It’s here at last – San Diego Comic-Con International 2009! It all kicks off with Preview Night tonight at 5:30 pm ‘til 9:00 pm, then gets into high gear on Thursday morning at 9:30 am and keeps on going until Sunday afternoon. There are panels to see, artists to meet, schwag to grab and limited quantities of coming attractions that are available to buy only here at Comic-Con (like Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu by Junko Mizuno, which won't be in the stores until August), but with so much to see in the Exhibit Hall, where do you start?
You probably won’t be able to miss the “big guys,” e.g. the movie studios, toy companies, game companies, major comics publishers and that big honkin’ Star Wars booth even if you tried (and why would you?), so I won’t get into those. But to help you navigate the vastness of it all, here’s a handy guide finding your favorite manga and graphic novel publishers amidst the crowds in the the Comic-Con Exhibit Hall.
Antarctic Press - Booth 2307
Meet creators Ben Dunn, (Ninja High School) Fred Perry, Brian Denham, and more. Antarctic is also reviewing artists’ portfolios. Visit their booth for more details.
Buenaventura Press – Booth 1732
Indie publisher Buenaventura Press will be featuring an eclectic election of avant-garde and indie comics, limited edition prints and the mega-sized latest edition of their much-talked about anthology, Kramers Ergot.
Abrams – Booth 1216
Drop by Abrams to browse through the new Art of Avatar book, and on Saturday, July 25 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm, meet creator Lela Lee, of Angry Little Girls fame.
Dabel Brothers Publishing - Booth 2042
See what’s cooking at the Dabel Brothers’ booth, the crew that brought you Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters manga.
CMX Manga at DC Comics /Wildstorm Booth 1915
Drop by CMX to pick up their latest manga sampler (it’s free) and meet Japanese manga-ka Yoshinori Natsume, creator of Togari and artist for Batman: Death Mask. Autograph sessions will be held on Thursday from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon; Friday from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Saturday from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm and Sunday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm.
Dark Horse Comics - Booth 2615
On preview night, enter to win a limited edition Domo Qee figurine. Also, check the Dark Horse schedule of events for times when you can meet Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun), Adam Warren (Empowered), Becky Cloonan (Pixu) and much more.
Del Rey Manga - Booth 1128
Say hello to the Del Rey Manga crew, and pick up a few cool freebies too, like their latest manga sampler. Also, hang around on Saturday afternoon from 3:00 – 3:30 pm for an autograph session with Nina Matsumoto, creator of Yokaiden. And just to make it extra worth your while, you’ll get a free copy of Yokaiden Volume 1.
Diamond Comic Distributors - Booth 2401
Get a peek at what’s new and cool at the Diamond Comics Distributor booth. They’re the guys who bring comics and graphic novels to your favorite comics shop, so they know their stuff.
Drawn and Quarterly - Booth 1529
Check out some of the awesome graphic novels and manga published by Drawn & Quarterly, including A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Red-Colored Elegy by Seiichi Hayashi and perhaps get a peek at some of their upcoming manga releases including Red Snow and Box Man. Also, check out Drawn & Quarterly’s schedule of Comic-Con events.
eigoMANGA - Table L04 (Small Press)
Meet Jeff Loew, author of The Frog Princess on Friday and Saturday, and check out Eigo Manga's Kids Manga Drawing session on Sunday from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm in Room 30CDE. EigoManga is also doing portfolio reviews at Comic-Con. Visit their booth for times and location.
Fanfare-Ponent Mon - Booth 2102
Get there early to grab a hot-off-the-presses copy of Summit of the Gods Volume 1 and A Distant Neighborhood Volume 1, two new releases by Jiro Taniguchi. Taniguchi is also up for an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Japan for The Quest for the Missing Girl.
Fantagraphics Books - Booth 1716
Fantagraphics has almost too many great graphic novels to mention here (I'm a big Love and Rockets fan myself), so I'll just leave it as go there and check out what they've got. Also, when you buy something from their booth, you'll also get a bag of freebies, including a back issue of The Comics Journal, some free comics, postcards, stickers and other goodies. You can also find out more about the artist appearances and signings scheduled at their booth at Fantagraphics' Comic-Con Event Schedule.
First Second Books - Booth 1321
Pick up your copy of their award-winning international graphic novels, including The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa, The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim.
Flight Comics / Gallery Nucleus / Liquid City - Booth 2329
Flight 6, the latest edition of this critically-acclaimed comics anthology is out. Make tracks to Booth 2329 to get your copy and meet some of the contributing artists. Also, marvel at (and buy) some of the cool stuff from Alhambra's Gallery Nucleus. You'll be the envy of all your pals at home if you do.
Last Gasp - Booth 1614
Make tracks to the Last Gasp not only for their fabulous selection of art books and indie comics, but to be one of the first to get your hands on Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu, the latest from Junko Mizuno. I've read it, and it certainly does not disappoint if you love Mizuno's mix of cute / grotesque humor.
Oni Press - Booth 1833
Come for the tote bags, stay for the comics and the numerous appearances by some of Oni Press' top creative talent, including Bryan Lee O'Malley, Antony Johnston, Jamie S. Rich, Hope Larson and much more. Plus, if you spend over $30 at the Oni Press booth, you'll get a schweet tote bag. Check out the Oni Press schedule of Comic-Con events.
Papercutz - Booth 2046
Meet artist Sho Murase (Me2 and the Nancy Drew manga series) on Thursday, from 11 am - noon and Friday, from 11:00 am - noon.
Seven Seas Entertainment - Booth 2649
See what's new with the Seven Seas Manga crew, including some of their recent releases, a few giveaways, and a bunch of artist and author appearances. Check out Seven Seas Manga's Comic-Con event schedule.
TOKYOPOP - Booth 2400
Play a game of Dai Hin Min (the favorite game of the Sohma Family of Fruits Basket fame), take home Exclusive SDCC posters featuring Fruits Basket, Domo, Warcraft and Princess Ai, sing a little Princess Ai karaoke, and if you're one of the first 25 people to buy manga from TokyoPop's retail shop on any given day of the show, you'll get a free t-shirt. Visit the TokyoPop booth for a complete schedule or check out TokyoPop.com's list of SDCC events.
SLG Publishing - Booth 1815
SLG stands for "Slave Labor Graphics," but they've got more than comics at this booth. Check out their extensive schedule of artist appearances, and make plans see what's new and cool from this American indie.
Top Shelf Productions, Inc - Booth 1721
Drop by Top Shelf and congratulate them on the new n' cool clip of the animatedOwly, the cutest lil' kid-friendly comics critter you'll ever meet. Also, badger them about the upcoming AX manga anthology and you might get a copy of the sampler, if they still have 'em available.
Udon Entertainment - Booth 5112
Udon Entertainment is far from the maddening crowd of the rest of the manga publishers, but instead is amidst the even more manic scene around what I like to call "Video Game Land". But hey, it makes sense to be near the Capcom booth when you're showcasing the new Street Fighter and Darkstalkers art books. Drop by and see the mighty men of Udon show off their fierce drawing skills all weekend long.
Viz Media - Booth 2813
VIZ Media doesn't have a booth at too many comic and anime conventions, so they bring out the big guns for San Diego Comic-Con. Seriously, if you miss the VIZ booth as you're strolling the 2800 aisle, you just weren't trying hard enough. You'll have to check out the VIZ schedule of events and giveaways to find out all that they have in store, and it's a LOT. Remember, go there early on Wednesday preview night or on Thursday or Friday mornings to be one of the first 40 people to buy the July 2009 issue of Shonen Jump magazine, and you'll get a ticket to get your issue personally signed by Ultimo creators Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei on Friday afternoon.
Yen Press Booths 1116-1120
Get 'em while they're hot -- Yen Press will be giving away LOTS of copies of the August 2009 issue of Yen Plus, featuring Black Butler and Maximum Ride on the cover. Also, make plans to get your copy signed by Maximum Ride artist NaRae Lee on Friday, July 24, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm and again on Saturday, July 25, from 3:00 - 4:00 pm.
I'll be there tonight, looking for the cool schwag, taking photos, and doing some shopping, of course! There's more to come, but if you want up-to-the-minute updates, follow me on Twitter.
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