Tags: comic-con

One of the many constants on the Exhibition Floor is Artists' Alley, a section dedicated to independent artists. Offerings in this section are mostly comic-book related, but can range from the beautiful to the bizarre. It is in this section of the exhibit floor where we find our Comic-Con Experience 2008 #4, artist Robert Aragon.

While many artists in Artists' Alley have horror-themed offerings, Aragon's pieces are one-of-a-kind tributes to classic horror films, with a particular emphasis on Universal and Hammer. Aragon licenses the likeness of many of his subjects from the actor's estates, including those of Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, and his art accurately and artistically captures the spirit and images of the old films. You'll find no grotesque, trendily warped images of Dracula or the Mummy here, no modern gothic influences. After all, Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster needs no embellishment.(read more...)

Everybody loves toys. Everybody - including Comic-Con. There are entire parts of the Exhibition Floor devoted to toys – action figures, statuettes, plushies, etc. At Comic-Con, toys are everywhere. And, because toys are everywhere, The Comic-Con Experience 2008, Feature #3 is Sideshow Collectibles.

While Sideshow originally got its start making chintzy little toys and figures of pop culture notables, the company has grown and now specializes in high-quality, screen-accurate replicas of well-known genre characters. These figures, statuettes and life-size replicas do not come cheap, ranging in price from $35 for some of the more common, smaller items to thousands of dollars for their more elaborate display pieces.
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There is nothing more awesome than superheroes, supervillains and superstars singing and dancing their hearts out. So, with that in mind, the second installment of The Comic-Con Experience 2008 is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. A web-based production directed and co-written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, starring Neil Patrick Harris (forthwith known as NPH), Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, Dr. Horrible is something that, superficially, has nothing to do with horror. But, for our purposes, we’ll pretend it does. Because I say so.
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Since that first convention in 1970, with just 300 people in attendance, San Diego Comic-Con has been devoted to the celebration of the popular arts. While the heart of Comic-Con may be comic books and graphic novels, over the years the event has developed into something of a geek haven, with little bit of everything, appealing to fans across genres. It is this culture of diversity, this unabashed love of popular art – including horror – that now draws over 100,000 people to the San Diego Convention Center, including the staff of Classic-Horror.com
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There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that compares to the terrifying awesomeness of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Oh, sure, there are people who say that he was bland, repetitive, or even cliché – and to them I say, “Bugger off.” Fact of the matter is, I like me some tentacles. Which is why The Comic-Con Experience, Feature #1 is the Cthuliana booth, run by The Source Comics and Games.

Cthuliana Corner in just part of its glory

Well, another Comic-Con has come and gone and we have all sorts of coverage we're prepping. Look forward to pieces on Repo! The Genetic Opera, the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes remake, Frank Darabont, classic monster art, Torchwood, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, Laid to Rest, and more!

Here's a few more pictures from the course of the weekend to tide you over (click to open larger version in new window):

The Comic-Con logo at night

Our esteemed Managing Deaditor Julia Merriam
standing in front of a series of Dexter posters

Team Classic-Horror is here in San Diego, CA at Comic-Con International. We'll have a ton of excellent coverage for you over the course of the weekend. To give you a tease, here's some shots we picked up on the Con floor during Preview Night on Wednesday:

Various con-goers caught in cool lighting effect

Julia Merriam, our Managing Deaditor, navigates
the convention floor.

Castle Grayskull

You may have noticed a lack of news stories this month, despite a whole bunch of excellent discs coming down the way (new Alfred Hitchcock sets, Nightmare Castle restored, and Beyond the Door, just to name a few). That's because we've been deep in prep for the three major events that will define the second half of our year.

First up is San Diego Comic-Con International, which runs from July 24th through the 27th this year. We'll have a team of four there this year -- Julia Merriam, Emily Langton, new recruit Courtney Banach, and myself. Keep your eyes peeled to Classic-Horror for daily updates from the floor. We can't reveal all the goodies yet, but we will be looking at offerings from Lionsgate, Universal, Warner Bros., Troma, the BBC, Platinum Dunes, Dimension, and other fine providers of horror entertainment. (read more...)

If you miss "Mystery Science Theater 3000", the daring cable program that followed Mike Nelson and his two robot compatriots (voiced by Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett) as they cracked wise at bad movies, never fear. Nelson, Murphy, and Corbett have banded together for a new project with the same basic idea: making fun of the dredges of cinema. This new venture is called The Film Crew, a direct-to-DVD series featuring the trio as a bunch of bozos tasked with making sure every film has its own commentary track. The "plot," however, is just an excuse to get these three comic minds together for some more of the riffing they do so well. Shout!(read more...)

You probably know Jeffrey Combs best for his role as mad scientist Herbert West in Stuart Gordon's cult classic Re-Animator, but the actor has brought so many more great performances to the genre. In July, at San Diego Comic-Con International, he sat down with us to rap about his latest -- reprising the part of Dr. Vannacutt from 1999's House on Haunted Hill for a new, direct-to-video sequel Return to House on Haunted Hill, being released on October 16th, 2007.

Classic-Horror.com: Tell us a little bit about your character [in Return to House on Haunted Hill]. We saw him in the first film…

Jeffrey Combs: Vannacutt is back… Vannacutt is a scientist from the 20s. We do find out in this one that at one point, he wasn’t such a bad guy. Brilliant scientist, Nobel Prize winner, and then something went terribly dark.

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