Hello again, members of the 405th!
We've got a few announcements that we wanted to pass along to you!
First of all, we're very excited to announce that we have changed venues from the Omaha/La Vista Conference Center to the Qwest Center Omaha (
http://www.qwestcenteromaha.com/def...sn3opt=1&bldgopt=2&month=6&year=2011&newsID=0)! There were several reasons for the change, but to keep it simple we'll leave the primary explanation as logistical issues.
The dates are the same! June 10th-12th, 2011 at Qwest Center Omaha. For out of town visitors (and in-town residents who want a vacation from the house) we're negotiating with several downtown hotels to get the best room rates available, starting with the Hilton Omaha which is connected by skywalk to the Qwest Center Omaha!
We've announced a few guests on our website already! I'd like to recap a little here for you.
Mark Ryan - The voice of BumbleBee and JetFire in the Transformers movies and rumored to be returning for Transfomers: The Dark of the Moon (2011). He has appeared in The Prestige, Alias, JAG, Charlie's Angels, Frasier, Evita, First Knight, and many other films and TV shows. He has done voice work for the Transfomers Video Games, and is the creator of the graphic novel "The Pilgrim".
For Star Wars fans we're also pleased to announce that we've signed the author of Death Troopers and the upcoming Red Harvest, Joe Schreiber! Joe Schreiber was born in Michigan but spent his formative years in Alaska, Wyoming, and northern California. Until recently, he had never lived at the same address for longer than a year. Becoming a parent forced him to consider a career with more reliable income, and he got a job as an MRI tech in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife and their two children.
We're also proud to announce Comic Book Writer Gary Friedrich! Best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' "Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos", and for the following era's "Monster of Frankenstein" series and co-creator of the supernatural motorcyclist "Ghost Rider".
We're also very proud to announce Comic Book Artist, Writer, and Penciler Phil Hester to our list of attendees! This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa. His pencilling credits include Swamp Thing, Brave New World, Flinch, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Clerks: The Lost Scene, The Crow: Waking Nightmares, The Wretch (nominated for the 1997 Eisner Award for Best New Series), Aliens: Purge, and Green Arrow.Since graduating from the University of Iowa, he has been in the comics industry for over 15 years. During his run on Green Arrow, he created the characters Mia Dearden and Onomatopoeia with writer Kevin Smith as well as Constantine Drakon with writer Judd Winick. Hester co-created Uncle Slam and Firedog with his Green Arrow collaborator, artist Ande Parks. He also created El Diablo, a new character (with a common name in DC Comics) who debuted in an eponymous limited series. His last comic 13 Steps will adapted in a Comedy Horror film. Hester is currently writing the new adventures of Golden Age hero 'The Black Terror' for Dynamite Entertainment, taking plot cues from Alex Ross, the series follows the stories set out by Ross et al. in the Project Superpowers Universe.
We are also pleased to announce Rudy Garcia as a guest! Rudy Garcia has been in the toy industry for over 10 years, creating action figures and statues of some of the most memorable pop culture icons ever imagined. From Freddy Krueger to Wolverine, the list goes on. He is also the creator of the "Evolution Cop" comic series.
Along with these great guests we are also very honored to announce an up and coming actress who has a history of being undead! Sonya Thompson will be appearing in The Walking Dead TV Series debuting on AMC this Halloween! She has appeared as a zombie in ZombieLand and can be seen in Ben 10: Alien Swarm.
Along with these guest we also have:
Cynthia Martin (Marvel Star Wars, 501st Legion Honorary Member)
David P. Murphy (Author, Zombies for Zombies: Advice and Etiquette for the Living Dead and the sequel Zombies for Zombies -- The Play & Werk Buk)
Marcus Pelegrimas (Author, The Skinners Series)
Chloe Neill (Author, Chicagoland Vampires Series)
Greg M. Hall (Author, Traffic Control and Outer Reaches)
Fredd Gorham (Artist, host of the Artist' Jam at Contagion: Outbreak)
We have over 100 artist tables available ($35 - includes 1 free pass) and over 60 vendor booths!
We are planning so much more, so stay tuned to
www.ContagionOutbreak.com for updates!
We have also just announced another major guest at
www.ContagionOutbreak.com, so if you're also a fan of Serenity and Firefly or Stargate: Atlantis, check it out!