August 30-September 1 2024

Tucson Convention Center

Tucson Comic-Con – Home

For the past 15 years, Tucson Comic-Con has been the premiere destination for Pima County fans of comics, cosplay and all things pop culture; 2024 was another monumental event, featuring a handful of great guests, hundreds of vendors and thousands of attendees who spent the Labor Day weekend enjoying all the sight, sounds and sweet, sweet collectibles.

Due to other obligations (including an incredible hardcore fest Friday and the andgallery’s excellent “Hard Times, Soft Vinyl” exhibit), I was only able to attend Saturday. After filling up on the vegan goodness of Houlden’s Rise Above for breakfast and Guilin’s lunch special, I headed over to the  Convention Center; while all the volunteers and staff were incredibly kind, it was a bit frustrating to have to enter a completely different entrance on the other side from previous years events (thankfully I avoided the torrential downpour that appeared a short time later.) The layout of the Convention Center isn’t always the easiest to navigate for new attendees, but seasoned vets will find it even easier with lots more areas & activities to explore.

The convention floor is the main attraction as always which takes quite a bit of time to fully take in with a good mix of national favorites, local talent and a variety of genres and fandoms from superheroes to horror, sci fi to anime and fantasy of all sorts. An artist alley mingled with massive activations while tables overflowed with classic goods and contemporary must haves, while the upstairs areas highlighted fan collectives while there is now a huge area highlighting gaming, be it board, card, tabletop or video. Personal pick ups included a pile of tasty tapes from my friends at RetroHeap, a Frank Frazetta ornament courtesy of Jay Fotos and a few other odds and ends.

The celebrity guests were almost all in a designated area with organized queues and none had an excessive wait; in an age where sometimes the entire con experience is Disneyland length, it’s a nice change of pace to be able to meet, greet and move in a reasonable time. Guests at the 2024 event included the most huggable man on Earth, Doug Jones, the delightful Dee Wallace (thank you so much for your generous donations for the upcoming Cinesylum benefit screening), the legendary Roy Thomas, the “Mouth of the South” Mr. Jimmy Hart and the always kind James O’Barr. My white whale for this event was John Ratzenberger as I’ve long desired a House II autograph to pair with my House signature from George Wendt; sadly, he was not very respectful or warm. I understand that they have lots of interactions, but he forgot to personalize as indicated by the sticky note attached by his assistant and seemed agitated to have to add it. He did seem surprised at my choice in 8×10, and I let him know it was a favorite of my Mother and I when I was young and with her recent passing, it was even more important to me to which he responded with a passive “hmm.” Sorry Cliff but hope Patrick Sherril visits your postal facility soon; cock.

That said, Tucson Comic-Con was an overwhelming positive experience as always and Brian, Mike, Teresita and countless other staff and volunteers make it my kind of con and one well worth checking out.

March 15-17, 2024

Phoenix Convention Center

www.gameonexpo.com

GameOn Expo has been a Valley institution for nearly a decade and only continues to grow leaps and bounds, especially in 2024 with two major developments: a move to the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center and a welcome change to better weather conditions.

Security was slow moving and not nearly ample for the massive crowds on Friday completely wrapped around the building, a fact the event organizers quickly addressed with Saturday and Sunday attendees experiencing a much shorter and smoother experience with increased staff and additional detectors.

Heading downstairs, the ample extra real estate has been optimized. My initial entry area encountered all the board/card/RPG game area, which had miniature painting workshops, indie games and lots of opportunities to play with family, friends and fans. Heading towards the stage, plenty of free play consoles from NES to PS5 and rarely seen decks like TG16 and Sega Saturn were available to sample while massive tournaments touted Smash Bros, Mario Kart and Tetris competitions to an array of cheers, jeers and of course the occasional onslaught of socially inept screeching.

Classic pinball and arcade cabs courtesy of Cobra, Starfighters, Ready Player One and more including absolute custom gems like the DuckTales, Sydney Hunter and Killer Queen cabs plus the gorgeous see-through Golden Axe and some newer ones I enjoyed like Jaws Premium, Hot Wheels and The Godfather pinballs.

IZW brought the wrestling action front and center with local legends like Bryn Thorne, Evan Daniels, Chuy Gonzales and Damien Desire and introduced the first-rate wrestling scene in the Valley; some of the talent even decided to get in the spirit and cosplayed fan favorites like Cammy and Link. Ted Dibiase was quite literally ringside, and I was tempted to get an autograph and photo op but unfortunately, he raised his rates in a less than Christ-like manner; he looked great but acting like he was in Lex Luger shape but know he’s trying to avoid the Lex Express straight to prison after stealing millions from needy families so kind of grateful I didn’t support.

The celebrity guest area was at its maximum capacity brimming with reunions from massive franchises like Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid Mortal Kombat and more; it’s always great to see a multitude of talents spanning the now 50 years of gaming.

A huge Artists Alley as always with lots of vendors from all over the US and hometown favorites; I perused but successfully walked away from the weekend without having spent a dime, thought plenty of rare games, comics and collectibles enticed.

Didn’t get a chance to attend any of the musical acts but Mega Ran was great in the ring and on the mic announcing for IZW; same goes for the panels. I was very bummed to have missed Johny Millennium’s as well as Radical Reggie, The Immortal John Hancock and John Blue Riggs but was able to catch up with all individually at their tables or out in the crowd.

Having attended every GameOn since its inception, I miss the smaller, close-knit environment of the early years at the Mesa Convention Center but so grateful and happy that it is still holding strong and that all the hard work of John Lester, Neil Kotler and their crew have put in to make sure Phoenix remains a top destination for gaming culture.

The Crow flies again on June 7th in theaters from Lionsgate Horror.

A note from Bill Skarsgård:

I was a huge fan of the original film growing up as a kid and was so honored to take on the role of Eric Draven. But really what drew me to it was what Rupert Sanders wanted to do with it. He wanted to completely reimagine the story and the character and tailor it towards a modern audience. It’s a character that I know many revere and have a strong connection to – he is unlike any I’ve ever taken on before. Working with the remarkably talented FKA Twigs was magical. I felt a responsibility to Eric’s story and endeavored to stay true to the spirit of the source material; I can’t wait for the world to see the film, and hope it resonates with audiences as strongly as it did with those of us involved.

A note from FKA twigs:

I am so thrilled to be in THE CROW alongside the talented Bill Skardgard and extraordinary director Rupert Sanders. The love Bill and I share on screen is effortless and indicative of the authenticity and ease that I dreamed of bringing to the role of Shelley. Eric and Shelley’s unbreakable unity is so profound and beautiful, something I hope we all feel at least once as part of the human experience. I am so excited that the trailer is being unveiled and even more excited to have the world see the film this summer.

A note from Director Rupert Sanders:

The Crow is the original anti-superhero. His story is about tragic loss, about dealing with the pain of everything that comes with losing someone you love, something that all of us have or will encounter at some point in our lives. It is about the dark shadow of grief, about what we would do when something so meaningful is taken from us.

The original graphic novel is deeply meaningful for so many, and the character, his journey and his need for revenge has inspired a canon of films for the last three decades. Our version goes back to that graphic novel by James O’Barr, who I had the honour of meeting shortly before production, and explores the love story as the primary drive for our film.

What Alex Proyas did with the Crow in 1994 – and Brandon Lee’s iconic embodiment of that character – will forever impact that generation and others to follow. It was a culture-defining film that is beloved to this day and has inspired many other iterations both inside and outside the Crow Universe.

That film sparked a fire with the youth of that day, a youth who grew up on hard, alternative rock, punk and metal, that binged on MTV and zines. It held a mirror to that generation in the aesthetic of the film, its smoky, rain-drenched streets, stylized and subverted sets, its leather-clad hero and chain wielding villains. It expressed its time in a very specific, music-driven vision, that spoke to a young audience who had never been spoken to in that way. It became a cult classic.

Our interpretation of James’ work also reflects this young generation, whose tastes and references have changed so dramatically from the original film. Hopefully it speaks to them in their language, with their style and music and hopefully will get them to discover Alex Proyas’ film and James O’Barr’s graphic novel, bringing a new audience to the source material.

For this story is as universal as an epic poem or Greek myth, it deals with the very primal, naturalistic emotions of love, grief and rage and it also deals with the supernatural and physiological imaginings of heaven and hell, the dead and the undead. It explores the great positive force of love and the great negative force of rage and hate that stands in its shadow, it asks what would we do, but also what would we have become by doing so. When Eric slumps to the floor, covered in the blood of the slain, we look deep into his eyes and he asks us…why?

I am very pleased to have worked with two young actors whose performances are the backbone of this film. Bill Skarsgard is so committed and vulnerable, monstrously violent and delicately tender, he brings so many layers to the complex emotion of a man consumed with so much love and hate, but also a man who will do anything for the woman he loves. He fights, numb with pain and grief, killing and maiming for the one he loves…but to what end? FKA Twigs brings the same unique and wondrous talent that she does to her entire volume of work and her performance and the vacuum created by her absence undoubtedly gives reason for this Crow to be born.

One of the shining lights for this writer during the pandemic was the discovery of the sitcom “Los Espookys” on HBO Max. It was a surreal story of a group of amateur haunters from across the border and their adventures staging alien invasions, haunted houses and attacks from sea creatures while navigating chocolate candy fortunes, marriages to would-be princes and adventures in valet parking. The architect of this show was a young SNL writer named Julio Torres, who penned some of SNL’s most memorable and bizarre sketches including Papyrus, where Ryan Goslong is driven to madness by James Cameron’s use of stock font as the logo for his Avatar franchise.

It’s that kind of surreal magical logic that permeates Torres debut as a writer/director in A24’s Problemista, which opens this weekend in select theaters. Torres stars and plays Alejandro, an immigrant from El Salvador in New York looking to make his place designing surreal artistic versions of classic Hasbro toys as part of its talent incubator program. His entry fails to capture him a position at the erstwhile toy maker, so he takes a job working at a cryogenics facility in order to maintain his work visa to chase his dream.

It’s here that Problemista finds its groove in tackling the issues an immigrant like Alejandro has to navigate to maintain residency when he is fired by the cryogenics company. Alejandro has only a limited time to negotiate a new sponsor for his work visa and he thinks he has found an option in working for Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), the wife of one of the cryogenics’ companies clients. Elizabeth ois deeply devoted to the work of her husband Bobby (RZA from the Wu Tang Clan) and aspires to put together a database and show of her husband’s paintings of eggs. Alejandro takes the role of her assistant to try and make this happen, as well as his dreams of designing toys in America. However, Elizabeth is deeply eccentric and goes her own unique and eccentric way which makes Alejandro’s efforts to please her difficult and at times Sisyphean. Swinton makes this character feel real through flashbacks that explain her behavior. The rapport between the two is something akin to Harold and Maude, with Elizabeth pointing out to Alejandro he has many opportunities available to him in life if he asserts himself and try to get as much out of it as she can. This rapport between the two is illustrated throughout with Torres’ use of magical realism and his unique brand of comedy that reflects his comedy special on HBO as well as the same surreal cutaways seen in Los Espookys. The film also benefits from performances by actors like Greta Lee and Isabella Rossellini is small but pivotal roles.

If elements of absurdist comedy as seen on Adult Swim are your jam and you enjoy unique, quirky worldviews in film, check out Problemista. While its surreal moments may take some viewers out of the film, they’re not so dissimilar from those seen recently in Dream Scenario or Beau is Afraid with a stronger third act than both those films. Problemista opens March 15th.

February 23-25, 2004

Mesa Convention Center

www.coffincomicsshop.com

As I’ve recounted ad nauseum over the years, I discovered Brian Pulido’s creations in my local comic & games shop in a small city outside Seattle around 1992. Being a massive horrorhound at the time (and still as rabid as ever) the grinning malice of “Evil Ernie” absolute fascinated me and since there were few other morbid titles in that era, it stood out even more. I devoured all the available books and was equally enthralled that these releases were from independent publishers which matched my growing interest in hardcore, punk and metal and its strict DIY ethos. Brian and his crew were always self-reliant and over the last three decades, that dedication to doing things their way has built a massive empire wholly their own.

When I moved to AZ in the mid-00s, I began to reconnect with my comic roots having largely ignored the industry for a decade and one of the first folks to welcome me back into the fold was Brian. He was and is always incredibly kind and personable and I am beyond grateful to call him my friend. Despite hanging out and seeing each other over the years, I’d never taken him up on his offers to attend any of his fan fests and so when the opportunity arose to be “sworn in” so to speak, I was more than willing to accept.

And that’s what Sworn Fest is, a celebration of friendship. The con utilized the small space to create a warm and inviting atmosphere where fans could interact, talk, trade, and enjoy each other’s company in a more tight-knit environment. While only one main room, the auditorium and surrounding halls were utilized, they were jam packed with authors, artists, and vendors.

Head honcho Brian Pulido was joined by Coffin heavyweights such as writer Mike MacLean and bevy of artists including Diego Bernard (who ventured all the way from Brazil), Joel Gomez, Anthony Spay, David Mendoza, Knightmare Lynch, Marissa Pope, David Harrigan, Mike DeBaffo, Sun Khamunaki, Mike Krome, Monte Moore, Ryan Kincaid, as well as sculptor Jason Fowers and jeweler Shannon Galameau and other local small businesses like Superstition Candle Company and Collector’s Choice Comics.

The always stunning Sapphire Nova was on hand to do photo ops in a variety of Coffin cosplay classics (Lady Death being a perennial favorite) but also longtime great Hellwitch and newer characters like Lady Satanus and Chaotic. Sapphire has always been friendly and funny and is very down to Earth.

A sneak peek that was a pleasure to see was the forthcoming Lady Death video game “Lady Death: Demonicron” from Art of Play and Coffin Comics for PS5, Switch and digital. Only concept art was currently available, but the premise looks promising and even though licensed titles have a spotty track record, hopefully with a healthy crowdfunding campaign this will materialize it into a future hidden gem.

Saturday night saw artist David Harrigan pulling double duty as his band, The Invertebrates take the stage to perform an hour long set of covers and a sole original dedicated to the fest with the crowd chanting the chorus of “Sworn!” in vigorous response. Staples from Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Metallica, Alice Cooper and more made appearances but there was at least one surprise pick from the Huey Lewis and The News catalogue to close out the show. These were friends just having fun, sharing vocal leads and sometimes swapping instruments that would make what otherwise would have been a standard bar band into a cohesive and creative outfit than first look and listen would indicate.

The highlight of the con was undoubtedly the Coffin Comics HQ tour with commissioned tour buses arriving every few hours to comfortably cart large groups a short distance away to experience the new epicenter of the CC Universe.  Attendees were graciously given a full to wander and enjoy the gorgeous art adorning every inch of the walls, perfectly complimenting the stunning ornate furniture and Victorian flourishes throughout the bespoke building. Fans got to integrate themselves into the green screen from the podcast/livestream room, spend some challenge coins at the gift shop which was overflowing with classic and new releases and related memorabilia and even see the behind-the-scenes world of shipping hundreds to thousands of titles from the massive in-house distribution center. Guests were last greeted by the bar staffed with complimentary drinks in the lush, relaxing parlor. Brian’s lovely wife and partner Francesca is always so incredibly kind and gracious and really embraced the opportunity to answer questions and provide behind the scenes insight with the humor and grace she is well known for, a perfect host.

That said, the most moving moment was the “Valhalla” segment where Brian and fans were welcome to share stories about those that have left the mortal coil of the community but whose memories remain. Lots of funny, sweet, and sometimes sad stories and it was the most unique and touching element I experienced at Sworn Fest and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment. A complimenting opportunity was extended to all attendees to sign the Sworn Fest banner which was such a simple but special gesture.

Due to previous obligations, I was only able to attend part of Saturday night and Sunday morning, so I know I missed out on panels, trades and incentives but felt I still got a good feel for the event. For future events, I feel if it was expanded with more guests, vendors, and events there is a chance it could get diluted but with Coffin Comics curation, I believe the growth would be natural, strong and necessary. Some casual fans might also be disappointed that there are no single day passes were offered and I think at least one day, such as Saturday being offered at a reduced rate would be helpful. I know this is a gathering of diehards but many would prefer the chance to check it out and maybe save their extra spending money for the attending artists and vendors.

The tagline on all promotional materials for Sworn Fest is “comics, collecting and camaraderie” and it’s a fitting motto; if you love horror, comics, friends and of course, those beautiful bad girls, Sworn Fest says: there’s always room for one more…