaters and On Demand October 4, 2013
Follow “The Dirties” at its official site here and on Facebook here.
Writer/director Joss Whedon gave “Marvel LIVE!” the exclusive first interview after the announcement of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” during Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation. You can expect a new spin on the Ultron origin story and a global outlook.
“Machinima” provides a recap on the news coming out of Comic-Con about a Superman vs. Batman movie. The news is very brief amounting to a quote from a confrontation between Superman and Batman from Frank Miller’s “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.” However, there is no indication that this story will be the basis for the new movie.
David Lasky Accepting the Eisner Award. Photo by Jacq Cohen
“The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song” is a very special book dear to my heart. You can read my review of it here. So, to learn that it won an Eisner Award last night at Comic-Con is great news. It shared the honors with another wonderful book, “Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller”
I highlight this from The Washington Post:
The night’s other tie was in the Best Reality-Based Work category, with Joseph Lambert (“Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller”; Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion) and Frank M. Young and David Lasky (“The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song”; Abrams ComicArts) sharing the award.
David Lasky accepted the Eisner award. Co-creator Frank Young was not able to be present. So, good for them! You can check out “The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song” here. And you can check out “Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller” here.
You can check out a recap on the Eisner Awards here.
A really good documentary is price-less and that’s what you have with ROBERT WILLIAMS MR. BITCHIN’. This is it folks, the outsider is looking in and he likes being invited to the party. Way ahead of his time, Mr. Robert Williams is now getting the props he so richly deserves. This new documentary has been hailed by world-renowned artist Ed Ruscha as “The best movie about an artist I’ve ever seen.” If you’re at Comic-Con this weekend, hey people, this is one of the reasons you’re there, to see this doc!
ROBERT WILLIAMS MR. BITCHIN’ will be screening this Saturday, at 4 pm, at Marriott Hall 2 (details below). And it will be screening in LA on July 30.
•And don’t miss – Robert Williams signing daily (Thursday 7/18 – Sunday 7/21) during Comic Con at 1:00pm in the Gentle Giant booth #3513
Press release follows:
Prepare to see a lot more capes this year at Comic-Con. Those monster bags you get for free are now backpacks with capes. Warner Bros. Entertainment is once again the proud sponsor of the official Comic-Con bags and this year they’re very different. You could wear your Comic-Con swag like a backpack or just wear the cape by itself.
Press release follows:
Comic-Con belongs to everyone. It is a shared experience. And it has a unique history full of heart. There’s a clarity of purpose and pure simplicity about the original Comic-Cons that you can still find at Comic-Con today many times over. Of course, it is not what it used to be. The history is priceless, beginning with a band of kids, ranging in age from 12 to 17, who were integral in putting together the first Comic-Con in 1970. Since 2011, San Diego State University Library has been collecting personal histories through a series of interviews with individuals involved in San Diego’s early Comic-Cons. SDSU Library takes a big step forward with a new website that explores the cultural history of Comic-Con.
Press release follows:
Continue reading
The stats here will not come as a surprise to regulars of the San Diego Comic-Con but it will prove enlightening to newcomers. Comic-Con International: San Diego is the place to be for the annual pop culture extravaganza of a lifetime. And, remember, it all began with some teenagers eager to have a place to meet to swap comics and celebrate related fandom back in 1970. Enjoy this colorful and informative graphic from our friends at BuyCostumes.com.
Comic-Con International: San Diego returns to the San Diego Convention Center in 2013, beginning with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 17, with the four days of the event running Thursday, July 18 through Sunday, July 21. 2013 marks the 44th year for the show, making it the country’s longest continuously-run comics and popular art convention.
A draft for the cover to ANYTHING THAT LOVES
Gay is a powerful term, particularly in its use in a political movement. However, as Charles “Zan” Christensen points out, it is not as useful when describing the complexities of an individual. The categories of “gay” and “straight” just aren’t enough. What about everything in between? Christensen, publisher of Northwest Press, which specializes in comics with LGBT themes, is preparing to launch a new comics anthology that explores these issues of sexuality. “Anything That Loves,” brings together a roster of excellent cartoonists creating works that explore their unique observations on the sexual spectrum.
It was a pleasure to get a chance to interview Zan. He’s very passionate and articulate about what he believes in, as is evident in our conversation.
“Anything That Loves” has achieved phenomenal success as a Kickstarter project. And the party isn’t over yet. This campaign runs through April 28. It has already reached over twice its funding goal. Additional funds mean more money reaching the creators of the anthology. You can view the campaign here. Since I have launched my own Kickstarter project, which you can view here, I have come to more fully appreciate the work and dedication behind such projects.
From the Northwest Press website:
The Northwest Press anthology Anything That Loves will be released this July, just in time for Comic-Con in San Diego, and features a variety of wonderful artists exploring the seldom-seen world between “gay” and “straight”. The anthology features work from artists Erika Moen, Ellen Forney, Randall Kirby, Jason Thompson, Kate Leth, Leia Weathington, MariNaomi and lots more, and is currently the subject of a Kickstarter fundraising drive.
Visit Northwest Press here.
Filed under Anthologies, Books, Charles Zan Christensen, comic books, Comic-Con, Comics, graphic novels, LGBT, Northwest Press, Publishing, Sex, Sexual Studies
