Posts with tag comic-con

TradeChat's Panser returns with this week's WoW Insider news recap, where we look back at the hottest news from the past week and whatever other kickin' rad things may have come our way. This week's topics include:

• Bonus loot coming to the WoW TCG
• Warcraft movie teaser trailer debuts at SDCC
• World of Warcraft children's book announced
• Cosmetic helms now available on the Blizzard store
• Discussion Topic: Do you buy in-game items?

If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

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If you're looking for nerdy swag, San Diego Comic-Con is the place to be. But even if you couldn't make the con this year, there's plenty of cool gear announced at the show to tempt any geek's heart -- and wallet. Blizzard was no exception: they've already shown off a WoW-themed children's book, but if that doesn't strike your fancy they've also announced more traditional loot.

There's a lot on offer, but we're big fans of the ultra-detailed statuettes from Sideshow Collectables -- StarCraft's Kerrigan and Raynor figures will be up for pre-order this year (look for Raynor soon), Diablo will be coming out in November, and there's a massive Deathwing with no release date (yet). Also in action figures, Blizzard has announced that Neca is working on a Diablo figure (no release date yet) and Funko is making chibi-ized versions of Blizzard characters (coming out in September).

For books, Insight Editions has some new Blizzard-themed notebooks (available now) and Blizzard's own children's book is set to premiere at BlizzCon. With BlizzCon not all that far away, we don't expect to hear any more from Blizzard at SDCC -- but our wallets really think this is plenty of announcements already.

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Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

My original introduction to today's Queue was written like so: "Today, we definitely do not talk about comics books." Immediately after writing that, I looked down at my first question of the day and realized I was a giant liar.

ScottLeyes asked:

Is anyone from WoW Insider covering (going to) Comic-Con?

TradeChat's Panser returns with this week's WoW Insider news recap, where we look back at the hottest news from the past week and whatever other kickin' rad things may have come our way. This week's topics include:

• Comic-Con exclusive swag
• World of Warcraft tribute art book available for preorder
• Complete For the Alliance before Garrosh vanishes
• Be the Crazy Cat Person you've always wanted to be
• New engineering mounts in patch 5.4
• Discussion Topic: Would you play WoW in an offline mode?

If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

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Blizzard Entertainment announced today that they will have a presence at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. They'll have a booth on the show floor where some of their writers and artists will be signing and they'll also be showing off some of the new products being introduced this year. New to this year are exclusive SDCC items that they will be selling at their booth.

Blizzard will be releasing their schedule and the product list ahead of time -- details coming soon. It is likely that their newly released Art of Blizzard Entertainment book will be there to be purchased and signed. Though if you want to purchase it ahead of time or aren't going to the Comic-Con, Amazon has a great deal on it right now.

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• Blizzard Entertainment product showcase Thursday, July 12 Room 6BCF If you've never been to this panel, it's worth attending. While the panel doesn't discuss game development or release dates, it does talk about the other side of Blizzard's products -- the comics, books, action figures, toys and other material they release in conjunction with their games. There is a Q&A at the end of the panel, which will include Chris Metzen and be moderated by Kat Hunter. Add it to your schedule if you're wondering what's going on in the world of Blizzard merchandise!
• Blizzard Entertainment autograph signings Insight Editions Booth #1035 Want to get your favorite Blizzard stuff autographed? Here's your chance. Friday morning from 10-11:30 a.m., you'll find Micky Neilson, Flint Dille and Matt Burns happily scrawling their signature for you, and from 4-5 p.m. on Friday, Chris Metzen and Samwise Didier will be signing. The Insight Editions booth will also have a sneak peek at the upcoming The Art of Blizzard book, so stopping by is advised!
• Christie Golden autograph signings Christie Golden has written a ton for Blizzard, and if you've got one of her books, getting it signed is a great idea. Christie will be at the Cryptozoic Store on Thursday between 7-8 p.m. and at the Mysterious Galaxy booth, #1119, from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday. Please note that the Cryptozoic Store is not at the convention, but it's a just a few blocks away; the address is 411 Market Street, downtown.

Having gone to Comic-Con a few years, I can tell you that the best way to make sure you get into a panel or an autograph section is to get there early. I can't stress this enough. If you have something to sign, make sure it's not buried in a backpack -- and it's helpful to put a bookmark in the page you want signed, too, if you're bringing a book!

Blizzard also has a host of licensing partners showing off all kinds of products from sculptures to books to the WoW TCG. Check out the full post on the official website for more information.

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Earlier today, the European Battle.net community site announced the release of both the latest set of collectible World of Warcraft action figures and a brand new collection of Alliance- and Horde-themed coins. ... Wait a second, haven't we seen those coins before?

Oh. Yeah. We did. We saw them at Comic-Con in 2009. I'm going to cut Blizzard a break on this one and assume it doesn't control DC Direct's production and distribution facilities. So ... DC, this one's for you. Holy crap, guys. Almost three years ago! Three!

Well, anyway, if you're looking to spend your hard-earned coins on different coins that aren't worth as much as the ones you started with, you can purchase them on the North American Blizzard Store for $49.99 USD per set or on the European Blizzard Store for £56.95.

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We have learned from author Christie Golden's Facebook page that the working title of her newest World of Warcraft novel, which will focus on earth-shattering changes for fan favorite Jaina Proudmoore, could be titled Tides of War. Since Jaina's heritage and background (her father being Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, leader of Kul Tiras) is that of Kul Tiras, the island nation of seafaring humans, this title makes sense, especially if it heralds the return of the nation of Kul Tiras back to World of Warcraft.

Christie posts: "Okay, starting on Tides of War, the Jaina (Proudmoore!) book. Am thinking if I work this right... I won't have to work weekends this time. Woot!"

There is a lot of speculation going on about the next expansion, including the filing of a trademark for Mists of Pandaria, as well as Chris Metzen revealing the earth-shattering Jaina book at Comic Con last month. While Tides of War is admittedly a working title, it signals a strong naval theme that links up well with an island expansion, the island of Pandaria, and a generally water-y world we're looking at. This is all still speculation, of course.

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Blizzard tends to keep to its own convention for most of the year, rather than taking part in other major conventions like E3, but it's breaking form with product reveals and licensing discussion next week at San Diego Comic-Con. Blizzard's Chris Metzen, The Shattering author Christie Golden, Cryptozoic Entertainment President Cory Jones, and others will be present for a panel on Thursday, July 21 -- that is, if you're already lucky enough to be going to Comic-Con (say hi to Christie for me)!

Here's the full panel description, which is also available on the Comic-Con website.

1:00-2:00 World of Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft Swag Show -- Blizzard Entertainment creative and licensed partners unveil and discuss World of Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft-inspired products. In attendance: Chris Metzen (Blizzard Entertainment SVP of creative development), Nick Carpenter (Blizzard Entertainment executive art director), Christie Golden (New York Times bestselling author), Hank Kanalz (SVP Digital, DC Comics and World of Warcraft comics editor), Sean Gailey(creative overlord, J!nx Clothing), and Cory Jones (Cryptozoic Entertainment president and chief creative officer). Moderated by Kat Hunter ( host of BlizzCon coverage on DIRECTV). Room 6BCF

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So much for fears of audiences not relating to "non-human" heroes. After a successful run featuring the travails of tailored-for-badassness Alliance leader Varian Wrynn, Wildstorm studios announced during the San Diego Comic Con 2009 that the World of Warcraft comic will be splitting into two titles after Issue #25. The issue will conclude the current story arc and will trigger events that will lead to the spinoff of a Horde-centric World of Warcraft comic slated to launch in January, 2010.

Although BlizzPlanet reports that there were little details beyond that - they point to an earlier interview they did with Walt Simonson who dodged the question about such a title - there'll likely be more information in the coming weeks. In particular, players and comic fans alike should prepare for significant announcements regarding this and other projects during BlizzCon. A title featuring the Horde should quell one of the biggest criticisms levied against the comic, and should be a refreshing change of pace.

I don't have a lot of detail on this, but the news from Comic-Con is that Blizzard is finally starting to sell gold! Collectible WoW-inspired gold, silver, and copper coins, that is. What did you think I was talking about?

They'll come in both Horde and Alliance versions, and are being made by DC Unlimited. DC also handles the WoW comic, so that's unsurprising. If we hear anything more on pricing and/or availability, we'll be sure to let you know.

The schedule for the 2009 San Diego Comic Con is finally starting to emerge, and Blizzard has now confirmed details of its presence there.

It looks like Blizzard is going to be running a panel on Thursday, July 23rd (the first officlal day of the con, which this year is July 23rd to 26th) with Chris Metzen and a host of people associated with Blizzard products from Upper Deck, Wildstorm, Tokyopop, and J!nx. Interestingly, Nick Carpenter, the creative director for Blizzard cinematics, is also going to be there, so it looks like this might be a particularly good opportunity to get information about Blizzard's lore and art direction, on top of the Warcraft comics, minis, and cards. I've included the full list of panel attendees behind the cut, and as of now the panel looks to be scheduled in Room 6BCF.

If anyone's interested in what the Blizzard Comic Con panel was like last year and the nature of the questions answered, here's our 2008 write-up. Do we have any readers who are going to Comic Con this year?

Empire magazine is already posting pictures from this weekend's ComicCon out in San Diego (WoW Insider also has correspondents there on site), and though they have no idea what they've stumbled across, it sure looks to us like what might be DC Unlimited's Series 4 WoW figurines. And rather than just the standard player characters, Blizzard and DC are going a little NPC for this series -- as you can see above, they've included everyone's favorite elite gnoll, Hogger himself. Also included in the series are a Succubus of some sort (with what looks like a Tauren with a polearm in the back there), and a gun-wielding Tauren Hunter.

The figures all have signs that say "Worldwide Debut Friday 4pm" on them, so it looks like we're getting to see them a little early. And Blizzard is excited, too -- Slorkuz has even written a poetic ode to Hogger in honor of his likeness being immortalized.

We'll keep an eye out for more info -- looks like DC is expanding their action figure line to include a few more less traditional character types. Who else should they honor with a figure in the future?