C-3PO and Walking Dead Artist are coming to c2E2

By Lance Fensterman
C2E2

Anthony Daniels (aka C-3PO)

As I've grown older, more good looking and of course wiser, I've realized that I have two great loves that have never dwindled. One being undead zombies and the other would be robots with British accents. I've always wished I could have my own C-3PO to make witty comments and talk in a funny accent all day long. Luckily for us, the man behind the gold bling, Anthony Daniels, will be strutting down the halls of C2E2! Not only do we have one guest to announce to kick off your weekend, but we're doubling up on this one! Comic artist extraordinaire, Tony Moore will also be coming to Chi-Town this Spring! Can you imagine an army of golden robots and zombies strolling hand in hand through the Windy City? Maybe I got carried away a little there, but I'm all hyped up now! You won't believe what we have lined up next week.

After watching this character on the big screen for decades as C-3PO, it's finally time to meet the man behind it all! Anthony Daniels has performed on every stage in the realm of entertainment.  From bringing one of Star Wars most beloved characters to life to Sesame Street, he's an actor that can do it all. Join us in welcoming this phenomenal legend to the world of C2E2 this Spring!

Are you a fan of Zombies? Well you're in luck because this artist specializes in horrifically awesome comics. One big one you might know is The Walking Dead series that has turned into a top notch television show. Tony Moore is one accomplished comic artist to say the least. Without his creativity, some of our favorite comic memories would have never existed! We can't wait to see what this award winning artist brings in April.

Best Foreign Film Nominee A SEPARATION Opens Tomorrow at Music Box

Music Box Theater

Best Foreign Film Nominee A SEPARATION Opens Tomorrow!
 Happy Thursday, Music Boxers,

‘“Four Stars” – Roger Ebert
“The film is a singular achievement.” – Michael Phillips
“Captures the drama and suspense of real life as urgently as any picture released this year.” – Bob Mondello
“A quiet reminder of how good it’s possible for movies to be.” – Dana Stevens

This what our favorite critics are saying about Best Foreign Language Film Nominee A SEPARATION. It’s a virtual lock for the Oscar (or is it?) and the Music Box has the exclusive engagement in Chicago! Check it out this weekend and let us know what you think!
Also, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we’re planning lots of fun events. Check out the schedule here!

Special Announcement
Sundance USA returns to the Music Box Theatre!
For the third year in a row, Music Box Theatre is honored to partner with Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. and its nationwide tour. This year, we have been selected to host the World Premiere of actor/director Julie Delpy’s new film 2 Days In New York, a follow-up to her 2007 film, 2 Days In Paris.

Graham Crackers Comics New Release List for Feb. 1st, 2012

Graham Crackers Comics

NEXT WEEKS NEW COMICS will be out WEDNESDAY Feb. 1st!

This week for the ON-LINE special, we're promoting the brand new HERO INITIATIVE exclusive OVERSTREET PRICE GUIDE for $10 off it's regular $35 price.  Pick one up for only $25 bucks and enjoy a sturdy John Romita exclusive cover limited to only 500 copies made for just about the price of a regular softcover Ovestreet guide!

Besides being a handy 'price guide', the Overstreet yearly guide offers so much more.  How to grade comic books, tips on stroage preservation, industry collecting observation and changes through the years and more!


Every comic is somebody's first comic, be it good or bad, over the next couple months we'll showcase what was each GCC staff's first comic book ~ maybe it was your first book as well!

Tim Kopecky - Plainfield -
INFINITY GAUNTLET #3
The first comic that I actually remember reading and to this day remains an all time favorite is Infinity Gauntlet #3. Being a child of the 80's I was fascinated with space and the great beyond. Explorers, The Last Starfighter, Flight of the Navigator were on constantly replay in the VCR. Up until then I was only familiar with Earth bound heroes from the newspaper funnies and sunday morning cartoons. So seeing this cover I thought I was going to get to see them all in action. Oh how wrong I was. Upon reading the issue not only did I find who would become my favorite comic character( to this day I MUST have everything Thanos) but a whole slew of cosmic characters that would have me scouring back issues for the next 20 years. They were beings of immense power that could lay waste to any of the earth's mightiest heroes. It was action and adventure all in one. Very Empire Strikes Back(the best of the trilogy in my opinion) and has had me saying "make mine Marvel" ever since.

Chris Vittoe -
Downers Grove -
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #4
My first single issue comic, Batman and the Outsiders #4, was
automatically cool to me without even opening it. First it was a
Batman book (my all time favorite character); second Green Arrow was on the cover. I had read everything the library had with Green Arrow from Smith, Winick, and O'Neil. This issue was a gateway drug to the
rest of the DC universe. As cool as I remember the issue being, I remember little about the story itself.
I think there was a jungle? Villains were fought. Good guys win the day, probably.

Reviews and new releases after the jump!

David Petersen & Mike Silvestri Are Coming to C2E2

Lance Fensterman
C2E2

David Petersen

Hiiiyooooo! So I was driving around in my pimped out mini coop the other day, feeling oddly small compared to the other cars on the road and I got to thinking about the Mouse Guard series. What would you do if a tiny mouse came at you, dressed in a cape... with a sword? Personally, I would hop in my mini and hit the pavement faster than you can say "Wonder Woman Wears a Wonder Bra" five times fast. But it did make me think of how these little mice take on the world similar to how we're going to take on Chi-Town in April! Who better to help lead the way than the Mouse Guard creator, David Petersen who will officially be joining us at C2E2 2012! Our C2E2 fans are like an army of dedicated soldiers every spring, so why not treat yourselves this year with a VIP Ticket? Cut the lines, be the first on the Show Floor and have the type of C2E2 experience you deserve. We're preparing for battle to bring you the best show you can imagine and this is only the beginning. We have a lot more coming your way as we get closer to the show so stay tuned!

Mouse Guard creator, David Petersen, is going to be joining us in the Windy City this Spring! If you haven't read the series yet, do it. Now. David has more creativity in his finger than most do in their entire body. Our goal is to bring as much imagination to C2E2 as we can each year. With David in tow, we can't wait to see what he brings to enhance the already massive ship that is C2E2!


Marc Silvestri

Another large and in charge artist will be coming to C2E2! Marc Silvestri is no doubt an artist to be reckoned with. The artist made his big break with "Uncanny X-Men" and then the spin off of the bad-ass comic "Wolverine." From starting out at DC and Marvel Comics to now being the CEO of Top Cow Productions, Marc's been through it all. He's brought a lot to the comic world throughout the past couple decades and we are pumped to have him!

Drag City presents Dragonslayer - Chicago premier tomorrow!

Chicago debut of Tristan Patterson’s award-winning documentary, Dragonslayer! featuring live music by Chicago’s own Mayor Daley and Bitchin Bajas.

Dragonslayer
Directed by Tristan Patterson
Starring Josh 'Skreech' Sandoval

Drag City and the Music Box are crossing streams for a one night only screening of Dragonslayer, the award-winning documentary from director Tristan Patterson and executive producer Christine Vachon.

That’s a whole lotta troublemakers right there. But we couldn’t just slap a couple of moving images on the wall and be like, “Hey! Show up to this sh*t!” So we’re gonna make an event of it: On January 18th the folks at Rodan in Wicker Park are letting us squat their place and throw a party from 7-10pm with some semi-talented people making music while we preview the film. Then the night of the screening Bitchin’ Bajas will perform with visual artist Olivia Wyatt as people gather in their seats. The organ player reduced to dust!

ADVANCE TICKETS HERE

Plus, since the dee-slayer is a certain shade of rock and roll, Mayor Daley will jam some tunes before the curtain opens on what may very well be the best documentary about skateboarding or the suburbs ever. To add just one more thing to make this event unforgettable, the director of the film, Tristan Patterson, will be answering questions via Skype after the movie is over!

Directed by Tristan Patterson and executive produced by indie-maverick Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry, Storytelling) Dragonslayer is the Grand Jury Prize Winner for Best Documentary at SXSW 2011 and the second feature film to be released theatrically by Drag City Film Distribution following Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers. An intimate vérité portrait of the life and times of Josh “Skreech” Sandoval, a 23-year-old skate legend from the stagnant suburbs of Fullerton California, Dragonslayer takes the viewer through a golden SoCal haze of lost youth, broken homes and abandoned swimming pools, set to a soundtrack of Best Coast, Bipolar Bear, Children, Dungen, Jacuzzi Boys, Little Girls and The Soft Pack – as well as Death and Thee Oh Sees.

Oscar Nominees Announced

The Oscar nominations were announced early this morning.

Geekdom is represented by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which has nominations in Best Acress (Rooney Mara), Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 got some love with Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects.

Visual Effects had the largest number of sci-fi/fantasy films with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Real Steel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon nominated. Transformers also choice The Girl in the Sound Editing and Mixing categories. Original Song has only two entries, “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets and “Real in Rio” from Rio.

Full listing of nominees, courtesy of EW.com, after the jump...

New Release List for Jan 25th, + store signing!

Graham Crackers Comics

HELP US WIN A DARK HORSE RELEASE PARTY!
Dark Horse comics is holding a contest to have a DARK HORSE party with publisher MIKE RICHARDSON showing up!

Help us win by LIKING our posts or posting your love for our shop at the following link:
http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/777/mike-richardson-comes-your-store

We're posting photos of customers wearing the Mike Richardson mask in our shop - if you're feeling up to it, please pose for us next time you're in!

Free DARK HORSE COMIC BOOKS and trade paperbacks will be given away and we can't think of a better way to celebrate 30 years of being in business than by having Mike himself come by and party with us!

WED. FEBRUARY 15th

the WALKING DEAD author Jay Bonansinga will be signing at 77 E. Madison right across from Millennium Park
12pm - 2pm
Graham Crackers Comics Chicago LOOP

You know you've been meaning to read this prequel novel telling the story of the Governors rise to power.

Co written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga, Jay will be at the store to personalize your copy and talk about the process of putting together a novel prequel based on one of the most popular storylines from the Walking Dead.

Adam Hughes is Coming to C2E2!

Lance Fensterman
C2E2




Adam Hughes
Photo courtesy of C2E2

Meeeeeyowwwww! So I was sitting at home the other night building a life size statue of Catwoman out of legos and I was thinking to myself, "what would make C2E2 even cooler this year?" We all know that the one thing that would make C2E2 even cooler is MORE COWBELL! However, the second thing that would make C2E2 wildly cool is MORE CATWOMAN! Especially the Catwoman that Adam Hughes draws. Mmm...goggles....but I digress. The big news for today is that Adam Hughes is coming back to the biggest pop culture party in Chicago! I know I am excited and I am sure you are too. Do you have a special cat friend in your life that you would like to treat to the ultimate C2E2 experience? You are in luck because C2E2 VIP Tickets are on sale now and we all know that you deserve the very best. Don't hesitate - snag yourself a C2E2 VIP Ticket. The C2E2 train is rollin' now at full steam ahead, we are Midwest bound and down, we are comin' in hot and this is just the start, Chicago. Brace yourselves.

How many of you have the pin-up of Catwoman or Wonder Woman gracing the walls of your rooms? Well, meet the man who made that possible! We are ecstatic to have such a talented artist like Adam Hughes in the halls of C2E2. He's made his mark on DC Comics, Marvel and plenty of other notable comics and magazines. Leaving little to the imagination is Adam's specialty and we can't wait to see what he brings to C2E2 2012!

It's artists galore! We have comic geniuses on our hands who have drawn every comic fan's favorite series under the sun including Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Adventures of Captain America, Green Lantern and much, much more. Come see Franco, Allison Sohn, Katie Cook, Kevin Maguire, Lee Kohse and Ivan Brandon in action. Artist Alley is shaping up to be have talent up the ying yang, make sure you check these guys out!

Sundance USA 2012 Comes to the Music Box!

Happy Thursday, Music Boxers!

Do you have your tickets yet for Sundance USA 2012? We’re premiering Julie Delpy’s new film 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK, starring Chris Rock. This year, we’re hosting co-star and co-writer Alexia Landeau who will present the film and stick around for a post-screening Q&A! Tickets are on sale here!

Opening this week is NORWEGIAN WOOD based on the novel by Haruki Murakami and a brand new print of THE WAGES OF FEAR. Check out our friend Roger Ebert’s Great Movie review here!
And stay tuned, because next week open Oscar-favorite A SEPARATION. Get excited.

See you at the movies!

Now Playing  
 The Wages of Fear
“HEART-STOPPING! See it on the big screen if you possibly can."”
–Roger Ebert
New 35mm print of the classic thriller
In a squalid South American oil town, four desperate men sign on for a suicide mission to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over a treacherous mountain route to a faraway oil fire. The result is one of the greatest thrillers ever committed to celluloid, a white-knuckle ride from France’s legendary master of suspense, Henri-Georges Clouzot, now in a gorgeous new 35mm print created from a complete HD digital restoration.
 

No Satanic Porn: Jennie Breeden of The Devil's Panties

We happen to be big fans of webcomics here. And our favorite happens to be The Devil's Panties by Jennie Breeden. She was gracious enough to agree to be our first interview. After we got done with our fanboy squeeing, we asked her about drawing, fans and blowing kilts.

Windy City Banner - First question, did you ever think you’d be where you are with your comic when you first started?

Jennie Breeden - Not at all. I started it as a way to keep active art wise, while working those temporary after college jobs. I kept seeing friends graduate and get a job to pay off student loans and then never go back to art. I saw a daily online comic as a way to have an incentive to keep drawing while I looked for a "real" comic book job. It wasn't until I started getting large ($60 is huge for a college student) donations that I realized there might be some monetary compensation in this webcomic gig. I started the comic in 2001 and as far as I knew, no one was making a living wage doing webcomics.

WCB - Are surprised at the following you have for the Devil’s Panties? Especially since as of this past September, you’ve been doing it for ten years?

Jennie - I don't think that I'll ever fully comprehend the size of online readership. I hope I never do because I might run in fear of the idea of so many people seeing my art. It's all just numbers on a screen until an actual physical person walks up to you and says they read your comic. I'm always floored by that. "But I don't know you, why would you be interested in reading my work?" I hope that I will always get that bizarre thrill when I meet someone who is familiar with my comic strip.
I try not to think about how long I've been doing the comic. It only feels like two or three years and then I'll have a college graduate say they started reading my stuff in middle school.

More after the jump!

Hugo Award Nomination Period is Open

CHICAGO - Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), is delighted to announce that the 2012 Hugo Award nomination period is now open.

Nomination ballots will be accepted from January 2, 2012, to Sunday, March 11, 2012, 23:59 PDT for the prestigious Hugo Awards and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Members of Chicon 7 and LoneStarCon 3 (the 2013 Worldcon) who join by January 31, 2012, and all members of Renovation, the 2011 Worldcon, are invited to submit nominating ballots.

The Hugo Awards are the premier award in the science fiction genre, honoring science fiction literature and media as well as the genre's fans. The Awards were first presented at the 1953 World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia (Philcon II), and they have continued to honor science fiction and fantasy notables for nearly 60 years.

More information about the Hugo Awards, including details about how to submit a nominating ballot, is available from www.chicon.org/hugo-awards.php. Nominations may be submitted by postal mail or online.

For additional information, contact us at hugoadmin@chicon.org.

WI Update: All Six Recalls Have Signatures Needed; A Look to What’s Next

Segway Jeremy Ryan
AddictingInfo.com

It was November 15, 2011, a day that I will never forget. It was night-time and we were all waiting until midnight so we could start signing recall petitions. The recall had officially started and it was not going to be an easy task. We had two months to collect over 540,000 valid signatures. We had goals ranging from 700,000 to a million signatures. Wisconsinites worked as hard as they could even through the holiday season. Mother nature seems to have agreed with the recall of Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch as well as we had the best weather in December and January that I have ever seen here in Wisconsin. We had thirty to fifty degree days throughout most of our signature collecting period. It is only fitting, I guess, that it snowed right as the recall was concluding. But today is Friday, the recall is over. We don’t know the number of signatures but we do know we have enough. Perhaps even more surprising, however, is how well the Senate recalls did. All four of the State Senators who had recalls filed against them have enough signatures to hold an election. In the recall of Scott Fitzgerald we see how even a very conservative district can turn on you when you betray the people. This recall was started by one woman, Lori Compas, and with a ton of passion and absolutely no help from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin until the last two days. The State of Wisconsin owes a lot to Lori.

Graham Cracker Comics New Release list for Jan 18th, 2012

Graham Cracker Comics

6 of the DC NEW 52 are getting cancelled:
Men of War, Mister Terrific, O.M.A.C., Hawk and Dove, Blackhawks and Static Shock.
not to worry though, they are being replaced with 6 new ongoing titles:

Ravagers by Howard Mackie & Ian Churchill
Dial H for Hero returns by China Mieville & Mateus Santoluco
Worlds Finest with Power Girl & Huntress (both Earth 2 characters) by Paul Levitiz with art by George Perez and Kevin Maguire, in rotating arcs.
Justice Society by James Robinson & Nicola Scott
GI Combat by JT Krull and Ariel Olivetti dealing with Dinosaur Island
plus Unknown Solider back by Palmiotti and Panosian as well as Huanted Tank by Arcudi & Scott Kolins
Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham

Second Saturday Silent Cinema! Crispin Glover! Sundance USA 2012!

Music Box Theatre

Who’s ready for another edition of Second Saturday Silent Cinema? This Saturday, we’re bringing you King Vidor’s 1928 classic SHOW PEOPLE, starring Marion Davies! Show starts at 12:00pm, with organ accompaniment!

We’re just about 24 hours away from THE RETURN OF CRISPIN HELLION GLOVER! He’s here both Friday and Saturday night to presents his films ‘It is fine. EVERYTHING IS FINE” (Fri.) and “What is it?” (Sat.) Both performances will be followed by Q&As and book signings! Get your tickets here!

Last but not least, time is running out to get your tickets to SUNDANCE USA 2012. We’re hosting actress Julie Delpy’s new film 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK starring Chris Rock. As in past years, a special guest from the film is going to drop by to say ‘hi’ and participate in Q&A session after the film! Purchase your tickets here!

See you at the movies!

Modern Day Rippers / Ez Kebage / Early Onset Concert

Come out and celebrate Friday the 13th with a few bands and some awesome people. The Mutiny is 21+ and FREE to get in! Performing: Modern Day Rippers Ez Kebage Early Onset Concert From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Mutiny Chicago 2428 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 View Map · Get Directions

Destination Truth Star coming to c2E2

Lance Fensterman
C2E2

Josh Gates

What's poppin' Windy City? Is the weather making you feel colder than a Yeti hiding up in the Himalayas? Well, we're about to warm you up with our first big Entertainment Guest Announcement. I hope you're ready for some paranormal activities to occur at C2E2 when Josh Gates from SyFy's Destination Truth will be joining us this spring! We can't promise he'll be showered and camera ready from his last excursion or that his car won't break down on the way, but we can guarantee some epic monster hunting tales to be told during his panel. Josh is dedicated to traveling the world looking for the unknown and we love how dedicated all of our adventurous fans are to the beast of a show that is C2E2! We want to treat you like an all-star at the show so be the first to snag a VIP Ticket January 19 at 12:00 PM CST! There's only a limited amount and you really don't want to miss out on all of the awesomeness that comes with a VIP Ticket so get yours now! Can you feel the excitement brewing on the horizon? We are just getting warm Chicago so just wait till you see what we have in store for you next week. Banzai!

Firefly MMO may open end of February

Earlier this week, we mreported about the long delayed Firefly MMO from Multiverse being delayed.... again. However, another MMO has started to get some attention.

DarkCryo Entertainment has set a date for the launch of it's Firefly Universe Online MMO. The game, currently in closed beta, will launch on February 29, 2012. Players can be in one of four factions: Alliance, Browncoats, Reavers or Megacorps (such as Blue Sun).

The active Firefly roleplay community in Second Life virtual world was interested in the possibilities. And while reaction was supportive, none planned to quit the roleplay environment that has grown in Second Life over the past five years.

Firefly Universe Online is seeking officaial endorsement by Fox and Joss Whedon's Mutant Enemy, the company said in a press release this past summer. It will proceed under fair use as an unauthorized canonical parady as a tribute to fans, cast and Whedon.

The MMO continues in the same vein as the fan film Browncoats: Redemption that premiered at Dragon Con in 2010.

For more information and to sign up for the MMO, go to http://fireflyuniverseonline.com.

SyFy's new Original Movie: Collision Earth

SyFy has released another original "movie." This stars Kirck Acevedo who's past credit's include some of NBC's best dramas and HBO's "Oz." So the man does have skills. And now he's doing SyFy originals. Maybe he lost a bet. Here's a clip.

Firefly MMO? Maybe?

Rumors of a Firefly MMO have once again started seeping through the internet. Blaster reported last week that Multiverse, the company that has been working on a MMO for Browncoats, shut down a couple of weeks ago. However, the Multiverse Foundation, which just started, wants to take over. They've gotten the source code and is working on it now. Besides, the foundation doesn't have the rights to Serenity or the show, so may not be able to release it anyway. And there's been talk of a Firefly MMO for years. In fact, the last the staff here heard about it was in 2007.

Should you not want to wait, there is online Firefly roleplay in Second Life. Our sister publication, the 'Verse Voice, covers much of the RP news, along with some general Second Life and science fiction news. You can see the oldest of the Firefly SL communities here in Washtown (the crappy little town named after Wash the pilot. It also has information of Firefly in SL and the other Firefly and those that just work with the roleplay. You will have to join Second Life to visit, but you can do that for free.

Doctor Whedon - Too Cool

We're not sure if this is crossing the streams or not, but this was too cool not to pass on. Please be sure to clean up after your geekgasm.

New Releases at Graham Cracker Comics

John Robinson
Graham Cracker Comics

CHICAGO - So far, so good. 2012 promises to be a good year for our industry. With industry leaders MARVEL & DC both willing to shake things up, newcomers like VALIANT comics returning and hopefully bringing some lapsed 90's readers back! Not to mention 3 blockbuster potential super-hero films all hitting this year! (Spider-Man, Batman & Avengers). We have some exciting plans in store for 2012 as well and can't wait to announce them both here and in our bi-annual newsletter. Changes are coming to the website, the store and more as we look to expand our selections, hours and options
to best benefit you!

KYLE HIGGINS SIGNING
at Graham Crackers Comics LOOP location

Thanks to KYLE HIGGINS, author of DC COMICS Gates of Gotham, Nightwing & Deathstroke series for coming in yesterday (Wednesday Jan 4th) to meet with fans, sign copies and be an all around stand up guy!

Besides being an excellent writer, Kyle did some free head sketches for customers as well - Thanks again Kyle for coming out!

thanks again for shopping with us!

Crispin Glover Returns to Music Box Theater

CHICAGO - Happy Thursday, Music Boxers!

Just eight short days from now, Crispin Hellion Glover will be at the Music Box Theatre to present his two films “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE” and “What is it?”. You know Glover from Alice in Wonderland, Hot Tub Time Machine, Charlie’s Angels and… what’s that other one? Oh, yeah – Back to the Future! Purchase your tickets to both nights – January 13 and 14 – here!

Also, opening tomorrow is THE CONQUEST, about French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s rise to power and Takeshi Kitano’s new thriller OUTRAGE.

Oh, and don’t forget — tickets to Sundance USA 2012 featuring Julie Delpy’s film 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK are on sale now. Get yours here!

See you at the Movies!

Large Scale Gaming Returns To Milwaukee

MILWUAKEE - Milwaukee has always been well known for its history and devotion to the gaming industry.  Some would argue that Wisconsin is where it all started in a town called Lake Geneva and with a man named Gary.  Daydream Productions, LLC is pleased to announce the Midwinter Gaming Convention January 19-22, 2012.  The convention has grown since its inception and now finds a new home at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Milwaukee.

This year boasts an amazing line up of game offerings to satisfy any desire.  The following are just a few of the events, games and special offerings for this year at the convention:

• Feature LARPS (live action role play) from various groups and genres including; nearly all genres of the White Wolf gaming series, various steampunk LARPS, call of Cthulhu LARP, Nero and many more.
• Dozens of table and card games including Magic the Gathering, VTES (vampire the eternal struggle), munchkin and many more.
• Special guest appearances and performances from Team Starkid, Dead Gentlemen Productions & Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, and the OWBN Hour of Power will have a live show all this with other special film viewings, Q&A sessions and much more.

Local Chicago Guests Come to C2E2

Happy New Year Chi-Town! Now that the celebrations are over and the confetti and party hats are put away, we're ready to continue the 2012 par-tay with a collection of Chicago based Guests coming C2E2's way this April. VIP Tickets are also going on sale this month so keep an eye out for when these puppies are available so you don't miss out. Now that we're done counting down to 2012, let the C2E2 countdown begin!

Stay nerdy my friends,
- Lance

We're pumped to announce a slew of Chicago based artists that will be joing us for C2E2 2012. We're talking about Art Baltazar, Geof Darrow, Chris Burnham, Ben Templesmith, Jill Thompson, Jenny Frison, Gary Gianni, Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. You'll be able to find all of these awesome Guests in Artist Alley. Make sure you come visit some of our favorite Windy City natives this April!

http://c2e2.com/Whos-Coming/Guests/?campaignid=61665889&iusercampaignid=69003594

William Shatner, Stan Lee Highlight Wizard World New Orleans

Wizard World

NEW ORLEANS – Rare meet-and-greets and Q&A sessions with legends William Shatner and Stan Lee, panels with movie and TV stars James Marsters, Mary McDonnell and Adam Baldwin, and several themed parties headline a broad, diverse schedule of special programming at the 2012 Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, January 28-29 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Unique Jedi lightsaber classes, sessions with stars of classic favorites, a screening of the new film THE VICTIM and artist schools to costume contests are some of the activities that reflect the wide variety of interests shared by Comic Con attendees.

Some of the top sessions include:

• Once-in-a-lifetime, extremely limited meet-and-greet opportunities with pop culture legends Shatner and Lee, including photo ops and special gifts
• Q&A panels with Marsters (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”), McDonnell (“Battlestar Galactica”), Baldwin (FULL METAL JACKET, SERENITY), and Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”)
• Cult classic BOONDOCK SAINTS reunion featuring the personable duo of Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery
• Young stars Chandler Riggs and Madison Lintz of the hit AMC series “The Walking Dead”
• Informative, interactive sessions with superstar artists including John Layman, Rob Guillory, Tyler Kirkham, Carlos Pacheco, Vic Mignogna and others
• Jedi Lightsaber classes, in which fans can learn the same techniques used in STAR WARS films, taught by sword master Nick Gillard, who choreographed the fight scenes for three of the blockbuster films
• Screening of the new feature film THE VICTIM, with director/producers Michael Biehn and Jennifer Blanc
• Party time... including the Official Kick Off Party on Friday night, Saturday After-Party and popular Masquerade Ball
• Wizard World New Orleans Drink And Draw, hosted by artist Tommy Castillo, during which some will drink…some will draw…and the best will take on the challenge of doing both
• The popular adult costume contest and fun kids costume contest with great prizes

Unless noted, New Orleans Comic Con programming will take place in the designated panel rooms at the Morial Convention Center, and is included with admission to the event. Notable events requiring additional ticket purchase include the Shatner and Lee meet-and-greets and lightsaber classes. Seating for panels is strictly limited and available on a first come first serve basis and each room will be cleared between panels.

The full schedule is at http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/programming-neworleans.html.

Library Champion and Privacy Advocate Cory Doctorow Guest of Honor at Capricon 32

Capricon

WHEELING, Illinois - Since 1980, fans of science fiction, fantasy and other forms of speculative fiction in every media from literature to television, films, and graphic novels have gathered in the Chicago area for a celebration of the speculative fiction community. Capricon 32 celebrates that diversity by letting attendees choose their own adventure in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Alternate History.

Capricon 32 is a four-day science fiction convention to be held at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Illinois February 9 to 12, 2012

This year the guests of honor will be:

• Author Cory Doctorow,
• Artist Les McClaine,
• Fan Steven H Silver, and
• Special guest Javier Grillo-Marxuach.

Author Guest of Honor Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger -- the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of the bestselling Tor Teens/HarperCollins UK novel LITTLE BROTHER. His latest novel is FOR THE WIN, a young adult novel; his latest short story collection is WITH A LITTLE HELP. He is a contributor to The Guardian, the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Wired, and many other newspapers, magazines and websites. He was formerly Director of European Affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties. He is a Visiting Senior Lecturer at Open University (UK) and Scholar in Virtual Residence at the University of Waterloo (Canada); in 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.

http://craphound.com/

http://boingboing.net/

Chicon 7 Extends Submission Deadline for Hugo Award Base Design Competition

CHICAGO - Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), has extended the submission deadline for its Hugo Award Base Design Competition to January 15, 2012.

The Hugo Awards for achievement in science fiction and fantasy have been presented by Worldcons for over 50 years. An instantly recognizable rocket forms the central element of the prestigious trophy, while the base design changes yearly, often reflecting the country, state, or province in which the convention takes place. Chicon 7 has invited artists and designers from around the world to create a base that is worthy of the Hugo Award and with a theme appropriate to Chicago and the Midwest.

The winning designer will have the opportunity to introduce the base design as part of the Hugo Awards Ceremony. The base will also be included in the long archive of Hugo base designs, including the Hugo History exhibit that travels to each Worldcon. In addition, the winner will receive a full five-day attending membership to Chicon 7.