Big Apple Blog

Big Apple Comic-Con, Oct 16-18, 2009!

Big Apple Convention — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:53:59 GMT

The biggest Big Apple Comic-Con & Video Game Expo ever is preparing to hit New York City on October 16-18 at Pier 94 in Manhattan, W. 55th Street & 12th Ave. Now a part of Wizard World, this convention will feature the biggest celebrities of movies, TV, comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, rock & roll, baseball, boxing, MMA, pro wrestling, modeling, and pop culture. These names include: MOVIES & TV Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, Platoon, Boondock Saints) Linda Hamilton (Terminator, Beauty and the Beast) Sean Young (Blade Runner, Adam West (Batman, The Family Guy) Julie Newmar (Batman, Star Trek) Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek) Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars, Batman) Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Miami Vice) Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four, King Arthur) Tony Amendola (Stargate SG-I, Mask of Zorro, Lois & Clark) Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, The Unit) Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, Dragonball Evolution) Helen Slater (Supergirl, Smallville) Melody Anderson (Flash Gordon, Battlestar Galactica) John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard, Smallville) Catherine Bach (Dukes of Hazzard) Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) Erin Gray (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Silver Spoons) Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk, King of Queens, Pumping Iron) Herb Jefferson, Jr. (Boomer, Battlestar Galactica) Rekhar Shemarka (Battlestar Galactica, Smallville) Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Bionic Woman) Taimak (The Last Dragon, Roadhouse: the Off-Broadway play) Gary Coleman (Diff’rent Strokes) Christopher Knight (The Brady Bunch, Trivial Pursuit) Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, John Carter: Warlord of Mars) Emma Caulfiend (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Beverly Hills 90210) Camden Toy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Legend of Witch Mountain) Lynn Collins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, John Carter: Warlord of Mars) Scott Speedman (Underworld Evolution, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues) Michael Papajohn (Spider-Man, Terminator: Salvation) David Heddison (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Live and Let Die, The Fly) Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett – Empire Strikes Back) Daniel Logan (Boba Fett – Attack of the Clones; The Legend of Johnny Lingo) Maria de Aragon (Greedo – Star Wars) Jerome Blake (Star Wars ep’s I, II, III, The Fifth Element) Nalini Krishan (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith) Kathy Najimi (King of the Hill, Veronica’s Closet) Bruce Weitz (Hill Street Blues, Lois & Clark) Frank Sivero (Godfather Part II, Goodfellas) David Harris (The Warriors, NYPD Blue) Saul Rubinak (Stargate SG-1, Star Trek: TNG) Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica, Smallville) Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica, Solitaire) Jamie Campbell Bower (Twilight: New Moon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows) Miracle Laurie (Dollhouse) Tarah Paige (The Summoning, stuntwoman, medal-winning gymnast) Leilene Ondrade (Charmed School, Flavor of Love) Daniel Kash (Aliens, War of the Worlds, Robocop) Cynthia Scott: (Aliens, Rush) Cameron Bright (Twilight: New Moon) Rob Demarest (Ghost Hunters International) Angie Everhart (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, Last Action Hero) Brande Roderick (2001 Playboy Playmante of the Year, Baywatch) Sandra Taylor (Playboy Playmate, Batman & Robin) Chanel Ryan (FHM, Maxim, Playboy, Hobgoblins 2) Rachelle Leah (Maxim Stuff, UFC All Access) Mike Daugherty (Screenwriter: X-2, Superman Returns) Joe Viskocil (Oscar-winning special effects wizard: Star Wars, Independence Day, Star Trek: Nemisis, Terminator) Dave Barclay (Puppeteer: Star Wars, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) BASEBALL Yogi Berra Pete Rose Dwight Gooden (Do I really have to mention how huge this is? PRO WRESTLING Ric Flair Ted DiBiase Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald The Iron Sheik Nikolai Volkoff Virgil Lauren Jones Demolition: Ax & Smash MMA Renzo Gracie Daniel Gracie Rolles Gracie Igor Gracie Gregor Gracie Matt “The Terror” Serra Eddie Alvarez André Machado Gusmão Dan Miller Jim Miller BOXING Mia St. John COMIC CREATORS Guests of honor and special guests: Jim Lee, Joe Quesada, Joe Kubert, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Arthur Suydam, Neal Adams, Gene Colan, Mike Allred, Carlos Pacheco, Mark Texeira, Jim Cheung, Greg Horn, Phil Jimenez, JG Jones, Alex Maleev, Mikr McKone, Alex Saviuk, Herb Trimpe, Billy Tucci, Renee Witterstaetter Also appearing: Geoff Beckett, Jr, Christina Beranek, Rich Bernatovich, Daniel Bradford, Brian Brinlee, Jim Calafiore, Eric Canete, Robert Crump, J.M. DeSantis, Michael Dolce, Andrew Edge, Jamie Fay, Dave Fox, Franchesco! Tony DiGerolamo, Brad Guigar, James Keenan, Brian Kong, Andre McDonald, Eric Maruscak, Jorge Medina, Lauren Monardo, Keith J. Murphey, James O’Barr, Stephanie O’Donnell, Dan Parent, Scott Passamonte, Joe Quinones, Esad Ribic, Paolo Rivera, Hector E. Rodriguez, James Rodriguez, Brian Roll, Stephane Roux, Everett Soares, Michelle St. Martin, Will Torres, Tim Vigil POP & ROCK MUSIC Micky Dolenz Taylor Dayne More guests are sure to be added in the coming weeks. Visit www.wizardworld.com/ every Monday for guest updates and more information. Also befriend, join, subscribe, RSVP, or become a fan at: www.facebook.com/WizardEntertainment www.facebook.com/WizardEntertainment www.myspace.com/wizardworld151 www.myspace.com.bigapplenyc twitter.com/wizardworld newyork.going.com/profile.php www.going.com/bigappleconoct09 newyork.going.com/bigapplecon tribes.tribe.net/bigapplecon There are also plans in the works for special programming, presentations from major comic book companies and movie studios, and after-hours programming. This is certainly going to be an event to remember, and the start of an amazing new chapter in the history of New York’s longest-running comic-con! Fans can get tix now & save $ at wizardworld.ticketleap.com/bigapple Captain Zorikh WizardWorld

Some Q&A's about Big Apple Con

Big Apple Convention — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:38:05 GMT

There have been big several questions going around about the Big Apple Convention. Here are some simple answers: Q: Is there a comic convention in New York in October? Y: Yes. The Big Apple Comic-Con is running on October 16-18 at Pier 94, 55th Street & 12th Ave. Q: Who owns the Big Apple Convention? A: Wizard World acquired Big Apple Con in 2009. A: Is Mike Carbonaro still involved? A: Yes More detailed information will appear here, or go to http://www.bigapplecon.com Captain Zorikh

IT'S NOT OVER YET! Richart Dreyfuss, Denise Crosby, Costume Contest,, more, still to come at Big Appel Con today!

Big Apple Convention — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:51:23 GMT

IT'S NOT OVER YET! One more day of the Big Apple Con! Richard Dreyfuss, Denise Crosby, gaming, costume contest, more! This is it! The day when Oscar Award winner Richard Dreyfuss, Star Trek: TNG's Denise Crosby, and Sid Berstein, the legendary music promoter who brought the Beatles to America, will be at the Big Apple Convention from 11 AM to 3 PM! Also NerdNYC.com and the Gotham Gaming Guild will host a full day of games, the Big Apple Con Film Festival will present “Pirates vs. ninjas,” “A Short Film About Jedi,” “Back Issues,” and “Tomb Raider: Ascension,” and of course, there will be Captain Zorikh's Costume Contest with fabulous prizes! The Big Apple Convention, NYC's longest-running comic book/sci-fi/fantasy/horror/pop culture convention, runs from 10 AM to 6 Pm on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, 7th Ave at 33rd Street in New York City. This is, of course, in addition to Malcolm McDowell, Ice-T and Coco, Doug Jones, Jason Mewes, Yancy Butler, Johhny Brennan, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Chase Masterson, Soupy Sales, Mason Reese, Mia St. John, Monique Dupree, Randy Jones, Warrrington Gillette and the Friday the 13th reunion, The cartoon Voice actors Wayne Grayson, Veronica Taylor, David ZenMansly, and Pete Zarustica, “The Warriors'” David Harris and Terry Michos, and radio's Big Kev. There will also be over 100 dealer tables selling all manner of collectibles, panel discussions, photo booth with the stars, a performance by Start Trekkin', the Star Trek improv comedy troupe, and swordfighting action from NY Jedi, Dagorhir, and the Society for Creative Anachronism. So don't miss the excitement! Admission is only $15, with a special “movies only” admission of $5 at 4:30 on the 18th floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania. For more info go to http://www.bigapplecon.com Note: Fans wishing to get photos with Richard Dreyfuss should arrive early, as he will be doing his only photo session immediately upon his arrival at 11:00 AM. See you there! Captain Zorikh

Richarde Dreyfus, Jason Mews, Jerkey Boy, Ninja Turtles people, and more, more, more!

Big Apple Convention — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:06:59 GMT

The Big Apple Convention Summer Sizzler just keeps getting hotter! Richard Dreyfus, Oscar-winning actor, ster of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws American Graffitti, The Goodbye Girl, What About Bob, Mr. Hollands Opus, and many, many more, will be a guest of honor at the June 7-8 Big Apple Convention. But that's not all! Jason Mews (Jay of the Jay and Silent Bob series of movies) and Johnny Brennan, creator of the Jerky Boys and the voice of Mort Goldman from “The Family Guy.” So, who among you wants to so see a Q&A panel with these two guys? Snd in your comments to thebigapplecon@yahoo.com Our Star Trek roster (previously consisting only of McDowell from “Star Trek: Generations”) has been increased by the lovely addition of Chase Masterson, who played Leeta in “Star Trek: Deep Space 9.” David Zen Mansley, the voice of Agent Bishop and Darius Dunn on the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles TV cartoon, has been with us the past two conventions and rejoins us. This time he heads up a Turtles contingent that will include Wayne Grayson, the voice of Michaelangelo as well as Joey from Yu-Gi-Oh, last seen at Big Apple in 2005, and Adrian, character designer for the TV cartoon who also has his own rock band. There is a possibility of even more Turtles-connected folks appearing, so stay tuned. Dark Shadows fans will be pleased to know that Kathryn Leigh Scott, who played Maggie Evans, will be with us. She also adds to our Star Trek lineup, thanks to her role as Nuria in “Start Trek: The Next Generation.” Other returning guests include Jasmin St. Claire, model, actress, pro wrestler, and host of the DVDzine “Metal's Darkside,” and Monique Dupree, singer and actress known as the first African-American scream queen. We are building our list of programming and panel discussions now, so lert us know what you want to see. A panel about Friday the 13th? Jason vs,. Mike Meyers? Heroes on the half-shell? Star Trek? Let us know by sending a message to thebigapplecon@yahoo.com Got Dice? NerdNYC.com and the Gotham Gaming Guild will be hosting the biggest day of gaming at the Big Apple Con yet! With over a dozen different games scheduled so far, Sunday June 7 will be jam-packed with more role-playing and boardgame action than you can throw a double zero on a percentile die at! With no modifiers! Film Festival News! After the success of the films screened at last year's National Expo, big Apple has gone out and found some new and exciting independent films , many of which will seen on the big screen right here for the very first time. The films are: Features Drawn by Pain (Saturday) Methodic (Saturday) Tomb Raider: Ascension (Fan film; Sunday) Shorts A Short Film About Jedi Back Issues I Want to be Famous (Saturday) Pirates Vs. Ninjas (Sunday) The complete film schedule is not set yet, so check the website in the coming weeks to find the final screening times and latesst additions, and check it right now to find out more about these films. Costumes, anyone? I saw a lot of wonderful costumes at I-Con and NY Comic Con, and I would love to see them all at Captain Zorikh's Costume Contest. The contest at the National Expo was the largest and most spectacular ever, and easily overflowed the space in which it was taking place. This time we have a much bigger space in which to hold our contest, and we are working on certain categories in which to reward our contestants. So those of you who like to dress up, start planning now! You can see pictures of past costume contestants at http://s175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/thebigapplecon/ and http://ww.myspace.com/bigapplenyc Volunteers Needed! As you can see we've got a heck of a show coming up, but we can't get it done all alone. We need folks who can help us spread the word through flyering and other promotional activities and we will need lots of folks to help us pull off this convention on June 7-8. If you think you have what it takes to volunteer to help us, send us an e-mail at bacvolunteers@yahoo.com. Your service will grant you admission to the convention as well as invites to occasional movie screenings and other great bonuses...and our undying gratitude! Join the Big Apple Movie Club to tell us what you think. It's Free! That's it for now. I'm off to the Chiller Theater Convention this weekend, so I'm not going to get a chance to see the new Iron Man movie. But if any of you folks do, why not go to the Big Apple c Convention's Movie Club (http://www.bigapplemovieclub.com/), register for the forum, and start telling us what you thought of it? It's the newest interactive community website from the Big Apple, and it is one that will be powered by YOUR participation. New York has some of the smartest filmgoers in the world, especially when it comes to films based on comic book characters, so let's hear what you have to say! And feel free to befriend us, join us, etc at the social networking site of your choice to get the latest news, discussion, pictures, and info about the Big Apple Convention: MySpace http://ww.myspace.com/bigapplenyc Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigapplecon/ Going http://www.going.com/bigapplecon Tribe http://tribes.tribe.net/bigapplecon MSN Group http://groups.msn.com/BigAppleCon And of course, you can contact me anytime at thebigapplecon@yahoo.com Captain Zorikh http://www.bigapplecon.com http://www.captainzorikh.com http://bigapplemedia.blogspot.com/

Malcolm McDowell at Big Apple Convention NYC 7-8!

Big Apple Convention — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:42:15 GMT

Malcolm McDowell at Big Apple Convention NYC 7-8 Malcolm McDowell, who has been in everything from “A Clockwork Orange” to “If...” to “Tank Girl” to ”Superman: The Animated Series” to “The Princess of Thieves” to “Star Trek: Generations” to “Heroes” to “Doomsday,” will be at the Big Apple Convention June 7-8 at the Penn Plaza Pavilion in New York City. He will be joining Ice-T, Coco, Doug Jones, Tony Moran, Katherine Leigh Scott, David Zen Mansley, and the Friday the 13th Part 3 reunion as the star-studded lineup of celebrities continues to grow. Be sure to check the website http://www.bigapplecon.com for more details, http://www.myspace.com/bigapplenyc for the latest updates and pictures, and join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigapplecon/ for discussion and more pictures Captain Zorikh

Boston Comic Con & Gotham Super Collectors Show!

Big Apple Convention — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:27:49 GMT

MARCH 22 – GOTHAM SUPER COLLECTORS SHOW SATURDAY, MARCH 22ND 2008 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM at: The Holiday Inn 440 West 57th Street Between 9th & 10th Ave. New York City. CD's, VHS, DVD's, Movie Memorabilia, Comics, Sports Cards, Japanese Animation, Vintage Magazines, Lobby Cards, Stills, Rock & Roll and Much More!!!! Special Guests scheduled to appear… KATHY GARVER (Family Affair), RON PALILLO (Welcome Back Kotter), MASON REESE (Former Child Star, Mike Douglas Show), CATHY ST. GEORGE (Playboy Playmate), JASMINE MAI (#1 East Coast Supermodel), BUTCH PATRICK (Eddie Munster), BRIAN GARI (Broadway composer/lyricist "late night comic" grandson of Eddie Cantor) HOLLYWOOD, SUPERHEROES, AND A COMIC BOOK LEGEND LAND IN BOSTON Boston, MA - Hollywood can't seem to get enough of comic books these days with 2008 seeing the release of Batman: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Hulk, Speed Racer, Punisher, and Hellboy II. It also seems that Bostonians can't get enough either. On March 16th, the Boston Comic Con, New England's largest comic book and fantasy convention, hits the streets of Boston with its special guest, comic book legend Carmine Infantino. Mr. Infantino is the now retired publisher of DC Comics, and is credited for launching the Silver Age of comics with his creation of the new Flash in the 1950s. He also revived the Batman franchise, saving it from cancellation. As one of the few living comic book pioneers, Mr. Infantino will be greeting an estimated 2,000 comic book fans and signing autographs at the Boston Comic Con. The Boston Comic Con is in its second year of producing comic book shows and is committed to bringing the best comic book show to New England. In addition to comic book superstar creators from around the country, Boston Comic Con showcases the most talented local creators in Artists Alley. Other guests include: Paul Ryan (Fantastic Four, The Phantom), Scott Wegener (Punisher: War Journal, co-creator of Atomic Robo), Rob Stull (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man), Norman Lee (Mary Jane, Marvel Adventures) and many more. FAMOUS FANTASY ARTIST COMES TO BOSTON Boston, MA - The Boston Comic Con is proud to announce that famous fantasy artist Ken Kelly joins the growing guestlist for the show on March 16. Mr. Kelly studied under the legendary painter Frank Frazetta, who encouraged him to begin a career as a commercial artist. After creating covers for publications such as Warren's Vampirella Magazine and the Conan novels of Robert E. Howard, Mr. Kelly earned international acclaim with his iconic album covers for the rock band KISS. The Boston Comic Con hosts over 13,000 square feet of vendors selling comic books, toys, posters, and other comic book related memorabilia. The event will be held Sunday March 16, 2008 at The Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St., Boston, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $8. Children 10 and under are free. Go to http://www.bostoncomiccon.com for more information. Finally... Yours Truly has started a media blog page where I am posting news, reviews, and thoughts about comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, TV, movies and other related subject of interest to fans fo the Big Apple Convention. There is also where you can read the Big Apple Convention's tributes to people in the industry who have passed away recently, including Gary Gygax, Steve Gerber, and Dave Stevens. You can find this blog at http://bigapplemedia.blogspot.com/ That's all for now, folks. I'll see you in the funny papers! Captain Zorikh thebigapplecon@yahoo.com http://www.bigapplecon.com http://www.myspace.com/bigapplenyc http://www.captainzorikh.com

Ice T to appear at Big Apple Con June 7-8!

Big Apple Convention — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:49:12 GMT

Things are beginning to heat up for the Big Appel Convention Summer Sizzler! The rapper/rocker/actor Ice T known for everything from his many albums to "New Jack City" to "Law & Order" will be appearing at the Big Apple Convention, June 7-8 at the Penn Plaza Pavilion in New York City. He will be meeting his fans and signing autographs both days. http://www.icet.com http://www.bigapplecon.com

RIP Gary Gygax

Big Apple Convention — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:12:28 GMT

Thursday, March 6, 2008 RIP Gary Gygax A father is gone. The world that we in the fantasy fan community enjoy, one in which wizards and warriors, elves and dwarves, magic and monsters and yes, dungeons and dragons are common parlance owes a great deal of debt to the man who placed a dragon in a wargame. When I was 11 year old I had heard of D&D, but had never actually seen the game. Then someone in school brought out the three books and the half-dozen dice and started a campaign. That was it. Everyone in 7th and 8th grade was hooked. Every spare moment of time was taken up by D&D adventuring. Eventually this expanded into Traveler, Boot Hill, Gamma World, Time Tripper, Car Wars, and more games that I can remember. In that school being what we would call today a “geek” or “dork” was cool. It was hip. Social status was based on being the first one to have a new game, or the best game that week. We designed our own character sheets. We drew up our own characters. We created our own gods and monsters. “The Emperor” was the All-Powerful-Force of Evil (yes, inspired by Empire Strikes Back), “Enigma” was the All-Powerful Force of Good (from the Micronauts comic book, I think). I thought of creating an All-Powerful Force of Neutrality, but kept on going back and forth on it. My character got turned into a Gollum and stretched out to 7 feet tall on a rack. Someone created an assassin with an atomic bomb. Someone else tried to use a saving throw when the bomb went off. We drew maps. We designed weapons. We collected miniature figures and placed them on graph paper. We designed dungeons. We collected dungeon modules and dice. Our imagination was stoked and our social interactivity was very, very high. When I left that school and moved to a public high school, I found the social situation there very different. I never was able to get back into gaming, though I still collected everything about Car Wars for some years (as I was a big fan of post-apocalyptic movies like The Road Warrior). Eventually I found the Society for Creative Anachronism and was able to live a historically-based, live action version of D&D, and for a time sneered at those who rolled dice to gain their skills, while I actually worked for it. I never saw more than a few minutes of the D&D cartoon, but I followed the comic strip advertisements in the backs of comic books in the early 1980's. When the Dungeon and Dragons movie finally came out, I was very excited. For decades there had been films and TV shows that, to one degree or another, I felt were trying to bring the D&D world to life, and I, in turn, had tried to turn those movies into games (you can see a list that includes many of those movies at http://www.geocities.com/historicalmovies). Now someone was actually going to make that movie for real. The movie was poor, but fun. Though the acting was uneven, the writing corny, and the Wayans brother character the most politically incorrect ethnic stereotype since JarJar Binks, it was great to see all the swordfighting, the flying dragons, and lets admit it, Thora Birch in those fantasy costumes. There was a sequel to that movie, however, Dungeons and Dragons, the Wrath of the Dragon Gon, that finally did it right. A team of adventurers was assembled to go on a quest to retrieve a magic item and save the kingdom. Each character represented a different race or class of character. There was problem-solving, trap avoiding, magic using, and exciting battle action, sometimes all at the same time. Characters of differing alignments had to learn to work together. Some did not make it, but those who did found they had grown and gained skill, treasure, or power. Gygax was interviewed in the “special features” of the DVD of that film, and admitted that he was happy with the way that film turned out. Although he lost control of the game and company that he founded, he kept active in the industry, and obviously loved creating games. Role playing games have brought many of us together, given us a common social bond, and in many cases, enabled us to get valuable life experience. Though some make the joke about how D&D geeks are socially atrophied nerds who can't deal with the real world, it has given many lived, and our culture, a richness and vitality, a passionate escape, a source of pleasure and cause for social gathering that the world would be poorer without. Now the father of those games is gone, and we are poorer without him. Captain Zorikh http://www.captainzorikh.com http://www.bigapplecon.com

RIP Gary Gygax

Big Apple Convention — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:17:54 GMT

A father is gone. The world that we in the fantasy fan community enjoy, one in which wizards and warriors, elves and dwarves, magic and monsters and yes, dungeons and dragons are common parlance owes a great deal of debt to the man who placed a dragon in a wargame. When I was 11 year old I had heard of D&D, but had never actually seen the game. Then someone in school brought out the three books and the half-dozen dice and started a campaign. That was it. Everyone in 7th and 8th grade was hooked. Every spare moment of time was taken up by D&D adventuring. Eventually this expanded into Traveler, Boot Hill, Gamma World, Time Tripper, Car Wars, and more games that I can remember. In that school being what we would call today a “geek” or “dork” was cool. It was hip. Social status was based on being the first one to have a new game, or the best game that week. We designed our own character sheets. We drew up our own characters. We created our own gods and monsters. “The Emperor” was the All-Powerful-Force of Evil (yes, inspired by Empire Strikes Back), “Enigma” was the All-Powerful Force of Good (from the Micronauts comic book, I think). I thought of creating an All-Powerful Force of Neutrality, but kept on going back and forth on it. My character got turned into a Gollum and stretched out to 7 feet tall on a rack. Someone created an assassin with an atomic bomb. Someone else tried to use a saving throw when the bomb went off. We drew maps. We designed weapons. We collected miniature figures and placed them on graph paper. We designed dungeons. We collected dungeon modules and dice. Our imagination was stoked and our social interactivity was very, very high. When I left that school and moved to a public high school, I found the social situation there very different. I never was able to get back into gaming, though I still collected everything about Car Wars for some years (as I was a big fan of post-apocalyptic movies like The Road Warrior). Eventually I found the Society for Creative Anachronism and was able to live a historically-based, live action version of D&D, and for a time sneered at those who rolled dice to gain their skills, while I actually worked for it. I never saw more than a few minutes of the D&D cartoon, but I followed the comic strip advertisements in the backs of comic books in the early 1980's. When the Dungeon and Dragons movie finally came out, I was very excited. For decades there had been films and TV shows that, to one degree or another, I felt were trying to bring the D&D world to life, and I, in turn, had tried to turn those movies into games (you can see a list that includes many of those movies at http://www.geocities.com/historicalmovies). Now someone was actually going to make that movie for real. The movie was poor, but fun. Though the acting was uneven, the writing corny, and the Wayans brother character the most politically incorrect ethnic stereotype since JarJar Binks, it was great to see all the swordfighting, the flying dragons, and lets admit it, Thora Birch in those fantasy costumes. There was a sequel to that movie, however, Dungeons and Dragons, the Wrath of the Dragon Gon, that finally did it right. A team of adventurers was assembled to go on a quest to retrieve a magic item and save the kingdom. Each character represented a different race or class of character. There was problem-solving, trap avoiding, magic using, and exciting battle action, sometimes all at the same time. Characters of differing alignments had to learn to work together. Some did not make it, but those who did found they had grown and gained skill, treasure, or power. Gygax was interviewed in the “special features” of the DVD of that film, and admitted that he was happy with the way that film turned out. Although he lost control of the game and company that he founded, he kept active in the industry, and obviously loved creating games. Role playing games have brought many of us together, given us a common social bond, and in many cases, enabled us to get valuable life experience. Though some make the joke about how D&D geeks are socially atrophied nerds who can't deal with the real world, it has given many lived, and our culture, a richness and vitality, a passionate escape, a source of pleasure and cause for social gathering that the world would be poorer without. Now the father of those games is gone, and we are poorer without him. Captain Zorikh http://www.captainzorikh.com http://www.bigapplecon.com

RIP Steve Gerber

Big Apple Convention — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:26:31 GMT

Steve Gerber, who we all remember from his work on Howard the Duck, passed away on February 11. He had been in the hospital undergoing procedures relating to a condition in his lungs. He was working on Dr. Fate at the time. Mark Evanier has taken over his blog with the consent of his loved ones for the purpose of maintaining it in his memory and allowing us to post condolences and rememberances. http://www.stevegerber.com/sgblog/ Captain Zorikh

Big Apple Comic Convention expected to be the biggest ever!

Big Apple Convention — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:59:23 GMT

THE BIG APPLE COMIC BOOK, ART, TOY & SCI-FI EXPO THE NATIONAL Michael Carbonaro presents NYC’s longest running Comic Book & Arts Convention at the Penn Plaza Pavilion Friday – Sunday, November 16th- 18th! SPECIAL GUESTS…HAYDEN PANETTIERE, KRISTEN BELL “Heroes” - “Veronica Mars" On November 16-18, Mike Carbonaro will present the 2007 NATIONAL BIG APPLE COMIC BOOK, ART, TOY, & SCI-FI EXPO. This three-day, annual event, now in its 11th year, will be held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, on 7th Avenue at 33rd Street, directly across from Madison Square Garden. There will be more than 300 dealers & exhibitors, showcasing comics, toys, action figures, original art, videos, autographs, non-sports cards, TV & movie memorabilia & more. It’s the place to buy, sell or trade your collectibles! Headlining the special guests at this year’s NATIONAL CONVENTION will be HAYDEN PANETTIERRE, Claire, the cheerleader from “Heroes”; KRISTEN BELL, "Veronica Mars" (Sunday only), WALTER KOENIG, Ensign Chekov from “Star Trek”; and KATEY SAGAL, “Futurama,” “Married...with Children.” Courtesy of the Give Life Foundation, stars of “Lost” MIRA FURLAN and WILLIAM MAPOTHER. Other special guests include GIGI EDGLEY, Chiana on “Farscape”; SUZIE PLAKSON, actress and singer known for her multiple alien roles on various “Star Trek” series; BUTCH PATRICK, (Friday only) Eddie Munster from "The Munsters”; The stars of "What's Happening," ERNEST THOMAS (Roger), HAYWOOD NELSON (Dwayne), and DANIELLE SPENCER-FIELDS (Dee); SID BERNSTEIN, entertainment legend who brought the Beatles to NYC; EILEEN DIETZ from The Exorcist, “Helter Skelter,” “General Hospital”; MASON REESE, former child star, best known as the spokesboy for Underwood Deviled Ham; WARRINGTON GILLETTE, Jason from Friday The 13th Part 2; BRIAN CLEVINGER, creator of 8-Bit Theater; DAVE SHELTON, producer of the upcoming "Snuggy Bear and the T-Shirt Kids," DAVID ZEN MANSLEY, voice actor from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"; BIG KEV from Geek Stuff and "The Opie and Anthony Show"; pRO wrestling legends KING KONG BUNDY, BRUTUS "THE BARBER" BEEFCAKE, & GREG “THE BARBER” VALENTINE; DAWN MARIE, ECW, WWE Diva, MISSY HYATT, The "First Lady of Wrestling"; DAN "THE BEAST" SEVERN, (Friday & Saturday only) the UFC/PRIDE/MMA Hall of Famer, former UFC World Champion & Wrestling Legend; boxing champions JUNIOR "POISON" JONES and MARK BRELAND (Saturday only); JOANNA KRUPA, one of the world's top 10 supermodels; plus Scream Queens MONIQUE DUPREE (First Black Scream Queen), SUZI LORRAINE, and DEBBIE D. More guests TBA! Over 100 comic book artists, writers, and editors will be present, including JIM STERANKO, NEAL ADAMS, and CARMINE INFANTINO over the three days along with fan favorites JOHN ROMITA SR. (Sat), SERGIO ARAGONES, and ADAM HUGHES. Other comic book guests include Alan Kupperberg, Alex Maleev, Alex Saviuk, Amanda Conner, Billy Tucci, Bob Layton, Bob McLeod, Danny Fingeroth, Dick Ayers, Frank Cho, Gary Friederich, Herb Trimpe, Irwin Hasen, Jimmy Palmiotti, Jim Calafiore, Ken Gale, Ken Kelly, Michael Golden, Mark Evanier, Mark Sparacio, Mark Texeira , Norm Breyfogle, Paolo Rivera, Rich Buckler, Stuart Sayger, Tim Sale, Tim Vigil, and underground legends Mark Bode, Spain and S. Clay Wilson, along with many, many more! Steranko will be leading a ground-breaking seminar in Mastering Narrative Technique for comic books on Sunday. Don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from the man who revolutionized graphic storytelling in the 1960's. Reegistration fee of $50 for this event includes full day's admission to the convention on Sunday, Nov. 18 and a FREE signed Steranko art portfolio! Valiant Comics will be holding its second annual reunion, which will include two panels about Valiant Comics, its people, its impact, and future projects. There will be free giveaways at the door including a limited number of IFC dvd's, DC Comics pins, posters, and more. Want to learn how to create and break into comics? The Big Apple Convention will help with panels and seminars all three days. On Friday the Comicbook Artist's Guild will discuss getting started with self publishing. On Saturday Andy Schmidt, Peter David, Koi Pham, and John Barber will talk about breaking into comics. On Sunday the legendary Steranko will host a four-hour seminar of narrative technique for comic books. There will be Q&A sessions with top celebrities, including Walter Koenig, Katey Sagal, Gigi Edgley, and Kristen Bell. In the Combat Corral NY Jedi will be hosting its famous Lightsaber Acadeny on Saturday, aspiring jedi and sith of all ages can learn the art of fighting skills and choreography of the lightsaber. Also, the fantasy live action roleplaying organization Fellwinged Gaming Industries will demonstrate their game playing and combat system with padded weapons. Convention attendees are invited to create a character and join the game! For the first time the Big Apple Convention will host a mini film festival! On Friday night Mark Bode, son of Vaughn Bode and accomplished cartoonist and artist in his own right will host his famous and risque Cartoon Slideshow Concert (18 years old and up only). On Saturday night, Hank Braxton's feature-length fan film “Return of the Ghostbusters” will be screened, preceded by the short “The Devil You Know” by Bill Rogers. On Sunday the Big Apple Convention will present “Darkon,” the award-winning documentary on the live action role playing organization, courtesy the Independent Film Channel, preceded by “The Gladiatrix Commando,” an “action music video” by the Big Apple Convention's own Captain Zorikh and Jolie Voltaire. And of course, what would the Big Apple Convention be without the ever-popular CAPTAIN ZORIKH'S COSTUME CONTEST with hundreds of dollars in prizes on Sunday. The prize sponsors include IFC, Halloween Adventure Shop, DC Comics, Forbidden Planet, Midtown Comics, and authors Michael J. Dennault and Eric Cooper! Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door, $40 for all three days. Customers also have the option of purchasing a “Heroes Pass,” which for $100 will entitle them to admission all three days, express VIP check-in, front of the line express for Hayden and Kristen, signed personal Froggy Photo-Op with one of them, a FREE Green Lantern power ring (courtesy DC Comics), and more surprises TBA, limited to 100 passes. For more information, directions, advance tickets, and updates, go to http://www.bigapplecon.com Join the Big Apple Convention Community through your social networking website of choice! MySpace http://www.myspace.com/bigapplenyc Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigapplecon Going.com (RSVP for the event here!) http://newyork.going.com/bigapplecon Tribe http://tribes.tribe.net/bigapplecon MSN group http://groups.msn.com/BigAppleCon DATES: Friday – Sunday – November 16, 17, 18 Fri. 1pm-8pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am-7pm PLACE: Penn Plaza Pavilion, 401 7th Ave. @ 33rd St. (across from Madison Square Garden) TICKETS: $20 per day @ door/$18 in advance/3 day pass - $40 INFORMATION: Advance tickets & information (201) 861-1414 www.bigapplecon.com www.myspace.com/bigapplenyc groups.yahoo.com/group/bigapplecon/

Hayden Panettiere, Katy Sagal, Walter Koenig, More Guests Announced for Big Apple Nat'l Comic Convention Nov 16-18 NYC!

Big Apple Convention — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:51:16 GMT

Update to Website – New Guests Announced! For those of you who may have not visited the website in a while, the big apple Coin has picked up a lot of new celebrity and comic artist guests over the past couple of weeks! As you all should know by now, we are exceptionally proud to have Hayden Panettiere – the cheerleader from "Heroes" – as our guest of honor for the National. She will be there Saturday and Sunday and the convention only, but that is not to say anything less about our other guests. Katy Sagal, Peg Bundy from "Married...with Children" and the one-eyed girl from "Futurama," will be at the convention, as will Gigi Edgeley, the excitable Chiana from "Farscape." Classic Star Trek will be represented by Walter Koenig, Chekov himself. He will be giving a 30-minute Q&A sassion on Saturday at the convention that you won't want to miss! Mason REese, that boy you saw pitching Underwood Deviled Ham on TV in the 1970's, Clio award winner and co-host of the Mike Douglas show will bring his smiling face to the show. What would a convention with sci-fi and horror fans be without a couple of "scream queens?" This time around the irrepressible Debbie D and Monique Dupree, the first African-American scream queen, and the busy and beautiful Suzy Lorraine will be bringing their beauty and talent to the Big Apple. Perhaps they will be given cause to prove their talent by Warrington Gillette, Jason from "Friday the 13th pt. 2." If that is not enough female fire for you, Joanne Krupa, one of the top 10 supermodels in the world, Playboy's "sexiest swimsuit model" and the "sexiest woman in the world" according to magazines from four different continents will be there on Saturday and Sunday only. Sid Berstein, entertainment legend, the man who brought the Beatles to America will be there for limited times. Be sure to check out his autobiography "It's Sid Bernstein Calling." Big Kev of "Geek Stuff" and "The Opie and Anthony show" will be there, as will David Zen Mansly, the mysterious and talented voice of Agent Bishop, Darius Dunn, and other characters on the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoon, and writer-producer Dave Shelton. For fans of combat sports like the UFC and amateur and professional boxing, from the fight game, we have multiple time champions Dan "The Beast" Severn, Junior "Poison" Jones, and Mark Breland will be there (Jones and Breland will only be there Saturday). And of course, what would the Big Apple Convention be without the New York Jedi to swing their lightsabers and teach you how to do it too! Whew! That's so much excitement, and I haven't even started to talk about the comic creators yet! That will have to wait for the next posting! Captain Zorikh http://www.bigapplecon.com thebigapplecon@yahoo.com

Hayden Panettiere, Doug Jones, Neal Adams at Big Apple National Con in November

Big Apple Convention — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:02:24 GMT

That's right folks, Hayden Pannettiere, the cheerleader from Heroes, and Doug Jones, the Silver Surfer from Fantastic Four will be at the National, November 16-17-18! This is, of course, in additoion to the comic book guests Neal Adams, Dick Ayers, Mark Bode, Norm Breyfogle, Michael Golden, Arthur Suydan, Mark Texiera, Adam Hughes and many more, the hundreds of dealers, the gaming room, the costume contest, the panes and presentations, and more that will make this year's National convention the biggest Big Apple event ever! So spread the word, get your advance tickets now through www.bigapplecon.com, and rsvp at newyork.going.com/event- 150560 Captain Zorikh

National convention November 16-17-18!

Big Apple Convention — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:50:33 GMT

It's Official! The Big Apple Naional Convention will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday November 16-17-18! After the success of the Summer sizzler we are certain that this year's National show ill be the biggest and best ever! be sure to watch this space and visit http://www.bigapplecon.com for developing details! Captain Zorikh

Captain Zorikh's Costume Contest Draws Heroes, Villains, Monsters, and More!

Big Apple Convention — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:23:12 GMT

Captain Zorikh's Costume Contest Draws Heroes, Villains, Monsters, and More! A large and diverse field competed for the top prizes at the Captain Zorikh Costume Contest at the Big Apple Convention on Sunday, June 24. The audience was in good spirits and enthusiastically cheered for their favorite characters and costumes. No one went home emply-handed, as there were prizes a-plenty. The winners of the smaller prizes included a remarkable home-made Evil Ernie and Cobra Commaner, as well as a very young chaacter with "laser beam eyes." Blue Beetle was awarded a CD of Captain Zorikh's music (http://www.myspace.com/captainzorikhmusic), and the samurai was awarded a copy of Watch This Space Comics & Stories (http://www.captainzorikh.com/wtsmagazine.html). The finalists competing for the top prizes were Jon Stewart/Green Lantern, the Kraken from "Pirates of the Carribean," and a very small Lt. Uhura. By audience acclaim, John Stewart won the $100 gift certificate to Forbidden Planet (http://www.fpnyc.com), the Kraken won the $100 gift certificate to the Halloween Adventure Shop (http://www.halloweenadventurenyc.com/), and Lt.Uhura won $50 in Big Apple Bucks to spend at the Convention! After the contest Jolie voltaire posed the contestants for the cameras. As host, yours truly must say that he was very impressed with the creativity and diversity of costume ideas in this edition of the contest. It was good to see super hero fans go to great strides to create their versions of their hereoes, whether in splendidly sewn spandex or creatively cobbled-together clothes. The Kraken was particularly ingenious, being built rom the ground up by hand by its wearer. even the "laser beam eyes" kid showed creativity inbeing able to create a super-powered character out of a pair of plastic cups. I can't wait ill the November convention. The National always brings 'em out of the woodwork, and who knows what we will get! For more photos of the contest go to the Big Apple Convention's Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigapplecon/ Captain Zorikh

48 Hours Notice to the Winners!

Big Apple Convention — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:09:06 GMT

We have twice sent notifications by email to the winners of the Going.com sponsored prizes at the Big Apple Convention and announced their names (Jason Lowery, Eric Montesa) on our Going, Tribe, Myspace, Yahoo, and MSN pages. This announcement is notification that they now have until 3:00 PM Thursday, July 12, 2007 to respond or the prozes will be awarded to the alternate numbers we rolled. Emails have been sent to them with notification of this deadline today. Stay tuned for developments! Captain Zorikh

THE WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED!

Big Apple Convention — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:16:44 GMT

We rolled the dice at approximately 5:20, with am estimated over 800 eligible names on the list. Some of the names were till on paper, having been signed up that day. Most of the names were locked in the website. We used one 8-sided die and two 10-sided dice to find the three-digit numbers that would correspond with the winners. Three members of the audience rolled the dice. The first numberthat came up was 440. The second number was 822. There were then two alternate numbers rolled in case there was any problem with the first two. The first alternate number was 105, the second was 382. Numbers 1-211 were on paper, the rest, which turned out to be 212-811, were in the Going.com website. So HERE ARE OUR WINNERS: #440: Jason Lowery prze: $1000 shopping spree at the Big Apple Convention #822: (ineligible, no name at that number) #105: Eric Montesa: $500 shopping spree of gaming merchandise at the Big Apple Convention. The second alternate number's name will be announced if one of the winners fails to respond in 14 days. If you are the winner, please respond immediately. We want you to use the shoping spree today. If you cannot make it to the con today, you may use it at our September convention. Look for Captain Zorikh at the convention, he will be wearing the black uniform of the Death Star Repairman, with a "Shazam" shirt underneath, and he will be hosting the costume contest at 3:00 PM. If you cannot make it today, contact us at http://going.com/bigapplecon

WIN up to $1000 SHOPING SPREE at Big Apple Convention from Going.com!

Big Apple Convention — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:53:07 GMT

The Big Apple Convention has teamed up with Going.com to give away two very special prizes at the June 23-24 Summer Sizzler: A $1000 general merchandise shopping spree and a $500 gaming merchandise shopping spree! Going.com is a new website about finding things to do. It works much like MySpace, Tribe, or Yahoo. You can create a profile, post pictures, blogs, make friends, join groups, and search for events in your area by typing in keywords like "dancing," "baseball," or "comic books" (which will bring up the Big Apple Convention, of course). All you have to do is go to http://www.going.com/bigappleconevent and RSVP by entering your name and e-mail address. This will sign you up for the Big Apple Covnention's mailing list and join you to Going.com. You will also be entered into a drawing for the $1000 shopping spree and the $500 gaming shopping spree. It does not matter if you are already on the Big Apple Covnention's e-mail list, you can stil RSVP through going.com and enter the drawing. Winner need not be present at the drawing. The prize may be used either on June 24 or September 15-16 at the Big Apple Convention. So go to http://www.going.com/bigappleconevent, and I'll see you at the show! Captain Zorikh http://www.bigapplecon.com

New Guests announced for Big Apple Convention NYC June 23-24

Big Apple Convention — Sun, 20 May 2007 15:10:26 GMT

The Big Apple Convention Summer Sizzler, June 23-24 at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City is heating up. New guest celebrities have been confirmed: Our featured stars are “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (They Live, WWE Superstar), David Faustino (Married…With Children), former multiple time world champion boxer Iran Barkley, and rock & roll legend Gary Lewis (of Gary Lewis and the Playboys). Also from the world of TV and movies: David Harris (The Warriors), Mallory Lewis (Lamb Chop’s Play Along), Juliet Mills (Passions, Fantasy Island, Wonder Woman), Kenny Kramer (“the Original Kramer” of Seinfeld), Warrington Gillette (Friday the 13th pt.3), Lar Park-Lincoln (Friday the 13th pt. 7), Karen Lynn Gorney (Saturday Night Fever), Suzi Lorraine (She Demons of the Black Sun), Brian Joseph Harnois (Ghost Hunter). From the world of Pro Wrestling: Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas (former WWF Tag Team Champions; former Nitro Girl Carmel Macklin. From the fight game: top contender Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon; top UFC competitor Tank Abbot. Also Playboy centerfold Cathy St. George, and the female wrestling team the Doom Maidens. We have also confirmed the appearance of comic book artist Alex Maleev, who is part of a list of artists and writers who will be present that includes Alex Saviuk, Buzz, Chris Brimacombe, Cameron Stewart, Ed Traquino, Guy Dorian, Ian Dorian, Irwin Hasen, James Rodriguez, James Webb, Khary Randolph, Louis Small, Jr., Melvin Ylagan, Mark Mazz, Mark Sparacio, Matthew Clark, Ray Felix, Rich Buckler, Richard Howell, Michael Lark, Mitchell Breitweiser, Rudy Nebres, and Tommy Castillo. NY Jedi will be hosting its lightsaber Academy. For the first time, The Big Apple Convention will have a full game room, featuring the latest in rpg’s, collectible card games, and more, with tournaments and prizes. And don’t forget the ever-popular Costume Contest, hosted by Captain Zorikh and Jolie Voltaire, acknowledged as being the most fun costume contest on the east coast! Stay tuned for more details, and join the Big Apple Convention’s Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigapplecon/ The Big Apple Convention will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24, 10 AM – 7 PM. Admission $12, $10 in advance through the website http://www.bigapplecon.com. Children under 12 free with paid adult admission. Captain Zorikh http://www.bigapplecon.com

Hawthorne High School Comic Book Convention

Big Apple Convention — Tue, 08 May 2007 20:43:44 GMT

The Hawthorne High School Comic Convention arrives this Saturday with many new comic creators added to the guest list! The Hawthorne High School Comic Convention arrives this Saturday May 12th from 10am â€“ 4pm. With a guest line up all but the biggest comic conventions would be envious of, the school looks forward to its greatest convention ever. Here are some of the most recent additions to the guest list: Mike Oeming (Powers, Cross Bronx) Mark Texiera (Black Panther) Ivan Brandon (NYC Mech, Cross Bronx) Andy MacDonald (NYC Mech) Rags Morales (Identity Crisis) Tom Raney (Civil War, Uncanny X Men) Rich Buckler Sr. (almost every character at DC & Marvel!!!) Dennis Calero (X Factor) Bob Smith (Batman) Mercy Van Vlack (Richie Rich, Evolution Comics) Ken Gale (Creepy, Good Guys, Nuff Said) Chris Moreno (Sidekick, WW Hulk: Frontline) M. Sean McManus Rob Granito Louis Small Jr. (Vamparella) Bob Hardin (Sgt. Rock) Buddy Scalera (7 Days to Fame) This is in addition to the amazing guests we already booked: Gene Colan (Dracula, Daredevil, Batman) Jim Salicrup (Editor Papercutz, Marvel) Danny Fingeroth (Editor Marvel, Write Now) Mark Schultz (Cadillacâ€™s & Dinosaurs, Prince Valiant) Joe Sinnott (Fantastic Four, Spiderman) Ian Dorian (painter, penciller, sculptor) Guy Dorian (painter, penciller) Scott Roberts (Pattycake, Nickelodeon, Prince Valiant) Tania Del Rio (Sabrina) Joe Giella (Tent.) (Batman, Green Lantern, Flash and Americaâ€™s sweetheart Mary Worth) Rudy Nebres (Vamperilla, Creepy, Eerie) Doug Baron (penciller, Kubert School teacher) Tommy Castillo (Batman, Toe Tags, duCret School teacher) Paulo Rivera (painter Marvel) Daniel Reed (Retro Dead) Mark Romanowski (painter, duCret School instuctor) Mark Sparacio (painter, Miss Liberty) John Workman (Heavy Metal, letterer extraordinary!) Bob Wiacek (inker Marvel, DC) Paul Banono (penciller) Dave DeVries (painter, creator of Monster Engine) Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art Students from the Joe Kubert School Melissa Goldberg (independent creator) Caitlyn Flynn (independent creator) The guests are not the only activity at the convention. Ken Gale will be moderating a panel at 3pm featuring comic creators from every era of comics. The panel will include comics great Gene Colan and be held in Room 111. We will have our yearly auction featuring original artwork, books and prints from some of the attending artists and items generously donated by Fantagraphics Books (a limited edition signed book by Neil Gaiman) and Eva Ink Publishing (items from Arthur Suydam and Michael Golden). Winnerâ€™s names will be drawn at 2:30 pm at the auction booth. You must be present at the time of the drawing to win! Here is the schedule of art lessons being offered at the show. Art supplies will be supplied by the school, except for painting supplies (you must bring your own). ART LESSONS held in Room 122: 10:30am ANATOMY taught by Kubert School instructor Ian Dorian 11:30am CREATING COMICS FROM A â€“ Z taught by editors Danny Fingeroth (Write Now and Marvel) and Jim Salicrup (Papercutz, Marvel and Topps) 12:30 pm DRAWING MANGA taught by Sabrina the Teenage Witch artist Tania Del Rio 1:30pm PAINTING COMIC ART taught by duCret School instructor Mark Romanowski There are a few dealer tables still available. Here is all the info you will need to get to the convention: Hawthorne High School Comic Convention Saturday May 12th, 2007 10am â€“ 4 pm Hawthorne High School 160 Parmelee Avenue Hawthorne, NJ 07506 Admission is only $3! If youâ€™re driving MAPQUEST is great for directions. You can get to convention from NYC by taking NJ Transit from Penn Station, just a 30-minute ride from midtown. Wonderful food is available within walking distance in Hawthorne and with so much going on plan to stay for the day. This will be a very special day for the school and students, for the comic creators and for you the fans. For more information, or dealer tables contact Allan Rosenberg at: alllal@aol.com. Our web page is at the Big Apple Conventions website: bigapplecon.com. We send our get well wishes to our best friend Irwin Hasen!!!!!!!!!!

Another great one gone - Marshall Rogers

Big Apple Convention — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:26:46 GMT

I got the following message from Ken Gale a few days ago. Regular attendees at the convention know Ken as the fellow who hosts many panels regarding comic book history. He is also a comic book writer, a comic book publisher and/or a comics-oriented radio talk show host on WBAI. This month just seems to be filling up fast with reports of comic book legends leaving us. Here's another one. -Captain Zorikh ------------- This was really shocking news. I just learned this morning that Marshall Rogers, one of America's best artists, recently passed away at age 57. There was no further information. I checked several web sites for confirmation because I had trouble believing it. He was scheduled to be at the New York comic convention in February, but didn't show up. I wish I'd called him when I didn't see him, but I was all wrapped up with Arnold Drake in the hospital. I have so many good memories of Marshall, in person and in print. I'd like to share a story he told not that long ago on 'Nuff Said!, my radio show. We could have lost Marshall at the famous Kent State University murders (his word) in May, 1970 (I think I have the year right). The confrontation between the students and the National Guard happened in front of the architecture building and he had a project due that day. But he'd been up all night doing his project and asked a friend to deliver it for him when he dropped off his own project. That friend was shot (not killed) while standing on the steps of the building. Marshall was sure he would have been shot, too because he would have been standing right next to the friend, if not closer to the action. The experience at Kent State motivated him to drop out of school and become an artist because he started looking into his own reasons for being in architecture school and realized it was the closest thing to art he could do that would satisfy his father, not because he wanted to be an architect. What he wanted to do was draw comics and he started pursuing that dream. Lucky for us that he did! Not that I'm glad those four kids died so we could have Marshall Rogers draw some of the best Batman ever, but that there is something positive - and for me personal - that came out of that awful day. We used to talk politics and history as much as we talked comics. He was a very insightful guy. He could be stubborn and he occasionally lost his temper, but I always agreed with his reasons. I admit that I am not objective there. I'll miss him! Damn, I wish I'd called him! Sadly, Ken Ken Gale, producer, interviewer and host 'Nuff Said!, WBAI-FM, NYC http://www.comicbookradioshow.com

THE FIRST GUESTS ARE CONFIRMED FOR JUNE 23-24!

Big Apple Convention — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:20:51 GMT

THE FIRST GUESTS ARE CONFIRMED FOR JUNE 23-24! Fight and fright fans, be prepared for the Summer Sizzler, as the world of combat sports and the supernatural collide at the Big Apple Convention! The Big Apple Convention welcomes back pone of 2006’s biggest draws, ROWDY RODDY PIPER to the summer sizzler this June 23-24. He will be joined by WWE veterans ROCKY JOHNSON and TONY ATLAS. The world of Mixed Martial Arts will be represented by UFC competitor TANK ABBOT. From the “Friday the 13th” franchise we have confirmed Lar Park-Lincoln, the beautiful actress who portrayed the psychic who defeated Jason from “F13 pt VII,” and the very face of Jason, Warrington Gillette, from “F13 pt II.” And if that isn’t enough scary stuff for you, you can always talk to “Ghost Hunter” Brian Joseph Harnois. The summer is just starting to heat up so stay tuned! The Big Apple Convention is New York’s longest-running comic book/sci-fi/fantasy/pop culture convention. Visit the website at http://www.bigapplecon.com for more details , advance tickets, directions, etc. Captain Zorikh http://www.bigapplecon.com http://www.captainzorikh.com

Big Apple Costume Contest Report

Big Apple Convention — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:07:47 GMT

The January Fan Appreciation edition of the Big Apple Con brought forth the same degree of creativity and excitement that has come to be expected from the Captain Zorikh Costume Contest. A modest but spirited collection of costumers took the floor in the panel room to impress the audience and earn valuable prizes. The field was smaller than that at the National convention, but all the contestants were dedicated to their characters and the audience was enthusiastic in their reception of them. Among the contestants were a Superman, Catwoman, Evil Ernie, the vampire Mystical Tragedy X, and Jordan, the newest mercenary from the Doom Maidens. Each of the contestants was given the opportunity to come forth and introduce themselves. The Superman was clad in the classic George Reeves suit, and showed great aplomb and confidence. Evil Ernie (who in the past has been known as the "Grim Reaper" was his savage self, and Jordan engaged yours truly in some hardcore judo moves. The fans awarded Superman the highest honors, earning him at $20 gift certificate to Midtown Comics (http://www.midtownc omics.com) Mystical Tragedy was awarded the two tickets to Father Sebastiaan's Anti-Valentines Day Masque Ball (http://www.myspace. com/sabretoothx) . Other contestants received Captain Zorikh CD's, and a dance-off was held to award a copy of The Pennsic War: A Video Documentary (http://www.captainzorikh.com/ wts/pennsicvid. html). That was taken by Superman, who had the courage to step into the middle of the floor and jitterbug with Catwoman. Photos were taken (check them out in the photos section) and fun was had by all! Be sure to come back to the next Big Apple Convention in June for what promises to be an even bigger, more exciting contest with lots of fabulous prizes and competitors! Captain Zorikh http://www.captainzorikh.com http://www.bigapplecon.com

Arnold Drake - Final Update

Big Apple Convention — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:12:06 GMT

Arnold Drake, prolific comic book writer of the silver age, has been in the hospital due to what one member of his family has described as “a touch of pneumonia.” He appeared to be recovering slowly. Here is an update from Mecy Van Vlack “I just heard from Pam Drake, Arnold's daughter, that Arnold Drake passed away 12:05 pm today, Monday, March 12, 2007. The doctors say pneumonia and septic shock were the causes.” Mr. Drake has been a regular at the Big Apple Convention in recent years. He is perhaps best remembered for creating the characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol. He also wrote a few early issues of Marvel Comics’ first Captain Marvel. His friendliness and memories make being in his presence always a pleasure. Ken Gale, comic book historian and host of the radio show “‘Nuff Said!” on WBAI had been sending updates on his condition. Here is how he described Mr. Drake: Arnold has been writing comics since the late '40s. He's written humor and adventure for all age groups from Batman to Jerry Lewis, from X-Men to Little Lulu. He is the creator of Deadman, Stanley and His Monster, Doom Patrol and Beast Boy. He also wrote what is probably the first American graphic novel; "It Rhymes with Lust" was published in 1950 with art by Matt Baker and is due to be re-released by Dark Horse soon (March, 2007). Much of his DC work was for editors Jack Schiff and Murray Boltinoff and aimed at a lower age group than his work for Stan Lee and Julie Schwartz. He's a very versatile writer who puts a lot of thought into his writing even before he begins the actual scripting. Sadly, Mercy Van Vlack, subbing for Ken Gale, producer, interviewer and host 'Nuff Said!, WBAI-FM, NYC http://www.comicbookradioshow.com nuffsaid@riseup.net P.O. Box 1028, Gracie Station, NYC 10028

RIP Bob Oksner

Big Apple Convention — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 06:22:48 GMT

R.I.P. Bob Oksner (1916-2007) Growing up as a superhero fan, I was not aware of Bob Oksner’s work. The humor and romance books that he had done for so many years had faded from popularity. I had seen his work in a Mary Marvel story from an issue of Shazam! in the 1970’s, but the work was so well done, it did not make an impression on me. Does that make any sense? It was not loaded with anatomical detail and revolutionary layouts like Neal Adams. It did not have the cartoonish simplicity of CC Beck or Kurt Schaffenberger. It did not have the distinctive, blocky style of Jack Kirby, or the angular lines of Carmine Infantino. It was just good. The characters looked like real people. The clothes draped like clothes do, the figures were posed like people actually stand and move. That issue of Shazam! was the first Captain Marvel comic book I ever had, and among the earliest comic books I remember owning, so I looked at that story a lot, yet I never felt the urge to find out the artist’s name. This sort of benign ignorance or neglect seems to be a defining characteristic of Oksner’s career. Almost all the obituaries and tributes out there mention how overlooked his drawing skill was. Mainstream humor comics of the silver and bronze age are frequently seen as being targeted to younger audiences, and the simple, cartoony style of drawing in them is frequently misperceived as being unsophisticated or easy to do. Upon reflection it is found that this aret is actually quite tricky, ad requires great skill. Whereas in a superhero adventure comic, audiences have all too frequently been satisfied with flashy details, cross hatching, gritting teeth, speed lines, and explosions which can cover up a wealth of sins of anatomy and storytelling, a good humor artist must make the figures and backgrounds believable as real people in a real world, yet know which details, shadows, wrinkles, etc to leave out to make the image and story clear. Knowledge of anatomy and skill at capturing the essence of a character are necessary to know when and how to exaggerate certain features and postures for comedic effect. Oksner was a master of that, and more. His work on such titles as The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, The Adventures of Bob Hope and Leave it to Binky stand out as exemplars of a time when humor was a strong part of the comic book industry. Yet even more common than comments on his skill at drawing humor comics are comments on how pretty and sexy the women he drew were. He drew the popular newspaper strip Cairo Jones and DC comics’ Angel and the Ape and Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane. Fans of the World’s Mightest girl were blessed when his pencils and inks brought her to life for those few stories in the 1970’s/ Something about the way his ink brush varied the weight of the line, and the way Mary’s lips curled up at the corners, just made her so pretty, so irisitably cute, and perfect for the period. When given the job of picking up where CC Beck left off when he quit DC Comics, he was unfamiliar with the character. He viewed the job as a challenge to recapture the magic that made the character so popular in the 1940’s and ‘50’s, but has said in an interview with PC Hamerlinck in an issue of Fawcett Collectors of America that he felt he would be “impinging on Beck’s Creation.” He was happier to take the Mary Marvel job because he said it would be a “greater opportunity to be myself artistically.” We are glad he was. Postscript: This pretty much finishes off almost all the pencillers who worked on the original stories in the '70's Shazam! series. Beck, Oksner, Schaffenberger, and Newton, who all drew the Big Red Cheese, Cockrum, who drew one Jr. Story, and Oksner, who drew CM and Mary. That leaves only Alan Weiss, Tenny Henson, (who both drew CM late in the title's run) and Dick Giordano (who did the Isis story and on Jr. story) still kicking. Captain Zorikh http://www.bigapplecon.com http://www.captainmarvelculture.com