I apologize for not updating my sitre as often as I should, but life has been hectic with a whole bunch of projects (with hopefully some big news coming up).
Still, today was the start of San Diego ComicCon, the annual nerdvana that takes place each July in southern California. Once again, I have made the trek out here for the 5 day event. I don’t have a table or panels this year, so I can attend all the “fun” stuff in the two main rooms: Hall H (Movies) and Ballroom 20 (TV). I hope to update this site daily with the day’s events. (You should also check my twitter feed for breaking news and gossip).
Still, today was the start of San Diego ComicCon, the annual nerdvana that takes place each July in southern California. Once again, I have made the trek out here for the 5 day event. I don’t have a table or panels this year, so I can attend all the “fun” stuff in the two main rooms: Hall H (Movies) and Ballroom 20 (TV). I hope to update this site daily with the day’s events. (You should also check my twitter feed for breaking news and gossip).
Prior to the show, I attended the ICv2 Comics, Media, and Digital Conference, held in conjunction with SDCC. Each year, the ICv2 brings together thought leaders from the comics, media, and digital worlds to discuss how the two most powerful trends in comics are shaping the future. This year the focus was on transmarketing and the availability of digital comics.There is certainly a downward trend in the purchasing figures. I also met a few agents at the seminar. Here is a description of the panels:
The ICv2 White Paper
This ICv2 White Paper will present a comprehensive look at the comics market and the trends in comics, their media uses, and digital distribution.
Presented by Milton Griepp, ICv2.
Selling Comics in Hollywood—State of the Market
Panelists including Hollywood agents and managers discuss the market for comic properties in film, TV, and videogames—what types of projects are getting made, and why.
-- Scott Agostoni, Agent
-- Rick Jacobs, Producer and Manager, Circle of Confusion
-- Nick Harris, Co-head of Media Rights, International Creative Management
Digital Comics and Transmedia Properties
Panelists from the comic and digital worlds discuss how awareness from other media is creating unique opportunities to sell digital comics to new customers, and how digital comics are being used to enhance interest and revenues in other media.
-- Ted Adams, CEO, IDW Publishing
-- Alvin Lu, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Viz Media
-- Michael Murphey, CEO, iVerse
-- Mike Richardson, CEO, Dark Horse Productions
Comics, Paper and Digital, at Comic-Con 2013
Our panelists look ahead two years to answer key questions about the future of comics. At Comic-Con 2013, what is a comic? How do consumers buy them? How are comics tied to other media? And who were the winners and losers in the previous 24 months?
-- Joe Field, President, ComicsPro; and CEO, Flying Colors
-- Bill Schanes, Vice President, Diamond Comic Distributors
-- David Steinberger, CEO, comiXology
-- Mark Waid, Writer and Editor
The ICv2 White Paper
This ICv2 White Paper will present a comprehensive look at the comics market and the trends in comics, their media uses, and digital distribution.
Presented by Milton Griepp, ICv2.
Selling Comics in Hollywood—State of the Market
Panelists including Hollywood agents and managers discuss the market for comic properties in film, TV, and videogames—what types of projects are getting made, and why.
-- Scott Agostoni, Agent
-- Rick Jacobs, Producer and Manager, Circle of Confusion
-- Nick Harris, Co-head of Media Rights, International Creative Management
Digital Comics and Transmedia Properties
Panelists from the comic and digital worlds discuss how awareness from other media is creating unique opportunities to sell digital comics to new customers, and how digital comics are being used to enhance interest and revenues in other media.
-- Ted Adams, CEO, IDW Publishing
-- Alvin Lu, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Viz Media
-- Michael Murphey, CEO, iVerse
-- Mike Richardson, CEO, Dark Horse Productions
Comics, Paper and Digital, at Comic-Con 2013
Our panelists look ahead two years to answer key questions about the future of comics. At Comic-Con 2013, what is a comic? How do consumers buy them? How are comics tied to other media? And who were the winners and losers in the previous 24 months?
-- Joe Field, President, ComicsPro; and CEO, Flying Colors
-- Bill Schanes, Vice President, Diamond Comic Distributors
-- David Steinberger, CEO, comiXology
-- Mark Waid, Writer and Editor
Although not the official start, tonight was Preview Night. Preview Night allows for a limited number of professionals and guests to explore the convention floor the night before the official Con. Although, when I was on the floor tonight, I found it hard to believe that the crowds were limited. I also attended the premieres of a couple of television shows (including Supernatural: and Alcatraz)
I have to admit I wasn’t crazy about Supernatural, the animated series. The show is done in an anime style and relied on far too many common anime gimmicks to succeed. I also should add that I don't watch the regular Supernatural show, so that could also have something to do with my enjoyment of it. I hate to say that a lot of people walked out of the showings. On the plus side, the cartoon had Jared Padalecki reprising his Supernatural role as the voice of Sam m (Jensen Ackles has been replaced by Andrew Farrar).
Here if the official description:
Supernatural: The Anime Series -- Warner Bros. Television's hit series Supernatural (Fridays 9/8c, The CW) makes history this summer as Supernatural: The Anime Series is released in the United States, the first-ever live-action series to be reimagined in Japanese anime style. Inspired by the U.S. series' sensational following oversees, Warner Home Video Japan and renowned animation studio Madhouse -- working with the full approval of series creator Eric Kripke -- produced the anime series, which mirrors the story arc of Supernatural's first two seasons, providing supplemental stories ranging from prequels and spinoffs to untold tales that fit within the Supernatural mythology. The all-new, 22-episode animated series will be distributed July 26 by Warner Home Video on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand, and for Download.
I have to admit I wasn’t crazy about Supernatural, the animated series. The show is done in an anime style and relied on far too many common anime gimmicks to succeed. I also should add that I don't watch the regular Supernatural show, so that could also have something to do with my enjoyment of it. I hate to say that a lot of people walked out of the showings. On the plus side, the cartoon had Jared Padalecki reprising his Supernatural role as the voice of Sam m (Jensen Ackles has been replaced by Andrew Farrar).
Here if the official description:
Supernatural: The Anime Series -- Warner Bros. Television's hit series Supernatural (Fridays 9/8c, The CW) makes history this summer as Supernatural: The Anime Series is released in the United States, the first-ever live-action series to be reimagined in Japanese anime style. Inspired by the U.S. series' sensational following oversees, Warner Home Video Japan and renowned animation studio Madhouse -- working with the full approval of series creator Eric Kripke -- produced the anime series, which mirrors the story arc of Supernatural's first two seasons, providing supplemental stories ranging from prequels and spinoffs to untold tales that fit within the Supernatural mythology. The all-new, 22-episode animated series will be distributed July 26 by Warner Home Video on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand, and for Download.
The other show, Alcatraz, was much more interesting to me. Alcatraz is scheduled as a midseason replacement for next season. The show, produced by JJ Abrams, and written by fellow Lost collaborator Elizabeth Sarnoff, tells an alternate history of America’s most famous prison.
According to history, in 1863, Alcatraz closed its doors and the prisoners were transferred off the island. According to the pilot, this never happened. Instead, the inmates simply vanished—the rest was a coverup. But, when one of the inmates shows up in the present looking exactly the same way as when he vanished and starts killing people, it is up to San Francisco Detective Rebecca Madsen (played by the beautiful Sarah Jones from Son’s of America to solve the crime. Her quest leads her to Diego Soto, an Alcatraz expert (played by Lost’s Jorge Garcias.) and a secret government organization. This pilot was better than Supernatural, but still not a rock solid success. The show depends on far too many coincidences and family relationships. But, at the end of the day, the show has promise. Remember, Fringe didn’t pick up until the fourth or fifth episode, and that has turned out to be a great show.
Here is the official description:
Alcatraz --From executive producer J. J. Abrams (Super 8, Fringe) and showrunner Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost) comes Alcatraz, a chilling new drama revolving around America's most infamous prison and onetime home to the nation's worst criminals. The series stars Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy), Jorge Garcia (Lost), Jonny Coyne (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life), Parminder Nagra (ER), Santiago Cabrera (Heroes), and Jason Butler Harner (Fringe), with Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). Abrams, Bryan Burk (Super 8, Fringe), and Sarnoff are executive producers; Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt (both Kyle XY) are co-executive producers. Alcatraz will premiere in midseason and air Mondays 9/8c on FOX.
According to history, in 1863, Alcatraz closed its doors and the prisoners were transferred off the island. According to the pilot, this never happened. Instead, the inmates simply vanished—the rest was a coverup. But, when one of the inmates shows up in the present looking exactly the same way as when he vanished and starts killing people, it is up to San Francisco Detective Rebecca Madsen (played by the beautiful Sarah Jones from Son’s of America to solve the crime. Her quest leads her to Diego Soto, an Alcatraz expert (played by Lost’s Jorge Garcias.) and a secret government organization. This pilot was better than Supernatural, but still not a rock solid success. The show depends on far too many coincidences and family relationships. But, at the end of the day, the show has promise. Remember, Fringe didn’t pick up until the fourth or fifth episode, and that has turned out to be a great show.
Here is the official description:
Alcatraz --From executive producer J. J. Abrams (Super 8, Fringe) and showrunner Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost) comes Alcatraz, a chilling new drama revolving around America's most infamous prison and onetime home to the nation's worst criminals. The series stars Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy), Jorge Garcia (Lost), Jonny Coyne (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life), Parminder Nagra (ER), Santiago Cabrera (Heroes), and Jason Butler Harner (Fringe), with Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). Abrams, Bryan Burk (Super 8, Fringe), and Sarnoff are executive producers; Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt (both Kyle XY) are co-executive producers. Alcatraz will premiere in midseason and air Mondays 9/8c on FOX.
I did not watch the other two pilots, as I wanted to see the floor. But, for those of you playing at home, they were:
Person of Interest --Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line), Michael Emerson (Lost), and Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow) team up in Person of Interest, a thought-provoking crime action-drama from The Dark Knight's Jonathan Nolan and J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions (Super 8, Fringe). Set in New York City, with all of its multifaceted elements of justice (cops, criminals, corruption), this procedural centers on an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who partners with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes. Kevin Chapman (Rescue Me) also stars in the series, which is executive produced by Nolan, Abrams, Greg Plageman (Cold Case), and Bryan Burk (Super 8, Fringe). Person of Interest is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series will air Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS this fall.
The Secret Circle -- The ordinary becomes the extraordinary in The Secret Circle, a romantic drama full of mystery, intrigue, and danger from executive producer Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries) and based on the book series by L. J. Smith (The Vampire Diaries). The series chronicles the story of a young girl who discovers not only that she is a witch and part of a secret coven but that she is the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good versus evil. Britt Robertson (Scream 4), Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Gale Harold (Queer as Folk), Shelley Hennig (Days of Our Lives), Phoebe Tonkin (H20: Just Add Water), Louis Hunter (Out of the Blue), Jessica Parker Kennedy (Valemont), Ashley Crow (Heroes), and Natasha Henstridge (Species) star in the series, from executive producers Williamson, Leslie Morgenstein (The Vampire Diaries), Gina Girolamo (Alloy Entertainment), Andrew Miller (Nothing), and Richard Hatem (Supernatural). The series will air Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW this fall.
Person of Interest --Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line), Michael Emerson (Lost), and Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow) team up in Person of Interest, a thought-provoking crime action-drama from The Dark Knight's Jonathan Nolan and J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions (Super 8, Fringe). Set in New York City, with all of its multifaceted elements of justice (cops, criminals, corruption), this procedural centers on an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who partners with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes. Kevin Chapman (Rescue Me) also stars in the series, which is executive produced by Nolan, Abrams, Greg Plageman (Cold Case), and Bryan Burk (Super 8, Fringe). Person of Interest is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series will air Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS this fall.
The Secret Circle -- The ordinary becomes the extraordinary in The Secret Circle, a romantic drama full of mystery, intrigue, and danger from executive producer Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries) and based on the book series by L. J. Smith (The Vampire Diaries). The series chronicles the story of a young girl who discovers not only that she is a witch and part of a secret coven but that she is the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good versus evil. Britt Robertson (Scream 4), Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Gale Harold (Queer as Folk), Shelley Hennig (Days of Our Lives), Phoebe Tonkin (H20: Just Add Water), Louis Hunter (Out of the Blue), Jessica Parker Kennedy (Valemont), Ashley Crow (Heroes), and Natasha Henstridge (Species) star in the series, from executive producers Williamson, Leslie Morgenstein (The Vampire Diaries), Gina Girolamo (Alloy Entertainment), Andrew Miller (Nothing), and Richard Hatem (Supernatural). The series will air Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW this fall.
Watch this space and my twitter for more information.
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