Con season is coming up and while SDCC gets the largest amount of attention, there’s plenty of cool events that go on before and after the big kahuna. One of those events, Philadelphia Wizard World, starts Thursday May 30th and goes through Sunday June 2nd.

Why should you care about a non-SDCC con? Well, first… shopping! Tables and tables of merch to stuff into your Yoda backpacks, but also, a ton of cool guests that include John Barrowman, Stan Lee, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, Norman Reedus, Jon Bernthal, John Cena and a lot of comic writers and artists.

The con was supposed to also feature an appearance by Nathan Fillion, but he unfortunately had to pull out. That sucks, but the above names are still awesome enough to get me to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Plus, there’s also a con exclusive reprint of Walking Dead #1 that I need in my life, but I guess you can have it too… assuming you find your way to the city of Brotherly Love in late May and early June.

Heres a complete list of guests from the Wizard World website… where there is also a ton of info about tickets for the event and also photo ops.

CELEBRITIES

Aaron Ashmore
Shawn Ashmore
Adam Baldwin
John Barrowman
Manu Bennett
Linda Blair
WWE ® Superstar Daniel Bryan ®
Dean Cain
Charisma Carpenter
WWE ® Superstar John Cena ®
Holly Marie Combs
Jarrett Crippen
Shannen Doherty
Giancarlo Esposito
Lou Ferrigno
Jason David Frank
Summer Glau
Nick Gomez
Steve Guttenberg
Kris Holde-Nried
Lauren Holly
Brian Krause
Juliet Landau
Stan Lee
James Marsters
Andrew Mccarthy
Ray Park
Norman Reedus
Michael Rooker
Brandon Routh
William Shatner
Curtis Sliwa
Kevin Sorbo
Jewel Staite
WWE ® Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Henry Winkler

ARTIST AND CREATOR GUESTS

Al Wiesner
Alex Eckman Lawn & Nick Tapalansky
Alexio G. Gessa
Amanda Nen Francis- Kilburn
Amber Davis
Andrew Griffith
Andrew Taylor
Angel Unzueta
Barry Kitson
Barry Sachs
Ben Shaw
Bexx Fine
Bill Dinh
Bob McLeod
Bordin Marsinkul
Brad Hudson
Brendon Fraim
Brian Kong
Brian Roll
Bryan Hitch
Caleb King
Catiana Conte
Chadwick Haverland
Danielle Gransaull “Soloud”
David Goldstein
David Savage
Dawn Griffin
Derrick A Rivers
Douglas Brown
Drew Blank
Eric Downey
Evan Baranowski
Frank Kadar
George O’Connor
Gina Dangelo
Ian Glaubinger
Jake Estrada
Jamie Fay
Jason E Axtell
Jason Lenox
Jeff Kaufman
Jeffery Scott
Jim Calafiore
Joe Dragunas
John O’Connor
John Richard Scott
Joi Washington
Jon Swartz
Julian Totino
Kate Glasheen
Laura Inglis
Leinil Yu
Liz Leonard
Louie Lapalombara III
Mark C. Frankel
Mark Mariano
Mark Pingitore
Matt Triano
Maurice R Mander
Michael Banks
Michael Golden
Michael Manomivibul
Michael Rivers
Michael Rivers
Michael Rooth
Mico Suayan
Mike Chen
Mike Ellis
Onrie Kompan
Renee Witterstaetter
Rich Bernatovech
Robert Quill
Rusty Gilligan
Salvador Larroca
Sara Richard
Sarah Braly
Sarah Hoppes
Sarah Martinez
Scott Ethan Ambruson
Steiner Palomino
Stuart Sayger
Tania Del Rio
Tara S. Rosenburg
Ted Dastick Jr.
Yildiray Cinar

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Bryan Singer likes to tweet and we’re all the better for it. This time Singer gives us an inside look at the construction of a familiar X-Men set to be used in X-Men: Days of Future Past while teasing us a bit about Comic-Con.

It’s a pretty safe bet it’s the entrance way to Cerebro, the device created to find other mutants by Professor X and created in the movies by the Beast, Hank McCoy.

Singer also included this question in his tweet:

Funny guy, but it won’t be that long until Comic-Con and we can expect some big doings by the X-Men: Days of Future Past production team and actors. I’m betting on a huge panel of celebrities.

What new stuff are you excited to find out about at this years Comic-Con?

Via: Bleedingcool

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I’m goona rap at you people.

I respect Tony Harris’ art — the fellow can move a pencil on paper in a way that is pleasing and Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days is among my favorite books — but when he tries to pivot from pictures to words, something gets lost in translation.

Today, on the Great Public Embarrassment Generator known as Facebook, Harris took to the soap box that we are all given in exchange for our personal information and he told the world, nay, the universe, what he thought about female cosplayers. Apparently he thinks you are all phony, so please pack up your bosoms and go home. (Okay, that wasn’t expressed, but it’s sorta close to that, isn’t it? Go ahead, read it, I’ll wait…)

Now, I don’t know what Harris thinks a real female comic book fan dresses like, and I really don’t care. His notions are either fiction or a fraction of the truth, because in my experience as a chubdorable male that frequents conventions, female comic fans don’t dress in one specific way or the other.

They are cosplayers, they are “sexy” cosplayers, they are tee shirt clad, and so on and so forth. There is diversity within their ranks and that is outstanding, undeniable, and irreversible.

Women, men, Klingons, and everyone else should feel comfortable to be themselves when they go to a con because that is one of the most beautiful things about cons — they are a sanctuary for a group of people who love similar things and they should be a free, safe place.

What threatens that? People with agendas and people who forget that they have sisters and mothers and grandmothers and pretend that women are there to be preyed upon, though the portrayal of Comic-Cons as a lawless badland over-run with dick-in-hand thugs feels inaccurate.

With that said though, every costume is not an invitation and they aren’t declarations of whoreishness. They aren’t political statements either. Sometimes a Power Girl costume is just a Power Girl costume and sometimes that’s someone’s way of getting attention and that’s cool too. Really, whatever thrills you.

Honestly, I’m too busy looking for 1/2 price trades or sprinting from panel to panel to notice (because as a grown up, I have seen breasts and thus they have no power over me), but sex and sexiness and dressing in a sexy way should be embraced and allowed because hell yeah freedom and all that good stuff. And oh by the way, plenty of men dress in cosplay and plenty of them wear the form fitting costumes popularized by their favorite characters as well, but no one ever brings that up or the fact that men are sexualized in comics as well. Well, almost no one.

Here’s another thing that should be celebrated at cons: newbies. I’ve been a hardcore nerd for five years. Wanna see my nerd card? Frak you. I’ve spent days marathoning Buffy, BSG, Angel, Trek, Doctor Who, and I’m coming off a period of hurricane inspired technical isolation that I spent in the OCD hell of action figure re-posing and the nerdvana of thumbing through the contents of a long box of comics and trades on my own private Elba. I didn’t do that to gain favor with others, I did that because I love this shit and I love this shit because science fiction and fantasy are about inclusion.

Tony Harris’ remarks aren’t about inclusion (or reality, unless I’m just too mellow and toy obsessed to notice the sexual Gettysburg that Mr. Harris spies) and that’s unfortunate because as someone who makes comics, you would think it would be in his best interests to try and bring people into this world, not push them out.

Alright, that’s really all I have to say about this, so in conclusion: I really don’t care if people want to dress up as Chewie or Cheetara and I just want everyone to relax, read a comic (even a Tony Harris one if you can excuse his remarks), and enjoy this amazing era in nerdiness without letting the rest of the bullshit seep in. Peace out.

The opinions expressed in the above article are those of the writer and not Nerdbastards.com. Also, did he just close out the article by saying “Peace out”?

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Originally attended by 300 people, San Diego Comic-Con has become the Mecca for all things geeky, nerdy and exclusive since 1970, when it was known as “Golden State Comic-Minicon”. For the last few years however, fans have been worried about the con’s possible move to Las Vegas, Los Angeles or Anaheim.  But announcement from San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders now confirms that Comic-Con International has extended its stay in San Diego through 2016!

That’s right people, Comic-Con is staying home – for a few more years at least. Thanks to a $520 million expansion of the convention center, fans will have many more years of waiting in line for hours to see their favorite stars sign their hundred-dollar replicas. And with Comic-Con 2013 scheduled to run from July 18 to 21st, many people have already started the countdown to next year.

Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer issued a statement over the extension of the event into 2016 saying,

“We really didn’t take the expansion into consideration in making our decision. If by next year and the following year, we have such an influx of people that the added space we use doesn’t work and there’s no expansion, then it could be an issue.”

Honestly, San Diego is the home of Comic-Con; it’s why “San Diego” is in the name in the first place and moving the event anywhere else would spoil it.

Thanks to 130,000 unique visitors per year the event should forever stay in the city, bringing with it the estimated $68 million in spending for hotels, dining, transportation and other related items, i.e. collectibles and Robert Downey Jr. As long as San Diego can keep 130,000 nerds or more entertained for four days a year I say “Let them stay for as long as they damn well please.”

Geek Tyrant

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Poor Kaitlyn Leeb. It seems that when people meet the actress now, they expect her to have three breasts. And when I say people, I mean fanboys. The above photograph is from Comic Con where Leeb wore the triple-breasted prosthetic to promote her new movie Total Recall, and naturally there were a lot of salivating geeky types who thought – surprise, surprise – that her boobies were legit.

Or as Leeb explained to The Calgary Herald:

“There were a bunch of people at Comic-Con asking if I had surgery for the third one. Others thought that the two on the side were real. I guess that’s the one thing that bothers me the most is that they think I’m out there prancing around Comic-Con with my breasts out. They really are not mine.”

On the upside, such a high-profile part is a pretty big break for Leeb, who despite the inherent creepiness of some fanboys, seems to be enjoying the ride as she told the Toronto Star:

“It feels amazing that you’re recognized. It’s surreal, the past couple of days. It’s all new and exciting.”

So for the record, Kaitlyn Leeb doesn’t really have three breasts, so if your sole purpose in talking to her is to see them, please leave her be.

Source: Blastr

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We’re creeping ever closer to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘s December release, and helping us pass the time until then has been Peter Jackson and his production videos. It’s really unheard of for a director to release sneak peaks at his films before they release, and Jackson’s already done eight of them! It’s a tradition that began back when they were filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy and he’s continued the practice with The Hobbit.

This video shows a a little of what Jackson and the cast experienced at Comic-Con as well as a little of what those in Hall H saw. Check it out!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases December 14.

Source: Coming Soon

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At Comic-Con, somewhere between the madness of the exhibit hall and the over-crowded Hall H, there’s a panel called Starship Smackdown. It’s a logical discussion by notable nerds about what spaceship can be considered the best of them all. This year it came down to the grandaddy of spaceships, the Enterprise from Star Trek. And not just one Enterprise, but the final debate was between the Enterprise NCC 1701 and the NCC 1701-A from The Motion Picture.

Tough call, wouldn’t you say? Thankfully, world famous astrophysicist and all around awesome dude, Neil deGrasse Tyson was in the audience and he provided a perspective not considered by those on the panel,

Boom! Put that in your nacelle and smoke it!

Which Enterprise, or how about spaceship, do you think should be considered the greatest?

Source: The Next Web

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Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we’ll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.

ABOVE: Ninja Turtles bra. COwwabooba! [SceeneShoes @ Etsy.com]

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He is the Captain. The first, and many would say the best. William Shatner has been a constant for Star Trek fans over the last 46 years — on screen, behind the camera, and at the conventions. In his later years though, Shatner has picked up a magnifying glass and held it up to the phenomenon that has given him a career and the fandom that has supported and at times, reviled him. Our Steven Sautter was at a roundtable interview with Mr. Shatner during Comic-Con where Captain Kirk set his phaser to philosophize. Give it a read.

On fans and their motives for gathering at Cons:

William Shatner: I wrote a book, on which I thought “Who goes to Comic-Con, who goes to Star Trek conventions?” And I sought  to do interviews and do my due diligence about who comes to Comic-Con, what characters and why? And I came to the conclusion in the book, that that they were there to see each other, renew friendships, and have fun.

But when I asked myself the question again and did a documentary about it, I arrived at a much different and much deeper conclusion based on sociology and based on mythology — there is a far deeper and mystical, mysterious, sociological reason for people coming to Comic-Con, dressing up the way they do.

“What are they doing in San Diego, those fools.” That’s not it at all. It’s far deeper than that.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

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