secret identities at san diego comic-con / asian american superhero contest

Fellow geeks, get ready. Fresh from the extremely successful, first-ever Asian American Comicon, the Secret Identities is going to be in full force at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, July 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center. This is the big one, folks. For four days, it's sort of the center of the pop culture universe. Now, read on carefully, because you have to chance to win cool stuff -- including a free pass to the sold out Comic-Con.

The full Secret Identities crew -- all four editors -- will be at Comic-Con, along with dozens of the book's contributors. If you're planning on attending, be sure to swing by their booth (#1735) for signing sessions including the likes of:

Signing Schedule
Thurs, July 23, 12:30-2pm Gene Yang & Sonny Liew
Fri, July 24, 2-4pm Keiko Agena & Ming Doyle
Sat, July 25, 2-4pm Kelly Hu & Cliff Chiang
Sun, July 26, 2-3pm Bernard Chang (with inker Walden Wong, inking his sketches!)

The full list of Secret Identities contributors who will be at Comic-Con with booths includes:

Bernard Chang (#1821)
Cliff Chiang (#1322)
Martin Hsu (#G-02)
Benton Jew (#EE-02)
Kazu Kibuishi (#2329)
Sonny Liew (#2329)
Jerry Ma (#1735)
Dustin Nguyen (#FF-04)
Anthony Wu (#2329)
Gene Yang (#AA-4)

As well as Vince Sunico, Francis Tsai, and, as noted above, Kelly Hu,
Keiko Agena, Walden Wong and Ming Doyle. Given that they've got so many contributors in attendance, they're running a special "scavenger hunt" promo at the Con: get ten contributor signatures on your copy of Secret Identities and you'll be eligible to win a special prize at the SI booth.

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You should also be aware that editor Jeff Yang is moderating a special panel titled Four Color Reality: Making Comics Relevant to Readers Across Cultures in Room 3 on Friday, July 24, 6:30-7:30pm. Panelists include Dwayne McDuffie (Milestone Comics, JLA, Ben 10: Alien Force), Gail Simone (Wonder Woman), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Stuart Moore (Wolverine: Noir, The 99) and Jai Nitz (Blue Beetle, El Diablo). Here's the description:

Comic book stories have become the core of American pop culture - is there a big-budget spectacular that doesn't in some fashion owe its existence to comic book roots these days? But sales of traditional-format comic books themselves have been in decline for years. This panel explores one reason for this shrinking market: the divergence between the identities of mainstream comic icons - who are typically straight, white, male and American - and the demographic makeup of a new generation of readers. How can the comic book industry connect with changing audiences - not just of diverse races and backgrounds, but of different cultural and national origins as well?

That's a really cool, diverse grouping of panelists, and it should be a really interesting conversation -- the kind of conversation that ultimately sparks ideas for projects like Secret Identities.

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So... here's the part where we give away cool stuff. But you have to earn it. I've partnered up with Secret Identities to launch a very special contest. You've read the comics -- can you dream up your very own superhero?

We're challenging you to submit your own idea for a unique and original Asian American superhero. I'll pick the ten coolest submissions, then the Secret Identities editors will choose their three favorite heroes, each of whom will get their superhero idea rendered by a Secret Identities artist, and also receive a signed copy of the book.

Be creative, and have fun with this! To enter, please include a description of the hero (physical description, origin, powers, background, goals and nemesis) in 500 words or less. Thumbnail sketch optional. Email your entry, along with your contact info, to secretidentities@angryasianman.com by July 31. Winners will be announced on August 1.

But that's not all. If you've read this far, now you've got the chance to go to Comic-Con. But you have to act fast. The person who submits the best contest entry within the next 24 hours (by my count, before Sunday, July 19, 8:00am PST) will win a guest pass to the totally sold-out 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. And please, submit today only if you really plan on going to the Con. And of course, you'll be responsible for your own transportation to the San Diego Convention Center. Good luck!