Book Expo America and Book Con Wrap Up

(Image Source)

What a weekend! My feet are sore, my shoulders are bruised from hauling home all my swag, but I was definitely in my element: Surrounded by books and authors willing to hand me books for free. 

Most of the panels were things I'd seen before; getting kids to read, visual literacy, digital books and lending, and a host of interesting (and entertaining) authors taking questions from their fans. But my personal goal for his adventure was to bring back more books to review for you all. Boy, did I ever luck out.

Currently, I have 12 titles pending where the authors know to expect a review, and 7 others I'm reviewing just for the heck of it. I'll be posting these as quickly as I can read them so look forward to them!

The highlight was meeting briefly with the two geniuses behind CinemaSins and hearing them talk about how they got started and what upcoming projects they have. They're such down to earth, intelligent, hilarious guys, and it was a pleasure to meet them.

The event was amazing and I look forward to going next year (with better shoes, perhaps?). I can't wait to get to reading all these awesome books and telling you guys all about them!

Geek Girl Brunch Presents: Valiant Comics X Special Edition: Geek Girl & Guy Brunch

Our good friends at Geek Girl Brunch have partnered with Valiant Comics and Special Edition. To host, their first brunch where geek guys and non geek girl brunch members will be able to attend the event. The event will be hosted Saturday, June 6 2015 at the THE JOLLY MONK 701 9th Ave, NY, NY 10019. Read the official description below.

Food, friends and fun await at our offsite event, just a 15 minute walk from the convention! (That's less time than you spent on the Starbucks line at the last one) So join us at the Bleeding*-errr.... Jolly Monk! We'll have you well fed and back in no time. We're starting at a special, EARLIER TIME Serving up THREE COURSES And UNLIMITED BRUNCH COCKTAILS! And yes, there will be VEGAN OPTIONS! Don't have passes to Special Edition NYC? Not to worry, you'll have a chance to win them at brunch! Not to mention, you'll be walking away with some choice swag, courtesy of Valiant Comics! Publishers of some of the most well written, complex and diverse comic book series out there. WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS. WE NEED VALIANT.

Tickets can be be purchased at http://geekgirlbrunch.ticketleap.com/valiant-special-edition/

Don't forget to visit GeekGirlBrunch at http://geekgirlbrunch.com/

Altantic City Boardwalk Con Review

Altantic City Boardwalk Con took place on May 14 to May 17th at Altantic City Convention Center.  Overall the con had a good turn out for its first year, but did suffered a little bit from the common first con blues. 

Location: As stated above the con took place at the Altantic City Convention Center. This is actually a very nice spacious setting to hold the con. With three floors available a lot of halls like Hall D, B etc. I can see the con expanding to more floors and the entire convention center in the future. There is plenty of breathing room on the main floor, which I consider important for any con. Everything was separated greatly.

The autographed section was kept far from the vendors, panel sections. Artist alley and indie artist were all gracious to chat about their work. Vendors and booth were also setup nicely. I love how they had all featured cosplayers in one section. Miracole and Chris Burns were on hand as Rogue and Hawkeye (will catch you guys next time, sorry I missed ya.) Having all the featured cosplayers in one area made it convenient. It gets tiresome going booth to booth looking for your favorite cosplayers. Having them in one section was great and hope to see other cons follow suit.

The location is right in the heart of Atlantic City as well. After the con we had a great time to go sightseeing. The team visit various casinos such as Caesars Palace, Taj Mahal and more. We even enjoy a calm stroll on the boardwalk.

Hail Justin!

Guests: The con had a good billed such as The Flash cast, Stan Lee. Unfortunately first con blues struck and the stars had to cancel. However that didn't really hurt the con much. Stars like William Shatner, Adam West were still on deck. As any con it gets better with age and I see this being the con the be for our friends in New Jersey.

Showroom Floor: The showroom floor had a lot of cool things to see. Three things I found fantastic was the Batmobile display which was amazing. The Batmobile from major Batman live action adaptations were on hand. Adam West Batmobile, Batman Forever, The Tumbler and The Batpod. I truly wanted to drive the Batpod. More cars were on display as well as the Ecto 1 from Ghostbusters, signed by the GB Cast themselves.

Finally the suit display in the middle of the convention was great. I went full geek when I saw the Space Ghost suit on display. As a kid who stayed up late watching the original Space Ghost on Cartoon Network. I can appreciate the suit on display.

Final Words: Altantic City Boardwalk Con was pretty good for its first yea. Like any con it has some kinks to workout. Overall the staff had a blast, which you can see in our outtakes with 8Bit drum below. ACBC is off to great start, once it finds its niche it will be the definitive con in Jersey.

D23 EXPO 2015 Announces Hall D23 Presentations Lineup

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club announces the lineup of the most highly anticipated presentations at D23 EXPO 2015, August 14–16. The Disney Legends Awards Ceremony, hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will kick off the Expo on Friday, August 14. Later that same day, The Walt Disney Studios will give fans a sneak peek at all the latest from Disney Animation and Pixar. On Saturday morning, The Walt Disney Studios will preview the coming slate of live-action films from Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. Then on Saturday afternoon, fans will get a preview of what’s in store at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts during a presentation hosted by Parks Chairman Bob Chapek.

To showcase these Expo favorites, Disney is creating “Hall D23,” a new 7,500-seat venue located in Hall D of the Anaheim Convention Center, so that more guests than ever can see the presentations live and in person.

The Schedule of Hall D23 Events and Presentations includes the following (times and additional announcements forthcoming; all events subject to change):

The Disney Legends Awards Ceremony will take place Friday, August 14. The ceremony, hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will once again honor those who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. The creativity and innovation of these visionaries and artists have earned them a place among such names as Dame Julie Andrews, Howard Ashman, Annette Funicello, Sir Elton John, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, and Robin Williams. At the D23 EXPO in 2013, Tony Baxter, Collin Campbell, Dick Clark, Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Jobs, Glen Keane, and Ed Wynn were inducted.

In two separate Hall D23 sessions, The Walt Disney Studios will unveil an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at its upcoming film slate. At Friday’s session, fans will go in-depth with the talented filmmakers at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios to get a sneak peek at films such as Zootopia and Finding Dory. On Saturday, live-action titles such as Alice Through the Looking Glass and TheJungle Book and films from Marvel and Lucasfilm, along with some very special guests, take center stage.

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 15, join Bob Chapek, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, for a behind-the-scenes peek at the magical experiences and entertainment coming to Disney’s parks and resorts around the world.

Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Until June 30, 2015, tickets are $67 for a one-day adult admission and $48 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $58 for a one-day adult admission and $42 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available. D23 Members can save as much as $188 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for D23 Members and general admission, visit D23EXPO.com.

NYCC 2015 Announces it's first Guest

Image Credit: NYCC and Reedpop
 

Press Release

LEGENDARY MANGA ARTIST MASASHI KISHIMOTO TO MAKE FIRST INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCE AT NEW YORK COMIC CON AND
NEW YORK SUPER WEEK

Creator of Naruto to Participate in Two Panels and Multiple Autograph Sessions at
East Coast’s Biggest Pop Culture Convention

NORWALK, CT – May 5, 2015 – ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events and producers of New York Comic Con, today announced that renowned manga artist Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto, one of the most successful manga properties on the planet, will be appearing at New York Comic Con and New York Super Week. In what will be his first ever international appearance outside of Japan, Kishimoto will take part in two panels and multiple autograph sessions, giving fans unprecedented access. His panels will take place on Thursday, October 8 and Saturday, October 10 during New York Comic Con. He will also host autograph sessions at Kinokuniya Bookstore and Barnes & Noble as part of New York Super Week. Masashi Kishimoto is appearing at New York Comic Con with the support of VIZ Media.

Kishimoto was born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. His first version of Naruto, drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in the world. The series spawned multiple anime series, movies, novels, video games and more. Having concluded the series in late 2014, he has kept himself busy with the sidestory Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring and with writing the story for the latest Naruto movie, both of which will focus on the title character’s son, Boruto. Naruto is published in North America by VIZ Media.

“Kishimoto is one of the biggest names in manga and a major influence on artists across the globe,” said Lance Fensterman, global senior vice president of ReedPOP. “We’re thrilled to have him added to our lineup this year and think fans are going to love the chance to get close to an icon.”

New York Comic Con, the crown jewel of New York Super Week, will take place October 8-11 at the Javits Center. The show is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention with the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television. The show’s panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators, while screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media and licensing capital of the world — Gotham City.

Additional exciting details about New York Comic Con and New York Super Week events, talent and sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit www.NewYorkComicCon.com and www.NewYorkSuperWeek.com.

ABOUT REEDPOP
ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture world. ReedPOP is dedicated to celebrations of popular culture throughout the globe that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Prime, East, South and Australia, Emerald City Comicon, BookCon, Oz Comic-Con, Comic Con India, Paris Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, TwitchCon, Shanghai Comic Convention and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to serve those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, India and Australia. (www.reedpop.com)

Stan Lee and Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Launch Convention

Stan Lee
 

Steve Wozniak
 

Legendary writer Stan Lee has joined forces with Steve Wozniak to create a new comic con in California's Bay Area. Situated in the San Jose Convention Center, Silicon Valley Comic Con aims to combine pop culture and technology for the largest convention in the region.

The inaugural convention is set for March 19 and 20, 2016. SVCC, as it's being called, will have a booth at Big Wow ComicFest this weekend hosting celebrity guests Tom Felton, Daniel Cudmore, and Jake Lloyd.