Results tagged “events”

I wear many hats. A bald man can never have too many!

One of them is owner of The Signed Page, a website service that helps genre fans get signed or personalized books from their favorite authors for cover price. On November 19th, I will welcome author Brandon Sanderson for an online signing here in Seattle for the release of The Gathering Storm, the first book of the Wheel of Time conclusion trilogy.

I just returned from the book distributor where I picked up the initial 132 copy order of The Gathering Storm. I will be picking up more soon. Today is the first day I could pick the books up and I decided to take a picture of them stacked neatly in my office corner while they await Brandon and his extra attention.

They do exist! And over the next few days bookstores will begin receiving their copies of The Gathering Storm, to be put on the shelf on the publication day of Tuesday, October 27th!

For those without a calendar, that’s five days.

The end is about to begin.

If you live in the Midwest, The New Vampire’s Handbook could be coming to your town next week! Come see the multi media show that accompanies the book that Publisher’s Weekly called ” a giggle-inducing, undeniably comprehensive look at the absurdity of life among with undead.”

Even if you don’t live in a big city, chances are good we’ll be coming to a town near you. See the list of dates below and here, or go here to get all the latest info on the book and tour.

Hope to see you!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Milwaukee, WI
Boswell Book Company
7:00pm - 9:00pm
2559 N. Downer Ave.
(414)3321181
Email: info@boswellbooks.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Chicago, IL
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Borders Book Store
2817 N Clark St.
(773)9353909

Thursday, October 22

Madison, WI
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Borders
3750 University Ave
(608)2322600

Friday, October 23

Richland Center, WI
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Ocooch Books and Libations
145 West Court Street

Saturday, October 24

Viroqua, WI
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Bramble Books
117 S. Main Street

October 24

Eau Claire, Wi
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Borders Books
4030 Commonwealth Ave

October 25, 2009

Minneapolis, MN
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Magers & Quinn Booksellers
3038 Hennepin Avenue South

Memorials and Remembrances for Those Who Have Passed

Every year at the Eisners, the awards ceremony takes time to remember the writers, artists, actors, and other creators who have passed away since their last gathering. It’s always a somber time, but good in that it celebrates the work of all those people. Check out the video below

After the jump, a band of four is charged with getting the ceremony underway again after a somber memorials section.

Graham Ingels, Matt Baker, & Reed Crandall: Will Eisner Hall of Fame Inductees

Graham “Ghastly” Ingels, the noted and famed EC horror comics artist, is inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame as a Judges’ Selection. Berni Wrightson, co-creator and first artist of The Swamp Thing, accepts the award for Graham and tells a great story about discovering the man whose illustrations inspired many horror comics careers.

Matt Baker is known for many things, but the two that always stand out are these: he was the first major African American comic book artist, and he was widely considered to be a master of “Good Girl Art.” Calvin Reid, of Publishers Weekly’s Comics Week, accepts the award in Matt’s honor. His official Eisner Award biography reads:

“Baker started his career in the Iger Studio, working on titles for Fox, Fiction House, and Quality. He later went on to work for St. John and Atlas, as well as drawing the Flamingo newspaper strip. Although he drew a variety of western, romance, and adventure titles, he is best remembered for his work on the Phantom Lady series. Baker was the artist on the arguably first graphic novel, It Rhymes with Lust, by Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller. Unfortunately, his career ended abruptly in 1959, when he died at the young age of 37.”

Reed Crandall drew for Treasure Chest Comics, Creepy, and Eerie among many others. He was an artist in both the Golden and Silver ages of comics. I wish I could tell you who accepted the award on his behalf, but the presenter was mumbling and, on top of that, I’m having trouble getting past the accent. So blame us both for dropping the ball on this one. Reed Crandall’s official Eisner bio reads:

“Reed Crandall (1917-1982) started with the Eisner/Iger Studio, where he worked primarily on titles for Quality Comics, including Hit, Crack, Smash, and Uncle Sam (which became Blackhawk), where he drew such features as “The Ray,” “Dollman,” and “Firebrand,” as well as some terrific covers. When Quality scaled down their line, Crandall began doing work at EC. He drew everything from science fiction to suspense to horror. When EC folded comics production in 1955/56, he did occasional work for Atlas/Marvel and Classics Illustrated. In 1960 he landed a contract with Treasure Chest Comics and drew stories for them for twelve years. Then in 1964 he began working for Warren and delivered some of the best work of his career for Creepy and Eerie. His last contribution to comics was published in 1973.”

The Will Eisner Hall of Fame inductions roll on after the jump with one of the most heartfelt and emotional speeches ever given at the Eisner Awards.

In this edition of Suvudu & You at the Eisners, we’ll see the presentations for:

• Best Humor Publication
• Best US Edition of International Material
• Best US Edition of International Material-Japan
• The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer
• Part One of the Hall of Fame Awards

Best Humor Publication, Best US Edition of International Material, & Best US Edition of International Material-Japan

I was sure that Wonderbread: Beards of Our Forefathers would be winning the Best Humor category. Shows how much I know, but what does that say about my sense of humor? Jason wins for best US Edition of International Material (no shock there), but he also has the best excuse for not attending the Eisners. Check out the video below.

Continue on after the jump for a look at the Russ Manning award winner and the first recipient of the Will Eisner Hall of Fame Award and Induction.

What’s on the docket in today’s videos? We’ll be watching the awards for:

• Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
• Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
• Best Cover Artist
• Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
• Best Comics-Related Book

Presenting this round of Eisners are Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (most notably from Reno 911 fame) and Blair Butler (G4 TV). So, picking up where we left off yesterday…

Best Penciller/Inker & Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

The hosts are egging the contestants on to “lose their #%@$” in order to secure a television deal with the Bravo network (they explain why that seemingly unlikely marriage could work here as well). Initially, they don’t have much luck inciting the craziness, and then Jill Thompson wins best Painter/Multimedia Artist and plays it up for the crowd. It’s fun stuff. Check it out below.

As I was attempting to do some planning for the upcoming Comic-Con in San Diego this year, I hit a bit of a road block. The official schedule of events, that mammoth catalog of panels, performers, and parties happening at Comic-Con International this year, won’t be out for at least a few more weeks according to the CCI website. So my work on the Suvudu coverage schedule closed almost as soon as it started (though I’ve got a kickin’ template ready to go).

But that doesn’t mean we’re completely in the dark. This year’s San Diego Con highlights a few really cool milestones. I’m going to take a minute to break those down for you in this post. And since we’re talking about milestones and past events, I also want to ask you about your past Comic-Con experiences. Do you have a cool or favorite memory from one of the past Cons? Tell us all about it in the comments section.

And with that, let’s look at some of the featured themes and anniversaries of the coming San Diego Comic-Con:

• 75th Anniversary of the Great Adventure Comic Strips
I don’t know much about the original Adventure Comic strips, but I am the recipient of their legacy. In fact, as comics fans, we all are. 1934 was a boom year for the ACS with titles like Terry and the Pirates, Flash Gordon, ‘Lil Abner and more, the popularity of these strips introduced (or re-introduced, depending on your perspective) comics and graphic storytelling to the masses.

• 50th Anniversary of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
The Green Lantern has been, and will likely continue to be, one of superhero-dom’s greatest characters. The series has spawned one of the best villains in Sinestro and the Sinestro Corps and continues to reward fans with intricate storylines. Happy 50th Hal Jordan and crew! Here’s hoping for fifty more!

• 50th Anniversary of Rocky and Bullwinkle
That’s right - Rocky and Bullwinkle are turning 50! Incredible, right? To celebrate, the voice of Rocky the Squirel, June Foray, will be attending the Con. I have no idea how many of these she’s been to before, but I urge her to read the suggestions given to me for first-time Con attendees. Good luck, June!

• 25th Anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Dude! No way! Here’s one that means I’m officially turning into an “Old Dude.” Those mutated, pizza-loving, martial artist turtles are 25 this year. I would make a joke about them doing some sort of career planning or something like that, but given the opening of their last movie, they’ve already done that. But if they were teenagers 25 years ago, that means they are at least 38 years old now. Or not. Best if they’re not. Expect a lot of green outfits at the Con this year, though. I’m holding out hope that I’ll see at least one Shredder outfit. That would be fun!

For most people, the first comic book experience comes when they are a kid. We pay homage to that at the other major Comic-Cons, but lately the scene here in the city has been pretty skewed to the adult side of comics. That’s where Kids’ Comic-Con comes in.

Established only a couple of years ago here in New York, Kids’ Comic Con operates with one mission in mind:

“The KIDS’ COMIC CON where we’re simply,
Giving comics back to kids, again!”

It looks like they’re lining up one heck of a show as well (we know this because our own Ali Kokmen will be there representing Del Rey Manga). But there are a lot of workshops and classes offered during the even to give kids first hand experience at creating their own comics. You can check out the workshops here: Kids’ Comic-Con Workshops.

So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend in the NYC area, why don’t you and your child(ren) head on over to the Con? Here’s a few of the pertinent information:

Location:
Bronx Community College
2155 University Blvd
Bronx, NY 10453

Cost:
What cost? Free for kids under 17. Everyone else = $5 a pop.

Visit their website for all kinds of additional information: kidscomiccon.com

Dear Mr. King,

If the universe aligns right, this short letter will make its way to the King of Horror.

The Master of Modern Macabre.

The Condemner of Ill-Written Vampires.

And if it does, it will bring you, Stephen King, a true tale—and a thank you.

On September 20, 2004, the night before The Dark Tower strict on sale date, I ran across information on the internet(s) about a lone signing taking place in Connecticut at a bookstore named Just Books. You and artist Michael Whelan were appearing together, signing copies of the new book. A certain amount of tickets had been given out for the signing, meaning only a certain amount of copies of The Dark Tower would be signed.

I cursed when I discovered the signing, a mere day before its happening.

Somehow news of the signing had eluded me.

It was just after eleven at night in Seattle, the three hour time difference stark in my mind when I picked up my cell phone. No one would be at the bookstore assuredly. I called anyway, hoping to capture an answering machine letting me know the signing was entirely booked and no more tickets were being given out.

For my sanity, yeh understand?

“Hello?” answered a feminine voice, all too tired.

Calling all Chip Kidd fans!

Take note: Tuesday, December 16 is the very last Bat-Manga! signing. Yes, you read right.

So, clear your calendar and head to Brooklyn’s Rocketship Comics. There will be a Q&A with Chip, a presentation about the book, and an open bar. Does it really get any better than that?

For more information, click here.

Well, what are you waiting for?

If you haven’t yet gotten to MoCCA to see the Kim Deitch retrospective, here’s yet another compelling reason to do so: this Thursday, December 13, Kim Deitch will be speaking with Bill Kartalopoulos, the exhibits curator, about his career and will be previewing images from his current works in progress.

What are you waiting for? Get down there!

In my last post I promised you videos of the big release party from the Barnes & Nobel in Union Square, Manhattan (33 East 17th if you’re interested, heckuva store they’ve got there). Anyway, let it not be said that I am anything other than a man of my word.

In the first video, Christopher Paolini talks about Brisingr, fields a few questions from the audience before officially unveiling the latest addition to the Inheritance Cycle:

Christopher Paolini Reads from Brisingr after the jump…

Amid a crowd of hundreds of fans, Christopher Paolini unveiled and read from his new novel Brisingr at just past midnight on Saturday. To say the air was electric would be putting it lightly. And naturally Suvudu was there, because, c’mon, Dragonriders, epic battles, and magic? You’re talking about a native Suvuduian’s natural habitat.

Opening up the ceremony was a reading from the previous book Eldest by Gerard Doyle, the voice behind the Inheritance Cycle’s audiobooks. Mr. Doyle began his reading with a caveat that live readings were tricky, especially when reading more complex material like the Christopher Paolini’s novels as there aren’t studio engineers present to clean up his mistakes. Naturally, he proceeded to read his chosen chapter flawlessly.

If you’re into audiobooks then you know that a good reader makes all the difference. They can make or break a story with their decisions on how to present the material. I have not yet listened to the Inheritance Cycle audiobooks, but Gerard’s live performance not only silenced the room, but you could feel the ebb and flow of the book pour forth from his lips as he read. It was amazing and the perfect warm up for the main event.

More after the jump…

Author Sean Williams will be coming to the US all the way from Australia later this month. His only US event for the new hardcover STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED will be at Diesel, A Bookstore in Malibu, CA on Tuesday, August 19 at 6:30pm. Diesel is located at 3890 Cross Creek Road in Malibu.

Naomi Novik, author of the bestselling Temeraire series, flew into Seattle WA yesterday on tour for the release of her newest novel, Victory of Eagles. And she was caught on camera!

I am so lucky to live in such a bookie city as Seattle!