Con Name: Long Beach Comic Expo

Location: Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, Ca

Dates: May 11, 2013

Ticket Costs: $15

Website: longbeachcomiccon.com/

History: The 2013 expo will begin Long Beach’s 5th year running both a spring expo and fall convention in sunny Long Beach, California. Its first year was marked by Stan Lee & Long Beach City Councilmember Robert Garcia opening the show with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an overall attendance of 6,300+ unique individuals. The show has continued to steadily grow ever since. The spring shows are one day events, but in the past they’ve included major events like the filming of Felicia Day’s The Guild, live on site.

Major Guests:

• Joe Benitez
• Angus Oblong
• David Wohl
• Vince Hernandez
• JT Krul
• Todd Nauck
• David Mack
• Jim Mahfood
• Dustin Nguyen

Major Exhibitors:

• Aspen Comics
• Top Cow Entertainment
• Wicked Skatewear
• Desert Wind Comics
• Battlestar Galactica Fan Club
• Ishikawa Environtech LTD

Hellboy fans of recent years will all likely be happy to know that Duncan Fegredo is officially signed on to return to Hellboy as an artist. Fegredo was artist on multiple Hellboy mini-series while creator Mike Mignola left art duties to simply write the series. Fegredo has worked on such Hellboy stories as “Darkness Calls”, “The Fury”, and “The Storm”. However, when Mignola recently returned to penciling Hellboy, some fans wondered what would become of the rather talented artist as far as works involving Hellboy would go. Sure, he was working on B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth, but would we get to see him draw the horned devil with a right hand of doom again? Thankfully this weekends news answers all that as he is back on Hellboy for a very special original new graphic novel. Entitled Hellboy: The Midnight Circus, this new fifty-six-page graphic novel will feature a young Hellboy who runs away from the B.P.R.D., only to stumble upon a weird and fantastical circus and the few demons from hell who inhabit it.

“This one owes a lot to Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (pretty much my favorite circus story of all time), but even more to Pinocchio—especially all the spooky, disturbing bits Disney left out. And the work Duncan is doing here is just flat-out amazing,” said Mike Mignola. Fegredo adds “growing up is tough enough, even when you don’t know the weight of the world rests on the future of your yet-diminutive shoulders. Mike has woven a tale of coming of age for the young Hellboy made all the more poignant for knowing his future. Wonderful, magical, terrifying, this is epic Hellboy on a smaller stage”. Hellboy: The Midnight Circus is set to arrive on shelves October 23rd, carrying a retail price of $14.99 and a format similar to the previously released Hellboy: House of the Living Dead.

Also in Hellboy news, the series is getting a very special new creative team for a brand new comic series. You might be familiar with Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani for their awesome work on DC comic’s Tiny Titans or Superman Family Adventures. They’re certainly known for drawing cute interpretations of heroes that shout “AW YEAH!” In fact, the team won an Eisner for Tiny Titans and hit a Kickstarter goal in record time working on the campaign for their Aw Yeah Comic series. But this new project has them working with a pintsize hero that is a little more of a hellion than they’re likely used to. Thanks to Dark Horse, Art and Franco will be doing the brand new Itty Bitty Hellboy! “Given the recent developments in Hellboy’s life—falling in love, discovering that he’s the rightful king of England, having his heart torn out and dropped into hell—this is clearly the next logical step in his evolution,” said Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. So what’s the story for Itty Bitty Hellboy? Read on:

A ghost named Rasputin has been spotted. And Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. are going to find out what’s he up to. Who is Hellboy, anyway? Why does he have such a big hand, and what is it used for? Who’s weirder, he or his friends? What is the B.P.R.D.? And what does chicken soup have to do with all of it? All this and more will be answered in the debut issue, where BIG things happen to Itty Bitty Hellboy!

Art Baltazar, ever as animated as his cartoons, had this to say about the project, “Itty Bitty Hellboy! WOW! Such awesomeness! I haven’t screamed so much AW YEAH shout outs in all my life! It is truly an honor to be the next creative team to add to the Hellboy saga! I have been a fan of Mike Mignola since Hellboy’s early days at Dark Horse legends! It’s true. Can’t wait! Itty Bitty has never been so huge! AW YEAH HELLBOY!” Equally excited, Franco Aureliani threw in “One of the most iconic characters in all of comics, and we get to bring our own style and story to it! Truly a dream come true! We’re big fans! Itty Bitty Hellboy is going to be a lot of fun . . . and we get to actually say HELL(BOY)!” Check out Itty Bitty Hellboy #1 when it comes to a comic shop near you on August 28th

Now, in news of something completely different, Dark Horse had some surprising news from their imprint Dark Horse Deluxe this weekend. As if getting Dynamite Entertainment on their digital platform wasn’t enough, they’re back to taking from Marvel. In the past, Dark Horse Deluxe has offered some awesome Marvel comic figures, and now they’re reaching for the Marvel published, Brian Michael Bendis owned property of Powers! Yes, Dark Horse Deluxe has licensed rights to create figures based on Powers, a long-running creator-owned series of comics and graphic novels by Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. Powers is a comic that combines the genres of superhero fantasy, crime noir, and police tales as it follows the lives and cases of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, who are referred to as “powers.” Now Dark Horse Deluxe is working on figures to compliment the series, with projects set to include a limited-edition statue of Retro Girl, a central figure in the first Powers story arc, and a boxed set of vinyl figures of the series’ ongoing principal characters. “We have been very particular about merchandising Powers over the years, because I wanted to make sure it was the highest-quality merchandise we could offer,” said Brian Michael Bendis. “I am a giant fan of Dark Horse and the care they give their merchandising. I am very excited about this partnership.”

The Retro Girl statue will be sculpted by Tony Cipriano, who has created many popular superhero-themed collectible statues for a variety of companies. Michael Avon Oeming, working in concert with Bendis and Dark Horse, created special art for the statue, which will be used as control art during sculpting. The statue will capture the stylized nature of the graphic art, while anchoring the figure in realism. “To see your work translated into sculpture is always scary, but I’m very excited to be working with the amazing Tony,” Oeming stated. Dark Horse also plans a boxed set of four-to-five-inch vinyl figures, which will include protagonists Walker and Pilgrim as centerpieces of the ensemble. Both projects are slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2013. The prototypes will be shown to the trade and the public for the first time as part of the product display in the Dark Horse booth at San Diego Comic-Con this July. Retail prices and edition sizes are still to be determined, but will likely be quite worth it.

That said, Powers won’t be the only creator owned series Dark Horse is dragging away from the big two, as it looks like Dark Horse is the new home for Elfquest! In celebration of the thirty-fifthanniversary of Wendy and Richard Pini’s cult comics classic, Elfquest, the series has found a new publisher. Recently the Elfquest series had found home at DC Comics, but now it looks like the series has moved on to a new safe haven, much like the Wolfriders of the Elfquest series. “Dark Horse is a company I’ve admired ever since it sprang on the scene in the 1980s. Somehow, as large as they’ve grown, they’ve retained an independent spirit that Richard and I totally identify with. The quality of their offerings is legendary and I’m extremely happy that Elfquest is part of their lineup,” said Elfquest co-creator Wendy Pini. Richard Pini adds “Mike Richardson and Dark Horse come from the same publishing DNA as our own company, Warp Graphics, and he retains that gut-deep love of getting comics out into the world. We’re jazzed at all the plans, both traditional and new, they have for Elfquest”. So now Dark Horse proudly welcomes the Wolfriders, the Sun Folk, the Gliders, the Go-Backs, and the High Ones to its own rich history

The first release will be the prologue to an all-new fantasy epic, Elfquest: The Final Quest, arriving in the fall of 2013. For generations, the Wolfriders sought a safe haven. Now, in the Palace of the High Ones, they have found it. But with security, the elves lose the skills that made them superb survivors in a harsh world. Elfquest: The Final Quest poses dire questions: Who stays? Who goes back to the forest? And what grim price will the Wolfriders pay? Following that prologue, Dark Horse will release this new story alongside all-new editions of the previously published material from this long running series. Look for more details to come as we near the fall.

Beyond all this, Dark Horse still had more news, announcing 4 band new comic series set for release later this year. From the minds of Victor Gischler (Punisher MAX, X-Men) and Juan Ferreyra (Colder, Rex Mundi) comes a new horror series titled Witch Hunt. Donny Cates (Hunter Quaid) and Mark Reznicek (drummer of the Toadies) bring the company a brand-new superhero series that packs an eighty-proof punch, Buzzkill. Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) is returning with his rare mix of humor and horror in the supernatural superhero series The Occultist, alongside artist Mike Norton (Battlepug, The Answer!). And Eisner nominee Alex de Campi (Smoke, Ashes) headlines a B-movie comic masterpiece in Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight.

In Which Hunt, Cassian Steele is boss of the werewolf mafia in the Big Easy, and he’s got a problem. The old witch Verona, who knows his secret, has gone into hiding. Cassian wants her dead. So he sends out the word: an open contract. The first monster to dust Verona gets a big payday. The comic features werewolf mobsters, vampire maids, voodoo wizards, zombie ninjas, and even a rogue priest who shows up to try to collect the bounty. What they don’t realize is that Barnabus Black, a demon desperately trying to regain his halo, is her protection. Issue #1 will be in stores September 18th.

Buzzkill tells the tale of Ruben, who is not your average alcoholic; he’s an unstoppable superhero who derives his powers from imbibing massive amounts of alcohol. After all the disasters it’s caused in his personal life, he’s ready to get clean . . . and the city’s supervillains couldn’t be happier! “What I like so much about the book is that while it has these wild superhero trappings, at its core it’s a very sweet and very personal story about the relationship between power and addiction, and the very real consequences of both,” states Donny Cates. “It’s something that really interests me, and I think that sometimes we approach issues like these in comics as punch lines. What we’ve really tried to do here is take something really devastating and horrible, and examine it through a very familiar terrain. Also, there is a character named Panteradactyl. So there’s that.” Buzzkill will be a four-part miniseries from artist Geoff Shaw (Batman 80-Page Giant) and colorist Lauren Affe, hitting stores also on September 18^th.

The Occultist seems to be regular Tim Seeley fun with some amazing art, as Steve Morris (Serenity, Angel & Faith) joins Mike Norton by providing some beautiful covers. And yes, The Occultist is a follow-up to the hugely successful 2011 miniseries. When the Sword, a mysterious book of powerful spells, binds itself to him, the fact that Rob’s life has been falling apart doesn’t seem like such a big deal. To survive, Rob must learn to control the book’s unpredictable magic, while his life slips even further out of control . . .An evil witch doctor wants the Sword to reject Rob, now known as the Occultist, by deciding that he is a bad host in the ongoing war against the realm of the dead. The solution lies in a Catholic schoolgirl who dabbles in death for a quick high. You can check out The Occultist on October 2^nd of this year.

Finally, de Campi’s Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight, with covers by superstar artists Francesco Francavilla, Dan Panosian, and Coop. Literature is overrated. Morality is expendable. Tonight is right for some over-the-top sex and violence! Bringing the flavor of midnight exploitation flicks to comics, Grindhouse delivers four two-issue gore operas, starting with the Chris Peterson-drawn “Bee Vixens from Mars,” pitting a one-eyed southern Latina deputy against lusty alien chicks bent on laying eggs in the entire male population! And yes, you read that right, four two-issue stories. Grindhouse will be an eight-issue series comprised of four tales at 48-pages per tale. Future arcs include “Prison Ship Anteres,” featuring art from Simon Fraser (2000 AD); “Bride of Blood,” with art by Federica Manfredi (True Blood, Hack/Slash); and “Flesh Feast of the Devil Doll,” with art by Gary Erskine (The Mask). “Grindhouse is the comic your mother warned you about. Seriously. You know when grownups told you comics were filthy, immoral trash? They were talking about this comic specifically,” states Alex de Campi. “Books like Grindhouse were the reason the Comics Code was invented. And if you’re in a very conservative or evangelical part of the US, you should be careful where you read it. Each story is two issues of solid gore, gratuitous nudity, and over-the-top badassery. It’s filthy. It’s violent. It’s really, really fun.” Check out the first tale of Grindhouse the same day you pick up the return of The Occultist, October 2^nd of this year.

Now it seems that Dark Horse has taken over the license and is ready to put it to good use with new Halo comics. Dark Horse has already proved its love of video games and capability of handling video game products and comics with things like the Hyrule Historia, Mass Effect comics, Dragon Age comics, etc. In fact, with their upcoming Last of Us comic series, Dark Horse looks to be dominating the video game field of comic book releases now. This weekend the company announced their first Halo comic release, the Halo: Initiation miniseries, which will be launching this August. This exciting new miniseries will be written by Halo 4 writer and comics veteran Brian Reed (writer of Marvel’s Halo: Fall of Reach miniseries) , with art by Marco Castiello (Secret Invasion: Front Line, Star Wars: Purge).

Halo: Initiation will focus on character Sarah Palmer, who some of you might remember from Halo 4. But before she was a supersoldier defending humanity as part of the Spartan-IV program, Sarah Palmer was an ODST—Orbital Drop Shock Trooper—carrying out the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines! See how she became the first Spartan-IV commander in Initiation, as Brian Reed delves deeper in to his creation’s backstory. “It’s really exciting to work with Dark Horse in continuing the Halo story in comics. After Halo 4 and Spartan Ops, fans wanted to know more about the origins of the Spartan-IV program and Sarah Palmer in particular. So it’s great fun to be able to grant those wishes with a partner like Dark Horse,” said writer Brian Reed.

“A rich science fiction universe driven by compelling characters, Halo has all the makings for show-stopping comics, ” said Dave Marshall, Dark Horse Editor. “In Initiation, Brian and Marco are delivering an action-packed thrill-ride with a beating heart of authentic human drama.” But with the franchise so popular and the license so sought after, expect a lot more Halo comics from Dark Horse in the months, and perhaps years, to come.

ALOHA! is the Hawaiian word for “hello”, “goodbye”, “I love you”, and exactly how every Aspen panel starts and ends. For anyone who’s ever been to an Aspen panel, you’ve likely heard the great Peter Steigerwald, co-owner of Aspen MLT, bellow it out with the crowd after rousing them into an initial shouting of it. Unfortunately Peter was kept at the office during this year’s WonderCon, but the cheerful shout went on without him and with no need for a second call, as the burst of happiness erupted from fans and echoed down the convention hall. It was not only a sign of the love fans had for Aspen, but how great the company had become in just 10 years. So far the company has had quite the successful year celebrating their tenth anniversary with their exciting “10 for 10” initiative, in which they’re offering 10  new #1 titles over 10 months at just $1 a piece.  If you do your math correctly, that means fans can try out 10 brand new Aspen series for only $10! There are also many additional incentives with the initiative, including Reserved Edition covers exclusive to those who order from their comic shop in advance, and a limited edition poster given away free to those who order all 10 #1 titles from their comic shop. So far the company has already released the #1 issues to Legend of the Shadow Clan and Shrugged volume 2. Later this month will see the release of JT Krul’s new title, Jirni, with art by Paolo Pantalena. For the rest of the 10 for 10 titles and their release months, check below:

May – Charismagic Volume 2

June – BubbleGun

July – All New Fathom

August – Overtaken

September – Executive Assistant: Iris Volume 4

October – Trish out of Water

November – All New Soulfire
As panel host Frank Mastromauro went over this information, he showed various cover and logo images on the projection screen and let each creator present talk a little about their work on their titles. During this time, Frank also made note that this year was the 15th anniversary of Michael Turner’s Fathom and gave us a little extra treat beyond the 10 for 10 news. For fans of Fathom, Aspen announced a brand new weekly series leading into July’s All New Fathom. Entitled Fathom: The Elite Saga, the series will begin on June 19^th and run for 5 issues. The Elite Saga will feature art by V. Ken Marion and B-covers by the talented Talent Caldwell who started out working on the original Fathom series back in 2000 before drawing the spin-off series, Fathom: Killian’s Tide, in 2001. Caldwell’s covers will create an interconnecting single piece across all 5-issues that should make for a stunning collection. You can see the first 2 of Caldwell’s covers down below, along with V. Ken Marion’s cover to issue #2. Writing the series will be a group of classic Fathom authors, all 3 of which were on panel, writers JT Krul (Fathom volumes 2 & 3), David Wohl (Fathom volume 4), and Vince Hernandez (Fathom: Kiani volumes 1 & 2).

Another bit of exciting Fathom news came from Vince Hernadez, set for release this October.  October will see the release of the brand new 10 for 10 series, Trish Out of Water, which Hernandez hints as somewhat crossing over with Fathom. No Aspen property has actually offered a crossover yet with one of Michael Turner’s original Aspen series, but Hernandez states that some of the characters will exist in the Fathom universe. As Hernandez has already written two popular Kiani mini-series in the Fathom universe, his introduction of a new character and property interacting with the pre-exiting universe Aspen was helped founded on should make for a very interesting read.
Perhaps one of the most surprising images to see Mastromauro load up on his slideshow was that of the logo for “The Zoohunters”. For those of you who recall Peter Steigerwald’s epic series announced sometime back as Zooniverse, there is finally new news on the horizon for that project. Now re-titled The Zoohunters (the title was changed after Peter discovered another book already had the rights to the title.), the series will have a 4-page preview in May 4^th’s Free Comic Book Day issue from Aspen, Worlds of Aspen 2013. Make sure you swing by your local comic book store early that Saturday morning to grab your copy. We have a preview of the cover and one of the interior pages here:

Another surprise to many who may have missed this solicit in Previews catalog is the unexpected Aspen release of 2013,  the return of the great Aspen Splash annual. This swimsuit style pin-up book began back in 2006, based off the old Fathom Swimsuit issues of Top Cow that helped draw so many comic art fans to the character. The Aspen Splash series ran annually each summer from 2006 through 2010, featuring art containing various Aspen characters from many of Aspen’s talented artists as well as several major guest artists from throughout the comic community. Unfortunately neither 2011 or 2012 saw issues of Aspen Splash, but for the 10^th anniversary the publisher is bringing it back with a pile of new art and some great, yet currently top secret, guest artists. The Aspen Splash 2013 issue will hit stores May 29^th, just in time to heat things up for summer and perhaps inspire a few San Diego Comic Con cosplays. Expect some really great guest contributions considering the number of amazing guests currently provide variants covers for Aspen 10 for 10 titles. We’ve already heard/seen covers from Amanda Conner, Ale Garza, Philip Tan, and the potential of Steve McNiven. J. Scott Campbell has signed on for all ten of the 10 for 10 books, providing second issue Retailer Incentive covers, and Eric “Ebas” Basaldua will be doing all of the issue #3 Aspen Reserved Edition covers.

Speaking of artists, the Aspen guys had a great story of a brand new artist they’re now working with on the upcoming 10 for 10 title, Overtaken. Overtaken is a new sci-fi comic series written by Frank Mastromauro that hits stores this August. It was actually voted on by fans, in a contest where it was chosen over another series by Mastromauro (called Awaken Skies) to be the 7th title in the 10 for 10 books. Joining Mastromauro on art is brand new comic artist, Marco Lorenzana. The panelist shared the story of how Marco came to work for Aspen and it was actually quite interesting and inspiring. As Vince Hernandez later worded it, “Marco’s story is really one of those risk versus reward success stories. He was in the U.S. Visiting his family and on a whim decided to walk into the studio with his cousin and show us his portfolio. It’s not a recommended path to take for artists, but I admire the courage in the action. As luck would have it, he met Frank Mastromauro, our owner and President, and the rest is history. After a short stint learning and growing in the studio, Frank decided to give him the tremendous honor of jumping into an all new series. This was about half a year ago, and Marco has been developing both Awaken Skies and Overtaken since.” Aspen readers will be able to check out Marco’s interior work on Overtaken shortly, but you can still see his promotional imagery on both titles at their individual facebook pages, for Overtaken and Awaken Skies.

After all the panelists had a bit of time to talk about their books and Frank showed some amazing artwork via his slideshow, fans were given the opportunity to ask questions and win some really amazing statues. The panelist received many of the regular inquiries from Aspen fans, such as when we can expect new movies, video games, and Aspen paraphernalia. The panelists informed fans while many things work in the works, it was too early to discuss a lot of potential media and licensing options. However, Aspen is aware of your desires and wants more media tie-ins and product too, as Frank Mastromauro continues to looking to new opportunities to get Aspen out their in other mediums and provide awesome items like shirts, statues, and figures for fans. Frank even took note of a few ideas fans in the audience had for new products and books. But just describing a Q&A session is no fun if you weren’t there for it, so we caught up with Vince Hernandez after the panel for 2 additional questions that didn’t get asked during the Q&A or fully answered on panel.

We first asked Vince if all the 10 for 10 #4 covers would involve interlocking covers or 4 piece direct edition covers, as is often a recurring publication theme for Aspen titles. His response was that “With each #4 issue we’re approaching [the title's published covers] differently regarding the four covers. Mostly, it will depend on the creator and artists’ combined preference and what they choose to do with it. I’ve been very open with satisfying their requests. The first four will all be horizontal, four-part connecting covers and we’re currently discussing the fifth, for BubbleGun, so we’ll see how that one turns out. I believe Mark Roslan is eager to do a more traditional square setup with the four covers for his book.”

Following that question up, we asked one we knew would be on a lot of Aspen fans’ minds: With ‘All New’ being added to the titles of upcoming Fathom and Soulfire volumes, are these series going to be reboots or simply good jumping on points for new readers? Vince kindly informed us that “They won’t be complete reboots. We love the volumes that have led up to the current runs on Fathom and Soulfire, but yes you hit the nail on the head—they will be new directions in the story and perfect jumping-on points for new readers. Fathom and Soulfire have been running for 15 and 10 years respectively so there’s just so much backstory that new readers may find themselves drowning (excuse the pun) in the continuity. We wanted to clear that up and give a new generation of potential Fathom and Soulfire fans the chance to jump onboard and enjoy the ride.”

While that wraps up the WonderCon coverage for Aspen MLT, remember to check back regularly for more news, previews, and interviews with the guys and girls of Aspen comics. There is much more to come from these guys during their tenth anniversary and beyond, and we’ll be here to report it.

Released Today

Games: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Deck Building Game

Price: $40

Players: 2-5

Time: 30-45 minutes

Box Includes: 7 over-sized hero cards, 226 games cards

This game will follow the same structure of other deck building games, and with some work could even be used with their last version, DC Comics Deck Building Game. The starting deck cards are little different in the two games, but if you play enough games, you can figure out how to make Superman and Frodo go against each other.

In this game you get to pick from Aragorn, Samwise, Frodo, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli or Boromir, each with special abilities to help you through out the game. The cards contain pictures from the movie and look to be done very nicely.

If you are a fan of Cryptozoic’s deck building games, I am sure this will be one to add to the collection for any Lord of the Rings fan. For those who think deck building games just get old or are too easy, after a couple of games to get use to the cards included, there are 8 extra archenemies that can be used to play impossible mode with. If this has not made you just a little interested in picking up a copy of this game, they will be continuing this line and will have the other two Lord of the Ring movies added in the future too. Those two expansion will probably be stand alone games, but also work perfectly with this box.

Game: The Walking Dead Card Game

Price: $15

Players: 2-10

Time: 10-30 minutes

Box Includes: 114 Cards

The next game they have in their lineup is The Walking Dead Card Game. The gameplay is based on the game 6 Nimmt! but with the card art being based on the TV show The Walking Dead. The object of the game is to select cards with the value higher than the last card in the row, but lower than all the other cards played that round and be the player to collect the row by adding the final card. The person at the end of the game with the most points, shown with bullets on each card, will win. There is a second variation to the rules that instead of killing zombies, you are trying to get away also, so there is replay-ability to the game. I will work on getting a more detailed explanation of the game with some pictures of the cards soon.

Game: Castle: The Detective Card Game

Price: $30

Players: 2-5

Time: 10-40

Box Includes: 6 oversized character cards, 18 suspect cards, 90 investigation cards, 12 guilt tokens, 12 scoring chips

Cryptozoic is bringing Castle: The Detective Card Game to fans of ABC’s Castle. You get to play as your favorite character from the show and try to be the first player to solve the mystery. There are rules to let you play a single game (episode) or to play multiple rounds and collect points to be the first player to 3 wins (season). The game was described as being played similar to rummy, but has event cards and special abilities to keep each game interesting. The cards have pictures from the show on them and look to be of the same great quality we expect from Cryptozoic. If you are a fan of Castle, I am sure this will be a great party game to keep around.

Games being released later this year by Cryptozoic

ROFL (Q2 2013) and Word Whimsy (Q2 2013) Both being added to Cryptozoic’s Party game lineup

DC Deck Building Expansion (Q3 2013) and Capcom Deck Building Game will both be stand alone games compatible with the original DC Deck Building Game. Both are currently set to be $40 on release.

Appealing to fans in different crowds, DC Expandable Card Game (Q3 2013) where you build superheros, Archer Board Game (Q3 2013) based on the show, Batman Arkham City Board Game (May 2013) where you play as Batman or as the villains, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Q2 2013) and will be followed by a new game for the next two movies also, Adventure Time: Card Wars and Mystic Warlords of Ka’a (Q4 2013) will both be based on games within TV shows, True Blood:  Night Eternal (Q3 2013), and Assassin’s Creed Board Game (Q4 2013)

Keep an eye out on Cryptozoic this year for a list of games coming out along with some of their member working on getting some special events worked out to be ran in hobby stores all over also.

Con Name:

Anime Conji

Location:

Town and Country Resort Hotel

500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego CA, 92108

Dates:

April 12^th-14^th, 2013

Ticket Costs:

3 Day Badges are $45

1 Day Badges will be $25 at onsite registration

Website: http://www.animeconji.org/

History: Anime Conji began as small convention, run by a group of local San Diego fans who had a deep passion for anime culture and volunteered their time, energy, and effort toward putting together a great and unique convention. They had an interest in providing entertainment for like-minded individuals. Their goal was to promote fandom culture as a whole and to foster the subculture of the anime fandom in San Diego and beyond. The convention served as a place to celebrate, share, and appreciate Japanese animation, manga, music, and its associated cultures. Their goal was met with great success as the convention expanded and eventually was taken in by the SPJA, the same organization that runs Anime Expo, California’s biggest anime convention! 2013 will be the fourth Anime Conji, and the first under the SPJA’s purview.

Major Guests:

Rhode Montijo (Writer of Pablo’s Inferno & co-creator of Happy Tree Friends)

Mark Brooks (Director of Metalocalypse, Baton, & the “Fruity Oaty Bar” segment of Serenity)

Asako Yamamoto (Chief Editor for COSMODE’s “COSnap”)

Jessica DiCicco (Voice Actress)

Vampy (Cosplayer)

Carrie Savage (Voice Actress)

And more!

Major Exhibitors:

J-List, Jhouser-Rock ENT, Pop-King Inc, Toy Mandala, Cosplay Wigs USA, Japanime Games, Pop-King Inc, and many many more!

Speak Geeky To Me: Thanks for taking the time to sit with us, Matt. Now where did the story for Mind MGMT come from? After reading the first issue I was very captivated by the idea, and how it is so very different from anything else out there. Was this something that had been bouncing around in your head for a while?

Matt Kindt: Not really, ya know. I got the idea from the title. I came up with the title first. Actually, a friend of mine wrote this super epic super spy novel, sort of a spoof on what I had done on Super Spy, and I was reading it to give him notes and comments. One of the cast’s throw away lines that was in there was like something about how the spies were taking classes in all the different things like espionage and mind management and blah blah blah, and I was like “Mind management? I like the sound of that.” So, I asked, “Hey. Can I use that? Do you want that?” and he was like, “What are you talking about?” he didn’t even remember writing it. “Good, so I can have it right?” [laughs].

His book was set in the 1940’s, it had nothing to do with anything, but those words were so great. They sounded great, and then it all just sprung in my head, we’ll have this organization, and they’ll train these guys in this.

SG2M: That’s awesome. I really like that it was all just sort of spur of the moment.

Kindt: Well you never know when ideas are going to come to you. It’s the only one where I wrote the title first.

SG2M: Your interiors are great. The watercolors are amazing; definitely something I don’t think we see enough of. Your interiors are also different from other comics for another reason, what was your inspiration for the use of the blue line art board style framing each page?

Kindt: Honestly, I think, I’m not sure exactly what happened. It might have been an accident [laughs]. I was scanning something in, and it showed up, and then it gave me the idea. I do the production on my books. One of the reasons I do it is so I can have control over it, which is the main reason. The other reason is, I’m spending more time with these pages then just finishing it and handing it off, so that when I do get last minute ideas, I can explore those ideas [laughs]. That was one of those things that was just last minute; I think it just occurred to me. I’m like, “Oh, this will be cool. It will be something that will suck the reader in a little more”.

SG2M: Exactly.

Kindt: You’re not just reading the story within that’s within the panels; you are holding a PIECE of the story.

SG2M: Awesome, I didn’t think of that. Ok, now usually #0 issues are more traditionally a capes and tights sort of thing and I know it was first a digital release, which was then put into print, but was the idea for the #0 always there? Or something that came to you as you got further into the story? Or simply just something that Dark Horse had wanted after seeing the title’s early success?

Kindt: This is some technical business stuff, but really they weren’t gonna know if the sales were good enough on the series until issue #3; if it was going to keep going. So that’s the brutal truth of it. I didn’t know until issue #3 if I was going to get to do more than 6 issues. So I did the first 6, then I waited for the first 3 to come out, so I did those “shorts”, or whatever, to promote the series when it was coming out. Then the sales were so good [laughs], they were like, “No problem” and I was green lit for the whole series. But there was a little bit of lag between the time that I knew it was gonna keep going, and the time where I could actually get back to working on it. But I had done those “shorts” so it was like we can do those as an issue #0. It will help introduce people to the series if they haven’t picked it up yet, and it helped give me an extra month to sortah get ahead. Like, I just finished issue #12 and I’m writing the next 6 issues. I’m pretty far ahead, I think issue #9 just came out; I’m like 3 or 4 issues ahead.

SG2M: Which leads me to my next question, as far as story goes, do you have a lot more story in your mind for a long running title? Or do you have a definitive kind of end game where you want this to get to?

Kindt: I pitched 36 issues, and I have it locked down in my outline book as 36. I don’t know what’s going to happen between then and now, but that’s really all I have. I didn’t really want to start something this big without having a definite ending, ya know. I didn’t want it to become this thing that was so unwieldy, so big, or have all these unanswered questions, just ending poorly, or just be like “This was your ending?” [laughs]. I have a good ending for it, so I want to get to that. When I’m done with that, and you know, if people are still interested, I have ideas for like, Mind Mgmt in the 1920’s, Mind Mgmt in the 1950’s, 60’s. It goes back; I would love to tell like 6-issue stories about other parts of it that work on their own

SG2M: Well it is definitely got a huge following. The strength of the story alone that you are creating is wonderful, so I’m sure that interest post these 36-issues will be there. Ok now for a couple of fun questions. Who is your favorite superhero or comic book character?

Kindt: My favorite is the one I am working on. So, Martian Manhunter was my favorite, but if I’m done with him it’s going to be whoever. Like, Frankenstein was my favorite. Honestly I never had more fun writing a comic than Frankenstein when I was writing him, including my creator owned stuff. Like, there’s something so weird and whacky, and that’s totally unlike me, about writing that book that’s like…I could do this all day long! [laughs]

SG2M: It’s something so legendary and iconic that you get to have a hand in. It must seem surreal.

Kindt: Yeah, it’s just nuts. I felt like Jack Kirby in a way, trying to come up with the craziest ideas, and get ‘em on paper or whatever. That was so much fun, I loved doing that stuff.

SG2M: Finally, what are you reading right now?

Kindt: Its weird cause I have to read a lot of books that feed into what I’m writing for Marvel and DC, so that I get it right and that I’m aware of everything [laughs]. I’m not gonna count those. But I’m reading Saga with the rest of the world [laughs], and Sixth Gun, which is like…AMAZING! What’s funny is I’m good friends with Brian and Cullen and so the book was coming out, and I waited ‘till probably issue #10 or #12 until I started reading it. I was like, “I know I have to like this because they’re my friends.” [laughs]. Good thing I really do like it, it’s really fun.

SG2M: Well thank you so much for the time, I really appreciate it

Kindt: No problem man.

The Mind MGMT volume 1 hardcover, containing issues #1-6, is in stores today, April 10th. We highly recommend the title and hope you all rush out to get it before it sells out. Check back for more news on the series and its upcoming film as they are announced.

The world of Malifaux is also getting more thought out, with the development of an RPG. The RPG will use the same deck system that the miniature game uses. The two games should feel similar enough that fans will be comfortable switching between the two, especially with the ability to use your RPG characters in a miniature battle. There will be a small connection to Earthside in the RPG, but most of the game will be taking place in Malifaux. Another unique twist to this RPG, as compared to others, is character creation. Each character will be given a tarot reading before they start. This can be used by the GM later on or just as the starting point. For GMs that enjoy having a little more power over the world, I have been told that this mechanic makes such actions more acceptable in the game. This mechanic allows GM’s to forge unfavorable circumstances onto the players and then require the players to fate their way out of it with cards. Overall I am really looking forward to this coming out.

If you are a fan of reading extra background stories, strategies, and other information about Wyrd Miniatures and the world of Malifaux, the Wyrd Chronicles are being release again at a bi-monthly rate. They brought back the digital publishing with the 4th edition in February and released their 5th edition this month. It will eventually add different play styles and possibly campaign rules for Malifaux in the future.

To help keep the community growing, Wyrd Miniatures has created a henchman program for promoting their products. Currently they are looking for players who play and are able to explain Malifaux and Puppet Wars. Benefits to joining their program include special forums to see previews and eventually special products limited to the henchman that can include free swag or shirts or possibly even more in the future. With the help of the henchman, there will also be a Passport Program in the future where you can collect and trade in stickers for special items, like alt models or other ideas still being developed. There are limited details currently dealing with this.

Between the two panels I attended for Wyrd Miniatures, there were a few announcements of products that will be going on sale in the future. Evil Baby Orphanage is getting an expansion. If you have not heard of this game, its a simple party game styled card game where each player is a time traveling nanny trying to go back in time and turn evil people into functioning citizens. Very nurture over nature. The different babies in the first one are comical and I assume it will be just as funny with the new babies being added. The artwork for this game is done nicely and gameplay seems simple enough, but I have not had a chance to try it myself. They will also be adding special nanny characters to choose from to make each player’s gameplay a little different. Puppet Wars is getting a reprint done soon as well. With the Malifaux characters getting worked on and moved over to plastic, Puppet Wars is as well. The new box will be priced lower than the original box and come with all of the pieces needed to play instead of needing an expansion right away. The plastic pieces come as close to being in one piece as possible, with most of the multi-piece characters looking like they can easily snap together or be put together with very little glue.

Keep an eye out on their website and in the forums and chronicles for information about their new products and even a brand new card game being developed in the future.