Award-winning graphic novel publisherArchaia Entertainment is excited to announce it will exhibit at booth #1019 at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) for a fourth straight year since the event’s inception! C2E2 is one of the Midwest’s biggest celebrations of comics and pop culture, taking place during the weekend of April 26-28, 2013 in the West Hall of McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Archaia’s corporate headquarters is based in Chicago.

“We love making C2E2 one of our biggest events of the year. Nearly our entire management team is from Chicago, the Chicago fans are great, and our creators really make it a special show for us,” raved Chicago native, Jack Cummins, President & COO of Archaia. “We have great new titles like Strange Attractors, Mumbai Confidential, and HAWKEN: GENESIS, as well as Rust Vol. 2: Secrets of the Cell, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 2, and Pantalones, TX: Don’t Chicken Out. We are excited for our fans to see these new books and find out about the new upcoming Mouse Guard books directly from Eisner Award winner David Petersen.”

Creators and Contributors

Creators and contributors scheduled to appear at the Archaia booth include:

Andrew E. C. Gaska (writer: Space: 1999: Aftershock and Awe, Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, Critical Millennium: The Dark Frontier, the upcoming Classic Space: 1999)
Andrew Rostan (writer; An Elegy for Amelia Johnson)
Brent Schoonover (artist, Mr. Murder Is Dead)
Chandra Free (writer/artist: The God Machine, Fraggle Rock)
Charles Soule (writer: Strange Attractors)
Cory Godbey (artist: Fraggle Rock, the upcoming Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and Spera Vol. 3)
David Marquez (artist: Syndrome, the upcoming The Joyners in 3D)
David Petersen (writer/artist: Mouse Guard)
Janet Lee (artist: Return of the Dapper Men)
Jeremy Bastian (writer/artist: Cursed Pirate Girl)
Jim McCann (writer: Return of the Dapper Men)
Ramón Pérez (artist: Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand)
R. J. Ryan (writer: Syndrome, the upcoming The Joyners in 3D)
Royden Lepp (writer/artist: The Rust)
Tom Pinchuk (writer: Hybrid Bastards!)
Yehudi Mercado (writer/artist: Pantalones, TX: Don’t Chicken Out)

Check the signing schedule at Archaia.com for your favorite creator’s availability!

Events at C2E2

Here’s what else is going on at the Archaia booth during C2E2 weekend:

• We will present a panel on Sunday! Archaia Entertainment Presents: Comics Storytelling and the Lost Art of 3D, 1:30-2:30pm, Room W471. Join us for an uncensored discussion of the medium’s benefits and drawbacks, as well as a wide-ranging survey of the highs and lows of 60 years of 3D comics, only at C2E2 2013! We will preview the 2013 release of the ambitious, all-3D graphic novel The Joyners in 3D from Archaia, writer R.J. Ryan (Syndrome), New York Times best-selling illustrator David Marquez (All-New X-Men, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Syndrome), and Archaia Editor-in-Chief Stephen Christy have invited a panel of creatives from across comics to dig deep into both the highs and lows of using 3D as a storytelling tool. The multimedia presentation will include big-screen glimpses of comics’ most famous—and most forgettable—3D projects, as well as a brief, exclusive sneak peek at Ryan & Marquez’s epic 3D melodrama, The Joyners in 3D. Moderated by Word Balloon podcast host John Siuntres, every panel attendee receives a free pair of 3D glasses and a coupon to receive a copy of the 2012 Free Comic Book Day hardcover at the Archaia booth (while supplies last)!

• Mouse Guard creator David Petersen and Rust creator Royden Lepp are among the guests on the Imaginative Sci-Fi Authors of C2E2 panel! Saturday, 12:45-1:45pm, Room W475B. They will join other science fiction and fantasy authors like E.B. Hudspeth (The Resurrectionist, published by Quirk), Jeffrey Brown (Darth Vader and Son, Top Shelf), Brandon Easton (Roboy, Lion Forge), and Rachel Rawlings (The Maurin Kincaide Series) to talk about their imaginative Sci-Fi and Fantasy graphic novels!

• Meteor Entertainment is bringing the experience of their smash hit, online, free-to-play, giant-mech video game HAWKEN to C2E2 with two play-test kiosks set up at the Archaia booth! Copies of the accompanying graphic novel, HAWKEN: GENESIS, will be on hand for purchase, and each copy comes with a scratch-off card with a code that can be redeemed for 10,000 HAWKEN Credits for use in the game!

• Charles Soule, the new writer of DC’s Swamp Thing, will be on hand to autograph advance copies of his new Archaia graphic novel, Strange Attractors, which is the fascinating sci-fi story of how a professor uses mathematics to help keep New York City from destroying itself! Check for his signing schedule at the booth (#1019) or on Archaia.com.

• Fans who purchase copies of Hopeless, Maine will receive a free, handmade postcard created by authors Tom and Nimue Brown. Quantities are limited!

• Using Foursquare, fans have a chance to win an all-ages prize pack containing copies of: Mouse Guard Vol. 1: Fall 1152; Rust Vol. 1; Pantalones, TX; and Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse. To enter, simply check in to “Archaia Entertainment: Booth #1019” (http://4sq.com/12FDU7y) through the Foursquare app on your iOS or Android phone and tweet your check-in using #ArchaiaC2E2. Winners will be contacted to receive their prize. More info: http://on.fb.me/12G8IFk .

• Using Instagram, fans have a chance to win a Henson/Archaia graphic novel prize pack containing copies of: Fraggle Rock Vol. 1, Fraggle Rock Vol. 2: Tails and Tales, The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1, and The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 2. To enter, take creative photos of the Archaia booth at C2E2 (#1019), upload it using the Instagram app on your iOS or Android phone, and use the hashtag #ArchaiaC2E2. Archaia will choose the best photo and contact the winner to receive their prize! Photos will be posted on the Archaia Facebook page! More info: http://on.fb.me/11idRR2.

• Archaia Entertainment will be hosting a Retweet to Win contest through Twitter for fans who can’t make it to C2E2! Retweeting starts Friday, April 26th at 10am CST! This contest will run thru Sunday, April 28th. To enter, you must follow Archaia on Twitter, look for the special “RT to Win” tweet from our account (@Archaia) which will be sent out several times each day throughout C2E2 weekend (April 26-28). Multiple winners will be selected each day. Prizes include copies of: Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse; The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1; Fraggle Rock Vol. 1; Gunnerkrigg Court Vol. 1; HAWKEN: GENESIS; Mouse Guard Vol. 1: Fall 1152; Pantalones, TX; Return of the Dapper Men; and Rust Vol. 1. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/434507266642329/.

See you at C2E2! Visit c2e2.com for information on how to buy tickets!

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1. Archaia Announces 2012 New York Comic Con Plans
2. Archaia Blows Into The Windy City for C2E2 2012
3. C2E2: Show Wrap-Up and What’s Changed in 2011

AVATAR PRESS will be at the NYCC in full force this year – with multiple guests and several panels for comic fans to attend. So, mark your con agenda and get your questions ready! Here, you will get to see your favorite creators and insiders in person, announcing top secret projects and sharing their thoughts you would normally never see in print.

What will be Garth Ennis’ huge announcement?
I guarantee you won’t be expecting this!

GARTH ENNIS: Top Secret New Project Revealed!??
Sat 10/13/12?4:00 – 5:00 PM?Location: 1A06
Speakers: William Christensen (Avatar CEO), Garth Ennis (Crossed, Stitched, Preacher, The Boys)
Garth Ennis has created dozens of critically-acclaimed projects including: Preacher, Crossed, The Punisher, The Boys, Stitched, and many more! In the Stitched short film he created new visions of modern horror and brought his trademark storytelling to the movie audience.  Now join GARTH ENNIS for a HUGE announcement and Q&A about his upcoming new project exclusively at New York Comic-Con!

Making Comics the Avatar Way
Sat 10/13/12?11:00 AM- 12:00 PM?Location: 1A08
Speakers: William Christensen (Avatar CEO), Mike Wolfer (Lady Death, Stitched, War Goddess), Jacen Burrows (Crossed, Neonomicon, Chronicles of Wormwood)
Peek inside the inner workings of AVATAR PRESS, the industry’s most risk-taking publisher! Want insight into the hottest titles from Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, and David Lapham? Can’t get enough Ferals, Fashion Beast, or Crossed? Find out what new terrors this rogue publisher will unleash and get your questions answered!

Night of the Living Dead: The Original Zombie Outbreak Returns!
Sat 10/13/2012?7:45 – 8:45 PM?Location: 1A14
Speakers: David Hine (Crossed, Spawn, Civil War: X-Men)
This Halloween, DAVID HINE and Avatar Press launch a brand-new ongoing horror series, Night of the Living Dead: Aftermath. Join David as he discusses his bold new contribution to George Romero’s epic! If you like your comics splattered with action and gore, you’ll want to attend this NOTLD: Aftermath panel!

Bleeding Cool Panel with Rich Johnston
Sat 10/13/2012?7:45 – 8:45 PM?Location: 1A08
Speakers: Rich Johnston
BleedingCool.com is the source for breaking news in the comic book industry! With the launch of Bleeding Cool Magazine #1 coming soon, super-sleuth RICH JOHNSTON is delivering even more comics news. Get ready to hear the secrets behind the biggest comics events of 2013 which NO ONE has ever heard before!

Avatar Press will be located at Booth #812 and will host the following guests:

• Garth Ennis (Crossed, Preacher, The Boys)
• Mike Wolfer (Lady Death, Stitched, War Goddess)
• Jacen Burrows (Crossed, Neonomicon)
• David Hine (Night of the Living Dead: Aftermath, Crossed, Spawn)
• Antony Johnston (Fashion Beast, Alan Moore’s The Courtyard)
• Si Spurrier (Crossed: Wish You Were Here)
• Facundo Perclo (Fashion Beast, Anna Mercury)
• Rich Johnston (Bleeding Cool)
• William Christensen (Editor-in-Chief)

Keep up to date with the latest news and information at AvatarPress.com.

For more information about New York Comic Con, visit www.newyorkcomiccon.com.

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Archaia ends its 2012 convention season in grand style at the largest comics and pop culture convention on the East Coast, highlighted by over 100 autograph signing sessions, a slew of convention exclusives, new book debuts, and a special appearance by Brian Froud

Award-winning publisher Archaia Entertainment (Booth #1520) is excited to announce its plans for New York Comic Con, taking place October 11-14, 2012 at the Javits Center in New York City!

• Archaia will present three panels at New York Comic Con:

How to Prepare an Effective Submission
Friday, 10/12 5:15-6:15pm, Room 1A06
Want to pitch your idea as a graphic novel? Archaia editors and a pair of Archaia creators—Feeding Ground’s Swifty Lang and Pantalones, TX’s Yehudi Mercado—show what should go into an effective submission.

Transmedia in Graphic Novel Publishing
Saturday, 10/13 6:30-7:30pm, Room 1A06
In this information-filled panel, fans will be treated to exclusive announcements, images, and videos on three properties poised for a transmedia explosion—Cyborg 009, Hawken: Genesis, and Space: 1999: Aftershock and Awe—with Archaia’s upcoming graphic novels providing a cornerstone in each campaign.

How to Tell a Better Story Through World-Building
Sunday, 10/14 1:15-2:15pm, Room 1A08
Listen is as Archaia master storytellers David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl), and Sean Rubin (Redwall, the upcoming Bolivar) share how to create a better story through world-building, from characters and costumes, to settings and environment, to culture and history.

• Former Jim Henson collaborator and fantasy superstar Brian Froud (The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth) and his wife, Wendy, will be on hand to autograph copies of the hardcover graphic novel, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1. Check the signing schedule for times.

• Limited to 100 pieces each, exclusive tip-ins for upcoming Archaia graphic novel hardcovers Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy Bastian and Iron: Or, the War After by Shane-Michael Vidaurri. Bastian and Vidaurri will be on hand to autograph the tip-ins. Check the signing schedule for times.

• Over 100 autograph sessions are scheduled at the Archaia booth throughout the weekend, featuring over 40 creators. Check the Archaia booth, the Archaia website (www.archaia.com), or your favorite comics news website for the full schedule.

• Free, convention-exclusive autograph cards for upcoming Archaia titles will be available while supplies last, with their creators on hand to sign them. These titles include: Bolivar; Cyborg 009; The Joyners in 3D; Mumbai Confidential; Pantalones, TX; The Reason for Dragons; Space: 1999: Aftershock and Awe; Spera Vol. 2; and Strange Attractors.

• Archaia partner Meteor Entertainment will set up four gaming stations at the Archaia booth to demo their upcoming, free-to-play, online mech game, Hawken. The open beta launches 12/12/12, followed in March 2013 by an Archaia prequel graphic novel tied into the game. Hawken creator and designer Khang Le will be on hand to sign exclusive autograph cards. Check signing schedule for times.

• Three new hardcovers will debut at the Archaia booth: Last Days of an Immortal by Fabien Vehlmann and Gwen de Bonneval (translated from the French edition), The Grand Duke by Yann and Romain Hugault (translated from the French edition), and Mouse Guard Winter 1152 Black and White by David Petersen.

• Archaia will give away copies of its highly sought-after Free Comic Book Day hardcover from earlier this year to kids for the length of the show, while supplies last.

• Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game Box Set designer Luke Crane will be on hand on Friday and Sunday to demo the game for curious players. Check the signing schedule for times.

• Creator Charles Soule will have limited copies available of a 26-page preview of his upcoming Archaia hardcover graphic novel, Strange Attractors.

• Each day of the con, Archaia CCO Mark Smylie will conduct a limited number of portfolio reviews at the booth. Slots are limited, so sign up at the booth for that day’s session while space lasts.

Archaia is located on the New York Comic Con show floor at Booth #1520. For more information about New York Comic Con, visit www.newyorkcomiccon.com.

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Sony Pictures will debut exclusive first looks at the highly anticipated upcoming films Carrie and Evil Dead at New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 13th from the Javits Center.

The panel presentations for Carrie and Evil Dead will take place between 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM on October 13th. The Carrie panel will include the film’s stars, Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore, along with producer Kevin Misher and director Kimberly Peirce. Evil Dead’s panel will include the film’s star, Jane Levy (“Suburgatory”), producer (and star of original) Bruce Campbell and director, Fede Alvarez.

Carrie is a reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King and directed by Kimberly Peirce with a screenplay by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The film will be released nationwide on March 15, 2013.

In the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, Evil Dead finds five twenty-something friends holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. Directed by Fede Alvarez, with a screenplay by Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues Mendez, the film will be released nationwide on April 12, 2013.

New York Comic Con is taking place from October 11-14 at the Javits Center (655 West 34th Street, New York). More information can be found at: www.newyorkcomiccon.com.

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3. The Walking Dead Panel at New York Comic Con!

New York Comic Con (NYCC) officials have confirmed that a high profile panel focusing on season three of AMC’s hit television series The Walking Dead will take place at this year’s pop culture extravaganza. Cast members including Andrew Lincoln will be joined by showrunner and executive producer Glenn Mazzara as well as executive producers Robert Kirkman and Gale Anne Hurd. Moderated by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick, The Walking Dead panel, which will take place in the IGN Theater on Saturday, October 13, 5:00pm – 6:00pm, will include an exclusive clip from the premiere episode of season three.

In addition to Andrew Lincoln, additional cast members participating in the panel include Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey and Michael Rooker. There will also be a limited signing for 50 fans and tickets for the signing will be given away on a first served basis on Saturday morning (10/13). Further details about the signing will be announced soon. The Walking Dead, which returns to AMC on October 14 at 9:00pm (EST)/8:00pm (CST), was originally a comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman in 2003. It won the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series and the television series premiered to enormous attention and acclaim on October 31, 2010.

New York Comic Con, which will take place October 11 – 14, 2012 at NYC’s Javits Center, is one of New York’s largest annual events, last year attracting over 100,000 attendees. The pop culture convention draws a wide cross section of fans eager to meet and greet the creators, actors, writers, musicians and artists. The show includes top talent from the worlds of comics, film, television, music, books and gaming.

“The Walking Dead is a huge attraction for our fans and I am enormously grateful to AMC for making this possible,” notes Lance Fensterman Show Manager for NYCC and Group Vice President for ReedPOP. “This is a star-studded line up of panelists and I know that we will have thousands of fans who will want to be on hand to hear these creators, producers and stars talk about their contribution to this incredible show. I can’t thank these guests enough for giving their time and talent to New York Comic Con.”

Tickets for New York Comic Con in 2012 are currently available for purchase at NewYorkComicCon.com. Anyone interested in exhibiting at New York Comic Con should contact Larry Settembrini, Larry@ReedPOP.com. Other information about the show, as well as news about ReedPOP, which organizes a range of pop culture events, is available at facebook.com/NewYorkComicCon and twitter.com/NY_Comic_Con. Organizers note that many more guests will be announced over the next few weeks and fans should keep their eyes on NYCC’s website and blog for additional comics, entertainment and anime announcements.

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2. Sony to Debut Exclusive First Looks of Carrie and Evil Dead at NYCC
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Wizards of the Coast is thrilled to announce that its iconic roleplaying game of fantasy and imagination, Dungeons & Dragons®, will offer fans the chance to both explore the notorious drow race in the current Rise of the Underdark campaign, as well as glimpse into the future of the game at this year’s Gen Con Indy 2012 (August 16 – 19).

Wizards of the Coast will show off the latest D&D offerings (Booth #1401) and invite fans to awaken the darkness as they delve into the D&D Experience, a series of eight unique locations thematically tied to the drow city of Menzoberranzan, where they can participate in an abundance of D&D events and activities and earn exclusive dice along the way. Wizards of the Coast is also proud to host the first-ever Gen Con keynote address on August 16, the opening night of the convention, to present a look into the future of D&D.

D&D AT GEN CON INDY 2012:

The D&D Experience – Rise of the Underdark (Ongoing; Multiple Locations)

Throughout the convention center, fans can visit eight unique D&D locations set within the drow city of Menzoberranzan to collect treasure and participate in a variety of D&D activities – including D&D Next playtesting and Dungeon Command gaming sessions, just to name a few. The eight D&D Experience locations include the following; a full list of activities taking place in each location can also be found on the Gen Con Page at DungeonsandDragons.com.

The Bazaar – Hub of Information and Commerce (Dungeons & Dragons Booth #1401)
Arach-Tinilith – Seminars and Performances (Room 139)
Narbondel – D&D Lounge/Activities Room (Room 138)
Sorcere – D&D Next Introduction & Character Creation (Room 137)
The Clawrift – D&D Next Adventure (Room 136)
Melee-Magthere – Dungeon Command Miniatures Skirmish Game (Room 135)
West Wall – “Dawn of Night” 4th Edition Adventure (Room 134)
The Mantle – Organized Play Events (Marriot Ballroom; Marriot Hotel)

In-Booth Activities (Ongoing; Booth #1401)

The Dungeons & Dragons Booth #1401 (The Bazaar) will be the hub of information and commerce where fans can purchase D&D merchandise, learn about the current Rise of the Underdark campaign and the drow plot to seize the Forgotten Realms, experience D&D’s digital offerings and take photos with Lolth, Demon Queen of Spiders, and Drizzt Do’Urden, the most famous drow of all time. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to meet some of their favorite D&D authors during scheduled in-booth author signings.

Keynote Address (Thursday, August 16 at 7 pm; Indiana Roof Ballroom)

At the “Future of Dungeons & Dragons,” the first-ever Gen Con keynote, some of the greatest creative minds in the industry, including Mike Mearls (Senior Manager, Dungeons & Dragons R&D) and Greg Leeds (President and CEO of Wizards of the Coast), will share a behind-the- curtain look into the future of the brand – from the game’s evolution and the rebirth of a fantasy setting, to the next generation of art. Wizards of the Coast is proud to be able to share with the legions of D&D fans what’s in store for the game that has changed gaming forever.

In addition to the activities above, Wizards of the Coast will also be offering a variety of seminars including the much anticipated The Future Look of D&D, D&D Next: Creating the Core, The Sundering, and D&D Next Live With Chris Perkins. Ticket information and a full list of seminars can be found on the Gen Con Page at DungeonsandDragons.com.

Dungeons & Dragons is the iconic roleplaying game of fantasy and imagination that is part storytelling, part social interaction and part chance. Visit DungeonsandDragons.com for more information.

About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards’ players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and KAIJUDO. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

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Sequart Research & Literacy Organization and Respect! Films are proud to announce that the SDCC panel for their Comics in Focus: The Image Revolution documentary will feature special guest panelist Marc Silvestri!

If you’re a fan of Image Comics and are going to be at the San Diego Comic Con on Thursday evening (July 12th), you won’t want to miss this panel! Moderated by F.J. DeSanto (co-producer of The Spirit), the panel will feature Image Revolution director Patrick Meaney (Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods, Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts), Sequart founder Julian Darius, and of course Marc Silvestri. The hour-long panel will feature over 10 minutes of exclusive footage from the documentary, behind-the-scenes info from Silvestri, and Q&A!

The panel will take place in room 32AB from 8pm to 9pm PDT on Thursday, July 12th. And yes, there are some other interesting panels happening at the same time, BUT while the comic book news sites will report on those other panels, you won’t be able to get another look at this footage until the DVD comes out in October.

If you’re a big Image Comics fan, consider swinging by!

About Comics in Focus: The Image Revolution: Twenty years ago, a group of artists left Marvel Comics to create their own company, a company that continues to influence mainstream comics and culture to this day. Image Comics began as more than just a publisher — it was a response to years of creator mistreatment, and it changed comics forever. Comics in Focus: The Image Revolution will tell the story of Image Comics, from its founders’ work at Marvel, through Image’s early days, the ups and downs of the ’90s, and the publisher’s new generation of properties like The Walking Dead. This amazing story will be told through new interviews with the people who made it happen. And what better time than during Image’s 20th anniversary to make this documentary?

About Sequart Research & Literacy Organization: Sequart is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting comic books as a legitimate art form. Sequart’s mission is twofold. First, it promotes research into comics-related topics, publishing books, producing documentary films, and maintaining online resources that encourage comics scholarship. Second, it promotes comics literacy by promoting the medium and encouraging others to experience the unique art form known as comic books. Sequart has produced and released the critically acclaimed documentary Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods and will be selling copies of the recently premiered Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts DVD at Halo 8’s SDCC table (table O7).

About Respect! Films: Respect! is an independent video production company committed to producing groundbreaking content across all media. Besides the aforementioned comics documentaries, they have written, directed, and produced the sci-fi web series The Third Age.

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Legendary Author Will Be Spotlight Guest

Author Panels, Author Signings and Book Publisher Participation to Figure Prominently at NYCC in 2012

Anne Rice, the legendary author who has defined vampires for a generation of readers and writers, will be a Spotlight Guest at New York Comic Con (NYCC) in 2012. Show officials note that the announcement of Ms. Rice’s participation at NYCC is just the first of several announcements about author appearances, author programs and book publisher participation at the show that organizers will be making in the coming months. Providing literary distinction at a pop culture event replete with major guests and artists from every part of the pop culture universe, Ms. Rice, who became an international phenomenon in 1976 with the publication of Interview with the Vampire, is certain to attract widespread attention at New York Comic Con among her many fans. Show officials note that other leading celebrity guests from the worlds of comics, entertainment and film will also be announced in the very near future.

New York Comic Con will take place October 11 – 14, 2012 at the Javits Center in New York City. The pop culture event, which attracted over 100,000 fans last year, features top talent and major artists from all areas of the pop culture universe including comics, film, television, music, books and gaming.

“New York Comic Con is in the book publishing capital of the world and so it is only right that we should announce a celebrated author as one of our Spotlight Guests right out the gate,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President and Show Manager for New York Comic Con. “Anne Rice is a legendary writer who perfectly combines pop culture celebrity with literary credibility, and we are proud to have her leading the way for us in the literary community in 2012. We are looking forward to making many more announcements about authors, as well as many other celebrity guests from all corners of the pop culture universe, in the very near future.”

Ms. Rice’s Interview with the Vampire has become one of the best-selling novels of all time. She has written 31 books including The Vampire Chronicles, Lives of the Mayfair Witches and The Songs of the Seraphim, among many others. Her most recent book, The Wolf Gift, published by Alfred A. Knopf this past Spring, offers a whole new world – modern, sleek and high tech – and at its center, a story as old and compelling as history: the making of a werewolf, reimagined and reinvented as only Anne Rice could create. In an interview with NPR about The Wolf Gift, Ms. Rice noted: “You’re writing about a vampire or you’re writing about a werewolf, but you’re really just writing about human beings.”

Tickets for New York Comic Con in 2012 are currently available for purchase at www.NewYorkComicCon.com. Companies interested in exhibiting at New York Comic Con should contact Larry Settembrini, lsettembrini@reedexpo.com. Other information about the show, as well as news about ReedPOP, which organizes a range of pop culture events, is available at Lance Fensterman’s blog, www.mediumatlarge.net. Organizers note that many more guests will be announced over the next few weeks and months and fans should keep their eyes on NYCC’s website and blog for additional comics, entertainment and anime announcements.

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To celebrate the upcoming release of R.A. Salvatore’s Charon’s Claw on August 7th, Wizards of the Coast is thrilled to announce that Salvatore, a 24-time New York Times-bestselling author, will head out on a multi-city book tour this summer to meet fans and autograph copies of his newest novel.

Additional details about Charon’s Claw and the D&D® suite of products can be found at DungeonsandDragons.com.

R.A. Salvatore 2012 Book Tour for Charon’s Claw

The third book in the Neverwinter Saga, Charon’s Claw follows Drizzt Do’Urden as he draws his swords once more to aid his friends. In this final book in the saga, Drizzt assists the beautiful elf Dahlia as she enacts revenge and helps an old foe break the bonds that have held him hostage for more than a hundred years.

• August 6 – Redondo Beach, CA – Mysterious Galaxy Books (7:30pm – 9:30pm)
• August 7 – Los Angeles, CA – Barnes & Noble – The Grove (7:00pm – 9:00pm)
• August 8 – Menlo Park, CA – Kepler’s Books (7:00pm – 9:00pm)
• August 9 – Tacoma, WA – Joint Base Lewis-McChord, McChord Main Store (1:00pm – 3:00pm), Lewis Main Store (4:00pm – 6:00pm)
• August 10 – Austin, TX – BookPeople (7:00pm – 8:30pm)
• August 11 – Houston, TX – Space City Con
• August 13 – Lexington, KY – Joseph Beth (4:30pm-6:00pm)
• August 13 – Cincinnati, OH – Joseph Beth (7:30pm – 9:00pm)
• August 14 – Columbus, OH – The Book Loft (7:00pm – 9:00pm)
• August 15 – Carmel, IN – Barnes & Noble (7:00pm – 9:00pm)
• August 16–19 – Indianapolis, IN – Gen Con 2012
• September 1 – Atlanta, GA – Dragon Con 2012

About R.A. Salvatore – R.A. Salvatore is best known as the creator of the dark elf Drizzt, one of the fantasy genre’s most beloved characters. With over 17 million books sold and numerous game credits, Salvatore has become one of the most important figures in modern epic fantasy. His first published novel was The Crystal Shard in 1988, and since that time Salvatore has published more than 50 novels, with 24 New York Times bestsellers to his name, including The Halfling’s Gem, Sojourn, The Legacy and Neverwinter, Book II. For more information about R.A. Salvatore, please visit www.rasalvatore.com or find him on Facebook.

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Zombie Dice, the brain-eating dice game produced by Steve Jackson Games, will appear in the third episode of Tabletop on Friday, May 4, 2012.

"I'm really hyped about the G&S channel, and especially Tabletop," said company founder Steve Jackson. "The Internet is the right way to deliver this, and it's fun food for geek brains. Braaaaaiiiinnnns."

Narrated by actor and author Wil Wheaton, Tabletop features guests playing dice, card, board, and pen-and-paper games. The show is available free online on the Geek and Sundry YouTube! channel. This episode shows viewers how to play this quick dice game.

Zombie Dice debuted in 2010 and is now in its third printing. Since then, the game has sold over 65,000 copies. Zombie Dice 2 – Double Feature, the game’s first expansion, shipped to stores in March. Zombie Dice is also available as a free downloadable app.

For more about Zombie Dice, visit ZombieDice.sjgames.com.

Braaaaaiiiiinnnnnsssss! 

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Over Two Dozen Creators, Two Panels and a Large Booth Highlight the Publisher’s Presence at the
Midwest’s Largest Comic Book and Pop Culture Event

Award-winning graphic novel publisher Archaia Entertainment announced its plans for the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) (www.c2e2.com), which includes a 20’ x 30’ display with a huge selection of product for sale on the show floor; hosting over two dozen creators for free autograph signings, including Chad Michael Murray (Everlast), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Return of the Dapper Men), Nate Cosby (Cow Boy), Ramón K. Pérez (Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand), and Royden Lepp (Rust: Visitor in the Field); presenting two panels, one making several exclusive announcements and one to advise aspiring storytellers on proper world-building; and distributing thousands of free giveaways, including single issue comics, mini-posters, and bookmarks.

C2E2 will take place April 13-15, 2012 in the North Hall of McCormick Place in downtown Chicago.

In addition, C2E2 will mark the debut of exclusive, limited signed editions of the highly anticipated, all-ages graphic novel hardcover, Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse, by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos.

Attendees can also obtain the first of four, limited-edition Hawken posters featuring art by Eisner Award-nominated writer/artist Khang Le. Hawken is an upcoming, free-to-play mech FPS developed by Adhesive Games and published by Meteor Entertainment (12-12-12), and Archaia is producing an original graphic novel prequel (March 2013). The other three posters will be distributed at other key conventions later this year, and together, all four posters will join to form a QR code that will lead fans to a special feature when the game’s closed beta release debuts in October 2012.

Creators scheduled to appear at the Archaia booth (#529) throughout the weekend include:

–Andrew E.C. Gaska, writer, Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, Critical Millennium, Space: 1999: Aftershock and Awe
–Andrew Rostan, writer, An Elegy for Amelia Johnson
–Ben Templesmith, artist, Bleedout, Immortals: Gods and Heroes
–Brandon Thomas, writer, The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury
–Brent Schoonover, artist, Mr. Murder Is Dead
–Chad Michael Murray, writer, Everlast
–Chandra Free, writer/artist, The God Machine, Fraggle Rock
–Charles Soule, writer, Strange Attractors
–Dave Rodriguez, writer, Starkweather: Immortal
–David Petersen, writer/artist, Mouse Guard
–Dennis Calero, artist, Immortals: Gods and Heroes, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller
–Gene Ha, artist, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard
–Janet Lee, artist, Return of the Dapper Men, The Wonderland Alphabet: Alice’s Adventures Through the ABC’s and What She Found There
–Jeremy Bastian, writer/artist, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, Cursed Pirate Girl
–Jim McCann, writer, Return of the Dapper Men
–J.K. Woodward, artist, Everlast
–Joanna Estep, artist, Fraggle Rock
–Joe LeFavi, writer, Fraggle Rock
–Katie Cook, writer/artist, Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard
–Mike Kennedy, writer, Bleedout
–Nate Cosby, writer, Cow Boy, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller
–Phil Hester, writer, Days Missing; artist, Immortals: Gods and Heroes
–Ramón K. Pérez, artist, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand
–Royden Lepp, writer/artist, Rust
–Sam Humphries, writer, Fraggle Rock
–Sean Rubin, artist, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard; writer/artist, Bolivar
–Tom Pinchuk, writer, Hybrid Bastards!
–Yehudi Mercado, writer/artist, Pantalones, TX

Visit this link for a complete schedule of signing times: www.archaia.com/2012-c2e2-signing-schedule. (Times and appearances are subject to change.)

Here are the descriptions of the two panels Archaia will present at C2E2:

Friday, April 13
Archaia Presents: Coming Soon from Archaia Entertainment…
Room: S401abc
Time: Friday, 2:45-3:45 p.m.
The publisher behind Mouse Guard, The Killer, Return of the Dapper Men, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, and other great titles is gearing up for another spectacular year, and here’s where you get to hear all about it! Get the inside scoop on upcoming titles, new projects, and exclusive announcements as Archaia sets its sights on the rest of 2012 and beyond. Join Archaia Editor-in-Chief Stephen Christy, Nate Cosby (Cow Boy), Andrew E. C. Gaska (Space: 1999: Aftershock and Awe), Joe LeFavi (Hawken), Janet Lee (The Wonderland Alphabet: Alice’s Adventures Through the ABC’s and What She Found There, Time of the Dapper Men), Royden Lepp (Rust Vol. 2: Secrets of the Cell), Jim McCann (Time of the Dapper Men), David Petersen (Mouse Guard Vol. 3: The Black Axe, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Vol. 2), and Charles Soule (Strange Attractors) as they give you a sneak peek of what’s to come!

Sunday, April 15
Archaia Presents: How to Tell a Better Story Through World-Building
Room: N427bc
Time: 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Are you an aspiring storyteller? Want to know the keys to world-building and telling a good story? David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl), and Sean Rubin (Redwall, the upcoming Bolivar), three accomplished storytellers that have published or are publishing books through Archaia, present an informative, entertaining panel to see how world-building can help you write and/or draw a better story.

“For the third year in a row, we are excited to return to C2E2 in Chicago with a strong presence to show our Midwest-area fans how much we appreciate their support,” said Archaia Marketing Manager Mel Caylo. “We look forward to a fantastic weekend, and hope you can join us!”

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Bring your best “battitude” to the Wisconsin Bat Festival! Bring the whole family Saturday May 12 from 9 am-5pm to the Warner Park Community Recreation Center in Madison. (On Mother’s Day weekend don’t forget bats are great mothers too!)

- Meet special guest, Brian Lies, author of the children’s books Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library, and Bats at the Ballgame!

- Meeting a Malayan Flying Fox at the 2011 Bat Festival

- Meet live bats from around the world and visit with Wisconsin’s backyard bats. Come face to face with fruit bats from Africa and Asia, a Vampire Bat, and encounter the largest bat in the world, the gigantic Malayan Flying Fox which has nearly a 6-foot wingspan!

- Participate in hands-on activities, games, crafts, and displays. Become a bat biologist for a day, build your own bat house, and explore a cave. Interact with local bat experts.

- Discover the night-time secrets of bat biology, understand their conservation needs, and learn how you can participate in the Wisconsin Bat Program.

- Cost is $10 for adults. Kids under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult. All proceeds benefit the Wisconsin Bat Conservation Fund.

The Bat Festival features live bat programs with bats from around the world, including Wisconsin’s backyard bats. The event also includes hands-on games and activities for the entire family. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources biologists will speak about the Wisconsin Bat Program and share how the state is addressing the threat of white-nose syndrome. This event will raise awareness and educate about the importance of bats, the role they play in our lives and our environment, and the threats they are facing.

For more information visit WIatri.net/inventory/bats/batfest.cfm

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Star of The Walking Dead To Participate in Q & A with Fans; Followed by 3-Hour Signing!

Noted actor Steven Yeun, currently starring in the role of Glenn in AMC’s hit original series The Walking Dead, will appear at this year’s Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). In addition to his starring role in The Walking Dead, Mr. Yeun has also recently starred in an episode of the television series Law & Order: Los Angeles and an episode of Warehouse 13. Steven Yeun, who lived in Chicago where he performed with the Second City Theatre, will appear at C2E2 on Saturday, April 14 where he will conduct a Q & A with fans followed by a free 3-hour signing.

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, a pop culture event which is organized by the creators of New York Comic Con (NYCC) will be held April 13 – 15 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Previously announced entertainment guests who will be participating in the this year’s C2E2 from the worlds of movies, TV, music, literature and other entertainment include John Cusack, Anthony Daniels, Chris Hardwick, Charlaine Harris, Tom Morello, Chad Michael Murray, Anne Rice, and Josh Gates. Noted comic guests who will be at C2E2 include Adam Hughes, Joe Kubert, Rick Remender, Marc Silvestri, Scott Snyder, and J Michael Straczynski.

“It is great to be adding Steven Yeun to our headline list of top talent who will be participating in in our show,” notes Lance Fensterman. “C2E2 has grown enormously over the past three years, not just in size but also in the range, diversity and scope of talent that we attract to our show. We have become an annual Mid-west meeting ground for the very best that the pop culture world has to offer and we look forward to building on this foundation for many years to come. A significant portion of our success is built on guests like Steven Yeun and all the other incredibly talented artists, creators and performers who come to our show. I am grateful to all of them for making their time available to meet our thousands of fans.”

In addition to Second City Theatre, other Chicago theatre credits for Steven Yeun include understudying the Steppenwolf Theatre’s production of Kafka on the Shore. In addition, he was part of several improvisational/sketch comedy groups including Stir Friday Night, Hands and Detective Detective. Additional credits include The Big Bang Theory and the role of Chaz in the independent film My Name is Jerry.

For further information about guests and activities at C2E2 as well as purchasing tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com.

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Legendary Author to Appear on Panel and for Signing

Anne Rice, the legendary author who has defined vampires for a generation of readers and writers, is the latest addition to the star-studded line up of authors and other guests and talent at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Ms. Rice became an international phenomenon in 1976 with the publication of Interview with the Vampire which has become one of the best-selling novels of all time. She has written 31 books including The Vampire Chronicles, Lives of the Mayfair Witches, and The Songs of the Seraphim, among many others. Ms. Rice will be appearing at C2E2 to discuss and sign copies of her new book, The Wolf Gift, on Sunday, April 15.

A daring new departure, The Wolf Gift offers a whole new world – modern, sleek, high tech – and at its center, a story as old and compelling as history: the making of a werewolf, reimagined and reinvented as only Anne Rice could create.

Providing literary distinction at a pop culture event replete with major guests and artists from every part of the pop culture universe, Ms. Rice joins previously announced best-selling author Charlaine Harris at C2E2. Other writers who will be greeting fans and signing books include Rachel Caine, Christina Henry, Mari Mancusi, Chloe Neill, and Veronica Wolff. C2E2 will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

“I am very pleased to be adding Anne Rice to our already rich list of literary participants at C2E2,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. “She is a pre-eminent author who is in the very top ranks of her field and who joins other celebrities who will be appearing at C2E2 and who are also in the top ranks of their fields including Neal Adams, John Barrowman, Anthony Daniels, Chris Hardwick, and Joe Quesada, among others. Our guests appeal to a wide cross-section of the pop culture universe and their involvement in our show reinforces the popularity and importance of C2E2.”

In addition to the guests noted above, other notable appearances at C2E2 include Axel Alonso, Josh Gates, Adam Hughes, Stephanie Izard, Tom Morello, and Claudio Sanchez to name just a few! For further information about other guest and activities at C2E2 as well as purchasing tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com.

ABOUT ANNE RICE: Anne Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

She is the author of 31 books, most recently The Wolf Gift. Her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was published in 1976 and has gone on to become one of the best-selling novels of all time. She continued her saga of the Vampire Lestat in a series of books, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles, which have had both great mainstream and cult followings and are widely assigned in high school and collegiate English and philosophy classes. Anne Rice is also the author of The Witching Hour, Servant of the Bones, Merrick, Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle, The Feast of All Saints, Cry to Heaven, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, Called out of Darkness, Angel Time, and Of Love and Evil. Anne Rice lives in Palm Springs, California.

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ReedPOP, creators and organizers of the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), as well as other major events in the popular culture world, and Nerdist Industries, a multi-platform creator of genre and pop culture content, have today announced a continuation and formalization of a relationship that successfully began at NYCC in 2011 with the launch of the exclusive WHITE SPACE B2B conference. This new alliance provides for a wide range of strategic and cross-promotional activities that include Nerdist interviews with ReedPOP guests and a prominent role for Chris Hardwick, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Nerdist Industries, at ReedPOP shows. Hardwick, host of AMC’s Talking Dead as well as Nerdist specials for BBC America, founded Nerdist in 2008 and has nurtured its growth into a multimedia name now spanning blogs, a podcast, television, web-video, live-events and print. Chris will be a leading personality at NYCC, C2E2 and other ReedPOP events.

Nerdist Industries will have a presence on the floor of ReedPOP shows and will be significantly featured in several panels at these same events. Hardwick hosted The Avengers and The Walking Dead panels at NYCC in 2011, and he will emcee similar marquee content in 2012. In addition, Nerdist and ReedPOP will continue to work together to create another WHITE SPACE B2B conference this year as well as develop several live-events, tapings and podcasts at various ReedPOP shows.

“As another nerd leading a group of nerds creating nerd-centric events, I could not be more excited to welcome Chris Hardwick and Nerdist Industries to join forces with ReedPOP,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP. “Our goal is to deliver great shows for our fans, but we also want to communicate the excitement, innovation and essential inner nerdiness of the pop culture spectrum to the world at large. This partnership with Nerdist Industries is a win-win, providing both like-minded organizations solid ways to amplify what we do through collaborating on new opportunities for our fans, our customers and ourselves. We’re both forces in the pop culture world, and we’re eager to see what amazing things we can accomplish together. I look forward to working with Chris and everyone at Nerdist Industries to make this a great continuing relationship.”

“I am THRILLED to be working with ReedPOP in an official capacity. I attended C2E2 last year, and, while still a young event, I was amazed at how well-organized and fan-friendly it was. Between C2E2, New York Comic Con and ReedPOP’s other events, this partnership makes all the sense in the world for Nerdist Industries. I know this because were we to not be in business with ReedPOP, I’d still be attending these events as a fan,” Hardwick said.

As noted, Hardwick’s first appearance on behalf of the joint promotional relationship with ReedPOP will be at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) which will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building of McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL. He is scheduled to appear as emcee for special events on Friday, April 13, and he will also be available for a public autographing session. Specific details of his participation at the show will be posted in the near future on the C2E2 website. Hardwick will then present a live podcast from Chicago’s Vic Theatre on Friday night. Other guests who will be participating in C2E2 include Anthony Daniels, David Finch, Josh Gates, Adam Hughes and Joe Kubert. Many more guest announcements will be made in the coming weeks. For further information about these guests as well as purchasing tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com. For more on Nerdist Industries, visit www.Nerdist.com.

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Star of SyFy’s Destination Truth is First Entertainment Guest Announced for Annual Midwest Pop Culture Convention

Organizers of the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) have today announced that Josh Gates will appear at the annual pop culture convention where he will be the focus of a high profile panel and will also do a signing. Known as the “face of SyFy”, Gates is well-recognized as the host of the hit travel-adventure series, Destination Truth, a huge sensation which has garnered considerable attention and publicity, including an interview for Gates on The Today Show. Gates’ reputation as a pre-eminent Monster Hunter was firmly established when, on the season premiere of season two of Destination Truth, he and his team uncovered a series of footprints high in the Himalayas in search of evidence of the Yeti. Josh also hosts SyFy’s Ghost Hunters Halloween Live and other special events for the channel throughout the year and he has written Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter which was published by Gallery Books in October, 2011.

The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

Convention officials note that one of their main programming objectives is to provide a diverse range of panels by featuring guests from many walks of life with varied backgrounds, interests and accomplishments. “We look for guests who contribute to the growth and evolution of pop culture in its many forms,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. “Josh Gates is a great example of someone from the entertainment world who also has a huge following in the pop culture arena. We are pleased and grateful that he has agreed to come to our show and I know our fans will be very eager to meet him.”

C2E2 programming officials have also announced (12/14/11) that comic legend Joe Kubert will be a “Spotlight” Guest at this year’s convention. It will be Mr. Kubert’s first appearance at C2E2. More guest announcements will be made in the coming months. For further information about C2E2 and for purchasing tickets please visit www.c2e2.com.

ABOUT JOSH GATES:
World adventurer (and international monster hunter) Josh Gates has careened through nearly 100 countries, investigating frightening myths, chilling cryptozoological legends, and terrifying paranormal phenomena. Known as “the face of Syfy,” Josh is the host of the hit travel-adventure series, Destination Truth. In addition, Josh hosts Ghost Hunters Halloween Live and other special events for the channel throughout the year.

His travels have taken him to some of the most remote and treacherous locations on earth, from a terrifying night alone in King Tut’s tomb to the radioactive shadow of Chernobyl. An avid scuba diver, Josh has participated in sub-sea archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean, and as a photographer, he’s traveled from sweltering African villages to the icy heights of the Himalayas. In addition, he has scaled “the roof of Africa” on Mt. Kilimanjaro, climbed on Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas, and sailed to the shores of Antarctica at the bottom of the world.

In recognition of his adventures and work around the globe, Josh was recently inducted into the prestigious Explorers Club in New York. Josh holds degrees in archaeology and drama from Tufts University and is available for appearances and speaking engagements around the world.

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CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO ANNOUNCES DATES FOR 2012

Organizers of Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) have announced that the 2012 edition of the annual pop culture convention will take place April 13 – 15 in the North Hall of McCormick Place Convention Center. While this represents a small move from the West Building of McCormick Place where the show took place last year, convention officials note that they were eager to remain at McCormick while also securing a slightly later date for C2E2 in conjunction with a change of dates and venue for WonderCon in 2012. An announcement about WonderCon’s change of dates and C2E2’s cooperation in alleviating a crowded convention calendar has just been released (9/1/11) by WonderCon organizers.

“We have had three objectives in mind in determining our 2012 dates for C2E2,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. “We wanted to keep C2E2 in the first quarter of the year, preferably March or April, we wanted to work together with WonderCon to set a schedule that makes sense for fans and exhibitors, and we wanted to keep C2E2 at McCormick Place. We have managed to satisfy all three of these requirements and we can now set our sights on delivering a fabulous show that will have all the earmarks of a great ReePOP event.”

Customers interested in signing up for Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo should contact Larry Settembrini at lsettembrini@reedexpo.com. Other information about the show, as well as news about ReedPOP, which also organizes New York Comic Con (NYCC) is available at Lance Fensterman’s blog, Mediumatlarge.net.

ABOUT REEDPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration V, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

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GenCon: Indy 2011 has come and gone…already? The first DriveThruRPG partnership with White Wolf Publishing and select games from Malhavoc Press, Open Design, Nocturnal, Eden Studios and Abstract Nova was a lot of hard work but very rewarding.

The booth was located at the back of a very large and very huge hall, but that didn’t stop new and old fans of these games from driving on back to DriveThruRPG. The quality of the new books is really awesome; people were literally saying… “That’s POD?” when pointing to the Exalted Comic and Ptolus.

And the fans? The ones who practically wept with joy seeing Vampire: the Masquerade back in print? Or how about the guy that seriously demanded to know when his copy of the twentieth anniversary edition will be sitting in his mailbox because he loves that game so much. There were a lot more cheers than jeers and because of the fans, there will be other 20th anniversary edition games in the works.

Besides the already scheduled signings, Jim Zubkavich offered to sign the Exalted comic, Greg Stolze was happy to drop off signed excerpts of his Vampire: the Requiem novel, A Hunger Like Fire, and Jason Vey took time to sign All Flesh Must be Eaten books with me from Eden Studios.

Congrats to Monte Cook! We sold out of Ptolus on Saturday morning.

The booth’s success was due to the efforts of the fine people working the booth. Chuck, Mike, Pauline, Sean, Matt, Steve, Corinne, Ken, Steve, Luke, Carol and myself. We came, we sweated, we had meetings, we ate, we sweated some more…

Sadly, the first game we got to play was with Steve Wieck during tear down. Matt had sold him on Castle Panic. We barely won our first round. However, we also picked up quite a few games and are dying to get the chance to play. Unhallowed Metropolis, the Mouse Guard RPG Box Set, Savage Worlds Deluxe, Cthulhu Gloom, the French Edition of Exalted, the Vampire Translation Guide, a Halloween Chibithulhu, a selection of cute-but-devilish toys, catnip Cthulhu, a Lovecraft resource and Rust (a new Archaia graphic novel) made it home.

Ashen Stars did not make it home, but it will… Shortly… I swear by the stars…

Waiting for us here? The debut Magic: the Gathering 2012 set and a stunning anthology from Tachyon Publications dubbed The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale.

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Dave Martin, founder of the Wrecking Crew Demo Team, is here to tell us a little more about his organization and their role at White Wolf’s Grand Masquerade event next month.

The Wrecking Crew

The Wrecking Crew was created by Dave Martin and his gaming group in 1996, and went on to become one of the official demo teams for White Wolf and the World of Darkness table-top games in 2000. Their years of devotion were rewarded in 2009 when White Wolf elevated the Wrecking Crew to the rank of Senior Demo Team. Due to this status, The Wrecking Crew has had the honor of running a number of developer release events including the upcoming Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition. Though the organization began as a local group in Arizona, it has grown into a national association with members in several states.

While the organization has expanded, The Wrecking Crew’s goal is still to provide the best table-top gaming experience at conventions: The Grand Masquerade, GenCon, and KublaCon being the highlights of the year. While we believe that this is accomplished through providing the highest quality stories, the greatest thrills and chills, and the friendliest Storytellers around, the first step towards meeting this goal is always sharing the passion for horror and Storytelling games that has made us one of White Wolf’s Senior Demo Teams. Like the bite of the zombies in one of our games this year, we believe this passion is infectious.

This year at The Grand Masquerade, many of our games have been shaped by the actions of previous years, and players both old and new are invited to join us to craft the next installment in what we hope will become far-reaching chronicles. In addition to these returning favorites, we have a new cavalcade of horrors both personal and other-worldly: from ghosts to mad gods, the Dark Ages to the Modern, and the subtle machinations of ancient monsters to open warfare. It is sure to be a weekend that is not to be missed!

The Grand Masquerade 2011, New Orleans

Rating System

Each of the games below is rated as Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. Advanced players are welcome to participate in Intermediate and Beginner games and Intermediate players in Beginner games.

Beginner: The game is playable by individuals with no knowledge of the World of Darkness rules system in question. Everything (including rules, dice, characters, and assistance) will be provided, and those who have never participated in a game are welcome.

Intermediate: Some knowledge of the World of Darkness setting in question is required. Players should be familiar with the rules which govern forming dice pools, difficulty settings, combat, and the core template which is featured in the game (for instance, vampires for Vampire: The Requiem, werewolves for Werewolf: The Forsaken, etc).

Advanced: Players should be intimately familiar with the product line on which the game is based. Storytellers will assume knowledge of all rules systems, background information (detailed knowledge of Covenants and Clans for V:tR; Auspices, Tribes, and Lodges for W:tF, etc). Old World of Darkness games will assume some knowledge of meta-plot and cross over rules.

All Old World of Darkness Vampire games will be based on the 20th Anniversary Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade

Seats are limited; please contact thegrandmasqueradeball@gmail.com to reserve yours. Those games which are marked (SOLD OUT) are sadly fully registered on both primary players and alternates.

Title: The Revolution Job

Time: Saturday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
System: Changeling: The Dreaming
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-Gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes, standard character creation; contact the Storyteller for more details by September 1st.
Storyteller: Cassandra
Storyteller Contact: autumn.riordan@gmail.com
Summary: The rich, powerful and (supposedly) normal take what they want. That’s always been true and in these latter days, never truer. In High King David’s absence, Winter is on the rise, and Concordia is in the grips of a civil war. The city of Boston – ironically known to mortals as the Cradle of Liberty – is caught in the iron grip of the upstart, Duke Tymon, and his ultra-conservative court. Now, Tymon and his fellows have gone too far: stealing treasures from the common folk, kidnapping free Kithain for their twisted system of fosterage and even moving in on the Fool’s Gambit, the most famous freehold of the city. It is plain to all that it is time to strike back, even to the most unlikely of heroes. Forget honor. Forget the art of the duel. You’re outlaws, brutes, spies and agents provocateurs, and you’re about to prove that bad guys really can make the best good guys. You’re going to give Boston’s commoners…leverage.

Title: Dust to Dust (3 Games)

Time: Wednesday 7:00 pm – 12:00 am (SOLD OUT); Friday 10 am – 2 pm; Sunday 10 am – 2 pm
System: Vampire 20th Anniversary
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Storyteller: Dave
Storyteller Contact: thegrandmasqueradeball@gmail.com
Summary: It has been years since the War for Chicago, and nearby Gary, Indiana has been impacted by the changes. Things are heating up just as a new coterie comes onto the scene. How will the balance of power shift in the coming nights?

This is a brand-new adventure written by White Wolf specifically for the Wrecking Crew’s use, using Vampire 20th Anniversary rules.

Title: Zombies vs The Masquerade… (SOLD OUT)

Time: Thursday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Masquerade
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 5 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; 35 XP
Storyteller: Dave
Storyteller Contact: thegrandmasqueradeball@gmail.com
Summary: The Sheriff has sent you to get to the bottom of a very public Masquerade breach. Last night in the ghetto, known as the “Isles,” there was a zombie incident. The end result was the death of a police officer and a shaky video that shows the three zombies going berserk. Let’s hope that this is all some stupid Ravnos joke…

Title: Rats’ Nest (SOLD OUT)

Time: Thursday 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Masquerade
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate to Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 5 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; 35 XP
Storyteller: Dave
Storyteller Contact: thegrandmasqueradeball@gmail.com
Summary: The Prince has hired you to figure out what happened in the recent Sabbat “disturbance.” This “disturbance” includes a traffic camera video of someone killing Mr. Dark, and a troubling rumor of an assassins’ guild. The Prince wants these problems handled discreetly.

Title: Rats’ Nest Part Deux (SOLD OUT)

Time: Thursday 9:00 pm – 2:00 am
System: Vampire: The Masquerade
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate to Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 5 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; 35 XP
Storyteller: Dave
Storyteller Contact: thegrandmasqueradeball@gmail.com
Summary: Ok, so the Prince asked you to look into a few problems: the Sabbat attack, the traffic video of someone garroting Mr. Dark’s head off, and a freaking assassins’ guild. But last night something went wrong. Now, things are slipping out of you grasp. Is someone hunting you? Did the prince hire all of you as trouble shooters or as patsies?

Title: Smoking is Still Bad for Your Health (SOLD OUT)

Time: Saturday 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, and Changeling: The Lost
Setting: Kind of Modern
Experience: Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided:
Create Your Own: Yes; Bring your own nWoD Vampire, Werewolf or Changeling table top character/LARP character, 50 XP equivalent. Characters must be approved by July 1st.
Storyteller: Dave
Storyteller Contact: thegrandmasqueradeball@gmail.com
Summary: Last year we started this story and this year we will finish it… Recently, you have had it rough. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. For the Vampires, things have been tense since two Elders almost went to war last week over a ghoul, or at least that is the rumor. Now no one is safe from being used as a pawn in their conflict. What’s worse: being the pawn or not knowing the real reason behind the Elder war?

In the Changeling freehold, there is a rumor about a motley that followed The Great Horned Lady of the Forest back to her realm to rescue a child. A heroic battle was fought and she was bested… or was she? The details become fuzzy at this point with lots of conjecture as to what really happened. One thing everyone can agree on is the fact that another Gentry who calls himself “Johnny Smokestack” showed up and bought the felled Fae.

The Forsaken are concerned because someone is spiriting away the young kin. Before they disappeared, however, they had started using phrases like “bloke” and “mate” as well as smoking like a factory in a bizarre version of Oliver Twist.

Title: Survival of the Fittest: Year 2 (2 Games)

Time: Thursday at 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm (SOLD OUT)
System: Vampire: The Masquerade (Sabbat)
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate to Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; 100 Freebies, no other restrictions
Storyteller: Dawn
Storyteller Contact: undeaddancer@yahoo.com
Summary: Last year, the Sabbat of Baton Rouge were nearly wiped out in a surgical strike by the Camarilla of New Orleans. Only a few of the strongest survived, banding together for a counter attack as ordered by the greatly displeased and wounded Bishop. Deviousness and cunning were the weapons of choice this time, and the newly formed pack succeeded where others failed and died. The Toreador Primogen and her childer were destroyed, and the Malkavian Primogen barely escaped. The coup de grace was getting the Brujah Primogen to switch sides and join the Sabbat. Now that you have him, how best to use him?

Please specify for which time slot you are signing up.

Title: The Shrouded Mirror

Time: Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
System: Geist: The Sin-Eaters
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner to Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; 100 XP, begin with Psyche of 4 for no cost
Storyteller: Dawn
Storyteller Contact: undeaddancer@yahoo.com
Summary: What would you see if you looked deep into your own soul? What would you hope to find there? What would you fear you would find? For a lost one, it leads only to madness. Now, madness threatens the city, its boundaries growing with each tear in the veil between life and death. The cause of the tear must be found and stopped, preferably before the madness consumes you as well.

Title: Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler: Day 2 (SOLD OUT)

Time: Friday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
System: nWoD – Mixed (Vampire, Geist, Changeling, Werewolf)
Setting: Modern
Experience: Moderate to Advanced
Seats: 10
Story Length: 6+ hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; 100 XP
Storyteller: Dawn
Storyteller Contact: undeaddancer@yahoo.com
Summary: Zombie hoards, voodoo priestesses, scavenger hunts, vibrating duffle bags, open supernatural warfare in Jackson Square… it is just the start of another typical Mardi Gras in New Orleans. That is until you turn on the television and watch the latest press release. Someone decided to let the cat out of the bag in the biggest known and recorded Masquerade breach in history. Everyone is on clean up duty for this.

Title: Secrets of Cordóba

Time: Thursday 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
System: Dark Ages: Mage
Setting: Dark Ages
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 5 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Jason
Summary: The era of Moorish Spain is drawing to a close, as the Almohad empire declines and the great cities of al-Andalus fall. You are the wizards of the chantry at Cordóba, protecting your sanctuary of learning and culture against the oncoming tide of faith and war. Your skills at politics and magic will be put to the test.

Title: Night of the Axeman (SOLD OUT)

Time: Friday 9:00 pm – 2:00 am
System: Victorian Age Vampire (Camarilla)
Setting: Victorian Age
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 5 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes; with customization
Create Your Own: Yes; As per the VtM/VA:V rules, but with 30 freebie points rather than 15 characters subject to ST approval; email your character prior to September 7th 2011.
Storyteller: Jason
Storyteller Contact: werther@hilander.com
Summary: The killings in Whitechapel inspired no few imitators, and New Orleans had its own “Ripper” at the dawn of the Jazz Age: the Axeman. He’s promised to kill again after midnight on the 19th, and the Court of New Orleans has assembled you to stop him… or at least preserve the Masquerade in his wake.

Title: Conjure Men

Time: Saturday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
System: Victorian Age: Vampire (Sabbat)
Setting: Victorian Age
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes; with customization
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Jason
Summary: A coven of blood sorcerers has been called together in the Midnight Court of Marie Laveau to defeat an adversary capable of severing the Kindred from the world of magic forever.

Title: Water and Earth

Time: Sunday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
System: Promethean: The Created
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes; with customization
Create Your Own: Yes; As per the P:tC rules with 25 experience. Homemade characters subject to ST approval; email your character prior to September 7th.
Storyteller: Jason
Storyteller Contact: werther@hilander.com
Summary: The Pilgrimage has drawn no small number of the Created to the city of New Orleans for the first Great Ramble of the 21st century. Those with an eye toward signs and portents say that this will be the site of a great display of power, and a crucial display of the nature of humanity. Those who come will not soon forget what they’ll witness.

Title: Remember Martin

Time: Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Requiem (simplified somewhat)
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 5
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-Gens: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Jeff
Contact: jlcrowl@gmail.com
Summary: We all remember Martin, the late Daeva Primogen. We remember that he rose too quickly to power, cut corners, and made three rivals for every ally. How he managed to get the support he did is a mystery, and how he stayed on top for his short tenure is more baffling still. That he met his end three nights ago isn’t a surprise to anyone. What has everyone puzzled, though, is who got around to doing the deed, and – more importantly – who’s going to take the fall for it.

Title: Lovely Saints – Year 5 – Part 1 (The Lovely Saints games are loosely tied together)

Time: Friday 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
System: Werewolf: The Forsaken
Setting: Modern
Experience: Moderate to Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Standard Werewolf: The Forsaken creation + 150 experience points
Storyteller: JT
Summary: A new player is coming to town and you’ve been contracted to make sure he doesn’t show. If course, there’s a catch: he won’t leave easy and you can’t kill him.

Title: Lovely Saints – Year 5 – Part 2

Time: Friday 8:00 pm – 2:00 am
System: Werewolf: The Forsaken
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate to Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Standard Werewolf: The Forsaken creation + 150 experience points
Storyteller: JT
Storyteller Contact:

Summary: You’ve arrived home to find that Isabella, your pack’s up and coming Omega on the brink of First Change, has gone missing. No one knows what happened.

Title: Lovely Saints – Year 5 – Part 3

Time: Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
System: Werewolf: The Forsaken
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate to Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Standard Werewolf: The Forsaken creation + 150 experience points
Storyteller: JT
Storyteller Contact:

Summary: The winds of change have been blowing and now everything you’ve built over the last 5 years is crashing down. Can you salvage your status, your kin, and your pack?

Title: Blood and Coffee (SOLD OUT)

Time: Wednesday 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
System: Vampire: The Masquerade
Setting: Modern
Experience: Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 6 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Camarilla clan vampires at 350 XP, approval by Mike before August 15th
Storyteller: Mike
Storyteller Contact: mikenihonde@yahoo.com
Summary: For the past 50 years, Seattle has existed in a state of uneasy truce between the Camarilla and the Sabbat: Prince Ekkehardt has ruled Northern Seattle and Bishop Molyneux, the South. Unfortunately, the Nisqually earthquake recently struck the Emerald City, unearthing the Prince’s resting place in the Underground at midday. That’s unfortunate for the Prince, but fortunate for his competitors: you. As the Camarilla Elders of Seattle, it’s up to you to grasp the delicate threads of the political infrastructure that are left to dangle after the Prince’s demise. You have to be quick and clever: there’s only room for one Prince. Of course, you also can’t hang the other Elders out to dry. When Molyneux finds out that North Seattle is leaderless, you’ll need as much help as you can get to defend the city from the Sabbat.

Title: Assamites off the Starboard Bow (SOLD OUT)

Time: Friday 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Dark Ages (Revised for nWoD)
Setting: Dark Ages
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 5 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Contact Mike for more information
Storyteller: Mike
Storyteller Contact: mikenihonde@yahoo.com
Summary: In 1202, two hundred ships leave the Venetian lagoons carrying warriors to take back the holy city of Jerusalem in the Fourth Crusade. Though the majority of the crusaders are French, the monetary power behind the Fourth Crusade is largely Venetian. Placed at the head of the fleet by Giovanni investors, Doge Enrico Dandalo, the Duke of the Republic of Venice, is set to lead the ships across the treacherous Mediterranean waters to glory and riches. Of course, Dandalo is getting on in years, and even the Giovanni blood that steals him for the long journey cannot stop the Children of Haqim from snuffing the life out of the eighty year old man. That’s why you’re here. Whether recruited out of holy zeal or base greed, the Giovanni have commissioned you to protect the life of Dandalo, and through him, the beginnings of the Fourth Crusade. You must find the assassins amid the soldiers and ships before they seize an opportunity to murder the duke. If Dandalo perishes, all will be lost.

Title: The Sad, Sad Tale of Alexander Vogel (SOLD OUT)

Time: Friday 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
System: World of Darkness
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Normal character generation (character age 16-18)
Storyteller: Mike
Storyteller Contact: mikenihonde@yahoo.com
Summary: The mansion of paper mogul Alexander Vogel has sat on the outskirts of Oshkosh, WI for as long as anyone can remember. Restored and declared a historical landmark in the 80’s, the building has almost escaped its reputation of being haunted. Until you and several others arrive to spend the night in the house. One among you has brought the house to life once more, and the only way to escape is to unravel the sad, sad tale of Alexander Vogel. Or obey the house and murder your friends…

Title: Picking up the Pieces (SOLD OUT)

Time: Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Masquerade
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Camarilla clan vampires at 50 XP, approval by Mike before August 15th
Storyteller: Mike
Storyteller Contact: mikenihonde@yahoo.com
Summary: For the past 50 years, Seattle has existed in a state of uneasy truce between the Camarilla and the Sabbat: Prince Ekkehardt has ruled Northern Seattle and Bishop Molyneux, the South. No more. Last night’s assault on Northern Seattle had drastic consequences upon the Emerald City. Of course, the Elders never want to dirty their hands with the details, so you’re stuck with the drudge work. Uh oh, looks like it’s going to rain…

Title: Great Uncle Victor

Time: Sunday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
System: Vampire: The Requiem
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Mike
Storyteller Contact: mikenihonde@yahoo.com
Summary: Great Uncle Victor has served the Invictus Princes of Tacoma well for the past hundred years. Some might say too well. Respected and held in high regard (for a ghoul), Great Uncle Victor has kept the city of Tacoma running smoothly during the interchange of Princes, making himself nearly indispensible to the proper running of the city. If Uncle Victor were to perish, the city would fall into chaos. Or at least, that’s what the local Carthian cell believes. Of course, the Invictus won’t give up their hold on the city easily, and Uncle Victor would probably pay awfully well to keep his head connected to his shoulders. So, whose side are you on? More importantly, what about your so-called “friends?”

Title: Cat and Mouse (SOLD OUT)

Time: Friday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
System: Changeling: The Lost
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Normal character generation
Storyteller: Michael
Storyteller Contact: michael.o.c.sullivan@gmail.com
Summary: Having just barely escaped the nightmare that is Arcadia and your Keeper, you return to the small town from which you and your friends were taken. Eager to return to the lives that were stolen from you, you’re horrified to find that something has taken your place. These doppelgangers live in your homes, sup with your families, and hold positions of prominence in your community. As if that weren’t bad enough, your Fetches know that you have returned and they’ll stop at nothing to keep what they’ve taken from you. Let the games begin.

Title: A Master-Planned Community

Time: Saturday 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
System: Hunter: The Vigil
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginning
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens provided: No
Create Your Own: Yes; normal Hunter: The Vigil creation with 40 XP
Storyteller: Michael
Storyteller Contact: michael.o.c.sullivan@gmail.com
Summary: The last time you stood down the blood-sucker you were unprepared, sloppy. She captured one of the founding members of your cell and turned him into a vampire as retribution. This time, you were more cautious. You’ve spent two months in surveillance – sneaking around, sleeping in cars, eating take-out food – always resting on pins and needles, fearing that at any moment you or a member of your cell may be caught. It was worth it, though. You’ve received information that she will be at a certain party, a certain part in which you have snuck members of your cell in as catering staff. Tonight, you avenge your fallen comrades.

Title: Nightmares

Time: Sunday 11am – 3pm
System: World of Darkness
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: Yes; Standard Character Creation
Storyteller: Michael
Storyteller Contact: michael.o.c.sullivan@gmail.com
Summary: Life’s been good since you and your coworkers were relocated by the Company to the idyllic suburb. That is until the nightmares came. Over the past several days you and your friends have suffered troubled dreams: flashes of light, strange creatures looming, operating tables, and worse. When you try to explain them to your friends and family, their faces slacken for a second before they change the subject. When you mention it to the neighborhood’s Company Wellness Liaison, her grin becomes forced as she parrots words like “stress” and “comes with a change of environment”. But the feelings of isolation and alienation just grow stronger with time. Could this just be a nervous breakdown, or is there something truly wrong with your new home? You know what they say: you’re not paranoid if they’re really out to get you…

Title: Shells and Hollow Men

Time: Friday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
System: Mage: The Ascension
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Tom
Summary: The Hollow Ones are misfits among the Traditions: barely tolerated and never respected. Thrust together by circumstance, they build the world of tomorrow out of today’s despair, dancing the razorblade’s edge. But can they stand in the face of the New World Order’s “Urban Deviation Purge?”

Title: The Academy of Occult Arts and Sciences

Time: Friday 11:00 pm – 3:00 am
System: Mage: The Awakening and World of Darkness: Innocents
Setting: Modern
Experience: Intermediate
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Tom
Summary: Being a kid is rough. Being a kid taken from your parents and thrust into a life of darkness, magic and terror can’t make it any easier. All you have is each other, your wits and a bit of new-found magic to survive the worst horror imaginable: school.

Title: Whispers (SOLD OUT)

Time: Saturday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
System: Mage: The Awakening
Setting: Modern
Experience: Beginner
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Tom
Summary: Something has awoken in the woods. It calls, beckoning to the dark things out of nightmare, creatures that have no right to exist. Its influence has been growing, but the snow has kept your sleepy mountain town away from the threat under a thick, protective blanket. Now that cover has been torn away, and unless you can stop it, the darkness will swallow your friends and family.

Title: Horizon: The Final Frontier

Time: Saturday 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
System: Mage: The Ascension
Setting: Futuristic Horizon Realm
Experience: Advanced
Seats: 6
Story Length: 4 hours
Pre-gens Provided: Yes
Create Your Own: No
Storyteller: Tom
Summary: The crew of the Deep Space Aethership Argon is the final hope for the Horizon Realm of Orbius, which is under imminent assault by Nephandi forces while encroaching Marauders rage at the gates. Can they drive back those given over to darkness and Quiet without losing their own minds in the process?

The Grand Masquerade 2011

The Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Convention

Due to the incredible success of The Grand Masquerade 2010, White Wolf is invitng all World of Darkness fans to join us for The Grand Masquerade 2011, September 15-18 at the legendary Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. In cooperation with The Camarilla Fan Club, One World by Night, The Garou Nation, The Wrecking Crew and The Elder Kindred Network, the gala affair will celebrate the historic 20th anniversary of Vampire: The Masquerade.

A defining moment and not-to-be-missed event, The Grand Masquerade 2011 brings together the glamour and style from Grand Masquerade 2010 and blends it with the historic intimacy of the heart of the world’s most iconic vampire city, the New Orleans French Quarter.

Find out more at TheGrandMasquerade.com.

Related posts:

1. Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition eBook is available now!
2. White Wolf 2011-2012 New Release Schedule!
3. Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition

New York, New York and Rosemont, Illinois — North America’s largest pop-culture tour continues as Wizard World Chicago Comic Con returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, August 11-14, with superstar guests Patrick Stewart, Bruce Campbell, Christopher Lloyd, Morena Baccarin, Felicia Day, Academy Award Winner® Lou Gossett Jr. and James Marsters headlining the list of celebrity attendees. The event 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.

Stewart (X-MEN, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) will attend on Friday and Saturday only. Campbell (“Burn Notice,” ARMY OF DARKNESS) and Day (“The Guild,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”) are scheduled to appear on Saturday and Sunday. The three-time Emmy Award winner Lloyd (BACK TO THE FUTURE, “Taxi”) and Baccarin (“V,” “Stargate SG-1”) will be available on Saturday only. Marsters (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Caprica”) is scheduled for Friday through Sunday.

“Wizard World Chicago Comic Con is our longest running event, and we are excited to be bringing our most star-studded field of celebrities and artists ever to the Stephens Convention Center,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO. “The show has huge stars like Patrick Stewart and Christopher Lloyd who are known all over the world, and, as always, features guests from some of the most popular film, TV and comics franchises like Star Wars, Buffy and Spider-Man. This is by far the largest pop-culture event in the region, and the fans, vendors, guests and other attendees have rewarded us by coming in more record numbers every year.”

Wizard World Chicago is also an incredible place to meet and get sketches and autographs from some of the top international creators, many of whom rarely, if ever, appear in the U.S. This includes Mike Deodato Jr. (Brazil), Eduardo Risso (Argentina), Humberto Ramos (Mexico), Mico Suayan (Phillipines), Will Conrad (Brazil), Ariel Olivetti (Argentina), Pia Guerra (Canada) and more.

Wizard World also has a massive number of top comics creators scheduled for Artist Alley, such as Jim Cheung (“Avengers,” “Uncanny X-Men”), Brian Azzarello (writer, “Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance,” “100 Bullets”), Dave Johnson (“Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance, 100 Bullets”), Patrick Gleason (“Batman and Robin”), Michael Golden (“Spider-Man,” “Hulk”), William Stout (Paleontological Artist), Larry Elmore (“Magic: The Gathering”), Ben Templesmith (“30 Days of Night”), Greg Horn (“Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” “Hero For Hire”), Freddie Williams II (“JSA All-Stars”), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”) and hundreds of others.

In addition to Gossett Jr., the Chicago Comic Con celebrity roster includes a bevy of major award winners and nominees, including Emmy Award Winners LeVar Burton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” ROOTS), Peter Tork (“The Monkees”) and Phil Ortiz (“The Simpsons”), Emmy Award Nominees Mimi Rogers (AUSTIN POWERS, “The X-Files,”) and Pam Grier (“Smallville,” “The L Word”), Grammy Award Winner Tia Carrere (WAYNE’S WORLD, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Tony Award Honoree Dan Fogler (BALLS OF FURY, GOOD LUCK CHUCK).

Other popular celebrity guests scheduled to be on hand at the event include Julie Benz (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Desperate Housewives”), Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”), Colin Ferguson (“Eureka,” THE OPPOSITE OF SEX), Vivica A. Fox (KILL BILL VOL. 1 and VOL. 2, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Kai Owen (“Torchwood,” “Fun at the Funeral Parlour”), Ray Park (STAR WARS: EPISODE 1, X-MEN), Gareth David-Lloyd (“Torchwood,” SHERLOCK HOLMES), Alaina Huffman (“Smallville,” “SGU Stargate Universe”), Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk,” “The King of Queens,”) and James C. Burns (voice actor, “Call of Duty: Black Ops”). BOONDOCK SAINTS co-stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery will also reunite at the event.

The convention center floor will also feature several famous TV and movie vehicles for fans to pose with, including the Batmobile (original “Batman” series), DeLorean Time Machine (BACK TO THE FUTURE), The Mystery Machine (SCOOBY DOO) and Ecto-1 (GHOSTBUSTERS).

Children and adult attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite villain, superhero or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in costume contests. Event-goers may also try their hand interactive product exhibits and shop for collectible comics, movie and television memorabilia, toys and games at more than 200 dealer booths.

And Sunday, August 14, is Kids Day at Chicago Comic Con, with face painting, balloons, a “passport” treasure hunt and other activities designed especially for kids! Other special events include card gaming tournaments, professional photo opportunities (Photo Ops) and more.

Chicago Comic Con is the seventh stop on Wizard World’s 2011 North American tour. Hours are Thursday, August 11, 5 – 9 p.m.; Friday, August 12, noon – 8 p.m.; Saturday, August 13, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; and Sunday, August 14, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online at http://www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html at a savings over tickets purchased at the door. Advance adult single-day tickets are priced at $25 ($35 on site); four-day all-session tickets are $50 ($60 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.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

Related posts:

1. Wizard World 2010: an Artist’s Alley Perspective
2. Do Fanboys Dream of Spandex Sheep? Wizard World Chicago 2010
3. Wizard World and The Hero Initiative partner for 2010