Tony Harris, the award-winning comic book artist of Ex-Machina, Starman, and many DC/Marvel series, has taken a passionate stance on the subject of cosplay at conventions. Harris posted a long rant on his Facebook page admonishing women who he believes cosplay just to get attention at conventions. He accuses them of not really being fans, choosing costumes just to show …
When I first saw an episode of Science Channel’s Oddities, I just couldn’t imagine the show lasting very long. It was not a matter of quality but content. It’s a show all about buying and selling unusual collectibles and antiques, like antique medical equipment, taxidermy, skeletons/bone matter, and preserved conjoined animal specimens. That’s dark territory for a reality show no …
I’ve been going to conventions for over 20 years now. I started with my parents and brother, going to comic book expos and fan conventions with kids days. Then, as a teenager, I started going off to horror conventions and niche TV events in the tristate area. I’m always willing to give a new convention a chance if my schedule …
Remember that terrible Brandon X situation I wrote about last year? An American man, crossing the border into Canada, was charged with child pornography for having manga images on his computer. Though the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund could not say exactly what the manga was, they reassured me earlier this year that the images were nowhere near the more …
Audience interaction is always a big part of conventions. Vendors hold contests, exhibitors give away swag, and big sponsors have interactive demos to draw in crowds. The fans get to experience their favorite content in a new way and discover new things. The booth holders gain publicity, sales, and new followers. New York Comic Con this year saw a few …
In case you missed it over on the Twitter feed, I was at New York Comic Con all weekend long. I saw panels, cosplayed, met celebrities, became an unpaid booth babe for hire, watched advanced screenings, and talked to tons of fans about their Con experience. The feedback wasn’t all positive, either. I was actually quite disappointed on the first …
If it weren’t for the hosting issues last week, Amanda Palmer Day at Sketchy Details would have been Wednesday. Instead, it’s today. Here’s a photo recap of the concert on 11 September. I’m still toying around with this gallery plugin to see about the size and placement of the captions. Just click on the center for the full size shot …
At the MangaNEXT convention, part of the team behind Underbelly ran a panel about bad anime. Specifically, the panel became a discussion between everyone in the room about what, exactly, makes a potentially good anime series go bad in translation. The discussion routinely brought out three core issues found in bad anime. All involve translating material. While a poor dub …
What do you use to read when you’re traveling? Do you pack up magazines and books or go all digital on your laptop or eReader? Do you ever stop at a shop in the bus station, airport, or train station and pick up a comic to read? An act as benign as carrying a comic book at an international border …
One of the guests at MangaNEXT was Chipocrite (aka Paul Weinstein), a chip music artist. Chip music is an interesting and often misunderstood way of producing music. I avoid the term style for good reason: it’s not one. It’s more of a catchall term for a way of creating music. Hit and Run (CNB Special Edition) by ChipocriteChip music basically …
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in a convention called MangaNEXT. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting myself into when I applied for a press badge to this convention. I just knew that the subject interested me. Manga are Japanese comic books. They cover a wide variety of topics and are targeted to every market …
One thing I found rather surprising at New York Comic Con last weekend was the high presence of technology at the event. Sure, I expected booths filled with the newest video games and simulations. I expected panels and presentations to try to put on a show. I did not expect to see so many booths promoting advances in how we …
Yesterday at New York Comic Con, I saw a very eye opening panel about what really happened behind the scenes at Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The panel consisted of original Julie Taymor collaborator Glen Berger, Julie Taymor replacement writer Roberto Aguire-Sacasa, and an associate set designer named Rob who is not credited on the Spider-Man or Comic Con sites. …
Evelyn Evelyn is the ever-expanding story of conjoined twins who become Internet music sensations. The project started as a concept EP by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. They created a story of finding the Evelyn sisters on MySpace and insisted that they were real. The EP was successful enough that a full length album was written and recorded. They then …
