Ready or not, here’s some comic-related events you can hit up this weekend!

As always, publishers, creators, retailers and fans can send us their upcoming events by e-mailing newsaramaevents [at] gmail [dot] com. You owe it your fellow readers. Remember, as Duke from G.I. Joe once said — “And knowing is half the battle.”

Baltimore Comic-Con:

The Harvey Awards dinner and presentation ceremony, featuring emcee Scott Kurtz and the presentation of the 2009 HERO Initiative Humanitarian Award to Neal Adams will be held on Saturday, October 10th at the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards.

Harvey Awards tickets are on sale now.  Tickets to the event, which includes full cocktail hour (cash bar), full service dinner, awards ceremony, and gift bag are now available for $100.  Tickets are available by calling Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, Maryland at (410) 526-7410.  Major Credit Cards will be accepted for payment.  Dinner tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, October 7th and will not be available at the door.

The Harveys, named after the legendary MAD Magazine founding editor and master storyteller Harvey Kurtzman, recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories.  They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.Harvey Award Recipient Logo

Guests for dinner and the awards ceremony will enjoy a full Baltimore-style crabcake banquet dinner and a lively show hosted by Scott Kurtz as our Master of Ceremonies.  Al l 21 Harvey Awards will be announced, as well the presentation of the 2009 HERO Initiative Humanitarian Award, honoring Neal Adams.

Continuing the guest-pleasing promotion from years past, a gift bag will be available to all dinner guests.  The first 250 attendees will receive a gift bag containing the20following:  A Batman or DC Universe Illustrated HC by Neal Adams (DC Comics),  PvP, vol. 1: At Large TP by Scott Kurtz (Image Comics), A Magnus/Solar/Turok Archive HC (Dark Horse Comics), Darkness Accursed TP (Top Cow Productions), G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Movie Adaptation (IDW), A Marvel Variant Exclusive Comic (Diamond Comic Distributors),  Phineas and Ferb Chapter Book (Disney Book Group), Mom’s Cancer by Brian Fies (Abrams Books), Creator Chronicles Preview DVD (Woodcrest Productions and Eva Ink), A Harvey Keychain (LaserMach), A Toon Tumbler (Popfun Merchandising), & A Surprise from BOOM! Studios.

For those who wish to attend the ceremony only, tickets are available for $15, or free for those with a two-day pass to the convention.  The hall will be opened for those ticket holders at approximately 9:15pm.  Attendees who purchase a ceremony-only ticket are not eligible to receive the gift bag.  The two day convention tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster, accessible from http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets.htm.  Ceremony tickets may also be purchased via phone at 410-526-7410.

Baltimore Comic-Con, Part Deux:

In addition to the all-star line-up of talent scheduled at this year’s gala 10th anniversary Baltimore Comic-Con, the show will host it’s first-ever costume contest … with a $1,000 grand prize!

The $1,000 grand prize will be awarded to the best over-all costume at the event, including pro and amateur costumes.  Other award categories will win DVD prize packages, comic book packages, and gift certificates to Cards, Comics and Collectibles of Reisterstown, Maryland.  Everyone who enters the contest will win passes to the advance screening of Summit Entertainment’s newest film, ASTROBOY, which opens nationwide on Friday, October 23rd.

A panel of celebrity media judges will determine the contest winners, including Baltimore’s own Ed Norris, and some world-famous comic book creators!

The contest will start at 3pm on Sunday, October 11th at the Baltimore Convention Center!

Seattle, WA:

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery loudly presents transgressive cartoonist Johnny Ryan on Saturday, October 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Ryan will sign books and present an exhibition of his original comix, colorful silkscreen prints, and sculpted figures.

This event marks the launch of Ryan’s original graphic novel Prison Pit combining his love for WWE wrestling, Gary Panter’s “Jimbo” comics, and Kentaro Miura’s “Berserk” Manga into a brutal showcase of violence, survival and revenge. The prolific Los Angeles-based cartoonist is best known for his outrageous 14-issue Angry Youth Comix series published by Fantagraphics Books. Ryan also pens the weekly comic strip Blecky Yuckerella, which has been collected in three volumes including the recently released Comics are for Idiots.

Please join us to welcome this wildly entertaining and talented cartoonist on Saturday, October 10 for 6:00 to 9:00 PM.Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) only minutes south of downtown. This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack featuring exciting visual and performing arts presentations in close proximity throughout the creative arts community.

West Orange, NJ:

Superheroes For Hospice is hosting their 2nd Comic Book Show on Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Corporate Building, located at 95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange.   All proceeds will support the patients and families of the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center (SBHPCC).

Over 25,000 comic books have been donated to the project, some of which have been converted into over $800 for SBHPCC.

“It is a win/win situation for all involved,” thinks volunteer coordinator Spiro Ballas, explaining, “1st, comic book donors get a tax write-off for their generosity—which can be more valuable than what they would get in today’s market if they tried selling them on Ebay—2nd, comic book fans will pick-up books at the show at a very strong discount, and, 3rd, hospice receives extra revenue to support their special kind of care.”

For more information about the show, or to make a comic book donation, please contact Spiro Ballas at SBallas@SBHCS.com or 973-322-4866.

It’s so important I’ll say it twice — if you have an event, hit us up at newsaramaevents [at] gmail [dot] com, and we’ll announce it to the Interwebz! What have you got to lose?

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 9:37 am and is filed under This Week's Events. 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.