Congrats to Inkpot Recipients

Each year Comic-Con grants Inkpot Awards to passionate, committed individuals who demonstrate excellence in comics and related areas. Established in 1974, the inaugural recipients included comic creators Milton Caniff, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Russ Manning, and Charles Schulz, animators Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones, SF writer Ray Bradbury, voice actress June Foray, film director Frank Capra, magazine editor Forrest J. Ackerman.

Since then, the Inkpot Awards have been presented to hundreds and hundreds of creative individuals, and the list of awardees reads like a Who's Who of the comic industry. Comic-book manga, and comic strip creator awardees include: Will Eisner (for whom the Eisner Awards are named), Sergio Aragonés, Kyle Baker, Lynda Barry, Chris Claremont, Amanda Conner, Mark Evanier, Mary Fleener, Ramona Fradon, Neil Gaiman, Rick Geary, Matt Groening, Los Bros. Hernandez (Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Mario Hernandez), Keith Knight, Kazuo Koike,  Jim Lee, Frank Miller, George Pérez, Richard Pini, Wendy Pini, Whilce Portacio, Trina Robbins, Jimmie Robinson, Eric Shanower, Scott Shaw!, Louise Simonson, Gail Simone, Scott Snyder, Art Spiegelman, Rumiko Takahashi, Mark Waid, and Cat Yronwode; from SF and fantasy art and literature, Douglas Adams, Poul Anderson, Cory Doctorow, William Gibson, H. R. Giger, Charlaine Harris, Robert Heinlein, Greg Hildbrandt, Tim Hildebrant, George R. R. Martin, Luis Royo, R. L. Stine, and Boris Vallejo; and from film, television, and animation, Don Bluth, Francis Ford Coppola, Roger Corman, Ray Harryhausen, Jim Henson, John Kricfalusi, Hayao Miyazaki, Nichelle Nichols, Kevin Smith, Steven Spielberg, and Adam West. In addition, Inkpot Awards are also given to key Comic-Con staff and volunteers and others in the industry for fandom services. Throughout the Con, 2022 Inkpot Awards will be presented at Spotlight panels and other events.

Remember, approved face masks are required regardless of vaccination status. Not only do they stave off COVID-19, they may also help prevent the dreaded Con Crud that we all know so well. Next week, you may thank us.

Games Threatens to Overrun Comic-Con

With over a thousand scheduled events spread over the Mezzanine level at the Convention Center, the Marriott Marquis Pacific Ballroom, and the Omni Hotel, Gaming has something for everyone.

On the Mezzanine level, you’ll find board games and card games galore (Doomlings, Exploding Kittens, and Pokémon to name a few). Staff is on-hand to demonstrate the games and show you how to play. There is also a huge game library located at both the Mezzanine level (Rooms 15AB) and Marriott Marquis (Rooms 21/22) available for people to check out and play games for free.

Don’t forget the return of the popular Miniatures Paint and Take, a big hit returning after Comic- Con Special Edition. You can learn basic painting techniques, color choice, and base coating for miniatures. Paint, brushes, miniatures, and other supplies will be provided – and yes, you get to keep the miniature you paint! Check the schedule, as there are classes each day on special techniques taught by Aaron Lovejoy (Mezzanine Room 14A).

Over in the Pacific Ballroom there are new and classic role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons, Steve Jackson Games (GURPS, Munchkins) and LARPs, along with the Stern Pop-Up Arcade with a huge variety of fancy Pinball machines for free play, with daily tournaments.

Also in the Pacific Ballrooms is the E-Games area with the E-Sports Lounge, and SD Lan. In the E-Sports Lounge, you will find open play with consoles and PCs, plus tournaments with prizes every day. Additionally, Konami and Viacom are presenting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, with an appearance by co-creator Kevin Eastman. For new games, Goddess of Victory is providing hands-on play, while there will be comic books and swag for the game Shrapnel. For SD Lan, there is free play every day with a variety of games such as Call of Duty, Halo, Blur Racing, and Rocket League. If commanding a spaceship is more your style, come visit the Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator (Santa Rosa Room) where you and your friends get to control different bridge positions while you explore the stars.

Comic-Con is excited for our first ever live role-playing game theater, called RPG Play Theater! For this event, attendees can enjoy live RPG games with master storytellers and celebrated personalities from the tabletop game industry. Join the audience to embark on epic adventures and live tabletop game experiences! (Omni Grand ABC, today 1:15 PM to 7:30 PM, and Saturday 10 AM to 7:30 PM.).

For those of you wanting something that can be played at home, the Storytelling Across Media (SAM@Home 2020) role-playing games can be played along on Discord.