Congers, NY - March 4, 2004 - The country's foremost authority on everything related to comic books, Wizard Entertainment, will be bringing the popular Wizard World event series to Southern California for the first time. Presented by pop-culture expo leader Wizard Conventions Inc., Wizard World Los Angeles will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center, March 19-21, 2004.
Wizard World Los Angeles joins Wizard World Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago and Wizard World Texas on the company's growing roster of successful shows for fans of pop-culture and those looking to reach that audience.
Wizard World Los Angeles will be the home to the U.S. premiere of the new TV series "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex," the highly anticipated follow-up to one of the most widely recognized anime films of all time, "Ghost in the Shell." The series, produced by Bandai Entertainment and Manga Entertainment, will be released June 22 on DVD, but fans will be able to attend a special screening of Stand Alone Complex on March 20 at the convention from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30
a.m, presented by Wizard Entertainment's newest publication, Anime Insider. In addition, the first 500 fans seated for the screening will receive a complimentary "Ghosts in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" theatrical poster. An autograph session with the voice actors/actresses from the Stand Alone Complex series will be on hand immediately following the premiere for signings at the Bandai Entertainment booth. The following voice actors/actresses are scheduled to appear: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Motoko), Richard Epcar (Batou), Crispin Freeman (Togusa), and Mary Claypool (English Adaptation Writer).
Wizard World Los Angeles will also feature a virtual "who's who" of the comic book industry, including feature film writer, director and producer, Kevin Smith (Jersey Girl, Clerks) as guest of honor. Special
guests in attendance will include stars of the April release Hellboy - Selma Blair and Ron Perlman - and the film's director, Guillermo del Toro (Blade II). Star of the Spring release The Punisher, Thomas Jane,
will sign autographs with director Jonathan Hensleigh and producers Gale Anne Hurd (Hulk) and Avi Arad (Spiderman, Spiderman 2). Other well-known personalities to be featured at Wizard World Los Angeles are comic book legend Stan Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, X-Men), actor Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), actor James Marsden (Cyclops in X-Men) and illustrator Alex Ross (Marvels, Kingdom Come), among many others. "Southern California is an important market for Wizard, since the film studios are making more and more blockbusters based on comic book
characters," says Gareb Shamus, Chairman and CEO, Wizard Conventions, Inc. "For both us and our marketing partners, the addition of Wizard World Los Angeles will enable us to truly reach a national audience through our network of events." Wizard World events in 2003 drew over 85,000 people, an increase of over 40% versus 2002. Wizard World Chicago, August 8-10, 2004, is expected to draw over 50,000 people. All the shows will feature the most recognized and respected figures and companies in comic book, toys, anime, manga and video games, as well as stars in film and television. Wizard World Los Angeles, Wizard World Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago and Wizard World Texas are produced by Wizard Conventions Inc. Wizard Conventions is a sister company of Wizard Entertainment, the industry leader in the comic book and collectibles market that publishes four magazines, Wizard: The Comics Magazine, InQuest Gamer: The Gaming Magazine, ToyFare: The Toy Magazine and Anime Insider: The Japanese Animation Magazine, as well as co-publisher of Toy Wishes: The Holiday Gift Guide. Wizard's publications have a monthly national readership of more than 2 million and are currently sold in 25 countries and five languages. For more information, please visit www.wizarduniverse.com