​Only The First 800 ‘Wizard World VIP’ Attendees To Receive Both Black 7 White Variants At Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, August 18-21

ROSEMONT, Ill., June 27, 2016 – As if appearances by superstars from Star Wars, Back to the Future, “The X-Files,” “The Walking Dead” and many more film and TV favorites weren’t enough, there’s another reason for fans to grab VIP admissions to Wizard World Comic Con Chicago, as the first 800 “Wizard World VIP” attendees will receive copies of the “Batman #50” and “Superman #50” exclusive black & white variant covers, both drawn by Patrick Gleason. The Midwest’s largest pop culture convention is set for August 18-21 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

Note that this applies to “Wizard World VIP” purchasers only; celebrity VIP packages are not included in this offer.

Batman has returned to Gotham City! In this extra-sized conclusion to Snyder and Capullo’s epic story “Superheavy,” Bruce Wayne returns to the cape and cowl to battle Mr. Bloom alongside Jim Gordon for the fate of the city they both love. “Batman #50” is written by Scott Snyder, with art by Greg Capullo and Danny Miki. Gleason’s cover is an homage to Jim Lee’s Batman #608 2nd Print.

Superman returns in all his glory in this very special issue that sees the Man of Steel back to full power as he faces his greatest enemy and also comes face to face with the pre-Flashpoint Kal-El! At last, it’s the meeting of the Supermen you’ve been waiting for! “Superman #50” is written by Gene Luen Yang, art by Howard Porter. Gleason’s cover is an homage to Jim Lee’s Superman #204.

Among the standout celebrities attending Wizard World Comic Con Chicago are Carrie Fisher (Star Wars); Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson (Back to the Future); David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”); Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”), Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Rosario Dawson, Elodie Yungand Elden Henson (“Daredevil”) and many more.

​Top creators, in addition to Gleason, include Gene Ha ("Justice League"), Humberto Ramos ("Amazing Spider-Man"),Greg Weisman ("Captain Atom"), Claudio Aboy ("Heavy Metal"), Fernando Dagnino ("Suicide Squad"), J.J. Sedelmaier ("Sat TV Funhouse/SNL cartoons"), Clinton Hobart (Licensed Disney Fine Artist), Jorge Molina("Uncanny X-Men"), Manuel Garcia ("Iron Man"), Rafa Sandoval ("Action Comics") Tim Seeley ("Revival"), Guy Gilchrist (“Nancy”), Greg Horn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) and dozens of others.

Wizard World comic con and gaming events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Chicago show hours are Thursday, August 18, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, August 19, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, August 20, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, August 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con Chicago, visithttp://wizd.me/ChicagoPR.

About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com ) produces comic cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store (www.shopwizardworld.com), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ ( www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The Wizard World 2016 schedule is available at:http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/.

Sony Pictures’ 'Don't Breathe’, Fred Dekker, Doug Benson, & 25th Anniversary screening of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey Among Highlights Of Third Annual Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival Lineup, August 18-21 In Chicago
 
Presented by STARZ Original Series ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead', in conjunction with Wizard World Comic Con


 
ROSEMONT, Ill., June 22, 2016 — Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival, presented by Starz and their hit original series Ash vs. Evil Dead, returns for its third annual festivities on August 18-21, in conjunction with Wizard World Chicago. Today, the Festival announced highlights of the groovy lineup, sponsored by Shudder and Bloody-Disgusting.com, featuring the critically acclaimed opening night nail-biter Don’t Breathe, directed by Fede Alvarez; a salute to genre hero Fred Dekker; an epic event featuring comedian Doug Benson; and a 25th anniversary celebration of the most excellent sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (originally titled Bill & Ted Go ToHell).


"I'm thrilled to bring our annual horror festival back to the Windy City for the third year," said Campbell. "There were some wicked cool flicks this year and we went after the cream of the crop. If you love all things horror, check out our lineup!"


 
The festivities will kick off on Thursday, August 18, with the opening night film Don't Breathe, the highly anticipated shocker from director-producer-writer Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead ) and produced by Sam
 
Raimi & Rob Tapert. Alvarez will be in attendance. This will reunite Campbell with Alvarez, who directed the successful 2013 remake of Evil Dead . Sony Pictures is set to release Don’t Breathe on August 26, 2016.
 


The inaugural "Groovy as Hell" award will be presented to writer/director Fred Dekker (Fox’s upcoming The Predator). The awards ceremony will consist of a 30th anniversary screening of the cult classic Night of The Creeps and a very special screening of The Monster Squad with actors Andre Gower (Sean) & Ryan Lambert (Rudy) also in attendance.


 
Festival favorite Doug Benson ( Doug Loves Movies, Chromic-Con, Super High Me) will be in town for a very special ‘Doug Benson Movie Interruption’ of Army of Darkness, with guest interrupter Bruce Campbell ! The two will sit in the front row together with a selection of mystery comedy guests, and say whatever hilarious stuff that pops into their head. A limited amount of single tickets for this event are on sale now!
 


BCHFF is thrilled to present a 25th anniversary celebration of everyone’s favorite time-traveling metalhead slackers, a screening of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey with director Peter Hewitt in attendance! Additional guests for this screening will be announced at a later date.
 


The festival will also mark the World Premieres of Found Footage 3D, the long-awaited satirical horror film produced byKim Henkel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ) and directed by Steven DeGennaro, and Show Yourself, a haunting & remarkable genre-bending feature debut from Billy Ray Brewton (subject of the wonderful award-winning 2014 documentary Skanks, and programmer for Slamdance Film Festival).
 


Fans in the region will also experience the Chicago premieres of:


●      The Greasy Strangler - The most hilariously disturbing film of the year. From Elijah Wood's Spectrevision, Drafthouse Films, & Ant Timpson.
●      Here Alone  - Winner of the 2016 Tribeca Audience Award.
●      Abattoir - From Darren Bousman, the director of Saw 2, 3, 4, Repo: The Genetic Opera, Mother’s Day, and The Devil’s Carnival. Darren will be in attendance to present the film.
●      Pet - The SXSW hit starring Dominic Monaghan (Lord of The Rings Trilogy).
●      I am Not a Serial Killer - Starring Christopher Lloyd in yet another career defining performance.
●      Beyond The Gates - Winner of the midnight audience award at Los Angeles Film Festival.
 
The Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival jury this year includes a few dignitaries well-known to horror fans: Tom Holland (writer/director, Fright Night, Child's Play); Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror Picture Show ); Cerina Vincent (Cabin Fever); and Zach Hagen (producer, He Never Died).
 
“It’s been another astonishing year for horror cinema”, said festival director, Josh Goldbloom. “I’m overwhelmed by the amount of talent & creativity working in this field. Their contributions are innovative, visionary, beautifully unnerving, defiantly weird, and of course, bloody as all hell. This year’s festival is a showcase of all the many reasons why genre film & its fans are the best in the world.


 
Many additional titles, surprises and guest announcements will be announced over the coming month, along with a very special closing night feature, presented by Bloody-Disgusting.com.


 
Festival badges are $100, and are on sale now at www.bchff.com! Limited single tickets sales for screenings will go on sale Wednesday, July 6th.


 
The festival and all screenings will be held at the Carmike Muvico Rosemont 18.


 
First Wave


Opening Night:
DON’T BREATHE
A trio of friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong
Cast: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovato, Stephen Lang
Dir: Fede Alvarez
Distributor: Sony Pictures
U.S. Release Date: August 26


ABATTOIR
How do you build a haunted house? Ask the enigmatic Jebediah Crone, the main suspect in a case of stolen rooms where horrific tragedies have occurred.
Cast: Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye, Dayton Callie, Bryan Batt,, J. Larose
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman


BEYOND THE GATES
Seven months after their father’s disappearance, two brothers reunite to liquidate the family video store. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse when they find an old VHS boardgame with evil powers, and all hell breaks loose.
Cast: Chase Williamson, Graham Skipper, Brea Grant, Barbara Crampton, Matt Mercer, Jesse Merlin
Dir: Jackson Stewart


FOUND FOOTAGE 3D
A group of low-budget filmmakers sets out to make “the first 3D found footage horror film,” but find themselves *in* the first 3D found footage horror film when the evil entity from their movie escapes into their behind-the-scenes footage.
Cast: Carter Roy, Alena von Stroheim, Chris O'Brien, Tom Saporito, Scott Allen Perry, Jessica Perrin, Scott Weinberg
Dir: Steven DeGennaro


THE GREASY STRANGLER
Pure. Fucking. Chaos.
Cast: Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo
Dir: Jim Hosking


HERE ALONE
A young woman struggles to survive on her own in the wake of a mysterious epidemic that has decimated society and forced her deep into the unforgiving wilderness.
Cast: Lucy Walters, Adam David Thompson, Gina Piersanti, Shane West
Dir: Rod Blackhurst


I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER
In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a supernatural killer whilst keeping his own inner demons at bay.
Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Laura Fraser, Max Records
Dir: Billy O’Brien


PET
Seth works at an animal shelter, and for years has been secretly in love with a waitress named Holly . When he repeatedly fails in his attempts to woo her, he naturally decides to lock her in a cage at the shelter where he works. And that’s just the beginning…
Cast: Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jenette McCurdy, Nathan Parsons
Dir: Carles Torrens
SHOW YOURSELF
When his friend dies unexpectedly, Travis heads into the woods with his ashes to say goodbye. But as he deals with his grief, and the way it has affected the relationships in his life, he starts to realize that he actually might not be alone.
 
Cast: Ben Hethcoat, Corsica Wilson, Barak Hardley, Stephen Cone, David McElwee, Robert Longsteet.
Dir: Billy Ray Brewton


 
Fans can visit www.BCHFF.com for full details and additions to the slate as they happen and dates and times for each screening. Follow the festival on Twitter: @groovyfest


For more info on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con Chicago (August 18-21 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont), visit http://wizd.me/ChicagoPR.


 
About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com ) produces comic cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store ( www.shopwizardworld.com), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ ( www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.


 
The Wizard World 2016 schedule is available at: http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/ .
 ​

Next weekend, the Valiant 2016 Convention Tour is kicking into overdrive for Denver Comic Con – and we’re bringing along mountains of merchandise, programming, panels, and the best-reviewed comics in the industry!

From June 17th to June 19th, visit the Colorado Convention Center in booth #885 for an adrenaline-fueled trek through the top superhero universe in comics with a complete selection of Valiant trade paperbacks and deluxe hardcovers for award-winning titles, including X-O MANOWAR, FAITH, DIVINITY, RAI, HARBINGER, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, NINJAK, and many more! And don’t miss every piece of Valiant merchandise exploding out of Denver, including t-shirts, toys, and more!

Plus: Become an overnight expert on the world of armor-busting Visigoths, nanite-fueled commandos, elite super-spies, and more on Saturday, June 18th at 11:00 a.m. MDT in room #401 for VALIANT 101: NEW FANS START HERE!  You've heard the buzz… You've seen the reviews… Now find out where to start with Valiant Comics! From X-O MANOWAR to NINJAK to FAITH and ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, jump on board here with a concise and fun-filled introduction to Valiant's biggest, most memorable characters…and find out for yourself why Buzzfeed calls Valiant "a universe full of your new favorite superheroes"! 

Then, Valiant’s weekend in the Rockies is blasting sky-high on Sunday, June 19th at 11:00 a.m. MDTin room #401 for Valiant: The Summer of 4001 A.D! This summer…the future of Earth will be decided in the stars when Valiant presents the blockbuster crossover event of the year in 4001 A.D.! Now, get primed for the epic showdown between Rai and the forces of New Japan right here! Plus: Don't miss an all-new round of news and announcements for ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, BLOODSHOT REBORN, DIVINITY, FAITH, NINJAK, X-O MANOWAR, and more! 

Look for more dates to be added to the Valiant 2016 Convention Tour all year long!

For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and ValiantUniverse.com.
 
For Valiant Merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.

This weekend, the Valiant 2016 Convention Tour is doubling down for Phoenix Comicon 2016 andAwesome Con – and we’re bringing a can’t miss cavalcade of exclusives, merchandise, programming, panels, and the best-reviewed comics in the industry to both shows!

From June 2nd to June 5th, visit the Phoenix Convention Center in booth #760 for a complete journey through Valiant’s critically acclaimed universe with a complete selection of Valiant trade paperbacks and deluxe hardcovers for award-winning titles, including X-O MANOWAR, DIVINITY, RAI,HARBINGER, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, NINJAK, and many more! And don’t miss the bundles of Valiant merchandise unloading into Phoenix, including the 4001 A.D. #1 (of 4) PHOENIX COMICON EXCLUSIVE VARIANT – featuring the artwork of fan-favorite artist Jeff Piña (Zombies vs. Cheerleaders)! New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY II), blockbuster artist Clayton Crain (RAI, Carnage), and superstar artist David Mack (Daredevil) kick off the FIRST issue of Valiant’s most ambitious summer event here as Rai leads the heroes of the 41st century into an explosive rebellion against the despotic ruler Father and the forces of New Japan! And stick around to meet some of the hottest creators in comics throughout the weekend with a slate of special guests including Valiant-exclusive superstar David Baron (DIVINITY II, BLOODSHOT REBORN), and Jeff Piña!

Then, from June 3rd to June 5th, hit Washington, D.C.’s Washington Convention Center in booth#508 for the weekend’s second helping of Valiant and its trend-setting titles with another complete selection of Valiant trade paperbacks, deluxe hardcovers, can’t-miss merchandise, and more! And meet the minds behind the upcoming FUTURE OF VALIANT throughout the weekend with special guests including superstar writer Fred Van Lente (GENERATION ZERO), and red-hot writer Rafer Roberts(HARBINGER RENEGADES, A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG). 

Plus: Get the inside scoop on the most celebrated superheroes in comics for VALIANT 101: NEW FANS START HERE—hitting Phoenix Comicon on June 4th in room North 121 C at 1:30 p.m. MSTand Awesome Con on June 4th in room 154 at 1:15 p.m. EST! You've heard the buzz… You've seen the reviews… Now find out where to start with Valiant Comics! From X-O MANOWAR to NINJAK to THE DEATH-DEFYING DR. MIRAGE and ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, jump on board here with a concise and fun-filled introduction to Valiant's biggest, most memorable characters…and find out for yourself why Buzzfeed calls Valiant "a universe full of your new favorite superheroes"!

Then, Valiant’s biggest weekend meets its most titanic event yet with Valiant: The Summer of 4001 A.D.—coming to Phoenix Comicon on June 5th in room North 121 C at 12:00 pm MST andAwesome Con on June 5th in room 145 B at 12:15 pm EST! This summer…the future of Earth will be decided in the stars when Valiant presents the blockbuster crossover event of the year in 4001 A.D.! Now, get primed for the epic showdown between Rai and the forces of New Japan right here! Plus: Don't miss an all-new round of news and announcements for ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, BLOODSHOT REBORN, DIVINITY, FAITH, NINJAK, X-O MANOWAR, and more! 

No matter what city you visit, we’ll see you there! And don’t miss a moment of the action as Valiant’s one-of-a-kind convention road show marches on through Phoenix; Washington, D.C.; Denver; and more all summer long!
Thursday, June 2nd – Sunday, June 5th
Phoenix Comicon
Phoenix Convention Center, Hyatt Regency
Phoenix, AZ

Friday, June 3rd – Sunday, June 5th
Awesome Con
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Washington, DC

Friday, June 17th – Sunday, June 19th
Denver Comic Con
Colorado Convention Center
Denver, Colorado
 
Look for more dates to be added to the Valiant 2016 Convention Tour all year long!

For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and ValiantUniverse.com.
 
For Valiant Merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.