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Who’s running things at Wizard Entertainment these days? Karl Rove?

WizardWorld to Atlanta In Pencil Not Pen

By TOM SPURGEON

THE PULSE learned this week that a 2006 WizardWorld convention planned for the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta for June 29-July 2 was planned, despite official denials that any date was a rumor, but had not yet gone from general penciled-in date to finalized date. Unable to get confirmation from Wizard or its public relations consultant Bragman Nyman Cafarelli, sources close to the company in touch with both THE PULSE, and other sources contacted by the newsmagazine NEWSARAMA, who broke their story earlier today, have indicated that current thinking at the company, barring yet another reversal of plans, is to decide is whether to put the show elsewhere in 2006 or to reload for 2007.

Wizard Entertainment officials had claimed a July 21 report on ICv2.com from Milton Griepp contained non-confirmed dates. The official line from John Rafacz, a representative of Bragman Nyman Cafarelli (BNC), a public relations and marketing agency that has assisted with press and marketing on the WizardWorld shows, to THE PULSE on Tuesday the 26th was that as no dates had been announced by his firm or by Wizard, that ANY news of a show or specific dates fell under the category of speculation and rumor, and therefore they could not comment. Mr. Rafacz is believed to be the person who would be responsible for coordinating Wizard’s response once a set strategy regarding the show was decided upon. After an initial contact with THE PULSE where he expressed surprise at the line of questioning and promised to get an answer, Mr. Rafacz did not return follow-up phone calls or e-mail.

Wizard’s stance regarding the fictional nature of the dates were soon exposed as fanciful takes on the truth by officials at the Cobb Centre who admitted to THE PULSE Wizard had expressed an interest in those dates through Vice President/Business Development Martha Donato, who was on the schedule available to Cobb personnel as Wizard’s contact person.

Very few in the comics professional community had believed Wizard line about nothing being planned, and as reported at THE PULSE and elsewhere, several have pledged support for the independent Heroes Con, to be held in regionally proximate Charlotte that same weekend. Con organizer Shelton Drum claimed in news stories that he had heard from Wizard officials that the date was not only on but was at that time non-negotiable, which the tentative nature of the listing at the Cobb Centre and the expected outcome of the story this morning also disputes.

If they follow through with what look to be current plans to leave that date without ever official confirming they were interested in them, a move to another weekend in 2006 or even a delay to 2007 should give Wizard Entertainment the opportunity to find a show weekend that is amenable to Heroes Con and perhaps also better coordinated with the gaming con Origins and the Anime Expo, both of which were also scheduled for the original 2006 date.

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ATLANTA ATTACKS

Interestingly, the recent article about this brewing dispute in comicbookresources.com’s Lying in the Gutters column has now been replaced with:

“(Article removed at the request of Rob Felton, VP Business Development, Wizard Entertainment / Wizard Conventions)”

What a bunch of spineless jellyfish… Anyway, here’s what the article said:

The WizardWorld backlash is in earnest and both Marvel and DC Comics are in discussion over what their move should be.

For the past few years, WizardWorld have been increasing the numbers of their comics conventions in order to squeeze the competition. A WizardWorld Los Angeles was originally planned for the same day or the previous weekend to the number one comics convention, San Diego – not so much as replace it, but to leech importance from it, thus increase the importance of WizardWorld Chicago and other WizardWorlds through the year. This plan was, however abandoned for something smaller.

And the recent decision to coincide WizardWorld Atlanta with Heroes Con was exactly that. Using the power of the WizardWorld brand to knock out possible competition around the country and grow to challenge San Diego for the number one spot.

But finally a number of prominent creators have rebelled against this Starbuckisation of comic book conventions. Giving Heroes Con its best star line-up for years – JMS, Mark Millar, Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, Travis Charest, Art Adams, Tony Harris and many more.

Which leaves Marvel and DC with a dilemma. WizardWorld has long courted these two companies and provided serious discounts for their appearance, as long as they commit to a number of shows across the country and agree to make headline-making announcements there.

But with pressure from their own creatives and staff, and the possibilities of a PR nightmare, is it conceivable that Marvel and DC may break their previously mutually agreeable partnership? Until that week, that was not a possibility. This week, it’s been raised internally at both publishers.

WizardWorld is also looking at serious damage minimisation on this one.