FanCons.ca Press Releases


September 27, 2008

News for Anime USA 2008:

Anime USA announces final round of guests

ARLINGTON, VA - SEPTEMBER 26th, 2008 - Anime USA is pleased to announce its final series of guests!

Tee Morris is an award-winning writer and one of the fathers of fiction podcasting. His titles include the series of Morevi (a high-epic fantasy series) and Billibub Baddings (a spoof of both the Fantasy and Hard-Boiled Detective novel). He hosts The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy (found on http://www.teemorris.com/blog/), works alongside podcasters Chuck Tomasi and Earl Newton in Podcasting for Dummies (hosted at http://ForDummies.com), and is wrapping up his latest project, Morevi: Remastered (on http://www.morevi.net), an unabridged version of his first podcast with guest voices and a few extra production surprises. In December, Tee will launch the podcast of Legacy of MOREVI. Find out more about Tee Morris at www.teemorris.com and his new media work at imaginethatstudios.com.

Angry Viking Press is a new, independent publisher of high-quality, unique comics and trade paperbacks designed by artists from both the United States and Japan. With the essence of the trend-setting manga format, AVP has evolved into a sought-after establishment within the Internet and convention fan base. The members of Angry Viking Press desire to showcase and market the creative talents of their artists while maintaining self-sufficiency.

Jason Canty has managed and scouted talent for 2 independent comic companies for the past 7 years. He also has direct contact with established artists known to the industry since the mid 1990's. Coupled with CFO Brendan Baranek Olmstead, COO Jerrold Farrington, and Editor-in-Chief Jason Farrington, AVP enjoys a diverse staff and artists that offer numerous years of experience with the comic book industry as enthusiasts and later as artists/managers of talent." Find out more at http://www.angryvikingpress.com

Miguel Antonio Nieves and Alison Rementer of Dragon's Den Unlimited kick reason to the curb and push forward everyday to grab a bigger piece of the mysterious future that game development offers. Their first Nintendo DS game was published last year and has been translated into 4 other languages for release in Europe. Now they are finishing up a brand new, revolutionary DS title! Dragon's Den specializes in high quality rapid development, and character design. Alison's designs have been featured at various anime conventions (Otakon, Katsucon, AMA), she's put out two comics, and has been drawing commissions for over 7 years. Bubbling over with positive energy, Miguel demos the demos, programs the programs, even does some coloring, but is most useful in fetching the coffee. Together they are an unstoppable killing machine, especially if you happen to be blank and rectangular. You can find them online at: http://www.DrgnDen.com

Lori Collins is a 25 year old illustrator from Seattle, Washington. Her current projects include a children's book "The Fabulous Glitter Girl" which is due to publish in early spring 2009. Very passionate about bringing art to young people, she's taught anime drawing classes both locally and across the country at cons. To see more of her artwork, visit http://loriofpandora.com or her deviantArt site at http://loriofpandora.deviantart.com

Webcomics pioneer Dirk I. Tiede is the creator of the graphic novel series, Paradigm Shift. He is a founding contributor to premiere comics portal Modern Tales, and continues to serialize his comics online and in addition to the print collections. His work is also showcased in the books Toon Art: The Art of Digital Comics and Webcomics, and appears in the documentary Adventures In Digital Comics. Dirk can be found at comic and anime shows around the country promoting his books. The rest of the time, this die-hard Chicago transplant lives and works in the Boston area as a freelance cartoonist and professional illustrator. Learn more at www.paradigmshiftmanga.com

Michael "Mookie" Terracciano is the author and artist of the fantasy manga webcomic, "Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire." Since its humble beginnings six years ago it has received acclaim for its unique characters, addictive storylines, painful puns, awful alliteration and (gasp!) reliable update schedule. With over eighteen-hundred strips in the archive and updates every day it's no wonder people are talking about this cult webcomic! Want to know what's so interesting about a grumpy seer, his deformed girlfriend, his angelic little brother, his talking cat, his archmage mother and rock-star father? See for yourself at www.dominic-deegan.com!

Brian Wilson is the Webcomic artist responsible for the Supernatural-Adventure-Comedy, "Geist Panik!" which chronicles the adventures of a blonde waif named Riley Hood who has developed a second sight which allows her to see all the horrible things normal people cannot see including the dead, who are total jerks. She then begins a lucrative career in catching ghosts, and selling them on Craig's list. Check out the webcomic at http://www.geistpanik.com/

GCG Studios is the sum collection of the works of Garth Cameron Graham, hence the GCG. Clever, no? Garth's various works include the pseudo-autobiographical Comedity (www.comedity.com) full of surreal adventures and penguins, as well as the upcoming comic Finder's Keepers (www.finderskeepers.gcgstudios.com). Well known for his exquisite colors and pleasing blend of traditional western comic art and manga-inspired styling, Garth brings something new and refreshingly different to the table.

Yuko "Aido" Ota, creator of the webcomic Fallen, draws comics, and occasionally for money! She cooks okay, compulsively buys books, and has a mild obsession with polydactyl cats. She recently moved to Maryland with a bunch of cool dudes, where they enjoy watching reruns of BattleStar Galactica. Learn more at http://www.johnnywander.com.

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About Anime USA:
Anime USA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to celebrating Japanese culture through anime and other visual media and related activities. Established in 1999, Anime USA has been one of the premiere anime conventions in Northern Virginia for the past 9 years. Anime USA 2008 will take place on October 10th-12th, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency at Crystal City in Arlington, VA.
For more information and registration, please visit the official web site for Anime USA at: www.animeusa.org