SMOF News, volume 2, issue 42
Hall H already losing presentations, and news in brief.
Studios Leaving Hall H Already
Last week, Deadline made a dire prediction about what might happen if a strike by the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA comes to pass and big studios had no celebrities to show off in their headline presentations in Comic-Con International’s Hall H.
Although SAG-AFTRA’s members have authorized a strike, it can’t happen until after the end of the current contract on June 30, and Variety has reported that there might not be a strike straight away if negotiations are progressing well. But studios aren’t waiting that long to make decisions about their Comic-Con presentations, as The Wrap reports:
After making a big splash at Comic-Con in 2022, Marvel Studios will skip Hall H this year, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
Marvel will however have a presence on the convention floor.
…
Marvel Studios isn’t the only one skipping the annual geekfest as TheWrap is also hearing that Universal and HBO are possibly sitting out Comic-Con as well.
The Wrap notes that regardless of whether actors strike, the ongoing writers’ strike has already thrown production schedules into disarray.
Marvel’s presence on the convention floor probably means a booth in Comic-Con’s exhibit hall, though it could also mean that other program items involving Marvel Studios will still happen.
In Brief
Anime Expo (Los Angeles, July 1-4) has added Yoshiki, Yoko Taro, Hiroyuki Seshita, Jin, Atsushi Ohkubo, Masahiko Minami, Toshihiro Kawamoto, Kafka Asagiri, Kazutaka Kodaka, Satoshi Kada, Shinya Sumi, Satoshi Onishi, Kyohei Yaguchi, Hirotaka Kobayashi, and Miura Ayme as guests of honor.
Tampa Bay Comic Convention (Tampa, Florida, July 28-30) has added Debbe Dunning, Dameon Clarke, and Steve Burton as guests.
RetroWorld Expo (Hartford, Connecticut, August 26-27) has added Caleb Ashton and Tito as guests.
The Uncanny Experience (Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 16-17) has added Eric and Julia Lewald as guests.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, September 21-23) has added Joel McHale, Lauren Cohan, Dermot Mulroney, Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, and John Glover as guests.
Cincinnati Comic Expo (Cincinnati, Ohio, September 22-24) has added Neal McDonough, Enrique Lopez, Floyd Norman, Jeffrey Moy, Stuart Sayger, Scott Beaderstadt, and Gavin Smith as guests.
Event Calendar
Weekend of June 23-25
LibertyCon 35 / DeepSouthCon 61, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
PortConMaine: Year of the Yokai, Portland, Maine, USA
Narrativity 2023 (storytelling in literary sf), Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
Cosplay America, Cary, North Carolina, USA
The Town That Never Was (steampunk), Telford, UK
Aurawra (anthropomorphic), Sydney, Australia
Origins Game Fair 2023, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Nexus Game Fair, Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA
Magic City Con (gaming), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Game Con Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
GeeklyCon 2023 (gaming), Rochester, New York, USA
Too Many Games (video gaming), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA
Neo Anime Oasis:02, Boise, Idaho, USA
SunnyCon Anime Expo, St. James Park, UK
Black Hills Con (anime), Rapid City, South Dakota, USA
Anime Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Bold Matsuri (anime), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Anime Sekai, Abilene, Texas, USA
Finn-Con@MDC (anime), Miami, Florida, USA
Anime Festival Wichita, Wichita, Kansas, USA
Kyokai Con (anime), Mission, Texas, USA
AnimeSHOW 2023, Bratislava, Slovakia
Forest City Comicon, London, Ontario, Canada
Mississippi Comic Convention, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Smallville Comic Con, Smallville, Kansas, USA
Lewisburg Comic-Con, Lewisburg, Ohio, USA
Greater Austin Comic Convention, Cedar Park, Texas, USA
TrekFest 38: Quark's Bar (Star Trek), Riverside, Iowa, USA
Weekend of June 30-July 2
SoonerCon 31, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic
BayCon 2023: A Night at the Space Opera, Santa Clara, California, USA
Anthrocon 2023: Anthropolis: Our Furry City (anthropomorphic), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Paris est Ludique! (gaming), Paris, France
DexLite (gaming), Morristown, New Jersey, USA
RAGECON 2023 (gaming), Sparks, Nevada, USA
ShepparCon ‘23 (gaming), Shepperton, UK
Delta H Con (anime), Houston, Texas, USA
DoKomi (anime), Düsseldorf , Germany
Sydney Manga & Anime Show, Sydney, Australia
Anime Expo 2023, Los Angeles, California, USA
BA-CON 2023 (anime), Pasadena, Texas, USA
Kowai Con (anime horror), Pflugerville, Texas, USA
Fan Expo Denver (media), Denver, Colorado, USA
Avalon Expo 10/X (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Nickel City Comic Con, Buffalo, New York, USA
Hershey Comic Con, Grantville, Pennsylvania, USA
Florida Supercon (media), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Weekend of July 7-9
Finncon 2023 (Finnish national sf convention), Tampere, Finland
InConJunction 42: Space is Big, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
XXXVI Semana Negra, Gijón, Spain
Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic
Play On Con, Columbiana, Alabama, USA
Edge-Lit, Derby, UK
CONvergence 2023: All Dressed Up..., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Tremendicon 2023, Springfield, Missouri, USA
Blerdcon Fae'd to Black (Black geekdom), Arlington, Virginia, USA
Fur-Eh! 2023: Broadway Tails (anthropomorphic), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
East Coast Gaming Expo, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
Dice Tower East (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
Gem State Gaming Convention, Boise, Idaho, USA
Okashicon (anime), Pflugerville, Texas, USA
OokiiSoraCon (anime), Helena, Montana, USA
Anime Blues Con, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Anime Midwest, Rosemont, Illinois, USA
Anime Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
Atsusacon 2023: Into Another World - Isekai Edition (anime), Ghent, Belgium
KuroNekoCon 2023 (anime), Spokane, Washington, USA
ExpOtaku Torremolinos 2023 (anime), Torremolinos, Mexico
Shore Leave 43 (media), Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
Fanboy Expo Knoxville (media), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
London Film & Comic Con, London, UK
Eternal Con (media), Hampstead, New York, USA
TrotCon 2023 (My Little Pony), Dayton, Ohio, USA
CybFest NW (Transformers), Kent, Washington, USA
30th Anniversary X-Files Fan Fest, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA
Weekend of July 14-16
Estcon 2023 (Estonian national sf convention), Udu, Estonia
Diversicon 30: The Con on the Edge of Forever, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
ConGregate 9, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Imaginarium Convention, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Readercon 32 (books only), Quincy, MA
Once and Future Fantasies (symposium), Glasgow, UK
Anthro Weekend Utah: Double Awu Seven, Layton, Utah, USA
Brazil FurFest 2023: Universidade Furry (anthropomorphic), Santos, Brazil
Furway 2023 (anthropomorphic), Brandbu, Norway
QuinCon 36 (gaming), Quincy, Illinois, USA
Mega XP (gaming), Mexico City, Mexico
KantCon: Just Game (gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
LevelUp Retreat (gaming), Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
ConQuest Fresno (gaming), Clovis, California, USA
Phoenix Con (gaming), Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Final Boss Con (gaming), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA
CharCon 2023 (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Ettin Con 2023 (gaming), online
Berlin Brettspiel Con 2023 (gaming), Berlin, Germany
Open Gaming Convention 2023, Westford, Massachusetts, USA
Houston Gaming Expo (video games), Houston, Texas, USA
MAGWest 2023 (video games), San Jose, California, USA
MGSCon (Metal Gear video games), Los Angeles, California, USA
Anime Friends, São Paulo, Brazil
Tokyo, OK (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Akaicon (anime), Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
MondoCon (anime), Budapest, Hungary
Animethon 2023, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Ai-Kon 2023 (anime), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Japan Expo 2023 (anime), Villepinte, France
Pretty Heroes (female-centered anime), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
8-Bit Block Party (media), New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Metrocon (media), Tampa, Florida, USA
Comiccon de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Polarity (Doctor Who), Coventry, UK
Above, Below, & Beyond (Beauty and the Beast TV show), San Diego, California, USA
TFcon Toronto (Transformers), Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Weekend of July 21-23
Pemmi-Con (2023 NASFiC), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Celsius 232, Avilés, Spain
Confluence 2023, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA
Fur Out West: Candyland 2023 (anthropomorphic), Scarborough, Western Australia, AustraliaBoard Game Days, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Venger Con II: Electric Boogaloo (gaming), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
Fling.con (gaming), New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Twisted Lords Con 2023 (gaming), Midwest City, Oklahoma, USA
24 Hour Board Game Marathon 2023, Ilminster, UK
World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA
Historicon 2023: America: Expansion and Civil War (miniatures gaming), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Classic Game Fest (retro video games), Austin, Texas, USA
Tosho-con (anime), Cranford, New Jersey, USA
Anime Messe Babelsberg, Berlin, Germany
AnimeIowa, Coralville, Iowa, USA
Kitsune Kon (anime), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
ExpOtaku Tarragona (anime), Tarragona, Spain
Tekko 2023 (anime), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
AkaiCon 2023 (anime), Lebanon, Tennsesse, USA
Kogan Con 2023 (anime), Grand Haven, Michigan, USA
AFA Creators Super Fest Singapore 2023 (anime), Singapore
Comic-Con International, San Diego, California, USA
ConnectiCon XX (media), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Saggeek 2023 (media), Saguenay, Québec, Canada
MAPLD Fan Fest (media), Matteson, Illinois, USA
The Urban Nerd Con (Black media), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Coda
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