comic con

C2E2 2020 Recap

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Chicago is always a great place to visit every year no matter if it is windy or not. The weather will go right out the way once you make your way to the Mccormick Convention Center for C2E2. C2E2 is the biggest comic and entertainment convention in Chicago and it will keep on getting bigger for the years to come. C2E2 this year was clearly celebrated during the three day show whether if it was a panel, or fan meetup, screening, cosplay, and gaming, you name it. I have seen it all over my three days over there and here is my recap of this year’s edition of C2E2.

Last year, it was revealed that the 2020 edition of C2E2 that it would take place on Feburary of 2020. This was the first time that this has happened for C2E2 and there was a large number of attendees that was concerned due to the weather or the fear of a snowstorm. Another concern is the recent news of the corona virus that has spreaded in the east. But none of those concerns stopped anyone from coming and the convention center was full of attendees from the first day, until the last day.

There are a few changes that I noticed this year as there was a large area that was named “The Yard” at the middle of the convention center. At this area, attendees could relax over at that area, play games, and the ocassional music in that area. The second big change is the gaming zone as it featured more of a variety of video games other than the retro and current consoles. There was a huge number of arcade cabinents and I have not seen that for C2E2 until this year.

In my opinion, these two major changes really benefitted for every person inside the convention center especially The Yard as there was no more need to stand around at the walls of the center to sit and rest for a few minutes.

Also at The Yard, I witnessed a Super Mario Bros. 3 speedrun and I have never seen a speedrun done in person before and I was amazed.

The cosplay I have seen this year was very great and the most I have seen this year was Star Wars related. This ranged from The Mandalorian, “The Child” (Baby Yoda), Rey, and Kylo Ren. There are other good ones I have seen too and it amazes me how much efford everyone puts into their costumes for this weekend especially since C2E2 is the home for the Crown Championship of Cosplay.

There were also a cosplay group that cosplayed every member of the Stark House of Game of Thrones and this was also pretty cool to see Richard Brake take a photo with them. Speaking of him, I interviewed Richard Brake for a few minutes at C2E2 to get some more insight of his memories of Game of Thrones.

I was only able to attend three panels during C2E2 weekend and I wanted to attend the Mark Ruffalo panel, but the entire room was capped before I woke up. But I attended the All Elite Wrestling, Jason David Frank Spotlight, and Stephen Amell/Emily Bett Rickards panels. For AEW, we learned more about what can we expect for the future of AEW and some never before heard stories about the pre-planning of AEW Double or Nothing, All Out, and even the action figures.

The Arrow panel was a farewell to the series as both stars shared their favorite memories of the series and some stories of what they wanted in crossovers if it were to happen. On Jason David Frank’s spotlight panel, Jason Faunt made a surprise appearence and made an announcement that Power Rangers: Time Force will have a sequel and that will happen on the BOOM Studios’ Power Rangers comic book series sometime this year. These panels were fun to attend an I felt that it was worth going to.

And just for amusement, Here is Stephen Amell taking a sip of coffee!

C2E2 was very fun this year and I am happy that next year’s show will take place in late March which means the weather will be much better this time around.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Wizard World Philadelphia 2019 Recap

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Wizard World Philadelphia is usually their biggest show of the year and it showed during the four day convention. From the cosplay, to the gaming area, the guests, and the gaming area, there is plenty for everyone to do at the show over there at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This year’s headliners were supposed to be Gotham stars Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin, but they cancelled one day before the show begun. You would think that the show would be greatly affected by this, but it was not. I will get to the guests that were there shortly as I begin my recap of Wizard World Philadelphia 2019.

Ted Danson was announced for the show as it was his first ever comic convention appearence. He had a panel in which he and George Wendty talked about Cheers and answered questions to the fans.

So with that out of the way, I covered the show for three of the four days and although the best of the best cosplay did not showed up until late Saturday, I barely seen any at all. I do not know why, but I expected many just like in years past. But the crowd was decent and even for a show. Friday was slower than usual, but the celebrity guest table lines were mostly full. I did not see it empty not once so it is great to see how many people came out to see them. Guests included Lisa Marie Varon, Devon Dudley, Sgt. Slaughter, Kevin Konroy, the cast of RWBY, Once Upon a Time, and much more. There was even a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament that took place during the three days. I did actually qualify for this, but I got eliminated in the qualifying round. Also to note, These three are the best cosplay pictures I have taken during the weekend that I have taken many.

The other panels I have attended were Once Upon a Time and Kevin Conroy and John Glover’s. The Kevin Conroy one was interesting as he finally gave his thoughts of Robert Pattison being casted as Batman. He reacted very positively to the announcement as he wanted everyone to give him a chance since they all gave every other actor a chance. Right below, you can hear it from the man himself in his own words.

The next panel I attended was Once Upon a Time as Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader, and Jared Gilmore took the stage to talk about their best memories of the show since the show just finished its final season. Once Upon a Time has a huge fanbase and this panel was packed from the front to the back.
It was very fun to watch live since I have always heard about the show. Lana even worn the Phillies baseball t-shirt at the panel that a fan given her as a gift at her table before the panel begun. You can check out the entire panel below.

My Interviews

Last but not least, I conducted interviews at the show. Kevin Conroy was my first one during the show as we talked about Batman, stories with Mark Hamill, and his future projects. I interviewed WWE Hall of Fame inductee Devon Dudley as we talked about his memories competing in TLC matches, a story about Vince McMahon, his take on the Bully Ray situation at the recent Ring of Honor show, and what would it take to be a road agent at WWE. And my final interview was with Kara Eberle of the hit anime series RWBY as her fun personality shined during this interview as we talked about the series and her recent appearence on Death Battle. You can check these interviews out below.

Photo Credit: Wizard World

Wizard World was fun this year and I know for the sure that the shows will keep getting bigger! I will be back next year for more coverage.

Follow me on Instagramand Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content and subscribe to The Wrestling Court as we talk about the latest in pro wrestling, pop culture, and comics along with our live watch reactions to past matches. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com.

C2E2 2019 Recap

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Chicago is always a great place to visit every year no matter if it is windy or not. The weather will go right out the way once you make your way to the Mccormick Convention Center for C2E2. C2E2 is the biggest comic and entertainment convention in Chicago and it will keep on getting bigger for the years to come. In fact, this year is their 10th year anniversary and it was clearly celebrated during the three day show whether if it was a panel, or fan meetup, screening, cosplay, and gaming, you name it. I have seen it all over my three days over there and here is my recap of this year’s edition of C2E2.

First, I would like to thank ReedPop for approving myself and Fidelina Roman with a media badge as we alway love to cover your shows. This year, the show felt more bigger than last year’s there were much more space dedicated to gaming as well this year and I believe that happened due to the fan feedback from last year’s show. There were gaming tournaments that took place over there as well. At the booths where comic books were being sold, there were many people looking for vintage comics (especially the Marvel line based on the people that I have spoken to since Avengers: End Game is coming next month). Also to add, I heard that someone was stealing comics from different vendors over there and I did not know it was true until it was reported on the news that it actually did happen (https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/indiana-man-accused-stealing-rare-comic-books-c2e2). Friday and Sunday the crowd was decent in many areas. Saturday however, was the most crowded. I am used to this type of crowd now since I have covered different shows for the last seven years so it did not bother me. There was also a blood drive that took place during the convention too that took place right by the entrance. The big panels took place at the main panel hall at room S406 and it filled up each time with the big name panels but I will get to that in a few paragraphs. Overall, between navigating each area from the panel rooms to the show floor, it was easier this year than any other year.

There were many panels that took place during C2E2 and there was also my panel. For the first time ever, I host a panel and it was Wrestling Soup featuring Anthony Missionary Thomas, Jon Draper, and myself as we took the stage on Friday to give our predictions of WrestleMania. We also talked about Captain Marvel, Avengers End Game, and The Punisher. We even gave away prizes to members of the crowd and it was a very fun experience to see about 100 people showing up to see us. It felt very satisfying that it happened and I would do it again.



All Elite Wrestling members The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega also took the stage that morning to talk about AEW and many questions directed towards them that many fans wanted to know were addressed. They addressed the fact that there will be no contract tampering with current WWE Superstars, but they did say that they have a wishlist of who they wanted to be signed with AEW. They also said that All In 2 will take place this year in Chicago in the same arena it took place last year. They also talked about how Brandi Rhodes came up with the idea to tackle sensory issues that is often never taken care of on WWE programming and Kenny Omega answered a fan question about an AEW comic book and video game. There were more questions that were answered and they made it clear that CM Punk will not wrestle at AEW. Great panel from the three of them and you can check it out right here.

Another great panel featured the writers and artists of DC Comics that featured Cecil Castellucci, Marv Wolfman, Robert Venditti, and Tim Seely as this panel was titled “Super Heroes of DC”. This panel featured a discussion with the four about the DC Comic stories that impacted the industry from their time, to the current. The panel was interesting to get an insight of what they were thinking at the time and how those stories shaped for the present day in the comic book world.

One of the biggest panels at the show was the Clueless reunion panel that featured Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Breckin Meyer, and Donald Faison as they took the stage to tell funny stories of their time on the movie and what did they do on their break time away from filming the movie. Breckin Meyer was also very funny during this panel and I loved it. Paul Rudd was also flooded with Avengers: End Game questions since he will appear in the movie as Ant Man once again and I knew from the start that many Marvel related questions would go his way and he even told a heart warming story about Stan Lee. This panel is a must watch.

My press coverage over there was great and it begins with Into The Badlands. I was also supposed to attend the screening of the newest episode, but I had time constraints. So a key takeaway here is that the creators already had an arc for the 16 episode season that would end with a conclusion that would, by their words, “reboot” the series and “take it in a different direction”. They go on to say, however, that they saw the writing on the wall about cancellation as they were writing the back half of the season and realized that they’re most likely working towards a conclusion instead of a continuation. They assured people that all major questions and plot/character arcs will be resolved, but left some doors open, which I assume is for the possibility to continue the story should they get picked up by another platform. If you want to watch the response yourself it is at the 10:48 time-stamp. Daniel Wu is very passionate of the series so I could not blame him of his frustration since I am also a fan of the show.

The cast and the executive producer of NBC’s The Blacklist were also in attendance at C2E2 as they spoken to the press at the roundtable interviews.I can also say that I stumped Jon during the interviews three times but he was great to speak to. I see how popular the show has gotten over the years and they appreciate the fan feedback from across the world. The talkers of the press roundtables are Jon Bokenkamp, Harry Lennix, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, and Clark Middleton.

I also interviewed legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette as we talked about Mid South, World Class Championship Wrestling, his trouble getting to the arena at Keystone Comic Con compared to C2E2, and much more in this quick, fun, and entertaining quick interview.

The cosplay at C2E2 was great and this year’s big influence is Captain Marvel since the movie was released a few weeks before the show. I have seen really good ones raging from different genres and fandoms of Mortal Kombat, Overwatch, Star Wars, DC, Marvel, Super Mario, and much more. I even made a best of cosplay video for you to see along with some the photos below.

C2E2 was great this year as usual and I would cover it again next year! I do know that it will be in February next year so it will be a challenge. I would recommend the show for anyone in the Chicago area. Now here are my final pictures as I fanboy with CM Punk, Kenny Omega, Eric Bischoff, and Amir Arison.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content and subscribe to The Wrestling Court as we talk about the latest in pro wrestling, pop culture, and comics along with our live watch reactions to past matches.

Wizard World Philadelphia 2018 Panel and Cosplay Notes and Photos

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Wizard World took place last weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and there was a large amount of attendees either buying the rare comic, cosplaying, playing video game tournaments and much more. There were many actors and comic writers and creators over there as well as fans got the opportunity to meet them. We were able to attend the show to cover it over the weekend and it was very fun from what we saw. Wizard World always delivers every year in Pennsylvania and they will be back there in 2019.

We attended a few panels to hear the actors answer questions from the fans. Sebastian Stan was the first one we attended as he talked about The Avengers Infinity War and his future projects in the works. He even accepted an award from one of the fans there which got the crowd giving him an applause. At the end of the panel, he did a photo with the entire crowd (I was lucky to be in the photo)

The next panel we attended was of Ray Fisher and Ezra Miller from Justice League as they both talked about their roles of the movie along with having a dance off with one of the fans.

The final panel we attended was called The Voices of Overwatch and four of the voice actors from that game (one of them also did voice work in Final Fantasy XV) were there live to talk about how it all started and spoke in their character voices for most of the panel. It was very fun to see.

And Finally, i have taken many photos of cosplayers around the building and these were the best i have seen over there last weekend.

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Natalie Dormer of HBO’s Game of Thrones will attend Wizard World for the first time ever in Philadelphia.

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

‘Game of Thrones’ Star Natalie Dormer To Make Wizard World Comic Debut In Philadelphia, May 19-20

Natalie-Dormer-3.jpg

‘Margaery Tyrell’ On HBO Series To Appear Saturday And Sunday At Pennsylvania Convention Center

 

PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2018 – Natalie Dormer , who gained international attention with her performance of “Margaery Tyrell” on the HBO series “Game of Thrones,” will make her first Wizard World Comic Con appearance when the tour hits Philadelphia on May 19 and 20. Dormer, who also earned acclaim as “Anne Boleyn” on the Showtime series “The Tudors,” will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct an interactive fan Q&A session at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

 

 

Dormer made her screen debut in Lasse Hallstrom’s romantic film Casanova (2005), followed by a small part in the dramedy “Distant Shores” (2005). After her key role in “The Tudors”(2007–08), for which she was nominated for two Gemini Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Drama Series, she played “Irene Adler/Moriarty” on the CBS series “Elementary” (2013–15), “Cressida” in the science-fiction adventure films The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015), and “Sara Price/Jess Price” in The Forest (2016). She plays the lead in this year’s Amazon Video mini-series “Picnic at Hanging Rock.”


 

Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) continues its 2018 schedule with its 16th trip to the City of Brotherly Love, May 17-20. Joining Dormer as celebrity guests announced to date are Sebastian Stan ( Captain America franchise), the Justice League trio of Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher, Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), the Lord of the Rings duo of Sean Astin and Billy Boyd, among others scheduled to attend the comic con and pop culture extravaganza. A full list of guests to date is available at http://wizd.me/PhiladelphiaPR.

 

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The fifth event scheduled on the 2018 Wizard World calendar, Philadelphia show hours are Thursday, May 17, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, May 18, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, May 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.

 

Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening.

 

For more on the 2018 Wizard World Philadelphia, visit http://wizd.me/PhiladelphiaPR .

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Rhode Island Comic Con is one more week away.

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

One of the biggest events of the year is the annual Rhode Island Comic Con, a celebration of pop culture, Comics and video games and it is one week away where it will begin on Nov. 10-12 in downtown Providence.

Having filled both the Rhode Island Convention Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Comic Con is expanding again, to the adjacent Omni Providence Hotel, where it will use at least one of the ballrooms.

The press relations manager Susan Sores, has estimated that it will attract over 100,000 people for the three days the event will take place and myself and Fidelina Roman will cover the show and bring you the latest news from Rhode Island Comic Con for the days that we will be there.

The show will also have panel discussions with many of the stars of TV and movies such as The Walking Dead, Star Wars, Stranger Things, Luke Cage, The Power Rangers, Star Trek and much more.

There will also be autograph and photograph opportunities, Gaming (video games and table top), kids activities, collectables and toy vendors too.

Rhode Island Comic Con will have a film festival for the first time this year called Geekfest and it will have its own panel, screening and awards.

It is the biggest show of the year in the smallest state of the United States and it will attract a huge widespread of fans and cosplayers.

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NYCC: protection and safety

Rob Leave a Comment

By Robert “Rob Base” Greenwood

I never thought in a million years I’d have to write a post about education of safety for Comic Con attendees. Yet, unfortunately, here I am sitting on a crowded Brooklyn bound G train doing just that.

As of late, a lot of sexual harassment claims are being reported from Comic Cons around the US. One claim was of a man who strapped a Hero 2 (GoPro) camera to his chest and filmed himself hugging female Cosplayers.

Lets, first off, talk about something everyone needs to be clear and up front about. Please, please, I beg of you, DO NOT HUG STRANGERS! I don’t care if the sign they are carrying says free hugs or not.  Keep your body to yourself and/or people you know and feel safe around. The “free hug” signs are there to have strangers try to touch others, this is not safe.

Unwanted attention can be hard to avoid at the larger Cons like SDCC and NYCC, which are hugely packed and crowded. Also, as of late, not all attendees are actual fans of comics and pop culture. Some people (sad but true) treat it like a freak show.

People use the Con to film and ridicule our collective fan base and plaster it all over the internet for the non-enlightened to laugh and mock at. Do not engage in any conversations with people who may seem off, not dressed for the con, or are very rude and aggressive.

Unfortunately, profiling the “non-geeks” seems wrong and being a sub-culture who was mocked for being different, we really don’t want to profile the fan from the gawkers. Yet, in the end, safety comes first! Always remember that, more than likely, they will treat our sub-culture as a joke and mock or exploit you.

It’s very hard to expect help from volunteers and/or convention staff. They are only there to corral the huddled masses or if you are lost and need direction or see if you have badges. Instead of depending on staff, seek out uniformed police.

Booth people and Cosplayers, please try your best not to be left alone, and, if at all possible, try to travel with friends.  If you are at your booth or on the show floor, have a friend or fellow Cosplayer with you. It sounds scary (and perhaps a bit idiotic) but, in the end, humans in small or large groups aren’t always on their best behavior.

These seem like complex and unnecessary measures and maybe I am being the “scared parent,” but I have heard too many horror stories at the big cons and have seen too many jerks make wrong and unprofessional comments.

Be it GenCon’s Nazi paraphernalia or underwear that have printed phrases like “nothing wrong with a little sexual harassment” or idiots trying to take up skirt shots on escalators.

Regardless of occasional incidents, Comic Cons are really awesome, fun and downright enjoyable. Just take some precautions from this cynical old school New Yorker .

Agree or disagree? let me know, follow me on Twitter @AltMindz .

NYCC 2012:New York Comic-Con’s Minimates Tenth Anniversary Exhibit a Big Hit

Rob Leave a Comment

Minimates celebrated their 10th birthday with a bang, as over 100,000 fans attended this past weekend’s New York Comic-Con, where the Minimates-related festivities were in full swing! An art exhibit, panel and two signings drew thousands of attendees, from die-hard Minimate fanatics to casual enthusiasts, and thousands of Minimates, pins and posters were given out over the course of the weekend. Manufacturer Diamond Select Toys also gave fans a glimpse at the future of the line!

Located on the lower level at the Jacob Javits Center, the Minimates 10th Anniversary Exhibit had over 400 Minimates on display — not even a third of the over 1400 Minimates that have been released over the years. Marvel and DC Comics characters were displayed alongside Minimates from <em>Star Trek</em>, <em>The Walking Dead, Ghostbusters</em> and <em>The Munsters</em>, and the walls were hung with original concept art, as well as promotional posters from movie-based Minimates lines like <em>Back to the Future</em> and <em>A Fistful of Dollars</em>.

The artists behind most of those posters, Minimates designers Uriel Caton and Barry Bradfield, were at the exhibit on Sunday to sign 500 Universal Monsters Minimates posters for exhibit attendees. They were also joined by Minimates product manager Robert Yee for a panel presentation on Minimates, during which they revealed the control art for next year’s 50th series of Marvel figures. The line-up for that series was voted on by over 10,000 Marvel.com visitors, and the release will coincide with the Marvel Minimates line’s 10th anniversary.

Minimates.com!

Contest: Win an exclusive copy of Comic Con Episode IV DVD with mini figures “Stan Lee and Harry Knowles”

Rob 1 Comment

Alternative Mindz has teamed up with NECA films to give two lucky people the new Morgan Spurlock documentary all about Comic Con.

watch the video and find out what you have to do !


Here are the 6 questions that you must answer to win a copy of the new DVD with Stan Lee and Harry Knowles mini figures

http://www.hulu.com/watch/356864?utm_source=NECA+-+Wizkids+Press+List&utm_campaign=9e4cf5efaa-Comic_Con_on_Hulu9_10_2012&utm_medium=email

Question: Go to the Hulu channel and tell us something you seen in the video
Question: Who Founded SDCC in 1970
Question: What High School did Stan Lee attend
Question: how many people attend SDCC in 2012
Question: what was Morgan Spurlock’s seond feature documentry
Question: Who were the first guests of Comic-Con?

OK guys Email me at Rob@alternativemindz.com and remember that the first two people are the winners ! GOOD LUCK!

(Side- note) The Hulu channel & the DVD are for North America. but if people outside of the US can view the video and have the ability to watch a region 1 DVD. I will cover the cost to ship!

Follow Rob on Twitter @AltMindz

Comic Con Episode IV DVD with mini figures “Stan Lee and Harry Knowles”

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Comic Con Episode IV, Misc. Items- Jun 07, 2012 2 Comments

Limited edition DVD (Region 1, 20,000 available) comes with Stan Lee and Harry Knowles mini-figures! Regular Comic Con Episode IV DVD also available!

Only 20,000 available!

Film synopsis:

Have you ever imagined a place where Vulcans and vampires get along? Where wizards and wookies can be themselves? Welcome to Comic-Con San Diego. What started as a fringe comic book convention for 500 fans has grown into the pop culture event of the year that influences every form of entertainment, now attended by over 140,000 strong.

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE- a film by Morgan Spurlock explores this amazing cultural phenomenon by following the lives of five attendees as they descend upon the ultimate geek mecca at San Diego Comic-Con 2010:

Eric, an aspiring illustrator, is hoping to impress publishers and land a job;
Holly, costume and creature designer, hopes her creations will win the big prize;
Chuck, a long-time comic book dealer, is looking for a big sale to pay off his debts;
Skip, longtime amateur illustrator wants to be discovered at this year’s event;
James, a young fan, hopes his girlfriend will accept a dramatic proposal.

One on one interviews with Comic-Con veterans who have turned their passions into professions include Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Matt Groening, Seth Rogen, Eli Roth and others are shared throughout the film along with up close and up front coverage of all the panels, parades, photos, costumes, crowds and camaraderie that make up one of the largest fan gatherings in the U.S.

Presented by Stan Lee and Joss Whedon, COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE is directed by Morgan Spurlock; produced by Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin, Harry Knowles and Thomas Tull; and written by Spurlock and Chilnick.

http://comicconmovie.com

Read more: http://necaonline.com/34393/products/collectables/misc-items/comic-con-dvd-with-mini-figures-stan-lee-and-harry-knowles/#ixzz266vtUelM