Coronavirus Be Damned! Star Trek: Picard Needs To Be At WonderCon 2020

For convention-going nerds, the Anaheim Convention Center has most notably been recognized as the home of WonderCon. But thanks to the new CBS All Access series, Star Trek: Picard, MANY MORE nerds, now recognize the convention center as Starfleet Headquarters!

In episode two of Star Trek: Picard, when the unmistakable Anaheim Convention Center is prominently displayed during the title character’s visit to Starfleet Headquarters, its enough to cause seasoned WonderCon attendees’ heads to explode, as their fictional and real worlds collided!

Now that the Anaheim Convention Center has entered the collective consciousness as Starfleet Headquarters, Star Trek and WonderCon are forever linked! And as long as the coronavirus doesn’t continue to wreck havoc on pop-culture conventions, the series and the Comic Con organization (which owns WonderCon) are perfectly positioned to promote Star Trek: Picard with a uniquely WonderCon fan experience!

Last year, to promote Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access held a panel, and set-up a booth & pop-up shop at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). They had props and costumes on display… They had an autograph session with Sir Patrick Stewart… They sold exclusive merchandise… And they gave SWAG, including replicas of the “Visitor Badge” Picard wears during his onscreen visit to WonderCon… “*ahem…” I mean, “Starfleet Headquarters”.

Additionally, on January 23, CBS All Access and the Comic-Con organization hosted a Star Trek: Picard premiere episode viewing at the future site of the Comic-Con Museum, in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
Along with the episode, the streaming service, again brought props and costumes. And similar to the SDCC events, the museum presentation was a SWAG-filled event- with attendees walking away with posters and subscription gift cards!

CBS All Access SWAG from the Star Trek Picard premier at the Comic-Con Museum

These recent events demonstrate an established relationship between CBS All Access and the Comic-Con Organization. Given this relationship, and the recent Anaheim Convention Center connection… a Star Trek: Picard presence at WonderCon is one of life’s EASY, “no-brainers”.

WonderCon takes place April 10-12.
At that time, the last episode of Star Trek: Picard, season one, will have recently been released- making it an ideal time for promoting the show’s binge-worthiness.

Promoting the series, and emphasizing its Anaheim Convention Center connection during WonderCon would definitely be a crowd-pleaser…

  • Imagine actors in Starfleet uniforms greeting WonderCon attendees, in-character, at the convention entrance, or welcoming visitors to admire props and costumes set-up for display on the exhibit floor…
  • Imagine SWAG such as an exclusive Fansets pins of the convention center, adorned with the Starfleet Delta…
  • Imagine a panel featuring casts and other creatives…
Replica of badge worn during Picard’s visit to Starfleet Headquarters (Anaheim Convention Center) given as SWAG at SDCC. This type of immersive SWAG is perfect for WonderCon!

It’d be a travesty if CBS All Access didn’t take advantage of this fortuitous marketing opportunity, and it’s stating the obvious to say…

STAR TREK: PICARD NEEDS TO BE AT WONDERCON!!!

Hopefully, the CBS All Access marketing team recognizes this perfect pairing, and will seize the opportunity to… “Make it so!”

Amazon Debuts Hunters- with Killer LA Afterparty!

“A Nazi revenge series staring Al Pacino”…

That definition alone is enough to pique many people’s curiosity.
And when the new Amazon Prime Video series, Hunters, dropped, February 21, most viewers dove into the series with only the preview teaser as an idea of what to expect… However, those fortunate to attend the amazing immersive experience, “Hunters– With Killer Afterparty”, held at the Los Angeles Highland Theaters and Park Bowl, Feb. 20-23 got SOOOO much more!

Considering the show’s subject matter, the lightheartedness of the immersive experience could have seemed inappropriate. But Hunters isn’t a somber drama… It’s an action-revenge flick in 10 episodes!

In-character actors interacting with attendees made for a fun, immersive experience!

This was made obvious from the in-character actors dressed in period costumes, creating a “fun” ‘70s vibe at the experience. Also, the posters and props scattered inside and outside the theater & bowling alley added to the lighthearted atmosphere.
…And if there was still any questions about the mood of the show, those questions surely disappeared after viewing the first episode.

The premiere viewing, combined with the immersive event made it perfectly clear that viewers are expected to experience as much joy and satisfaction from the Hunters’ revenge, as the hunters themselves!
As a result, attendees of the immersive experience were treated to enough food, entertainment, and SWAG to keep anyone in good spirits!

Hunters- Killer Afterparty SWAG was an embarrassment of riches!!!

The tote bags, t-shirts, and socks… comic books, posters, stickers, and flyers… pizza, cocktails, popcorn, soda, and candy… all enhanced the episode viewing, and immersive experience. But of all the SWAG provided, the six-page, Hunters comic books and balloon stickers were arguably the best of the bunch.

With a story that fleshes-out a seemingly throwaway line mentioned in the first episode, the comic book (digital copy available free on Comixology) is a wink-and-nod bonus for those paying attention. And while all the other SWAG items are “branded” with the Hunters logo, the balloon sticker forgoes branding, and instead feels TRULY immersive, as a recreation of an item that lead character, Jonah, finds among his grandmother’s secret artifacts in the first episode.

Hunters comic SWAG adds to the backstory, while the balloon sticker makes the SWAG recipient feel like part of the Hunters Universe….

It’s SWAG like these two items that creates super-fans who feel “invested”, and keep coming back for more!

…and after experiencing this fun immersive event, and its engaging first episode, it’s highly likely that most -if not all- attendees of “Hunters– With Killer Afterparty” have every intention of heading to Amazon Prime Video to complete their immersion into the Hunters world!

Hunters. An Amazon Original

Hunters is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Comic-Con Museum Hosts WonderCon Exhibition, Opening Night Gala w Jen Bartel

WonderCon 2020 Program Cover Image by Jen Bartel

Last March, the images that graced the walls of the Comic-Con Museum “Cover Story: The Art of Comic-Con 50” exhibition perfectly illustrated San Diego Comic-Con’s (SDCC) finger on the pulse of pop-culture, throughout the years. And the museum’s new exhibition, “Sense of Wonder: The Art of WonderCon Anaheim”, does the same for SDCC’s sister convention in Anaheim, CA, April 10-12.

Similar to “Cover Story’s” focus on SDCC program cover illustrations, “Sense of Wonder” (running select days from Wednesday, Feb. 19 through Sunday, May 31) exhibits the commissioned, WonderCon program cover illustrations in various stages of the creation process.

The Walls outside the exhibition display a mural of WonderCon Covers, while inside is a gallery of drafts, thumbnails, and original pieces!

Unlike last year’s event, that focused only on past SDCC program covers, the “Sense of Wonder,” opening night event on Wednesday, February 19, took the opportunity to also DEBUT the 2020 WonderCon program cover!
And to the delight of all attendees, the Comic-Con Museum invited cover artist Jen Bartel along to help debut the cover and participate in a panel Q&A!

Museum Curatorial Director Gary Sassaman and Artist Jen Bartel debut the WonderCon Program Cover to resounding applause!

From cover debut… to past covers exhibits… to an entertaining and informative panel/Q&A… Comic-Con Museum charter members and guests were treated to a nice night celebrating WonderCon and this year’s talented cover artist.

Flyer, bookmark, and signed (In the rocks!) WonderCon program cover poster!

AND BEST OF ALL… Attendees walked away with glorious SWAG, in the form of a BEAUTIFUL poster showcasing the WonderCon 2020 cover illustration, SIGNED by Bartel!

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity – A Suspenseful Game of Cat & Mouse

Harley Quinn is one of DC’s most popular characters. Attend any comic con and you’ll find as many Harley cosplayers as there are Deadpool. She even heads several comics- with her own ongoing written by Sam Humphries, and a Black Label miniseries by Stjepan Sejic.

This past new comic book day, she received another Black Label miniseries entitled Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity. It is written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Mike Mayhew and Filipino artist, Mico Suayan.

Joker/Harley is a reimagining of the pair’s dynamic where Harley is a forensic psychologist and criminal profiler hunting down a serial killer called the Joker. The case gets personal and Harley finds herself jeopardizing her morals and integrity in order to solve it.

At this year’s New York Comic Con, the DC booth hosted a pre-release signing with Garcia and Suayan, and Mayhew’s signature could be added with a quick visit to artist alley.

The DC Black Label imprint allows creators the freedom to pursue stories with recognizable characters without being bogged-down with continuity. Joker/Harley: Criminal Insanity is an interesting take on this nefarious duo, and the first issue is currently available at your local comic book store.

The Underappreciated Women of Black Lightning

The CW Black Lightning superhero television show follows high school principal, Jefferson Pierce, as he tries to better and save his community as a civilian and as his vigilante alter ego.

Much like the other Berlanti-verse programs, Black Lightning had a significant presence at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. They held a panel teasing season three and hosted a signing with most of the main cast.

What many don’t know was there was a second signing for the show. Away from the flashy Warner Bros. booth on the show floor, in the Sails Pavilion, the women behind Black Lightning had their own signing.

The signing featured writers, costume designers, and a few ancillary characters. Though not as glamorous as the cast signing, it was nice to meet some of the underappreciated members of the show. Plus, the autographed extra-sized poster was great SWAG!

Black Lightning recently returned for its third season. Watch it Monday nights at 9pm on the CW.

SWAG! The NYCC 2019 Haul

New York Comic Con is one of the largest conventions around- attracting attendees representing every corner of pop culture. With so many big names from comics, TV, movies and video games, you can believe there are many great opportunities to pick up SWAG. Each day provided something new.

Here’s what one of the Swag Collector team members picked up.

Thursday was the biggest day volume wise. It was a large haul, with the vast majority coming from a single exhibitor, Kabam. The company was promoting their recently announced game, Marvel Realm of Champions and gave away a special banner and pin based off of which house you selected in the demo. I was fortunate to obtain all eight.

Panels are also a good source of SWAG. That’s where I picked up the Servant water bottle and the This Week in Marvel gloves, who hosted the Spider-Man Spectacular panel.

Finally, I picked up two comic related items. I went to Colleen Doran’s signing at the Dark Horse booth where they gave out posters for Snow, Glass, Apples, her graphic novel collaboration with Neil Gaiman. Also, I received a small, quick sketch from artist Chris Eliopoulos.

Friday’s haul, though smaller, was also video game influenced. The Eisner winning comic series, Blacksad, is receiving a video game set in the anthropomorphic crime noir universe. They handed-out a themed t-shirt and faux newspaper along with a bag from the developer. At the Marvel Games panel, audience members could receive a Ms. Marvel fan fiction comic. Outside of the con at the Watchmen Afterparty, I picked up a coaster and a Swatch watch.

Saturday was all about comics. From DC, I picked up a pair of their samplers and a signed poster for Joker/Harley: Criminal Insanity. In addition, I attended two of the panels where Marvel provided exclusive variant covers. Even hit up artist alley to get them signed. The Netflix show, Seis Manos, gave away posters at their presentation.

I made a cameo appearance on the last day. I only rolled in for The Dragon Prince panel. There, I picked up an enamel pin, which was a Dark Horse show exclusive.

There was so much SWAG I had a hard time fitting it all into my bag home. NYCC is definitely a premiere event for a significant haul.

Primal: An Unlikely Pairing To Survive The Prehistoric Landscape

Genndy Tartakovsky has had a prominent career in animation. He is the talent behind such favorites as Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack. After spending time in movies with the Hotel Transylvania franchise, the creator is set to make his return to television.

Tartakovsky’s mature themes series, Primal, explores the relationship between a caveman and dinosaur, after tragedy unites them. The unlikely pair must work together to survive the prehistoric landscape.

Primal had a nice presence at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, with a panel and events at the offsite, Adult Swim On the Green. At the latter, the first two episodes were screened, followed by a Q&A.

Primal goes against current trends by being completely hand drawn with no dialog save for occasional grunts and growls. The engaging and compelling show is a testament to Tartakovsky and crew’s story-telling prowess. The combination of art and score are effective in communicating emotion and tone, throughout, and the action sequences are brutal and intense.

Tartakovsky also held a signing at On the Green. Those fortunate enough to score a ticket received an autographed card and a pin.

More news or sneak peaks for Primal can be expected during New York Comic Con, where the show will also have a panel. The first episode airs Monday, October 7, at midnight on Adult Swim.

Gear Up For Catalyst Prime Seven Days From Lion Forge

Catalyst Prime is the superhero imprint from comics publisher, Lion Forge. It began in 2017 with the free comic book day issue, Catalyst Prime The Event. The focus of this superhero universe is to promote diversity and inclusion in both characters and creators.

The Catalyst Prime Universe (CPU) spawned seven different titles in over two years. Now, the CPU will experience its first major cross over event, Catalyst Prime Seven Days– engineered by comics scribe, Gail Simone.

A month prior to Seven Days, Lion Forge held a week-long, daily giveaway to promote the signature mini-series. Amongst the SWAG were t-shirts featuring heroes of the CPU. Below is the shirt featuring Noble, star of the flagship book.

Lion Forge made the most of the shirt’s marketing power by including the series’ logo on the front and name on the back- with the Catalyst Prime logo and the Lion Forge logo prominently displayed on each sleeve.

In addition, after a mailing error, Lion Forge went above and beyond by correcting the mistake with even more SWAG! This included a shirt featuring hero, Summit, a button, and a decal. Best of all, The “Impact Shelter” decal is a wink to readers who recognize the shelter’s significance to the story’s near extinction-level event that granted powers to regular joes.

Lion Forge did a nice job promoting the crossover event, and it will be exciting to see the superheroes of the CPU team up for the first time.

Catalyst Prime Seven Days #1 hits stands Wednesday, October 2.

NYCC 2019 SWAG Alert: Resident Alien, The Orville & More Signings From Dark Horse

New York Comic Con is almost here and many comic companies are revealing their schedule for the show. These events can be great opportunities to pick up SWAG either at Panels like Marvel or signings like Skybound.

Dark Horse is the latest to reveal their plans, including signings. The publisher stands-out from other publishers by providing items such as cards, comics and posters to be autographed, in case your floppies or trades aren’t handy.

In addition, Dark Horse sometimes host talent from television shows, and this year is no exception.

Friday, October 4, from 4:00 – 4:45 pm, cast and creatives from the upcoming SyFy series, Resident Alien, including fan favorite, Alan Tudyk, will be signing. There is a limit of three items per person, with prints provided by SyFy and Dark Horse.

Sunday, October 6, from 1:30 – 2:15 pm, The Orville will be doing a signing. There is a limit of two items, with Dark Horse providing a print.

Both signings require wristbands that can be drawn for when the show opens both the day before and of each signing. Head over to Booth # 1554 for a chance. Check out below for the entire Dark Horse autograph schedule and rules for the wristband events.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3


11:00 a.m-11:50 a.m.

FLAMING CARROT: Bob Burden 

12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m.

WANDERING LUMINATIONS, BUNNY IN THE MOON, LOST CONSTELLATIONS: THE ART OF TARA MCPHERSON: Tara McPherson

1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.

STRAYED: Carlos Giffoni, Juan Doe
TRAIGE, TOMB RAIDER: Philip Sevy 

2:00 p.m.–2:50 p.m.              

BLACKSAD: Juan Díaz Canales, Junajo Guarnido

3:00 p.m.–3:50 p.m.

MANOR BLACK, HARROW COUNTY, TALES FROM HARROW COUNTY: Cullen Bunn

BEASTS OF BURDEN, THE MASK, BLACKWOOD, DORK!, MILK & CHEESE, CALLA CTHULHU, THE ELTINGVILLE CLUB: Evan Dorkin

BEASTS OF BURDEN, DORK!, MILK & CHEESE, CALLA CTHULHU: Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer

4:00 p.m.-4:50 p.m.

SNOW, GLASS, APPLES: Colleen Doran

5:00 p.m-5:50 p.m. 

CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA ORIGINS II, STRANGER THINGS, STARCRAFT: Jody Houser

CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA ORIGINS II: Jody Houser, MSASSYK

CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA ORIGINS II CONVENTION EXCLUSIVE COVER: Babs Tarr

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4

11:00 a.m–11:50 a.m.

BERGER BOOKS –
INVISIBLE KINGDOM: G. Willow Wilson


EVERYTHING, SHE COULD FLY: Christopher Cantwell


SHE COULD FLY: Martín Morazzo


TBA: Peter Milligan


LAGUARDIA: Tana Ford


RUBY FALLS, THE SEEDS: Ann Nocenti 

THE MASK: Christopher Cantwell

12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m.

GRENDEL: DEVIL’S ODYSSEY, GRENDEL: Matt Wagner


GRENDEL: DEVIL’S ODYSSEY, HELLBOY: SATURN RETURNS: Brennan Wagner  

1:00 p.m.–1:50 p.m.

BLACKSAD: Juan Díaz Canales, Junajo Guarnido

2:30 p.m.–3:20 p.m.

COUNT CROWLEY: David Dastmalchian, Lauren Affe

4:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m.

RESIDENT ALIEN: Peter Hogan (Resident Alien co-creator / Series Writer), Chris Sheridan (Executive Producer), Alan Tudyk (Harry Vanderspiegle), Sara Tomko (Asta), Corey Reynolds (Sheriff Mike)

WRISTBAND REQUIRED

  • NO POSED PHOTOGRAPHY
  • LIMIT 3 ITEMS PER PERSON (MAXIMUM)
  • ALLOWED ITEMS:
  • 1 PURCHASABLE COPY of RESIDENT ALIEN GRAPHIC NOVEL, from Dark Horse Comics
  • 1 FREE PRINT PER PERSON provided by SYFY
  • 1 FREE PRINT PER PERSON provided by Dark Horse Comics
  • OTHER RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY—SEE STAFF FOR INFO

5:30 PM–6:20 PM

FINAL FANTASY, VAMPIRE HUNTER D, YOSHITAKA AMANO: THE ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY, THE SKY: Yoshitaka Amano


WRISTBAND REQUIRED

  • NO POSED PHOTOGRAPHY
  • LIMIT 2 ITEMS PER PERSON (MAXIMUM)
  • ALLOWED ITEMS:
  • 1 FREE PRINT PER PERSON provided by Dark Horse Comics
  • 1 OTHER ITEM
  • OTHER RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY—SEE STAFF FOR INFO

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5

11:00 a.m.–11:50 a.m.       

FINAL FANTASY, VAMPIRE HUNTER D, YOSHITAKA AMANO: THE ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY, THE SKY: Yoshitaka Amano

WRISTBAND REQUIRED

  • NO POSED PHOTOGRAPHY
  • LIMIT 2 ITEMS PER PERSON (MAXIMUM)
  • ALLOWED ITEMS:
  • 1 FREE PRINT PER PERSON provided by Dark Horse Comics
  • 1 OTHER ITEM
  • OTHER RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY—SEE STAFF FOR INFO

12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m.          

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: Nick Filardi

BAD LUCK CHUCK: Matthew Dow Smith, Lela Gwenn

1:00 p.m.–1:50 p.m.            

THE LEGEND OF KORRA: RUINS OF THE EMPIRE: Michelle Wong

WRISTBAND REQUIRED

  • NO POSED PHOTOGRAPHY
  • LIMIT 2 ITEMS PER PERSON (MAXIMUM)
  • ALLOWED ITEMS:
  • 1 FREE PRINT PER PERSON provided by Dark Horse Comics
  • 1 OTHER ITEM
  • OTHER RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY—SEE STAFF FOR INFO

5:00 p.m.-5:50 p.m.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: Todd Nauck

BLACK HAMMER/JUSTICE LEAGUE, HELLBOY: Michael Walsh

BLACK HAMMER/JUSTICE LEAGUE, STRANGER THINGS, THE MASK, CRIMINAL MACABRE, FIGHT CLUB 3, WILLIAM GIBSON’S ALIEN 3: Nate Piekos 

6:00 p.m.-6:50 p.m.

ELFQUEST: Wendy Pini, Richard Pini

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6

11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m.

MINECRAFT VOLUME 1: Sarah Graley

MINECRAFT: STORIES FROM THE OVERWORLD, MODERN FANTASY: Rafer Roberts 

12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m.         

DISNEY: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, DISNEY THE LITTLE MERMAID, SOUPY LEAVES HOME: Cecil Castellucci

DISNEY PRINCESS, DISNEY: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: CLICK START—A-SELECT-YOUR-STORY ADVENTURE: Amy Mebberson

DISNEY: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: CLICK START—A-SELECT-YOUR-STORY ADVENTURE, DISNEY FROZEN: Joe Caramagna

DISNEY: ALADDIN FOUR TALES OF AGRABAH: Diego Galindo 

1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.       

THE ORVILLE: David Goodman (Writer/EP), Brannon Braga (Writer/EP), Jon Cassar (Director/EP), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Jessica Szohr (Lt. Talla Keyali), J Lee (Lt. Commander John Lamarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad Coleman (Klyden)

WRISTBAND REQUIRED

  • NO POSED PHOTOGRAPHY
  • LIMIT 2 ITEMS PER PERSON (MAXIMUM)
  • 1 PURCHASABLE COPY OF THE ORVILLE COMIC from Dark Horse Comics
  • 1 FREE PRINT PER PERSON provided by Dark Horse Comics
  • OTHER RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY—SEE STAFF FOR INFO

NYCC 2019 SWAG Alert: Free Heart Attack Poster & Signing From Skybound

Skybound Entertainment, Robert Kirkman’s imprint, will be exhibiting at this year’s New York Comic Con with Image Comics at Booth # 1444. They will have a number of convention exclusives for sale and host signings for some of their creators.

Though the full signing schedule has yet to be released, the creators for the new YA series, Heart Attack, will be in attendance. You can find writer, Shawn Kittelsen, and artist, Eric Zawadzki at their signing on Friday, October 4, at 5:00 pm.

Fans won’t able to bring a copy of Heart Attack to the signing since the first issue doesn’t drop until November. However, the first 100 attendees will receive a free poster for Kittelsen and Zawadzki to autograph.