Hosted by Utopian creator Pj Perez, everyone is invited to share in this bash featuring $5 Corona buckets, the best tacos you’ve ever had, and door prizes including comics, posters, Retro Bakery gift certificates and more surprises. It’s free, open to the public, and you want to be there. What else are you going to do on a Sunday evening?

If you’re our friend on Facebook, then you probably have all the details. If not, what the heck is wrong with you? Only our Facebook pals get behind-the-scenes glimpses at upcoming projects, candid photos and first dibs on just about everything we do. Get with the program, Chet!

Yes, the pre-order period has ended and copies of both the standard and deluxe editions of The Utopian’s premier print issue started shipping on Oct. 14. If you missed the pre-order period, no worries: You can now order Pop! Goes the Icon products directly from IndyPlanet, where you’ll find “a whole new world of comics.”

We’ve fulfilled orders for retailers through Haven Distributors, so the comic should be available in at least a few comic shops out there, but if yours is not one of them, be sure to print out this coupon and hand it to your local shop owner ASAP. If you live in Las Vegas, both editions of The Utopian #1 are available at Alternate Reality Comics (4800 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite D).

While you’re thinking about it, get to know Utopian creator Pj Perez a little better in this nifty profile that ran in UNLV’s The Rebel Yell last week. And then go buy some comics. They’re good for you.

Publisher Pj Perez will be on hand with freebies such as buttons and postcards, as well as copies of The Utopian #1, the first print collection of his semi-weekly webcomic series. Also the inaugural print release from PGTI, The Utopian #1 is a 36-page comic featuring never-before published material and new artwork as well as stories previously only available online. Two versions, a “standard” black-and-white edition and a “deluxe,” full-color edition, will be available for purchase, featuring respective covers by local artists Mark T. Zeilman and Hernan Valencia (who are also tentatively scheduled to appear at the PGTI booth). Pre-orders are also being accepted online at www.theutopiancomic.com, and the books are slated for Oct. 14 release.

Next year, we’ll begin publishing Omega Comics Presents, a quarterly, black-and-white comic book anthology series featuring three 8-to-10 page stories per issue, both standalone and serialized. Omega Comics Presents‘ goal is to showcase unknown and underexposed writers and artists, and will be available in both print and downloadable editions. Submissions for the anthology are still being accepted online and will be accepted at the PGTI booth at the Comic Festival.

The comic ships in October, but if you pre-order the comic now, creator Pj Perez will personally desecrate your copy with his grubby autograph. And you’ll probably get some extra goodies as well. But don’t delay! This pre-order special is a limited-time deal, and once it’s over, not only will the signed copies go away, but you’ll probably pay more.

And if you happen to be a comic retailer reading this, The Utopian #1 is available for your customers through Haven Distributors. Make sure you get your orders in for item #UTOPPOP001, and help support original, independent comics!

Right here, kids. Pop! Goes the Icon is proud to announce plans to launch its second print title, Omega Comics Presents. This quarterly, standard-size, black-and-white series will feature three 8-to-10 page stories per issue, both standalone and serial, from a variety of up-and-coming creators working in diverse styles. While we’re determined to expose the hidden (and not so hidden) talent from our home base of Las Vegas, we’ll also be showcasing talent from around the globe. OCP will tentatively launch the first quarter of 2010.

So you know what’s next, right? If you’re a cartoonist or part of a creative team and are interested in having your work showcased in a bold, new venue, we want to hear from you! Please visit our Submissions page for more information on how to become a part of this venture. And if you’re not, well, check back soon for more details on the progress of Omega Comics Presents, coming soon-ish to a comic store and web browser near you!

Well, The Utopian is back. Part 005, “Revelations,” launched today, and this chapter promises to change forever your notions of what the strip is all about. Or so we’ve been told. It’s probably best if you just get caught up and get on board.

While you’re at it, show some love for The Utopian and vote for it over at Webcomicz.com. Because you care.

Kind of.

OK, Pop! Goes the Icon missed the deadline for vendor registration (hell, for Artist Alley registration). But we have a special treat for you if you’ll be at the annual geekfest. The Utopian writer/artist Pj Perez will be wandering around the convention floors with a bag full of EXCLUSIVE goodies from PGTI, including this:

And these:

That’s right, kids. The long-rumored/hyped/etc. 16-page Utopian Comic-Con exclusive “issue zero” is a SUPER LIMITED run (only 50 copies!!). And if you want one, you’ll have to keep an eye out for this guy:

The comics and buttons are totally FREE but they will disappear quickly, so if you want either, well, you’d better start following Pj on Twitter, where he’ll be updating his location and lovingly receiving your tweets. And surely he’ll have some sort of signing device on him should you want your comic — or body part — autographed.

Pop! Goes the Icon: We do things differently. Like Apple, only way less sexy.

According to strip writer-artist Pj Perez, the reason for the change is multi-tiered: “I’ve decided to change the posting schedule of The Utopian to both accommodate my ability to produce the best quality webcomic possible and the requests of readers who may have been confused by the presentation of two pages on one day spread across two days of posts.”

So while you get the same amount of high school dramatic action every week, you get double the suspense! And really, isn’t that what we all need in our lives? Start your Wednesday off right with the latest entry in The Utopian mythology, and keep an eye on Pop! Goes the Icon for convention season news, coming soon.

A preview from this week's installment of "The Utopian."

In case you missed it, “Special Interests,” the third story arc of Pj Perez’s weekly webcomic series The Utopian, started last week. In the opening salvo, we were introduced to Danny, a freshman at Sagebrush High who’s completely enthralled with The Utopian. As well, we met Sean, a cool and aloof pal of our protagonist, James.

This week, the culture of corruption at Sagebrush is thrown right in the face of James as we meet another new character, science teacher Mr. Anderson. And you just know James isn’t going to be happy with what he sees.

Be sure to get caught up and stick around, because you have no idea what’s coming. For real.

Stay tuned to this site for news about Pop! Goes the Icon’s plans for next month’s San Diego Comic-Con.

The graphic novel will debut during the Vegas Valley Book Festival (Nov. 4 to 8), and an entire panel will be dedicated to Drunk at the concurrent Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival, where not coincidentally, PGTI will have a significant presence. And by significant, we mean possibly drunk behind a table with a stack of crap to sell you. In addition, original art from the comic will be on display at Atomic Todd gallery (1221 S. Main St.) during the month of November.

If you want to support independent artists and get your hands on one of these beauties, just hit up the Drunk website to pre-order your copy now for $25, and you may even get Drunk sooner than you’d think. Check out this nifty video preview, which should get you into the spirit. Or hitting the spirits: