While in-person conventions are still on the horizon, Fanbase Press is bringing the excitement of conventions to YOU with the announcement of its first annual (Virtual) Celebrating Fandoms Week!  Taking place from Monday, July 12, through Friday, July 16, 2021, and sponsored by Blue Fox Comics, the virtual event will honor Fanbase Press’ mission of “Celebrating Fandoms and Creating New Ones!” by offering FREE star-studded panels each day on everything from the Alien franchise and Batman vs. Predaor to Graphic Medicine and the repercussions of disinformation, as well as a new project announcement from Fanbase Press co-founders Barbra and Bryant Dillon.  Featured panelists will include Dave Gibbons (Watchmen, Batman vs. Predator), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Marvel’s Alien), Barbara Randall Kesel (Alien 3, Watchmen), and many more!  Throughout the virtual event, all panels and announcement will be available via Fanbase Press’ official YouTube channel.  Plus, as always, all of our comics, graphic novels, and other geeky merchandise will be available for sale through our Online Store and digitally on ComiXology, Comics Plus, and Hoopla for those missing the “con experience” of taking home great, new titles from the show!

PANELS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

You will NOT want to miss the following virtual panels and new project announcement taking place during Celebrating Fandoms Week:

Monday, July 12

• Batman vs. Predator – A 30th Anniversary Retrospective – Moderated by Bryant Dillon (President, Fanbase Press), this panel features Dave Gibbons (writer, Batman vs. Predator / artist, Watchmen, Give Me Liberty, Superior), Steven Prince (writer, Monster Matador, unemployANT / toy line developer, Puppy in My Pocket, Power Buggz), and Matt Corrigan (co-host, The Launchpad Podcast / practical special effects artist, Frank Miller’s 300, Batman v. Superman) will look back at one of the most iconic and well-received crossovers in the comic book medium, Batman vs. Predator, 30 years after its original release. Batman vs. Predator pitted the Dark Knight against the titular extraterrestrial hunter while enlisting some of the best comic book talent of the time, and this panel will examine its characters, themes, impact, and more!

  *Viewers interested in further interviews with Dave Gibbons about Batman vs. Predator should tune into The Launchpad Podcast (@launchpadpod) with Matt Corrigan later this month!

Tuesday, July 13

• The Continuing Evolution of the Alien Franchise in the Comic Book Medium – In light of Marvel’s first steps into the Alien franchise, Fanbase Press takes a look at the property’s evolution in the sequential art medium, from the original film’s adaptation by Walt Simonson in the pages of Heavy Metal, to the many contributions from Dark Horse Comics, all the way to the current Alien title being released by Marvel Comics. Panelists Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer, Marvel’s Alien, House of El, Superman: Worlds of War), Barbara Randall Kesel (editor, Dark Horse’s Alien 3 adaptation, Aliens: Genocide, Aliens: Hive / writer, Aliens vs. Predator: Booty), and Livio Ramondelli (artist, IDW’s Transformers / writer and artist, The Kill Lock) and moderator Bryant Dillon (President, Fanbase Press) will examine why the Alien franchise has thrived so voraciously in comic book shops, conventions, and other comic-centric spaces.

Wednesday, July 14

• Storytelling in the Age of Disinformation – For decades, comics have served as a storytelling medium that tackles hot-button issues across genres and age groups. Now, comics are taking on the age of disinformation, using narratives to examine those that would use misleading info to control others. Panelists Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer, House of El, Superman: Worlds of War, Marvel’s Alien), Desirée Proctor (co-writer, Nuclear Power), Erica Harrell (co-writer, Nuclear Power), and Dr. Stephen J.C. Andes (author/professor, Louisiana State University) and moderator Barbra Dillon (Editor-in-Chief, Fanbase Press) will discuss the current and upcoming comics that are addressing the spread of false information by higher authorities head on.

Thursday, July 15

• Fanbase Press’ NEW Project Announcement – Join Fanbase Press co-founders Barbra and Bryant Dillon – and a surprise guest! – for the announcement of Fanbase Press’ new comic book series to be launched in the Summer of 2022. 
  
  

Friday, July 16

• Graphic Medicine: Building Empathy Through Storytelling – Panelists Matthew Noe (President, ALA GNCRT / Lead Collection & Knowledge Management Librarian, Countway Library, Harvard Medical School), Dr. Theresa Rojas (Professor, Modesto Junior College / Founding Director, The Latinx Comic Arts Festival), Jordan Hart (writer/illustrator, Terminarch, Doppelgänger), and Mike Ahn and Seol Young Lee (creators, Out of Order) and moderator Barbra Dillon (Editor-in-Chief, Fanbase Press) will discuss the importance of graphic medicine in comics and how these visual stories pertaining to the discourse of Medicine have allowed us to examine the essentials of human existence, to under- stand ourselves better, and to connect with one another through empathy and compas- sion.

COMICS, GRAPHIC NOVELS, & OTHER MERCHANDISE

While fans may not have a chance to stop by the Fanbase Press booth in person to pick up copies of our work, our entire catalog of comics and other geeky merchandise are available through the Fanbase Press Online Store! Highlights include the 2018 Eisner Award-nominated Quince, the 2014 Bram Stoker Award-nominated Fearworms: Selected Poems, The Sequels, A Geek’s Guide to Cross-Stitch: Journeys in Space, The Margins, The Gamma Gals, Something Animal, Identity Thief, The Arcs, and Penguins vs. Possums.

Plus, fans can purchase a copy of Quince: The Definitive Bilingual Edition hardcover which was recently named as a finalist in the 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. In addition, attendees can pre-order a copy of our upcoming trade paperback for Nuclear Power, a darkly poignant alternate history of the Cuban Missile Crisis that posits the lengths to which a government will go to protect (or deceive) its citizens. Issues #1-6 of Nuclear Power are currently being released digitally through ComiXology and Hoopla. The series will be collected into a printed trade paperback for an October 2021 release, and pre-orders made by August 1, 2021, will receive exclusive signed prints of the single issue covers, as well as an Issue #1 variant cover, signed by the creative team.

Everyone at Fanbase Press is greatly looking forward to Celebrating Fandoms Week, and we hope that you’ll join us in participating!