Arab Nation to Start Up Their Own Comic Con

Surely they would win the costume contest

United Arab Emirates in the Middle East will now have their own comic convention. In March 2011 Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Centre will be the first in the region to host its own version of the San Diego Comic-Con International.

The organizers of the event in the United Arab Emirates are expecting 10,000 to 15,000 visitors.

Arafaat Ali Khan is the managing partner at ExtraCake PR, which is organizing the event.  “What we see now is that there is interest in the infrastructure as far as stores over here stocking anime, [Japanese] manga [cartoons] and comics,” he said. “It’s all coming together at the right time.  The genre is exploding in the Middle East. We have a growth in the sales and bookstores are dedicating entire shelves to comics,” Khan said.

Nitin Mathew, a marketer of video games based in the United Arab Emirates said that he was very excited about the event.

“The United Arab Emirates is host to many international events in the fields of business, technology and sport,” Mathew told The Media Line. “The Middle East Film and Comic Convention will add to that with a bit of culture, not just putting Abu Dhabi on the map of pop culture, but also exposing the residents of the country to some of the most iconic pop culture brands and products in the world.”

One example of the new regional interest in comics is the success of “99”. It has been labeled the world’s first superhero comic based on Islamic culture, featuring 99 characters each with a skill set inspired by the 99 names traditionally assigned to Allah in Islam.

Another success story is “Freej”, an animated series about four grandmothers living in Dubai, trying to adapt to living in a modern city that was just a small village when they were young. When the Cartoon Network announced earlier this year they would open an office in Abu Dhabi, they also announced a distribution deal with the local production house behind Freej, Lammtara.

Comic Con International Just OFFICIALLY "Nuked the Fridge"

Alexandre Aja, the Director of Piranha 3-D, was scheduled to show a preview of his movie at Comic Con International in San Diego.  The clip includes a scene of a wet t-shirt contest.  The people who run Comic Con subsequently crapped their pants, and told him he had to cut the scene or he couldn't show the clip to Comic Con's paid attendees. 

It makes gfest's stomach turn to think that the people that run Comic Con, which the King of Comics Jack Kirby and his friends started, is trying to stifle an artist's creative expression.  It's shameful really. 

Gfest has never had a problem with Hollywood's invasion of Comic Con, even though many Comic Con purists have.  The merger of comic books and Hollywood was the fulfillment of Jack Kirby's vision, not its demise.  But censorship?  Well, that's just really, really not cool Comic Con.

Luckily, Aja told Comic Con to shove it, and walked away from Comic Con.  Instead, he will debut his movie at the UA Horton Plaza nearby on the same day that Comic Con 2010 opens. 

Gfest can't help but think that King Kirby would be proud of you Alexandre.

FIRST CAST PICTURE OF AMC'S WALKING DEAD SERIES

Here is the first full cast pic from the upcoming AMC series The Walking Dead, adapted from a comic-book series of the same name.

If you'll be traveling to San Diego this weekend there will be a panel at Comic-Con and it will feature series stars Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually), Jon Bernthal (The Pacific), Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break), Laurie Holden (The Mist), and Emma Bell (Law & Order). The Panel is Friday July 23 at 11:30AM in room 6BCF.

Source: io9

Great #NotAtComicCon Ad from Dark Horse Comics

For those unable to attend Comic-Con, the participating stores (The list of participating stores can be found on the Dark Horse website) will "create a fun and creative atmosphere" with free drinks and more than $200 worth of Dark Horse prizes. Between 3 and 5 p.m. EST -- on July 24, presumably -- Dark Horse will make an announcement to fans at participating stores before releasing information to attendees in San Diego.

Here s the press release released yesterday:

DARK HORSE AND RED BULL’S CHINASHOP MAGAZINE LAUNCH #NOTATCOMICCON CAMPAIGN! OVER 50 COMIC SHOPS ACROSS THE US TO HOST EVENTS FOR FANS UNABLE TO ATTEND COMIC CON INTERNATIONAL

JULY 14TH, MILWAUKIE, OR – On July 24th fifty-five comic book shops across the country will host unique parties in conjunction with ChinaShop Magazine and Dark Horse Comics to celebrate the highly dedicated culture of sequential art during the weekend of San Diego Comic-Con.

Branded #NotAtComicCon, based on the Twitter hash-tag those unable to attend San Diego Comic-Con have been using, fifty-five participating stores will create a fun and creative atmosphere where free drinks and over $200 worth of Dark Horse prizes will be available. In addition, Dark Horse Comics will make an exclusive announcement to fans at participating stores before releasing the special information to crowds in San Diego.

Fans looking to participate in the unprecedented, nation-wide event can find a comic book shop in their area on the following site:  http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/34/notatcomiccon

Plus, during the week of July 19th, ChinaShopMag.com will feature interviews with well-established comic creators who aren’t attending San Diego Comic-Con to get their insight into the larger community rarely talked about in mainstream news outlets.

Fans are also encouraged to use the hash-tag “#notatcomiccon” when talking about the event to show the world the fun comic fans have even outside the largest pop-culture convention. For more updates, follow @notatcomiccon and @chinashopmag on Twitter

 Source: Robot6

Dan Didio Will Actually Let You Talk to Him... for $100

Gfest is all on board with The Hero Initiative which provides a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work.

Leading up to Comic Con International, The Hero Initiative  has several really cool items up for auction on eBay.  It also has the opportunity to hang out in a hotel room with recently demoted DC Comics co-publisher Dan Didio and likely be treated like crap. 

You and four other "lucky" fans will be escorted up to a San Diego hotel suite where you will be given the honor of meeting the Great Didio himself.  Presumably, since you're laying out some serious cash for the event, Dan won't treat you like a scumbag, which is the way he usually treats fans at Comic Con panels.  Although our money says he still treats you like shit. 

Marvel Comics Joe Quesada has also agreed to meet five fans for The Hero Initiative.  It will be interesting to see who raises more money for The Hero Initiative at the end of the auction.  Stay tuned to Gfest for the final tally. 

And if any of you actually win the Dan Didio auction, we would be happy to submit you a list of questions.

Dan Didio Auction is HERE.  Joe Quesada Auction is HERE.