It’s Morphin’ Time and Other News Updates

Go Go Conmania! Anime Expo is throwing what is basically a Power Rangers reunion, throughout the history of the show in all its various iterations. There’s going to be red carpet arrivals, a special Q&A panel and autograph/photo signings at their table in the Exhibit Hall. More will be announced later, but the first bunch of actors include Blake Foster (Justin the Blue Ranger), Walter Jones (Zach the Black Ranger), Karan Ashley (Aisha the Yellow Ranger), Catherine Sutherland (Katherine the Pink Ranger), Nakia Burrise (Tanya the Yellow Ranger), Steve Cardenas (Rocky the Red Ranger), Roger Velasco (Carlos the Black Ranger), Jessica Rey (Alyssa the White Ranger), Barbara Goodson (Rita Repulsa) and Robert Axelrod (Lord Zedd). Heh, Walter Jones. It always seemed off when he was playing Rondell, Mackie’s pet drug dealer on “The Shield.”

• And as if just to rub it in to every other convention, AX also announced that 350 of their 357 Artist Alley tables have been filled. Which means lots of artists to buy sketches from. Although it is kind of a funny number, 357 being a magnum size.
• AX isn’t the only convention suddenly announcing a ton of guests, though. Spooky Empire just dropped a bunch of names for their October show: Lance “Bishop” Henriksen, Michael “That Guy With the Pointy Head” Berryman, Tom “The Cop in Every Horror Movie” Atkins,Suzanne”Killer Klowns from Outer Space” Snyder, and if that weren’t enough, Gunnar “Leatherface” Hansen! Although I have to admit, I did have to look up who Snyder and Atkins were.
• Comic artist J.J. Kirby is headed for Long Beach Comic Con.
• Remember Billy Mitchell, the bad guy from the documentary “King of Kong,” holder of various video game titles, maker of hot sauce and wearer of weird hair? He’s dropping out of NW Pinball. Which raises eyebrows, as it’s the home turf of his cinematic rival, Steve Wiebe. And while I don’t normally make disparaging comments about con guests… hell, the con did it in their announcement of it, not me.
• Florida Anime Experience has gone mobile with Guidebook.