Hey everyone,

Hope you're all well.

The excellently kind folks at the also excellent movies.ie
have teamed up with us and are giving everyone on our mailing list a
chance to see Watchmen this Wednesday the 4th at 7PM. All you have to
do is click this link http://www.movies.ie/comiccon and the winners of the competition will be notified on Monday night/Tuesday morning via e-mail


So get cracking because this competition will close Monday.

Be sure to visit www.dublincitycomiccon.com on the First of May for all the announcements for this year's Comic Con.


Thanks everyone, and to the all the winners I hope you enjoy the film.

Cheers all.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids....

Thank You Everybody.

Hey everybody, much like last year I’ve needed to take a few days off after the convention just to recharge my batteries. 12 hours sleep in 4 days does not make for healthy living. But just like the last 2 years it was, at least in my opinion. Well worth it.

Each year the spotlight gets thrown on me as the main person behind the con, but this year, far more than others that’s really not the case. The credit primarily goes to Dave and everyone listed below. Yeah sure I’m generally the man on hand during the set up and the event. But Dublin City Comic Con’s far more people than me and couldn’t happen without the help and support of a wide selection of people who travel at their own expense, stay in Dublin at their own cost and give up their time and energy for nothing other than a thanks from me and Dave.

So here goes, I really, really hope I don’t forget anyone in particular and if I do please forgive me and let me know so I can amend this piece to include everyone that helped get us through the weekend.

First and foremost I want to thank the con’s crew. Without these guys the con would just be a massive mess. So to our event planning crew Gar Cummins, Mark Hall, Bruno Batista, Peter Marry and especially Tamsin Isles for not making me go mad at each and any stage. I really want to say thank you. Without you guys I think I would have blown a gasket on this.

To all the volunteers that looked after the pro’s, traders and small press alike on the day, thanks a million. I’d never be able to be in all places at once and these guys did an amazing job. James Dodsworth, Mark and Sabrina Peyton, Carlos Fraile, Mike F, Peter Noble, Graham Holbrook and Dave Williams and Josh. Thanks for being there all weekend from Friday to help with even the littlest jobs that made my life easier.

To our ever competent and amazing door staff that greeted every attendee and helped everyone be where they wanted to be at the right time thanks a million. Thanks Aoifa and Fiona Connelly, Anne-Marie and Paul Monaghan. You guys are the business and I love that you’re all so eager and willing to give up your weekends for this. Thank You.

To our super talented photographer Nick Carroll, a big thanks goes out to you especially. One of these days I’m really going to have to sit down with you and go through every single photo from the last three years.

Next up I want to thank the traders who came and supported the event. I know these things are a big risk to take and I appreciate everyone that attended and had faith in the con despite the fact that a million and one things can and do go wrong at these things. It’s so nice of you to put your faith in the con as a brand and turn up with your wares. So to all of you thank you. Any feedback from this year would be really appreciated from you guys especially about how we can improve the con experience for you all. Really.

To all the small press and independent publishers that came along I really want to thank you guys especially. If the traders at a convention are the flesh of a con, then all the small press and independents are the bones of it. I was really glad that so many of you were there and was gutted I couldn’t see the Launch Pad panel hosted by liam Sharp and Johnathan Hickman highlighting all of the new books and talent that were there this year. I hope you all have great careers in this industry.

Last but not least I want to thank all of our featured guests who accepted our invitations to come to this years convention. So in no particular order I want to say a special thank you for putting in so much hard work, time and effort over the course of the weekend to meet and chat with fans, as well as sketch for them.

First of the bunch I want to thank the one and only Liam Sharp who’s a Dublin City Comic Con fixture at this stage. Liam’s a true gentleman and was as gracious as ever to all of his fans over the weekend. Recently Liam’s work on Gears of War had us all blown away but it was really lovely to see his original artwork as well as see copies of his new novel God Killers (which I promise I will read Liam) there at the con. I don’t think we’d ever want to do a con without Liam Sharp no matter what. Liam, you’re a true friend and an amazing talent. Thanks so much for coming matey.

Second of the bunch is the truly hilarious Dan Slott. I had never met Dan before so I had no idea what to expect but this man was one of the nicest and smartest men I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Throw in the fact that he’s one of the most passionate people into comic books that I’ve ever met and you could chat to Dan for hours about characters and stories no end. It was great to see Dan talking to all of the con attendees and his panels were one of the highlights of the show this year. So Dan, thank you so much sir. It’s great to see my childhood heroes are in really safe hands!

One of the convention highlights was the colouring workshop that Matt Hollingsworth presented. People who were at it found it really interesting. I didn’t get to go but one of the highlights of the weekend for me was meeting Matt and getting to chat to him over a beer. (or 10) Matt’s a really nice, smart, informed guy with a great sense of humour. And as far as I can tell as keen an interest in history as colouring. Walking around Dublin with everyone showing them the sites on Monday was a lot of fun for me, but I think out of us all matt was the one who enjoyed it the most. Matt, thanks for coming man, and thank you for the nice things you said about the con in the pub on Monday. I truly appreciate it and hope to see you in Croatia in May man.

A big, big thank you goes out to Johnathan Hickman. This guy’s amazing. Johnatha was not only a great convention guest, a great member of every single panel he was on but he signed and sketched for each and every attendee who wanted to talk to him. Johnathan you’re a top bloke and chatting to you over the weekend was a real highlight and listening to him talk about his stuff was great. I still can’t believe that every panel in the Nightly News was an individual piece of art that you put into Illustrator. That’s really impressive man, and I think neither me, Adi Granov or Olivier Coipiel could believe it. I’m really looking forward to Secret Warriors and whatever else you produce next. Thank you for coming Johnathan.

Next up is the ever amazing Paul Cornell. Again, like Liam Sharp, paul’s a Dublin Con veteran. What I love though is that each year he comes back there’s more and more of his work out there. He’s been brilliant on books like Wisdom and Captain Britain and is most definitely going to be back to us with more and more work each year. Not only that Paul’s always been there helping to promote the convention with other guests and I truly, truly appreciate that Paul. You’re a true friend, and a great con guest. So much so that Paul had to leave his taxi to the airport waiting outside while he finished signing some Dr Who merchandise for a fan. Paul you’re a class act.

Seaking of class acts I really, really want to thank Adi Granov for coming and working so hard. Adi part of Dublin Con family now and i love that he's as popular at the con as he is as popular an artist. Adi's a really funny guy and we're very lucky to ahve him attend the show each year. We hope to see a lot more of him in the future. Thanks Adi.

I really want to thank Michael Lark for coming along all the way from the States to set up shop here at the con. Michael’s art is truly amazing and to see so much of it in real life was fantastic. His con sketches as well were equally impressive. Taking his time for everyone that approached him for one. It’s no wonder this guy’s on a roll with Marvel pencilling Daredevil in what I believe will truly become to known as one of the books seminal runs. Thanks a lot for coming Michael.

A big, big thank you goes out to one of the con’s great highlight each year he attends. The amazingly talented and funny Rob Reilly, who flew to Dublin just to spend the two days at the convention sketching non stop for convention attendees. For those of you who don’t know Rob’s work go check it out. He’s a huge talent and is one of those people who can whip up something amazing in a few minutes. Rob, the convention door is always open to you here in Dublin whenever you want it man. Thanks a lot.

I really want to thank our resident Nick Roche who as ever sketched and sketched the weekend away. From the sketches I saw as well as the artwork Nick brought to show fans it’s evident that Nick’s just one of those guys whose going to be a big, big name in a few years. The pencils he showed me just proved that each year Nick attends he’s getting better and better with every page and that Cap Vs Iron Man piece he showed me at the bar blew me away. Nick brought along a lot of his original pages from the various Transformers books from IDW Publishing he’s working on but by far the best piece was a splash from Transformers Maximum Dinobots that left this fan clamouring for more. Nick, as ever, thanks so much for coming along.

A big Thanks goes to Declan Shalvey, who worked his ass off all weekend and was a great, great guest to have. I’ve known Dec for years and I really love that he’s at every con sketching away for everyone that asks. Myself included. Dec, I’m really happy that all of the books you brought along sold so well. Everyone should check out dec’s work on books like Frankenstein, Blood-Psi, Hero Killers, Tim Skinner and Freak Show. Dec’s going to be a huuugggggeeeee name in this industry very, very soon and deserves it no end. ..hanks for coming and thanks for my Batman sketch too. I was well chuffed.

Another one of the home team who helped us make it a great con was Stephen Mooney, who worked all weekend long sketching and signing for anyone that asked him too. Steve’s work just keeps getting better and what is great is that when you say it to him he’s genuinely appreciative and modest. He’s a great guest at any con and I hope that we see plenty more of Stephen in the coming years at Dublin Con. He was a real crowd pleaser and his work just keeps blowing people away, and deservedly so. Stephen’s worked really hard to be in this business and I hope he’s here for many more years to come.

The same can be said for the talented and amazing Stephen Thompson
, he was just as nice and amenable to every attendee and just like all of his fellow artist worked really, really hard. Stephen’s art last year at the con was great, but this year he was amazing. A tru talent that’s worked hard to get where he is and I really love that he’s just on the cusp of the biggest boost in his career. I’m still not sure if that was announced yet so I’m going to stay really quiet. But Steve, congratulations on that man and I hope we see much, much more from you soon. Thanks for working so hard all weekend.

To David Lafuente I just want to say a huge thank you for all the time and effort you put in here in Dublin over the weekend. You’re con sketches that you drew for people were anything but sketches, they were damn near finished pieces and everyone that got one from! you were amazed at the sheer amount of effort and detail you put into it. I wish I had have had time to get one for myself, but I will next year hopefully. Until then I’ll have to make do with my copies of Patsy Walker Hellcat and Ultimate Spider-Man annual for a dose of Dave goodness. Wait, that came out wrong!!!

One of the most impressive things I saw all weekend was watching Olivier Coipiel draw for fans. I say draw because anything this guy drew at the convention could not be classed as a sketch. He produced works of art for everyone that waited in line for him and he was as great a guest as he is an artist. A truly funny bloke who was always up for a load of fun and work at the exact same time. I seriously hope anyone that was lucky enough to get a sketch from Olivier cherishes it for what it is. Olivier, I promise that the next year you come back here I’m going to show you around for a day. I’m sorry you missed that this year. But it just means you’re going to have to come back to us. Thank you so much man.

Another great highlight of the convention was getting to meet Tommy Lee Edwards. Tommy’s a man whose art I really admired for a long time, whether it was Bullet Points or Marvel’s 1985 or any of the film work I’ve see that you’ve produced it’s always been obvious that Tommy’s an amazing talent. But after meeting him I can tell you that I really admire Tommy as a person far, far more than I even admire his work. (no offence Tommy but you know what I mean right?) I’m really glad you had a nice time here and that you’ve stayed on in Ireland to see a bit more of it. But I’m over the moon we convinced you to pop your cherry and get your first Tattoo here in Classic Ink. It looks great man, and remember. Once you get one. You end up getting another haha. Thank you for all of the work you did and all the time you put in. We really appreciate it.

Next up I want to thank one of the nicest, friendliest and most talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Mr C.B. Cebulski. Chester, you’re tha man. You always, without question go above and beyond the call of duty at Dublin and are very, very gracious with your time. Whether it be signing books, doing Portfolio Reviews, or presenting panels you’re one of the best guests any convention could ever hope to get. I swear man, as God is my witness there’ll always be a spot for you at the Dublin Con. That and you’re an ace drinking buddy helps out a lot too. Thanks C.B. I’ll see you in New York in February.

Gah, this things gotten really long so I’m going to mad brief for the next part. I want to thank Rich Johnston for working so hard at the con and presenting both Have I Got Feuds For You and Live-Ing In The Gutters. The man worked really hard during that panel and although I saw only a portion of it, everybody who attended only had good things to say about it. Thanks a lot Rich. We all really appreciate it.


Last but most certainly not least is one Mr Esad Ribic, I purposely left Esad until the end because I can’t say enough good things about this man so I limited the amount of space I could talk about him here. Quite simply, Esad was the surprise highlight of the con for me, and most people that had any interaction with him at all. He is the funniest person you could ever meet, truly professional in everything he does at a convention. Excellent at doing signings and sketches for all of the fans and the one man I hope I never have to match drink for drink in a bar. The man is as much a gent as he is a talent in this business. And trust me, comic’s are far better for having Esad in them. If you’ve not checked out Sub-Mariner or Loki than you’re missing out. Go look them up. Esad, the offer’s always there for you to come over mate. See you in May.

I think that’s it for our guests, so I’d just like to thank one or two more people here and then thankfully, I can go home to bed. I’d really like to thank Joe Quesada, Jim McCann and EVERYBODY in the Marvel Bullpen for supporting this convention as much as they have in the last few years. We really appreciate it and I know we owe you a load of drinks for everything you’ve done for us. I’ll start paying you all back in February.

I want to thank everyone who came along and queued up and bought books and toys and got sketches and went to panels and hung out and talked to us all about something we love so much. We put on a con. You guys are the business and we really, really couldn’t do it without you.

So thank you.

One last thing I want to add is this. The one thing me and Dave are the most proud of about this whole monster that we call Dublin City Comic Con. Is that some people who’ve come along and shown their work to editors have either gotten work in this industry, or are one step closer. It’s a nice thing to be able to say that the event you’ve organised has helped gotten people’s work seen or helped them along the way. But to all of you folks who came up and said thanks to us over the weekend for this chance.

Please don’t worry.

We love seeing it happen more than you.

Trust us.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Right, I’m off to sleep for a week.

See you all next year.

Cheers,

The Dublin City Comic Con 2008 crew.

Saturday22/11/2008....

IndependentComics Panel Hosted By Liam Sharp.
10:15 AM –11:15 AM....

Featuring Stephen Mooney, Stephen Thompson, Nick Rocheand Declan Shalvey talking about all aspects of working in the world ofIndependent comics. This panel is hosted by Mam Tor Editor in Chief Liam Sharp.Who recently published his first novel God killers and is the artist on 2008’shighest selling comic book, Gears of War from Wildstorm Productions.   

Artistson Comic Art Panel Hosted By John Hendrick
11:30 AM –12:30 PM

This panelwill feature some of the biggest and best talents in the industry today. Guestson the panel are Adi Granov, artist on Iron Man Viva las Vegas and Extremis forMarvel. Olivier Coipiel, artist on Marvel’s Thor and House of M. Last up isDavid Lafuente who broke into Marvel at last years Dublin City Comic Con. Sincethen David has pencilled Patsy Walker Hell Cat and worked with Brian MichaelBendis on Ultimate Spider-Man. This panel will be hosted by John Hendrick. He’sjust some guy.  ....

ColouringWorkshop with Matt Hollingsworth.
1:30 PM –2:45 PM

Learn howto colour from one of the most respected and talented colourists working in thefield of comics today. Eisner award winning colourist Matt Hollingsworth willbe presenting this colouring workshop. He has worked on many titles forDC/Vertigo, Marvel, and others, including Catwoman, Batman and Alias. He won anEisner Award for Best Colorist/Coloring in 1997, for work on several comicsincluding Death: The High Cost of Living. He was nominated in 2004 forCatwoman. His latest project is an Eternals book written by Neil Gailmen andpencilled by John Romita,Jr. In 2003, he enrolled in the Gnomon School ofVisual Effects in Hollywood to become a visual effects artist in the film industry.He began working as a texture painter and technical director on such films asSky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Fantastic Four, Serenity,Superman Returns, among others.....

Writers Q and A with Jonathan Hickman,Paul Cornell and Dan Slott.
3:30 PM –4:30 PM.

This Q andA is aimed at all the budding writers out there. Here’s your chance to askthree of the most successful and prolific writers working in the medium today,their tips and hints on getting your work out there. Seen by editors and justwhat’s involved in creating the perfect comic book script. Featuring JohnathanHickman (The Nightly News, Pax Romana) Paul Cornell (Wisdom, Captain Britain)and Dan Slott. (Spider-Man, She Hulk)

Pint’ O Joe Hosted C.B. Cebulski.
5:00 PM –6:00 PM.

Here we go again, this is the traditional Cup O’ Joe panel hosted at comic conventionsaround the world, only in Dublin it’s been renamed Pint O’ Joe just for us.Each year Marvel Comics are kind enough to offer us a few little exclusive bitsand pieces that they save up just for the Dublin City Comic Con. Last year wewere shown exclusive images of Garth Ennis’s Marvel Book War Is Hell TheFirst Flight of the Phantom Eagles. As well as the first official announcement of Mike Carey’s current X-Mentitle X-Men Legacy. Both of these titles were exclusively announced at lastyear’s Pint O’ Joe. Check out this year’s panel to see what the fine folks atMarvel have in store for us at this year’s Dublin City Comic Con. This panel istraditionally hosted by C.B. Cebulski, (Marvel Fairy Tales, The Loners)whenever Joe Quesada’s not in attendance.....

Sunday23/11/2008

Launch Pad Hosted by Johnathan Hickman.
12:00 PM –1:00 PM....

This presentation is a spotlight on up and coming independent Irish Comic Bookslaunching exclusively at this year’s Dublin City Comic Con. There’ll be a rangeof titles and creators talking about their respective releases. Hosted byJonathan Hickman, writer and artist of the Nightly News, Pax Romana andarchitect of the new Marvel Universe Cross Over Event Secret Warriors. This isdefinitely one not to be missed.

Marvel Comics Panel Part 1.
1:00 PM –2:00 PM.

Split up into two panels in order to highlight each creator attending Dublin City ComicCon’s work. Part one will feature Marvel creators Dan Slott, (Spider-Man) AdiGranov, (Iron Man) Esad Ribic, (Loki, Sub-Mariner) Tommy Lee Edwards (1985,Bullet Points) and Michael Lark. (Daredevil, Gotham Central) It will run forone hour where there will be a brief intermission to facilitate a change over.
 
MarvelComics Panel Part 2.
2:15 PM –3:15 PM

Part 2 will feature Jonathan Hickman, (Secret Warriors) Olivier Coipiel, (Thor, House of M)Paul Cornell, (Captain Britain, Wisdom) C.B. Cebulski (The Loners, Wonderlost)and David Lafuente. (Ultimate Spider-Man, Patsy Walker Hellcat) Expect more indepth Marvel discussion from the Masters of the Marvel Universe.

EXCELSIOR!!!

Live-ing in the Gutters Hosted by Rich Johnston.
4:30 PM –6:00 PM.

The biggestrumour mongerer in Comics today presents his live version of his online columnLying in the Gutters, the longest running and most popular comic book rumourmongering column on the web. This one should have plenty of gossip, storiesyou’re not meant to hear and plenty more. Scheduled to appear with Rich on thispanel are Liam Sharp, C.B. Cebulski, Dan Slott and Jonathan Hickman. But afterthe weekend there’s really no guarantee that they’ll want to do it. That’s whatmakes Live-ing in the Gutters such a fun panel. Be sure you don’t miss it. ....

I got this from Jim Lee who took it from Bead Meltzer's. Read on and spread the word folks.

****

Here's the straight scoop, direct from organizer/creator Brad Meltzer, who spent a ton of time and his own resources to make his vision a reality.

****

What's this all about again?
Today is the official launch of The Siegel & Shuster Society, with a celebrity charity auction that'll raise money to preserve the home of Jerry Siegel, creator of Superman. When you go to Brad Meltzer's charitable website www.OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, you can:
- bid online for original Superman and comic book art and items by top writers and artists
- buy a Siegel & Shuster Society t-shirt (designed by the legendary graphic designer Chip Kidd)
- or just donate to the good cause.
The best way to show it is here:Save the Superman House
All proceeds go to the restoration of the Siegel house.

Who's involved in the auction?
This is a coming together of an entire community. The full list includes: Stephen Colbert, Jim Lee, Brian Michael Bendis, Brad Meltzer, Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, Joe Quesada, Neil Gaiman, Alex Ross, Dave Gibbons, Jeph Loeb, Murphy Anderson, Ed Brubaker, John Cassaday, Gene Ha, Greg Rucka, George Perez, Michael Turner, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Judd Winick, Frank Cho, Eric Powell, Tim Sale, Walt Simonson, Joe Staton, Eric Wight, Dave Mandel, Mike Mignola, Rags Morales, Bill Morrison, Ivan Reis, John Romita Jr., Jason Palmer, Amanda Conner, Geoff Darrow, Ron Garney, Renato Guedes, Heroes, Dave Johnson, Chris Bachalo, Mike Bair, Allen Bellman, Dan Brereton, Ernie Chan, Travis Charest, and Ian Churchill, YOU, and even Jerry Siegel (see below).

How did this come about?
While researching his new novel, The Book of Lies, Brad Meltzer visited the boyhood home of Jerry Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio, where Superman was created. As Meltzer says, "The house where Google was founded is preserved. The garage where Hewlett Packard was founded is protected. But the house where Superman was born? I was in shock." After contacting dozens of comic book creators -- and thanks to the hard work of many in the city of Cleveland -- The Siegel & Shuster Society was created and is dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the creation of Superman in Cleveland by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. "I think sometimes people take things like this for granted because it started in cartoon form, but this is a house were modern mythology was created," Brain Michael Bendis adds. "Mythology that will never die away or disappear. There is no difference, to me, between this house and Mark Twain's house. We have to honor and exalt such creation."

What are the items in the auction?
You can win a walk-on part on Heroes, VIP seats to the Colbert Report, original Superman art (go see the art!), have your name in Bendis or Brubaker or Rucka's comic, or Meltzer's next novel. There's a rare original pre-Superman movie script from Geoff Johns, signed by Richard Donner. And Joanne Siegel told Meltzer that before Jerry Siegel died, he signed six Superman t-shirts that no one ever knew existed -- and then told her that if their family ever needed money, she should sell the shirts. Instead, she donated one of them to be auctioned off here. The signature is on a Superman: Quest For Peace(!) t-shirt. C'mon, baby, it's Jerry Siegel on a Quest for Peace shirt!

What can you do?
Forward the video ( Save the Superman House ). Go buy a Siegel & Shuster Society t-shirt. They're cool. They're designed by Chip Kidd. They can't be bought anywhere else. Bid on some of the auctions and spread the word by sharing the video, sigs, and www.OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com auction with your facebook, myspace, and live-breathing friends.

How much is the Siegel And Shuster Foundation trying to raise?
Depends on how successful we are. Phase 1 involves working on the exterior of the house: securing the roof, making sure the paint isn't rotting, doing the concrete work. That will hopefully protect the place from the outside. Joe Shuster's house (a few blocks away) was in such disrepair, it was torn down. The first goal is to collect $50,000 to deal with the outside. If we do that, then we'll go and tackle the much-needed-repairs on the inside.

Who lives there now?
The house is located in one of the tougher neighborhoods of Cleveland and is currently occupied by an African-American couple who have lived there for approximately 20 years, who have put up with all of us who have come visiting, but who don't have the money to do these repairs. Rather than kick anyone out on the street, the goal is to repair this place for them. Why? It's the right thing to do. In return, The Siegel & Shuster Society has the right to buy the house when it eventually goes up for sale.

Is there a long-term goal to make a museum?
The long-term goal is still being decided, and that's why you're invited to join The Siegel & Shuster Society and help us with those plans. Meetings are held monthly in Cleveland -- when you buy a shirt, they'll have your name. But one of the dreams is that one day, buses full of students will drive from all over Ohio, from Michigan, from any nearby state, and come to the fully-restored house -- covered and decorated with children's artwork inside -- and see where one of the world's greatest dreams was born. Go to www.OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com to make it happen.

****

Even if you can't donate a dime, please help spread the word. I realize there are many worthwhile causes in this world...I support many of them too but this is just a real shame.

--
Jim Lee

.. ....

The Dublin City Comic Con 2008 is running across the weekend of 22-23 November in the Park Inn Smithfield Square Dublin. This year sees a phenomenal guest list with Dan Slott (writer of She Hulk, the Amazing Spider-Man), Adi Granov (Artist Iron Man), Olivier Copiel (Artist Thor), Jonathan Hickman (Writer Artist The Nightly News, Pax Romana, Red Mass For Mars) Tommy Lee Edwards (Artist Marvel 1985), Michael Lark (Artist Dardevil, Gotham Central), Paul Cornell (Writer Captain Britain And MI:13, Doctor Who), CB Cebulski (Writer Marvel Fairy Tales, X-Men Divided We Stand, Wonderlost, Drain), Liam Sharp (Artist Gears Of War, Lord Havok And The Extremists, Testament), Esad Ribic (Artist Silver Surfer Requiem, Loki) Matt Hollingsworth (Colourist Eternals, Daredevil, Death The High Cost Of Living), Nick Roche (Artist Transformers, Transformers Maximum Dinobots), Stephen Mooney (Artist Angel, The Mummy), Stephen Thompson (Artist Star Trek The New Frontier, Presidential Material John McCain). More guests to be confirmed.

We'll be running panels and signings throughout both days, there'll be two dealer rooms a small press room and a lecture theatre / screening room.

We hope to see you there. Admission is €20 per day or €35 for the weekend. Electronic ticketing via www.dublincitycomiccon.com will go live next week.

 

OK, I'm still barely alive but I figured that I'd get this out there as fast as possible. This years con was a resounding success and it didn't kill me. But one thing I wanted to do was thank EVERYBODY who helped make it that. Dublin City Comic Con is far more than me or Dave. And I just wanted to highlight everyone as best I could and say thank you individually. So, here goes, and if I forget anyone I really do apologise.

First up the staff, big props go out to Mark Hall, who, over the course of the last while has done an astounding job and managed to keep me sane through it all. The worst time of your life as a con organiser to have personal stuff going on is the run up to the event, and Mark was the main man who helped keep me focused and get me to pay attention to the things that truly mattered. Without him this wouldn't have been the success it was, so Mark. Thank you. next up is super designer Ciaran D, who has really, really brought his skills to this event and helped me brand it as the Comic Book event in Ireland. Ciaran, I fear you with your photoshop skills but I love you for them too. Thank you matey. Bruno, you star! You did a fantastic job and you're as dedicated as ever my man. Without you I'd have been pulling my hair out I tell you. You're appreciated dude. Thanks a million. Anne-Marie, Fiona, Aoife, Paul, Graham and the door staff. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on everything and making sure it all ticked over on the front desk without incident. You guys are amazing and it was great to know that so many of my family were there and gave their time to back me up. Mike F, Carlos, Mark P, James and Jenni. You're crowd control skills are second to none. Thank you so much for figuring it all out. Without you there would have been chaos. I really, really appreciate everything you guys did, he amount of time and effort you put into this will not be forgotten. Russell, I wasn't at the quiz but from what I hear you did an excellent job. I believe the quiz itself was something to behold. Cheers mate and I really want to thank your lovely assistants who corrected all the answers, Sabrina P and Aoifa, you guys rock! Thank you. A big, big shout out to Dave Williams and Ian Keegan who worked on the stall selling wares and pimping books. Dave Williams, it was great to get you back selling comic books even if it was just for one day, and Ian, or should I say the new Ultimate Carlos. You're the man, and you know I don't give praise lightly. Thanks a lot fellas. Michael Tegler, thank you for all the help with the site and all the online stuff. I truly appreciate it. Wesman, Noble and all. Thank you for the use of your arms in transporting the entire store to the con. Luke, thank you so much for all your driving around and being there for me to bitch and moan at. To our amazing photographer Nick Carrol thank you for all your hard work.

Now, on to the superstar talent.

First up I want to thank the Chief Mark Millar, whom without me just getting him and Hitchy over for a store signing for one day a few years ago. None of the seeds that have eventually led to this would have ever been planted. Mark, you're a true friend and it was great to see you again. I'm only sorry I never got the chance to spend more time with you. But, as ever. We're up to our eyes when we see each other. I'll try hook up with you for a few beers soon.

Paul Cornell, you're a star and you do indeed deserve the tag line as the nicest man in comics. Everyone was really excited about Excalibur but my plan to get you drunk and spill the beans never came to fruition damn it. Hope you had fun and it was great to see you eat your breakfast in a tux.

Steve McNiven, thank you for coming all the way from Canada for this, you made me and a lot of people very happy and you're so damn talented it's scary. It was really nice to meet you and your wife and I hope that it's not the last time. Thank you for all your work over the weekend.

Doug Braithwaite, you are an absolute gent, so sorry for the mix up on Thursday but I'm glad that you and your wife had a ball. Thank you for supporting us and thank you for my amazing hulk sketch. Big thank you too to your lovely wife. That woman is amazing and really, really smart. You should always do what she says, she'd never set you wrong. Cheers to both of you.

C.B. Cebulski, you sir, are one of my new heroes. Never have I met such a nice, fun , entertaining man and never have I seen anyone buy that many pints at 4 in the morning. I hope you got what you came to Dublin for haha. But I think you did. here's to Chesterquest. To C.B. and to Marvel for really, really believing in us and supporting us and giving us those exclusive announcements at the Pint O'Joe.

To Mr Andy Diggle, cheers bro. I had a great time talking to you and well, let's be honest getting really drunk with you. Although we had met I'd never actually really spoken to you much and it was great to finally meet you and have a joke. Thanks Andy.

Adi Granov, you are the coolest motherfu*%er in comics. Thanks again for coming back and thank you for that amazing print you gave me, that'll be getting framed in the morning and will take pride of place hanging on the wall at home. A big shout out as well to Tamsin. Tamsin. You're the best. You supported us and have done so much for the con. From spreading the word in Travelling Man to hyping us at Thought Bubble. You're like the kid sister I've never had and I love you to bits. Thanks to both you and Adi and I promise we'll do something soon where we're all not under amazing amounts of pressure. No Really, I swear.

Jock, you crazy ass bastard, you're the business. Never, ever have I ever been more entertained at dinner and never have I seen a man knock back that much Guiness. I'm over the moon you had as much fun as you did and I feel vaguely guilty about having to wake you up when I had to and throw you to the lions as such. But then you fu*&ing well pulled all that stuff on me and I don't feel guilty at all. In fact I'll get you back ar bristol haha. Thanks for everything man.

John McCrea, you are one hell of a guy. I've never seen anyone work like that, totally amazing. You're on my hit list too you cheeky bastard, I'll get you back. You should be very, very afraid. Thank you for being, as ever, one of the best troopers in the industry. You're an amazing man to hang out with. Cheers you wee bastard haha.

Steve Mooney, I'm over the moon for you. I hope you had a great birthday and I hope that you're really happy how the con went down for you. Everyone was really, really impressed with your work. You're going to be a guest at cons for many, many years.

Mr Carlos Pacheco, you're a true gentleman and a master at your art form. I saw some of your sketches and those weren't sketches. They were masterpieces. You're a truly impressive man and one of the most talented people I've ever seen work. Thank you so much Carlos.

To Nick Roche, I'm really, really happy for how the con went for you. And I loved watching you talk to all those kids about Dr Who and Transformers. It was great to see and you better get used to that sort of shock and awe. You're a great talent and a good mate. Thanks Nick.

To Liam Sharp, you're really a fantastic friend and such a fun bloke to hang out with. Thank you as ever, just for being you, and it was great to see you lash all those beers down your neck and have a great time over the weekend. Dublin just wouldn't be the same without you and it was really enjoyable seeing you with Lord Havok under your arm and all the other pros looking at it in awe. Well done buddy.

Stephen Thompson, you're going to be a great talent in this industry, everyone I spoke to loved your work and were really excited by it. i saw some of the sketches you did over the weekend and they were truly impressive. Well done man.

Last but most definitely not least, I want to thank our guest of honour. One Mr Jim Lee. Jim, you're truly one of the smartest and nicest people I've ever met. Thank you for everything over the weekend and thank you for all the beers last night. I am in bits today but it was a blast hanging with you. You worked so hard for everyone and so, so many people are smiling because of the amazing sketches you did for everyone. I'm sorry that you're vocabulary now has a few extra curse words but hey. They're Irish ones. No one will know what they mean back in San Diego. Thank you for the amazing Batman splash you drew for me. That will never, ever leave my possession. The entire weekend was worth it alone just for that. Thank you too to you're amazing girlfriend, she's one of the funniest people I've met in a long, long time. You're a very lucky guy. It was a blast hanging out with one of my childhood heroes for the best part of a week and we're going to do it again real, real soon.

And to all the traders, the exhibitors, the hotel staff, the barmen and to everyone that paid their hard earned cash to come to the show. My hats off to you. Thank you for making this a special convention. We'd love everyone to send us their thoughts and any criticisms they may have. We WANT to hear this so we can make it much better next year. let us know what would make it better. We'll do our best to kick even more ass next year.

If I missed anyone, I'm sorry. I'm still exhausted. I've never felt as tired as this in my life. But I've never had as much fun either.

Thank you everyone for making this the greatest weekend ever and all the very best to you all.

See you all next year.

Cheers John and the DCCC crew.

Here's the final schedule. Bear in mind that this can and probably deviate slightly here and there on the days but there's a lot for everyone each day.

Saturday.

Conservatory.

10 AM-1 PM Jim Lee.
1PM-3PM Andy Diggle, Jock, Carlos Pacheco, Dougie Braitwaite.
3PM-5PM Jim Lee.

Panel Room: this is also where artists will leave their portfolios for C.B.Cebulski to review later as part of Chesterquest.

11AM-12PM Getting into Comics Featuring C.B. Cebulski, Nick Roche,Steve Mooney and Steve Thompson.

1PM-2PM The Marvel Panel Part 1 featuring Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and Paul Cornell.
2PM-3PM The Marvel Panel Part 2 featuring C.B. Cebulski, Adi Granov and Ben Oliver.

5PM-6PM Pint O'Joe presented on behalf of Joe Quesada by C.B. Cebulski.


Main Room Signing Area.

10AM-12:30PM Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.

1PM- 3:00PM Simon Bisley, Liam Sharp, John McCrea and Nick Roche.

5PM-6PM: Adi Granov and Mark Millar.

Hotel Restaurant.

9PM. Dublin City Comic Con Charity Table Quiz in aid of Our Lady's Hospital For Sick Children.

Sunday.


Conservatory.

10AM-1PM Jim Lee.

1PM-2PM Cos Play Costume Award.

2PM-4PM Jim Lee.

4:30-6PM Simon Bisley

Panel Room.

11AM-12PM. Irish Comics Panel presented by Padraig O'Mealoid Featuring, Bob Byrne, Alan Nolan, Gar Cummings, Declan Shalvey.

12:00-1:00PM Comics to Movies and TV Panel featuring Andy Diggle, Paul Cornell and Adi Granov.

1:30PM-2:30PM D.C. Comics Panel Part 1 Featuring Doug Braitwaite, Andy Diggle and Jock
2:30PM-3:30PM D.C. Comics Panel Part 2 Featuring John McCrea, Carlos Pacheco and Liam Sharp.

3:45PM-4:30PM Chesterquest finalists call back. (Please note C.B. Cebulski will post a list of which artists he wishes to attend this, this is not an open event.

5PM-6PM Jim Lee Q and A.

Main Room Signing Area.

10AM-12PM. Andy Diggle and Liam Sharp.

10 AM-12:30PM Carlos Pacheco,Doug Braitwaite, Jock and John McCrea.

1:30PM-3PM Ben Oliver ,Steve McNiven, Adi Granov, C.B. Cebulski, Nick Roche, Steve Mooney and Stephen Thompson.

4PM-5PM There will be an opening signing session that the guests may avail of as this is the last hour that signings can take place. Odds are it'll all be happening in the bar.

Dublin City Comic Con Tickets are now on sale at http://www.dublincitycomiccon.com/

So what are you waiting for, get in there and pre-order your tickets to be sure of a chance to attend the biggest comic con ever held in Ireland.