Updated interviews coming to ThePullbox is Pulp illustrator icon Doug Klauba, creators from General Jack Cosmo Productions and Red 5‘s Tom Hodges!
new press release from Wizard!
Wizard World Chicago is one of the biggest events this summer and it’s almost here. Just look at the exciting events planned for this weekend, June 26-29.
- Six of the seven artists that formed Image Comics, which has gone on to be one of the biggest comic companies of all time, will reunite on Saturday, June 28. Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Whilce Portacio, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino will discuss the past, present and future of the company that brought you Spawn, WildC.A.T.s, Savage Dragon, Youngblood and more. This is a panel you won’t want to miss!
- “Batman: Gotham Knight,” the film that bridges the gap between “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” will have its world premiere on Saturday night. Following the premiere, writers Brian Azzarello, Alan Burnett, Josh Olson, Greg Rucka and Executive Producer Bruce Timm will take part in a special panel and Q&A session moderated by DC Comics Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs Gregory Noveck. The creative team will then participate in a public signing on Sunday morning.
- Special Guest Missy Peregrym from the hit show “Reaper” will sit down with Wizard Magazine’s Kevin Mahadeo during a Saturday Q&A panel. Ever wonder what it’s like being the girlfriend of Satan’s bounty hunter? This is the panel for you! She’ll also be on hand for autographs and pictures before and after her panel.
- Guest of Honor Warren Ellis will be at the show every day from Thursday to Sunday courtesy of Avatar Press. During his special night time event on Friday at 9:30 p.m., Ellis will discuss a variety of topics giving fans a rare glimpse into his unparalleled personality.
- The creators of the Adult Swim series “Moral Orel” will participate in a panel on Saturday, during which you’ll hear about the making of this Emmy Award-winning stop-motion animated show. Present at the panel will be Dino Stamatopoulos (“Late Night with Conan O’Brien”), Scott Adsit (“30 Rock”) and Chris McKay. Come and discover all new reasons to be offended by this show! The trio will also be signing at the Wizard Booth on Saturday after their panel.
- Venom and Phoenix from the hit NBC series “American Gladiators” will be showing clips and giving away behind-the-scenes secrets during their question and answer session on Friday. You’ll also be able to catch up with the Gladiators at their table on the floor on Friday.
- Image Comics’ superstar writer Robert Kirkman will be the subject of an in-depth look at his work on Invincible, The Walking Dead, The Astounding Wolf-Man and Brit during a panel on Friday. This is your only chance to see Kirkman at Wizard World Chicago, so be there or be square!
- On Thursday night at 7 p.m., all 100 original Hulk covers for Marvel’s recent Hulk #1 will be on display for the first and only time at a “Green Room” event. Only 200 admission tickets will be sold with all proceeds going to benefit the Hero Initiative.
- The Great Debate: Bendis vs. Johns, sponsored by A&E/History, pits two of the hottest writers in comics, Marvel heavyweight Brian Michael Bendis and DC titan Geoff Johns, against each other as they debate some of the most controversial topics in the industry!
- The convention takes its first step into the world of live music with the invigorating J-pop sound of ORESKABAND, one of the hottest bands in Japan. The concert, free to convention attendees, will take place on Friday evening. Prior to the concert, ORESKABAND will be signing autographs on Friday at 1 p.m. In the Fountain Area.
- In Saturday’s Spawn to the Future panel, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane makes a special guest appearance at Wizard World Chicago to introduce the new Spawn creative team of writer Brian Holguin, artist Whilce Portacio and McFarlane himself who will co-plot the stories and lay out the pages, and give secrets about the book’s upcoming exciting new direction.
- With “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie and TV series hot on the horizon, Lucasfilm’s Head of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet will have much to share with fans at Wizard World. Sansweet’s presentation will reveal exciting looks into the upcoming animated movie and series, as well as into LucasArts’ breathtaking new game, “The Force Unleashed.” Don’t miss this hour on Saturday covering all the Star Wars excitement to come.
- There will be two tournament halls set up for gaming, sponsored by WizKids and Wizards of the Coast. Players will be competing all weekend in scheduled HeroClix battles for the title of North American National Champion in the WizKids tournament hall and there will also be non-stop round-the-clock gaming in the Wizards of the Coast hall.
Even with under 48 hours left until the floor opens at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center for Wizard World Chicago, exciting new events are being lined up that you won’t find in your program books. Here are the latest additions.
- There will be a Women in Comics panel on Sunday at 12 p.m. Gail Simone (Wonder Woman writer), Kristin Allen (Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, Women of Marvel sketch card artist), Katie Cook (Licensed artist for Star Wars, DC and Marvel), Agnes Garbowska (Peach and the Isle of Monsters, Polar Bear Princess), Eva Hopkins (Dark Ivory, colorist for Dawn), Jann Jones, Senior Coordinating Editor, DCU, and Carly Spade (colorist for Particle 9 Productions) will share their experiences and tell you how to survive and thrive in the comics industry.
- On Saturday at 2 p.m., you can learn how students at Chicago’s FLASHPOINT ACADEMY are working on the exciting visual effects for the soon-to-be-released film “Space Pirates,” and living their dreams. The Visual Effects Supervisor for the film “Space Pirates,” who is also Chair of the VFX and Animation department at FLASHPOINT ACADEMY, will be on hand to show how the effects are being created. Work representing the students and professionals will be shown and discussed.
- During his Saturday Wizard School panel, Bob Layton, Marvel’s legendary creator on Iron Man, X-Factor and Hercules: Prince of Power, will discuss and demonstrate some “Simple Rules of Thumb” that any beginning artist can apply when attempting to create a comics page. Come learn on Sunday at 11 a.m. from this visionary veteran of the comic book industry and see how to apply his knowledge and experience to your own comics work.
- Mitch Breitweiser (Captain America: The Chosen artist) will join Ethan Van Sciver, Shane Davis, Adi Granov, Greg Horn and Aaron Lopresti for the first Wizard World Win, Lose or Draw panel on Sunday at 1 p.m. The assortment of talented artists and two lucky fans will play for huge prizes. Attendees must purchase a raffle ticket for the chance to compete onstage. All proceeds benefit the Hero Initiative.
There are many more exciting events taking place at this year’s Wizard World Chicago, so be sure to go to www.wizardworld.com for the complete programming schedule and to purchase tickets. Wizard World, the largest family-friendly comics and pop culture convention in the central US, returns to Chicago June 26-29 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
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