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The Vintage Tempest’s 2018 Emerald City Comic Con Journal – News & Views

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Emerald City Comic Con never fails to impress. I have attended over six and have always enjoyed being here. Twisted Toonz‘s zany shows featuring voice over talents playing iconic roles are always the highlight. With a floor dedicated to comic book talents and fiction writers, this area is the place to hang out. Those with a lot of merchandise to sell are located on the show floor. Here is where the shopping happens. At the Washington State Convention Center, a complete level for all things gaming related (from Pathfinder to Magic the Gathering) will keep the mainstream fan happy, and in another building altogether, LEGO!

It’s possible to take in this four-day show in two; to make the most of any event requires planning. I did the Friday/Saturday combo. For my first day, I got my essentials done. This meant getting autographs from a handful of comic book creators and hitting the Sheridan Hotel where all the celebrity opportunities happen; the people managing the lines are tops. The wait was minimal. I met David Tennant. My introduction to him was in BBC‘s Casanova and he does “crazy” very well, especially as Barty Jr., in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. My appreciation only grew upon hearing him lend his voice in works with side characters like Spitelout in How to Train Your Dragon and taking on the lead as Scrooge McDuck in the rebooted Ducktales. He is more than just Doctor Who, and I got my moment to ask him how did he like his stay in Victoria, BC. He said he loved it. Had Gracepoint been renewed, the chance of meeting him outside of a convention might be better. I like candid photos, but I did not want to miss this opportunity when this convention announced his appearance!

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Reflections on Anglicon 2017 & A Photo Album

anglicon-2017 By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Over the second weekend of December, the British media convention Anglicon proves not every pop culture event has to be super-sized. This intimate event offered to fans used to corporate shows a taste of what a typical science fiction convention is like. These smaller events offer the same amount of fun — an art show, an exhibitor space for craftspeople (and other similar conventions) to vend from, a space for board gaming, a short film festival and a dance. For the latter, there were two nights for attendees to rock the night away. Even the traditional staples (costume contest) show not all costumes have to be about Doctor Who. A few furries were seen running around, and we’re not talking about Bentley the Corgi, one of the three guests of honour.

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The Vintage Tempest’s Emerald City Comicon 2017 Journal

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Last year, Emerald City Comicon (ECCC) expanded to four days and I attended the full show. By day three, I was sort of bored. I checked out every aspect of the event that spanned three buildings and had the luxury of attending more than one panel. I wondered if it’s possible to attend for a day and get the most out of the con. It’s possible, but I do not recommend it.

I barely had time to look at the TCC level (the other part of the Seattle Convention Center where events were held). The LEGO exhibits were located here and what was offered was mainly for the kids in attendance. Hasbro also had a presence but what they offered was not what I expected. What I was told was that they had Beyblade demos than a full-on exposition of all this company’s many properties. Had there been Transformers and other brands they made toys for, I’d be a kid in a candy store!

Suspiciously missing in the guide is the location of where the modelling club displays their work. I could not find them last year and wondered if they were around this time. They might have been, and if they are, advertising this aspect of the show has been very low-key.

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Character Designer & Manga Artist Kenichi Sonoda Announced for Sakura-Con!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

One of anime’s biggest names is coming to the Seattle and will be found at Sakura-Con 2017, the Pacific Northwest’s largest anime convention. Celebrating 20 years, it is only fitting character designer, writer, and manga artist Kenichi Sonoda will be one of this year’s guests.

Sonoda’s career started in the mid-80’s at studio Artmic, where he became a character designer for some of Artmic’s best titles such as Bubblegum Crisis (where he produced the original look of the Knight Sabers team), Riding Bean, and the Gall Force series. Sonoda was also designer on long-time fan favourites Otaku no Video and the super-deformed special Scramble Wars: Tsuppashire! Genom Trophy Rally.

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Norman Lovett of Red Dwarf Announced for Anglicon!

NormanLovett By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

You may be forgiven if you only recognize Norman Lovett’s face and not the rest of his body. Lovett spent four series in the British science fiction comedy Red Dwarf delivering his deadpan humor from above the neckline. As Holly, the ship’s computer with an IQ of 6000, the crew of the Dwarf were sometimes left wondering why the other 5994 of it wasn’t used.

Born in Windsor, Berkshire, Lovett got a late start in the light entertainment business after becoming a stand-up comic while still in his thirties. Working with some of the top comic actors of the day (Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry) Lovett made early appearances on The Young Ones, Happy Families, Lenny Henry Tonite, Rab C. Nesbitt, and Keeping Up Appearances. Lovett originally auditioned for the role of Rimmer in Red Dwarf (the part went to Chris Barrie) but Producers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor realized Lovett’s unique comic style was perfect for the role of Holly the ship’s compter.

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Climb Aboard to See Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert!

Michael Dorn’s voice guided the show. Shatner and Patrick Stewart also provided pre-recorded voice over in some sections, and it helps underscore the meaning of what Star Trek Generations is truly about.

Apr 15 – Regina
Conexus Art Centre

Apr 16 – Winnipeg
Burton Cummings Theatre

Please check local listings for other venues.

No Star Trek fan will want to miss The Ultimate Voyage: 50th Anniversary Concert Tour flying to select cities all across North America and beyond. This event is now into a Canadian leg of their show and they will return to the United States with more performances in May before taking a break. The event will cumulate to a special performance September 25, 2016, at the Palais des Congres in Paris, France. Had the date been Sept 8th, the broadcast date of Star Trek, the true die-hard would have noticed.

The Paramount Theatre was used in the Seattle, WA show as a fitting nod to the studio who owns this special property. The stage was decorated to resemble the bridge of the Enterprise from The Next Generation, and there was an effervescence glow. The lighting changed to establish the mood of each orchestral score. The music played perfectly in sync with the video montage (all of which was gloriously remastered for the big screen in Digital Cinema Package) of the series. Whoever put together this presentation really knew each Star Trek episode and film. To see the music played as Spock fought Kirk in “Amok Time” brought the same chills in me as I saw it back then, on television, for the first time. Another pivotal moment which stirred my emotions was when Picard was being transformed into a Borg and led the charge in “Best of Both Worlds.” The last frames showed Locutus before Riker said, “Fire!”

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