Neil Gaiman for CBLDF at C2E2
Legendary comics creator and New York Times bestsellingauthor Neil Gaiman will be presenting a benefit dramatic reading at the firstannual Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expoon behalf of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund."An Evening with Neil Gaiman" will take place on April 17 at 7 p.m. at theAerie Crown Theater at Chicago's McCormick Place. Tickets are available onlineand range in price from $30 - $250 with tickets discounted for C2E2 attendees. C2E2organizers have been commendedby Chicago's Mayor Daley for their efforts in bringing the event to hiscity. The convention takes place from April 16 - 18 at Chicago's McCormickPlace convention center and has confirmed over 250 artists and 200 exhibitorswill be appearing at the brand new convention which will also feature over 175panels and screenings.
(Note: C2E2 is ownedby the same parent company as Publishers Weekly)
J. Michael Straczynski Comes to Superman and Wonder WomanTitles
J. Michael Straczynski, the acclaimed comics writer andcreator of the epic science fiction series Babylon 5, will be writing both Superman and Wonder Woman at the same time for DC Comics starting this July withSuperman #701 and Wonder Woman #601. In apost on the DC Universe blog, Straczynski said that Superman had alwaysbeen the character he dreamed most of writing for and that he intended to bringa "contemporary sensibility" to the Wonder Woman comic without changing hernature.
Korean Comics at San Francisco Library
The San Francisco Public Library will be presenting aspecial exhibition of Korean manwha art from 23 of Korea's greatest cartoonistsin the Jewett Gallery of their Main Library from March 13 - June 13. Spanningnearly half a century, with 87 works from the 1950's - 1990's, "Korean Comics: A SocietyThrough Small Frames" puts manwha in a historical perspective and contains worksfrom both South and North Korea. In coordination with the exhibit, the librarywill also present two lectures - "Realities and Ideals in 1950s and 60s KoreanComics" on March 17 with UC Berkley's Dr. Sung Lim Kim and "Manwha for Girls"with comics creator Trina Robbins, author Mike Madrid and Cartoon Art Museumcurator Andrew Farago on April 8 . More information can be found on thelibrary's website here.All programs and exhibits of the library are open free to the general public.
2010 Kids Comic Con
The date and location for the fourth annual Kids Comic Con has been announced.Taking place on April 10 at Bronx Community College in New York City, the eventcaters to comics-loving children, parents and educators and includes panels,workshops and a wide variety of comics creator guests. First organized bycomics creator Alex Simmons in 2007, last year the low-budget one day con hadover 750 attendees, approximately two-thirds of which were children. Moredetails will become available as the day approaches.
Simmons is also the curator of the "Color of Comics" travellingexhibition. Focused on raising awareness of the portrayals of people of colorin comics art, the exhibit has toured to Philadelphia and Miami and is nowscheduled to come to Harlem and Senegal.
Frank Frazetta Inks Deal Vanguard Productions
Famed comics creator and fantasy artist Frank Frazetta,arguably the most influential fantasy illustrator of all time, has signed apublishing deal with VanguardProductions. Vanguard's new Frazetta Classics line will includeartist-authorized new editions of FrankFrazetta - The Definitive Reference, The Frank Frazetta Sketchbook, a newseries collecting his comics work in premium editions and more. Vanguard isknown for their work with such comics greats as Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, WallyWood and Carmine Infantino.
Amazon Glitch Reduces Marvel Comics to Pennies on theDollar
On Sunday, March 7, comic book fans began to noticethat many formerly expensive Marvel Comics graphic novels dropped in cost tothe (relatively) low price of $14.99. Firstreported on the British comics website Bleeding Cool, affected booksincluded deluxe and omnibus editions worth well over a hundred dollars. Originallyassumed by many to be a sale, later in the day original prices resumed andAmazon.com representatives explained that the drop was a glitch. There's stillno word on whether or not orders placed during the glitch will be honored as awhole, but ordersfor multiple copies of the same book have already been cancelled by Amazonwhile some orders have already been filled. More details can be found in ashort article on the subject from PWCW's own Calvin Reid.
This Week @ Good Comics For Kids
This week SchoolLibrary Journal's blog Good Comics forKids had a review of Birdhouse,the 3/3listing of comics suitable for all ages, a "Readingwith Pictures Picks Up Momentum" links roundup as well as a Muppetsand Madness themed roundup from Brigid Alverson.
This Week @ The Beat
This week at PWCW editor Heidi MacDonald's blog The Beat, she covered the January Marvel,DCand Indiemonth to month comics sales charts, Heralds- Marvel's upcoming event crossover miniseries focusing on the women of theMarvel Universe, thedefense attorney in the Handley manga child pornography case comments on thesubject, CBLDF'sBetsy Gomez joining Image Comics, TheBeat's guide to animated short feature Oscarnominees, and FestivalImagé - the new DC area-based film festival for France/US collaborations inanimation.
