Road to Armageddon Wellington 2018

Armageddon is back for 2018, starting the year in grand style with its biggest event yet - Wellygeddon, headlined by The Avengers superstar Jeremy Renner! Taking place at the Wespac Stadium this Easter Weekend, from March 30th - April 1st, you can expect to see the pop culture crowds descend in force to meet media guests from such popular movies and TV shows as: Harry Potter, What We Do In The Shadows, Constantine, Supernatural, iZombie, Altered Carbon, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The 100 and more.

Above: Artwork by Ben Stenbeck. Copyright Ben Stenbeck and Dark Horse Comics 2018.

As always though, here at Earth's End we're more focused on the comics guests appearing at the show, and this year there's a great line-up of local comic creators who are already making a mark on the comics industry, both here and overseas. 

Headlining the comic guests this year is Ben Stenbeck, the Dunedin based artist who has firmly established himself in the comics industry as one of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's closest artistic collaborators. Best known for his artwork on the Eisner nominated series Baltimore, Stenbeck's other works include: Frankenstein Underground, Witchfinder, Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 and Lobster Johnson. His current series is Koshchei the Deathless, written by Mignola and published by Dark Horse Comics.

Above: Artwork by Al Barrionuevo. Copyright  Al Barrionuevo and DC Comics 2018.

Originally hailing from La Plata, Argentina, international comics guest Al Barrionuevo has worked extensively in American comics for a variety of publishers. He got his start drawing Legion for DC Comics, before starting an extended run on Batman: Gotham Knights. Other DC titles he has worked on include: Martian Manhunter, Countdown to Final Crisis, Teen Titans, The War That Time Forgot and The Authority. He has also drawn Loki, X-Men, Avengers: Solo and Storm for Marvel Comics, and several books for Valiant, including Ninjak.

Above: Artwork from The Warden Vol.4, published by Beyond Reality Media. Copyright Beyond Reality Media 2018.

Beyond Reality Media will be in attendance, with a variety of their titles available at the show, including: The Warden Vol.1-3, NowPocalypse, Attica Vol.1-3, One Must Break, The Darwin Faeries, The Inspiration Duncans, The Time Travelling Tourist, Prepocalypse Vol.1-2 and many more! The NZCC will also be at the BRM booth, with all the best graphic novels from local creators, including the latest issues of the anthology Funtime, and copies of NZ favourite titles, The Dharma Punks, Moa, The Heading Dog Who Split in Half, The Crow of Whareatua, Faction Comics and more!

Above: The Adventures of Jack Scratch by Craig Phillips. Copyright Craig Phillips 2018.

Taupo based artist Craig Phillips will be there to launch his latest children's graphic novel, The Adventures of Jack Scratch! Phillips is also the author of last year's Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep, Dark Woods. So make sure you check out his books and artwork available at the show.

Above: Artwork from WWE #13 by Michel Mulipola. Copyright WWE Entertainment 2018.

Comic artist and wrestler Michel Mulipola will also be attending. His comics credits include the Headlocked series and WWE for BOOM! Studios! He's always busy drawing amazing commissions, so make sure you check him out near the IPW Wrestling arena!

Above: Artwork by Xephia. Copyright Kirsti Hogan 2018.

Artist/Designer extraordinaire - and Armageddon regular, Xephia aka Kirsti Hogan will be attending, and will no doubt have a great deal of art and prints available for sale over the weekend.

Above: Gunface by Paul Jason Young and Tim Hunger. Copyright Sonny Studios 2018.

Auckland based artist Paul Jason Young, artist of the crime comic series Gunface will attending the show under his Sonny Studios banner. He'll be releasing Gunface #5 at Armageddon, so it will be a good opportunity to catch up on the earlier issues and get a signed copy while you're there.

Above: The White Cloud Worlds logo.

White Cloud Worlds has released three collections of fantasy art from some of New Zealand's most respected artists. This is a great opportunity to pick up these collections of eye-popping artwork if you haven't already, and meet some of the artists in person.

With all these great guests in attendance you'll be hard pressed to find a better entertainment option in Wellington this Easter weekend! Armageddon Expo is open Friday March 30th from noon - 5pm, Saturday March 31st from 9am - 6pm, and Sunday April 1st 9am - 5pm. For more information, visit the official Armageddon website HERE, and advance tickets can be purchased through Ticketek HERE.

- AK!

EVENT: Armageddon Auckland 2012

Above: Iron Man by Bob Layton. Copyright Marvel Comics 2012.

Armageddon Expo is back in Auckland this Labour Weekend, with its usual mix of pop culture madness - celebrating everything from comics to video-games, films, television, wrestling, and everything in between. The event will be taking place at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland from October 19-22nd: with a special preview night on Friday 19th from 6 - 9pm, and opening hours from 10am - 6pm Saturday to Monday.

Focusing on the comics front, there will be a healthy presence of local and international comics creators at the event.

The international guest list is headed by Bob Layton, best known as one of the definitive Iron Man artist/inkers. His significant runs on the title include: Demon in a Bottle, in which Tony Stark becomes an alcoholic; and the time travel adventure Doom Quest.

Above: Marineman by Ian Churchill. Copyright Ian Churchill 2012.

Artist Ian Churchill came to prominence in the mid-90s illustrating Marvel titles like Cable, and has continued to work on mainstream titles for Marvel and DC Comics like Uncanny X-Men, Supergirl and the Teen Titans. Recently, Churchill has put aside his gritty superhero art style to develop his own more whimsical creator-owned title, Marineman, published through Image Comics.

Above: Green Arrow as illustrated by Harvey Tolibao. Copyright DC Comics 2012.

Auckland comic store Heroes For Sale have brought over Filipino artist Harvey Tolibao for the Expo. A ralative new-comer to comics, Tolibao broke into the US industry with a 2007 Iron Man Annual for Marvel, and is currently the artist on the new 52 version of Green Arrow for DC Comics.

Above: The cover of Funtime Comics #26, cover by Lee Yan Marquez. Copyright Funtime Comics 2012.

New Zealand Comics will be well represented at the event, with the New Zealand Comic Creators booth and several independent booths.

New this year will be the latest issue issue of the Funtime Comics anthology, featuring new work from: Ned Wenlock, Tim Danko, Bob McMahon, Isaac Freeman and others! You can also expect to find a wide range of NZ comics and graphic novels at the NZCC booth, including favourites like Shaolin Burning, The Inhabitants, ActionMan Adam and first looks at upcoming comics like the Faction comics anthology and Moth City!

Above: Moa #3 by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2012.

Issue three of James Davidson's excellent all-ages series Moa is out in time for the convention, and James will be at the NZCC booth on Saturday to sign copies!

Above: Nice Day For a War by Chris Slane and Matt Elliot. Copyright Chris Slane and Matt Elliott 2012.

Fresh back from the Treviso Comics Festival in Italy, Chris Slane will be at the booth on Sunday with copies of the award-winning Nice Day for a War, and the last rare copies of Maui: Legends of the Outcast (grab them while you still can!). He'll also have some of his artwork on display too.

Above: Saurian Era, by Cory Mathis. Copyright Cory Mathis 2012.

Its been a while since we had a new comic from Cory Mathis, but this year Saurian Era makes a welcome return, with more dino action than you can shake a prehistoric stick it!

Above: White Cloud Worlds Vol. 2. Copyright Paul Tobin/White Cloud Worlds 2012.

A new volume of White Cloud Worlds featuring the fantasy art of some of New Zealand's finest artists will be available exclusively at Auckland Armageddon, well ahead of its official release date on November 2nd.

Richard Fairgray will have the first full-colour Blastosaurus Hardcover available at Armageddon, along with new collections of the all-ages series Ghost Ghost and the comic strip I Fight Crime.

Armageddon organiser William Geradts has been cultivating his own line of webcomics very successfully for over a year at www.beyondrealitymedia.com, and now has a classy range of print collections available to buy, featuring the first volumes of the comic series: Attica, The Inspiration Duncans, and The Warden, exclusively at the Beyond Reality Media booth.

Above: Jeremy from Gotham Comics takes a quiet moment out with his stock for the event...

And for all your other comic needs, NZ's leading comics supplier Gotham Comics will be there all weekend with specials galore! For preview night only, if you spend $100+ you'll get a $20 credit! They'll have nearly 5,000 comics priced between $2 - $5 and all blue bin back-issues at $5 each!

This will be plenty more to see, do and buy this weekend at the Auckland Armageddon Expo, so visit the official page HERE for more details!

-AK!

EVENT: White Cloud Worlds Exhibition

Based on last year's fantastic NZ fantasy art collection White Cloud Worlds, published by HarperCollins NZ/Ignite Inc, an exhibition featuring artwork and sculptures from the collection will be touring the country, kicking off with an opening this week at Lopdell House Gallery in Titirangi, West Auckland. Here's the official announcement:

White Cloud Worlds is a first-of-its-kind popular culture exhibition, which showcases the diverse and unique work created by New Zealand science fiction and fantasy artists. Working with over 20 artists and illustrators who work within the digital, new media and film genre, this ground breaking exhibition showcases the conceptual artwork and illustrations which have graced the screen, graphic novels and games around the world.

White Cloud Worlds is a partnership project, developed by The Dowse Art Museum and Ignite Inc: artist Paul Tobin and Project Manager Kate Jorgensen, both of whom are leaders in the New Zealand science fiction and fantasy art community. Ignite Inc. has produced a lavish hardcover book titled White Cloud Worlds: An Anthology of Fantasy and Science Fiction Artwork from Aotearoa New Zealand, published by Harper Collins in 2010. The exhibition includes a selection of artwork from the book, which was launched in conjunction with the exhibition.

With the creation of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson’s multi-award winning trilogy and James Cameron’s recently released Avatar, the creative energy, sophistication and technical prowess of New Zealand’s Film industry has been thrust into the international spotlight. This success has inspired great energy within the fantasy art community and allowed the genre a much more widespread, and popular, profile. White Cloud Worlds is the first time fantasy art will be seen in a contemporary gallery context and we envisage it will be especially popular with regular visitors, while encouraging new audiences to visit the gallery.

Featuring artwork by: Gino Acevedo, Guido Anton, Aaron Beck,  Jeremy Bennett, Jamie Beswarick, Greg Broadmore, Dylan Coburn, Stephen Crowe, Claire Hackett, Rebekah Holguin, Gus Hunter, Nick Keller, Jeffrey Lai, Stephen Lambert, Warren Mahy, Simon Morse, Christian Pearce, Matty Rodgers, Andrew Shaw, Thomas Simpson, Ben Stenbeck, Stuart Thomas, Paul Tobin, Frank Victoria and Ben Wootten.

The exhibition opens this Thursday 16th of February at 6pm, and runs until Sunday 15th of April at Lopdell House Gallery, 418 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, West Auckland. For more information, you can visit the Gallery website HERE or the official White Cloud Worlds website HERE.

-AK! 

Below: Still available, the White Cloud Worlds collection at a bookstore near you!

Earth's End Presents: The Uncanny X-Mas Gift Guide!

Historically, comics fans aren't the easiest bunch to buy for. Just ask my parents; when I was growing up they had to search high and low for a comics related gift, you couldn't just find something at your local bookstore. They often had to brave the rare local comic shop filled with weird looking teenagers, or at worst a secondhand book exchange that sold comics right next to skin mags (it was the late 80's after all).

Two decades later, things are a little different now. Comics for better or worse, have become so ingrained in our popular culture they have gone from a marginal interest to mainstream acceptance: the basis of blockbuster movies, high rating TV shows and major merchandising empires. Comics related gifts are now everywhere, from hardcover collections at bookstores to t-shirts, fridge magnets and everything in between.

With Christmas a only a week away, I thought I'd take a look at some of the latest comics related gifts on the market for this Xmas season.

Above: A copy of White Cloud Worlds, edited by Paul Tobin.

Recently published by HarperCollins, this anthology edited by artist Paul Tobin contains artwork from 27 of New Zealand's best fantasy talents. From cartoonists Ben Stenbeck and Simon Morse, through to Weta concept artists Greg Broadmore, Warren Mahy and many more. It's a beautifully designed package, certainly one of the best local art books of the year. A great gift for the young aspiring artist in the family, and certainly a book worth supporting, as this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to New Zealand's legion of talented illustrators. Lets hope this is the first of many volumes to come. White Cloud Worlds retails for around $79.99NZ, and it's also available from selected specialty stores in a limited edition hardcover with a signed artist print for $150NZ. For more information check out the book's official website HERE.

Above: The Art of District 9, by Daniel Falconer.

Taking a firm foot-hold in the fantasy art market this year, HarperCollins have also teamed up with Weta Workshop to produce The Art of District 9, based on the concept artwork produced for Neill Blomkamp’s 2009 sleeper-hit movie. Veteran Weta artist/designer Daniel Falconer (yes, that's one cool-ass last name) does the writing chores here, guiding us through the film's creative development. It's an engrossing tour through the film's various art departments, from initial sketches to finished concept art. In many ways it gives you a much greater appreciation for the film's carefully crafted and considered world, details of which flash by all to quickly on screen. One of the highlights would have to be Greg Broadmore's lead concept designs for the Mech Combat Suits. A true achievement of what must have been a dream job finally bringing to life concepts he had been drawing on only eight years before, in one of his earliest local comics Killer Robots Will Smash The World! The Art of District 9 retails for $69.99NZ, and you can find out more about this book over at the Weta Workshop website HERE.

Above: One of my personal favourites from The DC Comics 75th Anniversary Poster Book.

To celebrate 75 years of publishing, DC Comics is putting there best foot forward by coming up with this great concept for a company retrospective: reproductions of 100 classic comics covers ready-to-frame A3 prints. The covers are accompanied by commentary from Robert Schnakenberg, but who cares about that, 'cause we're really just here for the artwork right?

Speaking of which, full credit to DC for digging through their vault for the interesting mix of covers on offer here; ranging from the superhero classics (Action #1, Detective #27, natch!), right through to the odd-ball 50s Sci-Fi adventures, and the often ironic but visually slick romance comics covers. DC also pokes some fun at itself by including some of the more bizarre covers from it's back catalogue: the company's obsession with putting gorillas on covers to spike sales in the 60s, Batman's ill-conceived rainbow costume, and Superboy getting bent over a school Principal's knee for a good 'o spanking(!).

The book isn't without some minor drawbacks however; the selection of some of the more recent covers are less than classic, and do they really have to include all the sales and barcode information? (surely in this digital age there were 'clean' files of the artwork available, right?). Clearly some of the older covers were scanned from original copies of the comics, but the reproduction isn't always spotless and better quality printing and paper stock would have gone a long way to improving the overall production. That said, at just under $1 a page for an A3 print it's certainly value for money and a great gift for the die-hard DC fan. The DC Comics 75th Anniversary Poster Book is published by Quirk Books and retails for around $98.99NZ.

Above: a DC Superhero Crisis blows up in my face (pop-up style!).

For the younger DC fan, you can't really go past DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book by Matthew Reinhart. There have been a rash of comics related Pop-Up books in recent years, all of varying quality, but this is easily the most impressive. It's close to nine inches thick, with only six spreads, but is jam-packed with every possible pop-up trick the author can throw at it (hell, there are actually several pop-ups WITHIN pop-ups!). It covers the icons: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman (complete with light-up Bat Signal!), as well as the JLA, the Green Lantern Corp and a fun homage to Jack Kirby's New Gods, featuring Darksaid's stony mug starring out at you. As you can see from the picture above it's pretty immaculate and fairly delicate, so it's not exactly for grabby under five crowd to read themselves, but it should make a killer bed-time story! DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book is published by Little Brown and costs around $39.99NZ.

Above: Tintin by Hergé, a tried and true classic.

The upcoming film production between our own Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg is still a year away, but now's as good a time as any to revisit these classics. They are all engrossing reads, but if you're curious about what to brush up on first, the film is said to be a combination of the storylines from The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure. Tintin by Hergé is available in all good bookstores in paperback for around $24.99NZ.

Above: Me and Hicksville by Dylan Horrocks.

Now if you don't already own a copy of Dylan Horrocks' Hicksville, I strongly urge you do your patriotic duty this holiday season and buy yourself and all your friends a copy! It was finally reprinted this year locally by Victoria University Press, so you have absolutely no excuses. Remember, supporting local graphic novels will go a long way to helping establish a market for them here and making it possible for NZ cartoonist to do what they love and make a modest living from it. So spread the holiday cheer! Hicksville retails for $38.00NZ. And of coarse check out Dylan's website HERE for his latest news, views and comics!

So this will probably be my last post for the year; thanks to everyone who came out the other night for a drink in Auckland, it sounds like next year is shaping up to be water-shed year in local comics publishing, so be sure to check in next year for more exclusive coverage.

I'd like to also think everyone who's supported this site with links and visits this year, it's much appreciated. I apologise for disappointing some of my loyal readers with the lack of stories the last few months, I'm busy day-jobbing towards the end of the year so unfortunately it cuts into my writing and free time. But I have plenty of new stories and reviews in the works for 2011, so I'll see you back here in the second week of January with some brand new material.

In the meantime, Marry Xmas everyone and have a great holiday season!

-AK! (off to read Jack Kirby's Forth World Omnibus' at Ohope beach).

Above: Yes, that's Ohope beach, but no I wouldn't take an Omnibus into the water! (ironically, it's actually a copy of Kirby's Super Powers #1).

The Auckland Armageddon Expo 2010 Report

Above: The New Zealand Comics booth, manned from the left by Aimee Cairns and Kelly & Darren Sheehan. photo by Karl Wills.

The Armageddon Expo returned to the Auckland ASB Showgrounds this year for another successful Labour Weekend celebration of all things pop culture related, with an estimated 45,000 punters through the door! The global credit crunch and recent tax increases clearly didn't stop fans from turning out in their droves to enjoy a weekend of sci-fi overload; with two Doctors Who in the house, a variety of web and comic guests, the voices of Goofy and Bender, and because no Expo would be complete without a pseudo-celebrity, that washed up kidult from Married With Children.

This year New Zealand Comics had it's strongest showing yet, with a large 'new and improved' NZ Comics booth, the Blastosaurus booth, Drake's Ninjet booth, Coal Powered Press, Drawfest and a variety of solo artist booths.

Above: The cover of Gridley Stones #1, by James & Aimee Cairns. Copyright James & Aimee Cairns 2010.

At the New Zealand Comics booth there was a wide variety of great books on sale for the weekend: including two new novellas from the Sheehan Bros, Into the Dark Woods and Frozen; part two of The Impostor by Lee Yan Marquez, Connie Radar PH D by Karl Wills, the latest issues of NZ comic anthologies Funtime #25 and Bristle #7, the debut issue of Gridley Stones by James & Aimee Cairns, and a great selection of back issue favourites.

Above: A signed sketch from Living with the Dead by artist Ben Stenbeck.

There were also some booth exclusives: the Dylan Horrocks and Emily Perkins collaboration, All Hail Elle: Destroyer of Worlds!, previously only available at the Orcon Great Blends event; and signed and sketched copies of Witchfinder and Living with the Dead by local superstar artist Ben Stenbeck.

Local comics guests appearing at the booth over the weekend included: the Sheehan Bros, Lee Yan Marquez, Karl Wills, James & Aimee Cairns, Isaac Freeman, Brent Willis, Marc Streeter and Jianran Pan.

Above: Kelly Sheehan attracting punters at the NZ Comics booth. Photos by Karl Wills.

Above: Funtime editor Isaac Freeman at the NZ Comics booth. Photo by Karl Wills.

Above: Lee Yan Marquez drawing at the NZ Comics booth. Photo by Karl Wills.

Above from left: Richard Fairgray and Drake drop by with a note....Brent Willis hiding out on the right. Photo by Karl Wills.

Above from left: James Cairns & Lee Yan Marquez still smiling on Day #2. Photo by Gijs Priegel.

Above: Bristle editor Brent Willis on the right, Day #2. Photo by Gijs Priegel.

Above: ActionMan Adam webcomic cartoonist Marc Streeter drawing on Day #2. Photo by Gijs Priegel.

Above: More photos of the NZ Comics team from Day #2. Photos by Gijs Priegel.

Above: Richard Fairgray at the Blastosaurus booth. Photo by Karl Wills.

Meanwhile, over at the Blastosaurus booth Richard Fairgray had a large amount of new material on offer, which virtually sold-out after the first two days. This included a new Blastosaurus Halloween Special, a DVD collection of Chewing Zombies, new volumes of I Fight Crime, and Clip Show a collection of his earlier high school stories.

Above: Drake manning his Ninjet booth.

Drake did brisk business over the weekend at his Ninjet booth, with a new issue of his ninja-cat series to promote.

In pavilion #1 around the corner from the NZ Comics booth, Coal Powered Press made their convention debut, with an impressive line-up of New Zealand web-comics, which you can check out right HERE.

Above: The cover of White Cloud Worlds. Copyright Paul Tobin/Harpercollins 2010.

The Weta Workshop booth provided a hidden treat, with a Expo preview of the new fantasy art anthology collection White Cloud Worlds, featuring among others, fantasy and comic artists Ben Stenbeck and Greg Broadmore, edited by artist Paul Tobin. It will be available at all good booksellers from the 1st of November, and you can also check out the official website HERE.

It was a great convention for NZ Comics, with a noticeable increase in sales across the board. There was a competitive nature in the air after Day #1, which led me to proclaim the NZ Comics booth as the best in show on Facbook, which lead to an ominous note, left at the booth for me on Sunday morning:

Unfortunately I had the day off, so any retaliation, or a Star Trek inspired death duel would have to wait till Monday.

While attendance was healthy with punters ready to part with their cash, retailer and promotional spending appeared to be down, with less 'wow' factor than previous years. The usually elaborate video-game and console area seemed noticeably smaller, with fewer screens and less advertising. In general there seemed to be more blind-spots than usual inside the pavilions, as if the Expo was stretched thin to fill the entire complex to capacity. Unsurprisingly, major sponsor Warner Bros were a late no-show (possibly to avoid public backlash from the ongoing Hobbit controversy?), leaving a gap in pavilion #1 which was quickly filled by an extra artists alley. The presence of a fairly large NZ Army/Navy recruitment stand was a little alarming if you ask me, but I suppose it places them in slightly more interesting company than the usual career expos.

Another cause for concern was the amount of repetitive stores. There were at least six booths selling the same imported novelty T-shirts, caps and other nick-knacks. This lead to a repeated feeling of 'sameness' when walking through the Expo as a whole, making it feel more like Victoria Park Markets than a special event you payed $20 to attend. I think some decisive 'culling of the herd' next year could well improve the Expo's image and make way for some fresh stands and new exhibitors. One big improvement though, was the speedy entry point with multiple ticket booths, which prevented any timely delays, like last year's killer two hour entry line!

Overall, it was a pleasant weekend spend with friends: talking comics, tripping over R2-D2 and watching kids over-dose on mini donuts and candy-floss, while the monolithic Burning Man watched on.

-AK!

Above: R2-D2 and friends. Photo by Karl Wills.