Baltimore Comic-Con promoter Marc Nathan is hitting the road in 2012, bringing a little bit of the Baltimore Comic-Con to you! The first show of 2012 will be the Philadelphia Comic-Con this Sunday, January 15th, and he'll be bringing along his pal, JG Jones.  Stop by to meet JG, talk to Marc about the show, and buy some comics while you're there. Marc will also have Exhibitor and Artist Alley forms for this years convention on September 8th and 9th.  

Information about the Philadelphia Comic-Con can be found on their website, http://www.philadelphiacomic-con.com/.  It will be held at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport, 76 Industrial Highway, Essington, PA 19029 from 10am to 4pm.  
 
The 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con will feature the following announced guests:
 
Laura & Michael Allred - Madman, iZombie
Greg Capullo - Batman, Spawn
Frank Cho - Avengers vs. X-Men, Liberty Meadows
Steve Conley - Bloop
Rich Faber - Roboy Red
John Gallagher - Buzzboy
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez - Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman
Keith Giffen - Superman, OMAC, Green Arrow
Larry Hama - G.I. Joe, Wolverine, The 'Nam
Dean Haspiel - Billy Dogma, ACT-I-VATE, Trip City
J.G. Jones - Wanted, Doc Savage
Scott Kurtz - PvPonline.com
David Mack - Kabuki
David Petersen - Mouse Guard
Frank Quitely - All Star Superman, Batman & Robin
Walter Simonson - Thor, Legion of Super-Heroes, Avengers
Scott Snyder - Batman , Severed, Swamp Thing
Billy Tucci - A Child Is Born, Shi
Matt Wagner - Tower Chronicles, Mage, Grendel
Mark Waid - Daredevil, Incorruptible, Irredemable
 

CGC will be at MegaCon 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center, Hall D in Orlando, Florida, February 17–19, 2012.

CGC will be grading on-site for all service levels. These include Modern*, Economy, Standard, Express and more. Stop by the CGC booth to submit comic books for on-site grading or to request a Signature Series witness. They will also be accepting regular submissions at Megacon to be graded at their offices in Sarasota, Florida.

On-Site certification of your comic book(s) will occur during the weekend of the show and your books will be returned to the booth by the end of the show on Sunday.

On-site Tier Pricing:

•Modern (comics 1980–present, valued US $200 or less) — US $25
•Economy (comics valued US $300 or less) — US $50
•Standard (comics valued US $1,000 or less) — US $85
•Express (comics valued US $3,000 or less) — US $140
•WalkThru (comics any value) — 3% FMV - Min $225, Max $3,000
•Signature Series Services for on-site grading — Modern - $11; all others $10 additional to grading fee (per signature)

This show is packed with exciting artists and guests, such as Nick Cardy, a true comic industry legend who was inducted into the Eisner Awards' Comic Creator Hall of Fame in 2005 and is known for covers on books such as Superman, Action Comics, Batman, The Flash, and dozens of others; Ethan Van Sciver, whose works include Flash: Rebirth, Green Lantern, and Green Lantern: Rebirth; and Alex Savuik, best know for his work on Green Lantern, Flash, Superman, Web of Spider-Man, Spider-Man Adventures, Adventures of Spider-Man,and The X-Files. Check the convention website for a full list of attending guests.

Come by the show to meet these creators and stars, submit books to CGC and even have a few books witnessed under the prestigious Signature Series designation. Stop by the CGC booth first for details about this program or you can make arrangements in advance on their Chat Boards.

Signature Series requests can be made for on-site grading. However, if CGC and its affiliates are unable to obtain the artist(s) signature(s) by Sunday morning, then the books will not be able to be submitted for on-site certification and will have to be shipped back to CGC’s facility for regular tiers of certification. You will be responsible for all costs associated with the grading and shipping of this comic in order for it to retain its Signature Series designation.

Please note: Stan Lee signatures at MegaCon are being handled by Desert Wind and will not be eligible for on-site certification. For more information regarding Stan Lee signatures, please visit the Desert Wind website.

Visit the CGC booth to get answers to any questions about the services offered by CGC. Please remember that CGC does not provide opinions or free evaluations at trade shows.

Collector Society members — You must fill in your Collectors Society number on the submission form. CGC cannot add this information after your order is submitted.

*Modern tier is for comic books published 1980 to present, valued at $200 or less per book.

Come by and support us and get the chance to win original art and prints. Also, Keu Cha will be doing a 'how to draw' workshop!

"The workshop is going to be alot of fun. I'll get the chance to talk as I draw and give you a glimpse into my madness. Believe it or not, there is a lot of thought, understanding and experimenting every step of the way. My goal is to show this birthing process in all it's glory!!  I'll get frustrated when I'm stuck and excited when things work out. I plan on doing this by  not planning... because I want to talk about the creative thinking before the drawing. I feel it is equally as important. I want everyone to enjoy and relate in seeing me struggle. I want to thank Bill and Jimmy Jay for holding the show and  for all the support!"

From the mind of Keu Cha comes a fantasy unheard off. Join Keu Cha as he uncovers a once great land, now steeped in darkness and decay. A vast legion of undead soldiers, amassed from the remains of generations before, ravage the land. They are lorded over by an ambitious necromancer who will not stop short of domination over that is known.
 
Lana, princess of the last Kingdom to fall before this unholy army, must flee her home and travel into the black heart of the growing necropolis that the rest of the realm has become. Out there amongst the ruin lies perhaps the only chance for the world’s salvation: the mythical, mysterious Lost Tribe, a forgotten band of powerful woman warriors and their beastly companions.

Lana will come face-to-face with Ruyn, the monster that has long haunted her dreams, a being consumed by his own uncontrollable rage. Does this creature hold the key to saving Lana’s people or will their encounter unleash an ancient evil capable of destroy creation itself?

Keu Cha invites you to join his and Lana's adventure for this multi-issued series.

Keu Cha received his big break into comics at Top Cow Productions as a background artist and an artist on Darkchylde. Eventually Keu Cha debuted as penciller on Rising Stars. After his stint on Rising Stars, Keu pencilled the top-selling titles Witchblade, Tomb Raider and Darkness. 

He was named a top ten artist of the month by Wizard in December 1999. Keu then took an extended hiatus from comics to work in the movie poster and video game advertising industry. He art directed the poster finishes for such movies as Hulk, American Gangster, Repo Men and Pacific and created the keyart for video games such as Wanted and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Lately he has been painting Top Cow's Magdalena but he has been developing  his first creator owned title, Hex: The Lost Tribe, for the past year as well and is thrilled that it will be coming out soon.

Hex: The Lost Tribe marks Keu Cha's return to comic books and fantasy art; his roots and his true passion.  

For more information on the Amazing Arizona Comic Con visit: http://amazingarizonacomiccon.com/news/

Hex: The Lost Tribe can be found online:

- http://www.hexthelosttribe.com/
- http://keucha.deviantart.com/gallery/

Starting off the New Year right the Baltimore Comic-Con have announced their initial guest list for their 2012 convention. This is sure to be the largest Baltimore Comic-Con yet.

Guest in attendance include:

Laura & Michael Allred - Madman, iZombie

Greg Capullo - Batman, Spawn

Frank Cho - Avengers vs. X-Men, Liberty Meadows

Steve Conley - Bloop

Rich Faber - Roboy Red

John Gallagher - Buzzboy

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez - Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman

Keith Giffen - Superman, OMAC, Green Arrow

Larry Hama - G.I. Joe, Wolverine, The 'Nam

Dean Haspiel - Billy Dogma, ACT-I-VATE, Trip City

J.G. Jones - Wanted, Doc Savage

Scott Kurtz - PvPonline.com

David Mack - Kabuki

David Petersen - Mouse Guard

Frank Quitely - All Star Superman, Batman & Robin

Walter Simonson - Thor, Legion of Super-Heroes

Scott Snyder - Batman , Severed, Swamp Thing

Billy Tucci - A Child Is Born, Shi

Matt Wagner - Tower Chronicles, Mage, Grendel

Mark Waid - Daredevil, Incorruptible, Irredemable

If you are a comic book fan, you need to come to Baltimore this coming September. The convention covers the entire industry, bringing your favorite creators from yesterday, today, and tomorrow, publishers big and small, and retailers offering everything from Gold, Silver, Bronze, and modern comics to videos to clothing and so much more.

In addition, Baltmore Comic-Con provides great programming at the show, including panels on creator spotlights, creative teams, publishers, techniques, and, of course, their extremely popular Costume Contest. Whether you are a die-hard cosplayer awaiting the chance to premiere your new creation, a casual participant, you have kids who want to dress up, or you just want to see some of the most creative costumes in the world, their costume contest is great fun for everybody.

 If you are interested in exhibiting at the show, please contact Baltimore Comic-Con at cardscomicscollectibles@yahoo.com.

Mark your calendars - September 8-9, 2012 and keep watching for more great news throughout the year on guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming.

Image Expo, the one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics and celebrating creator-owned comics, is announcing many new guests! Joining the Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino and Image founders Rob Liefeld and Whilce Portacio, are the following stars of creator-owned comics.

Blair Butler, the host of G4's Fresh Ink and 2011's break out writer of HEART, the comic that shows the human side of MMA, will be joining the line up. Writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory, co-creators of CHEW, everyone's favorite Eisner Award winning gross-out detective comic will also be there. Add to that rising star Nick Spencer, the writer behind such hits as MORNING GLORIES, FORGETLESS, Ultimate Comics: X-Men, and soon Robert Kirkman's Thief of Thieves, and Image Expo already has a solid line up.

But that's not all! Some of the other guests at Image Expo include:

Keu Cha (MAGDALENA)

Joshua Fialkov (ECHOES, THE LAST OF THE GREATS, I, Vampire)

Edwin Huang (SKULLKICKERS)

Joe Keatinge (POPGUN, GLORY, HELL YEAH)

Larry Marder (BEANWORLD)

Jim McCann (Return of the Dapper Men, MIND THE GAP)

Marat Mychaels (BLINDSIDE)

Jimmie Robinson (BOMBQUEEN)

Eric Shanower (AGE OF BRONZE)

Kurtis Wiebe (INTREPIDS, GREEN WAKE, PETER PANZERFAUST)

Jim Zubkavich (SKULLKICKERS)

Some of the other previously announced guests include:

Joe Casey (Ben 10, BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER, HAUNT)

Jay Faerber (Ringer, DYNAMO 5, NEAR DEATH)

Jonathan Hickman (THE NIGHTLY NEWS, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS)

Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE)

Fiona Staples (SAGA)

Richard Starkings (Comicraft, ELEPHANTMEN)

Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways, SAGA)

Image Expo is a three-day celebration of creator-owned comics happening at the Oakland Convention Center, and Northern California's premier comic con experience in 2012. The Berkeley-based publisher will be filling the demand for a 2012 Bay Area comic book convention that was left unfulfilled when WonderCon announced their temporary relocation to Anaheim, California. The three-day event takes place at the Oakland Convention Center in the heart of the bustling nightlife and restaurant center of downtown Oakland, CA on February 24-25-26.

Experience the creativity of the men and women making the best creator owned comics in America at this one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics.

There are still some opportunities to be part of Image Expo available, but space is going fast, so sign up for your exhibitor or artist alley space today. Contact info@ImageComicExpo.com for more information about how to exhibit or sign up for press passes. For more information about the show, visit www.imagecomicexpo.com.

ABOUT AMAZING COMIC CONVENTIONS:

Amazing Comic Conventions is a leading promotional company operated by Jimmy S. Jay and Jay Company Comics. The Amazing Arizona Comic Con is their signature event, kicking off the Comic Con Season each January. The Amazing Arizona Comic Con is the premier destination for graphic novel pop culture in the Southwest. The 2012 Amazing Arizona Comic Con takes place January 6-7-8 at the Mesa Convention Center, in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Guests for the upcoming event include Walking Dead creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman, legendary creator Rob Liefeld, Batman artist Greg Capullo, and many more. For more information, visit www.AmazingArizonaComicCon.com.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS:

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

CGC will be accepting submissions for all service levels at the New Orleans Comic Con at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 28–29, 2012. These include Modern*, Economy, Standard, Express and more. Stop by the CGC booth to submit comic books or magazines for regular turnaround. All submissions will be sent to their office in Sarasota, Florida. Submit comics and magazines at New Orleans Comic Con, and meet some comic creators!

Tier Pricing:

•Modern (Comics 1980–present, valued US $200 or less) — $18
•Economy (Comics valued US $300 or less) — $35
•Standard (Comics valued US $1,000 or less) — $60
•Express (Comics valued US $3,000 or less) — $95
•WalkThru (Comics any value) — min $150 max $3,000 3% FMV

Please note CGC no longer accepting ReHolder submissions at shows.

This show is packed with exciting artists and guests such as cover artist Arthur Suydam, whose work includes Marvel Zombies, Army of Darkness and Batman; Eisner Award Winner Bernie Wrightson, co-creator of Swamp Thing and artist on Batman, House of Mystery, Detective Comics and Wonder Woman; Carlos Pacheco , known for his work on X-Men, Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, Wolverine, Avengers, The Flash and Thor; and Alex Saviuk, artist on Spider-Man Newspaper Strip, Phantom Generations, Web Of Spider-Man, The X-Files and The Flash. Check the convention website for a full list of attending guests.

Come by the show to meet these creators and stars, submit books to CGC and even have a few books witnessed under the prestigious Signature Series designation. Stop by the booth first for details about this program or you can make arrangements in advance on the CGC Chat Boards.

Visit the CGC booth to get answers to any questions about the services offered by CGC. Please remember that CGC does not provide opinions or free evaluations at trade shows.

Collector Society members — You must fill in your Collectors Society number on the submission form. CGC cannot add this information after your order is submitted.

*Modern Tier is for comic books published 1980 to present, valued at $200 or less per book.

Comics Superstar Jim Lee is the newest addition to Northern California's longest running comic book convention, San Jose's Big Wow! ComicFest.

Artist of the New 52 flagship title Justice League and Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment, Jim is is looking forward to returning to San Jose after six years and signing autographs for all his fans. He will be appearing on Sunday May 20th only.

Guests attending the convention include Travis Charest, Thomas Jane, Steve Niles, Kevin Nowlan, Bernie Wrightson, Sergio Aragones, Frank Cho, Greg Capullo, Bob Layton, Joe Linsner, and many more. 

For more information including the shows spectacular Guest List, Programming Updates,  and Ticket Sales, please visit: www.bigwowcomicfest.com

SAN JOSE CONVENTION CENTER, HALL 2
150 W. San Carlos St.
San Jose, CA  95110

Saturday, May 19th & Sunday May 20th
Hours: Saturday 10am-6pm (plus after hours programming), Sunday 10am-5pm

CGC will be accepting submissions for all service levels at the Austin Comic Con at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, this weekend November 11–13, 2011. These include Modern*, Economy, Standard, Express and more! Stop by the CGC booth to submit comic books or magazines for regular turnaround. All submissions will be sent to their office in Sarasota, Florida.

Tier Pricing:
•Modern (Comics 1980–present, valued US $200 or less) — $17
•Economy (Comics valued US $300 or less) — $32
•Standard (Comics valued US $1,000 or less) — $54
•Express (Comics valued US $3,000 or less) — $85
•WalkThru (Comics any value) — min $120 max $1,500 2.5% FMV

This show is packed with exciting artists and guests, such as penciller / writer Kevin Maguire, known for working on Justice League International, Spider-Man: The Short Halloween and The Avengers; Mark Texeira, who has worked on Ghost Rider, Wolverine and Moon Night; and Eisner Award Winner Rob Guillory, best know for his work on the New York Times best-selling Chew. Check the convention website for a full list of attending guests.

Come by the show to meet these creators and stars, submit books to CGC and even have a few books witnessed under the prestigious Signature Series designation. Stop by the booth first for details about this program or you can make arrangements in advance on their Chat Boards.

Visit the CGC booth to get answers to any questions about the services offered by CGC. Please remember that CGC does not provide opinions or free evaluations at trade shows.

Collector Society members — You must fill in your Collectors Society number on the submission form. CGC cannot add this information after your order is submitted.

*Modern tier is for comic books published 1980 to present, valued at $200 or less per book

Don't miss this exciting show featuring some of the hobby's best artists and most exciting guests!

CGC will be accepting submissions for all service levels at the Austin Comic Con at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, November 11 - 13, 2011. These include Modern*, Economy, Standard, Express and more. Stop by the CGC booth to submit comic books or magazines for regular turnaround. All submissions will be sent to their office in Sarasota, Florida.

Tier Pricing:
•Modern (Comics 1980–present, valued US $200 or less) — $17
•Economy (Comics valued US $300 or less) — $32
•Standard (Comics valued US $1,000 or less) — $54
•Express (Comics valued US $3,000 or less) — $85
•WalkThru (Comics any value) — min $120 max $1,500 2.5% FMV

This show is packed with exciting artists and guests, such as penciller/writer Kevin Maguire, whose known for working on Justice League International, Spider-Man: The Short Halloween and The Avengers; Mark Texeira, who has worked on Ghost Rider, Wolverine and Moon Night; and Eisner Award Winner Rob Guillory, who is best know for his work on the New York Times best-selling Chew. Check the convention website for a full list of attending guests.

Come by the show to meet these creators and stars, submit books to CGC and even have a few books witnessed under the prestigious Signature Series designation. Stop by the booth first for details about this program or you can make arrangements in advance on their Chat Boards.

Visit the CGC booth to get answers to any questions about the services offered by CGC. Please remember that CGC does not provide opinions or free evaluations at trade shows.

Collector Society members — You must fill in your Collectors Society number on the submission form. CGC cannot add this information after your order is submitted.

*Modern tier is for comic books published 1980 to present, valued at $200 or less per book.

All too often the word rare is used far too much when describing a collectible. We recently saw a true rarity at the New York Comic Con when Al Stoltz of Basement Comics was kind enough to show us a newly discovered copy of Gobbledygook #2.

“I was amazed that such a super rare Bronze Age key comic simply walked up to my booth. The question is to sell this rare once in a lifetime book or keep it,” said Stoltz.

The book is extremely rare as only 150 copies of this issue were produced. The contents of this issue and the first issue of Gobbledygook were later reprinted as Fugitoid #1. Neither issue featured any contents relating to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles other then their appearance on a back cover ad. The first appearance of the Turtles were in their own comic.