The Blogboard Jungle

You would be hard presses to go to comic book expo like the New Jersey Comic Expo and not see the likes of Rob Bruce there. If you are not aware, he is the man behind the best horror convention in New Jersey so he wanted to pass on a message for horror fans in the area. First, the NJ Horror Con will be in March. Second, he wants to see you there!

One of the great things about the New Jersey Comic Expo is that it is a great place to find up and coming talent in the medium of comics. Not only are there panels that help those trying to fine-tune the craft of storytelling, drawing, lettering and other details on how comics are made, but the undiscovered grinders in the world where folks can self-publish and build their brand are always present. Enter Isaiah Puga who was selling his four-part series Jagged that looks like a story he has built up from genres that news headlines in small-town papers helped him write. Corrupt school officials, affluent teen athletes that enter the realm of psychotic, and underdog heroes that get pulled into situations by circumstance are the building blocks of Puga's story. There is more than one bad person in the story, but when Puga was speaking with us the main villain of the story is a serial killer. Like many true crime stories, it is never the one you expect and Jagged will take reader...

Of all the things that go on during the New Jersey Comic Expo, one of the best reasons to go are the panels. Creatives in the area should look at the schedule and plan to sit in on some of these inspiring and instructive panels featured at this year's Expo November 18 and 19. DYNAMITE comics is holding their second panel this year on making comics to kick off the weekend. The last one they held had Garth Ennis as a special guest who spoke with readers about his creative process and things he is working on with DYNAMITE. Cosplayers are always welcome and have had some of the best and most popular panels in the past so it should be no surprise that the weekend's programming includes Armor Making and professional cosplayer's answering questions about the craft and culture of cosplay for comic-cons. See the weekend program below: See anything you would like to attend?  Sound off in the comments below and be sure to check out the New Jersey Comic Expo's of...

Movie Poster If you are or have ever been a fan of The Justice League than this year's New Jersey Comic Expo (NJCE) is one you cannot miss. Not only is the film coming out on November 17, right before the NJCE and the co-creators of the most famous group in the DC universe will be on hand November 18. Keith Giffen and Kevin Macguire will be in attendance Saturday to hold a panel where they will discuss their history with the franchise, from their debut on the JUSTICE LEAGUE series in the 1980’s and their work on JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL , JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE , and JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA , as well as their more-recent work with the team. Past guests have held some memorable panels such as Jeff King's last year, and Garth Ennis the year before who is also back for the 18th.  If you want to tap into the mind of two men involved with what could be one of the best DC comic movies ever, you might want to plan your weekend in New Jersey. Check out...

Photo: Ed Carbajal November is here already and that means the New Jersey Comic Expo (NJCE) is right around the corner. Halloween might be over but that doesn't mean you still can't rock your favorite cosplay and win some prizes while doing it November 18 and 19. That being said, no one comes to an event like the NJCE just to play dress up. The guest list is growing and you can check out the latest additions here: Ethan Van Scive r: an American comic book artist, best known for illustrating many titles including Green Lantern, Superman/Batman, New X-Men, and The Flash: Rebirth. Jae Lee : a Korean American comics artist known for his interior illustration and cover work for various publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment. Arthur Suydam : an American comic book artist who has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated, and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, T...

Photo: Ed Carbajal The New Jersey Comic Expo (NJCE) is back in Edison, New Jersey November 18 and 19 and this year's cosplay contest will feature several categories for cosplayers to win in. Those categories include: -Best in Show -Best Fabrication (Sculpting & building) -Best Construction (Sewing & use of fabric) -Best Hero -Best Villain -Best Sci-Fi -Best Anime -Best Group or Couple -Best Kid THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL GIFT FROM NJCE SPONSOR BERNINA! The event has been held every Fall and is the biggest and best of its kind in central New Jersey. It features all your favorite creators and artists from pop-culture, comics, TV, and film as well as some great panels for up and coming creatives. For information on tickets, exhibitors, and guests check out the NJCE's official website .

Photos: Ed Carbajal Something noticeable at this year's New Jersey Comic Expo was the collectibles made from 3D printers.  Sure, they've been making news for a while now in the things that can be made. Which is, pretty much anything if you do a Google search. But with a small investment and a good imagination you too could open up a booth at the next Comic-con or collectible show and sell things to fellow fans of whatever genre you're into. The one of display and that seemed in use and best suited was the M3D printer. It seemed perfect to make small busts of iconic characters from comic books and figures from pop culture. The printers were being sold at a different booth but you could see in others the idea is catching on. In the video below you could hear the M3D representative explain some details while seeing it in action. At the time it was making game pieces and you could see what completed ones look like just below it. Kind of makes you wan...

Photos: Ed Carbajal Ideas are great, everyone has them but if you can't put pen to paper what good is it?  The New Jersey Comic Expo featured some of best new creative minds pushing their latest ideas. Conventions like this serve not only as a good way to market those ideas that become stories and characters but a lesson in getting started is always present.   Just ask Jeff King, Mario Rivas, and Paul Jenkins about how they got their start. Nothing is about luck and everything is about hustle.   Maybe some luck played a part but that's always up for debate, what is not is the drive and faith required to make it as a writer. In the panel, “Comics to Hollywood (and everything in between)”, the three creators shared their stories on how they found themselves where they are today.  Rivas spoke of his days working as a “go for” in an animation studio and how it exposed him to art and storytelling to drive him to create Fernanda along with h...

Photo: Ed Carbajal The New Jersey Comic Expo is in Edison this weekend and returning to the expo is Joe Caramagna, writer for many Marvel titles such as  Guardians of the Galaxy and Ultimate Spider-man . However, one of his more unique works may tickle the fancy of fans of one of the oldest genres in fiction, the western. Part biographical and part fiction Caramagna takes people on the journey of Wyatt Earp's life beyond anything seen in the films about events leading up to the O.K. Corral story many know so well. His series "The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp" take you to Earp's adventures after the O.K. Corral and show what a man with the reputation for justice and a clear understanding of right and wrong can lead to. Men like Wyatt Earp have been written about for a long time and he will likely continue to be in stories like Caramagna has given us here. If you are in central New Jersey and can make it out to the Expo come check out Caramagna and all...

We were there last year, we'll be there again this year and if you're fans of cosplay and The Walking Dead you will want to be there with us this year. You can read about all the awesome stuff that went down when we were there last time here . See their full press release below: NEW JERSEY COMIC EXPO RETURNS TO EDISON IN ONE WEEK Comic Creators, Celebrities, Panels, Movie Cars, Cosplay, Interactive Exhibits, Kids Love Comics Area & More Coming Back To NJ Expo Center in Edison, November 19 and 20 , For Comic Book and Pop Culture Fans of All Ages EDISON, NJ, NOVEMBER 9— The state has been buzzing about the upcoming New Jersey Comic Expo , and the time has almost arrived for the family-friendly event to make it’s return to the NJ Expo Center in Edison, at the crossroads of Jersey, in just two weeks on November 19 and 20 ! The New Jersey Comic Expo (NJCE) has lined up another exciting weekend of celebrity guests, legendary and top creators in the comic...