The New York Comic Con doesn’t open until 3 p.m. tomorrow, but the news has already started flowing. In a video interview with Newsarama (wait … what?) Dan DiDio announced that Mauro Cascioli, the artist on Trials of Shazam!, is the artist on the James Robinson-written Justice League series. And look, some art:

You can find more Countdown to NYCC videos with DiDio over on the Newsarama NYCC mini-site … which, incidentally, also has a blog feed of everything we’re posting about the con, which is pretty cool. We’re syndicated! Where’s my residual check?

–Also of note over on the mini-site is an interview with show director Lance Fensterman, who says they still have plenty of tickets left:

NRAMA: Staying with attendees for another moment, can you give fans last minute instructions as their chance of attending this year’s show. Meaning if you don’t have a ticket yet, should you even try showing up any of the three show days? Oh wait, you already said the show wasn’t sold our, right?

LS: Come one, come all! At this point we have plenty of space for everyone. I really recommend buying your ticket online at our site or by going to a comic retailer in the NY region to get your ticket as it will save you time at the con, but at this point, we are planning on selling tickets during the con for all three days and weekend passes. Keep an eye on my blog (www.mediumatlarge.net) or the NYCC web site for updates on ticket sales.

–Moving on to some non-Newsarama coverage, AM New York has a guide up to surviving the con, with some tips from Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick of iFanboy.com:

“Literally, I’d plan like I was going on day hike,” Flanagan says. “Get one of those backpacks that is easily balanced and you can keep water bottles in. Bring fruit; it will really help you in the long run, otherwise you’re just buying $8 pretzels.”

Mmmmm, $8 pretzels …

–The New York Daily News previewed this weekend’s New York ComicCon earlier in the week, talking to Battlestar Galactica’s Grace Park, actress Eva Mendes and, yes, an actual comic creator, Stan Lee:

Lee predicts the event is going to grow to rival the San Diego Comic Con, the granddaddy of all sci-fi conventions, which drew 125,000 last year. Held every July for the past 39 years, the San Diego Comic Con has become a Hollywood hot spot where studios can unveil new trailers to an audience that helps turn genre films into box-office gold.

And the 85-year-old Lee should know: He still draws bigger crowds of swooning fans in his wake than any Hollywood actress on either coast.

“The only thing that bothers me is that I never have time to talk to all the people. A lot of the people only want an autograph or they just want a couple of words, and there’s always someone pushing me along ’cause I have another meeting to go to,” says Lee, who will be honored with a Living Legend award at the convention.

“But I love it. As I always say to people who complain about those sort of things, ‘What could be easier than signing your own name?’ It’s nice to know someone cares about you enough to want your autograph.”

–And finally, the con hasn’t even started, but our friend Neil Kleid’s con experience is already over:

Well, it’s 10:15 PM on Wednesday, April 16th, and my New York Comic Con experience is over for this year. Over, you say? The Con doesn’t really start until Friday, you say? Yes, well, rather than head to the con due to Pasover, I had to make do this year by attending the pre-con events that went on this week. For instance, the Monday night king size Jim Hanley’s signing as well as tonight’s with Darwyn Cooke.

Oh, wait. I missed both of those.

What I DID end up doing sending off the six issue outline Dave Gallaher and I have been birthing all weekend to the editor it belongs to. Then I left work yesterday to meet British invader Tony Lee and TODT HILL artist Kevin Colden for al-kee-hol before Tony sat on panel at this week’s Comic Book Club with Christos (AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE) Gage and Robbi (MAINTENANCE) Rodriguez. Also in the audience were Marvel Assistant Editor Jordan White and Oni Publisher, Joe Nozemack. After the always funny show, Kev, Tony, Robbi, Joe and I cabbed over to the Village Pourhouse to attend the CBLDF Drink N’ Draw event where Tony, Kev and I proceeded to drink our asses off with the FREAKING WORLD.

Although Kleid’s con has ended, the real one is just beginning … we’ll have news about it starting tomorrow. And if you’re going, be sure to say hi to Chris for us.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 10:38 pm and is filed under Comic Books, Conventions, Creators, DC Comics, News & Views, NYCC 2008, Site News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.