That’s right, after November 6th, Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark, will no longer be making convention appearances. Comikaze Expo, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will mark the last convention appearance of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. As the official “spooksperson” of Comikaze Expo, Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson) will sign autographs, pose for photos with fans and take part in various events throughout the Expo.
Elvira became a household name as the host of Elvira’s Movie Macabre, the first nationally syndicated horror movie show. The weekly series featured the sexy, outrageous movie hostess’ sharp wit and clever banter throughout her tongue-in-cheek commentary of B-movie classics. Her reign as ‘Queen of Halloween’ spans three decades and includes two feature films, her long-running series and two motion control rides. Her appearance at Comikaze Expo solidifies the event’s commitment to horror fans and promises to be a memorable experience for all.
Comikaze Expo is the largest multimedia pop culture convention in Los Angeles. This unique event brings together the best in comics, gaming, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, anime and all other cult programming. Comikaze takes place November 5-6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and offers a slate of innovative programming, panels, contests and other activities that provide fans access to their favorite artists and creators in this adventure-packed weekend. The event will kick off with an appearance by the father of modern comics, Stan Lee, at the event’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Tickets are already on sale for an awesome price of $12 and kids under 12 get in for free. Please go to the official Comikaze Expo page for additional information and a full list of scheduled guests and events.
Twelve bucks for a convention ticket isn’t gonna break the bank. Heck, parking usually costs that much. I’m quite excited to see what this convention will offer and how fun it will be. Come back for more information as the con draws near.
Comikaze Expo is Los Angeles’ first and only large-scale, multi-media pop culture convention. Guests of honor include legendary comic book created Stan Lee, and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Additionally, there will be star-studded panels with artists, writers and creators and cast reunions from Nickelodeon’s All That and the Police Academy movies.
Comikaze also boasts independent film screenings, live shows, celebrity appearances, fan contests, games, portfolio reviews and even a masquerade ball. Expect this expo to be a bit different than your regular comic convention, as Comikaze seems to focus more on the community and culture.
Blizzard’s BlizzCon 2011 is coming around the corner, it’s on October 21-22, 2011, and we decided to help post a guide and photos for new visitors or veterans of the convention. For those who want to skip to the gallery, make the jump.
Buying your ticket(s)
Easier said than done, since the event has been sold out since tickets were available this year. Generally, in order to go to this event, it does require you to queue in a electronic line and purchase your tickets online. However, for those who couldn’t purchase their tickets in time, there is always the Virtual Ticket (online streaming of the event). If streaming doesn’t sound appealing, there are also other means such as Craigslist and Ebay, but always exercise caution with those two options. If the price is at an unbelievable price, chances are it’s too good to be true.
Taking care of your body
This usually goes without saying, but sometimes we get a little excited for an event like this! Get plenty of rest, it’s going to be a long two days and you’ll want to be on your best form when pwning faces in StarCraft II or striking up an interesting conversation about why the Alliance is better than the Horde with another person. You may be on your feet for an extended amount of time either waiting in line to purchase merchandise, to try a game, and/or a booth offering free prizes. Get some breakfast before heading on down to the Anaheim Convention Center, stay hydrated, and get some coffee if needed. There are seats at panels for you to rest, if your legs get tired. Remember about hygiene too, you don’t want to scare somebody with your bad BO!
Understand the audience
Usually people who attend this are already true fans of the series, but sometimes significant others or new people do visit. Knowing what certain things, mean can help bridge the gap of confusion if this is new to you.
People who dress up may not always be professional models, but may be huge fans of series they represent. Always ask to take their photos, most will be glad to pose for the shots unless they are in a hurry. Don’t take it as a sleight against you if they refuse, as sometimes people have places to go or events to get ready for like the Costume Contest. They are on their feet for the entire day practically, so make sure to them thank for their time and hard work!
From the WarCraft series, red colors would signify the Horde and blue colors represent the Alliance. Allegiances run thick within this culture and many times you may hear shouts for each respected side (“For the Horde” and “For the Alliance”). However, don’t be too quick to judge other people just on the basis of preference. Respect each other for what they bring to the table and remember that without the other, the game would be completely boring (goes for all series and life). Everybody is here for the love of the game and variety is the spice of life!
Diablo, in short, is an action role-playing game about stopping the Lord of Terror. StarCraft is a real time strategy game involving three different factions with a rich storyline affecting each other set in space. Check Wikipedia or other wiki sources for more information on Warcraft, Diablo, and the StarCraft series.
When in doubt and you don’t know what to say, yell “For the Horde!”
Planning your day
Plan ahead! This can potentially save you time instead of wandering around aimlessly (though that isn’t a bad thing either). Check the BlizzCon forums for costume meeting times (they usually meet by the fountains) or realm meet up times (Gorgonnash FTW). Blizzard usually posts the schedules online (they are currently tentative at the moment) so plan around them accordingly. Some events may fill up faster than others (especially the popular events or panels). If you have any questions you want to ask a dev team or celebrity, write them advance. There is usually a Q&A session following each panel.
Charge your electronics
Don’t forget to charge your batteries for your camera, phone and any other electronic devices. Bring spare batteries if needed especially for your camera (and extra memory cards). A handheld game like Nintendo DS or 3DS can be handy when you’re waiting in a long line or waiting for the next panel to begin.
Costumes
Not everybody needs to dress up in a costume. But for those who do, I salute you! For the veterans, there shouldn’t be any need to mention preparation. For those who are thinking of dressing up, sometimes the simple things are the best things. I remember two years ago, somebody came as a Level 1 Human Warrior and it was a major hit! Find something you enjoy and run with it. Like Mark mentioned in the Anime Expo article, “mashups = fun” and “mobility is inversely related to costume appeal.” Keep in mind that you may be stopped a lot for photo opportunities. A trend we notice last year was a lot of glowing light and stilt related costumes. Whatever you choose to dress up as, be safe with your costume choices (those stilts are crazy)!
If you are dressing up in costume, try to get some rest, as those last minute fixes and/or touchups can be quite stressful. Try to knock out your costume beforehand so you won’t be as stressed (easier said than done). You have until October 10th to register for the Dance and Costume Contest, if that is something you’re interested in.
Purchase merchandise early
If you already have your ticket (including virtual ticket holders), you can purchase from the Blizzard Store online on the BlizzCon page. The reason why is those lines for the Blizzard merchandise stores can be quite long! If you do purchase the day of, try to go when there is a big event where a lot of people may go. Lines usually thin out around the end of day and on the last day as well, but so does item stocks. Signs should be posted when items sell out.
Save up and know what item you want to get beforehand. Some vendors have exclusives for BlizzCon only so be on the lookout for that.
Food/Drinks
Despite that there are plenty of food and drink options that Anaheim Convention Center can provide, don’t forget to take a look at Google maps to see what’s outside the convention. The convention itself, does provide an cash bar (over 21 and older of course). If you drink, please be careful and have a designated driver! For more food options, there is a shuttle nearby that takes you to Downtown Disney as well.
Have fun!
Regardless of what you may be doing, there are tons of things for you to do at the event. In the past there was booth games to win prizes, treasure hunting, caricature drawings (be warned those lines can go long too), and more! For those visiting Anaheim or the Los Angeles area there’s always other tourist-y things, like Disneyland, California Adventure and Universal Studio Hollywood.
Take a look down below for photos from last year BlizzCon 2010! This may lean a bit heavier towards Lady Blaumeux in the beginning (a good friend of mine I bumped into last year).
BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes. The sixth BlizzCon will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22, 2011. For more information visit www.blizzcon.com
Activision held it’s inaugural Call of Duty XP event, which was a 2 day event for gamers and fans of the series to connect through activities beyond gaming. Located within a large hangar in Playa Vista, California, fans were treated to various activities including:
Hands-on gaming booths for all recent games in the series: Modern Warfare 2, World at War, Black Ops, Call of Duty 4, and of course Modern Warfare 3. Since this event was sponsored by Xbox 360, there were no Playstation 3’s on site.
$1,000,000 tournament
2012 Jeep Wrangler course
Two paintball gun maps: Pit (Modern Warfare 2) and Scrapyard (Modern Warfare 2). I only made it in time for one of the maps, Scrapyard, but had a blast! This was my absolute first experience with a paintball gun. Even though I played defensive and stayed close to the base (Domination mode), I was able to score some great hits against the other team. The best part is that the guns looked like real arms (I had an M4). They provided 140 rounds, a mask, vest, and a jumpsuit. You get the keep the jumpsuit, which is great if you’re able to keep it spotless or in one piece. I probably should have worn tennis shoes rather than boots. Luckily I didn’t leave with any welts which is something I can’t say for other players.
Burger Town: yup. Haven’t you always wanted to taste what this Burger King parody has to offer. Apparently if you asked for “Special Sauce” they’d give you a shirt! They ran out when we tried though 🙁
Face painting. Get your “Ghost” on or choose from a folder of possible face paint options.
A sumo fighting ring
Black Ops cover art picture booth. This one was very addictive! Pose with a rifle or 2 pistols, recreating the Black Ops cover art with whatever goofy gangster pose you can come up with.
Zip line. This was one of the activities I wish I had done and taken video of doing.
Tons of free experimental Mountain Dew samples. I don’t think anyone turned into a zombie yet, right?
A gift bag containing a poster, Doritos and oh yeah… a redeemable code for Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition! Considering entrance was $150, this was definitely a lovely treat. Since the redemption page required an address and NOT a gamer tag, I’m guessing Activision is sending hard copies of the game?
Live sets by Dropkick Murphy’s (September 2) and Kanye West (September 3). As one of the biggest names in music entertainment, I can only imagine how much of a pay day for Kanye West this was. Since I only went on Saturday, I can’t comment on the Dropkick Murphy’s set. For Kanye West, however, I was expecting a small set. As I waited with thousands of others, watching the stage slowly take shape, I quickly realized the large hangar was hardly enough to contain the level of theatrics that I would soon witness. Kudos to Kanye West and Activision for pulling this off. While hardly related to gaming, this show added tremendous value to the seemingly high entrance cost. If you were dedicated enough or wait early, you could definitely get a pit level equivalent view. Kanye West did nearly all of his hit singles and that’s lots (I wish he did “Heard ‘Em Say”). Kanye West had 3 acts filled with high energy, laser lighting, and many dancers (Think classy like Cirque Du Soleil/ballet). I wonder what the Dropkick Murphy’s show was like. Check out the pics below.
Long Beach Comic Con – Lance Henriksen and David Finch are coming to Long Beach Comic Con on Oct 29-30, 2011.
I remember seeing Lance Henriksen spewing milk during his “death” scene in Aliens. Ever since then, I can’t drink milk without thinking of that scene. Of course, he’s been pretty active since that memorable film moment, appearing in many other movies, in TV series, even in video games.
In fact, LBCC is his last stop for his book tour of his biography, “Not Bad For a Human – The Life and Films of Lance Henriksen”. The book features art by several artists, including Eric Powell, Sienkiewicz, Mike Mignola, Tim Bradstreet, Ashley Wood, Kelley Jones and Tom Mandrake.
On the flip side, is David Finch who hasn’t worked in the film industry like Henriksen. He started out in Top Cow Productions on the popular Cyberforce title. Since then, he’s worked on various Marvel titles, such as Ultimate X-Men, Avengers, and World War Hulk. As of January 2010, Finch is signed onto DC as an exclusive artist. He’ll be writing and drawing a new series, “Batman: The Dark Knight”.
An epic weekend for New York City residents and visitors, as Electric Zoo starts today at Randall’s Island Park! An annual festival of lights and sound usually held over Labor Day Weekend, bringing top international DJs and live acts from multiple countries. What was typically a 2 day festival is now a 3 day festival! Come visit and watch such headliners like Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, Above & Beyond, and Skrillex just to name a few.
Armin Van Buuren performing last year at Electric Zoo 2010.
There will be an art exhibit, FLOW, on display under the coordination of Aimee Boden, the Executive Director of the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation. FLOW is a unique project aimed at fostering an appreciation of the waterfront environment through large-scale outdoor sculptures and art installations. A portion of the sale of every ticket from 2010 and 2011 helped donate to the project.
FLOW art work in progress.
Tickets can still be found online, all ages welcome! Electric Zoo occurs from September 2nd to the 4th 2001.
On March 16 to the 18th 2012, Anaheim, CA is getting a new tenant and its WonderCon! Traditionally in San Francisco, Wondercon finds itself having to either cancel the show or move due to renovation at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. In reaction to WonderCon announcement, ReedPop’s C2E2, which has been waiting to announce dates for its own show in March 2012, will now seek alternative dates while Wizard World has announced that it will postpone its April 2012 Anaheim show to help alleviate an overcrowded calendar.
“It certainly was not our wish to move,” commented David Glanzer, director of marketing and public relations for the nonprofit event. “However, when faced with the prospect of canceling the show for a year or moving locations, after careful consideration we decided to keep WonderCon on the 2012 calendar at a venue that could accommodate our needs.”
Though I am a bit sad to know they had to move, I am happier to know that its moved significantly closer to home
The weekend is approaching and we can’t be everywhere at once (as much as we try) however I thought we try highlighting events for this particular jam packed weekend! Which one will you find yourself at?
Deadmau5: Meowington Hax Tour at Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California
He started yesterday at Hollywood with great success and will continue to play at the Palladium this weekend. Unfortunately the event is already sold out for tonight and tomorrow but Sunday is still available! Better get there quick Mau5 fans!
For adults 18 and over, here you can meet your favorite adult stars. Next door, there also Hemp Con as well.
More information can be found here: Site could be NSFWExxxotica LA
Identify Festival Woodland and Dallas, Texas
Perhaps you are at Texas and decided to go see Steve Aoki, Afrobeta, Rusko, LA riot and more. On Saturday Identify fest will be at Woodland and on Sunday Dallas, Texas.
What started as a small little convention turned into a full blown festivities for gamers of all type. Best part about PAX is hanging with a bunch of like-minded folks. Unfortunately tickets have sold out already, unless you have previously purchased them, hopefully you got your badge already!
Not quite the weekend but its Burning Man! An annual week long celebration of what many described as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. There isn’t truly any words that can describe Burning Man
MAD Event Management is proudly presenting their 2nd annual Long Beach Comic-Con (LBCC) on October 29 and 30th!
An annual event held at the Long Beach Convention Center each fall, it is a celebration of comic books and pop culture. Within you’ll find talented writers, artists, illustrators, and creators of all types of pop culture. Likewise you can also find exhibitors promoting and selling various products, guest signings, and meet and greet sessions with celebrities. Some of this years guests include Felicia Day (actress from The Guild), Amanda Conner (artist and illustrator of Power Girl and Atlee), and Stan Sakai (creator of Usagi Yojimbo) just to name a few!
There are a couple exclusives such “Zombie Hero Exclusive Print” by Arthur Suydam (Hero Initiative). Other events include the LBCC Masquerade Ball, various tourneys for World of Warcraft TCG and Magic the Gathering and more!
Comic-Con has come and gone and we are a bit sad by that, but good times were had by all and this year was simply outstanding! What were your favorite moments? What costume/cosplay outfit stood out to you the most? Can’t wait to see more ?
We’ll keep you posted with our aftermath coverage but for now save the date for next year! July 12th to the 15th 2012!
This year, I attended my first Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I had a brief love affair with anime during high school but I have since been a bit out of touch with the latest franchises and hottest series. The wonderful thing about expos is that there really are no qualifications into getting in besides your ticket and an open mind. One can visit to see characters they love have developed or discover and fall in love with new ones. The Los Angeles Anime Expo is North America’s biggest convention that caters to hardcore fans and recent converts alike. One of the distinct features of an anime expo is that the show isn’t just made up of vendors, publishers, and creators. The fans play a huge role in creating a world that attendees are transported to once they enter the building and sky’s the limit when it comes to how far some fans will go to express how much much they love the genre.
Here are some things I discovered while at the Anime Expo, watching and talking to cosplay fans
Disconnect from reality
Anime has a huge following but relative to live action, it’s fan base is still considered minor. When you think about it, anime isn’t very different. It’s all about story telling. Unlike western cartoons and animation, there’s an anime series for every genre one could ask for: sci-fi, love, action, adventure, comedy, and that other category (the one with tentacles and other interesting visuals). The great part about a scene that’s so big is that outsiders like myself can’t even tell the difference. Once you take the red pill, even security guards, janitors, and information booth attendants look like they are cosplaying!
Come as you are
Anime comes in all different forms. Artists embrace liberties to alter your notion of realism with elements like gravity defying hair, disproportionate female measurements, vibrant eye colors, vampire fangs, giant impractical weapons… just search youtube for clips and you’ll get the point. Humans, in contrast, are pretty boring. We come in a few sizes and colors and that’s it. The key part of making a great cosplay outfit is really ignoring any of your limitations. Disregard differences in height, weight, skin tone, age, sex, cup size (In fact, NEVER get implants for any reason. It will just look even more silly if you are cosplaying), ethnicity, and MOST of all, don’t be discouraged to cosplay if you have braces. Regarding age, it actually seems the younger you are, the more drive you have at making an awesome costume. I was totally blown away discovering that high school students were making such detailed, professional looking costumes. Maybe there’s a connection between growing up and losing a connection with dreaming.
You don’t need THAT much time to make your costume
Some of THE best costumes/makeup I saw were done by fans that claimed the time they spent was only days. Don’t listen to what Hollywood tells you. All the required materials can be found at your local Michaels/Home Depot! The most important ingredient in your costume is sheer determination. If that means calling sick from your H&M part time job or missing a day of class to complete your costume, it will be worth it. Honestly though, some costumes obviously require more time than others. I met one fellow who cosplayed a Space Marine Scout who spent two months making his awesome costume. It definitely turned heads. On the flip side, the most affordable costumes I saw included a simple inkjet print and some tape to cover your face (I’m looking at you Mr. Trollface)
Mashups = fun!
My biggest takeway from the Anime Expo was discovering the Pokemen. That’s not a typo! I’m talking about the fit Asian guys who wear bright colors, suspenders, and wafer sunglasses. Who says you can’t add your own twist on a series.
Mobility is inversely related to costume appeal
Let’s face it: there are a lot of guys into photography, and what do guys LOVE? Duh! Girls cosplaying. This is Los Angeles. Fashion is always evolving. We’ve seen attractive people in those same outfits our favorite celebrities rock. But the Anime Expo is like an alternate fashion show for outfits that will never make it to retailers. So if we see fantasy become reality, we are most certainly obligated to document it. If you’ve invested enough time and resources into your costume, chances are people will stop you to take pictures and this is how that goes:
Me: “Awesome work! Mind if I take a picture?”
Fan: “Sure”
Me: “Great… 1 sec”
(30 seconds to pull out phone from pocket and switch to camera mode or 1 minutes to put down backpack and take out camera out)
Me: “Cool! 1 sec”
(5 shots quickly taken that all look identical)
Me: “Oh shoot! I had it on the wrong setting. Can I redo those shots?”
Just remember: that exact scene will happen with multiple people all starting at different times. Looking for the most popular person on the floor? Just stand still and look for the person with the biggest crowd around him/her looking around in all angles in confusion trying to figure out which camera to pose for.
Sorry ladies. The ratio of topless guys with 6-packs to pretty girls in costume is roughly 0:(pretty girls in costume)
Have fun
Trolling is not allowed! If you think there’s any costume that you can’t do, you’re doing it wrong! One of my favorites was a mid twenties red-head guy who cosplayed Misty from Pokemon. Check out the video after the break for some Q & A with cosplay fans.
Exceeding Imagination, that is what Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) represents. E3 is an annual trade show for computer and video games and related products by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Located at the Los Angeles Convention Center, on June 7-9, 2011, it’s filled with tens of thousands of professionals. Everybody is there to see groundbreaking new technologies and never-before-seen products for computers, video game consoles, handheld systems and the internet. Wandering around the halls, you can’t help but feel amazed at all the sights and sounds.
With so many announcements, we can only highlight a small portion of the large picture (listed in no particular order):
PlayStation Vita announcement: Sony’s Kaz Hirai, Representative Corporate Executive Office and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation (long title), announced the release and pricing information ($249 Wi-Fi only and $299 for Wi-Fi + 3G).
Wii-U unveling: A prototype version of the Wii-U was present, including a demonstration of the controller touch screen and a Zelda HD Demo among other tech-demos.
Minecraft coming to Xbox: The breakout indie sandbox game is now coming to the 360, with and without Kinect support by 4J Studios.
Halo 4 announcement: The first part of a new trilogy, picking up where Master Chief left off. Nothing more than a teaser trailer was shown, so we’re not sure how the series will follow the Halo 3 conclusion.
Batman: Arkham City: A playable Catwoman was revealed! We had a chance to see a working demo displaying the difference of play between Bat and the Cat in similar scenario.
New Smash Brothers heading to Wii-U and 3DS: Development has yet to begin and information is scarce, but we know that Masahiro Sakurai, the creative force behind both Kirby and Super Smash Bros, and Project Sora are working on the latest iteration.
Mario Kart 3DS demo: A fun demo was available for us to play with, including hang-gliding and underwater races. The game also plans to feature more customization of karts than previous games (adjusting tires for example).
Super Mario 3D Land: Part 2D and 3D game play for the 3DS! This latest incarnation includes everybody’s (or at least my) favorite returning power up, the Tanooki (racoon) Suit! We only got to see the video, but from what we saw it looks to be shaping up pretty nicely!
Starfox 64 3DS demo: Nostalgia ahoy! I remember playing this game for a very long time as a kid and with a playable demo available, I made a quick bee-line to it. The controls in this remake felt a bit different, but the nostalgia was there and the graphics looked incredible!
Star Wars: The Old Republic: A demo was available and from what we gathered, consider us impressed! The new opening cinematic of the Old Republic was also revealed and is beyond words on the level of excitement being generated towards this MMO (if done right).
This doesn’t account for all the other stuff that we saw (like Gear of War 3, God of War Origins, Street Fighter x Tekken, and etc), but here are some photos that captured some of our moments (including many booth babes).
Comikaze Expo is the largest multimedia pop culture convention in Los Angeles. This unique event brings together the best in comics, gaming, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, anime and all other cult programming. Comikaze takes place November 5-6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and offers a slate of innovative programming, panels, contests and other activities that provide fans access to their favorite artists and creators in this adventure-packed weekend. The event will kick off with an appearance by the father of modern comics, Stan Lee, at the event’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
