Comic-Con Magazine - Spring/Summer 2010

The OFFICIAL Magazine of Comic-Con, WonderCon, and APE!

COUNTDOWN 0 1 0 2 N O C C I M CO to

PLUS: WONDERCON 2010 IN PHOTOS • APE 2010

In this issue Board of Directors President: John Rogers Secretary: Mary Sturhann Treasurer: Mark Yturralde VP, Events: Robin Donlan VP, Operations: William Pittman Directors at Large: Frank Alison, Ned Cato Jr., Dan Davis, Craig Fellows, Eugene Henderson, James Jira, Lee Oeth, Chris Sturhann Executive Director: Fae Desmond Director of Marketing and Public Relations: David Glanzer Director of Print and Publications: Gary Sassaman Director of Programming: Eddie Ibrahim

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HR/Office Manager: Sue Lord Exhibits: Director of Operations: Justin Dutta

Martin Jaquish

wondercon in photos COMIC WRITERS UNITE PANEL

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Exhibits: Registration: Sam Wallace

Eisner Awards Administrator: Jackie Estrada Assistants to the Executive Director: Lisa Moreau, Matt Souza

APE 2010

16 COSTUMERS’ CORNER

Line Management Coordinator: Adam Neese Office Staff: Patty Castillo, Ruben Mendez, Colleen O’Connell, Amy Ramirez, Glenda Lynn Valentin

Films: Steve Brown, Josh Glaser Games: Ken Kendall

Exhibit Floor Manager: Andy Manzi Operations: Archivist: Eugene Henderson Disabled Services: William Curtis Hospitality Suite: Mikee Ritter Information: Bruce Frankle Logistics: Dan Davis Materials Chief/Blood Drive: Craig Fellows Registration: Frank Alison, John Smith Volunteers: Sue Lord, Jennifer Maturo, Marc Wilson 2 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

www.comic-con.org E-mail: cci-info@comic-con.org

19 FAST FACTS

Art Show: LaFrance Bragg Convention Services: Taerie Bryant

Comic-Con International P. O. Box 128458 San Diego, CA 92112-8458

INTERVIEWS

Masquerade: Martin Jaquish

Autograph Area: Katherine Morrison

Published by Comic-Con International San Diego.

All material, unless otherwise noted, is © 2010 San Diego Comic Convention, Inc. and may not be reproduced without permission.

2009 ATTENDEE

At-Show Newsletter: Chris Sturhann

Exhibits: Artists’ Alley: Clydene Nee

Comic-Con Magazine Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

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Events: Anime: John Davenport, Josh Ritter

Technical Services: Tristan Gates

John Cornett, Laureen Minich

Comic-Con and the Comic-Con logo are Registered Trademarks of San Diego Comic Convention, Inc.

Professional Registration: Heather Lampron, Anna-Marie Villegas

Assistant to the Director of Programming: Tommy Goldbach

Special Thanks

All other artwork is ™ & © 2010 by respective owners.

Exhibits: Sales: Rod Mojica

Assistants to the Director of Marketing and PR: Damien Cabaza, Ben Eisenstein, Christopher Jansen, Mike Stoltz

Contributing Editors Fae Desmond, Jackie Estrada Peter Coogan, Jackie Estrada,

Talent Relations Manager: Maija Gates Guest Relations: Janet Goggins

Gary Sassaman

Contributing Writers

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Editor/Designer

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A to z

Comic-Con’s Mission Statement San Diego Comic-Con International is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.

On the cover:

Countdown to Comic-Con! Photos by Gary Sassaman (top) and Kevin Green (bottom).

COMIC-CON COMMUNIQUE´ • COMIC-CON COMMUNIQUE´ • COMIC-CON COMMUNIQUE´ • COMIC-CON COMMUNIQUE´

A COLOSSAL COLLECTION OF CONTIGUOUS COMIC-CON COMMENTS! ITEM! Welcome to the combined Spring/ Summer edition of COMIC-CON MAGAZINE, another special issue appearing exclusively online. It’s our big “Countdown to ComicCon” issue, chock full of information to get you ready for the big show next month— July 22–25, to be exact—at the San Diego Convention Center. This issue works handin-hand (or glove for you caped crusaders) with the CCI website, so whenever you see an underlined passage, click on the link for more up-to-date info. For example, it’s a bit too early to reveal the 2010 Program Schedule, but the link in that particular section of “Comic-Con A to Z” will take you directly to that website page, so you can bookmark it for when the actual schedule is posted. Ain’t technology wonderful?

ITEM! Everyone here at Comic-Con has been busy since our last issue of COMICCON MAGAZINE! See the complete photo recap on WonderCon 2010, Comic-Con’s still growing sister show, starting on the next page. And Comic-Con’s guest list has grown by leaps and bounds in the past month or so, with 15 new guests added. Superstars such as MOTO HAGIO, JENETTE KAHN, IVAN REIS, RICK RIORDAN, and GERARD WAY have jumped on board for July’s main event. Check the Special Guests list—part of “Comic-Con A to Z”—starting on page 30 for more details!

ITEM! Some changes are coming to ComicCon this year, including a few of your favorite events moving to new homes—even to offsite locations. We know you don’t want to miss these changes, so we’ll keep reminding you about them until you can recite them verbatim! (There WILL be a quiz!) See the “Comic-Con A to Z” feature starting on page 20 for info regarding changes, which appears in bold at the end of each entry, as needed.

Also check the website and the onsite Events Guide for specific information regarding locations.

ITEM! Last issue we asked you for your articles and art for the 2010 Souvenir Book, saluting Comic-Con’s special themes and anniversaries, including the 100th anniversary of Krazy Kat, DC Comics’ 75th anniversary,

IT’S ALMOST TIME! You’ve been waiting for it all year . . . we’ve been working on it all year! COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SAN DIEGO is just around the corner. It’s time for us to build that “city” that appears for only 4 and 1/2 days each July, taking over the entire San Diego Convention Center and devoting it to comics and the popular arts. Where else would you find such diverse creators as Stan Lee, Jim Lee, Milo Manara, Moto Hagio, Brian Michael Bendis, Nicholas Gurewitch, Neal Adams, Jerry Robinson, C. Tyler, Gabrielle Bell, Chris Claremont, Emile Bravo, and Carla Speed McNeil—just to name more than a few!—under one big roof? Comic-Con also contains the greatest collection of comics publishers, from DC Comics and Marvel to Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly and just about everyone in between. And let’s not forget the largest group of attending industry professionals in the country! True to our name, Comic-Con International continues to be a comic-lovers’ paradise, exactly what it’s been for 40 years. both Peanuts and Beetle Bailey’s 60ths, and the Year of the Writer. The response for this year’s book was nothing short of amazing and the book is now at the printer. The 2010 Souvenir Book will be 192 full-color pages, with an amazing cover by newly announced special guest IVAN REIS. Look for a special peek at that art under “Souvenir Book” in the “Comic-Con A to Z” article on page 41.

ITEM! Speaking of books, even though this year marks the 41st annual Comic-Con, our big book celebrating the first 40 years of the show is still available. It’s a 208-page treasure trove of rare art and photos seldom seen outside of the storied walls of the Comic-Con archives. Published by Chronicle Books, this hardcover “coffeetable” tome is a must-have for any serious Comic-Con fan’s library. Visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_40th_book.php to order your copy (we’ll pay postage and sales tax!), or pick one up at the show at the COMIC-CON BOUTIQUE (booth #2515).

ITEM! Are you starting to get the feeling we’re emphasizing this “Comic-Con A to Z” thing? What are you, psychic? Within

these pages you’ll find an all-important basic “primer” for all Comic-Con 2010 attendees and the perfect place to start your planning for attending the show. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned veteran, you have to know where you’re going and what you want to see to maximize your time at Comic-Con. Here’s square one . . . the rest is up to you!

ITEM! There is life after Comic-Con! Once San Diego starts to fade into memory, it’s time for APE, the Alternative Press Expo, which returns to the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco for its 16th big year on October 16 and 17. With a stellar guest list that includes LYNDA BARRY, DANIEL CLOWES, RICH KOSLOWSKI, and TONY MILLIONAIRE, plus hundreds of comics’ greatest artists, writers, and publishers, APE remains the premiere alternative comics show in the country, with 5,000 attendees in 2009. Don’t miss this year’s big show . . . see page 15 for more information!

ITEM! Speaking of San Francisco, plans for WONDERCON 2011 are already in motion!

Next year’s event already has dates—APRIL 1–3—back “home” at the Moscone Center in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Check www.comic-con.org/wc for info regarding special guests, exhibitor applications, and much more. This year WonderCon had over 39,500 attendees.

Mark your calendar now and be a part of next year’s show!

ANOTHER MAGAZINE MASTERPIECE!

San Diego Comic-Con APE Alternative Press Expo

WonderCon

CONnotations

WONDERCON 2010 SETS NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD; 2011 DATES SET WonderCon 2010 was held April 2–4 at Moscone Center South in San Francisco, CA. Attendance at this year’s event increased to over 39,500. The word is definitely out about one of the country’s best comics and popular arts conventions. With an incredible special guests list that included writers and artists from the worlds of comics and science fiction/fantasy, WonderCon once again offered an amazing array of panels, screenings, and demos, alongside a giant Exhibit Hall chock full of comics, books, original art, toys, games, movies, and much more.

The guest list included WonderCon perennials Sergio Aragonés, Mark Evanier, and Jim Lee; comics legends Murphy Anderson and Joe Kubert; and superstar writers and artists Frank Cho, Amanda Conner, Darwyn Cooke, Colleen Doran, David Finch, Adam Kubert, Geoff Johns, Jimmy Palmiotti, Darick Robertson, James Robinson, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Ethan Van Sciver, and Judd Winick. In addition, pop culture legend Stan Freberg and his wife, Hunter, made their first-ever appearance at WonderCon, and triplethreat writer/actor/director Kevin Smith held court on Friday night to a packed panel in the giant Esplanade Ballroom. Science fiction/fantasy and horror authors Peter S. Beagle, Max Brooks, and Tim Powers were also guests at this year’s event. Even actor Michael Chiklis got into the WonderCon action, presenting his new comic book series, Pantheon.

Hollywood also journeyed north to present exclusive programs to the WonderCon audience. Attendees got to see Jake Gyllenhaal and producer Jerry Bruckheimer talk about Prince of Persia: The Sands of Times, and to hear cast members Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, and Kristen Schaal do a live reading from Toy Story 3. Nicolas Cage did double-duty with presentations on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (with co-star Jay Baruchel) and Kick-Ass (with co-creator John Romita Jr. and other cast members). Milla Jovavich and Ali Larter talked about Resident Evil: Afterlife, and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan presented a look at his new film, Inception. Cast members from The Losers were also present, including Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Zoe Saldana. On Sunday, TV fans were treated to Mark Valley and Jackie Earle Haley in an exclusive Human Target panel, while Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin, and Josh Gomez of Chuck returned to WonderCon to talk about their fan-favorite show.

WonderCon 2010 was a huge success, but it doesn’t stop there. 2011 marks the 25th anniversary for this Bay Area institution, and confirmed dates are already in place! WonderCon 2011 will be held April 1–3 at Moscone Center South in the heart of San Francisco. Mark your calendars now for 2011, and bookmark www.comic-con.org/wc for updated information!

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WonderCon 2010 SPECIAL GUESTS: Top row: (left) Frank Cho on the Image Comics panel; (right) Ethan Van Sciver on his Spotlight panel.

Second row: (left) Parker and New Frontier artist Darwyn Cooke; (right) Brightest Day cover artist David Finch.

Third row: “From Page to Screen” panel (left to right): Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn), Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex), Tim Powers (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Greg Rucka (Whiteout), and moderator Andrew Farago (Cartoon Art Museum); comics legend Murphy Anderson.

Bottom row: (left) Pop culture treasure Stan Freberg with wife Hunter; (right) WonderCon perennials Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier.

PHOTOS BY: BARRY BROWN (Cho, Aragones-Evanier) TOM DELEON (Anderson, Cooke, Finch) KEVIN GREEN (Frebergs, Page to Film, Van Sciver)

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 5

WonderCon 2010

THIS PAGE, Top row: (left) Darick Robertson, Amanda Conner, and Colleen Doran on the CBLDF Live Art Jam panel; (right) Conner shows the art she created.

Middle row: (left) Colleen Doran working on her Live Art Jam piece; (right) special guests Adam and Joe Kubert on their Spotlight panel.

Bottom row: Writer/actor/director Kevin Smith appearing before a packed Esplanade Ballroom on Friday, April 2.

OPPOSITE PAGE, Top row: (left) DC Comics co-publishers Dan Didio and Jim Lee along with chief creative officer Geoff Johns made their first-ever appearance as a team at WonderCon 2010; (right) writer Marc Andreyko and actor Michael Chiklis introducing their new comic series, Pantheon.

Middle row: (left) Aspen Comics’ EIC Vince Hernandez conducts a Portfolio Review, one of several companies to do so at WonderCon; (right) BBC television personality and comics writer Jonathan Ross talking about his new comic series Turf.

Bottom row: (left) The packed Exhibit Hall; (right) Ethan Van Sciver’s amazing Program Book cover, which was also the official WonderCon 2010 T-shirt.

PHOTOS BY: BARRY BROWN (Didio/Lee/Johns, Exhibit Hall, Ross) TOM DELEON (Kuberts, Smith) TINA GILL (Andreyko/Chiklis) KEVIN GREEN (Live Art Jam, Portfolio Review) 6 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

WonderCon 2010

For more WonderCon 2010 photos, visit www.flickr.com/photos/sandiegocomic-con/collections/ Artwork Š 2010 DC Comics

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WonderCon 2010

THIS PAGE, Top row: (left) Animator Eric Goldberg demonstrating “Hand-Drawn Animation” to a packed crowd (at right) in the WonderCon workshop room.

Middle row: (left) WonderCon Games was a must-visit stop for many attendees; (right) the Robert A. Heinlein/WonderCon Blood Drive again saw many attendees stop to volunteer their time and blood for a worthy cause.

Bottom row: A budding superstar draws Yoda and other characters at the “How to Draw Star Wars” workshop on Sunday.

OPPOSITE PAGE, Top row: (left) The Exhibit Hall shines in this photo taken on the floor; (right) a happy gamer hitting a new level at one of the many booths featuring video games.

Middle row: Searching for back issues and visiting WonderCon’s incredible Artists’ Alley were two popular pasttimes at the show.

Bottom row: (left) The “Just Dance” booth got everybody up and dancing; (right) Disney’s WonderCon banners, featuring both Toy Story 3 and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, adorned lampposts in the area around Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco.

PHOTOS BY: BARRY BROWN (Animation workshop, Blood Drive, Just Dance) TOM DELEON (Artists’ Alley, comics shopping) KEVIN GREEN (Games, Star Wars workshop, Exhibit Hall) GARY SASSAMAN (Disney banners) 8 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

WonderCon 2010

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WonderCon 2010

THIS PAGE, Top row: (left) Prince of Persia star Jake Gyllenhaal, and producer Jerry Bruckenheimer (center); (right) Inception and The Dark Knight director Chrisopher Nolan.

Middle row: (left) The Sorceror’s Apprentice stars Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel; (right) Resident Evil: Afterlife stars Ali Larter and Milla Jovovich.

Bottom row: Newly minted Captain America star Chris Evans was on hand to talk about The Losers.

OPPOSITE PAGE, Top row: (left) Kick-Ass breakout star Chloe Moretz; Toy Story 3 stars Kristen Schall (center) and John Ratzenberger (right).

Middle row: (left) Jeffrey Dean Morgan from The Losers; (right) Adam Baldwin, Josh Gomez, and Zachary Levi returned to present Chuck.

Bottom row: (left) Jackie Earle Haley and Mark Valley at the screening of an episode of Human Target to WonderCon attendees shown at right in the alwayscrowded Esplanade Ballroom.

PHOTOS BY: TOM DELEON (Artists’ Alley, comics shopping) TINA GILL (Bruckheimer, Gyllenhaal, Nolan, Moritz, Schaal, Ratzenberger) KEVIN GREEN (Cage/Barchuel, crowd) ALBERT L. ORTEGA (Evans, Resident Evil, Chuck, Human Target)

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WonderCon 2010

For more WonderCon 2010 photos, visit www.flickr.com/photos/sandiegocomic-con/collections/ Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 11

WonderCon 2010 masquerade

BEST IN SHOW BEST RE-CREATION

This year’s WonderCon Masquerade attracted an audience of over 2,200 into the Esplanade Ballroom at Moscone Center South, marking the event’s biggest turnout in its six-year history. The show featured 31 entries, totaling 78 costumes crossing the stage. The Masquerade’s Master of Ceremonies was three-time Hugo-winning artist and writer Phil Foglio, and the trophy judges were Lucasfilm master of communications and company costume expert Josh Kushins, four-time Comic-Con Masquerade “Best in Show” winner and professional Hollywood prop-maker Andrea Davis, and graphic artist and designer Brian Scott, who has 20 years of costume experience with the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Trophy winners: Best in Show: “Death of a Timelord” (Doctor Who), worn by Ant, Bryan, Chistopher, Elena, Espana, and Mette. Made by Mette Hedin, Bryan Little, and Elana Herzen.

Best Re-creation: “Marie Antoinette” (historical), worn, designed, and made by Catherine M. Fisher.

Judges’ Choice: “Mystery Men” (movie based on comic book), made and worn by “The Super Squad.”

Best Workmanship: “Bumblebee” (Transformers), worn and constructed by Greg Adler.

Most Humorous: “Marvel Versus Capcom 2: Maximum Pwnage,” worn by Daniel and David Proctor, Christophe Tang, Nikki Costa, Louis Stokes, and Ryan Vindum. Made by Chistophe Tang, Daniel and David Proctor, and Nikki Costa.

Best Novice: “Bounty Hunters’ Catch” (Star Wars), worn by Hanna Littier, Isaac Spooner, Daniel Nichols, Jacob Phillips, Hana Spooner, and James. Made by Hannah Littier, Daniel Nichols, Jacob Phillips, Hana, Isaac, and Heather Spooner.

AUDIENCE FAVE/BEST ART NOUVEAU

Honorable Mention: “Disney Villainess Squad,” worn and made by Sarah Clark, Umi, Liddo-Chan, Hoshikaji, & Cheesy Muffin.

“Lando Calrissian” (Star Wars), worn and made by Kryian Perry.

“Two Face” (Batman), worn by Dylan Byrd, made by Dylan Byrd and Troy Scott.

“Duchess Satine of Mandalore” (Star Wars Clone Wars) made and worn by Kim Davis.

“Zatanna’s Magic Tricks” (Batman) worn by Emylee Wang, Aaron Blossom, Thera Pitts, and Alex Iseri.

Made by Emylee Wang, Aaron Blossom, and Patsy Pitts.

Company-donated prizes: Frank and Son Collectibles Show presented $500 cash for what they deemed the audience favorite to “Bumblebee,” worn and made by Greg Adler, plus, a $100 gift voucher from Imported Blankets to “Mad Hatter & Jack Sparrow,” made and worn by Sara Scott and Cheyenne Finney.

DC Comics presented a special limited-edition DC Direct collectible Batman statuette to their favorite DC entry: “Green Arrow & Black Canary,” worn and designed by Rob Goodfellow and Roxana Meta.

Lucasfilm presented a collection of special Star Wars collectibles to the best Star Wars entry “General Grievous,” worn by Jack Cramer, made by Jack and Ed Cramer.

Century Guild presented $100 cash to the best entry inspired by Art Nouveau or fantasy to “Mad Hatter & Jack Sparrow,” worn and made by Sara Scott and Cheyenne Finney.

Stewart ComGraph provided each of the six trophy-winning groups a complimentary 8” x 10” 3D portrait of them in their costumes (each a $65 value).

BEST DC COMICS ENTRY 12 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

WonderCon offers its sincere thanks to everyone who donated their time and talents as contestants, to the companies for their generous prizes, and to the judges and M.C. for creating a terrific evening of fun!

Photos by KEVIN GREEN and TOM DELEON

WonderCon: “Comic writers Unite!”

Just one of many comics-oriented panels at WonderCon 2010, Comic Writers Unite! gathered together some of WonderCon’s special guests, who just happen to be among DC Comics’s best writers, for a freewheeling conversation moderated by James Robinson (Starman, Superman). The panel included Geoff Johns (DC’s chief creative officer, Blackest Night, Green Lantern, Flash), Jimmy Palmiotti (Power Girl, Jonah Hex), Greg Rucka (Stumptown, Detective Comics, Action Comics), Gail Simone (Wonder Woman, Secret Six, Birds of Prey), and Judd Winick (Justice League: Generation Lost, Batman). For a complete transcription of this panel, see the Comic-Con International 2010 Souvenir Book, as part of the “Year of the Writer” special section.

James Robinson: This is a panel on being a writer in comics, and the people here now are quite an illustrious group. Right next to me we have Jimmy Palmiotti, who as you all know writes Power Girl and Jonah Hex. He also recently did Back to Brooklyn and The Last Resort and he’s a fabulous guy. The fabulous writer next to him is Greg Rucka.

I had the pleasure of working with him on World of Krypton recently. He also of course is known for Batwoman and for all of his fantastic work for Oni Press—Stumptown, Whiteout—all of those fabulous books as well. And then at the end we have Judd Winick, who at times has written for DC. He also did Barry Ween. He’s done some TV work and then for DC he’s done Green Lantern, The Outsiders and he did that fantastic book Pedro and Me about his friend. So he’s done stuff both in the mainstream and for himself. And I’m James Robinson and I write. I just jotted down a few thoughts I had about writing, questions I was going to pose. I know that everyone likes to talk here, so I only came up with five or six things, knowing that that would probably be a good hour’s worth of material. So the first thing is, we’re all comic book writers, we all love writing comics, but did we all decide that that was what we wanted to do in terms of being creative? When we were studying, did we want to be writers, or did we want to be comic book writers? And I’m just throwing it up to you guys.

Where did it all start?

Jimmy Palmiotti: I actually went to the High School of Art and Design [in New York City] to be an illustrator, and it’s always been the art for me, but I’m a really good consumer. So as being a good consumer I’ve also always had ideas for myself of what I wanted to do, and my career has just been an odd one because I went from inking to editing to self-publishing back to inking, back to doing everything. And the writing just came out of me reading stuff and saying, “You know that’d be cool but if we did this and if we did that and that kind of stuff happened . . .” I eventually just decided that I wanted to give it a shot and put the inking Photo by KEVIN GREEN

WonderCon special guests (l to r) Jimmy Palmiotti, James Robinson, Judd Winick, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, and Gail Simone on the “Comics Writers Unite!” panel.

brushes away and focus on the writing, and for the past couple of years it’s worked out pretty good. But you know it’s a career. It’s always changing. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but the greatest thing is I love comics and work in comics and I’m happy to be here and I’m happy to have these guys here.

Geoff Johns: I love comic books, I always have loved comic books. I went to school and I was either going to be an artist—because I loved to draw—or a screenwriter. And I got more into screenwriting and I went out to L.A. and started working in film production and we ended up shooting a movie in New York. I met people at DC and they asked me to pitch something and I found out I really loved writing comics more than anything else, so that’s what happened.

Robinson: And I actually met Geoff when he was still a fan, in Novi, Michigan at the Motor City Con, and even then he was very, very impressive and compelling and clearly had an idea of what he wanted to do. I’m sorry, I’ve been remiss. Greg Rucka is also a very talented and prolific writer of crime fiction, and he has quite a body of work that you should check out.

Greg Rucka: There wasn’t a difference [between writing and writing comics]. I loved to write so I was writing novels before I was writing comics that were getting published, but I was scripting comics and trying to teach myself how to do that. At the same time I was trying to learn how to write long-form prose. So the two sort of went hand in hand, but they’re very separate disciplines. Writing a novel is a very different thing from writing a comic book script, which is going to be different than writing a screenplay, which is going to be different than writing a short story. My desire has always been to tell a story, and as I’ve gotten more proficient in different mediums it becomes a question of which medium is the best medium to fit the story to. So Whiteout would have been—I think—a

mediocre novel. It’s a great graphic novel. It needs those visuals.

Judd Winick: Well I still call myself a cartoonist even though I’m drawing a lot less than I used to, but that’s how I started. I wanted to do a syndicated comic strip. I wanted to do Doonesbury, I wanted to do Bloom County since I was a kid. I mean since I was 6 or 7 years old, I was ripping off Garfield.

You know good stuff too. No, it was much better.

It was edgier, edgier Garfield. Eventually I got syndicated and I was doing a comic strip, it was called Frumpy the Clown. And I did that for about two years, and in the midst of doing it—it was after I was on The Real World [on MTV]— I was going around the country and I was lecturing about my friend Pedro Zamora. And I don’t know, I must have done a couple of hundred of these lectures over the years and it was getting hard to do, sort of emotionally draining and difficult and I actually thought about what if I turned it into a book. And I’m not much of a writer actually. At the time the idea of typing was the most laborious process, but you know I am a cartoonist. So that’s when I first started doing a graphic novel, and it was just purely like this is a story I’ve told and this is how I tell stories, with words and pictures. And when I was done with that I didn’t want to do comic strips any more. I’d always read comic books. I don’t think I read books much as a kid. I grew up reading comic books. That’s how I learned how to write and draw but the two never came together for me until I had this story to tell and this is the only way I know how to tell it. After that that it was Bob Schreck who was at DC who read Pedro and Me and said have you ever thought about writing comics. I said well, maybe. And so then I began as a two-fingered typist working on Green Lantern. And it didn’t suck. I sort of happened into it. For me, the stories Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 13

WonderCon: “Comic writers Unite!” began very, very small. It was like three panels and ending the fourth panel with a joke and then into a graphic novel and then into much longer stories.

So at the end of it I say I guess I’m doing the same exact thing, it’s always been about the storytelling, I just didn’t know where it was going to take me.

Gail Simone: I don’t know . . . I was a hairdresser for a certain period of time before I became a comic book writer. And I always wanted to be a writer.

I always spun crazy stories from a young age. I learned to talk, the story is, at six months, but my family convinced me that I would never make a living as a writer. And I knew I was creative and that I couldn’t do a normal job, so I went to hairdressing school and became a hairdresser. At least that was creative and I did that for a while and it was a good job and I made really good money. But I just came to a point in my life where I wanted to do something creative that was different than that, and really the only option for me was writing because I can’t draw, I can’t sew, I can’t do all these other things that would have been a creative choice. So I just started goofing around doing parodies, which led to a column on the Internet, which eventually led to writing for Simpsons Comics and then working at Marvel Comics and then to Birds of Prey at DC. I think I’ve written about 300 comics now. So I guess I’m a comic book writer.

Robinson: I went to film school in England and I came out of film school and didn’t immediately get work. And I was editing at Titan Books for a very short period of time, and in that window of time was when Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean came in with Violent Cases. And so I, in my arrogant young man’s way, said I can do that. And I found this artist— and I always tell people if they want to break into comics, find an artist and do a self-publishing thing to show editors that you can actually tell a story, as opposed to an outline, which really tells them very little. I did this book London’s Dark, that was the first thing I did, and that got the attention of Matt Wagner and Archie Goodwin, and between them they kind of got me started. And Mark Waid, too. I got to be fair. He gave me my first job at DC, which was the “Secret Origin of Dinosaur Island” that was never published. So my next question to all of you is, what are the differences between writing comics and just writing: writing a short story, writing screenplays, writing anything else. All of us have done things other than comic books.

Johns: I actually think writing comics is a lot harder than screenplays. I’ve written for TV and film.

Writing Smallville was super easy because you had a certain page count, but you could do the dialogue and the characters could go places.

Robinson: Well, I actually feel that in a way it’s like you’re storyboarding a film and editing the film at the same time.

Johns: Yeah, when you’re writing a comic you have to do the angles, a panel count, you’ve got limited space.

It’s really, you’re directing, you’re literally directing, cutting everything at once and producing.

Robinson: And really as a rule of thumb, obviously you can go smaller than this, but the nine-panel page is sort of about as small as you want to go, and within that I would say 40 to 44 words and that’s really talk,y but you could probably get away with that. But even if every page is nine panels and every panel has 44 words, it’s still a finite amount of words that you can possibly put into a comic book.

Simone: Yeah and I think it becomes about pacing, don’t you too? If you’ve got a section of your story that’s wordy, then you’ve got to have other things to balance it out, and for me the pacing and the timing and saying as much as you can in as few words as possible is the trick in writing a comic script compared to some of the other things that I’ve written.

Palmiotti: With Jonah Hex I look at the artist working with us at the time. I know what they can and what they can’t do and I have 22 pages for beginning, middle, and end. You have to be conscious of how it’s going to end, if it’s going to deliver, is it going to be satisfying, and you only have a certain amount of film, so to say, on it. And I think the thing that’s the most satisfying for me about comics is just that every time we write something we get to actually see this artwork come back, and most of the time it’s so much better or bigger than you imagined. It’s just the discovery of that.

Johns: You don’t have a budget in comics. On Smallville, I had this huge JSA fight that got cut probably about 50 percent because of budget. And also out of all the comics I’ve written, I think maybe two have never gotten published, while with what I’ve written for film and TV it’s more like 10 percent got made.

Rucka: One of the things I like about comics is that compression of form. I like that you have 22 pages, that’s it. And to me it always feels like a game of chess.

You put your first panel down and you are now limited.

Every step you make when scripting a comic is like an inverted triangle. You are going to a final panel, and with each panel you pick you have less options if you’re doing it well. It becomes self-guided. If the story is done properly, you will end inevitably where you need to end.

Winick: There’s that expression “killing babies,” and it means killing good moments, killing really choice moments, and in comics you do it a lot because it’s

so finite. And oh I got this really great scene, it should end here, but I really need to take care of business over here and this should happen. I have to cut four pages. I’ve just cut four pages and those are really good pages. I think we’re always aware of that but I think more so in talking about things like length and fitting the form and what not. Comics are the only visual medium that the user—the reader, the consumer—controls the pace of. Movies, television, video games, there’s someone else there sort of controlling the pace and how it goes, and you have to move through it. We know you guys are holding these in your hands and you do the page turns and you’re there. Reading is an intimate, intimate act. And when doing comics we always sort of think on those levels. much texture. And then when it all goes together with the text and the visuals, there’s really nothing else like it, and that’s one reason why I love to do it—you can add so much more and still get it all on 22 pages.

Robinson: I wanted to talk a little bit about the Internet and downloadable comics and the future.

We talked a moment ago about the language of storytelling and reading a comic book. For those people that choose to download their comics in the future or are illegally doing it now, it’s changed, it will change how we write comics— it has to some degree affected the way we structure pages and page turns and the way we put a comic together.

Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

Rucka: It’s going to be a different set of tools.

When we were doing 52, one of the things we discovered very quickly was that we had removed a fair number of the comic trope storytelling devices from our toolbox because we were involved in a conceit that said each issue takes place over the course of a year. You couldn’t do a cliffhanger ending. I mean we couldn’t do it. I think that just in terms of writing for online content the tools are going to be different. I can’t do a double page spread because I don’t have a page in the same sense. I can’t write to the reveal. And you know we’re still experimenting with the form.

Winick: I think that’s the key is that we’re in the dark ages. We just started. We’re living in the moment here to the birth of not a new medium but a new way of transferring storytelling. Are people in 20 years not going to be holding pieces of paper with a staple in between them? A lot of us say like yeah absolutely. We still have books out there, but yes you have Kindle and whatnot. We’re in the middle of it. We have no idea.

Continued in the Comic-Con 2010 Souvenir Book, available only at Comic-Con International!

MArk your calendar NOW: WONDERCON 2011 IS APRIL 1–3 AT MOSCONE CENTER SOUTH IN SAN FRANCISCO! Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 14

ape 2010: ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO THERE’S A COMICS-LOVING MONKEY IN YOUR FUTURE!

lynda barry

DANIEL CLOWES

There is life after Comic-Con! APE, the Alternative Press Expo, the popular indie and alternative comics show, has become a must-attend event on the convention calendar. Returning to San Francisco on October 16 and 17 at the Concourse Exhibition Center, APE offers comics fans an event focused on creativity and devoted to the output of indie cartoonists, artists, and publishers doing the thing they love most: creating comics.

APE’s 2010 confirmed special guests are:

LYNDA BARRY

(writer/artist, Ernie Pook’s Comeek, What It Is) Lynda Barry has worked as a painter, cartoonist, writer, illustrator, playwright, editor, commentator, and teacher and has found they are all very much alike. She has been at the forefront of alternative comics as the inimitable creator behind the syndicated strip Ernie Pook’s Comeek, featuring the incomparable Marlys and Freddie, and she is the author of the bestselling and Eisner Award– winning What It Is. Her other work includes One! Hundred! Demons!; The! Greatest! of! Marlys!; Cruddy: An Illustrated Novel; and Naked Ladies!

Naked Ladies! Naked Ladies! This fall, Drawn & Quarterly will publish the follow-up to What It Is, titled Picture This: The Nearsighted Monkey Book.

Lynda teaches a writing workshop called “Writing the Unthinkable” in cities across the country. She lives with her husband, Kevin Kawula, in rural Wisconsin, where they have a native plant nursery.

RICH KOSLOWSKI

DANIEL CLOWES

(writer/artist, Ghost World, Eightball, Wilson) Daniel Clowes is the cartoonist of Ghost World, David Boring, Ice Haven, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, Caricature, and 20th Century Eightball, collected from his seminal comic book series Eightball. This spring Drawn & Quarterly published Wilson, the company’s first book with Clowes and his first original graphic novel. Clowes is a regular cover artist for The New Yorker and an illustrator/designer of many books, movie posters, and magazines. He is the only cartoonist to be the recipient of multiple Harvey, Eisner, and Ignatz Awards as well as the distinct honor of an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Ghost World.

RICH KOSLOWSKI

(writer/artist, The 3 Geeks, The King) Rich Koslowski is best known for his fan-friendly comic book series The 3 Geeks (later Geeksville), which received three Eisner Award nominations. He also wrote and illustrated the much-lauded graphic novel Three Fingers in 2002 (published by Top Shelf Productions), which won the coveted Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel and was named as one of the “500 Essential Graphic Novels” in the book of the same name in 2008. Other publications include The King (2005), The List (2007), and Weapon Omega (Marvel 2008). His newest graphic novel (written by J. D. Arnold), BB Wolf And The 3 L.P.s, was released in May.

TONY MILLIONAIRE

TONY MILLIONAIRE

(writer/artist, Maakies, Sock Monkey) Tony Millionaire was born in Boston and grew up in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He writes and draws the ongoing adventures of Sock Monkey, published

by Dark Horse Comics since 1998. Tony is the creator of the syndicated comic strip Maakies, which has been collected by Fantagraphics, which also published his graphic novel Billy Hazelnuts.

Maakies has been adapted to the small screen as The Drinky Crow Show for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

APE includes a giant Exhibit Hall filled with some of the world’s finest comics and their creators. Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/comic_con), or check the Comic-Con website (www.comic-con.org/ape) for APE updates.

APE 2010 Fast Facts SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16: 11:00 AM–7:00 PM SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17: 11:00 AM–6:00 PM Concourse Exhibition Center 620 7th Street San Francisco, CA, 94107 ADMISSION (available only at the door) Single day: $10.00 Both days: $15.00 Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 15

COSTUMERS’ CORNER

by Martin Jaquish Comic-Con/WonderCon Masquerade Coordinator

How Convention Costuming Started: A Brief History

You’ve seen—or heard about—the elaborate costume presentations at the Comic-Con Masquerade. You’ve been in awe as costume groups as big as 15–20 people re-created characters from a movie, as a 10-foot-tall giant robot crossed the stage with glowing eyes and flashing lights, or as cleverly choreographed lightsaber battles unfolded before you. Then, too, there’s those great costumes just strolling through the Exhibit Hall during the day or posing out in the lobby for groups of photographers. Ever wonder how all this affection for costuming at fan conventions got started and turned into what it is today?

It all began in 1939 at the first World Science Fiction Convention, commonly called WorldCon, in New York City, a convention of only a few hundred attendees— mostly about written science fiction rather than films (not a great number of sci-fi movies back then). A man who would later become famous for his place in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror publications, Forrest J Ackerman, showed up in a silver costume inspired by his favorite film, Metropolis. From there on, as science fiction, fantasy, and comics conventions evolved, grew, and spread, it became common to have a Saturday night party or dance where costumes were encouraged. Over time as the event grew in popularity, the dance floor got replaced by audience chairs, costumers presented their work on a stage rather than in the center of the room, and some clever individual got the idea to bring his or her own music to hand to the fellow at the record player when it was his or her turn to be judged.

People no longer just wore their costumes, they presented a character, a mood, some drama or humor. From those small social gatherings in hotel meeting rooms where vinyl records spun on a turntable was born what was to become the elaborate on-stage event of today’s Masquerade show.

The first costumes were virtually all recreations, but eventually original designs appeared in increasing numbers, although judges were not sure what to make of them at first. Convention costumes often fell into two types: the 16 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

ones for the Masquerade competition and the (usually less elaborate) “hall costumes” that people wore as they strolled through the hotel hallways and meeting rooms. WorldCon, though medium-sized by today’s standards, gained the reputation as the top competition for fan costumers. It became common for contestants to show their creations first at small regional conventions, then to middle-sized ones, eventually working their way “up” to WorldCon, after which a costume was often retired.

The first San Diego Comic-Con was in 1970, and by 1974 a Masquerade was added to the annual convention events. The convention was much, much smaller in those days, as were the Masquerades, and Star Trek costumes were nearly as common as those for comic book heroes and old horror movie monsters. For a few years, Rocky Horror Picture Show inspired at least a couple of costume entries each show. Meanwhile, “hall costumes” increased in number as more attendees realized that costumes aren’t just to be looked at on posters, watched in movies, or displayed on the covers of science fiction and fantasy novels and that they can be celebrated most when worn, especially at a convention.

In 1983 a group of San Diego fan costumers created the first Costume-Con, a convention where costuming itself was the main focus, with costuming workshops and guest professional costumers; in time it came to rival WorldCon as the place where the best costumers showed their craft. Now in its 27th year, that convention is staged in a different city each year.

As Comic-Con outgrew the El Cortez Hotel and moved into the San Diego Convention and Performing Arts Center, the Masquerade moved with it and was variously staged in Golden Hall, Copley Symphony Hall, and the San Diego Civic Theater before eventually following the rest of Comic-Con to the new Convention Center.

The 1980s also brought about more in-depth judging as special workmanship judges were assigned to take closer looks at costumes before they went on stage to spot impressive details of construction that may not be visible on the stage. Some conventions initiated judging by experience level (MasterJourneyman-Novice categories), and as more and

Forrest J Ackerman at the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939.

varied materials and construction processes have become available, what used to be an art mostly involving fabrics and occasionally metal now also uses elaborately cast plastics, foam, electronics, and a variety of other exotic and unique materials.

Nowadays, nearly every sort of convention you can name, from anime to gaming, from Star Wars to Harry Potter, from Doctor Who to even Star Trek ocean cruises, has some sort of Masquerade event to celebrate costuming. Some are small, perhaps a dozen or so entries; others, like ComicCon, have become so large that contestants must be turned away. But thanks to our attendee costumers and the time, effort, skill, and in some cases significant expense they put into their creations (not to mention the efforts of transporting them and wearing them; some contestants for ComicCon actually rent vans to bring their items), all of us are able to enjoy a rich and fun experience whether strolling in the Exhibit Hall or enjoying the spectacle of the Masquerade, and our sincere thanks to all of you costumers out there!

COMIC-CON

2 0 0 9 the fans speak!

Attendee Interviews and Photos

by DOUG LATHROP

THE VISITORS FROM down south Thomas Johnson and Andrew Gray • Obalaca, AL Is this your first time at Comic-Con? Andrew: It’s my second time, I came last year.

Thomas: It’s my first time.

What you seen so far that has stood out for you?

Andrew: We’re both big comic fans, DC Comics specifically. We got to meet all of our favorite writers—Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, James Robinson. We got to see Dan Didio yesterday; that’s really been our collective favorite, I guess.

Thomas: It was really cool to see the preview of Green Lantern: First Flight, too.

Have you bought anything?

Andrew: I just bought the Green Lantern Comic-Con T-shirt. Besides that all of my money has gone to food every day.

What are your favorite comic books, or comic book series?

Andrew: Currently Green Lantern would have to be it. It’s the middle of the big event right now, Blackest Night. It’s DC’s number one book right now. But also for me it’s Batman, Superman. Both those books are wonderful right now.

Thomas: It’s Green Lantern right now for me, but in the past, probably Invincible.

Any TV shows or movies that you’re looking forward to?

Andrew: I can’t decide whether to go to the True Blood panel today or the Venture Brothers panel today. They’re happening at the same time. Last year it was Battlestar Galactica—I fought to get into that panel.

What do you like best about Comic-Con? Thomas: Getting to meet all the writers we love.

Andrew: Everything that I enjoy, as recreation or hobby, is all under one roof. It’s all in one place. There’s too much going on to even get to it all. It’s amazing to be able to pick and choose between your favorite things to go see.

THE animation collector Jason McClain • San Diego, California How many years have you been coming to Comic-Con? This is my 15th.

What have you seen so far that you’ve liked?

I like the people I come across. I think that’s the most important thing. My first four or five years, I was here buying things, collecting things. And then I got into people watching, the awesome costumes—you know, just talking to people. I spend probably half the time just talking to people.

Have you bought anything this time?

I’m a big collector of anime, animation, Warner Brothers, Disney, and I’m in negotiations with one of the galleries down here. I’m trying to get his price down for an animation cel of Bugs Bunny.

What are your favorite comics?

Mostly Marvel. I started reading comics when I was 12. My brother’s friend got me into it and I stopped collecting in the 1990s. Then I started back up again.

What’s the thing you like best about Comic-Con? Overall, the thing I like best is the atmosphere, the people, the costumes.

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 17

COMIC-CON

2 0 0 9 the fans speak!

THE NAVY MAN Clifton Knight • Louisiana Is this your first Comic-Con? My second.

What have you seen so far that has stood out for you?

I met Daryl Cagle, the editorial cartoonist for MSNBC. I told him that when I was stationed in Guantanamo Bay, I bought a copy of his book and we got a big kick out of the Gitmo cartoons in it. He was so tickled by the story that he sat me down and interviewed me for his video blog.

Anything else that you have seen or are planning to see in the next couple days?

I’m hoping to meet the guys from Supernatural because that’s my favorite TV show on right now. I got the Image United guys to sign stuff earlier, but I want to get Robert Kirkman to sign my volume of Invincible.

Have you bought anything yet?

I bought a box of booster packs from Magic the Gathering. I’ve bought comics like crazy. I bought all these issues of Invincible yesterday.

What comics or comic series do you like?

When it comes to stuff that’s still coming out, I’m into the Green Lantern Blackest Night storyline. I read the first issue of that and loved it, absolutely loved it. But when it comes to what I like of all time, I’m a Watchmen kid. I love Watchmen to death and also Neil Gaiman and Sandman—I’m a huge fan of that.

What do you like best about Comic-Con? Interacting with people. Where I’m stationed at in the Navy, I don’t have a lot of fellow nerds to hang out with, then I come here and pretty much everyone is a nerd in some fashion or another. So I can talk to somebody about something.

It’s like you’ve come home, huh?

Yeah!

THE COMICS FAN Michael Armendariz (with Stephanie Diaz) Bakersfield, California How many years have you been coming to Comic-Con? This is my 16th.

What have you seen so far that has stood out for you?

There seems to be a lot more comic book programming than there was in years past. A lot of people are always saying that it’s Hollywood overshadowing the comic stuff. But it seemed like there was more comic stuff this year, and it was really nice just to see that the focus is still there.

Have you bought anything?

I bought a lot of art books and a lot of exclusive toys. I really like the Green Lantern exclusives that they had downstairs.

Which particular comic series do you like best?

My favorite book right now is Green Lantern. A lot of stuff from DC and from Marvel. Scott Pilgrim is another favorite comic right now.

What’s the thing that you like best about Comic Con? Just the amount of fun that everyone seems to be having. It’s just a lot of people kicking back and having a good time with the stuff that they like. I think this is a vacation for a lot of people—for me especially.

18 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

Fast

Facts

When: July 22–25, 2010 (Preview Night: July 21) Exhibit Hall Hours: Wed., July 21: 6:00 to 9:00 PM (Preview Night) Thu., July 22: 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM * Fri., July 23: 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM * Sat., July 24: 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM * Sun., July 25: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Badge Pick-Up Hours (Convention Center): Wed., July 21: 3:00 to 8:30 PM (4-day memberships ONLY) Thu., July 22: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Fri., July 23: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Sat., July 24: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Sun., July 25: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

*Additional nighttime events and programming run until after midnight.

Single-day badges can only be picked up the day they’re to be used.

Badge Pick-Up Hours (Town & Country Resort, Mission Valley—ATTENDEES ONLY): Wed., July 21: 3:00 to 8:30 PM (4-day memberships ONLY) Thu., July 22: 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM Where: San Diego Convention Center, 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101 Comic-Con’s official headquarters hotel is the Marriott Hotel and Marina, next to the Convention Center. Anime rooms, Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, additional gaming rooms, nighttime film screenings, and the Hospitality Suite are all at the Marriott.

THERE WILL BE NO ONSITE REGISTRATION FOR: ATTENDEES • PRESS • PROFESSIONALS • VOLUNTEERS Programming and events All event and program rooms have limited capacity as set by the Fire Marshal. Even though a badge is needed to get into all events, it does not guarantee access to any event if the venue has reached its capacity limit. Rooms are not cleared between events. If an event or program interests you, we recommend you get there early.

No smoking!

No smoking is allowed in the Convention Center or at any Convention event at any time and in any location. You are welcome to step outside to smoke, but please be considerate of others when you do. This policy is in place not only for the comfort of attendees but also to comply with San Diego city ordinances prohibiting smoking at public events. Please comply with this policy; noncompliance may result in being ejected from the convention.

The Convention Center has designated smoking areas outside indicated by the presence of canister ashtrays.

Always wear your badge and hang onto it!

You will need your badge to attend any Comic-Con function, including attending nighttime events, visiting the Con Hospitality Suite, or going to Conventionsponsored parties. If you’re asked to show your badge, please do so.

Your name and contact information are encoded in your barcode. Do not let anyone scan your barcode unless you want that person to have your mailing

address. Please do not give away your badge to people outside the Convention Center when you leave Comic-Con. You may think you’re doing someone a favor, but it is not hard for anyone to figure out how to scan your badge and get your mailing address. Hold on to your badge!

No paging! Arrange a time and place to meet at the end of the day or if you get separated.

Please keep in mind that there will be no personal pages over the P.A. system.

You can leave messages on the message area of the Information Board in the Main Lobby, Hall C—just be sure to tell your friends to check there. Otherwise, the best way to stay in touch with friends and family is with cell phones.

Costumes with weapons No functional weapons are allowed at Comic-Con International.

• Simulated or costume weapons are allowed as a part of your costume subject to prior approval by security and compliance with the following: • All costume weapons must be inspected at the security station in Lobby E. • All costume weapons must conform to state and federal law.

• Projectile costume weapons must be rendered inoperable.

• Costume swords will be tied to your costume in such a way that they can’t be drawn. After each person’s costume weapon has been checked, it is tagged by

security and you will be given a wristband to wear to designates that your weapons have been checked. Security will escort you to the security station for inspection if your costume weapon is not tagged.

If you do not want to have your costume weapons inspected or tagged, or you are not willing to comply with the foregoing, please do not bring your costume weapons.

Leave your pets at home The Convention Center will not allow animals into the building, except for service animals.

Handcarts, trolleys Please be aware that handcarts, trolleys, and oversized strollers are not allowed on the Exhibit Hall floor.

Be respectful of room rules when it comes to recording No video or audio recording of the images on the screens is allowed at movie and television studio presentations. Each program and presentation has its own rules when it comes to what can and cannot be photographed or recorded.

These rules also apply to recording via cell phones that contain cameras and video recorders.

Silence all cell phones Please turn your cell phones off or to vibrate when you’re in programming and event rooms. If you must take or make a call, please step outside.

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010

A

Anime

Comic-Con will again present three rooms dedicated to the very best in anime screenings throughout the entire four days of Comic-Con. As always, you can expect some old favorites, some surprises, and maybe even a premiere or two! More information, including a complete schedule, will be posted at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_anime.php as the event

gets closer.

Anime moves to the Marriott Hotel next to the Convention Center this year! Check the Events Guide for the exact locations of the new Anime rooms!

Artists’ Alley

to A Z There’s only one way to maximize your Comic-Con experience: prepare wisely!

Every Comic-Con attendee knows you need a plan in place before you get to the San Diego Convention Center if you want to see and experience everything the show has to offer. Here’s a complete preliminary guide to Comic-Con 2010 in a handy A to Z format (okay, minus a letter or two . . . we’re still working on the missing ones). Consider this a jumpstart for your planning, and bookmark www.comic-con.org for frequently updated information as the event gets closer. Ready?

Dive in!

Artists’ Alley gives Comic-Con attendees the chance to meet and greet some of their favorite creators, many of whom sell original art, sketches, and exclusive limited-edition prints and sketchbooks. For a preliminary list of who will be in Artists’ Alley, check www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_artalley.php. Bookmark this page for updates leading up to Comic-Con in July!

Artists’ Alley is located in Hall G of the Exhibit Hall, on the ground floor of the Convention Center.

Art Show

Whether you’re looking for drawings, paintings, jewelry, sculpture, or even something more unusual, you’ll find an eclectic and beautiful selection of items in Comic-Con’s Art Show.

Located in the Sails Pavilion upstairs at the Convention Center, the Art Show contains original works by both amateurs and professionals. It also displays the nominated books and comics for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards and houses a special exhibit devoted to members of the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.

Many of the original pieces displayed by artists are for sale by silent or voice auction. Some pieces are marked for quick sale. Bidder numbers and Art Show information can be obtained from the administration table inside the Art Show. You must be 18 or older and have legal identification to purchase artwork, and payments may be made with cash, check, Visa, or MasterCard.

Information on entering the Art Show, including all necessary forms, is available at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_artshow.shtml. The deadline for entry before the convention is June 30.

Samples of the art must be sent in along with the application and payment for display space. Walk-in reservations at the Art Show are on a first-come, first-served basis, if space is still available. Mail-in art is accepted according to the conditions stated in the Art Show rules.

The Art Show is located in the Sails Pavilion on the upper level of the Convention Center.

Autograph Area

Comic-Con’s Autograph Area is a fan-favorite destination each year. Located upstairs at the Convention Center in the Sails Pavilion, it is “signing central” for all four days of the show. It’ the place where you can get autographs from movie stars, current and classic TV personalities, science fiction and fantasy authors, and comic book greats, including sessions for some of Comic-Con’s special guests and other panel participants following their programs. There are new guidelines for the Autograph Area; please take a moment to review them ahead of time at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_autographs.php. You’ll also find a complete schedule for the Autograph Area at that url (and in the onsite Events Guide) as we get closer to the event.

The Autograph Area is located in the Sails Pavilion on the upper level of the Convention Center.

(Please note: All schedules and information listed below with specific website addresses will also appear in the onsite Events Guide, available free to all Comic-Con attendees. Check that publication and the online listings for exact locations.)

Teri Hatcher and Neil Gaiman signing in the Autograph Area after the Coraline DVD panel in 2009.

20 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

Photo by Aaron Turkeltaub

JULY 22 – 25

B

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

Badge Pick-up

Comic-Con 2010 is sold out. There will be no onsite registration for Attendees, Press, Professionals, or Volunteers.

Badge pick-up is available onsite in the Sails Pavilion on the upper level of the Convention Center for Attendees. Exhibitors and Professionals should go to the main lobby in front of Hall D on the ground floor of the Convention Center to pick up their badges.

Convention Center Hours ATTENDEES (Sails Pavilion), PRESS (Hall D Lobby), PROFESSIONALS (Hall D Lobby) Wed., July 21: 3:00 to 8:30 pm (4-day memberships ONLY) Thur., July 22: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Fri., July 23: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Sat., July 24: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Sun., July 25: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Single-day badges can only be picked the day they’re used (Thursday on Thursday, etc.)

NEW FOR 2010!

ATTENDEE Badge Pick-up at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley!

If you’re staying at a Mission Valley hotel, you can now pick up your membership badge at the Town and Country Resort on Wednesday, July 21 (afternoon/evening) and Thursday, July 22 (morning). This service is available for ATTENDEES ONLY. Press and Professionals must pick up their badges at the Convention Center as in previous years. Visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci10_addlsvc.php for additional info.

Town and Country Resort Hours ATTENDEE BADGES ONLY (No Press or Professionals) Wed., July 21: 3:00 to 8:30 pm (4-day memberships ONLY) Thur., July 22: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm

Bag Check

It’s 10:00 am on Thursday and you’ve already purchased two giant superhero statues that you just can’t live without! But you’ve a full day of Comic-Con ahead of you . . . what do you do?

Luckily you’ve got the Bag Check! The Bag Check stations are locatedin the main lobby on the ground floor level of the Convention Center near Hall A, next to the Starbucks, and in Hall D, near the escalator to the upper level You can check your purchases and other items until you’re ready to leave the building. The charge is $2.00 per bag. Don’t forget to pick up your treasures before leaving the building, as items cannot be left overnight.

The Bag Check schedule for 2010 is: • Wednesday: 2:00 to 9:00 pm • Thursday-Saturday: 7:00 am to: 2:00 am • Sunday: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm

Blood Drive

The Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive returns for its 34th big year in 2010. The Comic-Con blood drive is San Diego Blood Bank’s longest-running blood drive and has collected a staggering 8,736 pints of blood over the last 33 years.

Everyone involved with the Blood Drive would like to thank Diamond Select Toys for their generous donation of exclusive toys, which helped make last year’s event Comic-Con’s most successful ever.

We’d also like to thank all the exhibitors who donated so many fantastic raffle prizes for our daily drawings.

To all those who gave blood we want to express the biggest thank you of all! The San Diego Blood Bank tells us more than 2,200 lives were saved because of your compassion and generosity.

The growth of the blood drive over the years has been phenomenal. The Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive began at Comic-Con back in 1977. That first year 148 pints of blood were collected, and as the convention has grown so has the blood drive. In 2010 you donated an incredible 1,198 pints of blood.

You can be a part of this year’s Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive. The Blood Drive opens at 9:00 am Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 10:00 am on Sunday. Sign up at the Blood Drive desk (upstairs in the Sails Pavilion near the Freebie Table). It only takes about 45 minutes of your Comic-Con day to save a life or two! For more info visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_blood.shtml Check in at the Blood Drive desk in the Sails Pavilion on the upper level of the Convention Center for more information about where to go to donate blood.

Important Information Regarding Programs and Autographs at Comic-Con All event and program rooms have limited capacity as set by the Fire Marshal.

Even though your badge is needed to get into all events, YOUR BADGE DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOU ACCESS TO ANY EVENT IF IT HAS REACHED ITS CAPACITY. We do not clear rooms between events.

Most autograph signings are of a limited nature.

Your badge does not guarantee autographs at any event.

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COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010

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Child Care

While there are a lot of wonderful comic books—and other things—for kids at Comic-Con, a full day of long-box diving or panel watching isn’t exactly cut out for the little ones. If you’re a parent, don’t worry: Professional child care is available! KiddieCorp, a longtime presence at Comic-Con, is committed to providing your children with a comfortable, safe, and happy experience. They offer age-appropriate activities that include arts and crafts, group games, music and motion, board games, story time, dramatic play, and much more. KiddieCorp provides snacks and beverages, but parents must supply all meals, as well as diapers, baby formula, and a change of clothes.

KiddieCorp’s hours are: • Wednesday: 5:30 to 9:30 pm • Thursday through Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:03 pm • Sunday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm KiddieCorp’s fees are also kind to your pocketbook: $9.00 per hour per child for children 6 months through age 2, and $7.00 per hour per child for children ages 3–12 for registrations received on or before June 24. Late (received after June 24) and onsite registration fees are $11.00 per hour per child for children 6 months through age 2 and $9.00 per hour per child for children ages 3–12.

To enroll a young one in this program, you must complete a children’s program registration form and a consent form. You can obtain these forms through the Comic-Con office on the Comic-Con website at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_child.shtml or directly from KiddieCorp at 858-455-1718.You can also register online at www.kiddiecorp.com/comickids.htm or send an e-mail to info@kiddiecorp.com.

Check the onsite Events Guide for the exact location of KiddieCorp’s Child Care room.

Comics Arts Conference

2010: A Year of Firsts and Seconds!

Although it’s the 18th year for the Comics Arts Conference at Comic-Con International, this year includes some important firsts and fantastic seconds. In recognition of the role the CAC plays at the convention, Comic-Con has granted the conference a guest slot, and our first guest is fan favorite Phil Jimenez of Infinite Crisis and Astonishing X-Men for a panel on “Using Comic Book Characters for Cultural Critique.” That panel marks a second first, with the participation of the Mad Law Professor herself, Dr. Patricia Williams (Columbia Law School). Along with Stanford Carpenter (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), John Jennings (University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana), and Kane Anderson (UC Santa Barbara), Jimenez and Williams will discuss how superheroes comment on American culture, including a discussion of “The Coming of Super-Obama.” Williams and Carpenter also team up for “Transmedia and the State of Comics,” an analytical conversation about the way comics reach across media in contemporary culture, with leading media scholar Henry Jenkins (USC) and former DC Comics publisher Paul Levitz.

The Comics Arts Conference is a full-fledged academic conference that takes place each year at Comic-Con International: San Diego and WonderCon. Founded in 1992 by Dr. Randy Duncan (Henderson State University) and Dr. Peter Coogan (Washington University in St. Louis), the Comics Arts Conference brings scholars and professionals together to talk about comics with the public by breaking out of the ivory tower and holding sessions during two of the nation’s major comic book conventions.

Kate McClancy—a doctoral student in English at Duke—joined the conference as a co-chair in 2006.

As for seconds, Henry Jenkins returns for his second year with a talk drawing on his recent book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, offering a vocabulary for evaluating how transmedia franchises integrate stories across film, television, games, the Web, and of course, comics.

Sticking with comics theory, CAC stalwart Neil Cohn (Tufts University) examines the cognition of sequential images in “This Is Your Brain on Comics,” and CAC newcomer, Julia Round (Bournemouth University), editor of the new journal Studies in Comics, uses narratological theory to dissect chronological illusion in Alan Moore’s From Hell.

And we’ve got three big panels from presenters who astounded CAC audiences last year. Harvard University’s Robin Rosenberg (The Psychology of Superheroes), who rocked last year’s standingroom-only panel “Is the Joker a Psychopath? You Decide!,” returns with “Batman and the Empty Nest Syndrome.” This panel delves into the Dark Knight’s role as the patriarch of the Batfamily, with the legendary Dennis O’Neil and the unparalleled movie producer Michael Uslan (The Dark Knight), along with Dr. Travis Langley and Tommy Cash (Henderson State University), who will engage in some “Boy Wondering” to answer the question, “Why Does Batman Have a Sidekick?” University of Victoria neuroscience professor E. Paul Zehr (author of Becoming Batman) joins by turning the lens on us readers to address what happens when societal expectations of the Batman character are grounded in fantasy.

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Photo by Kevin Green

JULY 22 – 25

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER Comics Arts Conference co-founders Peter Coogan and Randy Duncan at the 2009 conference at Comic-Con.

From Batman to Superman, or rather his creators Siegel and Shuster, Brad Ricca, director of Last Son, a documentary on Jerry and Joe, seconds his S&S panel from last year with a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the historic first Siegel/Shuster work in New Fun Comics #6, with Nicky Brown, the granddaughter of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who will explore exactly who created Slam Bradley and what it means for the ownership of the character in general. Lauren Agostino, who last year thrilled audiences with her startling information about Superboy’s origin, will return with more unseen information about the legalities surrounding Siegel, Shuster, and their earliest characters. Mel Gordon (co-author of Funnyman: The First Jewish Superhero) fills out the panel by discussing the roots of Superman and Jewish identity in the Golem myth and presenting a short film showing Sigmund Breitbart, a Jewish strongman, who billed himself as “Superman” and appeared in Jerry Siegel’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1920s.

That’s not all for the fathers of the superhero. We’ve got a second Siegel and Shuster–focused panel with Marc Greenberg (Golden Gate University), who last year provided a detailed analysis of the 70-year battle by the Siegel family to regain copyright over Superman. This year Greenberg expands his brief by taking us way back to 1909 and the copyright act that laid out the legal ground for copyright protection, its history and evolution, and how the claims of the Siegel, Shuster, and Kirby estates to recapture copyright are playing out.

From Superman to superwomen. Katrina Hill (ActionFlickChick.com, voted by G4TV viewers as the “Next Woman of the Web”), Jill Pantozzi (Comic Book Resources), Luci Romberg (Ninja Warrior, Zombieland), Marjorie Liu (Dirk and Steele), reality TV star Adrianne Curry, and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Wonder Woman) ask, “Where Are the Action Chicks?” Why, despite the popularity of heroines like Xena, Wonder Woman, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, have comics and films not produced more superheroines and other action-oriented women? They are joined by the Ink-Stained Amazon herself, Jennifer K. Stuller, who explains how the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the boys’ club barrier of tradition and reveals the pivotal role of high-heeled, costumed crimefighters in popular culture.

All that along with CAC’s annual panel on “The Culture of Popular Things,” an actual college class taken by students during Comic-Con who engage in ethnographic data collection and analysis—if you think you know Comic-Con, you don’t know Comic-Con until you’ve seen these students’ presentations.

As usual, the CAC offers an education panel, which includes professional development certificates for teachers, as well as panels on digital comics, alternative comics, queer comics, and superhero comics, as well as a poster session that gives audiences a chance to go one-on-one with comics scholars.

The Comics Arts Conference—it’s just good for your brain.

Check the onsite Events Guide for the exact location of the Comics Arts Conference program room.

(Above) One of the many Comics Arts Conference panels over the years, this one focusing on the lasting appeal of Superman on the occasion of his 70th birthday in 2008 and moderated by scholar Ben Saunders.

(Below) Comic-Con special guest J. Michael Straczynski will appear on one of this year’s CAC panels, “Where are the Action Chicks?”

Check the onsite Events Guide for exact time and location.

Conduct Guidelines

Comic-Con has always gone to great lengths to try and provide both a safe and secure atmosphere for all of our attendees. Attendees must respect common sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for private property. Harassing or offensive behavior will not be tolerated. Comic-Con reserves the right to revoke, without refund, the membership and pass of any attendee not in compliance with this policy. Anyone finding themselves in a situation where they feel their safety is at risk, or who becomes aware of an attendee not in compliance with this policy, should immediately locate a member of security or a staff member, so that the matter can be handled in an expeditious manner.

Coogan/Duncan and Superman photos by Tom Gurnee; Straczynski photo by Barry Brown

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 23

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010

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Disabled Services

Comic-Con is dedicated to serving all of its attendees. The Disabled Services Department was established to offer a hand to visitors with special needs, including: • A rest area for the disabled, the elderly, expectant mothers, and parents with small infants.

• An enclosed nursing area for mothers with infants • Registration service for attendees with mobility issues • Cold storage of medications • Wheelchairs for loan in two- to three-hour increments on a first-come, first-served basis; all you need is an ID and a $20 cash deposit • American Sign Language interpreters for the deaf at large panels and the Masquerade • Special limited seating for large programming events and the Masquerade If you are an attendee with disabilities, Comic-Con wants to make your experience as fun and as entertaining as possible, but there are a few limitations on what can be provided. For example: • Programming rooms fill up quickly, and all seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, so special seating may not be available if you wait until the last minute to get to the room. Please read your Events Guide and plan your day accordingly, keeping in mind the popularity of most events.

• Special autograph sessions are always limited, so it is a good idea to make arrangements to have someone within your group save a spot for you in line. Keep in mind that Disabled Services cannot guarantee any seating, autographs, or giveaways.

The Disabled Services team is here to help. By working together, we can make the convention experience enjoyable for everyone. Visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_dissvc.shtml for more details.

The Disabled Services desk is located in the Hall A lobby on the ground floor of the Convention Center.

E

Eisner Awards

The nominees for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2010 were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges and reflect the wide range of material being published in comics and graphic novel form today, from multivolume deluxe hardcovers to online stories to traditional comic book format.

Ballots with this year’s nominees were mailed out to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable PDF of the ballot was also available online, and a special website was set up for online voting, which ended on June 15. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 23 at Comic-Con International. The event will be held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront, with doors opening at 8:15 pm and ceremonies getting under way at 8:30. More information about the Eisner Awards can be found at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml 2010 EISNER JUDGES’ COMMENTS This year’s panel of judges offer their thoughts on the Eisner Award nominations.

CRAIG FISCHER (film and comics professor, Appalachian State University) Adventures in Cartooning, B.P.R.D., Crogan’s March, Driven by Lemons, Eerie Archives, Futurama, George Sprott, Hark! A Vagrant, I Want You, Jack Staff, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Logicomix, Masterpiece Comics, Nancy, vol. 1, Of Comics and Men, Planet of Beer, Refresh, Refresh, Summit of the Gods, T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, Vagabond, Wednesday Comics, Yotsuba&!, Zegas.

The 2010 Eisner Award Judges with some of the nominated titles:(l to r): James Hudnall, Craig Fischer, Wayne Winsett, John Hogan, and Francisca Goldsmith.

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Awards photo by Tom Deleon; judges photo by Jackie Estrada

JULY 22 – 25

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

Off the top of my head, that’s an (almost) complete alphabetical list of excellent titles that, for one reason or another, didn’t make the Eisner ballot this year. What a great year for comics; I bet I could generate new titles for letters like “B” and “S” about twelve more times. It was an honor to be an Eisner judge during the comics medium’s Renaissance and a joy to become friends with the other judges.

FRANCISCA GOLDSMITH (library staff development/consultant, Infopeople) After many years of working with committees judging a variety of literary and leisure lists of publications under the auspices of the American Library Association and the California Library Association, working with Comic-Con judges was pleasing although not surprising. I expected everyone to come to the discussion table with his work done-—and everyone did. I expected the discussions to be critical but civil—and they were. I expected the ultimate choices to be difficult to make—and they were. I expected to meet folks in person who had simply been names—well-regarded names—before we met, and I did and they proved to be a good, honest, thoughtful bunch. In addition to winnowing hundreds of possibilities into the requisite short lists, I believe each of us judges learned more about how other professionals interact with comics, and for that I am glad that Comic-Con balances its judging panel in a way that allows the voices of retail, press, libraries, academia, and creation all to be heard as critics.

JOHN HOGAN (reviewer, GraphicNovelReporter.com) If my experience as an Eisner judge has taught me anything, it’s that the depth and breadth of today’s comics scene is even more impressive than I had imagined it to be just a year ago. It’s seemingly boundless, and spending this past year immersed in all this industry’s creative wonder has made me a fan all over again. The judging experience reminded me of being eight years old, when I spent an entire walk home from school debating with my best friend who was better, Superman or The Flash. All these decades later, it was amazing being in a room with a group of adults who truly appreciated the art of discussing and debating comics in that same manner. People may disagree with some of the choices we made, but no one can say we didn’t take our jobs very seriously. Here’s my advice to next year’s judges: Start taking copious notes right now on both your top and least favorites, and get ready for a very fun, wild ride.

JAMES HUDNALL (writer, The Psycho, ESPers) The Eisner judges are exposed to so many wonderful books that they might have never seen before, and they have the advantage of returning the favor by bringing the public’s attention to those comics well deserved of it. It was a grueling pleasure to read through mountains of comics in order to find the gems hidden in the stacks. Just as it was enjoyable to worth with fellow comics enthusiasts who shared a passion for the sequential arts.

WAYNE WINSETT (owner, Time Warp Comics, Boulder, CO) When I was asked to help judge the Eisners, I was very hesitant. I had a feeling the time commitment might be overwhelming. It was. I’ve read comics every night since I was six years old. I have been lucky to turn a lifelong love for comics into a full-time job that I love. I have seen many highs and lows in my three decades being in the comics industry. Working with this awesome group of professionals to determine this year’s Eisner finalists was one of the best experiences yet. As the daunting “must read “ lists of books kept poring in prior to the judging, reading became a full-time job. But as I read more and more, I realized the books this year were incredible. There was not only a tremendous amount of good stuff to read, but it soon became apparent that there was a lot of great material that was awesome. The judges all knew that when we convened. Each one of us was passionate about the gems we’d individually discovered. Everyone brought something unique and different to the table. At the end of the weekend, we all knew we had been a part of something special. I really believe we did a great job, and while it is an incredible amount of work, in the end it was totally worth it. Beware future judge—you must come into this fully prepared. Read your asses off!

Finally, I’m positive that this experience has left me a better retailer, as I’m more aware than ever of the wealth of material we have available to us. We are living in another golden age. It’s time more people realized that.

Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award

The late Will Eisner’s dedication to the comic medium led him to ask Comic-Con to help create this award, acknowledging the important role of comic book retailers as the vital link between the creator and the consumer. First begun in 1993, the award has been bestowed on 26 storeowners over the past 17 years. This year’s award recipient will be announced during the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday night, July 23.

For more information, visit ww.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_spirit.shtml Eisner Award photos by Tom Deleon and Tony Amat

A trio of 2009 Eisner Award winners: (top) Hall of Fame recipient Russ Heath; (middle) Best Graphic Album–New winner Nate Powelll (Swallow Me Whole); (bottom) editor Shawna Gore, accepting for Best Archival Collection/Project for The Creepy Archives.

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 25

2010 WILL EISNER COMIC INDUSTRY AWARD NOMINEES Best Short Story “Because I Love You So Much,” by Nikoline Werdelin, in From Wonderland with Love: Danish Comics in the 3rd Millennium (Fantagraphics/Aben maler) “Gentleman John,” by Nathan Greno, in What Is Torch Tiger? (Torch Tiger) “How and Why to Bale Hay,” by Nick Bertozzi, in Syncopated (Villard) “Hurricane,” interpreted by Gradimir Smudja, in Bob Dylan Revisited (Norton) “Urgent Request,” by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The Eternal Smile (First Second) Best Single Issue (or One-Shot) Brave & the Bold #28: “Blackhawk and the Flash: Firing Line,” by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz (DC) Captain America #601: “Red, White, and Blue-Blood,” by Ed Brubaker and Gene Colan (Marvel) Ganges #3, by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics) The Unwritten #5: “How the Whale Became,” by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC) Usagi Yojimbo #123: “The Death of Lord Hikiji” by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse) Best Continuing Series Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy et al. (Vertigo/DC) Irredeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!) Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media) The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC) The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image) Best Limited Series or Story Arc Blackest Night, by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Oclair Albert (DC) Incognito, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon) Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki, Macoto Tezka, and Tezuka Productions (VIZ Media) Wolverine #66–72 and Wolverine Giant-Size Special: “Old Man Logan,” by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines (Marvel) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel) Best New Series Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick, art by Tony Parker (BOOM!) Ireedeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!) Sweet Tooth, by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo/DC) The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC) Best Publication for Kids Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf) The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, by Eleanor Davis (Bloomsbury) Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme (First Second) The TOON Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young (Marvel) Best Publication for Teens Angora Napkin, by Troy Little (IDW) Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse) A Family Secret, by Eric Heuvel (Farrar Straus Giroux/Anne Frank House) Far Arden, by Kevin Cannon (Top Shelf) I Kill Giants tpb, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura (Image) Best Humor Publication Drinky Crow’s Maakies Treasury, by Tony Millionaire (Fantagraphics) Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me, And Other Astute Observations,

by Peter Bagge (Fantagraphics) Little Lulu, vols. 19–21, by John Stanley and Irving Tripp (Dark Horse Books) 26 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets, by Roger Langridge (BOOM Kids!)

Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni) Best Anthology Abstract Comics, edited by Andrei Molotiu (Fantagraphics) Bob Dylan Revisited, edited by Bob Weill (Norton) Flight 6, edited by Kazu Kibuishi (Villard) Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe Keatinge (Image) Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays, edited by Brendan Burford (Villard) What Is Torch Tiger? edited by Paul Briggs (Torch Tiger) Best Digital Comic Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl, www.abominable.cc Bayou, by Jeremy Love, http://zudacomics.com/bayou The Guns of Shadow Valley, by David Wachter and James Andrew Clark, www.gunsofshadowvalley.com Power Out, by Nathan Schreiber, www.act-i-vate.com/67.comic Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart, www.sintitulocomic.com/ Best Reality-Based Work A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly) Footnotes in Gaza, by Joe Sacco (Metropolitan/Holt) The Impostor’s Daughter, by Laurie Sandell (Little, Brown) Monsters, by Ken Dahl (Secret Acres) The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second) Stitches, by David Small (Norton) Best Adaptation from Another Work The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton) Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Michael Keller and Nicolle Rager Fuller (Rodale) Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, adapted by Tim Hamilton (Hill & Wang) Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics) Best Graphic Album—New Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzucchelli (Pantheon) A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton) My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second) Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) Best Graphic Album—Reprint Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC) A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, by Josh Neufeld (Pantheon) Alec: The Years Have Pants, by Eddie Campbell (Top Shelf) Essex County Collected, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) Map of My Heart: The Best of King-Cat Comics & Stories, 1996–2002,

by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly) Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW) Bringing Up Father, vol. 1: From Sea to Shining Sea, by George McManus and Zeke Zekley, edited by Bruce Canwell (IDW) The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons 1913–1940, edited by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics) Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, by Gahan Wilson, edited

by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) Prince Valiant, vol. 1: 1937–1938, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics) Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Walt McDougall, and W. W. Denslow, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)

2010 WILL EISNER COMIC INDUSTRY AWARD NOMINEES Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books The Best of Simon & Kirby, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, edited by Steve Saffel (Titan Books) Blazing Combat, by Archie Goodwin et al., edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) Humbug, by Harvey Kurtzman et al., edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW) The TOON Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon) Best U.S. Edition of International Material My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second) Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme (First Second) West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics) Years of the Elephant, by Willy Linthout (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia The Color Trilogy, by Kim Dong Haw (First Second) A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly) Oishinbo a la Carte, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki (VIZ Media) Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki, Macoto Tezka, and Tezuka Productions (VIZ Media) Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media) Best Writer Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel) Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon) Geoff Johns, Adventure Comics, Blackest Night, The Flash: Rebirth, Superman: Secret Origin (DC) James Robinson, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC) Mark Waid, Irredeemable, The Incredibles (BOOM!) Bill Willingham, Fables (Vertigo/DC) Best Writer/Artist Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter (IDW) R. Crumb, The Book of Genesis Illustrated (Norton) David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon) Terry Moore, Echo (Abstract Books) Naoki Urasawa, Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka (VIZ Media) Best Writer/Artist–Nonfiction Reinhard Kleist, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness (Abrams ComicArts) Willy Linthout, Years of the Elephant (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt) David Small, Stitches (Norton) Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics) Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team Michael Kaluta, Madame Xanadu #11–15: “Exodus Noir” (Vertigo/DC) Steve McNiven/Dexter Vines, Wolverine: Old Man Logan (Marvel) Fiona Staples, North 40 (WildStorm) J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC) Danijel Zezelj, Luna Park (Vertigo/DC) Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) Émile Bravo, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) Mauro Cascioli, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC) Nicolle Rager Fuller, Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation (Rodale Books) Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children’s Books) Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)

Best Cover Artist John Cassaday, Irredeemable (BOOM!); Lone Ranger (Dynamite) Salvador Larocca, Invincible Iron Man (Marvel) Sean Phillips, Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon); 28 Days Later (BOOM!) Alex Ross, Astro City: The Dark Age (WildStorm/DC); Project Superpowers (Dynamite) J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC) Best Coloring Steve Hamaker, Bone: Crown of Horns (Scholastic); Little Mouse Gets Ready (Toon) Laura Martin, The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures (IDW); Thor, The Stand: American Nightmares (Marvel) David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon) Alex Sinclair, Blackest Night, Batman and Robin (DC) Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Luna Park (Vertigo) Best Lettering Brian Fies, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? (Abrams ComicArts) David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon) Tom Orzechowski, Savage Dragon (Image); X-Men Forever (Marvel) Richard Sala, Cat Burglar Black (First Second); Delphine (Fantagraphics) Adrian Tomine, A Drifting Life (Drawn & Quarterly) Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows) ComicsAlliance, edited by Laura Hudson, www.comicsalliance.com Comics Comics, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel (www. comicscomicsmag.com) (PictureBox) The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics) The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon (www. comicsreporter.com) Best Comics-Related Book Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel, by Annalisa Di Liddo (University Press of Mississippi) The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts) The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, by Helen McCarthy (Abrams ComicArts) Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, by Eric P. Nash (Abrams ComicArts) Will Eisner and PS Magazine, by Paul E. Fitzgerald (Fitzworld.US) Best Publication Design Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC) The Brinkley Girls, designed by Adam Grano (Fantagraphics) Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics) Life and Times of Martha Washington, designed by David Nestelle (Dark Horse Books) Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press) Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? designed by Neil Egan and Brian Fies (Abrams ComicArts) Hall of Fame Judges’ choices: Burne Hogarth, Bob Montana Ballot: Carl Burgos, Steve Gerber, Dick Giordano, Michael Kaluta, Jack Kamen, Frans Masereel, Sheldon Moldoff, Marty Nodell, George McManus, Bob Oksner, Bob Powell, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Mort Weisinger

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 27

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010 Events Guide

Comic-Con’s onsite Events Guide is given free to each attendee while supplies last. It’s the official schedule of the entire show, encompassing Programming, Autograph signings, Games, Anime, and Film screenings (including the Comic-Con International Film Festival). It also lists all the exhibitors and contains a special section highlighting events and signings at booths in the Exhibit Hall. This giant publication also features maps and info to help make your visit to Comic-Con—and downtown San Diego— more complete. Look for it with your Souvenir Book and bag when you pick up your membership badge!

Exclusives

Comic-Con 2010 promises to be chock full of exclusive items, everything from action figures to comic books, from sketchbooks to posters. Check www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_exclusives.php for an updated list of exclusives scheduled to premiere at the show.

Exhibit Hall

Comic-Con’s giant Exhibit Hall comprises over 460,000 square feet of comics and pop culture shoppers’ paradise. Taking up Halls A through G on the ground floor of the San Diego Convention Center, the exhibitors include the leading comics publishers in the U.S. and elsewhere, manga and anime companies, book publishers, movie studios, TV networks, toy companies, artists and illustrators, and much more. Check www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_exhib_1.php for updated information before the show. Booth numbers and an Exhibit Hall map will be added as we get closer to Comic-Con. Bookmark this page for updated information!

The Exhibit Hall is located on the ground floor of the Convention Center, Halls A through G. Rick Geary’s cover for the 2009 Comic-Con Events Guide

F

Film Festival

The Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival (or CCI-IFF) is a popular programming track presenting the best in genre-related filmmaking. The juried event, which consists of films in seven categories—action/adventure, animation, comics-oriented, documentary, humor, horror, and science fiction/fantasy—will culminate in trophies and prizes given out at a ceremony on Sunday, July 25. The Festival will run all four days, with the popular “Comic-Con Film School” preceding it.

This year’s celebrity judges: LLOYD KAUFMAN, president of Troma Entertainment and creator of the Toxic Avenger, has been a pioneer in the world of independent cinema, championing dozens of successful, yet completely independent films. His works include The Toxic Avenger, The Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Tromeo and Juliet.

Kaufman’s most recent film is the critically acclaimed Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. More recently, Kaufman published the fifth installment in his world-famous “Make Your Own Damn Movie” series of books and master classes, Produce Your Own Damn Movie! He is currently working on preparing The Toxic Avenger Part V: The Toxic Twins.

LLOYD KAUFMAN AND FRIEND

KERRY O’QUINN is most famous for creating Starlog in 1976. The science fiction film and TV genre magazine became the voice of the field. Kerry, along with publishing partner Norman Jacobs, went on to create Fangoria, Cinemagic, Future Life, and Comics Scene, along with a a series of genre books, soundtrack albums, and live events. Kerry launched O’Quinn Productions with Scream Greats, a video series for Paramount, and developed FutureTales, a science fiction series for HBO. Working with Lucasfilm and others, O’Quinn’s company became the world’s largest publisher of licensed movie and TV magazines—with two dozen monthlies targeting a young worldwide audience. After writing, producing, and directing several short films, TV commercials, and a documentary, O’Quinn moved to Hollywood to become a full-time filmmaker. Currently, he’s developing a dozen features, including Ayn Rand’s Anthem.

MIKE ROUSH has been animating for Titmouse inc. on a variety of commercial and television projects since 2004. Among other things, Mike has served as lead animator and director on [adult swim]’s smash hit Metalocalypse. Mike’s animated short film The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl has played at over 40 film festivals worldwide, and is currently touring with Spike and Mike’s New Generation Animation Show. His short also took home both the Best Animation and Judge’s Award at the 2009 Comic-Con International Film Festival. Mike graduated from California State Fullerton with a BFA in Entertainment Arts/Animation and is also one of the founding members of the artist collective The Those Guys. Mike currently lives in southern California with his brilliant wife Mari and awesome dog Riley.

This year the CCI-IFF moves to a new room at the Marriott Hotel, right next to the Convention Center. Check your onsite Events Guide for the exact location. The complete schedule of films will be posted at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_iff.shtml as we get closer to the event.

KERRY O’QUINN

MIKE ROUSH

28 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

JULY 22 – 25

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

Films

Helping you stay up all night, Comic-Con’s film screenings will take place at both the Convention Center and the official headquarters hotel, the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. Pre-registered 4-day attendees will have a jump on everyone else by getting a sneak peek at the complete films schedule online, closer to the event. Staying up late to watch movies with some of your newest friends is a Comic-Con tradition!

Bill Finger Award for Achievement in Comic Book Writing

The Bill Finger Award for Achievement in Comic Book Writing honors the memory of William Finger (1914–1974), who was the first and, some say, most important writer of Batman. Many have called him the “unsung hero” of the character and have hailed his work not only on that iconic figure but on dozens of others, primarily for DC Comics. The Bill Finger Award was instituted in 2005 at the instigation of comic book legend Jerry Robinson, who worked with Finger on the original Golden Age Batman.

The 2010 recipients of the Bill Finger Award are: GARY FRIEDRICH was a member of the legendary Marvel Bullpen of the sixties, joining the company in 1967 after a brief stint working for Charlton Comics on strips that included Blue Beetle and The Sentinels. For Marvel, he began with westerns and quickly segued to superhero features including The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, and Marvel’s version of Captain Marvel. He distinguished himself with a long, memorable run writing Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, and in 1972 he introduced a new, character with the name of Ghost Rider, which has had a successful run in publishing and which in 2007 resulted in a major motion picture bringing Friedrich’s fiery hero to the screen.

OTTO BINDER sold the first of hundreds of science-fiction stories in 1930 at the age of 19. Within a few years, he was a major contributor to pulp magazines, and when comic books came along, he was an early entrant in that field and one of its most prolific writers. He was the primary scripter for the original Captain Marvel, authoring nearly a thousand stories—approximately half—of those featuring that hero and allied characters. It was largely due to Binder’s work for Fawcett Comics that Captain Marvel became the bestselling superhero of his era. Binder also found time over the years to write for Timely Comics, Quality, MLJ, Western Publishing and EC. In 1948 he began working for DC Comics and soon was writing Superman. In the course of writing that character he introduced such important, lasting elements of the mythos as Supergirl, Brainiac, Krypto the Super Dog, and The Legion of Super-Heroes. Binder passed away in 1974.

The Finger Award is presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International: San Diego and is administered by Jackie Estrada. The awards will be presented during the Eisner Awards ceremony at this summer’s Comic-Con on the evening of July 23 at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront. Additional information on the Finger Award can be found at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml

(Above) The late Bill Finger, sketched by legendary Batman artist Jerry Robinson.

(Below) The fabled land of free stuff at ComicCon . . . the amazing Freebie Tables!

FOLLOW US!

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Search Comic-Con International

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Freebie Tables

One of the best parts of any convention: free stuff! Comic-Con has it by the bag-load, starting at the giant Freebie Tables located in the Sails Pavilion upstairs, beginning on Thursday, July 22. And of course many companies give out items at their booths in the Exhibit Hall, too.

Fulfillment Room

In some of the panels and events in the bigger rooms (Hall H, Ballroom 20, the 6 rooms), you may be given a ticket for a free item. Please listen to the instructions given when you receive that ticket; it may be for an item that you can pick up at the Fulfillment Room. You don’t have to rush there, either: if you’re given a ticket you can go to the Fulfillment Room anytime it’s open during Comic-Con to pick up your item.

Check the onsite Events Guide for the exact location and hours of the Fulfillment Room.

G

Games

You can always count on hours upon hours of games at Comic-Con! The Convention Center’s Mezzanine level is devoted to games all four days of the event, and the gaming room at the headquarters hotel, the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina, offers action into the wee hours of the night.

Look for a complete schedule closer to the event at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_games.shtml.

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 29

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL GUESTS s NEAL ADAMS

Comic-Con International once again is proud to present a gathering of special guests from around the world, including writers and artists from comic books, newspaper comics, graphic novels, alternative comics, and the worlds of science fiction and fantasy. NEW! denotes guests added since the last issue of the Magazine.

Visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.shtml for more information and check the Program Schedule page (www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_prog.shtml) as we get closer to the event to see where your favorites are appearing at Comic-Con!

s The Adams Family!

Legendary comics creator Neal Adams is a special guest at Comic-Con 2010 and he’s bringing his talented trio of sons—Jason, Joel, and Josh—with him!

The entire “Adams Family” will be a part of this year’s big event.

Writer/artist, publisher, Batman, X-Men, Ms Mystic

s JOEL ADAMS

s JASON SPYDA ADAMS

Sculptor, DC Direct, Toy Biz

Artist/designer, House of Mystery

Writer/artist, Buddy Bradley stories, Hate, Other Lives

A self-taught artist in sculpture and human anatomy, Jason Spyda Adams made a name for himself in the world of toy and fantasy sculpture. Spyda concentrates on elevating his work to a higher expectation, where sculpture will be seen as less of a simple collectible and more of an artform. Working for world-renowned companies across the toy and comics fields, his professional catalog spans 20 years. His company Spyda Creations is his new platform to create dynamic fine art sculpture.

Neal Adams has had legendary runs on Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and Deadman.

Adams rescued Batman from his campy TV show and transformed him into his present “Avenger of the Night.” His run directly led to the realistic incarnation seen in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movies. In addition, Neal has launched a successful production company—Continuity Studios—which produced the popular Nasonex Bee Campaign and introduced the concept of Motion Comics. Neal is currently writing and drawing Batman Odyssey for DC Comics, a 12-issue series, and is writing and drawing a 5-issue Wolverine series for Marvel.

Artist/designer, Ms Mystic, King of the Hill

Joel Adams, eldest son of Neal Adams, is an illustrator whose work has appeared in the comics Ms Mystic and Bucky O’Hare (Continuity) Blood Thirst (Alpha Productions), and Young Captain Adventure (Penthouse Comix). He has been a designer on television shows The Hulk, Nascar Racers, and the Emmy Award–winning King of the Hill and has created licensing art for Captain Scarlet, The Mask, Power Rangers, and Harry Potter. Adams now works on his own license, Lil’z, an Internet phenomenon, as well as being a contributor and designer for Carrie Leigh’s NUDE magazine, a prestigious black-and-white fine art publication.

s JOSH ADAMS

SERGIO ARAGONéS

At just 23 years of age, Josh Adams, youngest son of living legend Neal Adams, has worked for both DC (House of Mystery) and Marvel (Astonishing XMen: Motion Comic), as well as doing print design for many of the top shows on the Syfy Channel over the past five years, including Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, Eureka, and Ghost Hunters. Josh is currently working on a three-part miniseries titled SPIT. Josh also writes for Rich Johnston’s Bleeding Cool website and can be found on his own site WhatWouldJoshDo.com.

One of MAD magazine’s longest-running cartoonists (only Al Jaffee has been around longer) and the creator of dim-witted barbarian Groo, Sergio Aragonés is one of comics’ most popular creators.

Most recently, the man some call the world’s fastest cartoonist ventured into the popular world of The Simpsons, becoming a regular featured writer/artist in Bart Simpson Comics.

Cartoonist, Groo, MAD magazine

PETER BAGGE

GABRIELLE BELL

Alternative cartoonist Peter Bagge is best known for the ’90s comic book series Hate, following the adventures of Buddy Bradley, which have been collected into two volumes: Buddy Does Seatle and Buddy Does Jersey (both from Fantagraphics).

More recently, he’s written two graphic novels: Apocalypse Nerd (Dark Horse) and a brand new title from Vertigo/DC, Other Lives. A collection of the journalistic strips Bagge has done for Reason magazine, Everyone Is Stupid Except For Me, has been published by Fantagraphics.

Gabrielle Bell’s books include When I’m Old and Other Stories (Alternative Comics) and Lucky (Drawn & Quarterly). Her work has been selected for the 2007, 2009, and 2010 Houghton Mifflin Best American Comics and the Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction, and she’s the recipient of two Ignatz awards. The title story of Bell’s latest book, Cecil and Jordan in New York, has been adapted for the film anthology Tokyo! by Michel Gondry. She lives in Brooklyn and is working on a second volume of Lucky, which is serialized online.

Writer/artist, Lucky, Cecil and Jordan in New York

For updates on Comic-Con 2010 special guests, visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.shtml 30 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

JULY 22 – 25

Writer, Avengers, New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man Powers, Scarlet

Artist, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

RAY BRADBURY

Brian Michael Bendis is an award-winning comics creator (including five Eisner Awards) and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. He is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s popular Avengers franchise by writing every issue of the New Avengers and Avengers titles. Brian is one of the premiere architects of Marvel Comics’ Ultimate line, having written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its bestselling launch in 1999. His other projects include the Eisner Award–winning Powers (with artist/co-creator Mike Oeming) and the new book Scarlet with artist Alex Maleev.

Ray Bradbury has published more than 600 short stories over a period of 60 years. He has written short stories, novels, screenplays, plays, and poetry.

His best-known books are The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Fahrenheit 451. A novel, Farewell Summer, which is the sequel to Bradbury’s classic Dandelion Wine, was published in October 2006, followed by Now And Forever: Somewhere a Band Is Playing and Leviathan ’99 in 2007, and We’ll Always Have Paris, in 2009. He was a guest at the very first San Diego Comic-Con in 1970.

Author/screenwriter, Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles

éMILE BRAVO

BERKELEY BREATHED

While still a kid, Émile Bravo started sketching on everything. In 1992 he joined Studio Nawak, which included Lewis Tronheim, Joann Sfar, Emmanuel Guibert, Christopher Blain, and David B, and started work with Regnaud on the popular series Aleksis Strogonov. In 1999 he started his juvenile series Jules, which has been described as “Tin Tin for the 21st century.” His graphic novel collaboration with Regnaud, My Mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, is nominated for three Eisner Awards, including Best Painter for Bravo.

Co-sponsored by Fanfare/Ponent Mon

Berkeley Breathed began drawing Bloom County, a political satire, for college newspapers in the early 1980s. Nationwide recognition came to Breathed with his creation of Opus, an insecure penguin who reflected the political conscience of America. When Bloom County ended, Breathed created Outland, which had a successful four-year run, after which Breathed started Opus, which ran until 2008. Bloom County Complete Library is currently being published by IDW.

Cartoonist, Bloom County, Outland, Opus

CHRIS CLAREMONT

KURT BUSIEK

Writer, Astro City, Conan, Arrowsmith, Marvels

Kurt Busiek has been writing comics professionally since three days before he graduated from college in 1982, when he sold a “Tales of the Green Lantern Corps” backup story that appeared in Green Lantern #162. Since then, he’s worked on just about everything from Action Comics to Zot!, including runs on Avengers, Superman, Conan and others, and has co-created Thunderbolts, Shockrockets, Arrowsmith, and more. He is perhaps best known for his work on the multiple-award-winning Marvels and Astro City.

Writer, Uncanny X-Men, X-Men Forever, X-Women

HOWARD CRUSE

Writer/artist, Stuck Rubber Baby, Wendel

Howard Cruse’s comic strips and humorous illustrations have appeared in Playboy, The Village Voice, Artforum International, Heavy Metal, Starlog, and numerous other mainstream American magazines, as well as in assorted underground comix and in Howard’s solo Barefootz Funnies series. Howard was the founding editor in 1980 of Gay Comix, and his comic strip series Wendel, a popular feature in The Advocate during much of the 1980s, has been reprinted in three book collections. A fifteenth-anniversary reissue of his award-winning 1995 graphic novel Stuck Rubber Baby was recently published by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint.

Chris Claremont has encountered more success than most writers ever dream of. Although known for his work on Marvel Comics’ X-Men series, he has written other seminal characters such as Batman and Superman, originated several creator-owned series, is published throughout the world in many different languages, and has written nine novels. His initial unbroken 17-year run on Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men is the stuff of industry legend. Current projects include the ongoing Marvel series X-Men Forever, X-Women (drawn by renowned Italian artist Milo Manara), the young adult novel Wild Blood, and the screenplay Hunter’s Moon.

VANESSA DAVIS

Writer/artist, Spaniel Rage, Make Me a Woman

Vanessa Davis is the award-winning cartoonist of the graphic novel and minicomic Spaniel Rage. Her new Drawn & Quarterly book, Make Me a Woman, which was serialized online for Tablet Magazine and will debut at San Diego, will confirm Vanessa’s spot as one of the leading cartoonist and humorists of her generation. Her comics have appeared in such anthologies as Kramers Ergot, Best American Comics, Stuck in the Middle, Papercutter, and An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories.

Courtesy Drawn & Quarterly

Find out where your favorite Comic-Con special guest will be appearing: visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_prog.php Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 31

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL GUESTS

Actor/writer, The Guild

Writer/comics historian, Groo the Wanderer, Kirby: King of Comics

Author, humorist, satirist, voice-over actor

FELICIA DAY

DAVE DORMAN

Felicia Day has appeared as an actor on TV shows such as House, Strong Medicine, Dollhouse, Lie to Me, and Monk and in films (Bring it on Again and the Emmy award–winning Warm Springs). She had recurring roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roommates. Felicia is best known for her work on the Internet, behind and in front of the camera. She co-starred in Joss Whedon’s Internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which won an Emmy in 2009. She also created, writes, and stars in the hit web series The Guild, which is in its fourth season.

Dave Dorman is a celebrated commercial illustrator, named “Favorite Star Wars artist of all time” by Star Wars Galaxy magazine in 1998. He is an Eisner award-winning illustrator who has been working as a professional since 1979. Dorman’s commercial focus was nurtured within the comics industry, with covers of popular books featuring Batman, The Rocketeer, and Judge Dredd. Dorman’s art for the graphic novel Aliens: Tribes won him the Eisner Award for Best Painter. He is now working on the sequel to his graphic novel Rail, continuing his Steampunk series set in his creator-owned universe The Wasted Lands.

Illustrator, Star Wars, Rail

MARK EVANIER

MATT FRACTION

Comics, animation, TV, and blog-writer Mark Evanier is known for his work with Jack Kirby (his art book Kirby: King of Comics won the 2009 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book) and Sergio Aragonés (he does something on Groo, but no one is quite certain what it is). Evanier brings his incredible wealth of knowledge of comics and pop culture to light each and every day on his blog at www. newsfromme.com and will once again moderate and host a plethora of panels at Comic-Con.

Matt Fraction is one of the hottest writers working in comics. His first big hit was Casanova for Image Comics, drawn by Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon. From there, he went to work for Marvel on such titles as Immortal Iron Fist and Punisher War Journal. His Invincible Iron Man title with artist Salvador Larroca won the 2009 Eisner Award for Best New Series. Fraction also writes the flagship X-title Uncanny X-Men and Thor.

Writer, Invincible Iron Man, Thor, Uncanny X-Men, Casanova

STAN FREBERG

HUNTER FREBERG

Stan Freberg is one of America’s best-loved humorists, satirists, and keynote speakers. He is known worldwide as an award-winning composer, lyricist, singer, actor, writer, and director. Starting at the age of 18, he began a lifetime career as a voiceover actor doing over 400 Warner Bros. cartoons.

He helped create the award-winning children’s program Time For Beany (Beany & Cecil), which received an Emmy for Best Children’s Show three years in a row. Freberg has been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and the Animation Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hunter Freberg is a humorist, entertainer, well-known media personality, and keynote speaker. She has been a correspondent on KRON-TV (San Francisco), KNBCTV (Los Angeles), WJBK-TV (Detroit), and CNN. Her commentaries have been syndicated on over 300 radio stations across the country, and she has served as co-host for ABC Talkradio. Her no-nonsense, breezy, style has even taken center stage at The Improv in Los Angeles. Audiences have described Hunter as hilarious, captivating and endearing. Since marrying humorist/satirist Stan Freberg, audiences have declared it “a comedy match made in heaven.”

Humorist, entertainer, media personality

NICHOLAS GUREWITZ

Cartoonist, The Perry Bible Fellowship

The cartoonist behind the Eisner and Harvey award– winning online strip The Perry Bible Fellowship, Nicholas Gurewitch started his career in the Syracuse University newspaper The Daily Orange. In addition to being featured online, PBF appeared in newspapers, magazines, and other school papers. The strip ended in 2008 but remains an online favorite.

Dark Horse has published two extremely popular collections, The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories and The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack.

Recently Gurewitch contributed to Marvel Comics’ Strange Tales title, featuring popular Marvel heroes in stories by indie cartoonists.

MOTO HAGIO

Manga writer/artist, The Poe Clan, Mesh, A Drunken Dream and Other Stories

Moto Hagio is considered to be the mother of shōjo (young girl) manga. Her major works include The Poe Clan, They Were Eleven, The Heart of Thomas, Marginal, and Mesh. In 1976, she received the 21st Shogakukan Manga Award for The Poe Clan and They Were Eleven. In 1997, she became the first recipient of the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award Grand Prize for A Cruel God Reigns. She is currently creating a manga about a cat named Leo, which is serialized in the magazine Flowers. This will be her firstever visit to the U.S. to appear as a special guest at Comic-Con.

For updates on Comic-Con 2010 special guests, visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.shtml 32 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

JULY 22 – 25

Author, Sookie Stackhouse novels (basis for True Blood)

Author, Blood series, The Truth of Valor

Artist, New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man

Writer/artist, Wonder Woman, New X-Men, Astonishing X-Men

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

CHARLAINE HARRIS

DUSTY HIGGINS

New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over 25 years. She’s written four series and two stand-alones, plus numerous short stories. Charlaine is an avid reader of genre literature, and she is deeply involved in the life of the small town where she lives. In addition to her work, Charlaine is the past senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church, a former board member of Mystery Writers of America, a past board member of Sisters in Crime, a member of the American Crime Writers League, and past president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance.

Dusty Higgins is the creator and artist behind the 2009 graphic novel Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer, chosen as one of the top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association. By day, Higgins is an award-winning graphic artist and illustrator at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Higgins lives in Bryant, Arkansas with his wife Kristin and dog Starbuck. In June they will welcome a new addition to the family, daughter Kahlan.

Courtesy SLG Publishing

Artist, Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer

TANYA HUFF

KATHRYN IMMONEN

Tanya Huff lives in rural Ontario, Canada with her partner Fiona Patton and, as of last count, nine cats.

Her 26 novels and 68 short stories include horror, heroic fantasy, urban fantasy, comedy, and space opera. She’s written four essays for Ben Bella’s pop culture collections. Her Blood series was turned into the 22-episode Blood Ties, and writing episode nine allowed her to finally use her degree in Radio & Television Arts. Her latest novel is The Truth of Valor (DAW, September 2010) When not writing, she practices her guitar and spends too much time online.

Kathryn Immonen has written stories for both DC and Marvel, including the sleeper hit miniseries Patsy Walker: Hellcat. She recently completed a run on the fan favorite series Runaways and is currently wrapping the X-Men miniseries Pixie Strikes Back! with Sara Pichelli and this June’s Heralds, with Tonci Zonjic. The creator-owned Moving Pictures, drawn by Stuart Immonen, was released by Top Shelf in May. The Immonens will soon be moving on to their next project, Russian Olive to Red King.

Writer, Runaways, Patsy Walker: Hellcat, Heralds

STUART IMMONEN

VAN JENSEN

Over a span of more than 20 years, artist Stuart Immonen has worked for virtually every comics publisher (extant and extinct) and is best known for such diverse and critically acclaimed work as Nextwave and Superman: Secret Identity. After a successful run on Ultimate Spider-Man, Stuart is currently the artist on Marvel’s top-selling New Avengers. The creator-owned Never as Bad as You Think (written by Kathryn Immonen) has recently been given the hardcover treatment by BOOM! Studios, and their Moving Pictures has just been released by Top Shelf. He lives in Toronto with the good, the bad, and the rather tall.

Van Jensen is the author of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and its sequel. Previously, Van covered the comics industry for Publishers Weekly and other outlets. Before that, he was a crime reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper, where he met artist Dusty Higgins, leading to their collaboration on Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer. As an awardwinning freelance journalist, Van has contributed to dozens of outlets, including Atlanta magazine and Sojourners. He writes and illustrates a series of minicomics, Nebraska, about his hometown. Van lives in Atlanta with his wife Amy and their mutt, Chase. Courtesy SLG Publishing

Writer, Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer

PHIL JIMENEZ

JENETTE KAHN

Phil Jimenez has worked as a comic book creator since 1991. He first gained recognition for his work on New Titans and Tempest. Phil is best known for his run on DC Comics’ Wonder Woman and for his work with Grant Morrison on New X-Men and Geoff Johns on Infinite Crisis. He is wrapping up a run on Astonishing X-Men, and was the cover artist of the bestselling “Spider-Man Meets President Obama” issue of Amazing Spider-Man. He is also the co-author of the recently published Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia.

In 1976, at the age of 28, Jenette Kahn became publisher of DC Comics. Five years later, she became president and editor-in-chief of DC. She was the youngest person at Warner Brothers/Time Warner to become president of a division, and the first woman.

Under her aegis, DC introduced the graphic novel to America and broke new ground with such publications as The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and Sandman. Kahn also broke ground by championing and implementing extensive rights for creators in an industry where there were none.

President, editor-in-chief, DC Comics 1976–1993

Find out where your favorite Comic-Con special guest will be appearing: visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_prog.php Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 33

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL GUESTS

Cartoonist, The Knight Life, the K Chronicles, (th)ink

KEITH KNIGHT

JIM LEE

Keith Knight is one of the most prolific cartoonists in the country. He is the creator of three comic strips: The Knight Life, a nationally syndicated autobiographical daily; (th)ink, a sociopolitical single panel of ethnic concern; and his signature strip, the K Chronicles, winner of the 2007 Harvey Award for Best Comic Strip. A frequent contributor to MAD magazine, Knight offers a potent combination of highbrow and lowbrow humor. With one foot underground and the other in the mainstream, his work has caused more than a few ripples across the media spectrum.

Acclaimed comic book illustrator Jim Lee is the creative director of WildStorm Studios (which he founded in 1992) and the penciller for many of DC Comics’ bestselling comic book and graphic novels, including All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder; Batman: Hush; and Superman: For Tomorrow, and the upcoming Dark Knight: Boy Wonder. Earlier this year, Jim and Dan Didio were named co-publishers of DC Comics. Jim also serves as the executive creative director for the upcoming DC Universe Online videogame.

Co-publisher, DC Comics; artist, Dark Knight: Boy Wonder

STAN LEE

Stan “the Man” Lee’s influence over comic books is incalculable. His co-creations Spider-Man, XMen, and Iron Man have been monster movie hits, helping make Marvel Comics the leader of the comic book industry. Some of Stan’s other great co-creations, such as the Hulk, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil have sequels on the way, while Thor, Avengers, and Silver Surfer, plus many others, are now in development. Stan is currently developing Writer/editor/co-creator, movie and TV projects with his company POW! EnFantastic Four, tertainment while still proudly cherishing the title Amazing Spider-Man, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel. Lee was awarded the Incredible Hulk, et al.

2009 Comic-Con Icon Award.

Artist, Click, Indian Summer, X-Women

Writer/artist, Finder; artist, Bad Houses, Queen & Country

PAUL LEVITZ

Publisher & president, DC Comics, 2002–2009; writer, Legion of Super-Heroes

Paul Levitz entered comics in 1971 as editor of The Comic Reader, the first comics newszine, which won two Best Fanzine Comic Art Fan Awards. He has received the Inkpot Award and the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award and serves on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund board. Levitz is known for his writing, including an acclaimed run on the Legion of Super-Heroes, a series to which he’s returned. On staff beginning in 1973, Levitz was DC’s youngest editor ever, ultimately became publisher in 1989 and president and publisher from 2002 to 2009. He is now primarily writing.

MILO MANARA

LARRY MARDER

Italian Milo Manara is one of the world’s greatest comic book artists. Manara published an uninterrupted series of international successes: L’uomo di carta (The Paper Man), L’uomo delle nevi (The Snowman), Il gioco (Click), Il profumo dell’invisibile (Butterscotch), Candid Camera (Hidden Camera), and Kamasutra (Manara’s Kama Sutra). At present he is at work on the third book in the Borgia series written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and on the Marvel graphic novel X-Women, written by legendary X-Men author Chris Claremont.

Larry Marder’s Beanworld has delighted readers from grade school to grad school for more than a generation, earning him a spot on the New York Times’ Graphic Books Best Sellers List. Marder’s Tales of the Beanworld, a most peculiar comic book experience, was first released in 1985 by Eclipse Comics; 21 issues were published up through 1993.

Marder returned to creating Beanworld full time in 2007. He lives in Orange County, CA, with his wife, Cory, and their two cats, Olive and Chipper.

Writer/artist, Beanworld

CARLA SPEED MCNEIL

china miéville

Carla Speed McNeil has published her ongoing science fiction series Finder since 1997. It has won numerous awards, including the Eisner. Finder has made the move to Dark Horse, with a new book titled Finder: Voice to be published in February of 2011 and large collected editions of previous trade paperbacks to follow. Finder won the Eisner Award for Best Webcomic in 2009. She is also drawing Bad Houses, an original graphic novel about love in the midst of estate sales and hoarders, written by Sara Ryan (The Rules for Hearts, Empress of the World), to be published by DC/Vertigo.

China Miéville is the New York Times bestselling author of Perdido Street Station, The Scar, Iron Council, and several other works. He has won a number of awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the British Fantasy Award twice each.

His latest novel, The City & the City, was named one of the top 10 books of the year in 2009 by Amazon.com. His new book, Kraken, has just been published. Miéville lives and works in London.

Author, The City & the City, Perdido Street Station

For updates on Comic-Con 2010 special guests, visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.shtml 34 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

JULY 22 – 25

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

DENNIS O’NEIL Dennis O’Neil is an award-winning comics writer, editor, and educator, best known for his innovative work on Batman and bringing social relevance to superheroes with Green Lantern/Green Arrow, in collaboration with artist Neal Adams. He has also been a journalist, critic, television writer, and bestselling novelist, and has published dozens of short stories.

He lives in Nyack, NY with his wife, Marifran.

Writer/editor, Batman, Green Lantern/ Green Arrow

Inker/colorist, Kick-Ass, Tomb of Dracula, The Avengers

ROBERT M. OVERSTREET Author Robert M. Overstreet discovered the EC line of comics in 1952. After joining fandom groups, he wrote to collectors looking to buy their collections.

He found only one taker, but the spark was lit. A coin collector as well as a comics enthusiast, he wondered when comic books would have their own “red book” price guide. He continued collecting through the 1960s, eventually networking with dealers and other Author/comics historian, collectors to the point that he thought something had to be done to document the field he loved. The OverThe Overstreet street Comic Book Price Guide—now celebrating its Comic Book 40th anniversary—was born.

Price Guide

TOM PALMER

SEAN PHILLIPS

Tom Palmer began his career in comics on Marvel’s Doctor Strange and has gone on to lend his inimitable embellishing talents to virtually all of the company’s top titles as an inker, colorist, and painter. He has been part of many of comics’ legendary dream teams, most notably with Neal Adams on X-Men, John Buscema on The Avengers, and Gene Colan on Tomb of Dracula. His more recent credits include Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, and Kick-Ass, where his work can be seen both on the page and on the screen in the film’s animated sequence.

Drawing comics professionally since the age of 15, Eisner Award–winning Sean Phillips has worked for all the major publishers. Since drawing Sleeper, Hellblazer, Batman, X-Men, and Marvel Zombies, Sean has concentrated on creator-owned books, including Criminal, Incognito, and 7 Psychopaths.

Besideds working on a sequel to Incognito, he’s currently drawing Stephen King’s The Dark Tower for Marvel and an album for French publishers Delcourt. He lives in the Lake District in the UK with his wife and three sons.

Artist, Criminal, Incognito, Sleeper

IVAN REIS

Artist, Green Lantern, Blackest Night, Brightest Day

Brazilian Ivan Reis started his career in the U.S. comics industry back in the 1990s, on Ghost and The Mask for Dark Horse. In 2004 Ivan started to work exclusively for DC Comics, pencilling Action Comics. After working on high-profile series such as Infinite Crisis and Rann & Thanagar War, in 2006 he started on Green Lantern with writer Geoff Johns and his inker of choice, Oclair Albert. That lead him to assume the art chores on Blackest Night, the DC Comics mega-hit event book of 2009–2010.

Currently Ivan is working on Brightest Day for DC Comics.

DOUGLAS E. RICHARDS

Author, The Prometheus Project series

RICK RIODAN

Author, Percy Jackson & the Olympians series

Rick Riordan is the author of the best-selling Percy Jackson & the Olympians series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.

His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. Disney-Hyperion recently released The Red Pyramid, the first book in The Kane Chronicles series, and this fall Rick revisits Camp Half-Blood, with Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero. He lives in San Antonio, TX, with his wife and two sons.

Douglas E. Richards is the author of the children’s science fiction thrillers The Prometheus Project— Trapped and The Prometheus Project—Captured for kids ages 9 to 13. These books, driven by accurate science, have been passionately praised by kids, called “perfect for middle grades” by Teaching PreK8 Magazine, and endorsed by the California Department of Education, the AAAS, the UK’s Association for Science Education, and many others. Douglas, a former biotechnology executive, has a master’s degree in molecular biology and writes science pieces for National Geographic KIDS, an award-winning magazine read by millions.

JERRY ROBINSON

Artist, Batman; syndicated cartoonist and comics historian

Golden Age comic book artist and syndicated cartoonist Jerry Robinson is one of the true pioneers of the comics industry. His early work on Batman helped make the character one of the most popular in comics. His book The Comics: An Illustrated History of the Comic Strip, will be reissued by Dark Horse Comics later this year, along with a collection of his 1950s sci-fi strip Jet Scott. Robinson created the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Writing and helped put together a major exhibit, “The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938–1950,” which has been touring museums across the United States over the last few years.

Find out where your favorite Comic-Con special guest will be appearing: visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_prog.php Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 35

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL GUESTS

Artist, Nexus, The Moth, World’s Finest

Writer, Superman, Wonder Woman, Amazing Spider-Man

STEVE RUDE

JEANNIE SCHULZ

Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1956, Steve Rude began his career in 1981 with his and co-creator Mike Baron’s groundbreaking Nexus comic series.

During his first few years in the industry, Rude received numerous awards, including the 1984 Russ Manning Newcomer Award, the Kirby Award for Best Artist in 1986, and numerous Eisner Awards for artistic achievement. For over two decades, Rude has drawn hundreds of comics’ greatest iconic heroes and has galvanized the art world as a comic magazine artist and illustrator.

Jeannie Schulz is an ambassador for Peanuts and the Founding Board President of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, CA, which opened in August 2002. The widow of Peanuts creator Charles “Sparky” Schulz, she has overseen all Peanuts activities, along with his children, since Sparky’s death in 2000. Jeannie has produced two award-winning documentary films, What a Difference a Dog Makes and The Heart of a Hero, and has long been a civic activist in the Sonoma County and Santa Rosa communities.

Founding Board Member, Charles M. Schulz Museum

J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

DREW STRUZAN

Some of you know him from the TV series Twilight Zone, Babylon 5, Crusade, and Jeremiah. Some of you know him from Changeling and Ninja Assassin. Others of you know him from his comics work on Spider-Man, Thor, Supreme Power, The Twelve, and now his work for DC on their hardcover Superman graphic novel project. This summer J. Michael Straczynski takes over the reins on the monthly Superman and Wonder Woman series. The rest of you know him from his frequent appearances on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List.

Beginning with posters for B-movie cult classics like Killer Force, Empire of the Ants, and Food of the Gods, Drew Struzan quickly became sought after to do poster art for “A” list movies, including all the Star Wars films, E.T., all four Indiana Jones films, the Muppet movies, and the Back to the Future films, as well as Harry Potter, Blade Runner, and on and on. Drew retired from commercial illustration in late 2008 to pursue another dream: after painting the dreams of others for 40 years he is now painting his own dreams.

Artist/illustrator, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones movie posters

JAMES STURM

Writer/artist/educator, James Sturm’s America, The Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules

James Sturm is a cartoonist whose graphic novels include Market Day, James Sturm’s America, Adventures in Cartooning, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, and The Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules. James is the co-founder and director of The Center for Cartoon Studies, a two-year cartooning school in the storied railroad town of White River Junction, Vermont. In 1991 James co-founded the Seattle weekly The Stranger. His comics, writing, and illustrations have appeared in scores of national and regional publications, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate, The Onion, The New York Times, and on the cover of The New Yorker.

JILLIAN TAMAKI

Artist, Skim, Indoor Voice

DOUG TENNAPEL

Writer/artist, Creature Tech, Monster Zoo, Ghostopolis

As one of the groundbreaking video game creators in the mid-1990s, Doug TenNapel took the medium by storm with the landmark game Earthworm Jim. His work in comics has been equally influential.

With ten books to his name, TenNapel has created a body of work both visually engaging and heartfelt.

Hollywood has scooped up the rights to several of his graphic novels: Creature Tech with Fox/New Regency, Tommysaurus Rex with Universal, Monster Zoo with Sam Raimi/Paramount, and Ghostopolis with Disney, starring Hugh Jackman. TenNapel has alo found the time to create the Nickelodeon show Catscratch and the Internet serial Sockbaby.

Jillian Tamaki is the artist behind the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Skim, which was also nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award and three Eisner Awards and won a Doug Wright Award and Ignatz Award. She is a sought-after illustrator for such companies as the New York Times and The New Yorker and has been recognized by Communication Arts Illustrated, the Society of Illustrators, and the Society of Publication Designers. In Spring 2010 she is publishing a collection of sketches and comics for Drawn & Quarterly, titled Indoor Voice. She is also the artist behind Gilded Lilies.

Courtesy Drawn & Quarterly

C. TYLER

Writer/artist, You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man, Late Bloomer

C. Tyler is an award winning autobiographical comic book artist/writer whose work R. Crumb describes as having “the extremely rare quality of genuine, authentic heart. Hers are the only comics that ever brought me to the verge of tears.” Her stories first appeared in Weirdo in 1987 and numerous publications over the years. She has been nominated for Harvey, Eisner, and Ignatz Awards and was listed as one of the Top 100 Cartoonists of the 20th century.

She has three solo books, The Job Thing (1993), Late Bloomer (2005), and You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (2009).

For updates on Comic-Con 2010 special guests, visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.shtml 36 Comic-Con Magazine • Spring/Summer 2010 Online Edition

JULY 22 – 25

Editor, Weird Tales

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

ANN VANDERMEER

JEFF VANDERMEER

Ann VanderMeer is the founder of the award-winning Buzzcity Press and currently serves as the editor-inchief for Weird Tales, for which she has received a Hugo award. Ann has partnered with her husband, author Jeff VanderMeer, on such editing projects as the World Fantasy Award-winning Leviathan series, The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, The New Weird, Steampunk, and Fast Ships, Black Sails. She is also known for teaching writing workshops, including Clarion, Odyssey, and Shared Worlds, and conducting creativity seminars for such varied audiences as the state of Arizona and Blizzard Entertainment.

World Fantasy Award–winner Jeff VanderMeer is considered one of the foremost fantasists of his generation. His latest books are the noir fantasy Finch and the writer’s strategy manual Booklife. He reviews books for, among others, the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post Book World, and the Barnes & Noble Review, as well as being a regular columnist for the Omnivoracious book blog. Jeff serves as assistant director for Wofford College’s Shared Worlds writing camp for teens (Spartanburg, SC), in addition to conducting workshops and guest lecturing all over the world.

Author, City of Saints & Madmen, Finch

AL WIESNER

GERARD WAY

Writer/co-creator, The Umbrella Academy

After achieving great success in the music world as the frontman of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way launched The Umbrella Academy for Dark Horse Comics. With writing by Way, art by Brazilian artist Gabriel Bá, and dynamic covers by James Jean, the series was an immediate hit. The first miniseries, “The Apocalypse Suite,” received the medium’s highest honor, an Eisner for Best Limited Series. The second series, “Dallas,” was released a few months later. Dark Horse has announced both the third Umbrella Academy series, and a new project with artist Becky Cloonan and cowriter, Sean Simon, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

MICHAEL ZULLI

Artist, Sandman, The Dreaming

Michael Zulli is best known for his work on The Sandman with writer Neil Gaiman. He co-created the character Hob Gadling and drew most of the stories in which Gadling appeared. Zulli also collaborated with Gaiman on an unfinished adaptation of Sweeney Todd, a miniseries starring rock singer Alice Cooper titled The Last Temptation, and comic adaptations of some of Neil’s short stories. He has drawn spinoffs The Dreaming and WitchCraft, and illustrated J. Michael Straczynski’s novella Delicate Creatures. This summer sees the release of Zulli’s The Fracture of the Universal Boy from Olympian Publishing.

Courtesy Century Guild

H

Writer/artist/creator, Shaloman

After many years of searching for a Jewish comic book hero, Al Wiesner decided to create his own.

Shaloman was born in 1985 as an inspiration for Jewish children, with the purpose to entertain as well as educate them. Wiesner’s “Kosher Crusader” jumps into action with the call of “Oi-Vay,” mixing humor and action. There are currently 38 issues of Shaloman, which combine to tell the character’s story in four volumes. Al is the writer, illustrator, colorist, and publisher of these books. His background includes having been a draftsman in the Air Force during the Korean War.

JUST ADDED: Samuel R. Delany

Samuel R. Delany is a novelist and critic who lives in New York City and teaches English and creative writing at Temple University in Philadelphia.

He is the winner of four Nebula Awards, two Hugo Awards, and the William Whitehead Memorial Award for a Lifetime’s Contribution to Lesbian and Gay writing. His novels include Nova, Dhalgren, Trouble on Triton, Hogg, The Mad Man, Phallos, and most recently Dark Reflections, winner of the Stonewall Book Award. His short fiction has been collected in books such as Aye and Gomorrah and Other Stories and Atlantis: Three Tales. His nonfiction has been collected in volumes such as The Jewel-Hinged Jaw and About Writing. For many years he has taught at the Clarion SF Writers Workshops, east and west, and for the last nine summers taught at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Summer Writing Program, in Boulder, Colorado.

Hospitality Suite

Your little oasis away from the crowds at Comic-Con, the Hospitality Suite can be found at the headquarters hotel, the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. The suite offers munchies, soft drinks, and a quiet place to chill, relax, and meet new friends. Hours and exact location will be posted in the onsite Events Guide.

Hotels

Hotels at Comic-Con International are always hot commodities and fill up well in advance of July. That said, room inventory is constantly monitored for availability and updated frequently. To find out if rooms are available at your favorite hotel, check www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_hotel.shtml or call the Comic-Con Travel and Housing Desk at 1-877-55-COMIC. If you are outside the U.S., call 212-532-1660.

Comic-Con’s headquarters hotel for 2010 is the Marriott Hotel & Marina, right next door to the Convention Center on the Hall A end. At the Marriott you’ll find anime screenings, the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, Comic-Con’s Hospitality Suite, and nighttime games and film screenings, as well as Starbucks and three great restaurants for meetings or dinners with friends. In the evenings you can always grab a quick pizza in the lobby by the Starbucks and head on up to watch films or game with no waiting for room service or in a restaurant line.

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 37

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010

I

Inkpot Awards

Comic-Con’s own Inkpot Awards are given to individuals for their contributions to the worlds of comics, science fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom services, among others. The award was initiated in 1974 and has been an important part of Comic-Con ever since. Each year, individuals from among the show’s special guests are chosen to receive the award. Most Inkpots are presented at the individual guest’s “Spotlight” panel. If you’re a fan of the recipients, you’ll want to be there when we give out the award and show your appreciation.

L INKPOT AWARD

Lines

There are lots of lines at Comic-Con, especially to get into the programming rooms upstairs and into Hall H. Those rooms have pre-planned line configurations. If you wonder where to go and how to line up for a specific program room, please consult the color section in the center of your onsite Events Guide. It contains a map that shows where the rooms are and how to line up for them. Please note that getting into the correct line is not a guarantee of getting in the room. All rooms have seating capacity limits as set by the Fire Marshal, and when a room is closed due to being full, it’s closed.

M

Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award

The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award has been given out annually at the San Diego Comic-Con since 1982. It is presented to a comics artist who, early in his or her career, shows a superior knowledge and ability in the art of creating comics. The award is named for Russ Manning, the artist best known for his work on the Tarzan and Star Wars newspaper strips and the Magnus, Robot Fighter comic book. Russ was a popular guest at the San Diego convention in the 1970s. The first recipient of the award was former Manning assistant Dave Stevens.

The 2010 nominees are: • MARC BORSTEL, artist of The Misadventures of Clark and Jefferson (published by APE Entertainment) • MARION CHURCHLAND, writer/artist of Beast (published by Image) • SARAH OLEKSYK, writer/artist of Ivy (self-published) • JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO, artist of Unthinkable (published by BOOM!)

RUSS MANNING BY RUSS MANNING

• CHARLES PAUL WILSON III, artist of Stuff of Legends (published by Th3rd World)

The nominees were selected by a committee consisting of representatives of the West Coast Comics Club and Comic-Con International. The winner will be chosen by past Manning award winners and Russ Manning assistants. The recipient will be announced during the Eisner Awards ceremony on July 23 at Comic-Con International in San Diego. For more information about the Manning Awards visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_manning.shtml

Masquerade

Saturday night at Comic-Con is a special evening indeed as the stage lights brighten to their fullest, the music swells, the spotlights focus center-stage, and the large audience that’s been lined up for many hours take their seats for the 36th annual Comic-Con Masquerade. Costumes play a vital role in nearly all of the popular arts, from movies, TV, comic books, fantasy art, Broadway shows, and computer games to toy collectibles and more. The Saturday night costume competition offers attendees an opportunity to showcase their own amazing talents and creativity, and more than a few from past shows have gone on to become professional costumers themselves. It’s a night full of spectacle, beauty, awe, comedy, lightsaber battles, song and dance, surprises, and of course many impressive costumes.

The event is staged in the style of a talent competition, with a Master of Ceremonies, a panel of guest judges from costume-related fields, impressive trophies and cash awards, a large raised stage with theaterstyle lighting, and four giant high-definition video screens providing great close-up views of the onstage festivities. An audience of over 4,200 fills Ballroom 20, and over 1,500 more people watches the show on large video screens in the nearby Sails Pavilion and another ballrooms.

Some entries are solo costumes; others are groups with a shared theme. Many are re-creations from film, anime, games, and comics, but some completely original designs are presented as well. All genres are welcome, but no purchased costumes are allowed, as it is a contest of creativity and craftsmanship, not shopping ability. The Masters of Ceremonies will once again be the entertaining, award-winning artists and writers Phil and Kaja Foglio of Studio Foglio. Comic-Con awards will be presented in the categories of Best in Show, Judges’ Choice, Best Re-c, Best Original Design, Best Workmanship, Most Humorous, Best Presentation, Most Beautiful, Best Novice, and Best Young Fan. Hulk photo by Kevin Green

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 38

JULY 22 – 25

JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

In addition, the following companies and organizations will be generously donating their own awards to outstanding costumes: Frank and Son Collectible Show will present to the costume entry they deem the audience favorite an impressive crystal trophy and $1,000 cash.

DC Comics representatives will present a special DC Direct collectible worth $300 to the finest costumed entry portraying a DC Comics character or characters.

Lucasfilm Ltd. will award the best Star Wars costumers with fabulous items from their licensing archives.

The finest entry from the Star Wars galaxy will be selected by a Lucasfilm representative to receive special limited-edition collectibles.

Century Guild will present, to the costume they select as best portraying elements of Art Nouveau or fantasy, the winner’s choice of either $200 cash or up to $400 credit for fine art at their Exhibit Hall booth.

Lynn Perry of DarkDesires.biz will award $150 cash to the best costume entry inspired by horror or other dark genres, such as vampires, demons, creatures of the night, creepy alien monsters, and so on.

AgentSakur9 Entertainment, dedicated to providing the best Internet coverage and highest quality images of Cosplay and costuming, will bestow $200 cash to their choice for Most Outstanding Entry.

Anime Pavilion will present to their favorite anime costumes $150 booth/website credit for their first choice, $50 credit for runner-up, and $40 credit to best Young Fan. And, courtesy of Kawaii-Kon 2011, the best Japanese-related entry will receive two free memberships and 3 nights at a 4-star hotel for “Hawaii’s Very Own Anime & Manga Convention & Expo.”

The Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, the labor union representing Costume Designers, Assistant Designers & Costume Illustrators working in film & TV, will present to their favorite entry a CDG ComicCon 2010 Masquerade Award Statue, a subscription to Costume Designer magazine, and a generous gift certificate from one of their frequently used vendors of costuming materials.

The David C. Copley Center Award for Most Innovative Costume. Costume designer Robert Blackman (Pushing Daisies, Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Next Generation), winner of 3 Emmy Awards and the Costume Designers Guild Life Achievement Award in Television, and UCLA Adjunct Professor of Costume Design, will present the UCLA David C. Copley Center for Costume Design Award of $100 cash, plus Copley Center director Deborah Nadoolman Landis’ book: Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design, to his favorite entry.

Stewart Comgraph, a Comic-Con exhibitor, will provide each of the 10 Masquerade trophy-winning entries a complimentary 8 x 10” 3-D portrait of them in their costumes (retail $64.95).

The Testmarket Evolution, featuring online reviews and coverage of games, conventions, comics, movies, and much more, will present two prizes to winners they select: $150 cash to the best anime or video game representation, and $100 cash plus other prizes for the most entertaining presentation.

More prizes may be added as the convention approaches.

Check www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_masq.shtml for updated information. For more info on the ComicCon Masquerade, see the “Fast Facts” feature to the right on this page.

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Newsletter—Daily and onsite

Each day of the show, Comic-Con produces an onsite newsletter, Comic-Con Today, packed with updated information, including program changes, added autograph signings, and more. The Saturday and Sunday editions also include the Eisner Awards results and the Masquerade winners list. Look for the Onsite Newsletter at various locations throughout the Convention Center, including by each set of doors to Halls A-G in the main lobby, upstairs in the Sails Pavilion, and the top of the escalator near Ballroom 20.

Nighttime

Comic-Con keeps on rockin’ after the Exhibit Hall closes at 7:00 each evening! Programming, anime, gaming, film screenings, and other events continue well into the night, with several big events planned for the weekend. On Friday night, it’s the comic book industry’s version of the Oscars: the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, and on Saturday night, it’s the gala Comic-Con Masquerade. Check www.comic-con.org and the onsite Events Guide for complete details on these and other Thursday, through Saturday night events!

Masquerade Fast Facts When and where: Saturday, July 24 at 8:30 pm in Ballroom 20 of the Convention Center.

Doors will open at 7:45 for audience seating (but the line will start forming much earlier!) Running time is about 3 hours.

Tickets: Tickets are required for Ballroom 20 seating and are given out FREE beginning at 3:30 pm to people waiting in line, until all have been distributed.

Can’t get a ticket? Don’t like big crowds? Returning late from dinner?

No problem. There will be overflow seating in the Sails Pavilion and in other ballrooms where the show will be simulcast on large screens. Check the onsite Events Guide for exact locations.

Professionals participating in programs at Comic-Con, special guests, and credentialed press may get their tickets before Saturday afternoon at the Masquerade Desk located outside Ballroom 20. Tickets for special disabled seating will be available through Disabled Services beginning on Thursday, but as with all Masquerade seating the number available will be limited.

Photography: No flash photography is allowed, and all photos and video taken must be for nonprofit, personal use only! Flash photography will be permitted only in the Photo Area outside the Ballroom where contestants pose after their presentations. Photographers wishing a reserved spot in that area should write to the Masquerade Coordinator at cci-info@comic-con.org as spaces fill up quickly.

The Comic-Con Masquerade is completely full for the 2010 event. Entries are no longer being accepting.

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 39

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010 Important Information Regarding Programs and Autographs at Comic-Con All event and program rooms have limited capacity as set by the Fire Marshal.

Even though your badge is needed to get into all events, YOUR BADGE DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOU ACCESS TO ANY EVENT IF IT HAS REACHED ITS CAPACITY. We do not clear rooms between events.

Most autograph signings are of a limited nature.

Your badge does not guarantee autographs at any event.

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Parking and Public Transportation

Parking can be one of the most challenging aspects of coming to Comic-Con, but a little knowledge ahead of time will help. While Comic-Con itself has no control over the parking situation in downtown San Diego, our advice is simple: Come early and be prepared with a map of parking locations, so you don’t have to spend your time driving in circles trying to find another lot if your first choice is full. Better yet, park outside of downtown and utilize public transportation, including the San Diego Trolley. For updated information on parking and public transportation to and from ComicCon, visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_park.shtml and/or www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_trans.shtml NEW FOR 2010! Comic-Con has introduced a “Pre-Book Your Parking Pass” plan, which allows you to purchase a daily parking pass online for selected lots in the downtown San Diego area. Visit www.thepermitstore.com/comic-con/event/ for more details and availability!

Portfolio Review

Many companies use Comic-Con to look for new talent. The Portfolio Review area offers an opportunity for attendees to get an honest evaluation of their work, and in some cases, to interview for actual jobs.

(Please note: you cannot schedule a review session in advance. All registration takes place onsite and is usually on a first-come, first-served basis.) In addition to the upstairs area, some companies conduct portfolio reviews at their booths in the Exhibit Hall. Check www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_portrev.shtml for more details on the Portfolio Review area.

Portfolio Review is located in the Sails Pavilion on the upper level of the Convention Center, on the Ballroom 20 side.

Press Registration

Press registration for Comic-Con 2010 was available online from April 21 until June 7. There will be no onsite registration for press this year.

Preview Night

This year’s Preview Night is Wednesday, July 21, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, and is open to those lucky—and smart!—individuals who registered in time for four-day memberships that included Preview Night access. If you’re a four-day, pre-registered member (including professionals), you can also pick up your badge on Wednesday without attending Preview Night; that way, you’ll be all set to go first thing Thursday morning!

Professional Registration

Professional registration for Comic-Con 2010 was available online from March 15 until May 8. There will be no onsite registration for pros this year.

Programming

With more than 400 events over all four days, Comic-Con’s program slate is the largest in the nation.

Programs include major comics publisher presentations, “Spotlight” panels featuring all the special guests, and the greatest number of events geared toward the entire spectrum of comics of any convention.

Hall H features major movie studio programs, and TV networks give presentations that showcase favorite and new shows. (Comic-Con has a tradition of premiering network shows months before they first air, with past examples including Lost, Heroes, Chuck, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, and many more.)

As of press time, the Programming Department is finalizing the 2010 schedule, talking to comics publishers, writers, and artists, major Hollywood movie studios and television networks, and anime/ manga and action figure and gaming companies to offer the most comprehensive—and mind-blowing!— roster of events at any pop culture show. As mentioned way back in the section on letter “C,” the Comics Arts Conference (on page 22) will return for four big days of academic study of the wonderful world of comics. And remember—at Comic-Con, that world includes all aspects of comics, from the Golden Age to the Silver Age to now, including mainstream, independent and alternative titles, graphic novels of all types, manga, European comics, webcomics, editorial cartoons, comic strips, and more!

In addition, the Programming schedule will feature panels and events devoted to some of this year’s special themes (see the Themes entry on page 41). Plans for nighttime “big events” are in motion as well.

The complete Programming schedule will be posted on www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_prog.shtml ten days to two weeks prior to the show. It’s a good idea to print out that schedule in advance so you can highlight your “must-see” panels and events. The complete schedule will also be provided in the onsite Events Guide and will be updated daily on signs outside of all the Programming rooms.

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 40

JULY 22 – 25

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JULY 21 • preview night

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

Registration

All memberships for Comic-Con 2010 are sold out. There will be no onsite registration for Attendees, Press, Professionals, or Volunteers. Please see the “Badge Pick-up” entry on page 21 for information regarding open hours for picking up your badge if you are pre-registered for Comic-Con.

PLEASE NOTE: Badges will NOT be mailed out in advance. All pre-registered badges will be available for pickup at Attendee Pre-Registration in the San Diego Convention Center’s Sails Pavilion (Upper Level), beginning Wednesday, July 21; Exhibitors, Press, and Professionals in the lobby in front of Hall D.

Registration for Comic-Con 2011

You can pre-register onsite for Comic-Con 2011, which will be held July 21–24 (Preview Night July 20) at the San Diego Convention Center. Four-day memberships, with and without Preview Night access, will be available to purchase. Look for the 2011 pre-registration kiosks in the Badge Pick-up area in the Sails Pavilion on the upper level of the Convention Cetner.

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Shuttle Bus

Most of the Comic-Con official hotels in the downtown area are on or near Comic-Con’s shuttle bus route. Some hotels are only on the route during the evening hours, so please check the schedule closely. This is a free service to all Comic-Con attendees. An preliminary schedule is now available at www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_shuttle.php

NEW FOR 2010! Comic-Con has added Shuttle Bus service to Mission Valley, Shelter Island, and Harbor Island hotels! Visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_shuttle.php for a preliminary schedule.

Souvenir Book

This giant trade paperback is given free to all attendees (while supplies last) and features biographical information on all of the special guests, articles and art dedicated to this year’s special themes and anniversary celebrations, and background information on the Eisners and other awards. This year’s annual edition (number 41) is in full color. At right is a rough sketch by special guest Ivan Reis of this year’s cover; wait until you see the finished version (which is also the art for the official Comic-Con 2010 T-shirt)!

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Themes

Each year Comic-Con celebrates a number of anniversaries and special themes related to comics and the popular arts. Some of these themes become part of the Programming schedule, while others are reserved for the Souvenir Book, where pros and fans alike contribute articles and art about these special topics. Here’s what we’re celebrating this year:

100th Anniversary of Krazy Kat Highly regarded as one of the all-time classic newspaper strips, George Herriman’s Krazy Kat celebrates its 100th birthday in 2010. First appearing on July 26, 1910 in the cartoonist’s The Dingbat Family strip, Krazy, Ignatz, and Offissa Pupp got their own strip in 1913, which lasted until Herriman’s death in 1944.

The strip—with its surreal setting and Herriman’s incredible landscapes and color work on Sundays—is viewed as a major influence by many cartoonists.

KRAZY KAT by GEORGE HERRIMAN

75th Anniversary of DC Comics The impact of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman on pop culture cannot be underestimated. And it all started with a Daring Concept way back in 1935: comic books with all new content. Special panels celebrate the three-quarters of a century mark with DC Comics!

60th Anniversary of Peanuts It’s hard to believe that Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole Peanuts gang are 60 years old! If there’s a touchstone in pop culture for millions of people around the world, Charles M. Schulz’s creation is it. Still being published ten years after Mr. Schulz’s death, Peanuts will live on for many years to come.

60th Anniversary of Beetle Bailey Mort Walker’s forever young—and enlisted—character started as a college student before he joined the Army in 1951. Beetle Bailey remains one of the longest-running comic strips still being produced by its original creator. Walker went on to give the world other strips, including Hi and Lois, Sam’s Strip, and Boner’s Ark, among others.

Convention Center photo by Jessica Collett; Souvenir Book cover sketch © 2010 DC Comics

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 41

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010 What to Pack

Essential advice and what to bring for your trip to Comic-Con International Whether you’re a first-time attendee or this is Comic-Con #41 for you, here’s some simple advice to help make your visit to America’s largest comics and popular arts convention even more enjoyable.

The Year of the Writer It all starts with the written word, and this year’s lineup of guests features some of the finest writers—and writer/artists—in comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Look for special panels and workshops featuring writing and writers.

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Volunteers

Comic-Con utilizes an extensive network of volunteers to help run the event onsite. All volunteer positions for 2010 are full. There will be no onsite volunteer registration. Please www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_vol.shtml in the fall for news about volunteer registration for ComicCon 2011!

Bring some essential items: COMFORTABLE SHOES (Need we say why?)

SKETCHBOOK (Much handier for sketches and autographs than separate pieces of paper.)

PENS (Not just something to write with, bring a Sharpie for autographs, quick sketches, etc.)

MESSENGER BAG or BACKPACK (To store all those goodies you’ll pick up; remember, no rolling carts are allowed in the Exhibit Hall.)

WATER (Stay hydrated! It’s not a race, but you’ll be walking a lot.)

FOOD (Pack some quick snacks— granola bars, candy, etc.—and eat a big breakfast before you come to the show!)

CASH (There are ATMs in the Convention Center, but sometimes they have the longest lines.)

WANT LIST (Don’t forget that allimportant list of items—comics, books, original art, whatever—you’re looking for at the show.)

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Website

We can’t tell you too many times: www.comic-con.org is your one-stop source for up-to-theminute news on the big event, including schedules, registration, exhibitors, and more (plus info on our sister shows WonderCon and APE, the Alternative Press Expo). Best of all, it’s there when you want it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Visit it now and bookmark it for further reference for those really lonely nights on the Internet when you’re up at 2:00 am and have nothing to read . . .

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You

We’ve said it before, we’re say it again: “Y” stands for You, because we couldn’t do Comic-Con without you, whether you’re an attendee, an exhibitor, a professional, a volunteer, a Board/ Committee member, an office staff worker, a Klingon, or a Stormtrooper. Comic-Con has existed, grown, and thrived for over 40 years because of you.

Zzzzz . . .

is that magical sound you’ll be making starting Monday, July 26. Remember: you can sleep when you get home, providing you don’t have too much to read. Enjoy Comic-Con 2010!

ONE MORE LOOK . . .

CELL PHONE (Absolutely essential if you’re planning on meeting friends.

And don’t forget that charger!)

CAMERA (And an extra large memory card, batteries, and battery charger.)

BUSINESS CARDS (In case you want to, you know, do some business!)

POSTER TUBE and/or STURDY PLASTIC FOLDER (There are always free posters at the show, and you’ll want to get them home in pristine condition! Also handy for flyers, art, etc.; get something that can lay flat in your suitcase.)

Do your homework Check the Comic-Con website (www.comic-con.org) beforehand for information on the Exhibit Hall and complete show schedules. You can find your favorite exhibitors along with their location on the floor and those must-attend programs you’ll want to see.

Meeting friends and co-workers?

Make a plan in advance on where to meet. Comic-Con does not page people. Use your cell phone to stay in touch.

The Hall H crowd last year, spellbound in darkness by the 3D presentations.

Photo by Art Lee

Online Edition Spring/Summer 2010 • Comic-Con Magazine 42

40 Years of Art! 40 Years of Photos!

40 Years of History! 40 Years of Fun!

Since 1970, when a small group of comic book, science fiction and movie lovers organized the first show, Comic-Con International has been the place to check out the latest comic creations and connect with legion of fans.

Comic-Con documents this cultural phenomenon. Lavishly illustrated with rarely seen photos and images from the Comic-Con archives, this new book includes quotes, anecdotes, and profiles of luminaries, making for a veritable who’s who of the entertainment world.

• 208 Pages • 9 x 12” Hardcover filled with color and black & white art and photos • Stunning wraparound cover

by Sergio Aragonés • Foreword by Ray Bradbury • $40.00

The Perfect Comic-Con Collectible!

Visit www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_40th_book.php to order your copy today or purchase onsite at the Comic-Con Boutique (booth #2515)!