Kotaku Australia » comic con

Comic-Com Founder Has Died

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Shel Dorf, the founder of San Diego’s Comic-Con International, passed away this Tuesday reports Reuters. He was 76 years-old.

He had spent the past year being treated for diabetes.

The first Comic-Con International was held in 1970 and was attended by 300 or so people. This past year Comic-Con was attended by 125,000 and has come to encompass more than comic books.

“Shel had notable foresight in not only believing these people needed some public acknowledgment,” says David Glanzer, a Comic-Con spokesperson, “but that this truly was an American art form that Americans knew very little about.”

Dorf has not been directly involved in running Comic-Con for the past couple of decades.

Comic-Con founder Shel Dorf dies at age 76 [Reuters] [Pic]

World Of Warcraft Toys Still Better Than World Of Warcraft

Mike Fahey — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:30:00 +0000

DC Direct’s line of World of Warcraft figures continues to put actual WoW 3D models to shame. Check out the figures they had on display at Comic-Con 2009.

Of Course Jean Grey, Gambit Join Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Sure, it’s like finding out that Boba Fett is in a Star Wars game, but whaddayagonnado?

Jean Grey and Gambit are, that’s right, in MUA 2. No surprises here as Gambit popped up on the game’s box art earlier this month. Still, there are screenshots right up there! And if you like looking at them, perhaps you will like looking at linked trailers below.

Marvel Ulimate Alliance 2 is slated to hit retailers later this fall.

IGN Video: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 PlayStation 3 Trailer – SDCC09: Jean Grey Vignette and IGN Video: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 PlayStation 3 Trailer – SDCC09: Gambit Vignette [IGN]

Kotaku Heads To Comic-Con

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:20:09 +0000

We’re making the annual trek to the San Diego Convention centre for Comic-Con 2009, which kicks off with a preview night on Wednesday and wraps up on a lazy Sunday. This year, we’re doing things a little different.

Instead of just a single, lonely Kotaku editor roaming the halls, grazing the merch tables and listening attentively to panels, we’re doubling our coverage. Expect reporting on anything and everything video game related at this year’s Comic-Con thanks to a cross country travelling Mike Fahey. He’ll be joining me at the show, ensuring that if you wanted a Comic-Con exclusive Transformer or Gleek action figure, your chances will decrease by one. Possibly two.

We’ll be attending a long list of creator and producer panels covering everything from Halo to World of Warcraft to Bayonetta and beyond. We’ll also be checking out the latest wares from EA, Capcom, Activision, Ubisoft, Konami, Sega, LucasArts and much, much more. We’ll also be pestering game developers, comic book writers and whomever else we feel like pestering.

We’ll find the time to socialise at sponsored parties in the evening, so expect the occasional rambling mess of a party wrap-up and someone singing drunken karaoke. If you’ll be attending the show—passes are still available legitimately via eBay—let us know.

Excelsior!

EA Brings Ten Titles To Comic-Con

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:20:13 +0000

Electronic Arts will show strongly at next week’s San Diego Comic-Con, armed with ten games and plenty of panels. It may be your first chance to go hands on with games like Left 4 Dead 2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

Titles planned to be previewed on the show floor, at EA’s booth, include Brütal Legend, Dante’s Inferno, Dead Space Extraction, G.I. JOE The Rise of the Cobra, The Saboteur and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

EA will also host the “EA Gaming Lounge presented by Xbox 360″ at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Hotel during Comic-Con. That off-con event will feature Dragon Age: Origins, Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. Loungers will be able to test drive the second campaign in L4D2, known as “Swamp Fever.”

For panel info, read on for official descriptions. See you at the con!

Dante’s Inferno
Thursday July 23; 12:30-1:30
Jonathan Knight (executive producer, EA), Ash Huang (art director), Brandon Auman (writer), Christos Gage (writer), and Victor Cook (director) talk about the adaptation of this literary classic into pop culture. They will discuss how they translated the various aspects of The Divine Comedy into a video game, an animated feature, and a comic series, where they were faithful and where they invented, and how each of the mediums differs. Also get a peak at EA’s game in development, and also watch the world premiere trailer for the animated feature Dante’s Inferno co-produced by EA and Starz Media. Room 8

Dead Space Extraction
Friday July 24; 6:00-7:00
Chuck Beaver (Producer), Ben Templesmith (Illustrator) and Antony Johnston (Writer) will discuss utilizing the interactive gaming medium to portray emotion in a more visceral way than books & film traditionally display. Visceral Games executive producer Steve Papoutsis discusses the implementation of story and talent into games and the art of crafting a believable, epic story into this fall’s Wii exclusive Dead Space Extraction. Room 2

The Saboteur Rethinking the WWII Gaming Genre
Saturday July 25; 2:00-3:00
Pandemic Studios™ lead designer Tom French and art director Chris Hunt discuss how historical events served as the foundation for their upcoming action sandbox game The Saboteur, who the Saboteur is, and how the innovative combination of game design and artistic style were employed to develop a unique experience. Room 2

Army of Two: The 40th Day – Bridging Video Games with Comics
Sunday July 26; 3:15-4:15
In this panel Reid Schneider (Executive Producer – Army of Two) and Alex Hutchinson (Creative Director – Army of Two) will discuss how they have been working with comic artists to show players the consequences of their moral choices throughout the game, and how the in-depth involvement of these artists in the production of Army of Two changes the feel of the game. Room 6A

Resident Evil Shirt Feasts On The Flesh Of The Living

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:30:00 +0000

The rule is this: convention t-shirts are awful, cheap things you see stuffed in swag bags then only again seen on large men at LAN parties. The exception to that rule is this Capcom shirt for Comic-Con.

To be given away free to advertise Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, it appears at first glance to be part of “the rule”; a rubbish black t-shirt doing nothing but blandly advertising a video game. But there’s a trick.

Boo! Nice touch, Capcom.

Are These Cat Lips On DC Universe’s Comic-Con Poster?

Mike Fahey — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Match the lips to the character in this teaser image from the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive poster for DC Universe Online.

This teaser image popped up on the DC Universe Online MySpace page yesterday, along with a bit of overly-obvious teaser text: “I just saw the poster that we’re giving out at San Diego Comic-Con and people will be “clawing” to get it.” Subtle.

I’ll be sure to have McWhertor add this poster to the annual list of Comic-Con exclusive merchandise he forgets to pick up for me.

DC Universe Online [MySpace via MMORPG.com]

Comic Con’s Video Game Figure Exclusives

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:30:00 +0000

San Diego Comic Con is just around the corner. There will be loads of toys there, and in 2009, that means loads of video game toys. Here’s a few of them.

Toy company NECA will be offering a few video game figures that’ll be exclusive to attendees of the show (or savvy online purchasers). One is a Lambent Gears of War figure, which we’ve seen before, while the other two are Guile wearing the outfit of his dead, dead friend Charlie and Dead Space’s Isaac in an evil Unitology suit.

Meanwhile, SOTA toys will be offering a limited edition variant of that girly Ken statue we featured a while back, only this one is $US20 cheaper at $US90, and will be limited to 150 units.

Want To See The Max Payne Movie Posters?

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0000

You’ve seen the on set pictures, you’ve seen the trailer, now look at the Max Payne movie posters. There are two of them, and one is right up there for you to look at and the other is after the jump. Look at that one, too!

Also, expect more info about the Max Payne from this year’s Comic Con as Marky Mark and the Max Payne crew will be on hand to show new footage and chitchat.

I prefer the second one. You?

Max Payne posters! [JoBlo Thanks, Alex!]

Go To Comic-Con, Meet Mega Man (And Kristin Kreuk)

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:30:00 +0000

Like many other games companies, Capcom will be at Comic-Con. Unlike many other games companies, however, Capcom are getting into the spirit of things. Not only will they be showing off games, but attendees will get the chance to hit up Capcom’s booth and meet Kristin Kreuk (ie Chun Li from the upcoming SF movie), some of the Udon art team, Street Fighter IV producers Yoshinoro Ono and David Clislip and (and!) both Mega Man and Nathan Spencer. Or, dudes in suits dressed like Mega Man and Nathan Spencer. But still! Mega Man and Nathan Spencer!

Capcom Comic-Con Happenings [Capcom]