Orange County, CA – November 21, 2013 – The hottest anime convention to crash-land in the Los Angeles area, Anime California, announced today that Kira Buckland and Cherami Leigh will be attending the 2014 convention. Anime California will be held from August 22-24, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. Over 4,000 anime fans are expected to converge on the

IRVINE, Calif.—November 5, 2013—BlizzCon® 2013, Blizzard Entertainment’s two-day gaming festival, makes a long-awaited return on Friday, November 8, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The sold-out show celebrates all things geek, featuring sneak peeks at what’s going on behind the scenes at Blizzard Entertainment. This year’s BlizzCon includes discussion panels with Blizzard developers; community cosplayers; and Duncan Jones, director of

Rosemont, Illinois – October 30, 2014 – Anime Midwest 2014 is excited to announce that voice actors Laura Post and Michelle Ann Dunphy will be attending the fourth annual Chicago anime convention. Anime Midwest will be held July 4-6, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Over 8,000 cosplayers and anime fans are expected

LOS ANGELES, CA — Pacific Media Expo will be holding an unofficial concert featuring the virtual divas Hatsune Miku, Gumi, and Yuzuki Yukari. Brought by Sythesized Reality Productions, the Hatsune Miku concert will be free for all badge holders but since concert space is limited, attendees are urged to purchase their PMX2013 badges soon. The concert will be from 4:30pm

Las Vegas, NV (October 11, 2013) – Otakon Vegas welcomes one of the hardest working actor/directors in show business, having voiced over 300 characters in Games, Animation and Anime. He is best known as the voice of Batou in Ghost in the Shell, The Joker in several Batman games including Injustice: Gods Among Us and Ansem in Kingdom Hearts. Starting

Orange County, CA – October 6th 2013 – Anime California, an exciting new anime convention, has announced they will be hosting their 2014 convention at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Orange County, on August 22 – 24, 2014. “The Hyatt Regency Orange County was our first choice, and we are very happy to be able to host Anime California at such

Minneapolis, MN – September 27, 2013 – Anime Midwest in Chicago is excited to announce two more guests will be joining them in 2014: steampunk musicians Frenchy and the Punk and voice actor Chris Patton. Frenchy at the Punk will be part of Anime Midwest’s epic concert series headlined by Steam Powered Giraffe. Convention attendees can see both FnP and

Carrie Fischer, better known as the bad ass Princess Leia to Star Wars fans, will be a Guest at the 2013 Star Wars Celebration Europe this July. Fischer was only 19 when she played Princess Leia Organa, setting the gold standard for strong princesses with attitude. She is scheduled for greeting fans, signing autographs, and will appear on stage for

Heads up My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fans! Bronycon 2013, among it’s other stupendous guests, will have Katie Cook and Andy Price; the creative team behind the MLP comic book’s first four issue story arc. Katie Cook wrote the script for issues 1-4 of the My Little Pony comic, which picks up after the events of the season 2

This weekend, April 26-28, is the 2013 Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo. The convention, known more commonly as C2E2, is Chicago’s big pop culture event of the year. There are a bunch of Guests and exciting events scheduled. And you’ve got one day until ticket prices go up. With fan conventions this big, it can be hard to keep track

An update to current events. At 10:00am Eastern Standard Time, Boston Comic Con announced that their event this weekend is canceled. The city is on total lock down, no one in or out, while authorities search Boston for their suspects for Monday’s bombing of the Boston Marathon. Here’s the statement posted by the convention: Due to the unfortunate events that

Update: at 10:am EST Boston Comic Con canceled their event. Boston is on lock down while police hunt for the suspects. Boston Comic Con is postponed until further notice. Hello all. The Boston Comic Con will still be happening this weekend, despite the bombing earlier this week of the Boston Marathon. If that seems callous to you please remember that

Just checked my FaceBook and found a post from Cullen Bun (Sixth Gun, The Damned, etc.) reminding us all that Stumptown Comics Fest has opened voting for their 2013 Comic Arts Awards Stumptown is a creator-centered comic convention in Portland, Oregon. The convention puts the focus on the people working in their own worlds, as opposed to back issue dealers

In recognition of a great advance in geek culture, Shore Leave 2012 is having the first ever International Rock-Scissors-Paper-Lizard-Spock Tournament.

MetaCon 2012, the newest and hottest comic, sci-fi, and anime con to come to Minneapolis is excited to announce stars of Power Rangers: Time Force and Power Rangers: Wild Force will be appearing at the event.

CombatCon’s exclusive class in Jedi lightsaber technique and movie moves returns for 2012.

This news is a couple months old, but it’s new news to me so I figured I’d share. In one of the most off-hand ways imaginable BlizzCon has announced the canceling of BlizzCon 2012.

Looks like there were snafus with the online badge sales for SDCC again. Shocked, aren’t you. The upshot is that they’ll be having one more membership sales event this March.

WHEN will those emails announcing that 2012 badge sales are open go out to all of us eager SDCC fans with our Member IDs? The latest announcement says “Soon”.

BBC Wales will be running very limited FREE tours of the 11th Doctor’s TARDIS set for attendees of the BBC’s first official Doctor Who convention, which will be held March of 2012.

World Steam Expo has scheduled some big names in steampunk fiction for their Guest list, including Gail Carriger and Cheri Priest.

Comic-Con has put out an open call for submissions of artwork and articles for the fancy 2012 Souvenir Book. Remember when that puppy was a freebie?

3 out of 1 math incompetents agree, online advance registration is cheaper than buying a WonderCon badge at the show. Catch is, though, that you need a Membership ID in order to do that.

Dragon*Con has announced a partnership with Delta Airlines, which translates to a discount to fans traveling to the show via plane.

CombatCon, the most kick ass hybrid convention out there (literally), has opened registration for their 2012 event. With a nice discount on ticket price for folk who register by end of January.

SDCC has opened up Member ID registration. This is not a badge sale event, but you need an ID in order to be able to register and EVERYONE needs one.

In case some of you haven’t heard, last Wednesday (January 4, 2012), SDCC co-founder Richard Alf went to his sweet reward.

The 2012 World Steam Expo is scheduled for May 25-28 and pre-registration is now open with a limited time discounted price for 4-day passes.

Anime-zing! 2012 is excited to announce that Cristina Vee and Trevor Mueller will be attending the 2012 Anime-zing! anime convention in Davenport, Iowa.

CombatCon was new for 2011, mixing steampunk programming with horror, fantasy, and science fiction events and connecting them all with the western martial arts. They’re using a new online fundraising tool to call on convention fans to help them meet the basic costs so they can hold a second event in 2012.

Last week, BBC Worldwide announced that it would host the first official Doctor Who convention in 2012. Many Who cons have been staged before in countries around the world, but this marks the first time the BBC has been involved in such an event.

Vulcan Events, a convention production company new in 2010, has announced a change of name following fan confusion and complaints of infringement.

Star Wars Celebration has announced a new moded helmet charity auction for their 2012 event. Fan costuming groups, with pro support, will present helments to artists and studios to be re-imagined.

Comic-Con has released a statement about their plans for ticket sales for SDCC 2012. And, as expected, it’s not as elucidating as you’d like.

This is the third GMX event, and it promises to be the most exciting yet. There will be a huge variety of activities all weekend.

Patrick Stewart to headline guests of honor at Creation Entertainment’s Star Trek convention in Cherry Hill.

New York Comic Con has announced that their 2011 show will feature a live podcast of Keven Smith and Jason Mewes’ Jay & Silent Bob Get Old show.

The Foo Fighters will be headlining the closing concert at BlizzCon 2011.

The Convention Fans Blog staff just caught wind of an awesome announcement, fresh from a panel at Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA). The folks behind the Florida Anime Experience 2012, Green Mustard Entertainment, have told the crowd that they will be bringing Terri Hawkes to their convention next year!

Tickets to the sequel of InvaderCON are selling quickly. The Advance Weekend Passes may sell out before the new year starts.

Adam Baldwin, known to fans as Jayne on Firefly, is a Media Guest for the 2011 Detroit FanFare.

The Long Beach Comic Con has extended the deadline for Masquerade Ball submissions. For 2011 the event will have a horror theme due to the con taking place just before Halloween.

New York Comic Con has extended the submission deadline for Masquerade entries for their 2011 event due to that little hurricane matter you may have heard about.

Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, the creative Team for DC’s relaunched Justice League will appear at panels and DC booth at New York Comic Con come October.

Green Mustard Entertainment has announced that they will have another InvaderCON in 2010. And hold on your tacos, because you won’t believe their guest list so far.

Gallifrey One, the annual Doctor Who convention for North America, has announced an open call for ideas for their 2012 event.

Couldn’t get a ticket to this year’s BlizzCon in Anehiem? Me either. But we’re not totally out of luck. Each year Blizzard sells Virtual Tickets to their fan event.

Felicia Day has announced her scheduled appearances for this Fall.

Leonard Nimoy has had to cancel his appearance at the 2011 Dragon*Con.

Japanese animator and director Makoto Shinkai will participate in this October’s New York Anime Festival.

Author and creator of the Sookie Stackhouse series Charline Harris will be a Guest at Dragon*Con 2011.

Otakon held a fundraiser for Japan Relief at their 2011 event and raised over $65,00 for four different charities to aid post-earthquake restoration.

For the 18th year, Otakon’s attendance grew, this year reaching a new milestone.

NYCC offers VIP ticket packages filled with perks and goodies. The Special Access Package is sold out, but there are still some limited VIP tixs available in the Anime Access and Ultimate Access packages.

The Alternative Press Expo (APE) has announced their first round of Special Guests for their 2011 convention this coming October. Looks exciting already.

Dragon*Con has released their Progress Report convention book for the 2011 event.

After pleasing fans for years Leonard Nimoy is finally retiring from the fan convention circuit. Two upcoming Official Star Trek Convention events will mark his last scheduled celebrity convention appearances.

Here’s a quickie summation of the news from Comic-Con. We’ll have proper reports and photos for you as soon as get some sleep.

If you were trying to take the trolley to Comic-Con from the Fashion Valley Mall’s transit center this morning you got a rude surprise; chained off parking and security.

2011 is the second year of Animinicon SoHo, an anime convention that debuted last year. The event will be held August 12-14 in New York (the state AND the city) at the SoHo Gallery for Digital Art.

his week is the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. As, uh, you may have noticed. Among the comic books and other pop culture fare is a thread of steampunkery woven by various local groups. Here’s a quick look at the various steampunk events, panels, artists, signings, etc. available to the intrepid congoer for 2011.

San Diego Comic Con released their ticket policy for purchasing 2012 tickets onsite at this year’s event, and it is a bit complicated to say the least. Some of the rules make sense, while others, well, you be the judge.

Last Unicorn author Peter S. Beagle returns to Otakon as a Guest at their 2011 event.

Here’s round three of our list of 2011 San Diego Comic-Con exclusives, this one featuring many indie and small press treats among the exclusive goodies.

IDW has big plans for promoting it’s Locke & Key comic at SDCC 2011; screening, signings, panels, keys, tattoos, exclusives and more!

The 6th Gun‘s creator, Cullen Bunn, has announced advanced promo copies of his latest prose novel as an exclusive this SDCC 2011.

new generation Pop Icon Kylee will perform at Otakon 2011.

Otakon 2011 will be hosting the world premier of the subtitled version of the anime movie Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos. The direct of the film is Otakon’s Guest of Honor.

As the countdown to Comic-Con 2011 ticks down SDCC is releasing more details. Like some of the days’ schedules and exhibitor information. Time to get planning convention fans!

The Great Allentown Comic Con (Lehigh Valley’s Largest Pop Culture Convention) announced today that it had sold out a packed 10,000 sq ft dealer and artist showroom in advance of its upcoming July 16th show.

Today SDCC released a new “Countdown to Comic-Con 2011″ feature on their site. Every other site on the internet has Comic Con coverage pages, so I guess it’s only fair that the event sort of has one of its own.

January 2012 will be Xena Convention: The Final Journey, and will be the last time this fan event will open its doors.

Warner Brothers has announced their plans for SDCC 2011, from a massive booth to sneak peaks at new pilots. Plus the return of certain Comic-Con fan favorites.

With the 2011 SDCC next month, companies are beginning to announce the exclusives. Some are ones you may be expecting, others may come as a surprise. In Round One, we gave the skinny on three companies’ Comic Con exclusives; Hallmark, Action Figure Xpress, and NCSoft’s City of Heroes. Here’s round two, with even more exclusive goodies soon to be yours at ComicCon.

Warner Bros. is once again distributing exclusive key cards to area hotels featuring five different collectible, limited-edition designs to celebrate Comic-Con.

About 5:30pm PST San Diego Comic-Con announced that the last group of tickets to their 2011 event, the Hotel/Badge Packages, had sold out. That’s all, folks. San Diego Comic Con 2011 is now absolutely, totally, 100% guaranteed sold out

About 12 minutes ago (make that around 11:54-ish Pacific Standard Time) San Diego Comic Con announced on Twitter that all badges have been sold, though some remain in their special hotel package deal offer.

Single Day Badges for ComicCon 2011 are RIGHT NOW up for resale. I’m #6720 in line.

SogenCon has been a small anime convention in South Dakota for several years. The con averages around 600 or so people a year. It is run by Otaku Incorporated, a non-profit group. They are having a Kickstarter fundraiser to help cover their costs for this year. They are looking for $15,000 in donations. If they do not receive this amount the con will most likely not happen this year.

June 25-26 was a special online Facebook gathering for fans of the New Zealand TV show The Tribe.

SDCC has JUST opened sale on a special limited time 4-day badge + hotel room package deal.

ComicCon will soon be re-selling the Single Day tickets returned by attendees who couldn’t make it the 2011 comic convention after all.

Tolkien Moot, formerly MerpCon, has firmed on their 2011 dates and location; the event will now be in July instead of June.

The buzz is that the major movie studios are looking to avoid Comic Con 2011 in San Diego this year. Film such as Sucker Punch, Tron and Scott Pilgrim were heavily advertised at SDCC last year…who could forget the 30 story Scott Pilgrim banner that took the whole side of the Hilton on the Bay Front? It was impressive at the time, but it did not translate at the box office.

For their 2011 event, CherryCaptialCon is selling an exclusive Star Wars themed patch to benefit the Autism Research Network.

If you were born with a higher midi-chlorian count than others and were able to sense the madness that would be Comic Con ticket sales 2011, you bought your tickets way early during Comic Con 2010. In fact, so many purchased their tickets in advance that all 4-Day passes with Preview night were sold out before the convention concluded its run on Sunday evening.

The latest ComicCon ticket scam, announced about noon today on the SDCC Facebook page, are frauds claiming to have permission from ComicCon to change names on badges.

Dragon*Con, one of the biggest fan conventions of the geek calendar year, has adopted the use of barcodes for their 2011 registration process.

For their 2011 convention BlizzCon is selling tickets in two batches. The second and last ticket sale event will be this Wednesday, May 25 at 7:00 PM (Pacific Time).

Learn Jedi lightsaber dueling from Star Wars fight director Nick Gillard at CombatCon 2011 in Las Vegas.

I’ve just been notified that pre-registration for Gaslight Gathering, California’s newest steampunk convention, will close at 11:59 Saturday evening, April 30 (that’s tomorrow night). There are events that you must buy tickets for ahead of time.

How does one describe the Oklahoma Steampunk Exposition? It was fast paced, confused, hectic, but a whole lot of fun!

Live stage version of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog announces cast and crew for July performance in San Diego.

Apparently it’s “illegal” to ban Rob Granito as a vendor at all conventions. Also, he is planning a one-man show for New York Comic Con. All the crazy you’ve come to expect from Granito and more!

We got an offer from Rob Granito to interview him. You’ll never guess how much he’s charging for it. Click here for an update on the ever developing Rob Granito story.

Always wanted to know what it would be like to pilot a mighty mecha? You can get a little taste at CyPhaCon this April thanks to MechCorps.

Mercedes Lackey, renowned science fiction and fantasy author, will be appearing next month at Canadian SFF convention Ad Astra as a Guest of Honour.

Scottish comic book artist Frank Quitely will be making a rare US appearance at the Boston Comic Con (BCC) in April of 2011.

There’s been a storm of rage gusting through fandom recently, all directed at one Rob Granito. It began last week with a Bleeding Cool article and culminated in a verbal smackdown delivered at MegaCon by the irate Mark Waid and Ethan Van Sciver. Now several conventions, including Wizard World, have dropped Mr. Granito.

San Diego’s very own steampunk convention has announced a special Time Traveler’s Masked Ball for their 2011 event.

Colossalcon, a major Ohio anime and culture convention, is once again awarding one lucky cosplayer with a weeklong trip to Tokyo, Japan! (Admittedly, as current affairs stand that prize is more daunting than a delight – fingers crossed)

Jim Butcher, author and creator of the popular Harry Dresden series, will be appearing next month at Norwescon as their Special Guest. Which is a notch up from the distinguished Guest of Honor slot.

Harry Potter convention Aeternitas, has turned to Quidditch World Cup organizers IQA to provide programming on this magical sport for their 2011 event this April. That means you’ll totally be able to play.

You can imagine my excitement and delight when I found out that Loscon will feature actual astronaut Colonel Rick Searfoss, USAF Retired as their Science Guest of Honor for the 2011 event.

WonderCon 2011 is going to be a Green Lantern fest, no foolin’. The first day of the con, April 1st, will treat fans to a bunch of special Green Lantern exclusive events.

Farpoint is a fantastic convention, with everything you want in a weekend trip to Baltimore. I’ll definitely be attending every February, and I hope to see you there next year too. You won’t be sorry.

CondorCon 18 will be holding a blood drive in partnership with the Mandalorain Mercs, a Star Wars costume club.

Fan Favorite and ECCC staple Wil Wheaton returns for the 2011 event.

Over 8 years Emerald City has grown and grown, to the point that the convention has now expanded to cover three whole days.

Kawaii Kon announces a passport stamp contest to reward Extreme Kon-goers. Showing that there are always creative ways to encourage multi-day registration.

The creators of the popular Girl Genius webcomic will be appearing at Gaslight Gathering in San Diego.

Who said you can’t make money in fandom? Clearly whoever said such tings has’t heard about the amazing prizes being offered up at Anime Expo 2011. Anime Expo, the largest anime and manga convention in North America, attracts tens of thousands of costumed fans each year. And for 2011, there will be $25,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, to celebrate the convention’s 20th anniversary.

So, the San Diego Comic-Con has finally managed to successfully sell tickets. Though, it was a bit of an uphill struggle to get into the system Saturday.

Every time I see Adam Baldwin announced as a guest for a convention, I get all excited, and then remember that I shouldn’t. I am chronically disappointed. Why? Because Baldwin, known to the fandom community as Firefly’s Jayne, is also known for cancelling appearances.

Naka-Kon, a Kansas City anime convention, has just announced the last group of guests for their 2011 convention. Naka-Kon 2011 will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City on February 18th to 20th.

The San Diego Comic-Con has had several online registration hiccups, but they’ve finally worked them out and attendee registration for the 2011 SDCC will open next week.

Female-fronted Japanese hard-rock band RAMPANT will be performing at Tekkoshocon IX, an upcoming Pennsylvania anime convention. This will be the band’s first United States performance. The band will also be participating in a Q&A and autograph session.

Florida anime fans have a new reason to celebrate! The Florida Anime Experience, a new anime convention to be run by by team members from Florida Supercon, JACON and Wasabi Anime, will take place May 27-29, 2011 at the Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

ALSDEAD, known as a “Visual Kei” metal band, will be performing at Naka-Kon 2011 as the musical guest of honor. Naka-Kon is an anime convention is organized and operated by approximately 100 volunteer staff members, many of whom are students and most of whom live in the greater Kansas City area.

Each year the San Diego Comic Con holds the prestigious Eisner Awards. Alongside this they also give an everyone-chosen Spirit of Comics Retailer Award. ANYONE can place a name for nomination be they fan, pro, or retailer.

All things vampire continue to be extremely popular in the fandom convention market. EyeCon, the convention company that has had TrueBlood and Twilight conventions thus far, has just announced a Vampire Diaries convention to debut in March 2011. EyeCon The Vampire Diaries will be held March 25 – 27, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Westin Atlanta Airport hotel. The

Wizard Entertainment has announced that actor Sean Patrick Flanery, most well known for his appearance in Boondock Saints, will be a guest at Wizard World Philly in 2011. Wizard World Philly 2011 is being held June 17 – 19 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.

Boston Comic Con is moving! They’ll be bigger than ever for their 2011 event (April 30 to May 1), which will now be held at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center.

Each year the SDCC holds an independent movie fest; the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival (CCI-IFF). The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2011.

MegaCon 2011 is in Orlando, Florida on March 25th – 27th, 2010. Shatner & Lee join the impressive list of Guests.

For 2011, the Fest will be heading to Tampa, Florida, for the first time ever.

Anime Detour is a fan run convention dedicated to Japanese animation, manga, video games and culture. The convention’s organizers work hard to bring in people from all over the Anime universe as well as local talent from Minnesota; artists, writers, fan guests, voice actors, producers, directors, and such.

Doctor Who convention Gallifrey One has announced the Guests for their 2011 event.

The executive board of the San Diego Convention Center Corp. announced that it had chosen a design team for the proposed $700 million expansion of the downtown facility, where Comic-Con is held each year.

San Diego’s longest running science fiction and fantasy convention, has changed venues.

Planning for the 42nd annual San Diego Comic-Con International is under way and already a number of special guests have signed on for the 2011 event, to be held July 21-24 at the San Diego Convention Center.

With its increasing popularity, steampunk has gained stronger footholds in the mainstreams of fandom around the world, allowing for more and more conventions dedicated entirely to this speculative fiction genreand subculture. The year 2010 saw at least two new steampunk conventions opening their doors: SteamWrights in Bremerton, Washington, and Convencion Steampunk BCN in Barcelona, Spain.

Not a week goes by where we don’t get reports of convention drama. Most of the time I really prefer to keep The Convention Fans Blog out of it. After all, we’re a blog for fans of conventions, not a blog for con organizers specifically. However, now and then the drama erupts into full blown news, news that I think will be of interest to even the more casual convention goers.

Hollywood Xpo, a brand new pop culture convention based in California, is getting a lot of attention these days, especially for its ever growing guest list. Thus far it includes over 100 stars, including the iconic comics creator Stan Lee and legendary science fiction and fantasy author Ray Bradbury.

One of our favorite conventions in 2010 was The Steampunk World’s Fair, and we can’t wait to go again.

One of the most notable celebs on the guest list is none other than “the man” Bruce Campbell. He’s known for his role as Ash in the Evil Dead and Army of Darkness movies (although we’re big fans of his show Burn Notice as well). Joining him are 25 other celebs, including Clive Barker, Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery (known for The Boondock Saints), Sid Haig, Jeffrey Combs (also of Star Trek fame, but known for Re-Animator), and several others.

Big news yesterday for my fellow Penny Arcade fans. PAX East (a.k.a. Penny Arcade Expo East) 2011 registration is now open! The convention has moved to the much larger BCEC in Boston, which is an improvement over last year’s cramped Hynes Convention Center. PAX East 2011 will be held March 11 – 13.

If you are one of the few still playing Star Trek Online (STO), then you should have received a special offer e-mail today from Cryptic Studios. Players of the game are being given the opportunity to take advantage of a special discount on tickets to the Hollywood Xpo convention. STO players can buy one ticket to Hollywood Xpo, and get a second ticket for free.

Yesterday Creation Entertainment, the only company authorized to hold official Star Trek conventions, announced that they would be returning to Phoenix, Arizona in 2011. For those who may not know, the year 2011 marks the 45th anniversary of Star Trek. Creation is celebrating that milestone with additional cities added to their official Star Trek convention tour.

ep, it’s official. FX International, an Orlando convention that had Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy as a guest just last year, has been cancelled. FX International had previously announced that they were back on for October 16 – 17, 2010 at the Gaylord Palms back in April of this year. In fact, CreatureCon, another Florida convention, actually moved the dates for their event out of deference to FX.

We were tipped off to a great sale happening over at the website for Anime Expo 2011. Anime Expo is a giant anime convention held annually in Los Angeles. In 2011 it will be on July 1 – 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

When you think of steampunk, a lot of Victorian (i.e. British) imagery and influences probably come to mind. One steampunk convention, however, has decided that the theme for its 2010 convention should be the “Weird Weird West,” which they have also called “American steampunk.”

For those who were living under a rock when Human Centipede came out, it’s about a bunch of people who get sewn together butt to mouth. Wizard Entertainment, who runs Big Apple Comic Con, calls Human Centipede a “biological horror movie.” Nice euphemism, Wizard.

Sorry Joss Whedon fans, Whedon Fest has been cancelled. It was originally scheduled to be held in Toronto, Canada, on October 1 – 3, 2010. At least attendees who paid are getting a refund, which is surprising. Many conventions that fold this close to the event aren’t as lucky (like in the JumpCon fiasco from a few years back).

No, we’re not making this one up kids. It’s really a convention dedicated to geek culture and technology, and bacon. Yes, bacon as in the crispy delicious candy bar of meats. The kind Reddit.com loves so much. Mark your calendars bacon lovers.

Well, well, well. Creation Entertainment has scored big for it’s monster Los Angeles salute to Firefly, Buffy/Angel and Dollhouse convention. The star of Dollhouse, Eliza Dushku, will be headlining the event. Joining her will be Nicholas Brendon (Xander from Buffy), Sean Maher (Simon from Firefly), and Morena Baccarin (Inara from Firefly).

Over the past few days there has been a lot of talk about downtown Atlanta’s Hyatt. Attendees for Dragon*Con are already starting to check in at the hotel, one of four main host hotels for the Labor Day weekend convention. Those early arrivals have been posting photos and updates to Twitter and other social networks, all abuzz about the serious construction going on in the Hyatt’s lobby.

As Dragon*con quickly approaches, updates, news, and schedules are flying around the interwebs like crazy. I’ve decided to try and wrangle all the most recent news into one place. This update will cover the release of the Star Wars Track programming, an update list of parties, charity information, new pre-registration times and details, etc.

Nan Desu Kan (also known as NDK) is the largest anime convention in the Rocky Mountain region. This year it is happening September 10 – 12 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, located at 4900 S. Syracuse, Denver, CO 80237. The convention has just announced that several well known voice actors will be making their first appearance at Nan Desu Kan 2010. Additionally, Steve Yun and Tommy Yune from The Robotech 25th Anniversary Convention Tour are now on the guest list as well.

When I posted the list of upcoming horror, zombie, and paranormal conventions just a week or so ago, Chiller Theatre Expo didn’t have a single guest listed. All that changed this week, however. Chiller Theatre Expo is a twice a year New Jersey convention that has since expanded beyond its original “horror convention” roots. It now frequently has stars of television and film from all manner of genres.

Apparently FX International really is going to happen this October, even though the site went without updates for nearly four months. As a result, CreatureCon, another central Florida convention, has made the decision out of “deference” to FX International to move their convention to January 22 – 23, 2011.

Okay folks, this one falls squarely in the “WTF” department. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is going to be appearing at Chicago Comic Con this Saturday. Blago’ will sign be there signing autographs, posing for pictures and meeting fans. His photo session will start at 10:30 a.m., with autographs to follow at 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. I knew the folks at Wizard are sad about losing Patrick Stewart for the weekend, but … seriously? Blago?

A few weeks ago we posted the big news that Stan Lee had been added to the guest list for Dragon*con 2010. One of the biggest questions circulating the various Dragon*con forums and sites is whether Stan Lee would be do any autographs. Well, we officially know now that the answer is “yes.” However, it seems that his signings will be handled a bit differently than most fans are used to.

Star Wars Celebration V, the official Star Wars convention scheduled for this weekend in Orlando, has a slew of Star Wars authors and some illustrators attending. A lot of the attention has been focused on the celebrities from the movies that will be attending. However, fans of the vast body of Star Wars literary work also have a lot to look forward to at Star Wars Celebration V.

Well Dragon*con, way to blow my socks off near the end of the guest announcements with this latest round of additions! Scott Bakula, who rarely ever does conventions, is coming to Dragon*con 2010! Perhaps this is the mystery person Trek Track director Garrett Wang has been referring to (he mentioned to a fan that he had a guest who had never attended Dragon*con before possibly coming this year).

For weeks now, Wizard Entertainment has been promoting the heck out of their Chicago Comic Con (a.k.a. Wizard World Chicago) convention, and the fact that Star Trek’s William Shatner and Sir Patrick Stewart would be there. However, Wizard has just informed fans that Stewart has canceled his appearance at the convention. The reason was cited as “production scheduling conflicts.”

Hurricane Who, a Florida Doctor Who convention originally scheduled for October 2010, has been rescheduled for November 2011. The convention has been plagued by guest cancellations (including Colin Baker), and financial problems. Organizers are hoping to hold a smaller event that weekend instead. More information will apparently be posted “in the coming weeks.”

A few weeks ago The Convention Fans Blog interviewed Eric L. Watts, the founder of TrekTrax Atlanta. One of the things we discussed in detail was the convention’s emphasis on providing quality Klingon programming. In keeping with that emphasis, Barbara March (Lursa) and Gwynyth Walsh (B’Etor) have been announced as guests. Also added to the guest list is Voyager’s Tim Russ.

Last weekend we had a stabbing at San Diego Comic-Con, and this weekend we have someone pulling the fire alarm at Otakon. Come on kids, can’t we learn to play nice when we gather together? Conventions are supposed to be fun you know? The first report on the Otakon fire alarm came around 2:30 p.m. EST. Otakon’s official Twitter account was pretty quick to respond, telling attendees at the convention center that everyone needed to get out so that the Fire Marshall could inspect the building.

Twitter has erupted with chatter about a stabbing that occurred this evening at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). Two fans reportedly got into a dispute when one stabbed the other on the side of the eye with a pen. The fight was reported around 4:45 p.m., PST. The stabbing apparently took place inside Hall H, one of the largest of the rooms at SDCC, just prior to the The Cowboys and Aliens panel. As of right now, Hall H is a crime scene and no one is allowed in or out.

A few weeks ago we reported that Star Trek’s William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Patrick Steward (Captain Picard) would be attending Wizard Entertainment’s Chicago Comic Con. Yesterday, amidst all the crazy San Diego Comic-Con news, Wizard announced that they have added five additional Star Trek guests to their Chicago Comic Con 2010 line up.

Can you tell San Diego Comic-Con is upon us? Press releases about the convention are coming out right and left! The latest one of interest comes from CBS Consumer Products. They’ve published a list of where fans can pick up some sweet Star Trek merch at San Diego Comic-Con 2010, and meet Star Trek authors and actors. Some of the items include watches and buttons. But the real gem on this list is the Sulu cologne. Yeah, you read that right. Sulu cologne.

The big news yesterday was that Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise, will be appearing at the Star Wars Celebration V convention in Orlando. This got everyone super excited… temporarily. You see, Mark Hamill has one of the most outlandish autograph fees in fandom. If you want to get it at Star Wars Celebration V, you’ll have to pony up $125.00.

Japanese girl rock band Puffy AmiYumi will be performing at the Far East To East Showcase (FETES) during New York Comic Con. The performance is happening Sunday, October 10, 2010, and the convention runs October 8-10, 2010 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan. The band became famous in the US when Cartoon Network created an original cartoon staring them, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which ran for three seasons. It eventually became one of the most watched cartoons in the world, and has been broadcast in 110 different countries.

Shore Leave 32, a fan-run science fiction convention near Baltimore, Maryland, is happening this weekend. The convention runs July 9-11, 2010 at the Marriott’s Hunt Valley Inn. We attended Shore Leave 31 last year and had a great time. Although Dan and I can’t attend Shore Leave 32 this year, we have a great guest blogger lined up to attend in our stead. You can expect her report early next week, along with some photos from the con.

The folks running Star Wars Celebration are offering a few lucky fans some opportunities to win tickets to their Star Wars Celebration V convention happening in Orlando, Florida. I previously posted the press release about the Star Wars Ultimate Fan Getaway contest (via Cartoon Network). Now the organizers are hooking up with G4 with their “Star Wars Glitch Hunt Contest.”

There’s been a lot of mumbling about how the 2010 Dragon*con guest list was shaping up; some griped about the lack of a truly big name on the guest list. Well, I don’t think they will be complaining anymore, as comic legend Stan Lee is officially coming to Dragon*con in 2010.

Eric L. Watts, the former director of Star Trek programming for Dragon*con who was replaced by Garrett Wang for 2010, sent out a press release today announcing the creation of the TrekTrax Atlanta convention. It is scheduled for February 18-20, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Select Perimeter in Atlanta, Georgia. This isn’t entirely unexpected, as Watts was essentially running a

The internet has been buzzing about some serious issue plaguing the 2010 Hurricane Who convention. Hurricane Who is a Central Florida (USA) Doctor Who convention scheduled for October, 2010. However, the convention has been dealing with a series of guest cancellations, and financial restructuring that now has put the convention in jeopardy. Rumblings had apparently originated on the Gallifrey Base

It is the holy grail of Twilight cons, and Creation Entertainment finally got it: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. After over a year of hosting official Twilight conventions with virtually every single other member of the Twilight movies’ casts, they have booked the big two. I must admit, I never thought it would happen. I figured Creation would never be

If you are at all into steampunk, then you’ve probably heard of Outland Armour, or seen some of their crew at conventions. In fact, this picture (right) of “Dante” from Outland Armour shows one of the most recognized steampunk costumes on the internet. Sadly, Outland Armor was in Tennessee during the floods, attending the MTAC convention. The hotel they were

This just in! The Convention Fans Blog has learned that central Florida’s FX International convention will be back in 2010, despite some initial speculation to the contrary. According to our source, the convention will be held at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee, Florida, the weekend of October 16 – 17, 2010. Florida con-goers may recall that FX International managed

TrekToday.com (via The News Tribune) is reporting that 2010 is the last year to see Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy at a convention. “I think this is the last year I will do this,” he said. “It’s exciting, but I think I’ve done enough of it. I’m looking forward to concentrating on my personal life.” He apparently has 10 conventions scheduled

Just got this message from Creation Entertainment: “GOLD WEEKEND PACKAGES will be sold out and removed from sale on Tuesday March 9th” (end of business day Pacific Time). However, they have now added the next level of ticket packages (Captain’s Chair) as well as put all photo ops and autograph tickets on sale. They have also listed which autographs are

Game Core, a Pennsylvania gaming convention, has announced that it is being postponed until the fall. From the Game Core convention website: We are very sorry to announce that due to some scheduling issues with the convention center, and our proximity to Too Many Games, we’ve opted to push the convention back to the fall. To be sure that this

PAX stands for Penny Arcade Expo, a convention born from the Penny Arcade web-comic. For the past few years, PAX was a once a year convention held in Seattle over the summer, but for the first time, there is to be an East coast version too. For 2010, that location is Boston. Read more about ticket availability, and Wil Wheaton’s

Last week I posted a story about the apparent controversy brewing between Vulkon Entertainment and the newly formed Vulcan Events in Orlando, Florida. I recently paid a visit to the Vulkon official Facebook group, where the owners were having a discussion with staffers and attendees about the whole situation. At the time of writing my original article, the owners of

I posted an article earlier this week about Vulcan Events, a convention that sort of emerged from the ashes of Vulkon Entertainment. It seems Vulkon Entertainment has now taken notice of this new convention. Funny thing is, I kinda thought Vulkon Entertainment was bust, considering its webpage has had a “Bad News” message for months now, with no further updates.

The organizers of InvaderCON, the convention dedicated to the Invader Zim cartoon, are telling attendees NOT to book their hotel rooms yet. Apparently the venue can’t take reservations more than a year in advance. You’ll need to wait until after March 31, 2010 to make your reservation. Original post is located here: http://www.invadercon.com/?p=110 Note: InvaderCON is happening March 26-27, 2011

Vulcan Events, a company born in the wake of the former Vulkon conventions, has announced additional guests for their Tampa, Florida con. They are also telling fans that hotel rooms are going fast, and that half of their allocation is already gone. Even if you are waiting to buy tickets at the door, they recommend getting a hotel room as

Yep, you read that right.  Luke Perry, the object of many 90s teenagers’ dreams, is now on the guest list for Dragon*con 2010. I don’t know if I should bring my copy of The Fifth Element for him to sign, or a 90210 t-shirt! I can’t stop giggling about this, and I don’t know why. I actually loved the original 90210

There’s been quite a bit of convention news that’s come out recently. I’ll be highlighting some of the major (and most interesting) stories below. However, if you’re interested in quick updates (like a con’s vendor tables selling out, etc.), then you should follow me on Twitter! I re-tweet all the significant convention news tidbits from various cons across the world.

I reported earlier tonight that over a dozen staffers for BayCon resigned over a disagreement with the owning company. Now we’ve learned that several staffers over at Anime Expo have now resigned as well. The Anime News Network reports that ” the majority of the convention’s division managers have resigned over disputes with the Board of Directors of the Society

I hate to be one to sling convention mud and spread gossip. When one person has a gripe about a convention and makes a bunch of accusations, I try to take it with a grain of salt. But when over a dozen staff members all resign, well, I feel obliged to take notice and report it. No one wants a

Robotech, “a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their homeworld against alien domination,” is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a tour of various anime conventions across the United States. The celebration will all start in San Francisco this January 30-31, 2010, at Animation On Display (AOD), San Francisco’s very own Japanese anime and cartoon convention! Three key figures behind

Earlier this month, popular web cartoonists Blind Ferret posted on their forums that they had been “booted” from Dragon*con 2010. There had been some difficulty regarding their vendor table for 2009, but the issue had been resolved, and they signed up to attend in 2010. But they never heard anything back, despite repeated attempts to contact D*C about it. Then