July 11, 2009 will mark a momentous day in comic book and Asian history. This special event will take place at the Museum of Chinese in America on 215 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan between 10 AM and 5PM. It will involve the biggest Asian American mangakas and comic book creators. It will give you a chance to get autographed graphic novels and/or original sketches. It will let you get to know the tricks and trades of the comic book industry. It will give you an opportunity to meet the geniuses behind the comics and manga. It will BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY! It is the first ever Asian American Comicon (but I guess the picture to the left kind of spoils the surprise)!

Here’s what to expect from the convention (taken from the official ad):
–NERDPOP: The rise of the nerds, and why geek chic is changing the game
–EVERY COMIC IS ASIAN AMERICAN: An all-star lineup of novelists and poets reimagine their favorite comic book characters as Asian American
–POP GOES EAST: How the Asianification of American pop culture has reshaped the graphic novel
–THE NEW VILLAINS: Muslim insurgents, North Korean dictators, and Chinese spies, oh my!
–WRITERS’ BLOC: Leading comics writers discuss the craft of writing in panels, and show how graphical narratives allow for stories impossible to tell in any other medium
–VISUAL STORYTELLING–THE MASTER CLASS: Top comics creators show off their individual approaches to telling stories with pictures
–CAN COMICS PAY THE RENT?: Is there a future for the comics industry? And do you belong in it?
–SIMILAR DIFFERENCES: A one-on-one interview with alt-comics wunderkind DEREK KIRK KIM
–ASIANS IN BOXES–FROM CHOP-CHOP TO SILVER SAMURAI: A guided tour with science fiction legend William F. Wu, as he shares samples from his collection of thousands of comics depicting Asian images…good, bad, and definitely ugly
–HAMA TIME!: A spotlight interview with comics pioneer Larry Hama, creator of the G.I. Joe universe and winner of this year’s KIYAMA AWARD celebrating the achievements of Asians in comics!

The guest list includes:
–Larry Hama (writer, GI JOE)
–Bernard Chang (artist, WONDER WOMAN)
–Cliff Chiang (artist, GREEN ARROW)
–Derek Kirk Kim (writer/artist, SAME DIFFERENCE)
–Greg Pak (writer, INCREDIBLE HULK)
–Khoi Pham (artist, MIGHTY AVENGERS)
–Sean Chen (artist, IRON MAN)
–Christina Strain (colorist, RUNAWAYS)
–Fred Chao (writer/artist, JOHNNY HIRO)
–Christine Norrie (artist, BREAKING UP)
–Tak Toyoshima (writer/artist, SECRET ASIAN MAN)
–Misako Rocks! (writer/artist, BIKER GIRL)
–Kuo-Yu Liang (VP Sales & Marketing, DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS)
–Spencer Chu-Fong (Manager, Events & Retail Operations, DC COMICS)
–William F. Wu (writer, HONG ON THE RANGE)
–The Editors of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

Only a total of 250 tickets will be available for this awesome event! So hurry up and reserve your spot to witness the blossoming of a new yearly (hopefully!) ritual. To get the discount you must call in to Beatrice Chen at MoCA with the number 212.619.4785 x104 and give the discount code NINGINY (do it before July 4!). You can also get the tickets online here but the discounts won’t apply. But I’m guessing you guys want to know what kind of discount you would get? Well here it is:

VIP: $75 $65 (includes signed graphic novel, original sketch, preferred seating, and VIP reception)
Adults (18+): $25 $20
Student (11-18), Senior (65+), MoCA or AACC member: $15
Child (10 and under): Free with adult

Not bad, eh? The only problem I really have with this is that it takes place in New York-across the country for me. But for those of you who do live in New York or are near to it, why not try this event out? Especially with the discounts for you cheapos out there. ^_^