Convention News

On Saturday night, August 28th, the comic book industry, including professionals, retailers, and fans, will gather at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore to honor the 2010 Harvey Award Nominees for 2009 comic work and present the Harveys to their recipients. This is an exciting evening, highlighted by our host Scott Kurtz and our Keynote speaker Mark Waid, Chief Creative Officer of BOOM! Studios. There are only 2 short days to purchase your ticket to the Harvey Awards!

This evening would not be possible without the sponsors of the Harvey Awards.

Gold Level Sponsors:

• comiXology
• DC Comics

Silver Level Sponsors:

• IDW Publishing
• Insight Studios Group

Friends of the Harvey Awards:

• Brett's Comic Pile
• Painted Visions Comics, Cards, and Games
• Richmond Comix

As part of the sponsorship package, each attendee of the awards will receive a gift bag, including the following contributions:

Abrams : Al Jaffee's Tall Tales
Adhouse Publishing : 4x8 S & N original print by Jim (AFRODISIAC) Rugg
Archaia Entertainment : Harvey-Nominated Mouse Guard Vol. 2 : Winter 1152
BOOM! Studios : A Surprise From BOOM! Studios
Dark Horse Comics : Robert E. Howard Chronicles Slipcase
DC Comics : DC Archive Edition (Variety)
Eva Ink Publishing : 2011 Magnetic Calendar & Collectible Trading Card
IDW : Fishtown HC, by Kevin Colden
Popfun Merchandising : Toon Tumbler
Lasermach : Harvey Awards Keychain
Stylin' Online : T-Shirt
Top Cow : Delicate Creatures HC by Straczynski & Zulli

Harvey Awards tickets are on sale NOW!. Tickets to the event, which includes full cocktail hour (cash bar), full service dinner, awards ceremony, and gift bag are now available for $100. Tickets are available by calling Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, Maryland at (410) 526-7410. Major Credit Cards will be accepted for payment. Dinner tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, August 25th and will not be available at the door. Each ticket holder for dinner will receive one of these great gift bags.

In recent years, the Harvey Awards has also been the location for an Awards presentation by the Hero Initiative. This year, the Hero Initiative will present 2 awards.

The Hero Initiative was established to aid comic creators with a financial safety net when in need of emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. In the years since its inception, the board has created an award to recognize those individuals in the industry that have dedicated their talent over the lifetime of their careers to the comic book community at-large, achieving the status of Hero. Previous recipients include John Romita, Joe Kubert, Nick Cardy, Neal Adams, and George Perez. Who will be this year's lifetime Hero?

The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award will make its debut at the Harvey Awards Banquet at the 2010 Baltimore Comic-Con on August 28. Giordano, who passed away in early 2010, was part of Hero Initiative's Board of Directors. He was also a legendary artist, a guiding force at Charlton Comics and DC Comics for many years, a mentor to his colleagues, and a friend to all who knew him. His legacy epitomizes the caring and commitment Hero Initiative strives to achieve. In his honor, The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award will recognize one person in comics each year who has demonstrated the generosity and integrity Dick brought to the charity, and to the comic book community at large.

In the coming week, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found at our website (http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/baltimorecomics), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/baltimorecomiccon), MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/baltimorecomics), and ComicSpace (http://www.comicspace.com/baltimorecomicon) pages

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 28-29, 2010. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, August 28th.

Press Release for August 24, 2010

Voice Actors Richard Ian Cox, Patrick Seitz and Chris Cason will make their first appearance at Nan Desu Kan, Denver's largest and premiere anime convention, Sept. 10-12 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. The Robotech 25th Anniversary Convention Tour with Steve Yun and Tommy Yune  will also attend. With a total weekend attendance of more than 21,000, NDK is the largest convention in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.

"I'm excited to introduce these new members of the NDK family," said Amanda Liebermann, Executive Director. "They bring a variety of life experience and a multitude of perspectives, from writing and directing to live action roles."

Actor Richard Ian Cox is a veteran of anime, video games and mainstream television, well known for voice acting roles in Inuyasha as Inuyasha, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 as Allelujah Haptism and Ranma 1/2 as Ranma Saotome (Boy-Type), as well as Nomad in Galaxy Angel, Logan in X-Men: Evolution and Cacao in Trouble Chocolate. He has also appeared on The CW's Life Unexpected, USA Network's Psych, SyFy's Eureka, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis.

Voice Actor/Screenwriter/ADR Director Patrick Seitz has appeared in more than 100 titles. His most recent anime roles are Germany in the upcoming Hetaila--Axis Powers and Grimmer in Monster, as well as video game roles Artanis in Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, Ragna in BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and Silverbolt in Transformers: War for Cybertron. He is also known for Luke Valentine in Hellsing. His other video work includes Arthas Menethil and Garrosh Hellscream in World of Warcraft, Ragna the Bloodedge in BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and Calamity Trigger, Dracula in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and Chopin in Eternal Sonata.

Voice Actor/Screenwriter/ADR Director Chris Cason has been involved in multiple facets of the anime industry for more than a decade. Currently, he's featured as the Holy Roman Empire in the upcoming Hetalia--Axis Powers. His most prominent role is Gluttony from Fullmetal Alchemist, but he is also known for Mr. Popo in Dragonball Z Kai, Chamo in Negima, Hanai in School Rumble, Babbit in Kodocha and Taruru in Sgt. Frog.

Nan Desu Kan will also feature voice actors Cristina Vee (Nanoha Takamachi, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) Wendy Powell (Envy, Fullmetal Alchemist; appearing at her last NDK) and Chris Patton (Greed, Fullmetal Alchemist; appearing at his last anime convention), as well as New Jersey-based alt-rock band echostream. Cross-Pacific indie rock group Kazha will make a special appearance.

Additional guest news, including Japanese guests, is forthcoming.

Since 2000, NDK has sponsored a charity auction with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to a select organization. NDK's 2010 Charity Auction will benefit the United Way Gulf Recovery Fund. A combined $30,000 has been donated to previous worthy recipients the Japan America Society of Colorado, American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen Foundation, the American Diabetes Association and Child's Play.

ABOUT NAN DESU KAN: Nan Desu Kan (NDK), the largest anime convention in the Rocky Mountain region, provides a diverse mix of numerous cultural panels, musical guests, games, dances, workshops, art showings and auctions, as well as screenings of new and classic anime. Nan Desu Kan is sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Anime Association. NDK 2010 is Sept. 10-12 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, 4900 S. Syracuse, Denver, CO 80237. Weekend passes are available online or at the door for $50. Beginning in 2011, Nan Desu Kan will institute an attendance cap. For the latest news and programming information, visit http://ndkdenver.org.

About Rocky Mountain Anime Association: The Rocky Mountain Anime Association (RMAA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Japanese culture in Colorado. The RMAA sponsors Nan Desu Kan and NDK NYE, the New Year's Eve costume ball.

Press Release for August 23, 2010

Ai-Kon returns for it's 10th year on July 15-17th, 2011!

Ai-Kon has confirmed their dates and is happy to announce that it will be returning to the Winnipeg Convention Centre on July 15-17th, 2011!

This upcoming year marks the ten year anniversary for Ai-Kon and is expected to be the best year yet. It's humble roots began from a small University based anime club and has expanded into an ever-growing, ever-changing community that brings fans and enthusiasts together every year. The continued support of a dedicated committee and growing number of attendees has made it possible for Ai-Kon to grow year after year. It is because of the fans and industry support that they are able to continue for the tenth year, marking a decade of Manitoba's largest anime convention.

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, returning 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 August 13th, 2010

Castle Point Anime Convention has just released its first announcement for their 2011 convention. The con will be taking place on Sunday, April 10 this year. Like before, the convention will take place at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ.

As well, online pre-registration is also open. Tickets will cost $12 for pre-registration and $15 at the door. There will be a group discount for groups of five for $50. The pre-registration website can be found at http://castlepointanime2011.eventbrite.com. The staff recommends that anyone who has trouble with online registration should email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In addition to these two pieces of news, a new Dealer's Room and Artist's Alley has also been announced. Due to the buildup of waiting lines and frequent suggestions from attendees at their 2010 convention, the convention staff has secured Canavan Arena in Stevens' Schaefer Athletic Center to house the Dealer's Room and Artist's Alley this year. Canavan Arena is larger and has a higher capacity than where the Dealer's Room/Artist's Alley was previously held.

Those interested in attending CPAC this year as a vendor or artist should email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The staff recommends anyone who is planning on doing this should do so as soon as possible to avoid the waiting list that had to be implemented last year.

For more information about Castle Point Anime Convention, please visit the convention website at castlepointanime.com.

ABOUT CASTLE POINT ANIME CONVENTION:

Castle Point Anime Convention is created and organized by the members of the Stevens Anime Club and will be held on Sunday, April 10 on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Castle Point Anime Convention is just minutes away from New York City and is easily accessible by PATH, NJ Transit, ferry, and bus. Castle Point Anime Convention aims to promote anime, manga, and Japanese culture as well as providing a fun experience for attendees.

In the past, comedian Uncle Yo, composer Andy Brick, and musicians PEELANDER-Z, Nullsleep, BitShifter, DJ Yattabyte, Gordon Virasawmi, and DJ Gnaw have all made an appearance at CPAC. Last year, CPAC welcomed voice actors Bill Rogers, Michael Perreca, Rome Elliot, and Kenneth Robert Marlo and voice actress Michelle Knotz from various anime such as "Genhsiken," "Comic Party," Gokudo," and "Pokemon." As well, famous nerdcore hip-hop artist MC Frontalot and 8-bit artists Bit Shifter and Bubblyfish performed for the attendants of the 2009 convention. The convention drew a crowd of over 1500 people last year from the New Jersey/New York area.

Press Release for August 13th, 2010