This week's news on Comic-Con.
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How Much Would You Pay to Escape 'The Walking Dead' at Comic-Con?
17 MayFEARnet
The first horror-related event for San Diego Comic-Con 2012 has just been announced, and it's a doozy -- to celebrate the upcoming 100th issue of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead,... -
Comics Review: Fanboys Vs. Zombies #2
17 MayGeeks of Doom
Fanboys Vs. Zombies #2
Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Jerry Gaylord
Ink Assists by Penelope Gaylord
Colors by Nolan Woodard
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Covers by Humberto Ramos, Hary Randolph, AlE Garza, Zombie King Arthur Suydam
Cover Colors by Nei Ruffino, Blond
Created by Ben Silverman and Jimmy Fox
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: May 02, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
A few years ago, a circle of five friends attend Comic-Con International: San Diego, nickname themselves 'The Wrecking Crew 4 Lyfe,' and vow to return every year together. Flash forward to today, they've all come to the Con but jealousy and competitiveness have torn them into factions. All of a sudden, folks that thought they were suffering from Con-rot, that feeling of weariness and nausea most of us have when we've spent way to much time on the floor of a Con, have become flesh-eating zombies.
By the time we get to Fanboys vs. Zombies #2 the Wrecking Crew 4 Lyfe are among the few survivors left at Comic-Con. Now one of our heroes, Rob, is fixated solely on rescuing a celebrity crush. On top of that, the convention center has been rigged as a disaster relief center, built to withstand bombs and hurricanes, trapping them inside. And worst of all, they're facing off against a horde of zombie D&D Cosplayers [...] -
Monty Cristo is Going to Dallas Comic-Con, Let's Meet Up!
17 MayAin't It Cool News
Wed, 16 May 2012 16:19:39 PM CDT -
Motor City Comic Con: Michael Marcus, Local Publisher, Discusses Detroit's Indie Comics Scene
16 MayThe Huffington Post
Michael Marcus an idea man.
The publisher and game designer is responsible for the "Hamtramck Idea Men" line of comic books and tabletop games. He founded the business, known for its "IF-X" and "Pulp Dreams" comics, with artist George McVey in 2007. And with Detroit Tradecraft, a comics-related group composed of local artists, writers, editors and other creative people , he works to produce independent art in the Metro Detroit area.
With the Motor City Comic Con coming to Novi this weekend, The Huffington Post caught up with Marcus (who will be tabling the event with Detroit Tradecraft) to talk about the convention and the struggles and joys of producing independent comics.
Read More...
More on Detroit Around Town -
Elijah Wood - Elijah Wood's Sneaky Plan To Avoid Fans
16 MayContactMusic Ltd
Elijah Wood is so desperate to attend this years 12 Comic-Con event he is planning on wearing a masked superhero costume to avoid fan attention The Lord of the Rings star is a huge science fiction and comic enthusiast but finds it hard to take in the... -
'The Walking Dead' Sets Obstacle Course Event for Comic-Con
16 MayHollywood Reporter - TV
Lesley Goldberg
To mark the 100th issue of the Image/Skybound Comics series, Petco Park will be transformed to the early days of the apocalypse. -
Kirkman and Skybound Announce "The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego"
16 MayComic Book Resources
"The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman has announced a live-action event recreating the post-apocalyptic comic book world for a survival obstacle course at Comic-Con International at San Diego. -
Comics A.M. - Graphic Novel Sales Actually Stronger Than They Look?
15 MayComic Book Resources
Direct market figures for graphic novels may be misleading! Making Kapow! comic con more female-friendly! Creators talk self-publishing! Scott Snyder talks "Batman," "Swamp Thing"! Plus more! -
Take that, fanboys
15 Mayguardian.co.uk - books
Kapow! is a comic convention run by sisters – but will women ever be welcomed by the boys' club?
It's a world where guys have superpowers and the girls are very often disempowered. But now two Glasgow-based women are attempting to shake up the often misogynistic comic book environment with the UK's biggest comic convention, Kapow!, in London this weekend. Sisters Lucy and Sarah Unwin not only hope that their show will be a Glastonbury for geeks but that they will change perceptions that comic conventions are just for the boys.
Now in its second year, the event aims to create an atmosphere that welcomes everyone. The Unwins estimate that 30% of the 10,000-strong audience last year were female and they hope that if the convention is a continued success, more women will want to attend. "I've been to shows in America that definitely have a locker-room feel and ours doesn't. We very carefully try to make our environment more inclusive and friendly," says Lucy Unwin,who refers to the Con Anti-Harassment Project, which aims to tackle sexist behaviour at all conventions.
Unwin is the partner of Mark Millar, arguably Britain's biggest comic book writer and co-creator of Kick-Ass, which became a hit film in 2010 (with a script co-written by Jane Goldman, now one of the UK's biggest screenwriters). Unwin, who has a background in film marketing, admits the comic book scene was something she knew nothing about until she met Millar and that she could not have created Kapow! without his contacts. Having attended enormous US comic conventions such as San Diego's Comic-Con she recognised the market was there. Jonathan Ross, husband of Goldman and self-declared comic geek, will host a superhero v supervillain wrestling match.
But there are only nine female guest speakers out of a guest list of 57 comic creators. "We ourselves as women organising the show have been accused of misogyny because of the obviously male guest list, but there is just this lack of female creators and it's the nature of the industry. There's no point in taking it to heart because I don't employ the creators. I would love there to be more women at the show in terms of guests."
Holding her six-month-old baby Matilda in her lap as she speaks, Lucy talks about the snide remarks and internet trolling she has experienced – almost all of it suggesting that she's just a front for Millar. She says: "It's not very pleasant but I just ignore it. I don't have such a huge ego, I do know it's my show."
Millar is less sanguine and springs to the sisters' defence. "This is their money, their risk and their show and what two sisters have done is come into what was always very much a boys' world and changed the whole game."
Millar, who has been reading comics since he was 14, estimates that just 5% of comic book creators are women and that 10-20% are readers. "There has been a huge influx of female readers since they started the tie-in movies, and comics have changed over the past 10 years. This will mean more female creators as time passes and we are starting to see some big female stars breaking through into what's been a boys' club."
Unwin believes that the male/female landscape of comics is set to change. She says: "We do portfolio reviews at Kapow! and everyone can hand in their artwork and it will be looked at by DC, Marvel and Image. There's a potential for a commission. The hope is that women will feel equally able to hand in stuff. Who knows, maybe we will find the next great female creator this weekend."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Make way for the female comic geeks
14 Maywww.guardian.co.uk
Kapow! is a comic convention run by sisters – but will women ever be welcomed by the boys' club?
It's a world where guys have superpowers and the girls are very often disempowered. But now two Glasgow-based women are attempting to shake up the often misogynistic comic book environment with the UK's biggest comic convention, Kapow!, in London this weekend. Sisters Lucy and Sarah Unwin not only hope that their show will be a Glastonbury for geeks but that they will change perceptions that comic conventions are just for the boys.
Now in its second year, the event aims to create an atmosphere that welcomes everyone. The Unwins estimate that 30% of the 10,000-strong audience last year were female and they hope that if the convention is a continued success, more women will want to attend. "I've been to shows in America that definitely have a locker-room feel and ours doesn't. We very carefully try to make our environment more inclusive and friendly," says Lucy Unwin,who refers to the Con Anti-Harassment Project, which aims to tackle sexist behaviour at all conventions.
Unwin is the partner of Mark Millar, arguably Britain's biggest comic book writer and co-creator of Kick-Ass, which became a hit film in 2010 (with a script co-written by Jane Goldman, now one of the UK's biggest screenwriters). Unwin, who has a background in film marketing, admits the comic book scene was something she knew nothing about until she met Millar and that she could not have created Kapow! without his contacts. Having attended enormous US comic conventions such as San Diego's Comic-Con she recognised the market was there. Jonathan Ross, husband of Goldman and self-declared comic geek, will host a superhero v supervillain wrestling match.
But there are only nine female guest speakers out of a guest list of 57 comic creators. "We ourselves as women organising the show have been accused of misogyny because of the obviously male guest list, but there is just this lack of female creators and it's the nature of the industry. There's no point in taking it to heart because I don't employ the creators. I would love there to be more women at the show in terms of guests."
Holding her six-month-old baby Matilda in her lap as she speaks, Lucy talks about the snide remarks and internet trolling she has experienced – almost all of it suggesting that she's just a front for Millar. She says: "It's not very pleasant but I just ignore it. I don't have such a huge ego, I do know it's my show."
Millar is less sanguine and springs to the sisters' defence. "This is their money, their risk and their show and what two sisters have done is come into what was always very much a boys' world and changed the whole game."
Millar, who has been reading comics since he was 14, estimates that just 5% of comic book creators are women and that 10-20% are readers. "There has been a huge influx of female readers since they started the tie-in movies, and comics have changed over the past 10 years. This will mean more female creators as time passes and we are starting to see some big female stars breaking through into what's been a boys' club."
Unwin believes that the male/female landscape of comics is set to change. She says: "We do portfolio reviews at Kapow! and everyone can hand in their artwork and it will be looked at by DC, Marvel and Image. There's a potential for a commission. The hope is that women will feel equally able to hand in stuff. Who knows, maybe we will find the next great female creator this weekend."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
