Pre-New York Comic Con with Peter Tatara

Ok New York Comic Con is just around the corner and I am psyched! Not only are the fans psyched but Peter Tatara is also very excited about the event. “NYCC has very quickly become a huge spectacle.” With excitement comes work. “There's a lot of work that needs to be done, and it has to happen all right now to make sure the con is ready for February.” Once the work is done and the convention occurs I am sure everything will be great with amazement.

Speaking of work, the people at NYCC have been working on finalizing guest and panel list. “This is confirming who'll be there and making sure they've got flights and hotels.” Other works conducted in preparations for the convention includes, but not limited to, are programming, exhibitors, and sponsors. So, all the work they do is to make sure every detail and every corner is worked out smoothly for the success of the convention. The work for a successful convention does not stop at the pre-convention nor preparation stages. It continues during the show, which includes Peter’s duties. “Patching leaks, putting out fires, and making repairs. We're going to build a good show, but things will break, and it's my job to be the duct tape.”

Peter has been working on previous NYCC's. I wanted to know if he felt that his previous experience will be any or less different to NYCC 2009? According to Peter, he said that it would be “very different.” In the past, Peter was in charge of the anime and manga programming aspect of NYCC. This time Peter is “running all the programming at the show.” As a result, he has his “hands in all the guests, all the screenings, all the panels, and all the special events.” So it is full blown programming duties for him. With his newfound duty, Peter feels that “it's daunting having to take something that is known and loved and do it again -- and make it better.”

Speaking of previous NYCC and continuing the subject of working on the convention, there was an unfortunate event that occurred. “In year one, we had too many people in the building, and the fire department shut the show down for a few hours. We've been able to avoid this every year since, but we're still conscious of capacity and making sure we have enough space for all attendees.” So to prevent this from happening again, NYCC has gotten more space each year “but we're getting close to capacity.” Because of the closeness in capacity limit, estimation had to be done. To do that, Professionals, who would like to attend on Saturday and Sunday, will be charged ten dollars. “Previously, all three days have been free to Pros (with dedicated Pro programs on Friday), but we've never been able to track how many actually come over the weekend, and this means we've got several thousand more bodies who tip us over capacity. By giving Pros the option for a Friday or a Weekend Pro Pass, we'll be able to more accurately count who is actually inside when things get jam packed on Saturday.”

In regards to attendance, Peter told me that last year it was 65,000 attendees. “This year, we'll easily hit 70,000, but I don't want to look any higher than that. We were in April '08 but we're moving to February '09 and we're all cautious because of the cold.” Yes weather makes a big difference in attendance.

So from all the hard work that was put into the convention, what can fans expect? Are there any big surprises for the fans out there? Peter said “more. All I can say is "more"…but I can't talk about the big stuff yet.” So all NYCC is doing is “giving the fans more and doing it better.”

One of the things that fans can expect is the guest list at the NYCC 2009. The guests at NYCC 2009 “represent the best of pop culture -- across comics, movies, television, anime, and games.” Some of the guest are returning guest from NYCC 2008, while others are “crossing over from NYAF.” Of course not every desired guest can attend. Some cannot come due to scheduling conflicts. “They'd love to come, but they're supposed to be filming during the con. In these cases, we try to confirm them for next year.”

Other things that fans should look out for are any special activities during the convention and special events happening at NYCC. Of course, Peter cannot tell me the full-blown details, because they are surprises for the attendees. He did tell me that they would be having some special events, premieres, and concerts. “We try to make as many free as possible to attendees, but there'll likely be a small fee for anything offsite.”

Another event I was curious about is Kids Day at NYCC. Now some might think comics are not for children or some might think they are for whatever reason. Some might not even consider a comic book a literacy tool, but it is. This is what makes Kids Day important. Kids Day, like comic books and graphic novels, “promotes literary. The entire focus of the day is encouraging children to read. And it's done in a kid-safe environment. It's a controlled location built with kids in mind.” Kids Day at NYCC “is a day celebrating comic books as the gateway to literacy for kids. It began last year and is going to be bigger and better in '09.” The event will take place on Sunday of the convention in an area of the show built just for children. There will be” events, activities, and guests just for kids.”

Now this is the big question about NYCC, why is it important to have such an event? How does it affect or not affect society’s culture? This is what Peter had to say: ”New York Comic Con celebrates pop culture. If it's new, cool, hip, or awesome, it's at the show. We want to celebrate the comic book and everything comics have touched as pop culture is a huge part of culture and huge part of business. If you look at this past summer's movies, not a month went by when a big comic movie didn't premiere, and Watchmen is one of the most anticipated movies of '09. Comics are big part of what's driving what's hot, and we're here to celebrate it.”
© 2009 Linda Thai

Thanks again Peter!!!
Thank you Chet Royer for the pictures of the FIRST New York Comic Con.
For more information on the convention please visit www.newyorkcomiccon.com

Student Project: Comic Book Preservation

I figured since my site is about both manga and comics, I figured why not add my classmate's project on preservation of comic books? So now there are both worlds of preservation. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Because this is a fellow graduate student's student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of comic books. You can read this just for fun.

Comic Book Preservation

© 2009 Linda Thai

2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Nominations

Hey Everyone!

Happy New Year!! To start off 2009, I thought it would be cool to share this with you. My professor showed me the nominations for Great Graphic Novels for Teens, which is a list of recommendations. This list of graphic novels are recommended for the ages between 12-18 and is prepared by the Young Adult Library Services Association, which is part of the American Library Association. The nominees also includes manga published by Tokyopop, Viz Media and Yen Press, and comics published by Marvel comics, DC Comics, and Dark Horse.

The site also includes the 2008 and 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens!!
Check it out and see if your favorite series, volume, author, and/or publisher got nominated!!

www.ala.org/yalsa/ggnt

© 2009 Linda Thai

Post New York Anime Festival 2008 Interviews

Check them all out!

New York Anime Festival - Peter Tatara
Dark Horse Comics Inc. - Michael Gombos
Del Rey Manga - Ali T. Kokmen
FUNimation Entertainment - Adam Sheehan
Otaku USA - Benjamin Boyles
Otaku USA - Joseph Luster

© 2008 Linda Thai

Post NYAF 2008 with Peter Tatara

Check out my Pre-Anime Festival with Peter Tatara.

Since the end of the festival, Peter Tatara has been feeling "sleepy." The New York Anime Festival was a great show. They were aiming for 17,000 and ended up having over 18,000 fans and attendees. Peter said "I'm very proud of it, but once a show wraps, we don't kick up our feet until next year." Not only was Peter very happy with the event but also his boss Lance Fensterman. "The show went over very well, but -- like me -- we're already looking ahead." They are "all deep in planning for New York Comic Con 2009" and New York Anime Festival 2009 "is already in the works."

Last time I spoke to Peter he said, "I honestly don't know what I'll be doing during NYAF yet." Of course during the festival Peter had things to do. All of his activities were related to his responsibility to the festival. "Tighten bolts. Patch leaks. Put out fires. If there was something that needed fixing, that was my job." On a lighter side of his duties he had dinner with Kikuchi-san.

With his duties at New York Anime Festival, Peter had to make sure the process of turning NYAF into reality was going smoothly. He arrived at Jacobs Javits Center a day before the show around 9:00am. While walking onto the exhibition hall, the booths "were midway through construction." At the time it was not yet complete: the convention was still setting up. It was on its way to completion. "It's an amazing thing to see something that only exists on paper for most of the year transform into something real." He didn't really have an exact set schedule for any day. He just had to be there within enough time do his job. "I jumped around the panel rooms, registration, guests, etc. As for Sunday, I got home around 11 or 12 and was up at 6 to greet guests before they left for the airport."

According to Peter, "most of the show ran very well and very smoothly." Their biggest concern was with the Akihabara Stage. "We featured a number of performers and artists on this stage, and we were worried before the show that sound might carry too far into the panel rooms." Guess what? Their concern came true. "We tried as best we could to keep the volume down, but it was something we had to deal with all weekend." Blasting loudness.

Even with the issue of loudness coming from the stage, the "fans were very happy." Even though the overall feeling of satisfaction was present, there were some mixed reactions in regards to the big concert's location. Instead of having the event at the Jacob Javits Center, it took place at the Knitting Factory. "I understand the want to have everything in one building, but we can't do large scale concerts inside the Javits, so for both the New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con going forward, if it's big and musical, it will be in a different venue." Understandable.

Another related event that fans had some reactions to was the appearance of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who was the Guest of Honor. "Morimoto was standing room only. Prior to the show, some blogs were confused as to why Morimoto was at the show." I also asked Peter in a Pre-Anime Festival interview about that too, so I could understand the confusion. "The answer's because he's awesome. His events were all packed, and the Chef was thrilled. He's never been to an anime convention and had no clue his fanbase included anime fans."

Another event that had a large fan base, which included fan participation, is the Lucky Star Dance contest. There was "about a half dozen complete entries." The winners of the contest were announced a few weeks before the show." Yes, they did get prizes and goodies for being the victors! "They won tickets to the con as well as a nice selection of DVDs and swag from Bandai."

Not only was there a dance contest, but there was competition in the cosplay realm: World Cosplay Summit Masquerade. The parade of colors and creativity of magnificently display of costumes. "The World Cosplay Summit, WCS, was a blast. We've got some of the best cosplayers in America coming to NYAF. Looking to ages, we had a few youth entrants (who weren't in the running for the WCS) and twenty five teams that ranged from 18 to 40 who were aiming to win the tickets to Japan." So did Peter have a favorite? "I know a lot of the cosplayers participating and am good friends with a few, but I can't have a favorite. I support everyone entering the competition." The victor of the competition, Team USA, was crowned at the end of the night, whose names are India Davis and Becky Licata. Team USA will be going to Japan in the summer of 2009 to represent the USA. "They've already done a few interviews and are actively blogging at newyorkanimefestival.com."

Another fan related issue was room changes. On Sunday there were Lolita events, but the original rooms were changed the last minute. I did not even realize this change until I went looking for the event room. It was not just me that got confused it was both fans and some of the volunteers. So I had to ask Peter why were the changes done last minute? Peter said "On Sunday, we swapped the rooms the Lolita events were in. We moved the Baby, The Stars Shine Bright fashion show into our biggest room in anticipation of larger crowds." Do not worry Peter. Even with the confusion of room changes, the volunteers were able to guide many others and I in the right direction.

Now Peter is an anime and manga fan himself and has certain people he looks up to. Peter met his childhood heros Hideyuki Kikuchi and Yoshitaka Amano shortly before Opening Ceremonies of the festival. "I was nervous at first, simply because both men are hugely important and I didn't want to goof it up, but things went very well, and some great bonds were made. We're keeping in touch, and I hope to be able to bring them back to NYC again." Good job Peter!

So with all the events going on both inside and outside of the Jacobs Javits Center, did he have time to attend any? Peter attended as many as he could. The New York Anime Festival had many events happening at night. As a result, Peter had to pick and choose which ones he should go to. "I made damn sure, though, I was running Hideyuki Kikuchi's Birthday Dinner."

Making sure he would be at the birthday celebration, it became his most memorable moment of NYAF 2008. "It was fantastic -- completely and utterly fantastic." Kikuchi's Birthday Dinner was held at Jekyll and Hyde Club in midtown. "Jekyll and Hyde is a horror-themed Chuck E. Cheese's and I knew it would either be a big hit or a complete failure. Kikuchi-san ate it up as did all the attendees. It couldn't have gone better."

Even though the excitement is over, would Peter relive the moment of NYAF 2008 again? "I'd very much like to be able to go back and attend the con. I'd like to be able to sit through Kikuchi's panel, Morimoto's panel, Amano's panel, and Tanaka's panel. I'd like to be able to watch the entire Masquerade, listen to the Far East To East Showcase, and enjoy the After Party. There's a lot of fun stuff I don't get to take in that I'd love to be able to go back to."

Thanks again Peter! Thank you for the pictures Peter!
If you want to learn more about the New York Anime Festival please visit http://www.nyanimefestival.com/
© 2008 Linda Thai

Legal Times: Old and New, 20th Century Fox Warner Brothers and Watchmen

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

Fox wins Warner Lose over Watchmen. A Judge Gary A. Feess said that Fox "owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture." I guess the battle will continue...Read the updated articles to know what is up.

01/13/09-According to my latest find "Warner Bros. and Fox are "close" to reaching a settlement regarding the "Watchmen" lawsuit, according to those familiar with the dealmaking."

~BTW there are links to original documents related to the case.~

Studio War Involving ‘Watchmen’ Heats Up By Michael Cieply New York Times Published: August 29, 2008

Fox and Warner's 'Watchmen' Feud Escalates No Signs of a Deal Yet ICv2 Published: 09/02/2008, Last Updated: 09/03/2008 11:00pm

QUICK TAKES Los Angeles Times December 16, 2008

'Watchmen' Still in Judicial Limbo Judge Passes on Pre-Trial Ruling ICv2 Published: 12/16/2008, Last Updated: 12/17/2008 01:49am

'Watchmen' Judge Rules in Fox's Favor March Release in Jeopardy ICv2 Published: 12/27/2008, Last Updated: 12/29/2008 01:53pm

Updated on 12/30/08 with other articles

Warner Vows to Release 'Watchmen' Fox to Fight ICv2 Published: 12/30/2008 12:25am

Updated on 01/12/09 with other articles

Watchmen Lawsuit Original Documents By Jeff Trexler, uncivilsociety.org, August 19, 2008 1:07 AM

Judge To Decide Watchmen’s Fate On January 20th ICv2 Published: 01/07/2009, Last Updated: 01/08/2009 01:34am

UPDATED: Fox Officially Responds To Open Letter From 'Watchmen' Producer By Nikki Finke, Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, Jan 8th, 2009 at 10:53PM

'Watchmen' Settlement Talks 'Productive' Lawyers Want Hearing Delayed ICv2 Published: 01/09/2009 01:43pm

'WATCHMEN' WATCH UPDATE: Settlement Talks "Productive"! Fox Responds To Pic's Producer; Another Court Decision Today (...And Shut Up, Larry) By Nikki Finke, Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, Jan 9th, 2009 at 04:57AM

Updated on 01/13/09 with other articles

Fox, Warners 'close' to 'Watchmen' settlement Companies met Monday to discuss possible deal By Borys Kit, www.hollywoodreporter.com, Jan 12, 2009, 10:03 PM ET

'Watchmen' Settlement Close TV Ad Campaign Underway ICv2 Published: 01/12/2009 10:29pm

Updated on 01/22/09 with other articles

Watchmen Case Settled Request for Dismissal Friday ICv2 Published: 01/15/2009, Last Updated: 01/16/2009 12:59am

Legal Times: Old and New, Dwight Whorley Anime Obscenity Charges

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

From what I can understand this is a child pornography case related to anime, but also including items with real children. It is a case that started a while back under the child PROTECT law of 2003. Read the United States Attorney's Office Press Releases, because it provides a better understanding of the case.

Anime Conviction Upheld Under PROTECT Act ICv2 Published: 12/22/2008 01:31am

Update on 12/23/08 with other articles

United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria - Richmond - Newport News - Norfolk March 2005 Press Release Archives (Look at 12/01/05)
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/Pressreleases/2005/1205.html

RICHMOND MAN FIRST CONVICTED UNDER EXPANDED CHILD-PORN LAW By Tom Campbell, Richmond Times - Dispatch, Dec 2, 2005

Protecting Our Children: Virginia Man Sentenced in Landmark Obscenity Case Federal Bureau of Investigation 03/10/06

United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria - Richmond - Newport News - Norfolk March 2006 Press Release Archives (Look at 3/10/2006)
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/Pressreleases/2006/0306.html

Man sentenced to 20 years in child-porn case By Tam Campbell, Richmond Times - Dispatch, Mar 11, 2006

Child porn cartoon conviction upheld in Va. By Larry O'Dell, Associated Press Writer, Yahoo News Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:01 pm ET

Child porn cartoon conviction upheld By the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune December 19, 2008


Updated with articles on May 21, 2009

Down the Slippery Slope - The Crime of Viewing Manga Comi Press, 2009, Lawrence A. Stanley

Legal Times: Old and New, Upper Deck Konami and YuGiOh

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

I guess the best way to summarize what is going on so far is that Konami said they will have complete take over of the YuGiOh Trading Card Game. Upper Deck is the distributor and is not happy with that announcement from Konami. It is an on going situation so most likely more news to come.

Open Letter from Upper Deck International

Konami Takes over 'YGO TCG' Upper Deck Files Suit ICv2 Published: 12/12/2008 12:00am

YGO OP ‘In a Transitional Period’ To Resume in New YearICv2 Published: 12/15/2008 12:00am

Upper Deck Plans to Continue YGO OP Including WebsiteICv2 Published: 12/18/2008 12:00am

Upper Deck/Konami Feud Spreads to Europe U.D. Files for Injunctions ICv2 Published: 12/23/2008 08:29pm

Updated on 12/29/08 with another article

Dutch Court Sides With Upper Deck
Overrules 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Termination ICv2 Published: 12/25/2008, Last Updated: 12/29/2008 02:32am

Updated on 12/30/08 with other articles

Upper Deck Gets Favorable U.S. Ruling Konami Injunction Denied Published: 12/30/2008 12:00am

Updated on 01/15/09 with other articles

Konami Press Release December 11, 2008

Konami Open Letter to Yu‐Gi‐Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Duelists December 15, 2008

No 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Champion Packs' Konami Won't Fill OrdersICv2 Published: 01/14/2009, Last Updated: 01/13/2009 09:59pm

Konami Responds on 'YGO TCG' 'We Are the Only Distributor'ICv2 Published: 01/14/2009, Last Updated: 01/15/2009 02:17am

Updated on 01/22/09 with other articles

Konami to Release 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Crimson Crisis' Sneak Peaks at Hobby Stores ICv2 Published: 01/21/2009, Last Updated: 01/22/2009 04:22am

Updated on 03/02/09 with other articles

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Wins Preliminary Injunction Against The Upper Deck Company

Updated on 04/15/09 with other articles

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. Prevails in Appeal Proceedings against Upper Deck International

Updated on 01/13/10 with other articles

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc Prevails in Lawsuit Against Upper Deck

Updated on 02/3/10 with other articles

Upper Deck Forced to Settle with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.