It's Time for All Hallow's Read!!

With Halloween right around the corner, everything is coming up scary. Most people turn to TV and movies to reach their fear quota. However, Neil Gaiman is encouraging all of us to read more with his All Hallow's Read. That's right put down the remote and pick up a comic or book. Here are some suggestions to frighten up your Halloween week.

NYCC '13: Interview about The Fifth Beatle

While at New York Comic Con, I had the distinct honor of sitting down with writer Vivek J. Tiwary and artist Andrew C. Robinson to talk about their upcoming graphic novel, The Fifth Beatle.  The Fifth Beatle recounts the life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, showing not just his successes with The Beatles but his struggles with his life in England, where homosexuality was illegal at the time. I was lucky enough to have read the book before meeting with them (it comes out on Nov. 19th), so I was already bubbling over with questions.

Tiwary has been actually working on The Fifth Beatle for over 6 years but his education of Epstein's life started over 21 years ago. He was particularly inspired by Epstein's life because of everything he had to overcome, i.e. being gay and Jewish in the 1960's was particularly hard.  Robinson was also excited to see an end to the project, since he has been painting it for over four years. They both almost seem like they don't believe their work has been accomplished. As Tiwary put it, most Beatles projects don't see fruition so this is a huge deal.

NYCC '13: The Wonders of Artist Alley

By Reboot

Borrowed from panelsonpages.com

I was fortunate enough to spend all four days over at NYCC this year, and the vast majority of it I spent in Artist Alley. Having talked to many convention goers and people in and around the comic book industry, I often hear that Artist Alley is the heart of any comic convention. Not the Verizon booth or the GEICO booth, but Artist Alley (shocking, I know). That's not to say that those sort of things shouldn't be welcome as they do bring in a lot of money for the convention as far as paying for exhibitor space, but you get what I mean.

It's time for our NYCC Con In A Bag Giveaway!!!

That's right!  The piles have been sorted and bags have been packed up!  It's time for our annual NYCC Con In A Bag Giveaway!!!

For all you new readers, the Con In A Bag is no ordinary giveaway.  This is what your giveaway bag would look like if you had actually attended the show, complete with the back pain after you carry it.  So, you get all the stuff everyone wants, like the autographs, exclusive items, t-shirts, toys and of course, comics.  But you also have the random stuff handed to you like flyers, buttons and weird little things that howl at you.  Yep, your bag will randomly howl at you on occasion.  The only thing we don't include are the long lines and back pain.

So, for this time around, we had enough awesome, amazing stuff plus weird random stuff to create TWO great bags for TWO lucky readers!  Check out the awesome stuff that will be in one of the two bags.

Look at all the prezzies!  Some of this stuff could be all yours!
Except the chair.  That stays here.

A big thank you to our sponsors ComicMix, Dark Horse Comics, and Mega Bloks.  We love these companies so very much and you should check out the awesome they produce!

So get moving and enter now!!  This contest ends when Halloween does, so get moving now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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NYCC '13: State of Syn Screening

By Friday night, I was exhausted and wandering around the convention center while it was shutting down around me. There were still some panels going on that I knew I wanted to check out. I walked into the closest one, which happened to be for the upcoming series State of Syn.

I had written it down because it had David Hewlett from Stargate Atlantis on the panel. I also knew that one friend was moderating and another friend was in the audience. When I finally made it inside, I had already missed the introduction. However, I got inside just in time for the premiere screening of the first two episodes.

NYCC '13: Day Four Recap

The last day of con is always so bittersweet. I'm sad that it's almost over but at the same time, I can't wait to go to sleep and I definitely won't miss the crowds. Sunday at NYCC is also fun/aggravating because it's Kids Day! I like seeing all the adorable cosplaying kids but it's harder to walk since there are tiny obstacles running around. It's also the grossest day of the con since some people fail to observe basic needs. But still, Sunday has some perks, including great deals to be had from dealers that want to carry home as little merch as possible.  Sadly, my partner in crime, Wysefyre, was unable to come today so I was bummed that she missed out on the last day merch.

NYCC '13: Early Screening of NBC's Dracula

I attended the first public screening of NBC's Dracula last night at New York Comic Con. To be honest, I hadn't heard much about the show except for a couple teaser clips and posters so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The only tidbit I knew was that Cole Haddon was a creator of the show and I had loved his graphic novel, The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde.   FYI, he kept his promise.  There are no sparkly vampires.

This post is SPOILER-FILLED so if you are allergic to spoilers,

go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

NYCC '13 Day Three Recap

NYCC is one of my favorite times of the year, but I am not a fan of Saturdays. All the coolest stuff happens on Saturday because that's when all the working people can come. It makes sense, but it also makes for a very crowded con. So, instead of walking the floor like I had been doing the past few days, I decided to make Saturday my panels day.

My day started with the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary panel, which was filled with writers, podcasters, and comic book artists discussing all things Who. It was a great panel, but it wouldn't be a Doctor Who panel without a Doctor. The 6th Doctor himself, Colin Baker crashed the panel, along with Big Finish Productions chairman and co-executive, Jason Haight-Ellery, and the man you never want to hear say, "EXTERMINATE," Nicholas Briggs.

Next, I ran to the J. Michael Straczynski panel, only to remember a couple minutes later that I needed to be on the other side of the Javits, trying to get into the Once Upon a Time panel. I left Mr. Straczynski in the middle of an interesting conversation with a fan about radioactive residue in Canada to hurry over to the Empire Stage. I went into the Marvel Video Games, got the scoop on what's coming up, got to geek out over the new stuff coming to Marvel Avengers Alliance and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, then settled in for the Once Upon a Time panel.

The Once Upon a Time Panel wasn't the most exciting panel I went to that day, but it was extremely informative and a good time was had by all. We got to see the first act of this week's episodes of Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time: Wonderland, and we were treated to a surprise guest - Jennifer Morrison.

NYCC '13: Chat with Georges Jeanty about the Whedonverse

At New York Comic Con, I got a chance to chat briefly with Whedonverse artist Georges Jeanty. And I mean briefly chat. It was exactly 4 min 50 seconds. I timed it. He did confirm some details for me about the upcoming Serenity comics. I also quickly questioned him about any upcoming involvement with Buffy.

Ok, I bulleted all the details for a quick read. Just remember, 

This post is SPOILER-FILLED so if you are allergic to spoilers, go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

NYCC '13: Day Two Recap

Day Two of New York Comic Con always feels like a real con day because it's a totally full convention center. The crowds are double the volume and double the headache.

I opted to skip the people troughs this morning and arrived just before 11. First stop was checking out the latest offering from Mega Bloks. Their new Call of Duty items look fantastic! Then I went on a freebie hunt for a bit, snagging a lot including special collector's item for our bags! I also ran the gauntlet of autographs at Dark Horse comics. I got to chat briefly with Mike Norton and Dennis Hopeless (The Answer!), Bryan J. L. Glass (Furious), Donny Cates (Buzzkill and Hunter Quaid), and Eliot Rahal (Hunter Quaid).

My favorite was sitting down to interview Vivek J. Tiwary and Andrew C. Robinson about their upcoming book The Fifth Beatle. These two guys are great and having read it, I know they have created something amazing.

NYCC '13: Necessary Evil: Super Villains of DC Comics

On the first day of NYCC, I attended the World Premiere of Necessary Evil: Super Villains of DC Comics. This documentary really looks at the role of the super villain in the telling of a DC story.  You can check out the trailer from SDCC this year.

Ultimately, this documentary looks at the value of the villain in a story. The theory that the villain is more important to the story because without the villain, the hero wouldn't exist. Villains represent the protagonist while heroes represent the antagonist. They also discussed the psychological impact of villains.

NYCC '13 Day 1 Recap

Yesterday, New York Comic Con '13 kicked off. This year, they're doing things a little different. Con attendees have to go through a security checkpoint and get their badges checked in. I wasn't sure if it would cause problems for people trying to get in, but at the time we arrived, it seemed to be working. This was created to help cut down people trying to use counterfeit passes, and it made things feel a little more organized, which is always nice.

Wilderowens and I started the day in the queue line. Haven't had that experience in a while, and it was a good reminder as to what it feels like to be jam packed with a bunch of people who are all excited to go to the same place as you. Some of the costumes I saw on line were amazing. I just wish I could have gotten some pictures, but everyone was moving too fast, and I'm too short to get good overhead shots. 

Review: Buzzkill #2

By Reboot

Today, I'm reviewing issue 2 of 4 of Dark Horse Comics' Buzzkill.  This is part of Dark Horse Comics' push for more superhero comics and was created by Donny Cates and Mark Resnicek.  The script itself was written by Donny Cates with art by Geoff Shaw.

For those of you who haven't read issue 1 of Buzzkill (you should read it right now then) here's the premise; a man named Ruben (that's not his real name) starts going to AA meetings again to help him get over his addictions because they give him uncontrollable powers.  Not a feeling of power,  like super strength and super speed.  They make him a super hero.  But with these powers, he's also hurt people he loves and people he's never and will never meet. 

My Fav NYCC Promotions for 2013!

Every year before NYCC, I get slammed with a ton of emails from different companies promoting their booth.  Honestly, it is a disturbing amount.  Still, it is always nice to see what people are going to be there or what free item they are giving away.

This year, a few promotions really stood out as my must-have favorites.

ComiXology's Limited Edition Art Cards
Booth #1928

Yes, I know almost every comic company booth offers art cards as a freebie to get signed.  Still, when they are limited to 100 and this pretty looking, I'm thinking yay!  There are more than I have shown and you can check out the signing schedule for details.

Harper Voyager Digital Book Signing
Booth #2118-2119

Yep, you read that right.  They are giving away signed e-books.  I have no idea how this is going to work but I am super curious.  The books they are giving away are signed e-books by C. Robert Cargill, Alison Gaylin, Richard Kadrey, Adam Mansbach, Wendy Corsi Staub, and David Wellington.  The event is Friday Oct. 11 at 6pm and is definitely one of the most unique events this year at NYCC.


Christopher Jones Art Disco Nightwing Print
Artist Alley Booth #D9

Ok, full confession: I didn't get an official email about this one but it is still one of the best things at NYCC so I'm adding it.  Christopher Jones is an awesome artist, who is currently on DC's Young Justice.  Even if you aren't a fan, you have gotta appreciate the awesomeness of this print.  All you need to do to get it is like him on FB, so the price is right too.  Get there early to make sure you get one!

If you think I've overlooked this amazing promotion that must be shared with the masses, tell me at insertgeekhere (AT) gmail (DOT) com.  Also, make sure to check out our NYCC Party List so you know where all the best stuff is happening after the con floor closes!  See you on the floor tomorrow!


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