Englishman In San Diego

This weekend in Seattle's Convention Centre, ReedPOP's EMERALD CITY COMIC CON is attracting thousands of eager nerds and pop culture enthusiasts, along with some incredible Special Guests and Exhibitors. Joining them is AEISD's 'man on the ground' Dan Berry, who is holding a number of interviews over the course of the event. Here, Dan has the chance to get in a few words with Tee Franklin, in between her being mobbed by many fans and well-wishers of the hugely popular BINGO LOVE graphic novel which exploded over social media last year after a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign - the book, about the lives of two women, bonding at bingo, coming to terms with their sexuality and finding themselves after lives of conformity, struggle, love and loss, is a cracking piece of work, and has been picked up for mainstream release by Image Comics, Here Tee talks about the books genesis, her inspirations, her joy at the books success and what is next for upcoming projects. Thanks to Tee for her time, and thanks to Da

This weekend in Seattle's Convention Centre, ReedPOP's EMERALD CITY COMIC CON is attracting thousands of eager nerds and pop culture enthusiasts, along with some incredible Special Guests and Exhibitors. Joining them is AEISD's 'man on the ground' Dan Berry, who is holding a number of interviews over the course of the event. One such interview is a conversation with the legendary creators of long-running and ground-breaking comic, ELFQUEST, which comes to a close this year after over forty years of fantastical storytelling. Here, Dan talks to Richard and Wendy Pini about the origins of the epic saga, as well as the process in its conclusion and what is next up for these amazing creative minds.

Very shortly, after a year of pre-production, interview gathering and editing, filmmakers Patrick Meaney and Jordan Rennert will be releasing their CHRIS CLAREMONT'S X-MEN documentary, via the Sequart Organisation. This fascinating hour-long film talks to pretty much all of the major players of Claremont's incredible over-seventeen-year run on Marvel Comics' flagship comics, producing some of the most iconic stories and characters in the medium, from the DARK PHOENIX Saga to DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and much more. As part of the promotion for this documentary release, AEISD's Leonard Sultana was lucky enough to take part in a phone interview about the film, about the influence of the amazing women that surrounded Chris through his X-Men tenure as editors, about the challenge of creating compelling and enduring comics year-in year-out, about the bitterness of his departure from the titles and the legacy not only of the X-Men but also his own contributions. Thanks to Dan Berry for the initial contact with the film

may I present a recording of one of the panels that I hosted at the inaugural Meanwhile... Comic Con, held in Chichester on Saturday 30th September: I was joined by four creators of independent small press comics who are making their mark and striding their own path in telling their own stories, their own way - Matilda Dawes (matildadawes.com), Andy Pawley (galaxafreaks.com), Matt Hardy (madrobotcomics.com) and Russell Mark Olson. Over the course of forty-five minutes, we dove into the state of the current resurgence in small press comics, what support systems are in place to tell these unique and individual stories, the pressures and rewards of self-publishing, and also some practical advice on how to actually get the word out to an potential - paying! - audience! Enjoy... My many thanks to the organisers of Meanwhile... Comic Con for allowing me the opportunity to host this panel and to share this with my readers.

May I present a recording of one of the panels that I hosted at the inaugural Meanwhile... Comic Con, held in Chichester on Saturday 30th September: I was lucky enough to get the chance to spend time with two guys that have created and contributed to a truly iconic British comics creation, one that simply refuses to get out of peoples faces - TANK GIRL! Co-creator Alan Martin and comics artist (and Chichester local lad) Warwick Johnson Cadwell talked to me about the formative years of the character set in the backdrop of the start of DEADLINE, how she grew into a pop culture phenomenon, and how Tank Girl is still making an indelible Doc Martin footprint on the forehead on comics today. A cracking chat - I hope you will enjoy this as much as I think the lads did. My many thanks to the organisers of Meanwhile... Comic Con for allowing me the opportunity to host this panel and to share this with my readers.

May I present a recording of one of the panels that I hosted at the inaugural Meanwhile... Comic Con, held in Chichester on Saturday 30th September: we spent time with artist/illustrator Alison Sampson, who has made a splash most recently with Image Comics release WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD (written by Steve Niles). We can't deny, Alison is not a massively known quantity by the mainstream comics crowd and the attendance of Meanwhile... was very much a young audience, more familiar with the Marvels and DC's of this world - when we got the session started, we had three or four young 'uns in the room and to that end, we decided to abandon the tradition panel layout and just sit in the audience seats and have a 'fireside chat'. What happened then became a highlight of the event for me: people wandering in, getting swept into the conversation and turning our time into a cracking chat about that craft of creating comic art of substance, about horror comics in 2017 and what it takes to really get under the skin of a read

May I present a recording of one of the panels that I hosted at the inaugural Meanwhile... Comic Con, held in Chichester on Saturday 30th September: I was incredibly lucky to get to speak to two titans of British comics - Mick McMahon, the first artist that truly defined the character created by Esquerra and Wagner, and John Higgins, 2000AD/Judge Dredd artist and WATCHMEN colourist. Over the course of forty five minutes, we got into the landscape in which Dredd found himself created in the hotbed of the 2000AD offices, what defines Dredd as a hero/anti-hero and what the future could possibly hold for the stoic lawman. I had a blast - I hope you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did. My many thanks to the organisers of Meanwhile... Comic Con for allowing me the opportunity to host this panel and to share this with my readers.

Talkin' Comic-Con: A Cup O' Tea with An Englishman In San Diego s05e08 (17th September 2017) --------------------------------------------------- "...The rules are simple: once you go in, you don't come out." ..we're two weeks away from the biggest pop culture event on the East Coast as ReedPOP take over the Javits Centre for this years New York Comic Con! Preparations are barrelling along, and Leonard and Alyssa will be joined by Michael Leventhal (Friends Of Comic Con Forum) to talk this week's updates on exclusives and panels and everything that's been revealed this week. Plus all the weeks news from Con Culture and TV, Leonard and Alyssa dive into the latest news from Comic Con Internationals legal issues, and we cover the week in television ahead of this weekends Emmy Awards Ceremony - that's our show, people! --------------------------------------------------- TALKIN’ COMIC-CON: A CUP O’ TEA WITH AN ENGLISHMAN IN SAN DIEGO is the weekly San Diego Comic-Con International and con culture live podcast

Talkin' Comic-Con: A Cup O' Tea with An Englishman In San Diego s05e07 (10th September 2017) --------------------------------------------------- "Say kids! What time is it?..." ..in this episode, Leonard is an absentee host as circumstances beyond his control meant that he was unable to take part in the show. In the plus column, his podcast partner-in-crime Alyssa Franks from the Friends Of Comic Con Forum takes the reins and talks about the news of the week including the upcoming New York Comic Con panel lotteries and Hasbro's inaugural convention Hascon. Joining her is Mark Searby who reviews the latest Stephen King big screen adaptation, IT... it's a packed show! --------------------------------------------------- TALKIN’ COMIC-CON: A CUP O’ TEA WITH AN ENGLISHMAN IN SAN DIEGO is the weekly San Diego Comic-Con International and con culture live podcast, broadcasting every Sunday (6pm GMT / 10am PT / 1pm ET) and hosted by Leonard Sultana, joined by Alyssa Franks. Each week, the best bloggers on t’we

On Saturday 10th September 2017, UK fans were very lucky to get the chance to meet JTC at ICE International Comics Expo held in Birmingham UK, on a very rare visit to Europe - possibly a once-in-a-lifetime trip! Axs the host of JTC's Spotlight Conversation Panel, I have to say it's been incredible to have the chance to spend time in the company of this amazing artist. And his family, too, who look like they've been having a whale of a time here in England! In this informal panel, we got into JTC's background, his start in the industry, his approach to his work and what drives him to produce such consistent and jaw dropping work. When he wasn't at the panel, he was glued to his table from the moment the doors opened to WAY beyond the actual close of the show, with no fan left wanting when it came to signatures or sketches. The dedication of the man cannot be understated. Hope you enjoy this recording of his panel...

"On the road again..." We haven't had a convention live report for a while so it's a pleasure to have Aaron Nabus (hallh.com / SDCCfit) join us, beaming in direct from Long Beach Comic Con in California - he's a fine fellow with a knack for tracking down interesting people to talk to,and he doesn't disappoint, bringing us some amazing guests including Martha Donato, the president of Mad Event Management, animation supervisor and comics creator Stephan Franck, and superstar comics artist Todd Nauck. We're also joined by Michael Pea, reporting in from Fan Expo Canada - yup, we really do get about this episode! We also may be having another live report, too, from Fan Expo Toronto but we have yet to have confirmation of that - either way, what with LBCC, the Week In Con and Week In TV, it should be another packed show - we look forward to having you join us live! --------------------------------------------------- TALKIN’ COMIC-CON: A CUP O’ TEA WITH AN ENGLISHMAN IN SAN DIEGO is the weekly San Diego Comic-C

"Short and sweet..." Just a short episode this week, as Leonard and Alyssa check out the headlines of the last seven days in con culture. We've been caught short with guests this week, as people we've invited on have remembered that they have family commitments due to the Bank Holiday weekend or, more drastically, they've had to deal with the fallout of Hurricane Harvey. If you have any suggestions of guests that YOU would like to see on the show, please drop us a line at leonardsultana@anenglishmaninsandiego.com --------------------------------------------------- SHOW NOTES: Support for Disaster Relief for Hurricane Harvey: http://www.redcross.org/local/texas/gulf-coast/disaster-response Text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 survey to Red Cross Update on legal Situation for San Diego Zombie Walk: https://www.facebook.com/sdzombiewalk/posts/1638000069568054 WizardWorld, Q2 Profits 'down 50%': http://www.comicsbeat.com/wizard-world-profits-fall-50-in-first-half-of-the-year/ Rose City Comic Con, guest upd

Talkin' Comic-Con: A Cup O' Tea with An Englishman In San Diego s05e04 (20th August 2017) --------------------------------------------------- "Je ne regrette rien..." On this episode, ahead of a recap post soon to be published on www.anenglishmaninsandiego.com, Alyssa Franks (Friends Of Comic Con Forum) and Leonard Sultana look back at this years presentation in the epic Hall H of San Diego Comic-Con. This year showed the most anticipated line-ups in recent years, with panels from Netflix, Warner Bros./DC and Marvel bringing the lines [very] early to Bayfront. Leonard and Alyssa will cast their eye over the State Of The Union when it comes to this epic arena, as well as the other big rooms of SDCC - Where can Comic-Con International go from here? Can the organisation recover from the undermining of their line management efforts? And is Hall H still the big draw when it comes to the massive and varied attractions of San Diego Comic-Con? We'd love to hear YOUR stories when it comes to the Big Rooms of SDCC

Tess Fowler is an artist with an incredible sense of passion and heart which she pours into every project that she becomes involved in - that can sometimes mean that, for someone who makes sure to guard her privacy and personal space, having her heart on her sleeve in such a public manner can make her vulnerable to the elements. But she gets out there anyway and she faces the storms fearlessly. Which is why there's an initial sense of surprise and then an understandable reasoning why she has accepted the request of her new editor, the legendary Shelly Bond, to brave the crowds and bedlam of San Diego Comic-Con, an entity which has over the years evolved into a sanity-devouring beast of its own. Bond has set up BLACK CROWN PUBLISHING, a new imprint of IDW Publishing, and Fowler is the artist on the book first out of the gate for Black Crown: KID LOBOTOMY, written by the equally legendary - and creativity intimidating - Peter Milligan. BLACK CROWN is a unique space in comics in that the books that come from t

Talkin' Comic-Con: A Cup O' Tea with An Englishman In San Diego s05e02 (6th August 2017) --------------------------------------------------- "Ladies and Gennnntlemennnnn - may I present... your Gladiators!..." Okay, it's unlikely the Hangout will end up quite as dramatic as the Arena on Sakaar, and Leonard and our guest this week will hardly start going toe-to-toe like Thor and the Hulk (and, to really wrap up this analogy, Alyssa doesn't bear much resemblance to Jeff Goldblum or the Gamesmaster!), but we will be welcoming a 'friend from work', someone who really put in the hours milage at D23 Expo last month: DJ and MC Sean Patrick, who hosted the Marvel Studios booth with great aplomb. Leonard and Alyssa will be asking Sean about how he ultimately found himself in a position to put the tough questions to Thanos himself (Josh Brolin), as well as shooting the proverbial with Yondu (Michael Rooker).We'll ask what it takes to host the busiest stage at something as momentous as D23 Expo... as well as catchin

Talkin' Comic-Con: A Cup O' Tea with An Englishman In San Diego s05e01 (30th July 2017) --------------------------------------------------- "No rest for the wicked..." The dust has barely settle on San Diego Comic-Con 2017 and already we're picking up the baton, looking forward to SDCC 2018 and all of the cons in-between. Host Leonard Sultana may still be sunning it up on 'vacation' in California but Alyssa Franks (Friends Of Comic Con Forum), Aaron Nabus (Hall H & SDCCfit) and Mark Searby (feared by men, worshipped by women) are determined to keep the Talkin' Comic-Con flag flying - hence, season FIVE gets going, pretty much straight away! What are they going to talk about? There's only one way to find out - and that's to tune in LIVE this Sunday. Hope you can join us! --------------------------------------------------- TALKIN’ COMIC-CON: A CUP O’ TEA WITH AN ENGLISHMAN IN SAN DIEGO is the weekly San Diego Comic-Con International and con culture live podcast, broadcasting every Sunday (6pm GMT / 10am P

SDCC 2017: The CCI Talkback Panel with John Rogers Sunday 23rd July 2017 San Diego Comic-Con 2017 was an exhilarating, maddening, frustrating and memorable year for many reasons - it was a year that, of course, was going to generate a lot of opinions about how CCI run the event and what, as attendees, many feel need to be improved. The CCI Talkback Panel, chaired by Comic-Con International President John Rogers, is an opportunity for attendees to voice those opinions - and that they did, over a two hour twenty minute session to close this year's convention. Here is a recording of that session...

~ ROB SALKOWITZ INTERVIEW / LATEST SDCC NEWS ~ "What the hell just happened??" That has been pretty much the response on almost a daily basis this week, as update after update after update came pouring out of every corner, re: SDCC 2017! Official CCI announcements, off-site news, panel confirmations... hey, the panel confirmations! It's almost to the point where we don't need the official announcements next week. Speaking of official announcements, CCI and the office of Mayor Faulconer stood outside the San Diego Convention Center this week and proclaimed that the convention will be staying in SD thru 2021: this is a big deal for the city and for SDCC. To talk about that, and the recent legal strife between CCI and Salt Lake Comic Con, we'll be joined this week by Rob Salkowitz to explain it all. We're also joined by Andy Behbahkt from The Marvel Report to talk about what the small screen arm of Marvel have announced to bring to the party. That, and Alyssa and Leonard will be going over as much of the

~ CONAN O'BRIEN / SDCC MERCH / LATEST SDCC NEWS ~ Another week, another full batch of Comic-Con news as barrel head long towards this years show... and the sheer amount of stuff we have to talk about is incredible. Jason Koh and Keysauraus join us to talk Conan O'Brien shows and ticket sales, and share about their experiences with the show, to share what potential applicants could possibly see, and put the case for people to take the time out of their busy con to watch the show... Leonard and Alyssa look over this years official Comic-Con International merch... Panel announcements, exclusives news, banner and trolley branding around Downtown San Diego, the news of a major presence on the Exhibition Floor, and the sad news of an absence to Comic-Con in general - this was another long one but it's an episode that's packed to the gills! That, and all of the rest of this weeks news, covered by Leonard and Alyssa - hope you can join us live! --------------------------------------------------- TALKIN’ COMIC-C

~ D23 PREVIEW / LATEST SDCC NEWS ~ This Sunday, let's take a little bit of a breather from all the San Diego Comic-Con news and stress and flap out about an entirely different show, altogether! The weekend before SDCC, holding court at Anaheim Convention Center, is the D23 Expo Fan Event - you, our audience, asked and we're going to deliver with a preview episode, letting you know exactly what you can expect from this rarified event. We're lucky to be joined by someone who not only has been to D23 Expo before but also really knows his way around: Christian Milan, the man behind a whole bunch of really helpful YouTube vids, helping first-timers out with their D23 experience. Still, it's always good to ask questions out loud and get answers straight from the horses mouth - let's dive in to everything House Of Mouse! We'll also be covering all the news from the week, leading up to SDCC 2017 - join us from 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT for a truly magical show! -------------------------------------------------