The Syracuse Heroes Expo is Central New York's premiere hobby convention. From comics to action figures, anime, sci-fi, manga, action figures, and video games we are dedicated to bringing the very best enthusiast gathering to the CNY region! This year the expo is all weekend, so everyone is encouraged to come visit!
This year's guests include Alvin Lee, Alex Milne, Larry Kenney, Tom Hodges, Art Baltazar, Jeff Lemire, John Herbert, Michael Kingston & Roger Stern. For more info, check the site! Tickets are on sale now!
Terrence Howard says he was surprised to learn that Don Cheadle would replace him in "Iron Man 2."
"It was the surprise of a lifetime," the actor and musician told National Public Radio on Tuesday. "There was no explanation, (the contract) just up and vanished."
Howard said he read news reports that money was the issue, saying the contracts he signs apparently "aren't worth the paper that they're printed on sometimes."
Cheadle assumes the role of James Rhodes, a character that becomes Iron Man's sidekick War Machine in the comics, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as weapons mogul Tony Stark.
What is the Syracuse Heroes Expo all about?
The Syracuse Heroes Expo is simply put the event that all Central New York fans of comics, horror films, anime, manga, video games and all other related hobbies have been waiting for! At the expo you'll have the opportunity to meet with fellow fans, meet and greet with special guests, find that hard-to-find item you'd been looking, and so much more!
To summarize this event is about having a ton of fun!
When will the next expo take place and where?
Saturday, November 1st and Sunday, November 2nd.
Who is organizing the event?
Jeff Watkins
Syracuse native Jeff Watkins has been making his living as an event organizer and promoter since 1999. Making a name for himself in the music industry, he's organized events in Syracuse and Albany that boast Grammy winners, TV stars, and chart toppers.
Previous Syracuse Heroes Expo's have boasted great guests like Ray Park (Darth Maul), Yvonne Craig (Batgirl), Francis Manupal (Iron and the Maiden, Witchblade), The Iron Shiek, and Ken Lashley (The Flash). Previous guests include Marv Wolfman, Sean McKeever, Jon Arcudi, and John Russo, Ethan Van Sciver, Daniel Logan, Tony Isabella, Pop Mhan, Brinke Stevens, Bonnie Piesse & Tom Savini.
More info, as well as ticket info, will be on sale soon.
Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow is the newest animated film produced by Marvel Comics & Lions Gate Entertainment. The movie was set to debut in July, but had been pushed back until this month. Here are some quick story details:
The children of the Avengers must rise up to their parents' legends and stop the villainous android Ultron in Marvel's next feature length animated movie. But with the world in peril, can these inexperienced young heroes save the day?
Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 2, 2008.
Footage from the Evolution Fighting Game Championships Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Invitational Exhibition Tournament. Thanks to jchensor for uploading the video!
"The Dark Knight" on Sunday became the second movie in Hollywood history to top $500 million at the domestic box office, raising its total to $502.4 million, according to estimates from distributor Warner Bros.
The film hit that mark in just over six weeks, half the time it took "Titanic," which reached $500 million in a little more than three months. "Titanic," the biggest modern blockbuster, remains No. 1 on the domestic charts with $600.8 million.
Factoring in today's higher admission prices, "The Dark Knight" would need to take in about $900 million to match the number of tickets sold by "Titanic."
Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros. expects "The Dark Knight" to finish at about $530 million, though it could reach $550 million if business persists as strongly as it has.
Overseas, the film led the foreign box office for a third consecutive weekend - and fourth overall - as its international sales hit $417 million (230 million pounds).
The film earned an estimated $19 million from 62 markets, led by No. 1 rankings in Germany ($4.4 million in its second weekend) and France ($3.3 million in its third). The top markets overall are the U.K. with $90.3 million and Australia with $41.1 million.
As of now, worldwide, TDK has made over 900 million..
Domestic: $502,421,000 54.7%
+ Foreign: $416,700,000 45.3%
= Worldwide: $919,121,000 !
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros. has quietly adopted Marvel's model of releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film. And there's also talk that depending on the direction Supeman Returns director Bryan Singer takes the reboot would decide his fate with the franchise.
As quoted from blogger Anne Thompson at Variety:
Fans have been clamoring all over the web—and on this blog—for a complete reboot. And within the halls of Warner Bros. the same debate rages on. They too believe that the last movie didn't break the mold and wound up in some kind of middle limbo. Today I was told that it is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project. There are no writers working on a Superman script now. The studio wants to figure it out. "It might be better to start from scratch," one exec admitted.
Studio executive Jeff Robinov plans to have the film released either by 2010 or 2011. Here's what he had to say on it:
"Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," Robinov said of Singer's movie, which made just $215 million domestically. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned," he continued. "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009, but now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman. We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the character allows it."
A movie referred to internally as "Justice League of America," originally said to debut as soon as summer 2009, was planned as one of the studio’s major releases. With that film, starring a superhero team, Warner hoped to spark interest in DC characters like Green Lantern who haven’t yet attained the level of popularity of Batman. But script problems, among other things, have delayed the movie.
The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC films in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Jonah Hex, Shazam and Wonder Woman are all in active development.
Get ready, True Believers, as the Sentry soars onto shelves this September in an all-new limited series, The Age of the Sentry #1 (of 6)! Join red-hot writers, Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin, along with rising-star artists Nick Dragotta and Ramon Rosanas, as they unveil the secret history of the man with the "power of a million exploding suns!" When the Golden Guardian is severely injured, it is up to Scout, Lindy Lee, and Watchdog to save the day. In order to do so, though, they'll have to travel back in time and learn how Rob Reynolds became the Sentry! PLUS: a startling new story featuring the Tinkerer and the Mad Thinker as they team up to build the ultimate device to steal the Sentry's powers, the parasitic beam! The Sentry is the only thing standing between them and world domination...
Editor Mark Paniccia told Marvel.com, "Jeff and Paul have an amazing respect and understanding of the magic of the Silver Age, and the approach of entertaining and inspiring readers by pushing the limits of the imagination... And Nick Dragotta's got the [Silver Age] style down pat!"
What will happen if the Sentry's alter-ego is exposed? Will the Tinkerer and Mad Thinker's evil scheme destroy the Golden Guardian? Read on, True Believers, and don't miss these breathtaking new tales in The Age of the Sentry #1 (of 6)! 
THE AGE OF THE SENTRY #1 (of 6) (JUL082344)
THE AGE OF THE SENTRY #1 BULLOCK VARIANT (of 6) (MAY088348)
Written by JEFF PARKER & PAUL TOBIN
Penciled by NICK DRAGOTTA & RAMON ROSANAS
Cover by DAVE BULLOCK & MICHAEL CHO
Rated A ...$2.99
FOC - 8/28/08, On-Sale - 9/17/08
To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook
Marvel Comics is a division of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., a leading global character-based entertainment company that has developed and owns a library of more than 5,000 characters, which have entertained generations around the world for over 60 years. Marvel's operations are focused in entertainment and consumer product licensing and comic book publishing. Marvel Studios supports the development of feature films, DVD/video products and TV series. Marvel's creative team also supports the development of video games and toy lines based on its characters as well as for a broad and growing range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, foods and promotions. Marvel's comic book division is a leading publisher in the global marketplace while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property. Marvel's Toy Biz division is a recognized creative force and leader in toy design, sales and marketing, developing and overseeing both licensee and in-house toy lines. For additional information visit http://www.marvel.com.
Press Release
The Orlando MegaCon, the largest comic book multi media event in the Southeast is pleased to make its initial announcement of guests for its 2009 convention. The Orlando MegaCon will take place Feb. 27-March 1, 2009 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.
Legendary artist George Pérez will be the Special Guest of Honor at MegaCon 2009. In a 30+ year career in comics, George has illustrated Avengers, Fantastic Four, JLA, Wonder Woman, and a host of other seminal comics titles. He is hard at work on his next project from DC Comics, Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds. This will be George's first scheduled convention appearance in over a year, as he took 2008 off the convention circuit.
In addition, MegaCon is proud to announce additional comic guests including:
* Jimmy Palmiotti, writer of Back to Brooklyn
* Amanda Conner, artist of Green Arrow/Black Canary
* Darwyn Cooke, writer/artist of The Spirit
* Adam Hughes, artist of Wonder Woman and Tomb Raider
* Ethan Van Sciver, artist of Green Lantern
* Paul Pelletier, artist of Guardians of the Galaxy
* Jim Cheung, artist of Young Avengers
* Ron Marz, writer of Witchblade and Dragon Prince
* Steve McNiven, artist of Wolverine and Civil War
* Chuck Dixon, writer of Robin and Nightwing
* Brandon Peterson, artist of Uncanny X-Men
* Greg Land, artist of X-Men
* Nelson DeCastro, artist of Action Comics
* Mark Waid, writer of Flash, Captain America, and Fantastic Four
* Tony Bedard, writer of Birds of Prey and Exiles
* And Chris Claremont, Marvel Comics' legendary X-Men writer, who shepherded the title for over 20 years.
The MegaCon guest list is constantly growing. Check www.MegaConvention.com frequently for more updates.
Press Release
Comics Experience is pleased to announce that Dan Slott (Amazing Spider-Man and Avengers: The Initiative) will be teaching the Introduction to Comics Writing course and that DC Comics Editor Michael Siglain (52, JSA, Batman family) will be teaching the Introduction to Comic Book Art course. Both courses start this September.
"After teaching the classes for a little over a year, I was looking to bring something new to Comics Experience. Then it occurred to me to ask, whom would I want to take these classes from? So, I didn't have to look far to find Dan and Michael," Comics Experience owner Andy Schmidt said. "Dan Slott, much to my surprise, agreed almost right away and Michael Siglain earned my trust over his past guest appearances. He also has an art background that makes him a better choice for the class than I was!"
Both instructors are following the general guidelines that Schmidt set out but they are also bringing new ideas to the classes. The intention is to make these courses different, but more importantly--better.
"Andy Schmidt's Comics Experience class is an invaluable tool for aspiring writers, artists, and editors. I've had the pleasure of speaking at a few of them. Interacting with the next generation of comic book talent and passing along some of the knowledge and tricks of the trade that I've accumulated in my career is a truly amazing--not to mention gratifying--experience," said Michael Siglain. "I wish these classes were around when I was trying to break into the business--they're tremendously helpful and also a helluva lot of fun."
Dan Slott said, "If you're serious about the craft of comics, you can read books about writing or drawing. You can go to a convention and take notes at a panel. Maybe you can go up after, or go to a signing, and get a minute or two with an industry pro. What Andy Schmidt's "Comic Experience" gives you is a chance, in a small class setting, to get access to a writer, editor, or artist and get advice that goes beyond the quick tips and pointers. That is such an incredible resource!"
Courses start September 24th and 25th, meeting on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and are held near Manhattan's Penn Station. Check out www.comicsexperience.com for details. Or email info@comicsexperience.com for more information!
Michael Siglain
Born and raised in New York, DC Comics editor Michael Siglain began his career in film and television as a storyboard artist and location scout. After a brief tour of duty in the NYC film world, Michael became an Associate Producer on video games, audio adaptations, and online webisodes for DC's multimedia department. Michael eventually made his way over to editorial, where he worked on such books as Identity Crisis, JLA, Batman, and Green Lantern. After a stint with Jonah Hex and Firestorm, Michael took over DC's hugely popular weekly book, 52, and is currently holding the reigns on Justice Society of America, Batman: Gotham After Midnight, Nightwing, and Booster Gold, among other titles
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is a writer for Marvel Comics, and is currently writing The Amazing Spider-Man and Avengers: The Initiative.
Dan has worked in the comic industry for close to two decades, writing primarily for Marvel and DC comics, and Acclaim, Top Cow, and Archie as well. He got his start as the writer for Marvel's Ren & Stimpy book. That led to steady assignments on dozens of licensed property titles, including everything from Looney Tunes to Scooby Doo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Power Rangers, and from Sonic the Hedgehog to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
In 2001, he switched over to DC's Adventures line, writing for Superman Adventures, Justice League Adventures, and as co-writer for the final volume of Batman Adventures. Work on those super hero titles for younger readers led Dan to more "mature" Batman work in 2003's well received Arkham Asylum: Living Hell.
From there came a steady stream of Marvel gigs including relaunches for She-Hulk and The Thing, as well as the mini-series GLA: Misassembled and Spider-Man/Human Torch.
Writing comics and talking about comics are pretty much all he knows. (Seriously, he can't change a tire, add large sums, or handle raw poultry. He's really all about the comics.). And Dan is ready to bring that focus, intensity, and love of the medium to teaching this semester's "Introduction to Comic Book Writing" class.
Is Apple guilty of censorship? After Infurious Comics' "Murderdrome" comic book was rejected by Apple's iPhone App Store earlier this week, they've asked visitors of their website for support in its request to Apple for a rating system similar to one already used on iTunes.
Apple turned down the comic book claiming that it violated a section of an SDK agreement which states: "Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.) or other content or materials that in Apple's reasonable judgment may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users."
Even though the Infurious web site continues to run early episodes, the Murderdrome project has been placed on temporary hold while they focus on other titles "which will be more Apple friendly, artist PJ Holden said in a Q&A with TechRadar UK.
Not much news lately regarding Street Fighter IV, it appears the release date has been pushed back as well. SF4 takes place between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III.
Parrying has been removed, but a new system called "Focus Attacks" ("Saving Attack" for the Japanese version) will be introduced, as well as Ultra moves. The traditional six-button control scheme returns, with new features and special moves integrated into the input system a classic, great mix of classic & modern styles. Online play has also been announced.
Street fighter IV will launch to PC, PS3 & Xbox360 either late 2008 or early 2009.Home versions will be available in standard edition and Collector's Edition. The contents of the Collector's Edition are yet to be announced, but Capcom is has a survey at the official site as to which collectible items fans would want to see in the Collector's Edition.
Press Release
The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today announced tickets to its 2008 event are now available at select retailers throughout New York City. Participating comic and anime shops include Manhattan anime landmarks Kinokuniya Bookstore and Image Anime. Tickets are also available online at newyorkanimefestival.com. The New York Anime Festival, an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con, takes place September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY.
"We're very happy to be working with comic and anime stores around New York City to offer fans another way to purchase tickets to the 2008 New York Anime Festival," Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. "We've been working with some stores for years now, and this is the first time we're partnering with many more. We're always excited to make local shops part of the New York Anime Festival family!"
NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL RETAIL PARTNERS
Anime Castle
35-32 Union St
Flushing, NY 11354
Forbidden Planet
840 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
Image Anime
242 West 30th St
New York, NY 10001
Kinokuniya Bookstore
1073 Ave of the Americas
New York, NY 10018
Midtown Comics
459 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10017
Jim Hanley's Universe
4 West 33rd St
New York, NY 10001
Friday tickets are $35, Saturday tickets are $40, Sunday tickets are $35, and Weekend tickets -- good all three days -- are $55. Additional retailers will be announced soon at newyorkanimefestival.com. Retailers wishing to join the program can contact the New York Anime Festival's Kyle Marsden-Kish at kmarsdenkish@reedexpo.com.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:
The New York Anime Festival takes place September 26-28, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and is organized by Reed Exhibitions, the creators of New York Comic Con. The New York Anime Festival showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. NYAF's partners include Anime News Network, Bandai Entertainment, BookExpo America, Del Rey Manga, DigitalLife, Free Arts NYC, Japan Society, Karaterice, Kinokuniya Bookstore, New York Comic Con, Samurai Beat Radio, Subway Cinema, TheOtaku.com, TOKYOPOP, VIZ Pictures, and the World Cosplay Summit. Further information can be found at newyorkanimefestival.com.
ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS:
The New York Anime Festival is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organizer. In 2007, Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and organized by 39 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2006, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of #1,052 million on turnover of #5,398 million.
On the day of its release, Amazing Spider-Man #569 has sold out at Diamond (though copies will be available at retail level)! The second part of the hotly anticipated "New Ways To Die" storyline marks not only the first appearance of Anti-Venom, but also the second straight sell out for Spidey's summer blockbuster, which IGN.Com deemed a, "well-plotted, intelligent superhero story."
Who is Anti-Venom? Why have the Thunderbolts assaulted Peter Parker? And just what does Norman Osborn know about the connection between Peter & Spider-Man? Find out in Amazing Spider-Man #569, in stores now!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #569 (JUN082308)
Written by DAN SLOTT
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Villain Variant Cover by ADI GRANOV
Rated A ...$2.99
ON SALE NOW!
To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook
Marvel Comics is a division of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., a leading global character-based entertainment company that has developed and owns a library of more than 5,000 characters, which have entertained generations around the world for over 60 years. Marvel's operations are focused in entertainment and consumer product licensing and comic book publishing. Marvel Studios supports the development of feature films, DVD/video products and TV series. Marvel's creative team also supports the development of video games and toy lines based on its characters as well as for a broad and growing range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, foods and promotions. Marvel's comic book division is a leading publisher in the global marketplace while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property. Marvel's Toy Biz division is a recognized creative force and leader in toy design, sales and marketing, developing and overseeing both licensee and in-house toy lines. For additional information visit http://www.marvel.com.
Press Release
Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced it will publish the first, complete story arc of William Harms’ Impaler in a new trade paperback that will debut this October, and then will launch a new series for the property in December.
The first three issues of the series were initially published by Top Cow parent company Image Comics in 2006-2007, but was never completed. The Impaler Vol. 1 trade paperback collects those three issues plus the final, three never-before-seen issues of the initial story arc. Top Cow was so excited by this series that it also greenlighted a new ongoing to follow the collection.
In Impaler, a derelict cargo ship is found adrift offshore during a terrible blizzard in New York City. When New York’s Finest is sent to investigate the missing crew, an unspeakable horror is unleashed that quickly spreads all over the snow-covered borough, as a vampire plague quickly moves through the city’s population. The people’s only hope lies in Vlad Tepes, the real-life historical inspiration for the vampire legend, Dracula. Vlad the Impaler arrives to defend the city from the ever-growing vampire horde, but how much can one man do against an army of thousands?
Impaler Vol. 1 boasts a stunning cover by John Paul Leon (Earth X) and features artwork by Nick Marinkovich (Nightwolf), Nick Postic (Underworld) and Francis Tsai (Marvel Comics Presents). The introduction is written by noted science fiction and horror writer F. Paul Wilson, who is responsible for the popular Repairman Jack series of novels and such horror books as The Keep, Midnight Mass and The Touch. Extras in the collection include script pages from unused scenes and bonus artwork.
In December, Top Cow will launch Impaler as an ongoing series, featuring art by British newcomer Matt Timson (Popgun).
“One of the nice things about having the break between the Image series and the new series is that it really gave me time to nail down where the story is headed,” revealed Harms. “I have the next couple arcs already plotted, and I think fans of the book will really dig where things are going.”
“William Harms has managed to put a truly unique spin on ‘the vampire story’ by taking Vlad the Impaler and making him a vampire hunter,” said Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik. “This trade collection gives birth to this original idea but the upcoming ongoing series from Harms and Matt Timson will really keep you up at night!”
Impaler was nominated for an International Horror Guild award and received accolades from Ain’t It Cool News, Rue Morgue magazine, Cinescape and Metro (Toronto).
Tomb Raider: Underworld resume the adventure from where Tomb Raider: Legend left off and address elements of the plot left unexplained in Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. According to Play magazine, Lara "moves as good as she looks [and] no longer moves like a video game character" thanks to being fully motion captured. Olympic gymnast and NCAA Women's Gymnastics champion Heidi Moneymaker was the model used for motion capturing.
Eidos producer Bill Beacham explains more about the development of Tomb Raider Underworld:
"So we've got a next-gen engine. We built it from the ground up, and that just allows us to do so much more with the size of the world, the visual fidelity of the world, how Lara looks, how she moves, and just expanding the gameplay in ways that are true to what you'd expect from a tomb raider game but they are also giving you new ways to explore the environment and deal with the challenges."
Simply breathtaking. This game may just dethrone Uncharted: Drake's Fortune as the PS3's best adventure game! Eidos and Crystal Dynamics will release the game on Windows, Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, Wii & Xbox 360 in November 2008.
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