Dark Horse Comics and Brendan McCarthy Announce "Dream Gang"

From the co-writer of “MAD MAX: FURY ROAD” comes “DREAM GANG”

Dark Horse Presents Brendan McCarthy’s Mind-Warping New Graphic Novel

MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics announces the release of Brendan McCarthy’s psychedelic comics opus Dream Gang.

Collecting the story originally published in Dark Horse Presents, Dream Gang represents veteran comics creator Brendan McCarthy at his finest.

“Dream Gang is a story that takes place in dreams entirely,” says McCarthy. “It is the story of a young man who lives a dreary, gray life. One night he has a vivid dream that connects him to a group of naturally gifted psychic voyagers known as the Dream Gang. The dream that follows changes him forever.”

A young man is transformed into a Dream Voyager while he sleeps by the mysterious Dream Gang. They are searching for a destructive dream bomb that has been implanted into one of his memories. But to find the bomb, a secret memory must be uncovered.

A Fantastic Voyage through the mind.  Dream Gang arrives on July 27 and retails for $14.99.

Praise for Dream Gang:

“Dream Gang is the legendary Brendan McCarthy at his visionary best.”—Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, Jupiter’s Legacy)

“A psychedelic masterpiece, from one of the architects of post-modern comics.”—Gerard Way (Umbrella Academy, True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys)

"Nice to see that Brendan McCarthy still writes, draws, paints, thinks and dreams in pure, unadulterated magic."—Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Punisher)

“Plunge into the mind-warping, surrealistic maelstrom of Dream Gang, Brendan McCarthy’s fantastic psychedelic adventure story.”—Bryan Talbot (Grandville, One Bad Rat)

“TechnoDreamFreakWavePsychedelicPunkPopartMadmaxYellowSubmarineTasticness!”—Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl, Bad Company)

"Dream Gang is the best thing I've read in years. A feast for the eyes, a trip for the mind.”—Bambos Georgiou (Conan, Nick Fury)

“Engaging surrealism, a fever dream of a tale that is gorgeous in its roughness and, like real dreams, leaves the reader guessing as to what the next step is in the story being told.”—Comic Book Resources

“Dream Gang is fascinating with a hook strong enough to make me want to read more.”—Major Spoilers

“Dream Gang never lacks for interesting panels. Primarily set in a dream, it takes advantage of its surreal concept to toy with backgrounds and characters.”—ComicBook.com


About Brendan McCarthy
Brendan McCarthy studied Painting and Film at Chelsea School of Art and is one of the UK's most gifted graphic novelists. His ground-breaking comics of the early 1980s (Strange Days, Skin, Rogan Gosh) as part of 'The British Invasion' paved the way for comics’ increasing popularity in Hollywood. He was also one of the pioneers of computer animation, creating the visuals for the 1990s computer animated TV series ReBoot, the first long-form digital narrative that preceded Pixar and Dreamworks' later successes. He has spent more than 20 years working in Hollywood, and is the co-writer and a designer on Mad Max Fury Road. More recently, Brendan has created new graphic novels including Spider-Man Fever (for Marvel), Solo (for DC Comics) and Swimini Purpose, The Zaucer of Zilk and Dream Gang for independent US publishers. A best-selling retrospective collection of his classic comic book work was released last year from Dark Horse Comics, The Best of Milligan & McCarthy.

About Dark Horse
For 30 years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

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Colleen Doran, Michael Golden Among Top Comics Creators at 2016 Wizard World Des Moines

Colleen Doran, Peter David, Phil Hester, Guy Gilchrist Among Top Comics Creators To Attend Wizard World Des Moines, May 13-15

Danny Fingeroth, Clinton Hobart, Arthur Suydam, James O’Barr, Tom Cook, Michael Golden Also Headline Artist Alley At Iowa Events Center

DES MOINES, April 14, 2016 – Eisner Award winners Colleen Doran (“Sandman,” “The Vampire Diaries”), Peter David (“The Incredible Hulk,” “Spider-Man 2099”), and Phil Hester (“Wonder Woman,” “Green Hornet”), as well as Guy Gilchrist (writer/cartoonist, “Nancy,” “Muppet Babies”), Tom Cook ("He-Man," "She-Ra"), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine art), Danny Fingeroth (group editor, “Spider-Man”), James O’Barr (“The Crow”), Mark Kistler (PBS Television , “The Secret City”), and Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies” “Army of Darkness”) are among the leading comics artists and writers scheduled to attend Wizard World Des Moines, May 13-15, 2016 at the Iowa Events Center. It is the ninth comic con event on the 2016 Wizard World calendar and second year for the show in Des Moines.

Other top Wizard World Des Moines Artist Alley guests include Barbara Slate (“betty and Veronica,” “Archie”), Mikey Babinski (“Scarlet Spider,” writer - “Iron Man”), Andy Brase (“Assassin’s Creed,” “The Incredible Hulk”), Rob Schamberger (“WWE”), Jeremiah Lambert (“Transformers,” “Tonka Truck”), Victor Dandridge (“Vantage: Inhouse”), Tim Lundmark (“Hell Has Become Our Home: A Poetic Narrative on the Duality of Marriage”), Mike Maydak (“1782: The Year of Blood,” “The Blackbeard Legacy”), Jim Mehsling (“Into the Void,” “Bounty Hunter: The Interview”), Todd Nauck (“Wildguard,” “Amazing Spider-Man”), Ant Lucia (“DC Comics Bombshells”) and many others.

Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World Des Moines show hours are Friday, May 13, 2016 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, May 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wizard World Des Moines is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Des Moines, visit http://wizd.me/DesMoinesPR.


About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store (www.shopwizardworld.com ), Wizard World Music (http://www.wizardworldmusic.com/), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

Wizard World 2016 schedule available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html.

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Comics Review: SPIDEY #1

SPIDEY #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Robbie Thompson
ART: Nick Bradshaw
COLORS: Jim Campbell
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
COVER: Nick Bradshaw with Jim Campbell
VARIANT COVERS: Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado; Skottie Young; Gyimah Gariba (Hip Hop Variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2016)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

The Spider-Man that readers first met in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover dated: August 1962) and then, in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (cover date: March 1963) was secretly a teenager and high school student named Peter Parker.  Over the years, a legion of Spider-Man writers depicted Peter Parker graduating from high school, going to college, becoming a college graduate student, a working stiff, a freelancer, an employee, etc.

If my memory is correct, Peter Parker was living on his own and might have been a grad student in the first Spider-Man comic books I ever read.  However, the first time I encountered Spider-Man in comics was a reprint of the story from Amazing Fantasy #15.  That was a seminal moment for me as a burgeoning comic book fan.  From that point on, I basically always favored the teenage Peter Parker, so the first time I saw an adult Parker, I found it odd.  It is not that I did not like a grown-up Parker; I simply preferred reading about a teen-aged Peter Parker being Spider-Man.

So my interest was piqued when I read that as part of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel,” Marvel Comics was going to launch a comic book that focused on the early days of Peter Parker's adventures as Spider-Man.  Entitled Spidey, this series is written by Robbie Thompson; drawn by Nick Bradshaw; colored by Jim Campbell; and lettered by Travis Lanham.

Spidey #1 finds Peter Parker having to be the Amazing Spider-Man on his way to class at Midtown High School.  It is the field trip to Oscorp that causes the real trouble when Doctor Otto Octavius crashes the party.

I tried to be a cynical old guy and not like Spidey #1, but it is the kind of throwback, retro Spider-Man comic book that I like to read on occasion.  In fact, I am ready for the second issue (which I think has been released as of this writing).  This is an action-adventure comic book that recalls classic Marvel, but without the storytelling density.  After all, early Marvel Comics squeezed an epic into practically each issue their most popular series.

Spidey writer Robbie Thompson offers something like a comic book version of the Saturday morning animated television series, “The Spectacular Spider-Man” (2008-2009).  Thompson pretty much sticks with standard characterization on all characters, including the supporting players, Gwen Stacy and Flash Thompson, so readers will recognize the characters they have come to love.  Thompson also manages two Spider-Man-in-action sequences, while offering the high school melodrama that is integral to any Spider-Man comic book

Artist Nick Bradshaw does his best Art Adams circa Monkeyman and O'Brien, but Adam's detailed style is made practical rather than stylish in Spidey.  Appearance aside, Bradshaw's storytelling is solid, balancing lite high school drama with explosive action.  And as every Spider-Man comic book artist should do, Bradshaw makes Spider-Man look good in action.  I don't know if Bradshaw will be remembered as a great Spider-Man artist, but he is starting off as an effective one.

So if readers are looking for a Spider-Man comic book for young readers, rather than complaining they can find Spidey.  It will entertainment them, also.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

First Ever "Star Trek" Fan Event Set for May 20th

DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN INVITES STAR TREK FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO JOIN HIM, ALONG WITH CAST AND CREW, FOR A FIRST-EVER FAN EVENT ON MAY 20 IN CELEBRATION OF THE SERIES’ 50TH ANNIVERSARY AND “STAR TREK BEYOND”

SNEAK PREVIEW EVENT WILL INCLUDE A PREMIERE OF THE FINAL TRAILER, EXCLUSIVE FIRST-LOOKS OF FOOTAGE, SPECIAL GUESTS APPEARANCES AND OTHER SURPRISES

LIN TO ANNOUNCE SHORTLY HOW FANS CAN WIN A CHANCE TO BE THERE IN-PERSON AT PARAMOUNT’S HISTORIC STUDIO LOT

HOLLYWOOD, CA – "Star Trek Beyond" director Justin Lin announced today a first-ever fan event to take place on May 20, 2016 in celebration of the series’ milestone 50th Anniversary this year and the film's release this summer.

The one-time only special event, taking place at the historic Paramount Pictures studio lot, will include the premiere of the newest “Star Trek Beyond” trailer, an exclusive first-look of never before seen footage from the upcoming film, a Q&A with Lin and the cast and crew, special guests appearances, and other surprises. The Q&A will be streamed via Facebook Live.

Said Justin Lin, "As a lifelong fan of Trek, we wanted to do something special for the fans and we couldn't think of a better way to do that than creating an event dedicated to them in the year that we also come together to celebrate the series’ amazing 50th year.” 

Opening July 22, 2016 from Paramount Pictures and Skydance, "Star Trek Beyond" is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production.  The film stars John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Directed by Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber, and Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Pegg & Doug Jung.

To learn about the movie, go to http://www.startrekmovie.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/StarTrekMovie


About Star Trek Beyond
"Star Trek Beyond," the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew.  In “Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 10th to 16th, 2016 - Updated #46

Support Leroy on Patreon.

COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  The X-Men film franchise may return to the "the Dark Phoenix Saga" storyline.

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OBITS - From Variety:  Filmmaker Dan Ireland has died at the age of 57, Thursday, April 14, 2016.  Ireland may be best known for directing the 1996 film, "The Whole Wide World," a biopic of Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian/Cimmerian.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are in early talks to lead Sony's "Jumanji" reboot.

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MOVIES - YahooMovies:  A first look at the "Pete's Dragon" remake, due in August 2016.

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CULTURE - From RollingStone:  Matt Taibbi says college kids aren't the only ones demanding "safe spaces."

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From RSN:  Michelle Alexander on Bill Clinton's fake apology for his attack on BLM activists.  Also an overview of the "New Democrats" and their 1994 crime bill.

From RSN:  Alexander says an apology is not enough.

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CRIME - From RSN:  Chicago Police have "no regard for minority lives." D'uh?

From the NYTimes:  And Chicago courts, judges, and prosecutors are racist, too.

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  Crispin Glover has joined Starz's "American Gods," the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantastic novel.

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MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard:  Andy Serkis is working on an adaptation of the horror novel, "The Ritual."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Amazon and Lionsgate are developing a drama series inspired by the characters and themes of Bob Dylan's songs.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  James Cameron plans to make four "Avatar" sequels.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Stephen King's novella, "The Mist," has already been a movie.  Now, it is being developed as a television series for Spike.

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LAKERS - From YahooSports:  Kobe Bryant goes out with an explosion in his last game for the Los Angeles Lakers.

From YahooFinance:  Kobe's finale game sets a record for ESPN2 and causes Twitter some glitches and crashes the Lakers Twitter account.

From CBSSports:  The NBA thanks Kobe for 20 years.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Warren Beatty is considering a sequel to his 1990 film, "Dick Tracy," which won an Oscar.  In the meantime, he is working on a film in which he plays infamous billionaire, Howard Hughes, whom Leonardo DiCaprio also played in "The Aviator."

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COMICS - From Variety:  Channing Tatum tweets that he has joined "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," the sequel to "Kingsman: The Secret Service."

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COMICS - From Variety:  Michael Keaton being considered to play a villain in 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

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COMICS - From YouTube:  Dark Horse Comics releases a trailer for its omnibus collection of the manga, "I Am a Hero."

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LAKERS - From GQ:  Nike's Farewell ad for Kobe Bryant is fantastic.

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COMICS - From BBCNews:  The titles of the new Spider-Man film is "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

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COMICS - From YahooMovies:  Will Smith talks about finally meeting Jared Leto, with whom he had scenes in "Suicide Squad."

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COMICS - From YahooTV:  Here's what you need to know about Marvel's "The Defenders."

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COMICS - From YahooMovies:  See the first trailer for Marvel Studios, "Doctor Strange."

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MOVIES - From YahooNews:  Of course, you know that the "Men in Black" franchise and the "21/22 Jump Street" film franchise are coming together for a mashup film...  Well, Sony has announced the title of that film - MIB 23...

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COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  "Deadpool" was a hit, but one thing the bosses at 20th Century Fox wanted could have ruined the film.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Elton John may join "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," the sequel to "Kingsman: The Secret Service."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  MPAA chief touts record global box office and improved diversity in filmmaking.

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  Marvel to start filming "The Defenders" later this year, according to one of the stars.

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  At CinemaCon, Warner Bros. announced that Ben Affleck will direct a solo Batman movie.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Sylvester appeared at CinemaCon and announced an untitled movie project with STX Entertainment.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Tom Cruise promises "incredible set pieces" for sixth installment of "Mission: Impossible."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  The Fast and Furious franchise is creating a new character to be played by Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Super movie producer, Frank Marshall, talks about many things, including his belief that only Harrison Ford should play Indiana Jones.

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BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  Melissa McCarthy's "The Boss" holds on to win the 4/8 to 4/10/2016 weekend box office with a take of $23.58 million.  "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" finishes second with $23.34 million.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Steven Spielberg and Mark Rylance are reuniting for "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara."  Rylance recently won an Oscar for Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies."

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COMICS - From Variety:  Tessa Thompson of "Creed" is joining "Thor 3."  She may be the female lead as Natalie Portman, who plays Dr. Jane Foster, is not returning.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Although the live-action "Jungle Book" does not open in North America until this coming Friday, Disney is already developing a sequel.

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CULTURE - From NYTimes:  Congratulation, you're fired.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/8 to 4/10/2016 weekend box office is "The Boss," starring Melissa McCarthy, with an estimated haul of $23.4 million, although "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is also in the $23.4 range.

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SPORTS - From TheVerge:  Michael B. Jordan joins Kobe Bryant for a new "Apple TV" ad.

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AWARDS - From YahooMovies:  "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" wins "Movie of the Year" at the MTV Movie Awards.

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  Early reviews of "Captain America: Civil War" are quite favorable.

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From BleedingCool:  Actor David Anders announces at Emerald City ComicCon that he will play "Loki" on TV... for someone.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  Trailer #2 for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows."

Charles Soule, Rob Guillory Among 2016 Baltimore Comic-Con Guests

Baltimore Comic-Con Announces First 100+ Guests

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - The Baltimore Comic-Con returns to the Inner Harbor in 2016 at the Baltimore Convention Center on September 2-4, 2016, and we are proud to announce the first set of guest appearing at the show. We're still almost 6 months out from the big event, but have already lined up over 100 guests from the comics industry to join us in 2016! They are a wide mix of new and returning guests, classic talent or modern-day star (or both!), mainstream and independent creators (or both!), with kids-oriented or mainstream focuses (or both!).

This year's confirmed guests for the show include: Neal Adams (Superman: The Coming of the Supermen); Scott Ethan Ambruson (Azteca: Ciudad Paradiso); Jeff Balke (Zombies vs Cheerleaders: St. Patty's Day Special); Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl); Marty Baumann (Pixar artist); Carolyn Belefski (Curls); Christy Blanch (The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood); Danica Bradshaw (Wayward); Nick Bradshaw (Spidey); Reilly Brown (Deadpool); Harold Buchholz (Archie Comics); Ben Caldwell (Scooby Apocalypse); Chris Campana (The Accelerators); Christa Cassano (Ghetto Klown); Mike Cavallaro (The Fox); Howard Chaykin (Imperium);

Lee Cherolis (Little Guardians); Frank Cho (The Totally Awesome Hulk); Amy Chu (Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death); Steve Conley (Bloop); Stephen Coughlin (Sanctuary); J. Robert Deans (Crass Fed); Jeff Dekal (New Avengers); Todd Dezago (Perhapanauts); Charles C. Dowd (Lilith Dark); Joe Eisma (Morning Glories); Tod Emko (A Piggy's Tale); Joe Endres (Colossians); Steve Englehart, courtesy of Hero Initiative (Captain America); David Finch (Wonder Woman); Meredith Finch (Wonder Woman); Chris Flick (Capes & Babes); Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife with Archie); Franco (Aw Yeah Comics: Action Cat!); John Gallagher (Buzzboy);

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Batman '66: The Lost Episode); Jason Gounger (Legio Ex Mortis); Anna Gownley and Jimmy Gownley (The Dumbest Idea Ever!); Stephen Green (The Legacy of Luther Strode); Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred); Rob Guillory (Chew: Demon Chicken Poyo); Laura Lee Gulledge (Will & Whit); Dean Haspiel (The Fox); Jason Horn (Ninjasaur); Ken Hunt (Talon); JG Jones (Strange Fruit); Dan Jurgens (Action Comics, Saturday & Sunday only); Tom King (Batman); Barry Kitson (Empire: Uprising); Samantha Kyle (Paul & Olly); John Layman (Chew: Demon Chicken Poyo); Paul Levitz (Doctor Fate); Mike Lilly (Red Agent); Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space); Mark Mariano (The Other Side of Hugless Hill); Ron Marz (Convergence: Batman and Robin); Ed McGuinness (Spider-Man/Deadpool); Mark Morales (Convergence);

Joe Mulvey (SCAM); Jamar Nicholas (Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America); Chris Otto (A Dog's Life); Greg Pak (Teen Titans); Tom Palmer (Doctor Strange); Yanick Paquette (Batman/Superman); Dan Parsons (Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle); Brent Peeples (Gold Key: Alliance); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Brandon Peterson (Uncanny Inhumans); Mark Poulton (A Cat Named Haiku); Eric Powell (The Goon); Kyle Puttkammer (Hero Cats: Midnight Over Stellar City); Ron Randall (Convergence: Catwoman); Khary Randolph (Robin War); Tom Raney (Ninjak); Paul Renaud (Superman/Wonder Woman); Emily Romano (Comic Art House); Craig Rousseau (Kyrra: Alien Jungle Girl); Stephane Roux (Harley Quinn and Power Girl); Joe Rubinstein (Convergence: Batman and Robin); Alex Saviuk (Spider-Man newspaper strip); Stuart Sayger (Hellboy 100); Bart Sears (Bloodshot); Jeff Shultz (Betty and Veronica);

Louise Simonson (Convergence: Superman - The Man of Steel); Walter Simonson (Ragnarok); Matt Slay (TMNT Micro-Series); Brian Smith (SpongeBob Comics); Charles Soule (Star Wars: Poe Dameron); Babs Tarr (Batgirl); Ben Templesmith (Blackholers); Chad Thomas (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures); Frank Tieri (Harley Quinn and her Gang of Harleys); Vivek J. Tiwary (The Fifth Beatle); David Trustman (The Rise); James Tynion (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles); Rick Veitch (Miracleman); Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens); Mark Waid (All-New, All-Different Avengers); Michael Watkins (Pantha); Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics); Mark Wheatley (Doctor Who); Matt Wieringo ('Ringo Scholarship Fund); Marcus Williams (Hero Cats); Rich Woodall (Kyrra: Alien Jungle Girl); Sasha Yosselani (Comic Art House); and Thom Zahler (My Little Pony: Friends Forever).

"That's a ton of grade-A comic talent," said Marc Nathan, promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. "We're so excited to have old friends and new coming to the show this year, and we've only just begun to scratch the surface. We've already announced the return of CGC Grading to the 2016 show, and we're working on many other aspects of the show already. It's going to be a great year to come to the Baltimore Comic-Con!"

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

Contact Information

Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com- for the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com- for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries


About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 17th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 11 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.

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Kate Beckinsale, Rita Moreno Among 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival Honorees

The Newport Beach Film Festival Honors Outstanding Contribution to Global Cinema in Special Celebration

Event Includes Variety's 10 Cinematographers to Watch

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Newport Beach Film Festival will celebrate outstanding contribution to global cinema at a special event during the 17th annual Festival (April 21-28, 2016) at the Balboa Bay Resort, April 23.

    Kate Beckinsale, Burt Bacharach and Rita Moreno among those to be recognized at Newport Beach Film Festival

“The Newport Beach Film Festival is proud to continue its tradition of recognizing superior achievements in global cinema. From composing, to acting and screenwriting, this year’s honorees are legends and leaders in their craft,” stated Newport Beach Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Gregg Schwenk.

This year the honorees include:

KATE BECKINSALE
NBFF Woman of Distinction Award for Outstanding Contribution to Acting
Kate Beckinsale is an English actress who appeared in the "Underworld" film series and has since starred in many action films, including "Van Helsing," "Whiteout," "Contraband," and "Total Recall." Her dramatic projects include "Snow Angels," "Winged Creatures," and "Nothing but the Truth" (for which she earned a Critic's Choice Award nomination in 2008). She is currently starring in the comedy “Love & Friendship,” screening at this year’s NBFF.

BURT BACHARACH
Legend Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in Cinema
Burt Bacharach is a six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winning composer, songwriter, record producer, pianist and singer. His music and film scores have spanned six decades and included an impressive list of collaborations. Burt composed the score for “Po,” screening at this year’s NBFF.

RITA MORENO
Legend Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema
Rita Moreno has had a thriving acting career spanning six decades and is one of only twelve performers to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards, which include an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Some of her most memorable roles include Anita in “West Side Story” and Tuptim in “The King and I.” She is currently starring in the film, “Remember Me” screening at this year’s NBFF.

LINDA WOOLVERTON
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Screenwriting
Screenwriter, playwright and novelist, Linda Woolverton was the first woman to write an animated feature screenplay for Disney with “Beauty and the Beast,” and the first and only female screenwriter with a sole writing credit on a billion-dollar film, “Alice in Wonderland.” Linda is a former guest lecturer at the NBFF seminar series and has several upcoming films and series including “Alice through the Looking Glass” and “Maleficent 2.”

In addition to the Festival Honors, the Festival, in partnership with Variety will recognize 10 Cinematographers to Watch. The 2016 10 to Watch are:

DREW DANIELS
Shot Trey Edward Shults’ “Krisha,” the big prizewinner at SXSW last year (Grand Jury Award and Audience Award) and a Cannes Critics’ Week selection.

THIMIOS BAKATAKIS
Shot Cannes Jury prizewinner and 2016 BAFTA nominee “The Lobster,” directed by fellow Greek Yorgos Lanthimos. Other credits include “Blind,” “Keep the Lights On” and the upcoming “Una,” with Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn.

DIEGO GARCIA
Shot two stunning-looking 2015 features at opposite ends of the spectrum, linked only by the genius of their cinematography: Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Cemetery of Splendor” and Brazilian Gabriel Mascaro’s “Neon Bull.”

MANUEL DACOSSE
In the past three years, he’s lensed four of the most visually striking Euro art/genre films: “Alleluia,” “The Strange Color,” “Of Your Body’s Tears,” “Evolution,” and “The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun.”

MANUEL BILLETER
Created the noir tone of Netflix’s “Jessica Jones,” which released to critical acclaim last year. “Jessica Jones” is the second show – alongside “Daredevil, Luke Cage” (which Billeter is currently lensing). Billeter’s other credits include: episodes of “Orange is the New Black,” episodes of “Person of Interest,” and episodes of “Law & Order.”

POLLY MORGAN
Went into this year’s Sundance Film Festival with two films in competition: the cult documentary “Holy Hell” and the dramatic comedy “The Intervention,” which was sold to Paramount and will release in September 2016. Morgan also recently wrapped a new Sundance/BBC co-production, “The A Word,” by Peter Balker. Her first work on the small screen came on the hit FX show “American Horror Story: Asylum,” shooting alongside Michael Goi, ASC. Her next project is the horror film “Slumber” starring Maggie Q.

PETER FLINCKENBERG
Finnish cinematographer Flinckenberg recently shot “Woodshock” for Kate and Laura Mulleavy (Rodarte designers) and starring Kirsten Dunst. Last year, Flinckenberg won the ASC Spotlight Award for his work on “Concrete Night,” which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was also nominated to the Camerimage main competition and won a Jussi, the Finnish equivalent of the Academy Award, for Best Cinematography.

MARK PATTEN
Patten is the cinematographer behind FX’s highly anticipated series “Taboo” starring Tom Hardy. The show is directed by Kristoffer Nyholm. He served as the director of photography on “Morgan,” directed by Luke Scott and will be released later this year.

MONIKA LENCZEWSKA
The Polish DP was one of the only cinematographers to have two films simultaneously premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival: “Imperial Dreams,” directed by Malik Vitthal and Zeresenay Mehari’s “Difret,” which was executive-produced by Angelina Jolie. Lenczewska went on to receive a Best Cinematography nomination at Sundance and Best Cinematography Debut nomination at Camerimage. Lenczewska shot Fabrice Du Welz’s mystery noir thriller “Message from the King,” starring Chadwick Boseman and Luke Evans. Previously, she shot the Polish film “Strange Heaven” for director Dariusz Gajewski and the Greek film “Park” for director Sofia Exarhou, which was developed out of the Sundance Lab.

LAURIE ROSE
Mr. Rose is better know in England, where his work with bad boy director Ben Wheatley has raised eyebrows in their style and audacity, especially their latest collaboration, “High-Rise,” a dystopian tale based on J.G. Ballard’s near-future sci-fi novel. His work on the two recent mini-series “Peaky Blinders” and “London Spy” only points to Rose’s rich versatility.

The event will be held:
Balboa Bay Resort, 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach
April 23
6 - 8 PM

Tickets are $150 and available at www.NewportBeachFilmfest.com.

Awards will be designed and presented by Tiffany and Co.

As part of the 2016 Honors, the Festival hosted a special celebration in London, England with its partner Visit Newport Beach, Inc., celebrating the film “Brooklyn” as Best Picture with special recognition to the director and screenwriter.


About the Newport Beach Film Festival
Celebrated as one of the leading lifestyle film festivals in the United States, the Newport Beach Film Festival seeks to bring to Orange County the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world. Committed to enlightening the public with a first-class international film program, a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the NBFF focuses on showcasing a diverse collection of studio and independent films from around the globe. The 17th annual Newport Beach Film Festival runs April 21st-April 28th and will spotlight over 350 films from around the world.

About Newport Beach & Company
Founded in January 2013, Newport Beach & Co. is a non-profit organization established to serve as the official marketing agency for the city of Newport Beach. The agency brings together all of the marketing entities connected to the Newport Beach brand, and is designed to oversee separate business units that include Visit Newport Beach, Dine Newport Beach, Celebrate Newport Beach, Enterprise Newport Beach and Newport Beach TV. For more information, please visit VisitNewportBeach.com.

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