No other news than that right now. More updates to follow.
Cheers!
Comics and Speculative Fiction Columnist, Gautham Shenoy, is Coming to Lanka Comic Con
Gautham Shenoy will be attending Lanka Comic Con this year, to talk with local science fiction writers Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and Navin Weeraratne (that’s me!) about science fiction in South Asia.
Gautham Shenoy has been reading comics for as long as he can remember. A bibliophile, an SF fan, and an advertising & marketing professional, he is a columnist currently writing for Bangalore Mirror. He has also written for The Curious Reader about comics & Eartha Mag in the past. His column for FactorDaily, New Worlds Weekly, on speculative fiction, comics, etc. currently holds the record for being the longest-running weekly s/f column in India.
The Science Fiction in South Asia panel will be at 4pm on Sunday the 8th.
Tickets WILL Be on Sale at the Gate
We’ve been seeing rumors that tickets are sold out, and seen a lot of confusion online with people uncertain where to get tickets from.
As such, we are not expecting to sell out, and tickets will be on sale at the gate. We are announcing this early to give this news time to percolate and dispel the rumors.
We are very thankful to the considerable number of people who bought tickets in advance. You’ve helped take some of the pressure off security at the gate, and have improved the experience, and reduced delay, for yourselves and other convention-goers.
Big Bad Wolf is Bringing Augmented Reality Books
BBW is bringing Augmented Reality (AR) books to their sale this week. Specifically, the Hippo Magic line of AR children's books. Here’s how they work:
So I tried it out. You first need to download the Hippo Magic app which is on Google Play. You turn it on, hover over the book, and it will prompt you to download said book (so the files are client-side). And that's it! Any pages that have AR content will have a little logo at the bottom of them.
Big Bad Wolf are the only retailer for hippo magic AR books, in Asia. They will be at the SLECC this weekend. If you know a kid who loves reading - or ought to get into reading - pick one up for them and see what happens.
Also, bring a friend. I know we will. See you there!
Navin Weeraratne
Lanka Comic Con Postponed to December
Due to the current situation in the country we have decided to postpone Lanka Comic Con 2019 to December 6th and 7th.
We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause. However, postponing allows us to bring in stronger security. It also gives us more time to assess the country’s situation and whether it poses a threat to the safety of the event.
For updates on Lanka Comic Con 2019, including when tickets go on sale (tickets will be limited this year for security reasons), please sign up for email updates. *
Thank you for your understanding.
Thilani Samarasinha, Principal Organizer
Lanka Comic Con respects your privacy. We will not sell your email address to a third party, for any reason.
Stan Lee Passes Away, at 95
Legendary comic book creator, writer, editor and the man behind many of Marvel Comics' staples, Stan Lee, has passed away at the age of 95.
A titan in the field of comics, Lee made his name in the early days of Marvel, co-creating characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, the Incredible Hulk and more.
While Lee did work on his own, it was through his work with frequent collaborators like Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby and others that he was able to transform Marvel Comics from a small business, to one of the top two comic-books publishers in the world. and then later into a multimedia franchise.
Lee had a unique way of getting things done at Marvel: he would brainstorm a story with an artist, then write a synopsis. Once the artist drew the story panels, Lee would fill up the captions and word balloons and the process came to be known as the “The Marvel Method.”
Lee's fame and influence as the face and figurehead of Marvel, even in his 90's, remained considerable.
In recent years, he became this omnipresent pop culture icon, a smirking, charming, devil-may-care rogue, with a quip for every occasion and appearing in Marvel movies cameos, shown avoiding falling concrete, watering his lawn, delivering the mail, crashing a wedding, playing a security guard, etc.
It's hard to imagine Marvel without Stan Lee…but he will remain in our hearts, forever.
In fond remembrance…
Excelsior!
Lanka Comic Con presents, ‘A Geeky Hallow's Eve’
It’s finally here! The eve of Lanka Comic Con’s ‘A Geeky Hallows’ Eve’!
A fun, kid-friendly geeky celebration of Halloween from 3pm onwards at Geek HQ
Here’s a quick look at what’s happening:
3:00-6:00pm:
Board Games and Role-Playing Games (All Horror-themed)
6:00pm-7:00pm:
The Halloween Scavenger Hunt
A photographer will be present to capture your awesome, horror-themed costumes for the Red Dot Geek Halloween Costume Contest
8:00pm:
A special viewing of High School Junkies’ new horror short film, ‘The Summoning’, followed by a Q&A session with the cast and director.
Followed by a horror-classic…we’re keeping that one a surprise.
Come join us tomorrow at Geek HQ from 3pm onwards for a Geeky horror-fest that everyone can enjoy!
Retraction Regarding Contest at the Costume Ball
We apologize for promoting this contest, as part of our Halloween event. It was our understanding it applied to Sri Lanka. However, it does not.
It is entirely our responsibility to vet third party suggestions before putting them on our page. We are changing how we share such content, to protect our fans.
- Thilani Samarasinha,
Principal Organizer, Lanka Comic Con
While we are having the costume ball as stated previously, we are retracting our announcement for the following competition. Sri Lankans are not eligible.
'Geek Store' Providing Affordable Shop Space for Artists and Small Sellers
Colombo’s new Geek venture, the “Geek Store,” offers store space to small and new vendors, and even individual artists, at special, low rates in order to get their products out to the local community.
These are their rates:
“There are a lot of smaller vendors in the community, like collectors or diecast merchants, and even artists who do hand-painted pictures,” said Geek HQ founder, Angelo Pereira. “But many of them do not have a store presence. This makes it harder for them to grow, and sell on a regular, sustainable basis. I thought ‘hey, what if we can come up with low-cost shelf or store space so they can always be selling, throughout the year?”
The spaces start at 2 feet square blocks, going up to 10 feet square blocks. There is also a product for people doing Geek services, such as makeup or instructional workshops, complete with an “appointment book” so they can book their client visits.
The Fairway shortlisted, Sri lankan zombie novel, ‘Zeelam’ will be available at the Geek Store in October.
“Outside of the usual merchandising events like Lanka Comic Con, it is tough for smaller sellers and artists to get their work out there,” said Thilani Samarasinha, principal organizer of Lanka Comic Con, and herself a small vendor of her own, independent comics brand, Island Comics. “It is important for their growth to be able to sell easily, throughout the year. This will help them move towards sustainable, full-time livelihoods.”
The Geek store is currently offering 10% off on their rates, for anyone who books and pays for a space with them, before November 1st. Spots are limited.
The ‘Geek Store’ is opening at the Geek HQ on 17A Frankfurt Place, Colombo 4.
To discuss booking a space, please contact Angelo at 0716014509, or geekhq.sl@gmail.com .
The Geek store is presented by Paintedfigs.
Geek HQ, home of the Geek Store, coming in October.
Paintedfigs is the Official Die-Cast Partner of Lanka Comic Con 2019
Paintedfigs has come onboard as the official Die-Cast partner for Lanka Comic Con 2019.
Speaking for both Paintedfigs and Lanka Comic Con, I’m quite pleased to say this is a thing now :) . - Navin
