It is that time of the year again where the weather is hot, the skies are blue and every fan of comics, games and entertainment converge on San Diego for San Diego Comic Con! The whole event is massive as it spreads over five days and not only takes over the convention center but the surrounding areas as well. This series of articles is going to break up some of the exclusives and events planned for the convention and this section is what the convention is named for.. Comics! So let’s explore together what some of the major (and minor) companies have planned for this year’s SDCC.
Wonderland is something that we have grown up with as kids and the folks over at Zenescope have twisted it into a nightmare that few can ever wake up from. That is their theme going into this year’s SDCC and they have a new series entitled Revenge of Wonderland that is going to be released the DAY that SDCC starts! Also Grimm Fairy Tales: 2018 Cosplay Special will be released at the convention as well and there will be a few covers designed by talented artists Paul Green and Ula Mos. However, this special was originally released the week of the 11th so they may or may not have copies on hand so get there early to get a copy! Appearing and signing at the booth will be Zenescope writers/creators Joe Brusha (Grimm Fairy Tales, The Black Sable), Ralph Tedesco (Grimm Tales of Terror, Van Helsing Vs Robyn Hood), LaToya Morgan (Robyn Hood: The Hunt, Goddess Inc.), Dave Franchini (Belle: Beast Hunter), and Victoria Rau (Peek-A-Boo). And on Saturday July 21 st the company will also be celebrating “Christmas in July” where it will be releasing special edition holiday ornaments with artwork by superstar artist, J. Scott Campbell. On Thursday July 19th from 7:30 to 8:30 PM in Room 4, there will be a panel titled Not Just A Pretty Face – Women in Comics featuring panelists Latoya Morgan, writer of Shameless and Robyn Hood: The Hunt, Victoria Rau and writer of Peek-A-Boo. Also, they are having an event at Gelato Paradiso on Friday July 20th. They will be partnering with the Gelato Shop to feature 3 Zenescope character inspired flavors along with a limited edition metal card which will be available for purchase when you purchase a character flavor. So if you love twisted fairy tales and are a fan of Zenescope make sure you get over to booth 2301 to check out all the goodies they have in store for you.
When I think of Image Comics I remember working for a comic book store during its debut with the characters they had. Now they have grown to a giant powerhouse and they have tons of events, exclusives and panels planned for SDCC. First let us start with some of the great exclusives as they will collect Ice Cream Man, Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles as well as VS. Vol. 1 and these collections are both hardcover and will run you $35 each. Image Firsts Deadly Class #1 which will sport a photo cover will be given away free for a limited time. Farmhand #1, Unnatural #1, Walking Dead #181 and Redneck #13 will have exclusive covers only available at SDCC for $10 each. You can also score a Deadly Class t-shirt ($24.99) or enamel lapel pin ($10) to show the support of the book or the upcoming TV show by SyFy. There will be tons of signings by various artists, writers and creators at the Image booth so you might want to check their website or at their booth for more details. They are also hosting a few panels with the tag #Webelieve in (something). The four panels are Thursday, July 19 @ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Room 23ABC #WeBelieve in Fantasy, Friday, July 20 @ 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., Room 23ABC #WeBelieve in Horror, Saturday, July 21 @ 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Room 7AB
#WeBelieve in Suspense and Sunday, July 22 @ 1:45 – 2:45 p.m., Room 5AB #WeBelieve in Craft. So make sure you swing by booth 2729 to check out all the great stuff that Image has in store for you!
Top Cow is most famous for such series as Witchblade and Aphrodite V and they will be at this year’s SDCC with a few exclusives as well. They are going to be releasing an Infinite Dark/The Freeze which is going to be a flip book and you can get it free with either a purchase or by attending a Top Cow panel! There will also be available for purchase a Black and White version of Cyberforce #1 by Marc Silvestri for $10.00. They are also going to have a limited to 1,000 copy release of Aphrodite V #1 for sale for $10.00 each. The cover looks fantastic and if you are a fan of this series you should seriously consider getting it. They will also have Witchblade and Sunstone enamel lapel pins available for purchase for $10 each. Also, on Saturday July 21, 2018 11:00am – 12:00pm in Room 9 there will be a panel called Top Cow Revolution. This is where the founder, Marc Silvestri and the president Matt Hawkins discuss what will happen in the future for 2018 and beyond. So go ahead and check out their booth over at 2629.
Guardian Knights Comics is a smaller comic company that is making some big waves as they have a few great titles out there! The six titles they have are Gears and Bones which looks like a steampunk/fantasy world where it focuses on the pirate life for Bones and his crew. Sanitarium is a horror series that focuses on the halls of an insane asylum and explores what drove the occupants to come to this facility. They have four other titles which are Moon Streak, Ghost Agents, Savage Sasquanaut and The Knox so go over to booth 2205 and see what they have in store for you.
2000 AD is a comic company set in the UK and they are most famous for their iconic heroes such as Rogue Trooper, Slaine and of course Judge Dredd. They will be making the journey from across the pond to SDCC this year and they are bringing some guests in tow! Liana Kangas, Katy Rex, Tula Lotay and Babs Tarr will be coming to their booth along with this guy Simon Bisley. Yes! You heard right! Simon Bisley will be making an appearance at SDCC! They also have two panels planned and the first is on Friday July 20, 2018 3:00pm – 4:00pm in Room 4 where the man himself Simon Bisley will discuss his art and how he has evolved as an artist. On Saturday, July 21st from 4:00pm-5:00pm they will host the 2000 AD Thrill Hour as Liana Kangas and Katy Rex will host an hour of chat, announcements and fun! So don’t forget to stop by booth 2806 and see what the folks have in store for the attendees of SDCC!
Black Mask Studios is a smaller publisher that’s gaining a lot of traction and they will also be at this year’s SDCC. They have already made waves with some of their titles like We Are the Danger, Breathless and Cal Exit and they are also going to be hosting two panels at this year’s con. The first is a “secret” panel but we got the scoop that on Thursday, July 19th from 1:00pm-2:00pm in room 28DE there will be a panel on something. No idea what but if you love what these guys are doing I would strongly insist that you attend. Later in the day from 6:00pm-7:00pm they will host Black Mask: Debuting Tommorow’s Legends as they will discuss how they are coming up with new ideas and how you can be part of it. To check out all the great stuff they have for sale check out booth 2104.
Boom Studios has been known for continuing where other stories have left off as they have spin offs of Adventure Time and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This year is no exception as they have more than a few limited exclusives for sale. First off they have two Adventure Time offerings the first is the Adventure Time SDCC 2018 Zine for $20 (ltd. to 500 copies) and a variant copy of Adventure Time: Beginning of the End #1 for $10 (ltd. to 500 copies). For both of these books voice actor Olivia Olson will be singing copies of these books during her appearance! Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #1 variant cover will be for sale for $10 each (ltd. to 250 copies). There will be a few various issues of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for sale including #29 for $10 (ltd. to 500 copies) and #28 which will come bundled with a green psycho ranger figure for $50 (limited to 250 units!) You can also get the figure by itself for $45 as well but this is a limited run of 1,500 units. Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #11 will have a variant cover by Goni Montes for $25 (ltd. to 1000 copies) and there are five pins for $12 each limited to 500 per pin. You can get the Green Ranger, Ranger Slayer, Grave Zord or Lord Drakkon Evolution I or II. They will also have Mouse Guard pins for sale which are Gwendolyn and Midnight for $10 each (500 per pin). The Thrilling Adventure Hour will sport a variant cover for $10 and is limited to 250 copies the series creators will be signing these books. Last but not least is a WWE print of Becky Lynch for $20 each limited to 250 units. There will also be two panels which are the Boom Summer Mixtape on Friday July 20, 2018 5:00pm – 6:00pm in Room 32AB and BOOM Studios: Discover Yours on Saturday July 21, 2018 12:30pm – 1:30pm in Room 24ABC. There’s a lot going on at Boom Studios so check them out at booth 2229 and see what they have going on.
IDW Publications are a BIG draw at this year’s SDCC and they have a ton of exclusives and events planned. Here are some of the goodies they will have at their booth. They are going to have a series of books dealing with some of the classic founders of Marvel comics. Jack Kirby’s Heroes and Monsters will have two editions – a heroes and monsters variant and will be available for $150 each. Jim Starlin’s Marvel’s Cosmic Artifact Edition is signed by the man himself and can be users for $150. John Byrne’s X-Men Artifact signed convention variant will also be available for $150 and Joe Jusko’s Marvel Masterpieces Hardcover convention variant will go for $75. These are all EXTREMELY limited to 100-150 each so if you want one best to pre-order before the con as they will sell out FAST. You can also pick up a Ducktales litograph drawn by Jeff Smith for $50 and it comes with a copy of Ducktales #1 incentive edition! Danger Girl will have two books and they are the 20th Anniversary book and Gallery Edition Prestiege Format. Both are limited to 250 copies and will set you back $20 each. They will have a few exclusive comics including Ducktales #10, Gi Joe #252, Judge Dredd Under Siege #1, My Little Pony: Ponyville Mysteries #1, Sonic #7, Star Trek Discovery Annual, Star Wars Adventures #10, Sword of Ages #1, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #0 , TMNT #1 Reprint, TMNT Urban Legends, Transformers: Unicron #1 and Wyonna Earp Greatest Hits #1 for $10 each. Also, they are going to have bundles and they are Kevin Eastman, Sonic, Star Trek TNG Through the Mirror and Star Wars Forces of Destiny that contain a 5 issues each. The other offerings range from a Wyonna Earp Deluxe Pack, Bloom County: Best Read on the Throne, TMNT Bodycount, Wyonna Earp Season Two Yearbook and a Ghostbusters Trading Card Set. The biggest mystery is there is going to be a Secret Project Lithograph available for sale for $20 each. What is this mystery? Who knows! They also have a ton of panels in store starting with IDW: PDX Full Bleed which is a launch of a 200 page hardcover magazine so check it out on Friday, July 20 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm in room 32AB. On Saturday July 21, 2018 10:00am – 11:00am in Room 23ABC they will host their Saturday Morning Cartoon Jam with IDW talking about all their tie-ins such as Star Wars and Sonic. Later in the day from 1:00pm-2:00pm in Room 25ABC they are hosting their IDW Big News Panel as they will be discussing the upcoming titles coming from IDW in the coming year. All this and more can be discovered over at their booth which is located at 2743.
One of the comics that I picked up so long ago that wasn’t Marvel or DC was Dark Horse Presents #1 featuring Black Cross. Now Dark Horse has grown into a giant powerhouse as they are going to have a few exclusives this year waiting for people to buy. The first is the Quantum Age #1 from the pages of Black Hammer and can be yours for $10. Next they have Starcraft Scavengers #1 which sports an amazing cover done by Wei Wang for $10 as well. There are going to be two versions of Black Hammer: Age of Doom one done by James Stokoe and the other by Fabio Moon and they can be picked up for $10 each. If you love the series American Gods you can pick up American Gods: Shadows #1 or American Gods: My Ainsel #1 for $10 each as well. Alien: Dead Orbit will have an convention exclusive cover and that will run you only $5 so get a copy while you can! If you love the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 you can get an amazing new coaster set for $10. Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander #1 Convention Exclusive (Frank Miller) Gold Foil #1 can be bought for $15. Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil #1 Convention Exclusive (Daniel Warren Johnson) can be snagged for $10.00. Henchgirl Convention Exclusive Hardcover (Kristen Gudsnuk) is going for the low price of $25.00. For fans of the Umbrella Academy you can get a pin set of Hazel and Cha Cha for $10.00 or a crest t-shirt for $25.00. And for all you Game of Thrones fans out there you can get either a Dothraki map marker for $30.00 or a Game of Thrones Tormund Giantsbane Figure for $40. There is also going to be a full schedule of all the events and panels available on their website here and check out their booth located over at 2615.
DC Comics is going to have a massive presence this year at San Diego Comic Con as they are going to be launching their new service DC Universe. This digital subscription service will be unlike anything DC fans have ever seen as they will have access to movies, animated series and more. They are going to have an event over at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter and you can pre-register for the event over at DCUniverseExperience.com . They are also going to have MORE than a few panels a this year’s SDCC and instead of chronicling every last one I strongly urge you to check out https://www.comic-con.org/cci/programming-schedule which lists the entire programming schedule however, make sure you check out Hall H on Saturday the 21st for the Warner Bros. Panel as there are going to be some major DC announcements. Not much is known about what DC is bringing to the table however, we do know that DC Collectibles will be selling three variant vinyl Batman statues. These were designed by Chris Uminga and you can get it in Blue and Grey for $60 (ltd. to 1500 units), Flashpoint variant for $75 (ltd to 750 units) and Matte Black and Gold Variant for $100 (ltd to 300 units). If you want to check out what they have in store head over to their booth located at 1915.
And last but definitely not least is the mighty Marvel Comics which always brings the thunder to San Diego but this year it seems that they are focusing less on the movies and more on TV and Animation. However, they are bringing along a ton of exclusives and some of these will be only announced at the show! What we do have are two variant edition comics and they are Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 and The Life of Captain Marvel ($25 and $10 each). Pins are coming back with a vengeance this year as you can get pin packs of the Fantastic Four, Avengers, X-Men and Villains to name a few for $25 a set. You can also purchase a blind two pack pin set for $15 each as they will have a myriad of designs from Deadpool to Ghost Rider. A Spiderman pin with lanyard can be bought for $15 each or you can also buy incentive pins for $10 each with such designs as Ms. Marvel and Lockjaw, Thanos or Galactus and Silver Surfer (although you need to spend $60 to purchase 1, $80 for 2 or $110 for all 3). T-Shirts, hats and even an infinity stone tumbler set are some of the other exclusives that you can buy but the cutest thing has to be the 8-bit Dr. Strange Hallmark ornament and you can get one of those for $13! Marvel also has more than a few events planned for this con and the best way to catch some of these is either tune into marvel.com or look at the live schedule. Believe me when I say you will need to keep an eye out for Marvel as they always come up with some things that are unplanned and at the last minute.
And there you have it! This is just one of a few articles I am releasing to keep you guys informed about all the great stuff coming out of San Diego, Keep it tuned into Comix Asylum for more news and exclusives!
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