Saturday, April 21, 2018

EAST COAST COMICON (April 27-29)

My next convention appearance will be at the extraordinary East Coast Comicon, Friday through Sunday, April 27-29, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey. This will be my first convention anywhere close to New York City in nearly a decade.

The hours of the show are Friday, 2-8 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. There is free parking at the exposition center.

Though there will be cosplay at the convention, the event asks that you do not bring any weapons real or fake to proceedings. Do not bring spears, bats, knives, swords, staffs, or any other items blunt or pointed.

The brainchild of Cliff Galbraith, East Coast Comicon prides itself on being focused on comics. From its website:

We make comics, collect comics, and deal in rare underground comix, so we thought we’d like to make a con that embodied our sensibilities. As the major conventions grow exponentially, but focus less on comics, we felt a good old-fashioned con with a strong emphasis on comics was needed.
 
The comics (and media) guest list is impressive. Listing them all would make today’s bloggy way too long, but I am looking forward to seeing old friends like Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Larry Hama, Jim Salicrup, Larry Lieber, Joe Sinnott, Jim Starlin, Billy Tucci and Wendy and Richard Pini. There are also a bunch of comics guests I know in passing and whose work I admire. I’m hoping to meet them and get to know them better.

Among the media guests: animator and artist Kevin Altieri; Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees and Mega-Python Versus Gatoroid, appearing with the Monkee Mobile from the former; actress Lee Meriwether, who played Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie and is appearing with the 1966 Batmobile; producer and director J.J. Sedelmaier; and Larry Storch from F Troop. For a complete list of the guests, comics and media, check out the East Coast Comicon website.
                                                                                   

There will be panel discussions throughout the weekend. On Saturday at 3 pm, you can attend “Tony Isabella, Black Lightning and More.” From the convention website:

Black Lightning is currently the star of the hit CW television series starring Cress Williams, but the story behind his 40-year journey to primetime might be even more exciting. Created by writer Tony Isabella with artist Trevor Von Eeden in 1977, Black Lightning was DC Comics’ first black character to headline his own book. Isabella will discuss creating Black Lightning in the 1970s, reviving the character in the 1990s, and returning to him today in the miniseries Cold Dead Hands. What’s next for Black Lightning? Find out here! Moderated by John Trumbull, writer for BACK ISSUE magazine and atomicjunkshop.com.

I will do my best to answer questions entertainingly and honestly, but keep in mind that there will be questions I can’t answer due to non-disclosure agreements and just plain common courtesy and sense. Trust me; it’ll still be a fun and informative hour.

In addition to the panel discussions, East Coast Comicon fans will find an exhibitors room packed with great stuff, cosplay, gaming, meet and greets, photo ops and more. I’m hoping to see as much of this as humanly possible.

I’ll have a booth or table somewhere at the convention. Since I’m flying to the convention, that limits what I can bring to sell at the event. Currently, I’m planning to bring Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1-6; the Black Lightning trade paperbacks; July 1963: A Pivotal Month in the Comic-Book Life of Tony Isabella Volume 1; two special Black Lightning posters; and mini-posters of Daredevil and Luke Cage. I will be charging for my signature and some photos at this convention, but you can still get one free signature from me, free signatures on any item you buy from me, and free photos as long as they are not of me signing or holding up an item that I’ve signed. For more details, read my signature policy.

I’m looking forward to meeting the fans at the East Coast Comicon. Hope to see you there.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.

© 2018 Tony Isabella

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