The San Diego Comic Fest is a case of something old, that’s becoming new again: a friendly comic convention with a casual atmosphere and a smaller, more intimate scale. If you love of comics, science fiction, and film, and want meet an amazing array of professional creators without crowding or long lines, this is the event for you.

Fans and professionals can hang out in a relaxed setting and enjoy good times talking about comics, science fiction, and experience a varied, eclectic program with things for a wide variety of interests. As you would expect of a comic convention, there are panel discussions, guest programs, an Artist Alley, cosplay, an exhibitors hall full of your favorite comics, books, toys, and other collectibles, and much more.

At this year’s Fest (held October 17-19 at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, adjacent to the Fashion Valley Mall area of San Diego), they’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel with special guests Laura Siegel Larson (Jerry’s daughter) and Neal Adams. It’s also the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters, and they’re celebrating with special guests including producer Michael Gross and Academy Award winning special effects masters Richard Edlund and John Bruno. Twilight Zone is also honored with special guests including Rod Serling’s daughter and biographer Anne Serling, and Twilight Zone screenwriter George Clayton Johnson.

The Fest is produced by fans, for fans. Though not affiliated with the San Diego Comic-Con, their all-volunteer production crew includes a Comic-Con co-founder and other veteran Comic-Con producers and attendees. So join the fun October 17-19, 2014  at the third annual San Diego Comic Fest! For more information, visit their web site at www.sdcomicfest.org.

Jack Kirby would’ve been 97 years old today. But for his fans, he’ll live on forever.

Designed to honor the legacy of her late grandfather, his granddaughter Jillian (daughter of Jack’s son Neal) is seeing today as the culmination of her 2014 Kirby4Heroes campaign, which raises money for the Hero Initiative (an organization which helps needy comics creators). A selection of comics retailers across the country will donate a portion of today’s sales to the Hero Initiative as part of that Kirby4Heroes drive.

You can find out more about it at this link:

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/comics/jack-kirby-legacy-kirby4heroes-aims-to-assist-comic-book-creators/#/0

In the new issue of Back Issue magazine (#75, shipping today), editor Michael Eury turns back the clock to the 1980s, to cover the top independent comics of that decade. Shown above are Richard and Wendy Pini, creators of Elfquest (which is spotlighted in this issue). The creative couple stopped by our booth at Comic-Con last month, and autographed a pre-release copy if issue #75, and it now has a happy home at Euryman’s secret comics cave.

There’s also coverage of Cerebus, and a personal fave of mine, Concrete. Don’t miss it!

Adam McGovern, longtime columnist for The Jack Kirby Collector,  is living the recurring dream of Kirby-styled reincarnation with artist Paolo Leandri, as the team debut their four-issue meta-monster miniseries Nightworld for Image Comics, which just launched August 6. It’s pop-art visuals and upbeat pulp-lit writing the way the future of comics has been waiting to look since the ’60s! Visit their hellish home online at www.nightworldcomic.com and no longer abandon hope for fun, clever comics!

We were pleased as punch to discover that our book American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s (written by Bill Schelly, and edited by Keith Dallas), was nominated in the 2014 Harvey Awards for “Best Biographical, Historical or Journalistic Presentation.” Kudos to Bill for the stellar job he did researching and authoring this landmark look at a notoriously under-explored era of comics history (and to Keith for the wonderful work as editor of the series, and author of the 1980s volume).

To date, we’ve got volumes covering from the 1950s to the 1980s, including our new 1970s volume, which is on the way back from the printer, and should be shipping in just a couple more weeks.

If you are a creative professional in the comics field, you’re eligible to vote in the Harveys, but the voting closes in just a couple of days. So scurry on over to the Harvey Awards online ballot and take a minute to vote:

http://www.harveyawards.org/2014-final-ballot

(You are required to provide your credentials as a “creative professional” in the business, but they can be brief.)

Remember a few years ago, when we announced we were publishing a book on Vince Colletta, the controversial inker who was so prolific in the Silver and Bronze Ages? A lot of people initially scoffed at the idea of giving Colletta his own book, due largely to his reputation within fandom of… shall we say, not being a fan-favorite? Then, when The Thin Black Line: Vince Colletta was released, it garnered rave reviews for finally documenting the compelling life and career of a pivotal comics artist, about whom little was known publicly.

Well, we’re at it again with our new book Don Heck: A Work of Art, which is officially shipping this week from TwoMorrows (and should be in stores next week). In it, the original artist of Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and key Avengers issues finally gets his due, thanks to author John Coates, who tirelessly researched Heck’s background and career. The crux of the book is two lengthy interviews with Heck (a rarely-seen published one by Richard Howell, and an unpublished one by Will Murray), which have been melded together to make, what we think you’ll find, to be a pretty seamless conversaton with Don, about all aspects of his career dating back to his horror work in the 1940s and ’50s. There’s a wealth of examples of his work (all in full-color), and even a special chapter where we debunk the myth that putting Don as artist on a comic meant the sales would drop (wait’ll you see what the actual sales figures tell us). And Stan Lee even provides the intro.

This full-color hardcover is 192 pages long, for $39.95. Give it a shot; you won’t be sorry. And check out our free preview and order HERE.

Dr. Freddy Wertham, that loveable old scamp who nearly destroyed the comics industry in the 1950s, is featured in the new issue of Alter Ego (#128, shipping today from TwoMorrows). And as a companion piece, we present more of our history of the Comics Code (which came about as a result of the good doctor’s crusade). You can find it HERE!

We just got back from Comic-Con International (and are heading to BrickFair, the huge LEGO convention this weekend near Washington, DC). In case you couldn’t make it to our booths this year, we’re extending our online 50% Off Sale on all Print Editions through Monday, August 4 at Midnight EST.

The only things we’re holding back are new and upcoming releases, which are still available at 15% off everyday. (Subscriptions and digital editions are also excluded from the sale, as are bundles, which are already heavily discounted.)

But this is your last chance to take advantage of these huge savings, in celebration of our 20th Anniversary. So hustle over to www.twomorrows.com and stock up this weekend!

We in the home stretch of a year-long celebration of our 20th Anniversary, which continues next week at Comic-Con International: San Diego! To make it more memorable, we’re offering 50% OFF all Print Editions at our Comic-Con booth #1301 (up front, just inside the doors of Hall B near the Golden & Silver Age Pavilion).

And for those of you who can’t make it out to San Diego, we’re extending the same 50% OFF at our website as well, through August 1! The only things we’re holding back are new and upcoming releases, which are still available at 15% off everyday. (Subscriptions and digital editions are also excluded from the sale, as are bundles, which are already heavily discounted.)

At Comic-Con booth #1301 this year, we’ll be debuting some pre-release items, with advance copies of:

• American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s (shipping in late August)
• Don Heck: A Work of Art (shipping in September)
• Back Issue #75 (not out till August), and #76 (not out till September)
• Alter Ego #128?(not out till August)

These advance copies will sell out quickly, so make booth #1301 your first stop at Comic-Con! We’ll also have the latest issues of Alter Ego, Back Issue, Jack Kirby Collector, Draw!, Comic Book Creator, and BrickJournal (our LEGO?magazine).

Whether or not you can make it to Comic-Con this year, you can take part is our big 50% sale; so stock up now, before we come to our senses!

We’re scrambling to wrap up all we need to get done before heading off to Comic-Con and vacation next week, and we’re just begun shipping not one, but THREE new issues of our mags:

Back Issue #74

Alter Ego #127

Comic Book Creator #5

Click the links and check ’em the free previews of each one, or just go to our home page and see all the new releases, right up top!