SMOF News, volume 2, issue 45
Catching up on Comic-Con and the Hugos, and news in brief.
Comic-Con International Affected Further By Undeclared Strike
The contract for SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood actors’ union, was to have expired on June 30, but was extended by 12 days to allow for more negotiation. Federal mediators were brought in yesterday, but as of press time, with just a few hours to go until the extension expires, no breakthrough has been announced.
More studios have preemptively scaled back their publicity plans, including cutting appearances at Comic-Con International (July 19-23, San Diego). As previously reported, Marvel backed out of its program commitments last month. Since then, Warner Bros. (including DC Studios), Lucasfilm, Universal, Netflix, and HBO have all dropped their presentations.
Predictions of a completely deserted Hall H have not come to pass, however. Comic-Con’s online schedule at Sched still shows presentations happening there three days of the usual four.
DC Comics and Marvel will still have booths in the exhibit hall, and there is still a ton of programming going on in other rooms. While Comic-Con is losing some of its froth, most of the convention is still happening.
Hugo Finalists Announced
After last week’s urgent plea for potential finalists to check their inboxes, the Hugo Award finalist list was completed and announced, both by text and video. Voting is now open, closing at October 1, 2023, 17:59 pm China Standard Time (UTC+8).
In Brief
The Labyrinth Experience & Masked Ball (High Wycombe, UK, September 9-10) has added Valerie Charlton and Nikki Lyons as guests.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 21-23) has added Rose McIver, Janet Varney, and Bryce Papenbrooke as guests.
Event Calendar
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
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
Weekend of July 28-30
NärCon 2023, Linköping, Sweden
Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien (symposium), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
OzCon International (Oz series), Pomona, California, USA
Costume College 2023: Cosplay: Fairytales, Fiction, and Fantasy, Los Angeles, California, USA
Ropecon: Menneisyys ja Tulevaisuus (gaming), Helsinki, Finland
World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA
Continuum (gaming), Oadby, UK
PretzCon 2023 (gaming), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (video games), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Epic.LAN (LAN gaming), Wolverhampton, UK
Maple Gel Con (Tales video game series), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dream Convention (anime), Austin, Texas, USA
Otakon (anime), Washington, DC, USA
AnimeFest, Dallas, Texas, USA
Tokyo in Tulsa: Worlds Collide (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Anime Com Fest, Kingston, Jamaica
Wasabicon PDX (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA
Dream Con (anime), Arlington, Texas, USA
Dokidokon (anime), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
AnimeIowa, Coralville, Iowa, USA
Anime Impulse Bay Area, San Mateo, California, USA
New World Comic Con 8, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Alias Entertainment Expo: Rise of the Dragon (media), Tunapuna, Trinidad & Tobago
Corpus Christi Comic Con, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
GalaxyCon Raleigh (media), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
TERRIFICON (media), Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Tampa, Florida, USA
UK Comic Con, Manchester, UK
MegaCon Live Manchester (media), Manchester, UK
GalaCon 2023 (My Little Pony), Waiblingen, Germany
Weekend of August 4-6
Sci-con2023 (60th Japanese national sf convention), Urawa, Japan
AMA-CON, Amarillo, Texas, USA
ArmadilloCon 2023, Austin, Texas, USA
PulpFest 2023, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
LeakyCon (Harry Potter), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Surrey Steampunk Convivial, Epsom, UK
Reffurence (anthropomorphic), Antwerp, Belgium
Furry Siesta 2023 (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA
CanFURence 2023 (anthropomorphic), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Gen Con 2023 (gaming), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
StarCon 2023 (gaming), Star Island, New Hampshire, USA
Fragapalooza 2023 (LAN gaming), Leduc, Alberta
Advík (anime), Prague, Czechia
AnimagiC (anime), Mannheim, Germany
Kentokyocon (anime), Lexington, Kentucky, USA
JoMoCon (anime), Joplin, Missouri, USA
KO+Con 2023 Isekai (anime), Grand Prairie, Texas, USA
Mid City Micro-Con (comics), Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Really Cool Comic Con, Flint, Michigan, USA
Bell County Comic Con, Belton, Texas, USA
Fan Expo Boston (media), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Comic Con Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
MonkeyCon (media), Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
Enid Comic Con, Enid, Oklahoma, USA
Monster-Mania 55 (horror media), Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
STLV: 57-Year Mission (Star Trek), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Weekend of August 11-13
Geek Out at Staten Island, Staten Island, New York, USA
Wild Prairie Fur Con: Adventures in Furry Land (anthropomorphic), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Key City Steampunk Convention, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Wild Game Roundup, Austin, Texas, USA
Game On Expo, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
GameX 5.0 (video games), Mississauga, Ontario, USA
Long Island Retro Gaming Expo (video games), Garden City, New York, USA
Grand Tribunal (Ars Magica RPG), Cheltenham, UK
AniNite 23 (anime), Vienna, Austria
Otakukon (anime), Harare, Zimbabwe
Otakuthon (anime), Montréal, Québec
AniBash (anime), Rochester, New York, USA
Abunai!: Summer Magic Academia (anime), Veldhoven, Netherlands
Tokonatsu (anime), Henlow, UK
RakuCon Manchester (anime), Manchester, UK
Queen City Anime Convention, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Anime-zing!, Davenport, Iowa, USA
MatsuriCon 2023 (anime), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Fan Expo Chicago (media), Rosemont, Illinois, USA
Dublin Comic Con, Dublin, Ireland
Station Unity 2023 (media), National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Flame Con (LGBT+ media), New York City, New York, USA
Starfleet International Conference 2023 (Star Trek), online
TFNation (Transformers), Birmingham, UK
Everfree NW (My Little Pony), Bellevue, Washington, USA
Coda
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