It’s that busy time of year – and so many of my cool friends have cool things going on! Let’s focus on two:
Ken Wheaton and his partners are throwing another Empire Comic Fest in Rochester. It’s hard to believe this is the 5th one. And you know what? They keep getting better and better. And it started out strong from the very first one.
And next weekend’s show, (July 7th & 8th) will spotlight one of my very favorite comic creators: Don McGregor. Don has an incredible gift for writing, a big heart and the most welcoming way of treating fans at shows. Is there a ranking beyond A++? If there is, that’s what Don McGregor should get.
More details here!
My pal Michael Polis works hard on so many projects. I’m not surprised he’s hard at work on both Garbage Pail Kids and Mars Attacks collectibles for San Diego Comic-Con. Here are the deets:
GARBAGE PAIL KIDS POSTER
Limited Edition Black Light Posters – Signed and Numbered by Joe Simko
These special limited edition BLACK LIGHT POSTERS licensed exclusively by Topps and illustrated by Joe Simko measure approximately 18” x 24” each. The posters feature fan favorites, Adam Bomb and a whole host of GPK characters in ALL NEW DESIGNS with color schemes of SUPER SNOT GREEN and EGGPLANT for SDCC 2023! Last year’s prints sold out in a hurry, so get them while you can. This special print is ONLY available from Atomic ToyBox.
This exclusive poster, there are only 150, is specially created for Comic-Con 2023.
GARBAGE PAIL KIDS PINS
Garbage Pail Kids – Limited Edition CERTIFIED GROSS Glow in the Dark Enamel Pins and Exclusive Promo Trading Card
These special limited edition enamel pins licensed exclusively by Topps measure approximately 2” x 2.5” each on their own 4”x 3” backing card. These exclusive GLOW IN THE DARK pins feature fan favorite, Adam Bomb, in an ALL-NEW DESIGN for SDCC 2023! The pins, sold separately, come with an exclusive, Promo Trading Card officially licensed by Topps! This special pin and promo card (they are “Certified Gross”) will be available ONLY from Atomic ToyBox.
Limited to 150 pieces.
MARS ATTACKS POSTER
Mars Attacks – Limited Edition Black Light Posters Signed and Numbered by KEMO
These special limited edition BLACK LIGHT POSTERS licensed exclusively by Topps and illustrated by KEMO measure approximately 18” x 24” each. The posters feature an arresting image of our favorite Martian villains in ALL NEW DESIGNS with color schemes of SNOT GREEN and BUBBLEGUM for SDCC 2023! Never before available these prints will sell out! ONLY available from Atomic ToyBox.
This exclusive poster is specially created for Comic-Con 2023 and limited to 150.
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And I also want to say: I’ll see you in San Diego. Well, yes, I certainly hope I will see you at San Diego Comic-Con later this month. But I also want to give another shout out to Mathew Klickstein’s wonderful book: See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture. It was published by Fantagraphics and there’s more info here. And in next week’s With Further Ado column, which is kind of San Diego Eve-ish, we’ll catch up with author Mathew Klickstein and take another look at it.