Media Release -- On Saturday night, September 8th, the comic book industry, including professionals, retailers, and fans, will gather at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore to honor the 2012 Harvey Award Nominees for 2011 comic work and present the Harveys to their recipients. This is an exciting evening, highlighted by our host Phil LaMarr, keynote speaker Ross Richie, and a special appearance by Stan Lee!
Harvey Awards tickets are on sale NOW! Tickets to the event, which includes full cocktail hour (cash bar), full service dinner (featuring a Baltimore Crabcake!), awards ceremony, and a gift bag, are now available for $125. Tickets are available at our website via credit card or Paypal at baltimorecomiccon.com/harvey-awards.
The keynote speaker for the evening is the Founder and CEO of Boom! Studios, Ross Richie. Ross founded Boom! Studios in the spare bedroom of his apartment in June of 2005 -- the company went on to win "Best New Publisher" four months later. Since then, Boom! has added "Best Publisher" from Diamond Comics Distributors to its list of accolades in 2009 and 2010, along with an Eisner Award and several Harveys. Ross is originally from San Antonio, TX.
"Saying this is a tremendous honor doesn't begin to cover it. I am extremely humbled to contribute to such an incredible event. This is an amazing ceremony and I'm thrilled to have a part in it," said Ross.
Host Phil LaMarr is best known as a cast member of Fox's MADtv, a sketch comedy show based on characters and situations from MAD magazine, which was founded in 1952 by Editor Harvey Kurtzman (namesake of the Harvey Awards) and Publisher William Gaines. The show first aired in 1995 and ran for 14 seasons, of which LaMarr was a cast member for 5 seasons (1995-2000).
As a lifeling comics reader, LaMarr says: "I'm excited and honored to be a part of the Harvey Awards this year, and I am looking forward to meeting many of the people I spend every Wednesday afternoon with."
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. The Harveys 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. Additionally, the Hero Initiative will present 2 awards to outstanding members of the comics community!
The Hero Initiative was established to aid comic creators with a financial safety net when in need of emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. In the years since its inception, the board has created an award to recognize those individuals in the industry that have dedicated their talent over the lifetime of their careers to the comic book community at-large, achieving the status of Hero. Previous recipients include John Romita, Joe Kubert, Nick Cardy, Neal Adams, and George Perez. Who will be this year's lifetime Hero?
The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award will also be presented at the Harvey Awards Banquet. Giordano, who passed away in early 2010, was part of Hero Initiative's Board of Directors. He was also a legendary artist, a guiding force at Charlton Comics and DC Comics for many years, a mentor to his colleagues, and a friend to all who knew him. His legacy epitomizes the caring and commitment Hero Initiative strives to achieve. In his honor, the Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award will recognize one person in comics each year who has demonstrated the generosity and integrity Dick brought to the charity, and to the comic book community at large.
In the coming week, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found at our website http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/baltimorecomics), and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baltimore-Comic-Con/165007083536280) pages.
This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-9, 2012. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 7 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 8th.
Baltimore Comic-Con Tickets
Stan Lee VIP, VIP GOLD, Autograph, and Photo tickets as well as General Admission tickets for Saturday, Sunday, and the weekend are available at baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets/. Please follow the link for all the details.
Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com - for communications regarding the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com - for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries
About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 13th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-9, 2012. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.
About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 7 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.
