As you know by now, I’m really excited for ITHACON this weekend – April 22nd and 23rd. For me, it’s the perfect way to spend a weekend because it’s a comic convention that you can get your arms around and still be exposed to big ideas and brilliant people.

But as the nation’s 2nd longest running comic convention, you’ve got to work hard to stay fresh.

(As a digression, Shelton Drum, who runs the 3rd longest running comic convention, HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, also does a fabulous job of keeping it fresh….and I can’t wait to attend his show in June!).

So, with all that in mind, I wanted to highlight some of our “new” things at ITHACON this year:
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A New Publisher: A Wave Blue World

It’s hard to believe that Wendy and Tyler Chin-Tanner started this publishing effort in 2005 because everything they do seems so new and fresh! A Wave Blue World is an independent publisher of high-quality graphic novels, anthologies, and art books with a focus on originality and cultural relevance.

And their Premiere Program, which debuted recently, is a creative approach to the publishing business.

A Wave Blue World also contributed copies of the very cool comic MEZO to the ITHACON swag bags. So “early” online ticket buyers will have a taste of A Wave Blue World even before they swing by their booth.

A New President : J.C. Vaughn

J.C. Vaughn of Gemstone Publishing is coming to ITHACON for his very first visit. We’ll be talking about all his writing, the many books he’s publishing, and his recent promotion to President of Gemstone! He’s got great stories to tell.

He’s a guy who loves comics, loves the business and loves the people in the business. His enthusiasm is a template for us all, and I just know that folks will enjoy speaking to him and seeing sneak peaks of upcoming books. And I am eager to hear about this year’s Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide too!

A New Guest and a New Contest

We’ll be celebrating the epic Death of Superman story from 30 years ago with longtime guests, like Roger Stern and a new guest, specifically Glenn Whitmore.

Glenn is a brilliant (and I mean that literally) artist, who’s worked on so many titles over the years -including DC’s Superman series. Every Sunday he hosts online live sketching and he offers so much of his amazing artwork for sale over on Catskill Comics!

Glenn will also be judging ITHACON’s new coloring contest. We’re offering fans an opportunity to color a Superman cover that Glenn took a crack at years ago. Will anyone’s efforts surpass the master’s efforts? We’ll see at our “Coloring, Creativity and Comics panel, featuring Glenn Whitmore”, Sunday at 2:00 pm.

By the way, we’ll also be celebrating Superman’s historical foray into comic strips with expert Sid Friedfertig. He’ll have copies of his wonderful Superman: The Silver Age Dailies series of books (published by IDW/Library of American Comics) on hand, and I’ve got to be sure to snag an autographed copy of the one I still need!

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And of course, we’ll have so many great returning friends at ITHACON too. I wish I could’ve extended the weekend to about 4 days! For tickets and more details – check it all out here and here.