Press Release: North America’s largest pop-culture tour continues as Wizard World Austin Comic Con returns to the Austin Convention Center, November 11-13, with standout guests Hayden Panettiere, Adam Baldwin, ACADEMY AWARD WINNER Louis Gossett Jr., James Marsters, Juliet Landau and Charisma Carpenter headlining the list of celebrity attendees. The event, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK) will bring together thousands of fans of all ages and dozens of celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

Panettiere (“Heroes,” BRING IT ON) will appear on Saturday only, Baldwin (FULL METAL JACKET, “Serenity”) is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and Gossett (AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, ENEMY MINE), Marsters (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Caprica”), Landau (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) and Carpenter (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Veronica Mars”) will attend all three days.

Press Release: ReedPOP has today announced the launch of WHITE SPACE, an exclusive invitation-only summit tailored to influencers and decision makers who help shape the direction of the business of popular culture. WHITE SPACE will take place on the afternoon of Thursday October 13th, 2011 at the Javits Center in New York City just hours before the doors open for the 2011 New York Comic Con. Conceived as a think tank for 100 masters and innovators in the fields of TV, film, comics, games, technology and advertising, WHITE SPACE is not a traditional conference, but is designed to foster open, transparent discussion between industry leaders. It will be kicked off by brief talks from three masters of media followed by small group discussions led by influential moderators. A drinks reception will conclude the summit meeting.

WHITE SPACE is set to be an annual event co-located with New York Comic Con with an evolving format to grow in size and scale in 2012. The concept is a joint venture with MIPTV, the world’s leading market for creating, financing and distributing TV content in all its forms. MIPTV, which takes place annually in Cannes, France, is owned and organized by Reed MIDEM, part of Reed Exhibitions, which also owns ReedPOP. GeekChicDaily and Nerdist Industries, the cross-platform producers and publishers of popular culture fare, are strategic partners to WHITE SPACE and will aid the effort to curate a varied and unique constituency of attendee and also will assist in the programming of the day. GeekChicDaily and Nerdist are backed by industry notables such as Legendary Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment, Joe Roth and Machinima CEO Allen DeBevoise.

Press Release: Anime-ZAP! is happy to welcome Daniel and Jillian Coglan as special guests appearing at the third annual Anime-ZAP! anime convention. Anime-ZAP! 2012 will be held January 14-15, 2012 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois.

Daniel and Jillian Coglan are a husband and wife team of full-time martial arts instructors, specializing in 16th century Samurai arts. When not teaching at their dojo, the Kojokan, they travel across the country performing and teaching the ancient ways of the most famous warriors in history. With a combined 35 years of experience, their show is a unique blend of history, combative skill, and humor, designed to educate and entertain audiences both large and small.

Press Release: A total of 12 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards winners and nominees are among the more than 150 comic creators scheduled to attend Wizard World Mid-Ohio Comic Con, part of North America’s largest pop-culture tour, October 22-23 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Winners include 10-time honoree Jeff Smith (“Bone,” “RASL”), Bill Sienkiewicz (“Elektra,” “Assassin”), Christopher Sprouse (“Tom Strong,” “The Return of Bruce Wayne”) and Eric Wight (“The Escapist,” “Action Comics”).

The eight Eisner nominees scheduled to attend are Eliza Frye (“The Lady’s Murder,” “Lucky House”), Steve Hamaker (“Bone,” “RASL”), David Mack (“Kabuki,” “Daredevil”), Ed Piskor (“Wizzywig,” “American Splendor”), Thomas Scioli (“Godland,” “American Barbarian”), Marc Sumerak (“Power Pack,” “Franklin Richards”), Carol Tyler (“You’ll Never Know: Book I & II,” “Late Bloomer”) and Dave Wachter (“The Guns of Shadow Valley,” “Scar Tissue”).
The creators will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and sketch. Many Greater Columbus-based artists will be in attendance as well.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comic book industry. Established in 1987, they are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of “The Spirit” and several award-winning graphic novels).

Other superstar creators scheduled to attend include Pasqual Ferry (“Thor; Ultimate Fantastic Four,” “Ultimate X-Men vs Fantastic Four”), Gerald Parel (“S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Captain America), Stephanie Hans (“Journey into Mystery,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”), Mike Grell (“Green Arrow,” “Green Lantern”), Rob Liefeld (“Deadpool,” “Youngblood”), Greg Horn (“Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” “Hero For Hire”), Phil Jimenez (“Amazing Spider-Man,” “Astonishing X-Men”), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”), Mark Texeira (“Wolverine,” “Spider-Man”) and Ryan Ottley (“Invincible,” “The Walking Dead”).

Mid-Ohio Comic Con is the eighth stop on Wizard World’s 2011 North American tour. Hours are Saturday, October 22, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; and Sunday, October 23, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online at the website at a savings over tickets purchased at the door. Advance adult single-day tickets are priced at $25 ($35 on site); weekend all-session tickets are $40 ($50 on site), and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available on a limited basis.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests. Wizard World also produces Wizard World Digital, an online publication covering new and upcoming products and talents in the pop culture world, and is distributed on a weekly basis to online and iPad users worldwide.