Anime-ZAP!, the convention that started as an "instant" anime convention, will return to Peoria, IL this January 15-16, 2011 at the Holiday Inn City Centre.

Anime-ZAP! started in January of 2010, after setbacks had forced the organizers of Pokettokon, the first anime con in Peoria, to cancel their convention less than a week prior to the convention weekend. The organizers of Anime-zing! in Bettendorf, IA, pulled together an "instant" replacement con with under 3 days of planning. 160 fans attended that first year.

One of the former organizers of Pokettokon said that they haven't heard any plans for a 2011 Pokettokon.

Events at the 2011 Anime-ZAP! will be similar to the 2010 convention, including anime screenings, video gaming, collectible card games, tabletop games, and fan panels. The convention will also feature a new hall cosplay contest, expanded video game options, more dealers, and more official scheduled programming.

"We're excited to have quadruple the amount of space as last year," said Ryan Kopf, Senior Organizer of Anime-ZAP! "Having more time to plan the convention also helps."

Admission for Anime-ZAP! costs only $7 through January 10, 2010. There is also an option to register online, yet pay at the door, for $15.

Anime-ZAP! is a production of QC Anime-zing! QC Anime-zing! 2010 will be held in Bettendorf, IA from June 18-20, 2010. The same organizers are also planning Anime-SPARK! in Cedar Rapids, IA from February 10-14, 2011 on valentine's weekend.

Learn more about Anime-ZAP! at http://www.animezapcon.com/. Learn more about QC Anime-zing! at http://www.qcanimezing.com/

The Jonah Hex Trailer has been release and at the first look I am impressed. Check it out for yourself see what you think.

Ai-Kon is pleased to announce it's final round of guests, Kirby Morrow and Christopher Ayres!

Kirby Morrow is active as a producer, director, and screen actor. He is also quite busy in the voice-over industry. Some of the anime projects that Kirby has worked on include: Inuyasha, Hamtaro, Alienators: Evolution Continues, X-Men: Evolution, NASCAR Racers, Mobile Suit Gundam, Dragonball Z, Vision of Escaflowne, Gundam Wing, and Ranma 1/2.

Kirby trained in theater and developed his vocal skills on the stand-up comedy stages around the world. He began voicing characters in 1997, amidst his flourishing acting career. Kirby is also an award-winning writer and enjoys directing.

Christopher Ayres has been working professionally in theatre, television and film since the age of 6. His work has been seen Regionally, Nationally and on Broadway. He currently works as a voice actor for ADV FILMS and FUNimation ENTERTAINMENT Chris is also an A.D. R. Director for ADV FILMS and AMUSEMENT PARK MEDIA. Most recently he served as director at Amusement Park Media for MERMAID MELODY PITCHI PITCHI PITCH.Some of his roles as a voice actor are Kei Kourono in Gantz, Hayashimizu in Full Metal Panic? and Woogy in Michel. His voice can also be heard in Elfin Lied, Claymore, Ouran High School Host Club, Cannon, Gravion Zwie, Desert Punk, and as Wagram in the new Square Enix Game THE LAST REMNANT. And most recently in HALO: LEGENDS. Chris is also one of the Anime industry voice actors who sings on Voices for Peace. He is very proud to be a part of the "Voices For..." organization.

ABOUT AI-KON: Ai-Kon (http://www.ai-kon.org) is Manitoba's largest anime convention. An all-ages event, the goal of Ai-Kon is the promotion of Japanese/Asian animation and culture to the public. Started in 2001 by a local anime club, Ai-Kon took a reorganizing hiatus in 2002. It returned in 2003 to become an autonomous event, run by an independent volunteer committee. "Ai" means "love" in Japanese, hence Ai-Kon's slogan "For the Love of Anime".

Press Release for April 29th, 2010

Shuto Con Announces Their First Round of Guests, Including Guest of Honor

LANSING, MI (April 28th, 2010) - Shuto Con is excited to announce their Guest of Honor - Michelle Ruff, and special guests Year 200X, Doug Smith, and Hobocon.

Shuto Con is Lansing's Premiere Anime Convention, coming March 25th-26th, 2011. This convention will be a two day event held in Lansing, MI that focuses on Artists and the art of Interactive Cosplaying!

Michelle Ruff - Michelle is excited to be here from Los Angeles and is looking forward to meeting all the anime fans from her home state of Michigan! Most recently, Michelle won the SPJA 2009 Best Actress Award for her role in Cartoon Networks "Bleach" as Rukia Kuchiki. She began her acting and voice studies in Chicago, where she worked and studied at the legendary Second City, as well as at Player's Workshop and the renowned ImprovOlympic. Ruff relocated to Los Angeles to focus on her voice career, and has been working non-stop in the VO industry ever since. She also enjoys doing theatre and recently appeared in a show called Friday Night Quickies at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Having the ability to bring to life to a number of characters, Ruff can voice any age. A specialist in young voices, she has mastered babies to teens: girls and boys, as well as twenty to thirty-somethings. She also is exceptional at character voices of those in their forties and fifties, and can adeptly handle most any accent. She lends her voice to original animation, video games, dubbing, commercials, television shows and feature films. Michelle's lent her voice to many favorite anime Characters including Rukia in Bleach, Yoko in Gurren Laggan, Yuki Nagato in Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumia, Tsukasa in Lucky Star, Chi in Chobitz and Aoi-Chan in Ai Yori Aoshi as well as lending her voice to many fan fav video games. You have heard her voice in animated features including Kung Fu Panda, Biohazard: Regeneration, Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar 2, The Tale of Despereux, Polar Express, Through the Moebius Strip, What the @#$! Do We Know, and the animated TV Show Tutenstein. Television shows Ruff has done voice-over for include CSI, Greek, The Mentalist, The Sarah Silverman Show, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Melrose Place, Supernatural and Eureka.

http://www.voiceofmichelleruff.com/


Year 200X - Year 200X is a heavy metal video game cover band from Lansing, MI. Y2KX was formed in early 2006 by Tim Lydon and Tony Oliver. Joined by friends Rance Tatroe, Ian Whiters, Jake Bryan, and occasionally Kyle Hoke, they came together for two purposes: to have fun, and to play the awesomest guitar-driven video game covers that they can. Almost immediately, they were featured in Nintendo Power Magazine (June, 2006). Their debut album "We Are Error," a compilation of 13 tracks from games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, was released in August 2008 to great reviews by the video game community and fans of metal alike.

The band is currently working on new material, which will broaden their game selection by including music from systems other than the NES.

http://year200xband.com/


Doug Smith - Doug Smith is an accomplished freelance artist and voice actor who has performed many roles for ADV and Funimation, including the lead, Kintaro Oe, in "Goldenboy".

His artwork has been used for CD album covers, magazines, comics, posters, anime con program guides, badges, DVDs, TV and is currently working with Meta 3D Studios illustrating and assisting in the creation of their online video game, "Fantasy Kingdoms". Doug is also the Art Director for non-profit Voices For, an organization which works with talented people in the anime/manga industry to create products, the profits of which are donated to charity. Be sure to stop by Doug's table, view his art and say hi!

For more information:

http://www.dougsmithart.com

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808008/

Voices For: http://www.voicesfor.com

Meta 3D Studios: http://www.meta3dstudios.com


Hobocon - Hobocon follows three fun loving friends as they journey through one of their most epic adventures of all time, or as they like to call it, their best worst idea ever! Dr. Boxcar (Jason Slingerland), The Pixie (Wilhelm Rumpf) and Benny (Rob Couch) let the cameras roll as they chronicle what it is really like to be a hobo at a convention from a gamer's point of view. Watch them as they stave off sleep and forage for food, while trying not to get discovered and thrown out.

Hobocon is not like other notable gaming themed documentaries. Hobocon "gets it". We did not make a movie just for the hard core gamer nor did we set out to make a stare-at-the-freaks exposé. Hobocon is for everyone from the non-gamer to your over-the-top cos-player. Throughout the movie, we take the time to interview a wide cast of characters and let them voice what this culture is all about. Simply put, Hobocon is more than just a fun look at GenCon, it is 'gaming convention 101' for everyone!

http://www.hobocon.com

http://www.screenhead.com/reviews/hobocon-review-the-best-worst-idea-ever/

Pre-registration is only $20 for the entire two-day weekend! This will grant you access to the Artist and Dealer's Alley, all the panel rooms, and the Main Events hall. The first 50 people to pre-register will also get a coupon to claim a special Shuto Con collectable item at the convention! To pre-register for Shuto Con please visit http://www.shutocon.com

Press Release for April 29, 2010

FanimeCon proudly announces the return of GAINAX Executive Hiroyuki Yamaga as Guest of Honor at FanimeCon 2010, which will take place over Memorial Day weekend, May 28th to May 31st, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Mr. Yamaga was FanimeCon's very first Japanese Guest of Honor, and he has been bringing prominent talent from the Japanese anime industry to FanimeCon for well over a decade.

Hiroyuki Yamaga is currently the Executive Director of GAINAX. He started his anime career in 1981, when he worked with fellow Osaka Geijutsu University students Takami Akai and Hideaki Anno to create the opening animation for the 20th Nihon SF Taikai (the Japanese Science Fiction convention more commonly known as DaiCon III). At the request of Studio Nue, Yamaga-san joined the production staff for Super Dimensional Fortress Macross in 1982. GAINAX was founded in 1984 after beginning production on the animated movie, Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise, which was released in 1987. The movie became an instant cult classic as the legendary "feature-length animation movie created by a group of anonymous youth." Yamaga-san has also garnered praise for his screenwriting in works such as Aim for the Top! and Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Mr. Yamaga is currently preparing GAINAX's new projects.

Mr. Yamaga has been a part of the FanimeCon family since 1997. In 2009, FanimeCon used Yamaga's ideas to bring back and improve their "Meet the Guest Reception" because Yamaga just loves interacting with the fans. In honor of Yamaga's continuing support, FanimeCon created the Yamaga-san Award to celebrate other people who have also significantly contributed to making FanimeCon a unique convention.

About FanimeCon - FanimeCon is Northern California's largest matsuri ("celebration") of anime, manga, and related arts and cultures. Held annually over Memorial Day Weekend, FanimeCon entertained over 15,000 people in 2009. FanimeCon is "By Fans, For Fans" and is run entirely by volunteers who love putting together a weekend full of activities and events that feature anime, manga, cosplay, music, video/tabletop gaming, guests from around the world and much, much more! FanimeCon 2010 will be held from May 28th to May 31st in Downtown San Jose. To learn more and find out what's in store, please visit http://www.fanime.com

Press Release for April 25, 2010

The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause FanimeCon's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, product delays, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions. The Company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in the Company's assumptions or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

The all volunteer, not-for-for profit Midwest Comic Book Association is pleased and proud to announce that for the 22nd consecutive year a celebration of comical proportions will take place here in the Twin Cities. The Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA) SpringCon Comic Book Celebration is scheduled for May 15 & 16, 2010, 10AM to 5PM both days. SpringCon will take place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, in the Grandstand, at 1265 Snelling Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108

DOLPH LUNDGREN appears at 1:00 P.M. on the LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION Stage on SUNDAY, MAY 2, 2010 to speak about his latest Movie projects such as COMMAND PERFORMANCE, ICARUS, and this summer’s Major Action Movie THE EXPENDABLES reuniting DOLPH with Sylvester Stallone and featuring a cast that includes Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Mickey Rourke.Expendables

DOLPH LUNDGREN is the real deal at 6?6? and with a 3rd degree Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate. DOLPH is thought of as being Russian, but he’s actually from Stockholm, Sweden. DOLPH’s breakthrough role came as the Russian Boxer Ivan Drago in ROCKY IV and he quickly moved to starring roles in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (as He-Man), THE PUNISHER (as Frank Castle and based on the Marvel Comic Book), RED SCORPION, SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO, MEN OF WAR, JOHN WOO’s BLACKJACK and many others. DOLPH has starred in many Science Fiction Movies such as JOHNNY MNEMONIC, DARK ANGEL, RETROGRADE, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, and UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION.

DOLPH is Writing and Directing in addition to Starring in his current Movies such as THE DEFENDER, ICARUS (both as Director and Star), THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST, MISSIONARY MAN, and COMMAND PERFORMANCE (all as Writer, Director, and Star). There will be a Special Screening at 11:00 A.M. of DOLPH LUNGREN’s COMMAND PERFORMANCE. At 1:00 P.M. DOLPH will appear on Stage to discuss his Movies. And at 3:30 P.M. there will be a screening of DIRECT ACTION Starring DOLPH LUNDGREN.

The LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION has featured many Action Stars as Guest Speakers such as ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, JACKIE CHAN, JET LI, MICHELLE YEOH, VIN DIESEL, CHOW YUN-FAT, CHRISTIAN BALE, CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT, KEANU REEVES, JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME, RUTGER HAUER, ADRIAN PAUL, MARK DACASCOS, and many others, and now DOLPH LUNDGREN appears on the Convention stage in this very rare personal appearance.

The MAY 2, 2010 LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION will be located at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center, 700 West 32nd Street, in Los Angeles, across the street from USC College. Show Hours are 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. There’s also a large Dealer’s Room full of Old and New Comic Books, Toys, Action Figures, DVD’s, Trading Cards, Movie Memorabilia, and much more. Admission is a very low $8.00 so collectors have more money to spend on their hobby. For more information check http://www.comicbookscifi.com

Todd McFarlane is a comic book superstar due to his work on Marvel Comic’s Spider-Man franchise in the late 1980’s and early 90’s. His reputation soared when, in 1992, McFarlane helped form Image Comics and published Issue #1 of Spawn, which sold 1.7 million copies, a record for an independent comic book.

McFarlane’s first published work was a 1984 backup story in Epic Comics’ Coyote. He soon began drawing for both DC Comics and Marvel, adding his flair to Batman: Year Two and Incredible Hulk. In 1990, McFarlane wrote, penciled, and inked Spider-Man. Spider-Man #1 became the best-selling comic book of all time, topping over 2.5 million copies.

“There aren’t enough words to express the level of excitement making its way through the volunteer grapevine about the addition of Todd McFarlane to the lineup,” Matt Solberg, Convention Director stated, “He has a lot of admirers here.”Todd Mcfarlane

In recent years, McFarlane has illustrated comic books less often, focusing on entrepreneurial efforts, such as McFarlane Toys, which has licensed the right to produce action figures of athletes in all four major North American sports, and successful film franchises, including The Terminator, The Matrix and Shrek. He has also created Todd McFarlane Entertainment, a film and animation studio which produced the animated series Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, and received two Primetime Emmy awards for his efforts. Several other film projects are in the works, including a collaboration with horror/fantasy icon Clive Barker, based on the Clive Barker’s Tortured Souls series of action figures released by McFarlane Toys.

In October 2009 Image Comics debuted the comic book series Haunt, created by Robert Kirkman and Todd McFarlane. The series focuses on a pair of brothers, one living and one not, who unite in one corporeal form for a series of supernatural James Bond-inspired adventures.

“Todd McFarlane never stops coming up with great things for us, his fans,” said Joe Boudrie, Phoenix Comicon Programming Director, “I mean, look at his action figures. They’re the best!”

Phoenix ComiCon is the signature pop culture event of the southwest, presenting guests and programming for hobbyists and fans by attracting the top segments of the comics, anime, sci-fi, film, TV, and gaming industries. Entering its ninth year, Phoenix ComiCon is expected to draw over 10,000+ attendees to its May 27-30, 2010 convention held at the Phoenix Convention Center and Hyatt Regency located in downtown Phoenix.

For more information, please go to http://www.phoenixcomicon.com.

Press Release for April 20th, 2010

Marc Nathan, promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con, and Brett Carreras, promoter of the VA Comicon, are proud to jointly announce the inaugural DC Comic-Con. The show will be held on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 (the day after Free Comic Book Day) from 10am-5pm in the Student Union Building II (SUB II) at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, VA.

Admission to the show is only $5! GMU students, faculty, and staff get in free! All active military personnel with current military IDs get in free!

Top Cow Productions, Inc. is proud to announce its plans for this year’s inaugural Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), the new pop culture convention brought together at McCormick Place in Chicago from April 16th-18th.

Top Cow is a proud sponsor of C2E2 and can be found at booth #551. Fans who stop by the Top Cow booth will be among the first to be able to get a glimpse and purchase Magdalena #1 by Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern) and Nelson Blake II (Pilot Season: Murderer, The Darkness). The story centers on Patience, the current Magdalena and bearer of the Spear of Destiny in the Top Cow Universe. Patience finds herself unable to trust those in charge of the Catholic Church and faced with the decision if she can work with them to fulfill her role as the Church’s protector or not. Magdalena #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday, April 21st.

The publisher will be offering two exclusive C2E2 variant covers for the event: a wrap-around Magdalena #1 variant by Blake II and a Darkness #84 photo cover featuring Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. The exclusives are both extremely limited and will be initially made available at C2E2. Fans will also be able to pick up numerous free promotional items, posters and free comics at the Top Cow booth. Fans interested in sketches from some of the artists should stop by at the beginning of each day to acquire a sketch ticket. Sketch tickets are limited to one per attendee per day. Publisher Filip Sablik will be available throughout the show for portfolio reviews for aspiring artists.

Top Cow will be joined at C2E2 by the following guests: writers Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern), Phil Hester (The Darkness, Green Arrow), Joshua Hale Fialkov (Pilot Season: Alibi, Tumor) and Bryan Edward Hill (Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box); pencillers Nelson Blake II (Pilot Season: Murderer, Magdalena), Eric Basaldua (Hunter-Killer, Witchblade Annual) and Alessandro Vitti (Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, Secret Warriors); and inker Ryan Winn (The Darkness).

On Saturday, April 17 at 7:15-8:15pm in E450, join Sablik as the publisher launches Magdalena #1 with Marz and Blake II. Special guest, Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs will also stop by to discuss his love of Top Cow’s comics including his favorite character, The Darkness. Additional guests of the panel include Hester, Basaldua, Hill and more as they share with fans what’s coming from Top Cow in 2010, including exclusive early looks, exciting announcements, and special gifts for every panel attendee.

The C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo) convention will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois for the weekend of April 16-18, 2010. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.C2E2.com.

About Top Cow Productions Inc.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. (www.topcow.com), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise, WITCHBLADE, was TNT’s #1 original film of 2000 and the subsequent TV series was released on DVD on July 29, 2008. A feature film, co-produced by Platinum Studios, Inc. and Arclight Films, is slated to begin production in Australia with director Michael Rymer. WITCHBLADE is also the first American property to be fully adapted in Japan as an original anime and manga by Studio GONZO in 2006. Top Cow’s other flagship property, THE DARKNESS, was developed into a major next-generation video game release by Starbreeze and 2K Games and achieved platinum sales status. WANTED, an Eisner-nominated miniseries published by Top Cow from 2003-2005, is now a major motion picture from Universal Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Virtually all of Top Cow’s other properties are in development as feature films, live-action television, animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and roleplaying games.